Category: Skateboarding

When I first met Ali Boulala, the first thing to hit me was that his reputation preceeds him. Ali wasn’t pissed out of his head or breaking boards every five minutes. Ali was having fun skating. Over the years, this flame of youth burns strongly within the young Swede and his desire to do something or have something are stronger than your average person’s, that’s sure.

This interview took place at Ali’s apartment in Lyon over a couple of beers. Ali was trying to learn new riffs on his guitar whilst giving advice to his mate, Steve Forstner, on purchasing a scooter, and trying to tame his crazy dog.

Oh, and Ali was wearing tracksuit bottoms, grandpa slippers, a theatrical shirt and a bandana. True Ali, the Ali that’s always been and always will be.

Alright Ali, man, tell me about how you discovered skating?

I don’t know, fuck. I guess, just seeing people in the street skating, and its like, ‘Wow! That looks fun!’

How long ago was this?

Oh, a fucking long time ago! The first time I ever rode a board, I don’t know, but maybe I was 10 years old with a blue banana board.

Can you remember what your first proper board was?

Yeah, I think I was in Mallorca and it was some Toxic board- that was the name of the company. My brother bought a Dogtown deck and I had the Toxic. Those were like the first proper boards or whatever.

Was your brother already skating before you?

No- that was like how we both got into it, just in Mallorca seeing kids there skating. All we had was the banana board, but it was mainly my brother’s idea, like ‘I’m going to buy a skateboard’, so I’m just like, ‘Fuck yeah, me too!’

Does your brother still skate?

Yeah, sometimes. He was into vert skating later on, but he doesn’t really skate that much anymore. I’m sure he would just cruise around.

Did you grow up in Sweden?

Yeah, pretty much! I was there till I was 15 or something, then I went to the States and England. (Phone rings- It’s the WE clothing guys who are about to pass by)

What was it like growing up and skating in Sweden?

It was fun, but there was never that much to skate. I mean, there still isn’t anything to skate there, but somehow there’s a scene, I guess.

What about the skateparks out there?

Oh, there are some indoor parks, but no that many. Maybe like one in every town.

So, how did sponsorship come about? Who were your first sponsors?

This skateshop called ‘G-Spot’, which is now owned by the same guy who owns WE Clothing. That was probably the first skateshop in Sweden- G-Spot.

So, how did you go from a small skateshop in Sweden to Flip?

It was mostly Rune (Glifberg), because he would come to Sweden, and I don’t know. I guess he told Jeremy (Fox) about me. Then, I went to the States with some Swedish friends and met up with Rune again there. All of a sudden they (Flip) said that I was on the team, basically. (laughter).

What’s it like at Flip? It seems pretty laid back with everybody free to do whatever they want.

For sure! They don’t send people wherever, they know that we’re gnarly! (Laughter) No pressure!

Who inspired you in the beginning?

I don’t know. I guess it was different people on different days. When I was younger, I definitely used to like Mike Carroll and all the Girl skaters, I don’t know about anymore. But, I mean of course I’m still amped to see skating, but it isn’t the same as it was before. But definitely, different days and psyches mean different people.

Now that you are pro and you have grown up in skating, has your perception of it all changed, or are you still young at heart like the kid you were when you started?

Yeah! It’s always like that, I just want to skate. It’s different now though because we have to film and capture everything on film!

How do you feel about that? Back in the day videos dropped once a year, maybe 6 months, but now it’s two every week.

Yeah, it’s too much. Like, you can’t just make a video to make a video- it has got to be something that someone will actually remember and see for a while. Filming wise though, I used to film myself all the time anyway, just for the hell of it and the fun.

Are there any moments when filming that stick out in your head as memorable? For example filming for ‘Sorry’, or with your friends in Huntington Beach, or back in Sweden at the local spot.

I don’t know really. It’s always just been filming for nothing in particular, just seeing what you have done on tape. Sometimes the process can be good and sometimes its shit.

When you moved out to the States to join the other Flip guys, did the country live up to your expectations?

