Left: Smooth backside tailslide to fakie
through the bowled corner at Madera, wishin
it were Marseille.
Right: Chargin uphill to get this smakin
backside Smith made the heat worth the trip.
Didn't you have a pro model out when you
were still in high school?
Yes.
What was that like?
It was cool. I was a senior, and it made
me really popular at my school. I was nom-
inated homecoming king, so Consolidated
ran a board that had me ballroom dancing
with a girl that said, "magic moments with
Ryan Johnson," and it had the guy grabbing
the girl's butt. I loved it.
Were you bummed that all of a sudden,
just because you had a pro model out, you
were on top of the game?
No. I was living it up. I loved it. I appreciate it
all and neglect nothing.
Who do you ride for now?
New Deal skateboards, Spitfire, Thunder,
Emerica, Black Flys sunglass-
es, Serial Killer clothing,
Speed Metal bearings, and
Sugarhill skatepark.
What went down with
Sugarhill and Fresno?
A whole lot in a short.
amount of time. It was good
to have a skatepark; people
came from far and wide.
What's the best place
you've ever skated?
I'm a silly guy, but I'd have
to say Marseille. I stole the
blueprints, so if I ever get the
chance to lay that much
cement, I'm on it.
Have you skated Burnside?
Yeah. That's super fun. But there are also a lot
of new skateparks just in California that I
haven't seen. Visalia is going to be done in
October.
How many bones have you broken?
Every bone twice. I'm a regular Evel Knievel.
I've broken both my wrists twice, both my
shoulders, and my ankle.
What do you think about Tony Hawk,
who didn't break any bones until he was
29 or something?
That's amazing. He's one of those people
who's just crazy without trying.
How's school?
I'm stoked on my classes. They're in the morn-
ing, which is good because I've been having
some friends visit. When Luke was here, every
morning he'd sleep in and I'd go to school. I'd
come back around 10 and we'd go shoot photos.
I like waking up early; I sleep too much.
They say you sleep a quarter of your
life away.
They also say when a man becomes a
beast, he does away with the pain of being
a man.
Who do you admire?
I admire most people for just having a good
positive attitude and enjoying themselves.
What was your favorite video growing up?
Probably This Is Not The New H-Street Video,
because it was the only one I had.
Who did you look up to when you
were young?
Matt Hensley, John Cardiel, and people like
Karma and Alan.
How do you feel about signing autographs?
It feels funny. I trip out on signing autographs.
I feel really privileged when people ask.
Did you dream of being a pro skater when
you were growing up?
I did. First I wanted to be a rock star. I
wanted to paint my hair purple and have a
mohawk. No, I didn't. I wanted to be pro. I
remember hearing names like Tony Hawk
and Lance Mountain and I wanted to stand
out in the crowd too.
Are you happy where you are now?
Completely. I never expected to get this
far. You have to set your hopes high. I
have direction; I don't want to be the best
or do the longest rails. I just want to be a
part of all this.
96 THRASHER
97