Reveal some of your background, what
you're all about, what you think. Say,
"I'm all about this, I'm not into that, I'm
into this." Start with what you used to
think about as a little kid.
My brother and I grew up together, so I
always had an older brother there. We used
to always hang around his older friends. I
used to think of Los Angeles as being a
different country. Completely separate from
Rialto, which is where I live. Distant and
incredible. Downtown Los Angeles was like
a different kind of world.
Motorcycles were a big part of my child-
hood. Then waterskiing. I used to like to
waterski a lot.
"I didn't idolize
any particular
skater. I just
skated."
LI AL
When did you first start waterskiing?
About as far back as I can remember.
Probably about five or six years old.
What other activities did you participate
in as a kid?
The basics, I played baseball, football,
basketball...
In school?
No, leagues.
When did you first start playing
baseball?
When I was about eight, until I was about
eleven or twelve.
That was about the time that you started
skating?
Yeah. During my last year in baseball |
kinda just didn't care. I just skated
Up to that point were you average
amongst your peers in school, sort of
doing the things everyone else did or,
were you the only one who started skat-
ing out of all the guys in your class?
I was the only one. All of a sudden I had
new friends in other places, towns that were
far away. I was taking steps outside of
Rialto. I became stimulated.
Did your perception of the world shrink
once you began travelling and bringing
the far away places closer to your
touch?
Yeah. Los Angeles became normal to
me.
Describe the events involved in the be-
ginnings of your kinship with skate-
boarding?
I was about ten years old, my brother
and I built a little ramp against a wall in our
backyard. Then we went out and bought
some fiberglass Jay Adams Z-Flex boards
with Bennett trucks and Road Rider
wheels. This was when precision bearings
were just coming out onto the market.
Back then I used to just skate around
town with friends. Local skaters, they were
the only skating I knew, or witnessed. It
wasn't until after I'd been going to the parks
maybe twenty times before I saw an actual
skateboard magazine. I didn't idolize any
particular skater. I just skated.
How did your family get involved with
the skateboard Industry?
About the time I was seriously getting
into skating my dad and my uncle were
running this company called Muskin. They
made mini-bikes, above ground swimming
pools and artificial Christmas trees: com-
mercial American stuff. Then my cousin
Sue got married and at the wedding the
family got together and decided to start a
skateboard company. This was about nine-
teen seventy-five or seventy-six
It was Uncle Ray and cousin Jay, my dad
and my brother who were responsible for
starting the skateboard company.
And the skateboard company's name?
Variflex.
Why Variflex?
In the early stages they had a board that
could be adjusted for flexibility with the tight-
ening of a bolt, back when flex was some-
thing to be desired. Vary the flex. Then my
dad realized that professional skateboard-
ing was hip so he spent more time at that,
leading up to the George Orton and Dennis
Martinez days.
What about that guy George Orton?
George? We were a nobody company
and he was a pro, so we'd give him a lot
of money to help credit our name, but he
didn't pay off because he didn't win, al-
though he was good advertising and he'd
do good promotion. After that we ended up
with Eddie (Elguera). Eric (Grisham) and
Steve Hirsch. Then, I think George felt
kinda below, he couldn't handle not being
the star. I was pretty young then, so I didn't
know him that good. I was lil' Al.
What was your first competition experi-
ence?
It was at Skatopia. Halfpipe and free-
style. I think I got second in freestyle and
didn't even make the cut in the halfpipe.
Four people broke their wrists that day in
the halfpipe. That thing was so tight. I think
I saw more people get hurt in that halfpipe
than anywhere else. It was before knee-
sliding out of tricks was invented. It was so
tight, any time you'd bail you'd put your
hands out, you'd be instantly into the wall
and your wrists would be history
It was after this contest that I really
started to turn on to vertical. I was more
into freestyle because I didn't have any ver-
tical. The first vert I ever really rode was
Skatopia. Then I went to Skatercross and
saw Grisham skate, and Shreddy Repas.
Both of them were skatin' and they were
hot. Mike Hirsch was the dominant young
kid back then, he was riding for Powerflex
Finally, I started beating him. It took me
two years until I finally won a big amateur
pool contest. That whole next year I was
on top. The next big event was the Hester
at Big O. I was amateur and signed up to
skate with the pros and stay amateur. That
was when Olson won.
What sort of tricks were the mainstay at
this time?
I did ollies over the channel. I was the
only one to do that
What pool was that?
The capsule at Big O. I did Elguerials
back then. My best trick was extended
handplants. Hardly anyone was doing them
back then. And layback airs, I could do good
layback airs.
How old were you at this point?
Thirteen. Fourteen tops..
What was the contest atmosphere like
back then, compared to the present
day?
Back then skateboarding was more "the
thing to be cool. Everybody was out to
impress more. They had more of a built-in
attitude. I was the little rich kid, so I got
vibed heavily for it. There was nothing I
could do about it. It's just the way everyorie
formed their own opinions. But after 1
started winning, that sort of mellowed out.
Then came the "Varibot" stuff. That started