The first thing that I remember is that I just laughed at how small all the spots were! I just couldn’t believe it. Like as a kid, the first thing was like. ‘Yeah, I want to go to Embarcadero (Legendary San Francisco spot) and skate all the ledges!’ But, you get there and it’s like, ‘What?! This is it? Holy shit!’ (Laughter) You just think that it’s more than it really is, but that was just like a typical thing. It is smaller, the rails are built lower. It’s better for skating though! (Laughter)

With California being the hub of skateboarding, was it ever hard to deal with all the industry bullshit?

No. I never even thought anything about the ‘industry’ or that there was anything like California being the heart of the industry or anything. I didn’t really care all that much or worry about there being a center for all the industry.

One of the things that you are most recognised for is your transition from baggy trousers to tight ass jeans and leather jackets with the punk rock attitude to kick. What happened there? Do you feel like the instigator to the whole ‘Piss Drunx’ phenomena?

I don’t know. Whatever, it’s just clothing basically! Whatever you want to wear that day, or year. Whatever! (Laughter) It’s just clothes basically, it doesn’t really matter. Whatever ideas, I guess, like new style or something. I mean, sure, it created some whole new ‘thing’ in skating with this style shit like ‘Hesh’ and ‘Fresh’, whatever! (Jim) Greco definitely had a lot to do with it, too!

But, don’t you feel like you have given guidance to some of the kids because before, when things were ‘Fresh’ so to speak, rock kids were left on the side unable to truly express themselves. Today it’s the rapper

that gets laughed at.

Yeah. It’s all skating, you know? I don’t care.

Now, your situation with the States is a bit difficult today. Do you want to talk about it?

Yeah, I don’t mind. I mean, they want me to go back and I really want to go, but. Flip paid for the work visa to prove my status. I have to go to the embassy to get questioned, but who knows? Even if I get it, once you’re at the US border you are alone with no help. The visa doesn’t really matter because they can still say ‘No’. I’m not sure. You never know. Loads of people fucking over stayed and got back in whilst others didn’t. Some people can never go back! It’s like a gamble, basically.

Have you got ay crazy stories from your visits to the States?

Well, I don’t know what’s ‘crazy’ as such, but Huntington is so crazy, like somebody is always looking at you! If you step over that line, then they stop you and take you away to jail or whatever. It’s just so ridiculous and that’s why I don’t really want to go back. You feel like you have to be careful where you step, if you step there then that’s wrong! I just don’t like it.

After leaving the States, you have been travelling around Europe, you spent some time in England, and you ended up in Lyon. Why Lyon, of all places?

I don’t know. It was like, ‘Fuck!’ I was just going all over the place, just travelling all the time anyway, I came to Lyon a few times and decided to stay. It’s so easy here- you can just be skating down the street and there are spots. However, it feels like there are less and less spots now! (Laughter) Lyon isn’t huge and massive like Paris or London. You can get to Barcelona, London, Paris etcetera really fast from here- It’s a ‘middle point’, if you want to call it that. (Laughter)

Since you live in France, have you learnt how to speak the language?

Well, I guess I could if I wanted to speak, but I don’t know. I understand when people talk and shit, but I just don’t want to speak it for some reason. I don’t know why. (Laughter) I understand, but I won’t talk.

What do you do when you aren’t skating? I see you like to collect scooters, guitars, remote control planes.

Oh yeah! The whole broken hobby dream! Fuck man. (Laughter) I mean, it was fun, but the remote control things are only good for a few minutes, or days even. But, the guitar, I guess, is the thing that is going to stay. Somehow, I’ll keep doing that, I don’t know. The other toys are just impulse purchase. It’s fun for a few minutes, but then its hell! (Laughter)

Which was your favourite toy?

Well. (Hesitates) The helicopter is the best thing, but it’s also the most impossible to fly! So, I guess that makes it the best and the worst thing. It would be good if I knew how to fucking fly the thing! But, I think the guitar is probably more fun. (Laughter)

Do you play any other instruments apart from the guitar?

No, not really.

If you could play something else, what would it be?

There are loads of things I’d like to play, like a one man band. (Laughter) I don’t know, just the guitar. I like the guitar.

Are you thinking of starting up your own remote control toy shop?

Start a band?

(Laughter) No. I just want to play for myself, like with my skating, just learn tricks on the guitar basically.

What’s your axe then?

A Les Paul. Gibson Les Paul. But I have many guitars now! But, this has to be my favourite one.

