interview with christian marsh of xian leather

There’s a guy on Long Island named Christian and he has a little shop he calls Xian Leather. He’s worked for some cool dudes and has been doing it a while. An associate of mine, a Mister Chopperbuilder, said he’d been talking with Christian and he’d probably be interested in an interview, so I hit him up.

This is what happened:

bM:  You hail from a family of craftsman, dating at least as far back as your great granddad, who crafted glass eyes in Germany. Can you tell us a bit about your family history? And please keep it concise or send me twenty bucks to edit a thousand words! Or a coupon for a free case of beer. Whichever is easier ’cause I’ll just spend the money on beer, anyway. Oh. Your family history. What gives? How did glass eyes turn into great leathersmithing from your hands?

CM:  Yeah that’s about as far back as we know about artistic ability and craftsmanship go. My Great Grandfather, Max Kohler was actually quite world famous for his glass eye making. He was flown all over the planet to make these for people. He hand painted them from the inside to match the remaining eye colors. That side of my family is from Lauscha, Germany, where his shop was until my family came to the US. His last known shop was in Manhattan on 14th street. The Kohler name is still well connected to glass blowing in Lauscha and is hung outside many shops there to this day. If it were up to me, I’d be working glass as well. It’s an absolutely fascinating art form.

As far as me getting into tooling leather? S**t man, it kinda just happened out of nowhere. I had been doing custom car audio for about 15 years concentrating mostly on the audiophile type of systems as well as custom interior work of which a lot was made out of fiberglass wrapped in leather. Which was not easy at the time considering the sources we had where we would get the leather. Kinda like trying to stretch tin foil without ripping it. It blew but it was cool at the same time.

I grew up in the city but would go horseback riding whenever money would allow, though we grew up poor as dirt. I remember the first time seeing a tooled saddle and how cool I thought it was, but my first thought even at a young age was, “**** that’s f***in’ cool but there has to be a way to do it better.” To my brain everything can be refined, there’s always a better way, a way to achieve a more refined result no matter what the cost. You just have to find it. So if I see something that seems out of form, or half done, or unfinished looking, my brain goes on auto-pilot finding ways to make it look sharp, refined, and more pristine. It’s just something I’ve always done since I was very young.

bM:  Hold on. Gotta finish this forty and grab another. Okay, I admit. I was ****** off to start my day and I’m doing all I can to be serious here. You’ve worked for some well-known folks and shops. What was it like to work at Indian Larry’s place after his death-defying demise? Are you friends with Paul ***? Do you still contract with them or would you rather not answer and we’ll pretend I didn’t ask this question?

CM:  (laughing) Bro, I used to wake up angry and ready to slit someones throat…. Now I just don’t have the time for that. Not that I would pass up the opportunity, but I no longer go looking for it. I’m too busy!

I met Larry a few years back at drag strip in Jersey, he was running Nitro bikes with a few guys there. I had also been to Gasoline Alley a few times just checking s**t out looking at the bikes. For me Larry was in it to win it. He cleaned up, set his life straight and was building what I consider real motorcycles/choppers; a bike that looks mean as f**k, but you can ride it like a street bike and just lose your mind doing it. His bikes have to be seen in person to appreciate the vision and feel of them. Pics and TV don’t do them justice. It would be like having a scratch-n-sniff date, it just doesn’t compare at all.

I’ve done a few pieces for Bobby at IL’s and there are more pieces in planning for future bikes they have going on. And I’ll be honest about the situation, but before that, anyone who knows me knows I shoot from the hip. I don’t blow sunshine up anyone’s ***. I don’t compliment because it’s good manners to do so, and I can smell bull***t a mile away under water. That being said, I talked to Bobby and his wife, as well as Alex who is one of the builders there at the shop a few times before I did any work for them. I felt it was important to consider the situation and get a feel for the motivation in keeping Larry’s place alive and breathing. I had numerous and lengthy convos with Bobby, Elisa, and Alex, and felt comfortable with the reasons for doing what they’re doing. There is one hundred percent respect and integrity there as a whole.

The week before the Javitz show I had to drive out to Brooklyn to deliver the tool bag I finished for them so they would have it in time. Well, Alex was to meet me there but had to bail and jet home so Eddie stayed and waited for me. Little did I know that Eddie had been with Larry since well before Gasoline Alley and knew Larry best. The stories this guy had, the memories, and most of all the energy he had…. I swear it was like talking to Larry, so much it freaked me out! And for me being a very spiritual person that’s not easy to do. I talked with Eddie for over an hour right in the middle of a lot the bikes Larry had built including the one he crashed on when he passed. It was an experience I’ll never forget. To anyone who thinks these guys are riding Larry’s name and not doing this for the right reasons and with honor, feel free to call me any time. I’ll give you the low down. Bobby might be crazy as f**k but he’s got integrity, honor, and fortitude to keep this going in Larry’s name.

I’ve never met Paul nor have I spoken to him. He’s an outstanding leathersmith for sure.

bM:  You work solo now making what I’ve heard other leathersmiths revere with respectful words. How long have you been at it, how did you learn, and do you have aspirations for creating things other than leather-based elements? Metal? Dark matter? World domination? You know the highest ranked Nazis always wore a ton of leather? Stupid f***ing Nazis. Killer logo. Bad ideas. Kinda like bp but without the desire to destroy the planet, only kill a lot of folks and rule over it.

CM:  Yeah. working by yourself for yourself is the s**t man, I could never go back to working for anyone else again. I just couldn’t hack it. I’ve been working leather for twelve years now, six of those full time. I used to work a full time gig and then work leather at night and on the weekends, I did that for five-plus years. Working those hours kicked my *** and lead to a lot of f**k-ups and wasted material, but I was learning how to work at ten things at once and in time all of it would all flow pretty well.

