KERRY GETZ
H
OW'S THE TEMPER THESE DAYS?
The temper was doing well for
awhile, but lately it's been coming out again
because I've been so stressed out with tours
and trying to shoot photos. I'm trying not to
bring it out at all, but sometimes I just have to
let it go.
Are you feeling a lot of pressure to live up to
some crazy expectations?
Definitely. The way skating is right now, it's so
advanced. Everybody's doing the hardest stuff,
so you always have to one-up yourself. Then you
get hurt and it takes weeks for you to build that
confidence back up. It's a hard thing to do.
Do you ever just say to yourself, "I'm over it"?
Sometimes. I just want to skate. But it's to
the point where this is my life and my com-
panies are sending me checks, and I want to
do all I can for all these companies. I'm so
happy that they're down for me and hooking
me up to make my life this easy. It's not easy,
but then again it is, because I don't have to
get up at any time and I don't have a sched-
ule to follow. I hate to say it, but it's my job,
and you have to get the work done. I'm a pro-
fessional, so I need to do my work.
skating, and then come back.
There's something interesting going on in
that shop.
Yeah. We wanted people and parents to be psy-
ched and feel comfortable coming in here. It's
not just skateboards; we actually have some-
thing else to look at. We have a few animals in
here: two different varieties of tree frogs, and a
sugar glider. Lindsay talks to the customers and
answers any questions they have. We have the
videos and the TV going, and we have some
chairs. Just come in, sit down, and relax. You can
sit there all day. It's a good atmosphere, and
everyone's friendly.
Do you get a lot of phone calls at the shop
from kids who are psyched on you and want
to talk to you?
I've gotten some kids calling, leaving messages
like, "You're my favorite skater. Call me back."
From how far away do they call?
This one kid was from Arkansas, I think. He
was cool, so I talked to him for a little bit.
What do you like about Shoe Goo?
Absolutely nothing.
You're not one of those guys who tends to
put Shoe Goo on things and attach them to
his body?
No. I like to eat it.
Would you like to talk about your
Chapstick addiction?
Yeah, I like to eat that too.
Kerry, you are a fat bastard. How much do you
weigh now?
I gained a lot of weight since Tampa. I just ate
tons of McRibs.
What's the funniest thing you've ever seen in
your life?
Mark Brandstetter's Afro. A white guy with
an Afro.
Where did you grow up?
Lehighton, Pennsylvania. Lehighton's a small,
backwoods town. The population grows every
year due to unwanted pregnancies and lack of
motivation to leave. It's near Allentown; I used
to skate there every weekend. There are a lot of
industrial parks and good stuff to skate.
If you hadn't started skating, what would life
be like in Lehighton?
I'd probably still be working at the yogurt fac-
tory. That was my life. I didn't know anything
outside of it. Skating opened my eyes to a whole
other world.-Shawn Brodsky
"SOME PEOPLE HAVE SO MUCH TALENT; THEY
JUST DON'T PUSH IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL?
What about the guys who go a year or two
with one photo or one video part, and they
just coast along?
There are some skaters who I want to see
more of. It would be great if they were out
shooting or filming more; it would be good
for them, people would like them even more,
and they would have amazing board and shoe
sales. But that's their life. If that's what they
want to do with it, let 'em, you know? Some
people have so much talent; they just don't
push it to the next level.
How's the shop going?
The shop is doing well-good sales every day.
It's already paying for itself as far as bills go.
How much time do you usually spend there?
When I'm in the city, just an hour or two. I go
THRASHER
ROAD
TRIP
FEVER
ROLL
EUROPE
October 1999
17171
Double-set damage.