If you can't tell by now that Shawn (left) is
goofy-footed, you have not been paying very
much attention. Shame on you. Rising like the
geyser out of the fountain behind him, we are
able to check out his switch height technique.
Moments after this bench photo (right) was
taken, he helped a little old lady cross a very
busy street. As the day warmed up, Shawn
(below right) decided to ditch his sweatshirt in
favor of the colorful collared look. He looks
very comfortable as he relishes the chunkiness
of a switch backside nosegrind. This dumpster
(below) was also noseslid by another little
South Bay ripper named Matt Rodriguez.
Do you think you're pretty much your own man?
Yeah, I do. I want to do what I love to do. I want to stand for what I stand for. I
used to want to be down with whoever because I thought it was cool, but then it's
like there's really nothing involved in being down.
You could be down but not be true to your heart, how you feel.
Yeah. I thought having lots of friends would make me happy, but it didn't last. I
tried lots of things, like drugs, to make me happy, even to have my own group of
friends, or even my family, like, "I have a family that cares for me and that'll make
me happy, but nothing like that can be with you twenty-four hours a day. When
you're alone, that's not going to be with you. I mean, it's rad to have that stuff,
whatever, a car, anything you could think of that might make you happy, you might
even have your own skateboard, but that's not going to help you in a lot of ways,
inside of you. It might give you money, or it might give you status, but in your
heart, that's what matters, what's going on inside. God fulfilled that for me, just the
Bible, and just stuff personally. Even my Christian friends can't be with me all the
time and help me out all the time. I need something that's going to be in my heart
didn't know anybody there except the people I went
with, but it was fun just to dress up and go in a limo and
go to nice places and just mess around and dance. I
never do that stuff, so it was rad. And we stayed up all
night, just hung out. I'll probably never forget it because
I never do stuff like that, it just stands out. It was fun.
Do you drink or smoke or anything like that?
No. I used to. I used to drink, I didn't smoke, but I
used to just do whatever.
Do you like to make people laugh?
Yeah, I guess. But I can't make people laugh all the
time, just for a little while. And then it's fun hanging
out with friends, making them laugh, and they make you
laugh. But when you're by yourself, you can't make
nobody laugh, you're on your own.
Who do you love?
I could love everybody.
Who in your life do you feel love for right now?
My dad, my brother, my sister, all my family, and my
friends, just people I get to know, because there's always
something good about everybody.
What bands are you into?
I could listen to any type of music, but I like instru
mental type stuff. But my favorite is probably gospell
because when they sing, they give it one hundred per-
cent. Like they don't hold back, and I get staked on it.
because it's real, it's not like some crazy lyrics or some
thing. It's actually good for you. It's not going to mess
you up or nothing. It's just good, it feeds me.
What's up with the glasses? How come some days I
see you with them and other days I don't?
Probably because I don't feel like wearing them when
I don't have them on.
Are you near-sighted or far-sighted?
I'm near-sighted. I need them to see when I drive
and when I skate. But when I read, I don't need them.
Because when I read, I always take them off because I
don't need them.
What was your favorite band in sixth grade?
The Beastie Boys, Licensed To ill. I just liked whatev-
er was popular because it sounded good, it was always
on the radio. But now I like my own type of music.
all the time that I can believe in, have hope. Jesus gives
me hope. That's just what I believe and it's worked for
me. Nothing else worked. I tried it. I haven't been all
across the world and seen every little thing, but from
what I've experienced, God seems like the only answer
because everything else is unstable, it falls. Nothing you
can really grasp onto that won't let go.
Are you going to have a kid pretty soon?
Pretty soon? No. I'd love to get married, though. It'd
be rad having kids. I want to have kids. I used to be
scared about marriage, but now I'm not even scared
about that. If it's right, it'll happen. If it's God's will, and
I know it's His will, then no matter how hard it might get
I'll know it's His will, so I won't have to worry about
divorce or anything. I don't believe in divorce at all.
Did you shave lately?
No
Where do you shave?
My mustache, my goatee, my sideburns.
That's it, huh? That's like seventh grade shaving for
most people. How old are you?
I'm nineteen. I'm going to be twenty on October 8th,
send me a birthday card.
How come on that one tour, those kids threw toma-
toes at you at that demo?
Because you were behind me. Like you went behind
me, remember? You were making me protect you, and
I took the pain for you. Tomato right in my glasses, and
it's all dripping down my face, but I looked back at you
and I smiled, and we shook hands, we were down.
What about the movie Risky Business? Did you like
that when it came out, you know, Tom Cruise?
Yeah, but the only reason I remember it is because
one of the dudes in it was called Guido the Pimp and my
dad's name is Guido.
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