BOB BURNQUIST
W
HAT SKATE MAGAZINES DID YOU
grow up reading?
Well, a variety of different magazines for all the
ages I went through, but as far as skateboarding
goes, we were pretty much checking out Overall
skate mag, Yeah!, and Skatin', but my favorite one
was Overall. That was the Brazilian side of the
coin. Occasionally we would come across an
American delicacy and savour it front to back.
Most of the time it was Thrasher and Poweredge.
Do you remember the first skate mag you ever
saw? What was your first thought when you
looked at Thrasher?
The first mag I ever saw was Yeah! It was some-
one doing a judo air off a jump ramp on the
cover. I can't remember the first
time I saw Thrasher, but I do
remember picking up the 10th
anniversary issue at the domestic
airport in SP; Tony was on the
Do you remember a good shot or sequence
in Thrasher?
Without hesitation, the Cardiel Skater Of The
Year sequence where he ollied the Ocean Beach
gap. I was in Brazil at the time and it was unreal
to me. The gap and all the SF houses in the back-
ground looked like they were in a studio, and I
could have sworn a studio was set up just for the
shot. Skating and the special effects-I had
Hollywood all over my Brazilian-trained brain.
The ring of fire was a blast too-Cards style. We
all love Cardiel. Skate na veia!
What is the hardest trick you've invented?
I'd say it was the fakie to fakie ollie 540° to
fakie pivot grind-or, to make it simpler,
safety gear department. You always wonder what
people are thinking when they relaunch a safety
gear company with the same exact model as
when they went down. We have to make some-
thing, and it will happen, that is perfect, that will
make skateboarders last longer and be more con-
fident. With that, progression will follow. As
skating grows, we'll have access to materials and
all that futuristic stuff, and we shall use it to our
advantage. We're headed full speed ahead, skat-
ing anything and everything in sight. And who
knows, in the future the businesses where all the
spots are will bid to have the skaters come to
their spot so they can get more business.
Skateboarding and the mainstream: perfect mar-
riage. Go X Generation!
"I CAN'T WAIT FOR
cover doing an air fakie and I had THE 2004 OLYMPICS”
to
begged my mom for
it. I was just stoked to check out
an American magazine for a change, and it was
cool because I could read it; I had everyone ask-
ing me what they were talking about. Even
though I knew English, I had a hard time under-
standing and translating the content.
Do you have a favorite article from Thrasher?
Actually, one of my favorite articles was the one
about the 2000 X Games; I couldn't stop laugh-
ing. That's what I like in a mag: the article was
perfect and depicted exactly what you'd expect
from the Extreme Extravaganza. We couldn't be
happier as skateboarders to be able to be a part
of it all. It was an honor to be able to share with
so many amazing athletes, and I can't wait for the
2004 Olympics. Let's all get together and write a
bunch of letters to make sure we're in there.
FRA
the Chimichanga.
Who have been some of the most influential
skaters to you since you started skating 13
years ago?
Sergio Negao, Lincoln Ueda, Renato Cupim,
Leo Kakinho, The Gonz, Tony Hawk, Lance
Mountain, Jason Jessee, Chris Miller, D Way, and
C McKay. Those are the ones who had the most
impact and influence on the way I skated and
skate.
What are some of the gnarliest stunts you've
ever seen?
I've only witnessed a few, and on that list are:
Lincoln Ueda skating the Super Ramp, along
with Danny's helicopter madness, and Tony
Hawk's 900 was up there too. If there's some-
thing in the water in Brazil, there's gotta be
something in the burgers here, because these
American stuntmen are insane.
Who are some of your favorite skaters
nowadays? Whose skating and attitude
inspires you?
Rune Glifberg is my favorite skater. "Attack
anything" is the attitude I like. Rune can
really get a session going and I love the energy
he manifests.
What has been your happiest moment as a
skater so far?
It had to be the feeling I got while in the air at
the Super Ramp, and just cruising down the hills
in SF on my skateboard with Julien.
How do you imagine skateboarding 10 years
from now?
Skateboarding will always be in contact with
the ground; I don't think hover boards are ever
going to be the issue. They will be there. But the
whole thing is feeling what you're riding. If
there's no feeling, there's no sense in doing it.
Also, a substantial progress shall take place in the
Talk a little about your backyard
facility, what it is going to be like,
and when will it be ready.
It's a skateboarder's dream. Ever
since Lotus came into this world,
things have just accelerated
towards materialization. I got
some land and a house in Vista and it's all
coming together nicely. It's a 64-foot-wide
vert ramp that goes into a mini bowl section.
We've been thinking about the design for a
while and I didn't know what I was doing.
until almost half of it was done. We're just
going with the flow, and it's working. Team
Pain are on it and they're doing a great job. It's
amazing what they can do with wood.
Final quotes, thank yous, and/or advice for up
and coming skaters?
I would like to thank God for allowing me to
live, Mother Nature for bringing forth the wood
we all live for, Mom and Dad for calling me into
this world. My sisters for being there. Jen for
being so wonderful and making Lotus a possib-
lity in our lives. All my friends and skateboarders
around the world for keeping the fire alive. To all
the skaters out there, remember, there's always
next year's X Games to live for.
--Dan Bourqui
THRASHER
ENGLISH
October 1994
SHEP
April 1998
WDX
Switch to truck over the channel.