TONY ALVA
Is
S THRASHER'S SKATE AND DESTROY
.message still relevant in today's skate world?
Yes, very much so. If you look at teams like 151
and Alva, and the guys out at Skatopia,
Burnside, and FDR, it's alive and well. It will be
until skating totally falls off the planet, and I
don't think that is going to happen for a while.
It's here to stay.
What was your first reaction to seeing Thrasher?
Well, I loved it because it was the first magazine
that came from the street. Everything else was
glossy, corporate crap coming out of the media.
Skateboarder was good when it first came out but
then it got fucked up. The cool thing was a lot of the
guys who started the Thrasher were good friends of
mine MoFo, Kevin Thatcher-and I knew where
their heads were. They loved skateboarding and
wanted to show the hard edge that it has.
What was your favorite Thrasher mission?
The best one that I was a part of was the Texas
trip with Duane Peters and Chris Cook. We hit
the fullpipe (Amarillo) for the first time and I
wrote a small article on it. That was a pretty clas-
sic trip, at a time when skating was in a nose dive
of destruction. And it was part of our mission-
we didn't give a fuck, we were basically there to
have a good time. The guys I was rolling with
were so real, and that's what Thrasher is all
about. This is skateboarding and if you dig it,
cool, and if you don't, fuck you.
What have been some of your favorite and least
favorite things in Thrasher over the years?
My favorites were some of the things
Christian Hosoi did back in the day; he had
the perfect image for Thrasher. I have seen
some really good photos of and writing from
Mark Gonzales. I've enjoyed the emergence of
some of the kids I've sponsored, watching
them grow up from little groms to profes-
sional skateboarders. Guys like Tommy
Guerrero, Ray Barbee-the list goes on. The
worst part I guess, not just for Thrasher but for
everybody, was the full-on small wheel and
freestyle on the street crap that got so hyped
for a while. That just bugged me; it didn't have
to do that much with Thrasher, but they had to
cover it. Baggy pants and the little wheels-I
could just chew it up and shit it out, because it
was a low point for skating.
THRASHER
Winter 1988
What do you do for a living these days?
I manufacture skateboards, I endorse a few dif-
ferent product lines for my sponsors like Black
Flys, Independent trucks, Rector safety gear, and
Spoon watches, and I basically tour around the
world-not only working as an entrepreneur
and a manufacturer of skateboard products, but
as an Ambassador, as the old school godfather of
skateboarding. My mission is to let people know
there are no boundaries in skating-I want to be
the old Hell's Angel of skateboarding.
What's the biggest problem with skateboard-
ing today? What about these fucking kids?
The biggest problem I see are cities wanting to
make money from it; they want all the recogni-
tion but they don't want to give back to skate-
boarding. They should build free public
skateparks for the kids designed by skateboard-
ers, instead of giving skateboarders tickets and
hosting the X Games to make a ton of money off
What about female?
I would have to say Pat Bag, the bass player for
The Damned. She is a beautiful lady.
Is skateboarding the best it's ever been right now?
As far as making a living off of it and skateparks
coming back, yes, there are a lot of good things
about it. The '70s were the best it ever was; it was
purer, kind of in an infant stage. It had a harder
edge because it was so real and spontaneous. At
this point, I'm really excited about the fact that
professionalism has reached a peak and skaters
can make a good living, which coincides with the
industry giving us a muscle to flex. We are finally
getting back to the terrain that makes skate-
boarding exciting; it is a really good time to be a
skater. You are not only able to ride the stuff that
we grew up skating in the '60s and '70s, but you
also get the newer stuff.
Why should a 12-year-old skater know or care
about Tony Alva?
"I WANT TO BE THE OLD HELL'S
ANGEL OF SKATEBOARDING"
of it. All skaters should fight that.
Who's your favorite up and coming street skater?
That's a tough one. There are some really good
skaters out there. I like the way Tony Trujillo
skates a lot. The Muska-I kind of dig his style
and he is a cool kid. Carlos de Andrade reminds
me of Eric Dressen. Also Geoff Rowley-he has
good style, a lot of control, and his technical stuff
is on a different level.
Who is the most stylish skater of all time?
Jay Adams, and before him, Torger Johnson.
Describe your dream session-where and
with who.
We had one last week at Gonzales pool. I
skated with Lance Mountain, Chris Miller,
Matt Moffett, Andy Macdonald, and Bob
Garza. I wish Tim Trudell, Charlie Pacheco,
and Jay Adams, if he wasn't locked up, had
been there. They would have been a good
addition. I'm looking into another dream ses-
sion, trying to get the original Dog Bowl
going, but that is going to take some money
and a lot of effort.
Who's the biggest culprit for milking skating?
There are a couple of guys. Four main major
culprits: George Powell is number one. Number
two is Rich Novak, even though I have a lot of
respect for him. Third in line is Brad Dorfman,
and fourth is John Falahee.
Who's the most famous person you have
seen naked?
