Everything else was cold and we were just
trying to hustle and get out here as fast as
possible. We skated here in Tucson today
and it was pretty good.
Do you ever go places and people
know who you are, and it kind of
trips you out?
Only once in a while. More so in
California, but in the rest of the country
it's only once in a great while. It's funny.
You pull up at some handrail,
and someone's like, "There's
Brian Anderson!"
That never happened two years ago, but
now it's a little more often.
You're pretty recognizable.
I guess. It's cool. I like talking to the kids.
I remember the first time I talked to
you, you were really friendly. And
you looked me in the eye. People
rarely do that.
Yeah. It took me a while to learn that.
And also, you're learning the art of
promoting yourself, but you want
to be a skater, not a kook. The
world's full of kooks. That's why
skaters rule.
Fuck yeah.
What are you going to do in the next
couple of years?
I feel relaxed now, so I can go skate all
the time on my own, without cameras and
all that shit, and just keep having fun. I'm
not gonna sleep on anything, so that when
I go out and shoot a photo, I will have
been skating a lot and I'll be able to do
what I want to do. I'm just going to skate
on my own time and when I feel like
shooting a photo I can get it done. I know
a lot of cool photographers, so it's fun
when I go shoot. It doesn't feel all stressful.
Can you do backside lipslides on
handrails?
Not really, man. I gotta learn that one.
A lot of your shit's frontside.
I know. I gotta learn it.
Jim Greco's backside Smith grind is so
sick, to lock in over the back like that.
I can run that one; I can't do backside.
lips though.
Ethan Fowler's got a really sweet one.
He does. He goes like he's gonna 50-50
and then he just sticks it. That's how you
gotta do it. You have to pretend you're
Ethan when you're trying it.
So what do you think happened
between when you were breaking
boards and then skating just got big
and burly again? Were people just
tired of all the tech shit?
Yeah. Boards got bigger, and people got
sick of seeing video grabs in magazines.
And at contests, people weren't mak-
ing anything. Everyone was like,
"These are professionals?" I'm not
dogging on them; I'm just saying it
wasn't a true reflection of the sport.
Now, I feel like it will keep going in a
good direction. People aren't going to be
able to jump down 25 stairs, so it'll just
keep combining technical and big. There
will still be the regular cool stuff-every-
one will still be skating pools and pipes
regardless of anything else.
Who are some of your favorite skaters?
Ben Schroeder.
Good call. He's gnarly. Have you seen
him skate recently?
Not in person. Ever.
He's the real Trainwreck. Nonstop.
He's my favorite. And Gator, Tom Penny,
Natas, and Gonz. That's five.
When you're warming up to a handrail,
what's the first thing you bust?
I usually ollie the stairs first.
Over the bar?
No. Just the stairs, and then I'll board-
slide it a couple times. I just do whatever
feels good to my legs at the time, because
my legs are always different.
Would the tailslide come before
the Smith?
No, after. You have to try all the drills
before you go to the tailslide. Damn, there
are so many hot girls walking around here.
Sorry you're on the phone. You
should go get yours. Arizona is like
Left Coast Florida.
It's weird, huh?
There's a bad vibe there. It's a no-tol-
erance state, so if you have any weed
and you get caught, it's a felony.
I didn't know that.
It's because all the Republicans and
the old people are down there. What's
your dog's name?
Sadie. She's a German Shepherd-
Doberman mix.
I'm going to go over some of the tricks
we have for your interview, and you
can give me some insight into them.
The switch tré flip at Harrison Street.
How many tries did it take?
Probably 20 or 30.
74 THRASHER
$ Top to bottom:
Half-Cab bluntslide to
fakie. New York, NY.
Switch 360° flip.
San Francisco, CA.
75