and then I'd send it. A week or two later I'd call back and
see what they thought.
Is there any part of your body that's especially big?
Yes. My front teeth and my head.
You have a very extensive cassette collection. How
many punk rock tapes do you think you have?
I actually keep a little list; I have almost 320.
Which ones have you been rocking for the longest?
My Kiss tapes. I've had those since before kindergarten.
That was all I listened to until I started skating when I was
13. Then I got a Dead Milkmen tape.
It seems like the Label has a pretty strong pro-
gram. Once you're on the Label, are you on for life?
Seems that way. It's awesome. That's the way it
should be.
Well, I figure if you're going to be on for the rest
of your life, you should pass the Black Label
quiz. I'm going to ask a few questions and see
how you do. Question number one: What trucks
did Black Label pro Ben Schroeder ride, and
continues to ride to this day?
Valterra trucks.
Wrong. Gullwing magnesiums. You have
to try.
I am trying.
Which two skaters who are now considered
technical giants once rode for Black Label?
Gino Iannucci and that other guy.
Jason Dill. Of the two, which had a pro model?
Gino.
Correct. Name John's solo company before
Black Label, and for bonus points, who was
the backer?
Lucero, and I don't know who the backer was.
NHS and then Vision. What '70s skatepark
did John Lucero localize?
I don't know. One of those he talks about all
the time.
Correct. Whittier. What was Lucero's big
trick in the late-'80s ramp events?
I can't remember, but it should've been the secret
weapon. You should ask him about that one.
I was thinking the frontside ollie. What
fundamental street skating trick did John
Lucero invent?
The no comply.
Wrong. The slappy. He didn't invent the no
comply. That was Blender.
No it wasn't. John told me specifically that
he invented the no comply and Neil Blender
stole it.
Which three companies did
Lucero have pro models on
before going solo?
All I can think of is Schmitt Stix.
Schmitt Stix, Variflex, and
Madrid. Which ex-Black Label
pro remarked in his Thrasher
am interview, "I'm going under-
ground. Skateboarding's head-
ed freestylesville."
I don't know, but he's right.
Ricky Barnes. Name Black
Label's former streetstyle pro
who had the "Fallen Angel" ad.
The guy who used to skate for
Real. Coco Santiago.
Excellent. Who should've rid-
den for Black Label but didn't?
I don't know.
Wade Speyer.
Oh, exactly! Why doesn't Wade
ride for us?
How was tour? Were there any
situations where one of the
guys had too much to drink and
you had to save him from his
own misdoings?
Someone had a little run-in with a
haggard old lady in Vegas.
Did he score?
He got some kissing action.
What age range are we talking?
Late 30s, maybe early 40s. She had a
Denver Broncos tattoo on her shoulder
and orange lipstick on.
You had a hard time when you first
came to California. What initially
got you out here?
I came out to California when I
turned 18 to try to skate and have fun,
and then I lost all my money. I went
back to Ohio, saved up more money,
and moved to San Francisco to stay
with Brad Staba and his mom for a
while. I moved back to Ohio for anoth-
er four years, and the next time around
I was riding for Invisible, and I was
going to turn pro for them, so I came
back to get things going.
Have you ever had a point in your
life when you had a complete and
total mental breakdown?
Yes. The other day. I was trying to
shoot photos for this interview and I
just realized how bad I suck at skating.
I threatened to walk home from the
photo shoot, which was like a half-
hour drive away. But really I just
Left: A ten-stair lipper in Oceanside, CA, AKA Tulsa-by-the-sea.
Above: Precarious gap to frontside bluntslide transfer on a
crooked rail in front of God's house.