ERINELLINGTON
O, YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED?
So
Yep.
To who? How did this happen? I didn't even
know you were dating.
Now you've started it. Yeah, the wedding is
October 12th.
That's soon.
Yeah.
It's a lot of work to prepare for a wedding.
Yeah. I'm trying to...
Why are you clamming up?
Because these are the questions I was saying 'no
comment' to earlier.
It's just the kids you're talking to. You don't
care what the kids think.
Yeah. OK. No comment.
Do you have a caterer?
No. I need to find one.
Will you wear a traditional tuxedo?
No, it won't be so traditional, but it'll be a
nice suit.
Nothing fishy like a top hat, though, right?
Ahh. No, no.
Are the families coming out?
Yeah. I'm flying her mom out, and then my
mom is coming out.
Who's going to be your best man? Sometimes it's
your brother, if you have a brother. Other than
that, it's usually a buddy.
Probably Copalman. A little drunk best man.
He'd look pretty good in a suit, too.
Yeah. He'd look pretty smooth.
What's your fiancee's name?
How's the video coming?
Not very well. Everyone else is doing fine, but...
I don't know. I do this shit all the time. I put my
part off until the last month and a half. And this
time, I couldn't really do it.
Is that what you did for Misled Youth?
Yeah. 'Cause I'm lazy, but when it comes down
to it...
Do you work well under pressure?
It goes in spurts. Sometimes I feel like I fail
under pressure, but it's hit or miss. I really don't
know what I work well under.
What's your view on drugs and alcohol?
Well, I don't do drugs anymore. At least I try.
not to. I've been holding back on the drinking
lately, trying to work on the video. There was a
time in my life, during the Tampa contest, when
I was pretty messed up. I was just doing bad
things getting drunk all the time. I didn't really
notice it until the other day, when I was watch-
ing some footage we had filmed out in Florida. It
was really noticable-sketchy movements, push-
ing all crazy. It was funny looking, man. Then I
saw footage before and footage after, and that
whole six-month period was just screwed, man.
Should crack cocaine be legalized?
No, of course not.
What about marijauna?
Yeah. I don't smoke that, but it should be legal-
ized. It's less dangerous than, say, alcohol. If you
look at how many deaths alcohol causes com-
pared to how many deaths from smoking a
joint with drinking and driving, it would seem
that alcohol should be the one to be illegal.
What do you keep on your towel rack at home?
Louie and I had a little collection of bandanas
all laid out. There were all different colors and
designs the American flag, blue, red.
What was the thought process when you
came out of your room in the morning and
saw that beautiful rack of bandanas?
Oh, we'd just be so excited.
What color bandana would you wear if you
were in a good mood?
Oh, I never really did it like that. I'd mostly just
wear the black or the blue one.
Just around the head?
Yeah, there, or just draping somewhere.
Do you ever do'it out of the pocket?
Yeah, yeah. Mostly on the head, to keep the
hair back.
Do you ever rock it around the thigh like
Chachi?
No, no.
Have you seen any celebrities since you've been
in Hollywood?
Yeah, I saw Magic Johnson down on Melrose.
He was in a smooth looking suit, Scarface-
lookin' shoes. He was just standing on the corner
of Melrose and a black Benz rolled up and he
jumped in shotgun.
Do you want to be famous someday?
I am famous.
I mean really famous.
No, no. I'm not famous. I don't want to be.
Do you ever feel the burden of your fame?
"I'M CLIMBING BACK OUT OF THE HOLE”
Luciana.
Are you really going to have the reception on
the Sunset Strip?
Yeah, I'd like to.
At the Whiskey-a-Go-Go or something?
No. I don't know where they hold wedding
receptions down there, but wherever would be at
good spot.
Is this your first marriage?
No. I've been married three times. No, it's
the first.
THER
February 2000
Yeah, sometimes. Like when I show up at a
spot and there are all these kids waiting for me
to rip. I can't really talk to people I don't know
too well. That sounds lame, huh?
Describe your first pro outing in Tampa.
That was the period when I was so messed up.
I was drugged to the hilt.
What were you trying over the pyramid?
I don't know what I was trying, to tell you the
truth. Either ollie over to back lip or backside
something. Maybe noseblunt slide? I don't
think I had even dropped in; I hadn't even
skated the course yet.
What if you'd pulled it?
good. I've kind of been on a down slope since
then. But now, I'm climbing back out of the
hole. I would say I'm doing better than I've
ever done, right now. But I'm having the worst
time. That filming time-whatever I get I think
it's not good enough. And when I don't get
something I think, "Ah, I should have gotten
that. So-and-so would have done this." And I'm
surrounded by all these thoroughbred skate-
boarders. I sometimes think I should just be
happy with what I have done, rather than wor-
rying about, "Oh, so-and-so kickflip back
lipped this." So I get there and I'm supposed to
do something better? I'm speeding up my pro-
That's what I thought I would do. In my head, gression and getting really mad that I can't do
I was going to pull it.
Are you skating the best of your career
right now?
I don't know. When I was 17 I was pretty
it. So, no, I'm really happy with my skating, but
professionally, I'm....
When did you get the briefcase tattoo?
Aaron Harrison and I-it was on a Zero
Frontside bluntslide.
tour a long time ago. We got some India ink
and some needles, in some motel in the
Midwest somewhere, and we decided to get
some tattoos. My friend Vince and I used to
skate this spot in Arizona called The Wedge
every day. Vince got a tattoo and it was sup-
posed to say The Wedge in Spanish, but it
really said The Briefcase. In respect to him, I
got The Briefcase.
And you have a little briefcase on there, too.
Yeah.
Do you have any tattoos funnier than
The Briefcase?
Probably my name in this banner on my arm.
What's that above it?
My old street address. I did it all by myself,
upside down. I'm pretty proud of my work on
that one.
-Michael Burnett