Benny Gold is the design genius behind the Benny Gold line as well as Mash SF, and has done work for DLX, Huf, Nike, I-Path, and many other respected brands. He’s an avid skater and fixed gear fanatic.
How did Mash start? Whose idea was it and what was the original vision?
Mash started as Mike Martin’s vision. I met Mike when I tried to buy some bike parts off of him from an advertisement he put on craigslist. I went into his studio and I was amazed at all the cool things that he had in there. His office was filled with vintage skateboards, bikes and camera equipment. I was riding skateboards and bikes a lot with Gabe Morford at the time and quickly introduced the two of them. Mike and Gabe partnered up to work on Mash. I was lucky enough to help them out with art direction and logo.
Is there anything that you did differently with Mash to document biking that hadn’t been done in other videos that you’ve seen?
Mike and Gabe wanted a cleaner aesthetic to the film then what was currently out there for street bike-related features. At the time, everything that related to this type of riding was focused on the messenger lifestyle. They all had a grittier, dirtier street punk feel to it. Mike and Gabe consciously wanted to showcase all aspects of the people that are into these bikes, not just bike messengers. Mash had everyone in the film that represented street cycling in San Francisco including the bike messenger. When I was working on the logo for the project I wanted to illustrate that togetherness with the style of the mark. A clean military-inspired logo is what I came up with to represent the team aspect of Mash. The street bike-related films that followed Mash are now clean and have a similar approach to them. For the record, I hope that people remember that Mash was the first.
What are the plans for the Mash line?
I am excited to keep building the Mash line with Mike and Gabe. As far as my plans for the line goes, I just want to put out the best art I possibly can and see where it goes.
You guys recently did a tour of Japan; how was it and what’s the craziest thing that happened on the trip?
This recent Japan trip with Mash was amazing. The craziest thing for me was seeing how many people are into bikes in Tokyo. I traveled out there previously with Mash two years prior and there was not nearly as many people on bikes then. I was blown away by how much the culture and fascination with bikes grew in such a short amount of time.
Are there plans to make another Mash DVD?
There has been talk about future projects and how to build on what has already been established. Whatever happens with Mash, I’m proud to have been a part of it and I am always down to help out with the art.
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