Derek Erdman painted a custom Nardwuar jacket for Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.
Photo: Courtesy of @DerekErdman's Instagram
Ever since we were first blown away by their fashion-centric "Thrift Shop" music video (and track, let's be honest) late last year, we've kept our eyes squarely locked on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' every sartorial move. When they make it rain on the Jimmy Fallon studio audience with a box of second-hand clothes, we notice. When Mack guest edits for a sneaker blog, we write about it. And when the dudes show up to The Ellen DeGeneres Show bearing gifts, specifically a thrifted jean jacket with Ellen's bust painted on the back, we remember it forever. THUS, you can imagine our collective ish-flipping when, at the end of their SXSW interview with Canadian research oracle Nardwuar, the Seattle-based duo handed The Human Serviette his OWN bananas unreal custom jean jacket.
The one-two punch of these poppy Ellen and Nardwuar toppers was too much to ignore, so we made it our mission to track down their artist Derek Erdman. (Actually, we're dramatizing. It was a really easy Google because Macklemore already ID'ed him during the interview.) In keeping with Mack's M.O. of repping for The Emerald City, Erdman is a Seattle, Washingtonian (though he's moved there only recently by way of Chicago). A quick scan through his most recent paintings and we catapulted from casual fans to full-blown obsession, pouring over hilariously irreverent pieces like Phoebe Cats (a reimagining of Phoebe Cates's iconic Fast Times with CATS) and a LeBron James bench brought to life for the sole purpose of pissing off jilted Cleveland Cavaliers fans. We caught up with Derek Erdman (hot on the heels of a LOL-worthy Sub Pop Records scandal [kind of, but not really]) via a very glamorous email chain to chat about his art, working with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and other stuff like uniforms and sausage hands. ENJOY!
