ISRAEL
MOVING FROM HIS HOMELAND of Santa Cruz to the
inner-city trappings of San Francisco, Israel Forbes dis-
appeared into the urban jungle of Northern California
without a trace. His family, close friends and sponsors
had no real means of contacting him as he existed in
an apartment without a phone number. After finding
out about this interview from a note on his doorstep
Israel called on a rainy day from a phone booth near
his house. Listen in on what he had to say.
-Bryce Kanights
How did skateboarding begin for you?
Just a neighbor had a skateboard and I would ride
it. I didn't really have much else to do. I'd just try
riding it.
Rockefeller
Helging strategy that
really works
Forbes
Warren Buffer's
Charlie
Munger (
WORKS
PHOTOS
LANCE DALGARY
How old were you at the time?
I was about nine.
Where did it go from there?
I got a fiberglass banana board,
but I couldn't really do much on it.
so I wanted a different one, and I
ended up getting a Rob Roskopp
for my birthday, and that was the
first real board I had.
What was the first trick that you
remember learning?
Just riding off of curbs and stuff.
That was like the funnest thing.
Who were the pros you looked
up to then?
Eric Dressen, Tommy Guerrero,
Natas, Gonz, all those guys.
How did you meet Ron Whaley?
Just from skating at Santa Cruz
High. I had never seen him before,
and there's like this big tall guy on a
skateboard, and you don't expect
him to do anything good, but then
he started skating super good, I
couldn't believe it.
How did you get sponsored?
Ron got on Sims when NHS took
it over, and they needed some more
riders, and Ron was telling them
about me, and they just wanted to
see a video to see how I skated, I
guess, and I got on.
Have your parents been pretty
supportive over the years?
Yeah, they like it. They like to see
me doing something I love.
You've moved away from Santa
Cruz to SF, how do you like it?
It's a nice change, because Santa
Cruz is small, and just since I've
been there for my whole life, it just
got kind of old. Like I still really like
going there, I still like it there, but I
just needed a change. Here, there's
a lot more going on, more stuff to
skate, and it's just new.
Do you ever run into any of the
big-name guys here in the city
like Mike Carroll or anyone?
Yeah, I see them around. I haven't
really skated with them much.
You live in kind of a gnarly part
of the city. Do you ever feel
trapped in your own home?
Kind of, but for me it's just like a
place I stay, and I just try and get
out of here. The worst thing is...
Getting out the front door and
getting in?
Yeah. So, I just make sure I get
that taken care of and I go some-
where from there.
A loading dock (opposite top) gets the
drift of a Forbes flight. In the City of the
Angels, a tall crooked grind (right) was
more than fashion. Reading up on his
mother's favorite subject (left), Forbes.
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