HEADS 00
W
STEPHEN BAILEY
HAT GOT YOU INTO
skating?
I started skating when I
was nine-that was 16 years.
ago and it was pretty different back then 'cause
the scene was just pure transition skating and I
kind of got into the tail end of the skatepark
era. I skated Del Mar, Pipeline, and a couple of
other epic parks-I was little though, in awe,
and I didn't really have enough fuel to tap into
it. But we always sought for transitions; we'd
build backyard ramps and journey really far to
good cement or good plywood parks, wherever
they were. That's the main difference I'd say
with skating now; when I started the focus was
way more on transitions. Now it's more tech
stuff, trick skating.
STARTED SKATING 16 YEARS AGO
When did you start traveling?
When I was 14. I went across the US with
Foundation on a trip. We skated stuff all the way to
Florida driving in a van, and then the next year I went
to Europe, bought a car, and traveled around for two
months. I learned how to drive on that car we
bought-we bought it in London so we drove on the
right side instead of the left. It was trippy; I learned
how to shift, and then I came home and took my test
and it was all backwards. But that traveling experi-
ence put the idea in me that it's cool to go check out
other scenes and see what there is to offer in other
places. Yeah, that's been a called-for thing, whether
it's traveling to go surf a new spot, or skate new stuff,
or take a little vacation-that's something I like to do.
What are you doing today?
Traveling through Oregon. First thing this
What is the best place you've been?
Everywhere has something rad, but I'd say I'm the
most comfortable in Mexico. I speak Spanish and
I've traveled around there a bit. You can travel really
cheaply, just with your basic expenses like food and
transportation. You don't need much. I've been to
Mazatlan a couple of times. I like it there.
Where do you live and who did you grow up
skating with?
I live in San Diego and I grew up there. Since
the early days, I've skated with Peter Hewitt,
Matt Moffett, Eddie Alioto, and a lot of other
dudes we'd see around skating-Reese
Simpson, Josh Nelson, Bruno Herzog. Even
today it's a lot of the same crew. I still skate with
Pete and Matt a lot. Plus you and Sam Hitz live
with 'Pete, and Christian Brox when he's
Left to right: Get that thing out of my face.
Frontside floater at OB.
When you were skating vert and parks and
transitions is when skating took a dive-so
you've kind of been an outcast during most of
your skateboarding career, huh?
Yeah, in a way. For a couple of years there things
were pretty grim, which is kind of why I went to
school. I finished up high school and then went to
college at UC Santa Cruz and had other things
goin' on while I was skating all the time too. But
yeah, it was kind of a lame situation. All my
friends were super rad skaters by then, and the
stuff they rode definitely didn't get appreciated for
a while because people were so, so focused on the
street stuff. But it's all cool, because later on there
was a resurgence-like a little renaissance. All
kinds of stuff is goin' off again, and people are
stoked on skating transitions, and the parks
they're building are even better now. Having those
lean years makes times like this even sweeter.
What would you say is the most important
thing in your life, off the top of your head?
The traveling I've done at an early age, skating
everything it put that bug in me.
morning we bombed a hill and checked out the
beach in Lincoln City. Then we drove to
Aumsville and watched the crew finishing the
new skatepark there. Now we're driving back to
Lincoln City to skate there.
What brings you to a skate excursion in
the Northwest?
We're trying to hit up all the parks before win-
ter kicks in. We put this trip together on a day's
notice. In the van now it's me, you, Hitz, Nichols,
Charnowski, and Shaggy-and Hubbard just
joined in. I love it here. The skateparks are insane
and we have a rad crew to skate with.
It seems you've been getting a lot of travel
opportunities lately. Where are some of the
places you've been?
All over, man. Last week I got back from Japan,
where I spent two weeks. I went through Europe for
two and a half months this summer, and before that,
I was in Mexico City for three weeks. Some people
have been helping me out and sending me places. I
went to Mexico with Vans, and Consolidated and
Felem skate shop brought me to Japan.
around. Those guys are a good crew to get ses-
sions going most days of the week.
That's a good crew.
Yeah. That's especially what keeps me stoked on
San Diego. Besides that, there's a lot of really
good stuff to skate. I prefer the backyard atmos
phere as opposed to going somewhere you have
to pay and put on pads and all that deal.
Is there a connection for you between skating
surfing, and traveling?
Definitely! And with photography too, because
with skating and surfing there's a motivation to
travel to ride new stuff: going to different skate
spots, riding a new wave, meeting up with the
people there who have their scene. Traveling goes
right in with skating and surfing-and when
you're traveling, taking pictures is a rad way to
explore it. Especially in foreign countries with
cultures that are so different from back home
For me, there's a total connection between skat
ing, surfing, traveling, and taking pictures. I get
hyped on it.
-Al Partane