walked home, feeling pretty low. I
slammed pretty hard in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, at ZT Maximus. I fell
from the top to the flat on my back. I
couldn't move for a week.
When did you start skating?
The first time I rode was in San Francis-
co when I was seven. It was a plastic
board with clay wheels, Super Surfer or
something. I probably started skating
for real around eighth grade. That was
in Portland, Oregon, in November '83
or so. My friends and I had a little skate
gang called "The Mad Ratz."
What was your first good set-up?
Santa Cruz board, Indys and OJs.
How did you hook up with Schmitt?
I won an NSA contest in Redding and
stairs [see sequence], impossibles and
ollie flips. Ollie shove-its and late shove-
its are rad. Nollie everything. I've always
loved doing 360" frontside ollies since
my friend Dan Feldman taught me in
Portland in 1986. We both learned it on
the same day, but he did it first. Since
then, I always like to push that trick
over longer stairs and over hips. On
vert, I like backside ollie tail slides. I
want to try and get gnarlier, but I'm kind
of a pussy. I want to do backside disas-
ter reverts. I love vert. I love street. I
love going fast, hauling ass.
Where have you been skating lately?
B.K's on Friday, sometimes San Jo on
Sunday, pretty much street or downhill
during the week.
you're not as fresh as you'd like to be.
You don't really feel like skating, but
kids have been waiting for you to get
crazy in their hometown. Sometimes
they're funny, kids cruise in front of you
and do 360' ollie flips. They think that's
going to make you think more of them.
If you were going to run a contest,
how would you do it?
The contest Santa Cruz set up wasn't
that great, but it was cool that the
skaters judged each other. There weren't
any judges watching you, it was just
what the guys in the contest thought.
What about obstacles?
Quarter-pipe isn't street, but it might be
nice to have some gnarly tight quarter-
pipe, a tight transition bank, some
What about riser pads?
Half-inch risers are nowhere, they're
stone age. I like a really thin riser but no
risers are alright.
Ever broken any bones?
Yeah, I broke my third meta-
wasn't the best student, but in classes I
was interested in, I hung out and lis-
tened, otherwise I would just draw or try
to sleep. That's another reason I started gets your adrenaline going.
skating. I didn't like hanging out with Accomplishments?
Halen, Ice-T, old Black Sabbath. On a
ramp it's ten times better if you have
good tunes going. It gets you stoked,
I guess I have accomplished
card in my with my fingers i "MY HOMEWORK WAS dating, being nice to
had a cast with my fingers in
the permanent Ozzy horns.
Who did you admire as a kid?
I thought Bruce Lee was pretty
SPREAD FOR MILES
cool, Evel Kneivel was pretty DOWN THE STREET”
crazy. I liked some basketball
players like Doctor J. For skaters, 1 the school crowds. Why go to assem-
liked to look at pictures of Duane blies and pep rallies, when you can go
Peters a long time ago. In the early skate? School dances? I would rather
eighties, Mark Gonzales and the origi- skate! So most of my friends didn't go to
nal street rippers like Natas and Tommy. school. They were either older or they
graduating,
people, some cool friends.
Pretty much not being a dick-
head or kook.
What is pain?
Pain is what I feel in my hand
after I just ripped some skin off and I
feel my heart beating in my palm. For
every heartbeat, there's a sting of pain
and that feels really good. It was pretty
painful when I got whiplash at Bryce's
Paul Schmitt heard about it and asked if
I wanted to join the team. I've been rid-
ing for Paul since he started New Deal.
Who do you feel is at the forefront of
modern skating?
I'd have to say Mike Carroll is up
there. Mark Gonzales, Jason Lee,
Rudy Johnson. There are so many
Do you go to the Embarcadero?
Sure, I go there sometimes. There are
always skaters down there. Kids from all
over the world know that's a place where
they can meet skaters.
"SOMETIMES I
stairs, a little hip, curbs, maybe a gnarly
jump-ramp over a fountain.
What's your favorite terrain?
I like a good vert ramp, natural street,
high speeds, downhills, hips, curbs, a
good crack, a nice set of stairs, a
bench. Pleasant Hill is one of my
favorite drains. Jordan Banks in
people, so many rippers! Christian FORGET WHICH WAY Amsterdam is one of my fave
Hosoi. Matt Hensley, Sean Shef-
fey, I see rippers every day-Julian
Stranger, Chris Livingston, John
Montessi, Ed Templeton, Danny
Way, of course. Three cheers for Danny.
What kind of tricks have you been
getting into lately?
I like to ride both ways, but sometimes I
forget which way I'm going. I'm trying
switchfoot backside 360' ollies. I like
doing switchfoot backside 180's over
36 THRASHER MAGA
I'M GOING"
What bugs you most about skating?
Falling down.
Do you like demos or contests better?
Demos. People don't get in the way as
much and fewer people are on the
course. When you get to the third demo
in one day, though, after driving all day,
banks. Streets of SF, fun transi-
tions to vert. Flatland, a parking
lot with nothing. If I'm stoked, I
get off on skating wherever.
What's your current set-up?
The plastic skin board that New Deal
makes. It's thirty-two inches long and
has a fourteen-inch wheelbase, longer
nose than tail, rounded. Trucks, Indy
159s or the new 156s. For wheels, I'm
riding some 98a, 54mm Disco Balls.
Do you feel that your parents did a
good job raising you?
Definitely. They were good to me. They
used to read to me, all that stuff. We
didn't have a TV or anything. I usually
see them on Christmas. I call them up
and write if I'm overseas or on a trip.
They're amazed that I'm doing what I'm
doing. Sometimes I'm amazed, too.
What's your educational background?
Public school all my life, except in sixth
grade I went to St. Paul's in San Fran-
cisco, that was a Catholic school. I went
there because my parents heard about
people getting stabbed in the hallways
(at public schools). That's why we ended
up moving to Oregon. I went to school
in Oregon from seventh grade until
twelfth grade and I graduated from high
school. I didn't skip school much. I
just were droppin' out. I skated with
those guys, but I managed to stick
through school. I don't advise dropping
out. I know school's not that great, but
it can do you some good.
What kind of things scare you?
Close friends or family dying. Corrupt
governments-George Bush. Breaking
your brain and not being able to skate
anymore. Going to apply for a job.
Other interests?
I enjoy collecting cool CDs. I like music.
I like watching cool movies. I like draw
ing. I like hanging out with girls, my
friends, skating and getting crazy.
Name some of your favorite bands.
I like a variety of music. Sometimes I
get into one band for two months, but
then I wear it out. I like Jimi Hendrix,
Sweet, Motörhead, AC/DC, vintage Van
ramp after I over-rotated a backside
tailslide last Friday.
Define going for it.
Being totally on a cool run then going
for something gnarlier, something you're
confident about. And, you're on it, until
whammo! You're on the ground, not
knowing what happened. Sometimes, it's
a trick you're not sure about, and you
try it and make it.
Do you ever read books?
Yeah! One of the best books I've read
was Animal Farm, by George Orwell.
The last book I read was Misery, by
Stephen King.
Do you like living in SF?
Yeah, I always want to come home after
I've been away.
Where would you like to visit?
I would like to go somewhere like Peru
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