HEADS===
MARCUS BANDY
"I'M A SKATEBOARDER, THAT'S ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS"
H
ow long have you been sponsored?
Four years... maybe five. My first sponsor was
Generation skateboards. It was me and Joey Pulsifer, Dave
Soto, Kit Erickson who passed away, and Aaron Astorga.
Who's been your jankiest sponsor?
I don't know. Do I have to answer that?
Are you skating at your peak?
Yeah. That's why I'm doing this now, shooting photos and all
that. I think it has a lot to do with the people I'm surrounded by.
When everyone around you is ripping and supporting you, it
makes you want to take it as far as you can.
Was it easy to come here from Texas and get sponsored?
Definitely not. I came from the small town of Round Rock,
Texas. My parents moved there when I was 16, and I stayed there
and partied and got into drugs and alcohol and stuff with my
friends. Then I decided to quit all of that and I got back into skating
again. I'd been doing it since I was 11 and I decided to come out
here and try to do more with my skating. It was hard at first. I didn't
really know the Southern California mentality and I'm a really
direct, straight-forward type of person. That kind of got me in
some trouble as far as my dealings with the industry and some
other skaters when I got out here.
What bugged you about the Southern California skate scene?
Some of the negative vibes and the over-aggressiveness. Where
I come from, it was more about friendliness and progression, but
out here it gets more into clique-iness and shunning other people
rather than embracing differences. I had to deal with it by sur-
rounding myself with good people.
Describe your most unpleasant customer at the skate shop
you work at.
Probably when I catch kids stealing from the shop.
Do you call the cops on them?
I don't want to, but I have in the past. It sucks.
Is it weird skating in contests with kids 10 years younger
than you?
Not really. I guess sometimes they think I'm old but this is what
I'm into; this is who I am. Other times I'm a skateboarder, that's
all that really matters. I'm into it. I like skating with younger guys,
older guys, whoever.
Who were some of your early Texas heroes?
I'd say Craig Johnson, John Gibson-all of the Zorlac heads.
Those guys were pretty crazy. We'd skate ditches with them and I
always looked up to those guys. Jeff Phillips was a major influence
too, skating around the parks. He was amazing.
Has Lethol changed by having Kareem and Joey and
Fabian around, with their project over there?
I haven't really felt any major change. It's opened new doors for
what Lethol's doing, so I'm all for it.
Who's your favorite City Star?
I'd have to say Ryan Denman and Paul Rodriguez. Oh, and Caine
Gayle. All of 'em, really.
Have you ever won a contest?
Just a shop contest back in the day. I won a complete board and
got to be on the team.
Have you ever met any celebrities?
No, but I saw Fabio at the airport. That was pretty sick. He
looked like a big, lion-headed freak. He just looked ridiculous. That
hair was too much.
What can be done to prevent kids from shooting up their
schools?
That's a really serious issue; I don't know. It's up to the parents
to know their kids and teach them family values. Also, there are
too many damn guns on the streets. There's like one gun for
every person in the United States. It's just ridiculous. There's no
easy answer but I'd say better families and more handgun control.
Did you ever have a ponytail?
Hell no. I had a rat tail, though. It was bleached out and really
long. It was great.
What's the grossest thing you've ever eaten accidentally?
Not me, but my roommate found some raisins that had been
in the cupboard for months, and half way into them, he realized
they were filled with maggots. He came into my room looking
really scared, "I think I ate some maggots!" He threw up but
didn't get sick.
What's the trick to landing a babe?
Find a girl you're compatible with. In the past if I was looking
for a girl, guaranteed I would get dissed. Then when I met my girl,
it was in a completely comfortable way and it worked out great.
-Michael Burnett
114 THRASHER