I've seen a lot of famous people naked. Either
Mondo or Moby.
California
4FRU813
I don't know if they should care about Tony
Alva specifically; they should know where
skateboarding started and the seeds of its evo-
lution. They should be aware of the history,
just as if they were a basketball player, they
should know about Dr J, Bill Russell, and
Magic Johnson. They should know about their
forefathers. I do not expect kids to idolize me,
but they should have respect for me and know
their roots.
What's your beef with Salba?
I don't have a beef with Salba.
We just have a contradiction as
far as what he represents when it
comes to pool skating. Pool
skating is a very personal thing,
and it is something that deserves
more respect. I know he has
respect for it, but at the same
time he crosses that line of blow-
ing it out. I like Salba and the
longevity he represents and his
talent he is amazing. I'm not
saying that I'm any better than he
is; I've just been around a little
bit longer. It's the pure essence
that I enjoy about pool skating,
and I don't know if he sees it the
same way. It doesn't make him a
better or worse person, it's just a
and
difference in attitude
lifestyle. It's not a beef.
Where do you want to be when
Thrasher turns 30?
I'd like to be at the party.
Hopefully we will have a pool
session or something that repre-
sents an extreme level. Then we
will drink and just rage and take
over, because that's what skaters
love to do. We like to live life to
its fullest and tap into the higher
level of energy. Skateboarding is
for adrenaline junkies and if you
don't know that, you don't know
anything about it.
What's the biggest difference
between today's pro and when
you were a pro?
When I was a pro, we were a
rarity; nowadays, there are a lot
of them out there. Some are
really good and some are quali-
fied, but there are a lot who kind
of slipped in there and didn't pay their dues.
The guys who are at the top level are as good as
ever, and they paid dues in injuries and sacrific-
ing relationships. Everybody sees it being a
glamorous lifestyle, and to a certain extent it is.
But if you had to walk in their shoes through
the years of paying the dues, it's harsh. It's a
tough walk.
When were your salad days, and what was your
low point?
My salad days were probably the late '70s; not
only was I a vegetarian, but I made good money.
I do OK now; I'm happy with what I have, and
I'm not going to take any less. My lowest point
was due to injuries; one was to my eye from get-
ting socked while I was skating. I stepped in the
wrong space with this big guy. I had to get sur-
gery on my eye and was away from skating while
I healed. But you learn from your mistakes, and
at this stage of my life I have learned not to be in
the center of trouble. I have been fortunate not
to get into hardcore drug abuse, and I've seen a
lot of my friends get really low because of stuff
like that.
What's the best part about being Tony Alva?
People always ask what I think about other
people making millions of dollars off skating
and if that makes me feel weird because I'm
not a millionaire. There are rumors that I
have money stashed away. I live a very good
life, and I'm healthy and happy. Three good
things about being me are: 1) Respect. 2) I
have maintained my integrity and never sold
out. My approach to skateboarding is about
as pure as you can get; I'm pretty much a
soul skater. 3) I have the wisdom obtained
from experiencing skating and from being 43
years old that I pass on to younger people.
That is the best part of being TA.
What's your formula for getting the
chicks? The chicks keep getting younger as
you get older.
Younger girls are attracted to older guys.
The best thing for dealing with the ladies is
first of all be a good listener. Two: age
gracefully and treat your ladies with a firm
upper hand, love, and kindness. And three is
to communicate well with them. Age doesn't
really matter as long as they are not under 16;
then you're going to get in a lot of trouble.
Favorite skater who is
not skating?
Indy grind.
I would have to say
Christian Hosoi. He is
probably the most natural
skateboarder besides Jay
who ever rode. His circum-
stances are unfortunate,
and I wish him the best. I
love him and Jay both and
say a prayer for them. I have
the faith that some day they
will get back out and be a
part of what's happening
out here, skating or what-
ever. I hope they will live a
happy, normal life again.
What's next?
I'm headed to Australia to
hang, visit some friends,
and do some surfing, skat-
ing, and soul searching.
From there we are going to
open some peoples' eyes
with the Dogtown docu-
mentary. We are trying to
get that into the Sundance
Film Festival, and I will be
doing some promotional
stuff for that. Vans has been
backing us up on this 100.
percent. Stacy Peralta has
put a lot of work into the
film, as have Glen
Friedman and Craig Stecyk,
guys I grew up with, and
I'm a key figure in the
whole thing. If this goes
'well we might do a feature
film on this through 21st.
Century Fox down the
road. Other than that, I'm.
just staying focused and
living life to the fullest.
Any closing words for Thrasher?
I would like to give thanks to all of my
buddies who are still there from day one;
peace out to Kevin Thatcher, MoFo,
Fausto, and to Jake Phelps for carrying on
what he is doing. Jake and I don't always
see eye to eye but that's not the point-he
is still carrying the banner and keeping the
attitude. And anyone else who is involved
with the whole process like Ed Riggins,
Eric Swenson, and all the guys from the
bottom up.
-Chris Rooney