What was your favorite pro model?
The Z Pat Ngoho.
Did you ever learn the Ngoho slide?
No. Oh yeah, I did.
Explain the Ngoho slide to the new generation.
It's where you ride up the ramp and then slide in
a blunt position down the side of the ramp, ride
away clean. All the kids would be freaked out.
What was Enrique like when you met him?
He was shy 'cause he couldn't speak English
very well. He wasn't really talkative. Then the
years went by, he got on World and now he
speaks English really good. He's a funny guy. So
many jokes: your momma did this, your momma
did that, what would you do if your momma did
this, so much crazy stuff. You name it, Enrique
knows it. He lived by me for awhile so we hung
out a lot.
What about his
last apartment?
If you walk out of
his house, you've
got people with
baseball bats and
forties
their
hands. He moved to
a pretty bad neigh-
borhood. It's got a
pool and jacuzzi but
even the pool was
filled with blood.
Why do you ride a
small board?
I like my board
light. I've been riding
the same board for
three years. I ride 50
to 52mm wheels. It
works for me, so I'm
not going to change
it. If you need a big-
ger board, get it.
Do you think the
Tommy mesh skull
cap will replace
the Muska hat in
skate fashion?
I would advise no
one to wear the
Tommy skull cap. You
might have seen me
in one once, but it was
just a bad hair day.
friends out to eat, but that's just for my taxes.
Are people surprised when you skate mini-
ramps so good?
Yeah, sometimes I'll go to demos and they
want to show me the perfect ledge or whatev-
er, but I love mini-ramps. I'll skate whatever-
curbs, balls, a tent.
What are your thoughts on skate shoes?
I like a more streamlined shoe. A lot of kids out
there are buying shoes that are probably harder to
skate in because you can barely feel your board.
They can still do stuff in them, but they're getting
held back 'cause they can't feel their boards.
Do you have a personal soundtrack?
Nah. You might hear me spurting some crazy shit
because it gets stuck in my head like "the bird, bird,
bird, bird is the word," song and "We Be Clubbin"
those today." That's basically it. So my girl got
her picture on the wall and every time you go to
Casitas you'll see my girl with her picture on the
wall with a four-pound-eleven-ounce trout but
you won't see me.
What's your overall impression of living in
Los Angeles?
It's overrated. When I go on tour people are
like, "Oh you're from LA? Where's your gun or
knife?" You've seen it. But it's kind of like how we
stereotyped the French people before we went
over there. We thought all the French people
hated Americans but they're all like, "No, no,
that's just a stereotype." But basically LA is just
the same as everywhere else, except I guess you
do have a few more killings. Just don't walk
around on the streets too late.
"Yeah, sometimes I'll go to demos and
they want to show me the perfect ledge
or whatever, but I love mini-ramps."
How come you never wear baseball hats?
When I wear a hat I look like I should be on a little
league baseball team or at the front of a train, pulling
a little whistle.
Did you like high school?
High school was fun. The fences were greased
and there were riots and fights all the time.
Did people at school know you were a pro skater?
No, people didn't really know of me much back then.
How come you've had dolphin graphics a
few times?
Because the artist drew them. I like them, but it
was just a coincidence that there were two dol-
phins in a row.
Have you splurged on anything since you've
been making more money?
I haven't really splurged at all. Sometimes I'll take
just 'cause they play it on the damn radio so much.
I listen to hip-hop mostly in the car, though.
Have you ever been camping?
Yeah, I've been camping so many damn times.
I always thought that I was this real great fisher-
man. I took my girl with me and I'm catchin' all
these five inch bluegills all, "Yeah, look at this
baby, look at this. Five, six, seven, look at this."
She ain't catching nothin' She's fiddlin' with
something on the other side of the boat. Finally
she screams, "Honey!" Her side of the boat dips
down, and I'm like, "Noooooooo!" She pulls in
like a four-pound-eleven-ounce trout. And I pick
it up with the net and we go into the shore. She
gets her picture up on the wall, and I'm like
tryin' to show the guy my five-inch bluegills and
he goes, "Oh yeah, everybody's been catchin'
What's your dream car?
A Pinto with Daytons.
Do you think it's hard-
er to move to LA if you
want to get sponsored
and be a pro skater?
Well, Enrique came
here and was just blow-
ing people's minds. But
in general, I don't think
kids should try to come
here just because I've
seen a lot of kids come
here just try and make it,
and live on the streets
with no money, and try
to get sponsored and it
just doesn't happen. Out
here, you don't know
where to go. The spots
are so spread out. You
could go to some spot
you've seen in a video
and end up skating there
by yourself. And why
would you want to skate
by yourself if you're try-
ing to get attention and
get sponsored?
Why are the cops so
hard on skaters in LA?
They are hard. I guess
they might think we're
going to pull out a gun
or something. I don't
know. They just don't
think we should be
skateboarding, that's all.
With flames painted, from the rear forward?
Yeah, and I would get rid of the Pinto and put
on a stallion.
Would you still skate if you won the lottery?
I don't understand that. If you stop skating when
you win the lottery, that's when you know you
shouldn't be skating. Hell yeah, I'd still skate. I'd
just be one happy skater at every spot. You'd just
see me smiling all day. Kickflip, land on my head,
still smiling. "I've got a million dollars!" Three sixty
flip, don't make it, smile, "I got a million dollars."
Would you still work on your video parts?
Yeah. But I'd just be smiling through the whole
thing thinking, "Hey, I've got a million dollars."
Left: Daewon stands up on a frontside half-Cab noseslide in beautiful flower-covered Torrance,
California. Above: Daewon and the noseblunt slide are like peanut butter and jelly-if you see
one, you'll eventually see the other. World record twelve-stair plunge down two full-sized tables.
68 THRASHER
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