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Ollie Rodgers writes, sings and plays guitar for his band Mr Koo

In the latest instalment of The Style Sheet’s Day in the Life series, we spend a day with creative multi-hyphenate Ollie Rodgers, who is a skater, musician and videographer. Along with co-founding online platform LIKEWISE — which documents contemporary culture in Hong Kong and Asia — Ollie is part of Hong Kong’s local skate community and works within the marketing team at Vans. He also sings, writes and plays guitar for indie rock band Mr Koo.


Morning


‘I wake up, check my phone and emails, and then I make myself a bagel for breakfast and take my dog, Frankie, for a walk — she’s a one-year-old Shar Pei-mix I adopted from Catherine’s Puppies in Sai Kung. After that, I get my most important tasks done, like video editing or writing copy for LIKEWISE, or crafting an Instagram post for Vans Skate APAC. I also head into the Vans office in Kwun Tong when I need to get work done or assist with product seeding, which involves sending sneakers to skaters around the region.’

Ollie’s morning walk with rescue dog Frankie

Lunch


‘If I have time, I like to head over to an Indian and Nepalese joint in Sai Ying Pun called Momo N Curry. They have great lunch deals and the best chana masala and laccha paratha in town.’


Afternoon


‘If I’m not too busy, I make time to go skating a few times a week. It feels good to move my legs and sweat, and it helps me destress. If it’s cloudy, I usually hit up the Kwun Tong waterfront since there’s an undercover skate spot there. I use a fisheye lens on my camera to get up close to the action as it’s a good way to capture the energy of a trick. I’ve been filming a lot lately for the next skate video that’ll be released under LIKEWISE. The series is called Canto Pop and we’re filming the third episode now. I feel like a lot of people in Hong Kong still tend to look down on skateboarders and see it as a childish thing. However, the identity of skateboarding is slowly changing, with it being in the Olympics this year and big brands getting a taste of what they see as a “trendy” skate industry. No matter how much it changes, it’s nice to keep the core of it alive. My crew and I are excited to skate, film and capture what street skateboarding is in Hong Kong today.’

Ollie fitting in an afternoon skate session at the Kwun Tong Promenade

Early Evening 


‘As the evening approaches, I usually head to my studio in Lai Chi Kok. I share the space with other musicians and creatives. I sing, write and play guitar for the band Mr Koo. The studio is where we practise and host jam sessions with other musicians. Sometimes we play a gig, such as at Lau Bak Livehouse in the West Kowloon Cultural District. Before a show I always like to strum my guitar and prepare my equipment before heading over to soundcheck.’


Evening


‘Playing live original music for new and old fans is always a good time. At Lau Bak Livehouse we played for 45 minutes — a mixture of originals and covers. The set went smoothly aside from me breaking a guitar string during a song!’

Watch Mr Koo play live at The Aftermath Bar on 6 August, and listen to the band’s single Big Wave Bay on Spotify or other streaming platforms.

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