What are your musical influences? What do like to listen to or play?

Oh, like play? I just try and play anything I can! (Laughter) I can make my own songs, and it’s all inspired by the different things I listen to all mixed up.

Well, for instance, what CD is in your machine right now?

Uhhh. Maybe it was some Pink Floyd that I tried to learn the song. Led Zeppelin songs I try to learn because it’s so complicated! I feel that if I can play one Led Zeppelin song , then I can come out and say it like, ‘Yeah, I can do that!’

All their songs are so gnarly. There’s so much random shit, like ever since I picked up the guitar, I have become receptive to any songs with guitars playing in them, like, ‘Yeah, that’s good!’

Alright.. Another thing that stands out in your career is the jump to Osiris. Osiris was so Hip-Hop based that you were probably the last person we’d expect to see wearing D3s. Tell me about that?

I didn’t have a shoe sponsor for a long time. It was through Dune (Pastras), without him I don’t think I would have ridden for anyone. He doesn’t work for them anymore, but he was the contact there. I tried to ride for Vans, and they just didn’t want to give me a good deal. I don’t know.

How is it with Osiris because they like to do really big tours and stuff?

Yeah, it’s cool! It’s good that they do that. All of a sudden they changed their team, and they’re still changing the team, making it better. We’ve got John Rattray and stuff now!

Do you get together with the other team members much?

Well, whenever there are those huge tours, then yeah, I guess we all get on and go. Apart from the tours, though, not really because everyone else lives in the States.

Do you have any crazy tour stories? Brandon Turner already told me about stripping for girls in England once.

(Laughter) Yeah! There was some funny shit going down in South Africa and New Zealand with that crazy huge tour. There are always stories, but you can’t really go into them here. (Laughter) (The recording stops and then picks up again.) Uhhh. No particular stories right now! (Laughter)

Now that you have travelled around most of the globe, what has been your favourite place to visit?

I must say Australia. I always like it when I go back to Australia. It’s so fucking far away, but it’s worth it, for sure! Every time I go there, I just want to stay there forever, I guess.

What would be your dream session? In Australia perhaps.

What…..like skating wise or just hanging out?

Well, if you had to choose between a session anywhere in the world for a day, or a trip with friends and no board?

No board?! Definitely without my board! I must say, no boards, Dustin (Dollin) and his homies around there maybe.

Do you miss not being able to go back to the States and chilling with your homies? Do you still keep in contact with them?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure! I mean, I talk to them, and if it was guaranteed that I could get back into the country, then I’m sure I would think about going there more often. It’s too much of a gamble, I don’t know. That’s the only reason I would ever go back is to hang out with all my friends there. Then, I guess they come over here, or to Australia..?

How would you define a professional seeing as today the definition is hazy between super ams and lazy pros?

I don’t know, it’s hard. Ok, I mean it was so obvious before, like you’re a professional, you get money. Now all the ams get fucking more money than I do! (Laughter) For fucks sake! (Laughter) I don’t know.

Well, looking at today’s pros, who do you think applies best to the definition of a pro?

Well, I don’t really think there should be such a thing like that really! Everybody is all different in their own way, or whatever. It’s just skateboarding, there are no rules!

Who isn’t pro and deserves to be?

Steve Forstner: That’s a good question! Me..?

Yeah Steve, but you’re pro already for Antiz!

But, what do you mean? Like a dude with his name on a board? I can’t really say.

Ok, how about inversing the question then? Who is pro and doesn’t deserve it?

Oh. I think there are a lot! (Laughter) But, I don’t think it’s my liberty to really say!

I heard that some skaters claimed to have landed the 25 set.

No, no, no! Nobody tried that. I’m the only one to try the 25 set (Ali speaks clearly

straight into the mic).

Tell me about it. What was going through your mind?

I still think it’s possible to do, not that it’s so much fun to fly through the air and land on the cement ground! (Laughter) I just saw it and was like, ‘That’s one of the gnarliest, shocking things you could do!’ If you can.

Did you have to hype yourself up to do the jump? You left it till the very last minute, didn’t you?

Yeah, of course! I waited till the end because I wanted to film other stuff first because I knew that that if you don’t make it then that’s it, you won’t be able to skate for a while.

You had some badly bruised heels after that, huh?

