ROOKIES
BRAD STABA
Photos by Gabe Morford
What's up with the tranny skills? Huey Lewis shirt on tour-they
What do you got?
I went to a thrift shop and I was
I don't have a great deal of them, doing laundry and he came back
but I can hang, I guess.
with the shirt. A little present. It
How many times have you skated vert? turned into my favorite shirt and I
Like four times.
can't part with it. And I got some
records; I have like four Huey
Lewis records. I never listen to
them though. They're just there.
The long hair just lurks.
Clear this up for us. Is it true that
Do you own your own kneepads?
I have kneepads in the closet.
All right. Ever skate with Wade?
I've skated with Wade a little bit.
Ever skate any ramps with him?
No, I've never skated ramps
you're only listening to static in your
Are you getting hooked up now?
Boards, checks?
Things are going good.
What about all the dudes who
ditched Foundation?
They're awesome. Every one of
them is awesome. They just had
to do what they had to do, you
know? You only skateboard for
so long, and you might as well
be happy.
Are you down for the long haul,
B
rad is my good friend, so I
was asked to write this intro. I
will tell you what I know and
have experienced. Staba's
been living in the East Bay
for about four years, and this is where he's
staying. His vivid, sarcastic world helps him
maintain an incredible ability to ride his
skateboard. I can remember when we were
growing up, skating the rooftops of Harlem
... it's been great ever since. Anyway, he's come
a long way from there to become a professional.
I would like to thank him and wish him well. He
will tell you the rest. -Brian Anderson
What's it like living in luxurious You are? What do you got going Way out here in Walnut Creek, no car?
Walnut Creek?
I like living in Walnut Creek. You don't
get lurked on by a bunch of hobos and
stuff, and there's peace of mind.
Where do your parents live?
My mom lives down the street, and my
dad lives in Ohio.
How much is your rent?
I don't have to say that, do I? It's too
much, man.
How is it living with Brian?
It's awesome. He's a good guy.
Who's the messy guy?
I am.
right there?
It's a tape. I'm making a tape.
What's this?
It's Brian's balsa wood plane.
For the record, is it Stay-buh or
Staw-buh?
Stay-buh.
Did you go to public or private school?
Public, and then I had home schooling
for my high school grades.
Home study, independent deal?
Yeah, independent study.
Do you own a car?
No.
Yeah, I can't afford it, man. My rent
drains my pockets.
Are you from Ohio?
Yeah, I'm from Cleveland; I grew
up there.
What's in Cleveland?
There's nothing there.
How'd you end up in California?
My mom wanted to move away from
Ohio, because we don't have too much
family there. She wanted something new
and fresh, and I can skateboard and it's
something new, you know? So we
moved out here.
with Wade.
All right, here's the Wade ques-
tion. Would you ever have Wade
over to do tree-cutting or hauling
for you?
BA: Fuck yeah.
Definitely. He's got a Bobcat parked
in front of his house or something.
Like a tractor.
He's got a huge one. Like a semi
hauler truck. I don't even know what
you call it. Was your first picture in a
magazine a frontside 180 flip
sequence in Slap?
No, that wasn't my first picture. I
had a picture doing a frontside
noseslide down a rail in
Transworld, I think. I'm not sure,
maybe the Slap one was, but I
don't know.
It's hard to keep track. What's up
with the '80s trip? Long hair, Huey
Lewis and the News?
I don't know. Brian bought me a
headphones during your runs at
contests?
No. I listen to Sonic Youth in my
headphones. It gets me amped. I like
Kim Gordon. She's hot.
What's your switch guns?
I got some switch guns. I got switch
backside half cab crook 180"'s.
That'll do it. Where did Ron Allen
discover you for the Fun team?
He saw me in Ohio. I skated a
demo with those guys. And then I just
moved out here and kept in contact
with him.
Jesse Neuhaus?
No.
He wasn't in on it then?
No, I was down there when every-
body left.
Was Huf gone already?
Yep, Huf was gone. I was just like
the turd kid, you know. Lurking, get-
ting boards here and there.
Whatever-it was kind of gnarly.
Foundation pride?
Yeah.
Ever considered a Foundation
tattoo?
No. Never.
Have you ever met Justin Lovely?
No.
What can you tell us about Mel Bend?
I can't tell you anything about
Mel Bend.
All right. How do you feel at the
grocery store or the bank with t-
shirts that say "Retardo" or "Yuck
Fou" on them?
I don't wear Yuck Fou t-shirts, but
Retardo's not too bad. I get laughs
more than anything. I don't mind it.
Do you have NorCal pride?
Definitely. I love NorCal more than
anything. I think it's real. I'm psyched.
How'd you like Panama?
It was cool. I just threw up a lot and
it was really hot. It was beautiful
though, and the people were cool. I'll
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