TAILSLIDE
Are you angry a lot?
IT DEPENDS. SOMETIMES WHEN I LET ALL THE POLITICS OF SKATE-
BOARDING GET TO ME, I GET PISSED. BUT THEN I JUST THINK ABOUT WHY I
SKATE, WHICH IS FOR FUN, NOT MONEY OR COVERAGE OR GIRLS. FUCK ALL
THAT I SKATE HARD EVERYDAY, BEATING MYSELF, WATCHING MY FRIENDS
BEAT THEMSELVES. ALL BECAUSE WE HAVE TO.
What do you mean, "have to"?
I HAVE TO SKATE. IT'S IN MY BLOOD. I GO CRAZY IF I CAN'T SKATE. ILL
SKATE ANYTHING THERE IS TO SKATE STREET. VERT, WHATEVER. I'M NOT
INTO CHILLING, FUCK THAT WHEN YOU SKATE. YOU GET DIRTY AND SWEATY.
IT'S NOT GLAMOROUS FORGET ABOUT AN IMAGE.
Why haven't we seen as much of you in
the mags lately?
I DON'T KNOW. THERE'S A TON OF REASONS WHY. I CAN'T TRAVEL
AROUND AS MUCH, BECAUSE I HAVE TO WORK A REAL JOB, BECAUSE SKATING
CAN'T REALLY SUPPORT ME. SOME OF THE MAGS PROBABLY CONSIDER ME OLD
OR SOMETHING. THAT'S FUCKED UP. I'M TWENTY-FIVE, AND I SKATE BETTER
THAN I EVER HAVE. BUT I'M NOT SOME FRESH GANGSTA CLEAN-CUT GLAM
809. SO I GET BLANKED. I REALIZE THERE ARE A LOT OF NEW PROS WHO
DESERVE A BUNCH OF COVERAGE, BUT ANYONE WHO IS IN THE SAME SITUA
TION AS ME SHOULDN'T GET BLANKED.
What would you like to see in the mags?
I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE LESS OF SAN DIEGO SPOTS
AND THE COURTHOUSE IN LA. THESE SPOTS ARE FUN. BUT THEY'RE NOT
SKATEBOARDING, ONLY PLACES. THAT'S PROBABLY THE EASIEST WAY TO GET
IN THE MAGS MOVE TO WHERE IT'S MADE OR KISS ASS AND BRO YOUR WAY
IN LIKE A PUSS.
Who is busting out today?
THERE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD SKATERS, TOO MANY TO NAME. SOME
PEOPLE THAT REALLY MAKE ME WANT TO SKATE ARE TOM PENNY, GEOFF
ROWLEY, STEVE BERRA, VALLELY, CONZ, TONY HAWK, CHRIS SENN, JOEY
TERSHAY, TIM GARNER. DALE BLACKMAN. ALAN PETERSEN, JESSE AND
RICHARD PREZ, FUCK, I COULD GO ON FOREVER. I RESPECT ALMOST EVERY
PRO. THE ONES WHO SKATE EVERYDAY, WHO BUST OUT ANYWHERE. ANYTIME.
AND HAVE NOTHING TO PROVE
What do you think of the state of the skate-
board industry?
TRY NOT TO. THINKING ABOUT THAT SHIT PISSES ME OFF AND BUMS
ME OUT. THERE'S A LOT OF SHIT TALKING AND BACK STABBING. I STAY OUT
OF IT. I JUST SKATE
Did you ever at any point in your career
want to get involved with the industry?
YEAH. A FEW YEARS AGO I THOUGHT THAT WAS MY ONLY OUT AFTER I
COULDN'T SKATE. BUT I REALIZED HOW FUCKED UP IT CAN BE - UPS AND
DOWNS AND I OPTED FOR AN EDUCATION. TO ME, COLLEGE IS THE ONLY
WAY. AS A PRO, YOU HAVE A FREE SCHEDULE, AND SCHOOL CAN EASILY FIT IN
WITH SKATING. NOW I FEEL LIKE WHEN I'M READY TO NOT BE PRO ANYMORE.
ON.
I HAVE SOMETHING I CAN FALL BACK
Do you see skating picking back up like it
was when you first turned pro?