CM:  How did I learn? Man that was a battle in itself. At first I looked for a place to apprentice at here in NY, but had no luck with that. Next, I bought a few books, read them from cover to cover and experimented with all the techniques I saw but never really saw one that worked perfectly so I took what I read and made it my own. The tooling and other mechanical aspects of it came pretty naturally for me, like beveling, edge work, rolling, stiffening, softening, and slicking. All of those require touch and finesse to get it right. You can’t just go at it like a f***in’ gorilla, you have to anticipate what the leather is going to do according to moisture, temper, and tanning. You have to work with it or it’ll all just go to **** real fast. Stitching was another part that came naturally, getting the bottom to look like the top was pretty simple for me so I stuck with it and got my hand stitching to look pretty good, but still every time I stitch something up I try and do it better and better. What kicked my *** was braiding. I hate braiding anything. It takes forever, its obnoxious, lacing leaves nice big holes where water can get in start to rot over time, and its not a strong edge finish unless you do a serious braid. Besides it’s always where someones legs are going to rub so there’s always a chance of the lace rolling and breaking somewhere. I prefer hand stitching with heavy waxed linen because it seals the holes, the edge is hard as a rock, and it allows you properly burnish, polish and seal that edge from moisture. But that’s just me. Artwork is another aspect and the ideas come easily. The pencil always fights me at the beginning until I have a flow down. Reading someone’s mind through email or phone, taking what they see in their own heads as far as style, layout, detail, and feel, and putting it all together isn’t easy to nail.

The best advice I could give anyone starting out doing this is stop staring at everyone’s work, stop gazing through bike mags at leather work, don’t live on forums grabbing advice from people who are there grabbing advice as well. Doing these things plants visions and bad techniques in your mind that aren’t easy to remove. That’s why if you notice every beginner’s work looks just like the next guy, or some guy who is well known. Turn it all off, read about what the old timers did and how they worked it. These are proven techniques that have been around for hundreds of years. Take this information as an abstract idea and work it ’till it’s your own. Dream up original artwork.. These things will separate you from the pack and make you stand out.

If I wasn’t doing this I’d definitely get into glass blowing, doing some badass artsy s**t but nothing too particular…. I’d go with the flow and let it happen. It would be useful s**t, but artsy.

bM:  Do you work as fast as your father, or as an artist does it depend on the piece, the customer, or anything else?

CM:  Nah. I work at a normal pace as much as I can. Besides, you can’t rush any part leather working anyway. You’re always waiting for something to dry, soak in, setup, etc. That’s why working on ten things at once is great way to balance the time between. And yes, it does depend on the piece. Some sketches can take over eight hours to complete, and you can multiply that by five for the tooling. And yes, the customer weighs in, too. Some people just have very slow and draining energy and as an artist you pick up on that and it will actually dictate the pace the project takes on. I’ve had simple seats that took forever, and crazy, complicated tooled seats that went smooth as silk and I finished them in a few days because the customer had great energy and was cool and easy to work with.

bM:  You’ve got some nifty tattoo work. Where do you get it done and what is important to you, not only for each tat, but in general when you mark your body forever?

CM:  I’m suited from neck to ankle. My lower suit is all traditional Japanese black and gray. The upper is all tribal, Polynesian and some Hindu as well. Greg Fly here in NY did all of it from start to finish. It’s all important to me they all symbolize a period I went through in my life back then, and each tells a story in itself. Everything we do is forever, actions, thoughts, deeds, ink, all of it. It all leaves a mark on us as humans that can’t be erased.

bM:  I suspect you ride. Please tell us about your bike, and any dreams you may have for future bikes.

CM:  Actually I do ride! Whata shock, aye? I ride a rigid that I built a few years ago. It started as an ’02 Indian Spirit that I cut up, taking the S&S motor, front end, transmission, rear wheel, ignition switch, forwards n’ s**t and built a new bike. It’s pretty spankin’ and hauls ***. Light and nimble so I can throw it around a bit.

bM:  Have you ever thought of hurting a banker?

CM:  Every day. I don’t like them, in their suits, neat little haircuts, polished fake leather shoes, and those cheap f***ing desks they sit behind like they know something you don’t. They’re salesmen just like the guy workin’ at Auto Barn trying to sell you something you know more about than they do.

bM:  Your bike saddles are amazing. bikerMetric readers are poor. What can a working man biker expect to pay for a custom piece from you?

CM:  Well that depends, my seats to this day still start at $450 with no tooling. Upholstered seats $325. Those are starting prices using the customer’s pan or a small bobber pan from me. Not for a Road King seat re-cover, though! HA! With all that genuine high-quality leather, hand-made piping for upholstery work, the whole deal… If they wanted it tooled with some crazy bad *** s**t, I’d have to discuss it with them first, and find out how long they’ve been a club member. I often give discounts the military.

bM:  When you dream and wake, is there a recurring theme? Mine is giant houses, usually they’re mostly empty and I travel through. It started when I was five and was chased by a vampire to kinky cathouse *** last week. But the houses are always empty to start.

CM:  Hmmmm, dreams…. Mostly it’s me becoming an inanimate object like a plastic bag or a Coke can.

bM:  Interesting. There will come a day when we will be judged, either by *** or in our last moments of breathing as we reflect upon our deeds. Suppose both are true. What would you say and/or do?

CM:  I’d be like, “Yo! That’s it? What the f**k? Send me back for one more week, there are some people that need an *** kickin’!”

bM:  I’m with you there. Let’s start with bankers…

Visit Christian’s website to see a lot more of his work at XianLeather.com and as you have been programmed, tell him you saw his s**t on bikerMetric!

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