Drum Magazine Issue 3 | Page 76

7 4 Drum: SPORTIVE occurred after the screening of J ump London, in which the charismatic Foucan explained the background to Parkour while we watched in astonishment as he and his team of French ‘Traceurs’ vaulted, somersaulted, and tumbled across the capital using some of the city’s most famous landmarks as their stepping stones. “We are not Spiderman or Superman...” Isn’t he ever afraid though? “When I was younger, maybe,” he tells me. “When I didn’t know exactly my body, how I feel, I was less connected with me, you know, but now I know me. I know my limitations. If you give me a musical instrument and say, play, it’s impossible for me. But learning something step-by-step, a human being can achieve amazing things.” So does he have other interests outside of Parkour like Buddhism or meditation, I asked. “Parkour is my meditation. But I also like Asian philosophy and martial art. I like Bruce Lee, Michael Jordan, Mohammed Ali, and Gandhi, and all these people and these things ha ve influenced me. For me, it’s about how you can be efficient without destruction without doing bad things. It’s about doing good things that people can admire and that help them to do better.” Noble ideals, but what does he think of the growing commercialisation of Parkour and its activities? The opposing camps argue that this growth towards the mainstream will either see Parkour blossom, or result in the death of its true meaning at the hands of corporate exploitation. Wary of the popularisation of their sport, some Parkouristes claim that this will destroy the community feeling they attribute to being part of what separates Parkour from other activities and makes it special. They fear the posers and fashion labels stepping in for a killing. They speak of the nightmare of Parkour becoming like skateboarding. Those involved in the commercialisation of the discipline claim that increased money in a sport is positive and that large companies supply equipment that would otherwise be unavailable, while consumers retain the right not to buy what’s on offer. With its large teenage appeal and following, you can be sure that the economic pressures which drive brands to seek out new markets will inevitably squeeze more and more profits from Parkour like anything else from football to hip hop. It could also be argued that these activities still retain much of the special appeal for those who love them, but few would seriously claim that these interests and activities are ever left ‘untainted’ by commercialism. For many, the imminent release of a Parkour video game from Core Design is the beginning of a frenzy of media exploitation, and indeed, the concept of the game does seem remarkably opposed to the actual principles spirit behind Founcan and Belle’s original ideals. Do they themselves feel exploited? Sébastien didn’t want to answer that question and I didn’t want to pursue the issue. Does he have an agent then, I asked him. “Yes,” he said. Did he have an agent when the game was first presented to him as an idea? “No.” But he’s got an agent now! “Yes.” So what’s it like seeing himself in a video game? “To see my face in a video game as a kid would have been really funny. But now my daughter can play with me when I’m away, and for me, her Daddy, that’s very, very good.” So what is it about him that makes him so giving, so willing to share his skills and experience with others, I wanted to know. “Because I love this!” was his reply. “When we were children, we were practising Parkour with love, fun, and a good feeling. We organised parties in the forest and each person brings their own food, and we cook with fire, and people play the guitar; it was peaceful. Nobody knows this, but I remember, and this is always in my mind.” Yes, but is there anything in his growing up, in his family life, in the way they loved as a family, and dealt with each other, that makes him this very