84 THRASHER
Describe a time when you were con-
cerned about your friend Louie Barletta.
Probably the most concerned I've ever
been was one time when he was trying to
open a bottle of Bacardi and he was using
this sharp knife. He was wedging this sharp
knife under the cap and ended up breaking
the glass and cutting his thumb really
badly. And he was really ready to
drink, and he had to go to the hospi-
tal. He was upset.
What do you think is the best nick-
name you've ever heard?
The best nickname was for my
friend. He was white and he went to
a predominantly Mexican school,
but he was down with everyone
because he could fight. They all
called him KKK.
Do you have any nicknames?
No. Well, Hush and Hoo-Soo. The
kids seem to love those.
Is there anything you would
change about your physical
appearance?
I'd like a tail. I wish I had one
of those.
Is there any skate team other
than Maple that you admire?
I liked Foundation back when
Heath, Berra, and Hirata were on.
Describe an incident where you
stayed up all night.
Oh, this is a bad one. I did acid one
night. Alone, in my room, all night. I was
trippin' out. I listened to the same
Sebadoh song about 50 times. I came out
of my room in the morning with words
painted all over my body. I'll never do
that again.
How much pain will you take to land
a trick?
A lot.
Do you have a high pain threshold?
Yeah, my pain threshold is as high as
a woman's.
Do you still think about skating all
the time?
I think about it all the time.
Do you ever think it's weird that people
are nice to you just because you can do
skateboard tricks?
It used to bother me, but now I just try and
have fun. I like talking to kids.
What have you learned from your team
manager Ed Dominick?
Don't take shit from anyone. Just keep the
ball rolling.
Doug Martsch said this about
music, but it could apply to skating,
too. He said, "The only bad thing
about it getting big is that more
fuckers get involved."
You become the fucker when it gets
too big. "Where's my bear claw?!!" "This
coffee's cold!!"
What goes through your mind when
people start to freestyle?
I think about little pink shorts and
high striped socks-and photos with
really colorful backgrounds.
No, no, like lyrical freestyle.
Oh, that freestyle. I guess I think, "Oh,
man. This is tough."
What's your secret, Jer? You seem to
have things pretty figured out.
The secret's to pretty much think for
yourself. You have to look out for number
one. Do that first, then take everybody else
into consideration.
What's the worst reason to skateboard?
To get girls, and vice versa, to get guys.
Do you have five greats?
1. Geoff Rowley
2. Stupid, annoying people
3. Chris Avery
4. Jamie Thomas
5. Elissa Steamer
Would you rather skate a perfect vert
pool or some smooth flat ground?
I'd have to say the flat ground sounds
pretty enticing.
Do people ever take themselves
too seriously?
Yes, especially in skateboarding.
What's the only thing worse than the
obligatory mad props list at the end
of interviews?
Sacking on a rail. That's pretty bad.
Getting credit carded.
What's getting credit carded?
Where the board shoots straight up
between your legs. Anything involving pain
and your genitals. I'd say that's a heck of a
lot worse!
You gotta have your flip-in. It's all
flip-in these days. Kickflip 5-0.
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