DIGGIN'MAGAZINE Die Go Interview
Die Go
The first issue was published in October 2013DIGGIN'MAGAZINE Editor-in-chief.
Although the sources of paper and the Web are different, when I go to the snowy mountains as the same snowboarding media, I often see him in the fields and places where there are riders, which are indispensable for the Japanese snowboarding scene.
When I met him last season, I had a few times when I felt that his words had a message "behind the scenes".
The message may not be conscious of the person himself, but is it because he has decided what he has to do and where to go?I felt that.
When I heard that he was going to publish DIGGIN'MAGAZINE, I knew what kind of magazine it would be, but I was very interested in why he wanted to publish it, and he was clear. I felt that it worked "now" for some reason.
The reputation of DIGGIN'MAGAZINE can be heard from various places, but in this interview I was able to directly hear how he felt and how he made the decision. Please enjoy with the image cut of the first issue of DIGGIN'MAGAZINE.
① Please tell us how DIGGIN'MAGAZINE was born.
It's been about 40 years since snowboarding was born.The snowboard bubble in Japan began in the 90's, and kids who were crazy about surfing and skateboarding and active people who were bored with the current situation became enthusiastic about playing on the unconventional snow. That is the key.It was fresh anyway.
As a result, the snowboarding population has increased rapidly, but now that generation is simply an "old man" who is in his 40s.
After snowboarding for almost 20 years, the field of play has naturally changed, and there are many cases where the behavior pattern is becoming more and more wild in search of powder and natural terrain.It's a growing awareness of the fields of backcountry and side country, which are commonly called.
In fact, I think that the reality that nearly 100 people line up before the OPEN at Nozawa's gondola, Kagura's ropeway, and Hakuba Cortina on weekends in the high season tells that.
This "change in the field where mature snowboarders play" was the main reason for the launch of DIGGIN'MAGAZINE, and I wanted to give shape to the world of snowboarding that I create in nature.
The other is the reality that this generation is getting very little from existing snowboard magazines.
It's just a trend of the times, and I think it happens not only in snowboarding at any time, but when I was in my twenties, I bought snowboard magazines and kept them at home. There aren't many articles that interest me, and I think more people know about snowboarding than the people who make the snowboarding media.
I don't think this is pessimistic, but in a good way it is the result of Japanese snowboarding making history. The current old man snowboarder, who started snowboarding in the 90's, still has the same passion and curiosity as he did then, updating his snowboarding.It is natural that the interests of what you want to know and what you want to read will change.
I kept staring at such a background while being involved in snowboard media for a long time, searching for the timing.Then, "It's about time".It was launched in October of this year.
By the way, the most important thing for DIGGIN'MAGAZINE is photography.Because I think that what snowboarders want most from paper media is photography.
And the story.Information is everywhere in this era, so you want to know a story that approaches "why it happened, the background and the emotions of the parties" rather than "where and who did what".That's why I think DIGGIN'MAGAZINE is a "snowboard photo journal".
(XNUMX) The theme of the first issue is "SNOW SURF" and you can read it to a considerable depth. Did you have any chance to publish this content in the first issue?
There were various factors that triggered it.First of all, the roots of snowboarding are surfing.There is also snowboarding that came from skateboarding, but it was a new school that happened in the 90's.
Honestly, I started snowboarding in the 90's when I made DIGGIN'MAGAZINE, so I grew up watching "Roadkill" completely.That's why I didn't have the word "SNOW SURF" as my roots, and I still don't.
But if you take the history of snowboarding seriously, Japan's first board was like a surfboard made by Moss in the early '70s, and more specifically, when it was born in the United States, it had fins instead of steel edges. So, from a commercial point of view, it's the crystals of people who dreamed of surfing on the snow.
We were so addicted to this play of snowboarding that we needed to get to know our roots once again and go back because we wanted to pursue and enjoy ourselves.
In addition, attention to brands with the keyword "snow surfing" as the core, such as GENEMSTICK, Moss snowstick, and TJ Brand, is increasing not only in Japan but also on a global scale.Why is it getting so much attention now?
I was able to step into this theme only when I had the pure question, "I'm a snowboarder, I only do snowboarding, and what exactly is snow surfing?"Actually, it was too deep (laughs)
And the other is that since I decided to continue making such snowboarding magazines, I will start by respecting my seniors.
The first issue was "SNOW SURF" with the thought of "Thank you for building a wonderful culture, and we will continue to evolve in our own style while inheriting it."
③ Have you had any different difficulties before issuing the first issue as the editor-in-chief?
It's a business (laughs)
Magazines are usually divided into a sales department and an editorial department.The editorial department basically only creates magazines, and the work of bringing money from clients as advertisements to be included in magazines is divided into roles in the form of a sales department.
However, DIGGIN'MAGAZINE is 100% self-made and sales, so I'm not very good at sales, but I have to do it. It is the shape of the media of the future that people have face-to-face and serious discussions. "
I'm a maker, so I just want to make something like this purely, and I'm just thinking about how the snowboarding scene will get excited, and there is no concept of "for clients who will pay me".Even so, the fact that there are manufacturers who make such "investments" means that there are many people who are looking for the ideal way of the snowboarding scene with the same vector, and that is what made me happy.That is why I consider "advertising" to be an important visual element that makes up a book, and I also check the content in advance.
④ Do you plan to decide the theme for each issue and publish it in the future?
I agree.The next issue is PHOTOGRAPHERS ISSUE.The presence of a photographer is indispensable in the snowboarding scene.
From a video perspective, I think both videographers and filmers are on par with photographers, but DIGGIN'MAGAZINE is a photo magazine.First of all, as a photographer, we will mainly feature 6 photographers.
Actually, the cover of the next issue is a photo that was decided before the first issue, so will you bring this to the first issue?I thought, but as for the content, I thought that it would suit the next issue, so I put up with it and saved it.Please look forward to it.
It was a time when I talked with Die Go, the editor-in-chief of DIGGIN'MAGAZINE, and strongly felt the consciousness of the creator.
In a sense, it can be difficult to meet all the needs of snowboard users.However, I felt that it is one of the few MAGAZINEs that can cut out time and history as a part of the lifestyle, dig deep into it, and deliver it as a pure work.
After finishing the interview, I read it carefully again.
Yes.Certainly, this MAGAZINE is a MAGAZINE that you can keep in your favorite living room, which is your important space.
Die Go
DIGGIN'MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief / Freelance Editor / Writer
After working as an editorial staff member of the snowboard magazine "SNOWing" (currently discontinued), became a freelancer.
Since then, he has been involved as an editor and writer for most snowboard magazines, focusing on editing the free magazine "supeRb".
The editorial life of chasing low pressure and cold waves has been over 15 years, and now he is pursuing a permanent horizontal lifestyle.
There is a habit of swaying when Orion is seen in the eastern night sky.
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