NO. THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY COMPANIES, SPLITTING UP A PIE THAT'S
SMALLER THAN IT WAS BACK THEN. PLUS, NOW. INSTEAD OF A KID GETTING
A:
A SKATEBOARD. THEY OPT FOR THE EASY WAY OUT, WHICH IS ROLLERBLADES
OR SNOWBOARDS. THESE KIDS ARE FUCKIN' PUSSIES. THEY THINK JUMPING A
TRASH CAN OR DOING A BACKSIDE GRAB IS THE SAME AS IT IS ON A SKATE-
BOARD. YEAH. RIGHT. IT TAKES YEARS TO LEARN HOW TO SKATEBOARD SINCE
IT'S NOT ATTACHED TO YOUR FEET IT TAKES HOURS TO LEARN HOW TO
SNOWBOARD AND MINUTES TO ROLLERBLADE.
Aren't those snowboarders crazy with their
hair, noserings and tribal tattoos?
OH, YEAH, THOSE GUYS ARE PUNK. GREEN DAY, BUSH AND SNOWBOARD-
ING, IT SOUNDS SO GOOD. I HATE PUNK, EVEN OLD PUNK, I HATE PUNKERS.
SNOWBOARDERS AND ROLLERBLADERS.
How come we never see you in a clown
suit or with shit poured all over you?
FAKIE 5-0
BECAUSE I'M A SKATER. I PROMOTE
SKATEBOARDING AND LET MY ABILITY TO
SKATEBOARD PROMOTE ME ZANY AND
CRAZY AREN'T MY STYLE. LET PEOPLE DO WHAT
THEY WANT. YOU SOMETIMES HAVE TO DO CRAZY
SHIT TO GET KIDS' ATTENTION, BUT A LITTLE
GOES A LONG WAY.
Are you friends with every-
one in skateboarding?
I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH ANYONE, AND I
HOPE NOBODY HAS ANY WITH ME. I'M SORT OF
QUIET WHEN I'M AROUND A LOT OF PEOPLE, ESPE-
CIALLY IF I DON'T KNOW THEM, AND SOME PEOPLE
TAKE IT THE WRONG WAY. I REALLY AM PRETTY
EASY TO GET ALONG WITH. I RESPECT PEOPLE.
AND THAT IS ALL I ASK FOR IN RETURN.
Where is skateboarding
headed, trick-wise?
WELL, RIGHT NOW IT SEEMS BACKWARDS.
SAL FLIPS, WALL RIDES, IT'S ALL COMING BACK.
IT'S COOL NOW. I TWO YEARS AGO, YOU WOULD
HAVE BEEN LAUGHED AT I THINK BIG, CAUGHT.
CLEAN, KICKFLIPS. 360 FLIPS, EVERYTHING BIG,
OLLIES, THAT'S WHAT'S GOOD. VERT IS JUST
FUCKIN' CRAZY. THE VERT GUYS ARE ALL
COMPLETE MADMEN
Give us some personal
stats.
I'M TWENTY-FIVE, MARRIED, I HAVE AN AS
DEGREE IN AERONAUTICS, AND AM A LICENSED
AIRFRAME AND POWER PLANT TECHNICIAN. I SKATE
EVERYDAY WITH PEOPLE YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF
BACKSIDE AIR
What about the East vs
West issue?
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
SKATERS ARE SKATERS WHEREVER THEY'RE FROM.
Do you like vert?
I LOVE VERT. I WISH I HAD A VERT RAMP.
NOTHING WILL EVER BEAT THE FEELING OF VERT
BUT SINCE THERE'S NO LONGER A VERT RAMP
HERE, I SKATE THE STREET
Do you feel pressured to
progress and learn?
NO. PROGRESSION IS NATURAL. WHAT YOU
CHOOSE TO PROGRESS IN OR ON IS AN INDIVIDUAL
CHOICE. EVERYONE HAS THEIR DIFFERENT WAYS. IN
THIS BUSINESS, YOU MUST PROGRESS. KIDS
THESE DAYS TRY TO LEARN NEW TRICKS BEFORE
THEY HAVE THE PREVIOUS ONES WIRED. YOU CAN'T
DO THAT AND BE A TRULY CONSISTENT SKATER.
PROGRESS BECAUSE YOU CAN. NOT BECAUSE YOU
HAVE TO
Are you ever in pain?
ON A DAILY BASIS, SKATING IS BRUTAL
Will you ever quit?
NOT WILLINGLY.
Any ass kissing you want to
do?
I DON'T DO THAT. THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT
ME KNOW HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE THEM.
When will the world end?
MAY 16, 1999. O
48 THRASHER
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