christiasoi
Interview by Kevin Thatcher
n 1980, right when you were coming
up through the ranks, skateboard-
ing was considered dead. Were you
aware of that at the time?
Yeah, it was dead. For a couple years the
first place prize money at a contest was $200.
We'd go because skateboarding was our life,
we did it to get together and have fun, not
for the money. Also, for some reason we
thought we had more coming. We stuck it
out. If it wasn't for us who thrived on skating
no matter what, I think skateboards would
have been just another toy that kids play with.
a growing up thing.
Do you look at skating differently now?
Yeah, back then you didn't have any cares,
you didn't have any pressure. You were con-
stantly thinking of getting better for yourself.
It was more or less like surfing back then.
the boys get together and go surf. It wasn't
like a job where you're pressured, you have
to make the cut or else your company's going
to get mad at you and won't send you
anywhere. Now the pressure's on you. Now
you've got to be strong, you've got to want
to do it and you've got to keep doing it.
You're out now with a twisted ankle from
snowboarding, what would you have done
back then if you'd been injured like that?
I never got injured. I was like a rubber ball.
I'd slam hard and just get up and walk
around. Shinners were gnarly then. Just
tweaking a toe was hard. Then I broke my
arm when I was 15 and for four months I
didn't skate. When I got back on I got right
back into the scene. I had the will to do it
again just to get over the phobia of doing it,
so I went back to the place I broke my arm-
Lincoln, Nebraska. Everybody told me I was
crazy to go back, that it was cursed. I said,
"I'm going to go back there and do it again
just to get it out of my system and it'll never
affect me again." So I did it and I was fine.
How much practice sessioning do you do?
When I was an amateur I only travelled to
skateparks. Marina closed and I hung out at
Whittier, Whittier closed and I didn't hang out
anywhere. Since then I only really practice
at contests and demos. It's better to skate
with good people than by yourself. You're not
pressured to do more things when you're
alone. That's why I'm on the same trick mode
right now. Everybody's going, "Christian,
you've got to change your tricks. You've been
doing the same line for three years." If I want
to be a number one skater like Tony Hawk
is, I have to skate every day on my own ramp.
In L.A. it's almost impossible to have a ramp,
you've got to go to the outskirts. I'm looking
for a place now. I'm going to build my ramp
and skate every day so I can keep up. I'm
a vertical skater and I thrive on vertical more
60
than a mini-ramp or a street course. I want
a mini-ramp to practice the tricks and take
them to the big ramp, just like Tony Hawk's
got. It's perfect for learning.
What about the rivalries you've had over
the years? Like with Tony, you guys have
been neck and neck for quite a while.
To the public it might be a rivalry. Some
people hate me and love him, and vice versa.
To us it's cool. We've been around so long
we have respect for each other. We are
skateboarders and we are the same kind.
When you skateboard you're on a different
level. It's all an art, it's like surfing. It's fluid,
it flows, it's flowing, it's speed, it's gyration,
it's g-forces and gravity. That's what makes
it so intense and such a rush.
How did you handle booing at contests?
The booing gives me an extra inspiration
to do better. It pushes me. There's always
stuff like that in all sports. It's just rooting for
the other team. This section roots for one
team this section roots for the other. It doesn't
bother me. I don't think it's because they hate
me. It's just because they have a favorite, and
it's a threat to them. So they try to make an
extra effort to make you fall, it's like a vibe.
They boo you and they try and get you vibed.
That's good. It revs me hard.
What's your favorite pool?
I've had so many backyard pool experi-
ences, and it's harder to go out nowadays
and look for them. I skated this pool for a
Jimmy Z shoot in the rain-big pool, grinding
on thick tile coping, carving over the step.
frontside, backside. That was a day, to re-
member. It was a video shoot, photo session.
I was supposed to get there at eight in the
morning and I got there at noon. It was sunny
all morning, then it started raining right when
I got there. They spent thousands on this
pool, I'm there late and it starts raining. They
couldn't believe that I did that. I go, "What?
It's still happening, bro, watch." And I started.
skating while it was raining. It got slippery
but I kept skating and then it got grippy when
it got totally wet. Skating in the rain is fun.
What was your worst injury?
Once I hung up on an eight foot air on a
metal ramp in Detroit. I blew my groin, pelvic
bone and tweaked everything out. I couldn't
walk for a month and a half. A broken arm
put me out for four months. But the painful.
ones were like pulling my hamstring, can't
walk for about a month. Or a slam on your
head, knocking yourself almost out but
you're coming to and seeing black spots.
Scrape on your chin and the gnarliest shin-
ners. Layback air, think you've got it, right
to your shin on the board. Masonite burns
on your nipple, that's one of the worst pains,
because it lasts until it dries up.
Who do you admire from the old days?
I was a big fan of Shogo Kubo. I had long
hair. I always wore Town and Country shorts.
T.A. and Jay Adams were big influences
because they were all punk. Then there was
the Z-boys. I really looked up to Polar Bear.
He was so big and rad and strong and he
skated smooth-the smoothest laybacks, the
stylish inverts. His whole attitude about
skating was gnarly. He'd slam, get up and
destroy his board, just leave with it scattered
everywhere and have this big huge ball on
his elbow. I'd be all, "This guy is an animal.
No wonder they call him a Polar Bear." Then
there was George Wilson, who would fast
dude. Shogo with all the slides and the mix-
carve-grind everywhere. Moses was the style
taps. Mike Smith was a cool influence. He
rode for Dogtown, I rode for Dogtown, along
with Gator and Tony Hawk-we were the
Dogtown team for about a month and a half.
That was when I was just turning thirteen.
People who I skate with now are more like
with-people like Chavo. We were the locals
friends from Venice that I have always skated
together, riding for anybody who gave us a
board. It wasn't even sponsorship yet. Me
and Pat Ngoho used to skate every day. We
still see each other.
match, all precise layback frontside airs. Tail
How have other pros changed?
We all went through phases. Every pro
goes through their phases of becoming a
skateboard star, because nowadays it's taken
to that level and everybody thinks we're stars.
It's because it's a younger crowd, not an
older crowd where they have to have respect
and pride in themselves. Kids just let it all
out, whatever they feel. That shows that
skateboarding has it's own feeling. It's an
entertaining thing.
You tend to talk to the local kids when you
travel more than any other pro. Why is
that?
It's good to do that. Skateboarding should
be friendly. I want to stay (Continued on page 102)
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