Oh yeah, both! I had blue heels for like a month at least. I basically waited for the last possible moment to do it. Of course it was raining on the last, last day of filming, Fred (Mortagne-the filmer) was leaving and the video was now over like no more filming, it’s raining. Still, I don’t know, I just tried it anyway. It wasn’t pissing down with rain, but it was wet.

Didn’t you make any calls beforehand to make sure you’d be insured in case anything went wrong?

I don’t know, but there was money on the line! It was after I had already tried it and failed, that money came into the equation. They were like, ‘If you do it, you’ll get however much money!’ There was talk of thousands being put down if I did it again. Then it all kind of died down, and I was like, ‘Well, I don’t want to jump down there for money!’ Like, I’m not going to pay somebody to jump out of that window to the flat, just to see someone get hurt, just because it’s shocking! Whatever. Of course I want to do it because it’s shocking, too, but not for the money.

Ok Ali thanks for your time, let’s go skate!

Thanks Ralph…bye bye people!

Ali Boulala rides for Flip Skateboards, Etnies Shoes, WE Clothing and Wall Street Skateshop.

Rodney is a pioneer of skateboarding. So much so, that the majority of skaters would say he was the single most important skater of all time, and they would not be wrong. Whilst on tour to promote the new Almost video, Zac managed to spend an hour with Rodney in a shop in Soho whilst the rest of the team sat quietly next to us and homed in on the occasion. It is a pleasure to have such an innovative skateboarder in our zine with big thanks to New Deal and Dwindle…welcome Rodney Mullen.

How are ya Rodney?

I’m OK, good to be here in London.

Superb, welcome to our City mate. I was introduced to you when you first appeared in skate videos and saw you on Powell Peralta videos. Freestyle skateboarding was almost sneered at back then, did you ever think that you would one day look back and realise how much of an influence you were going to be to street skating?

No. No idea.

Are you glad that you did not become a vert rider at all like so many other pro riders back then, was there pressure?

There wasn’t any real ‘pressure’. I’m pretty glad I didn’t abandon what I did. If I had turned to vert, at least I would have had some of those skills built in by now.

You visited the UK back then with a demo at Southbank, do you remember that clearly?

I remember everything about that trip. The first international trip I ever took was to London and I remember cruising by Southbank. It’s pretty etched in my mind.

Did being on Powell Peralta set you up as being more organized as a pro skater?

Maybe. Stacy is an amazing person and he had a long-lasting influence on all of us. Being from the East Coast and also being as freakish as I was as a kid, I wasn’t as exposed to Stacy like some of the other guys. But I think even that little bit of influence carried me a long way.

I read somewhere that you had to wear braces to straighten out your pigeon-toed feet? Did these (er) feet have something to do with your success for flipping the board?

Maybe. I notice similarities in a couple of other pro’s. A doctor once told me it was like having a built-in tripod for each leg. Not sure I believe him!

If you found out that kids were having surgery to have these kinds of feet would you feel uncomfortable?!

As long as they could put up with tripping over them from time to time and maybe a little ridicule, things might still work out! Haha!

You grew up and went to the University of Florida. What did you study there? Was it all just a waste of time now? This question comes from a skater who is about to start there in January.

Biomedical engineering and math was where I was headed. I started with Industrial engineering. I have good memories of UF. Lots of anonymity and the atmosphere is good.

Did your studies pay off?

Not literally, but it helped me. Good experience.

Are you gonna start working for al-Qaeda now?!!

Scary. Once you get some basics down you realise you know enough to learn how to do some bad things if you wanted. It’s as though they should give some sort of psychological evaluation before letting you take certain classes, especially in chemistry.

In your autobiography The Mutt, you seem to bare your soul, has this been a long time coming? Do you feel as though you have lifted a weight off your shoulders?

Not really. It was hard to sort of go back into some dark stuff I went through as a kid, then try to write about it in a way that didn’t lose the point of what is important as well as to be fair and as lighthearted as I could. I wanted to back out of it a number of times. If it weren’t for my wife, I probably would have. By now, I’m glad I didn’t quit. But when people tell me they read the book, my first instinct is honestly to apologize to them!

You talk about your Dad and relatives not understanding skateboarding, do they understand now since your fame has reached huge heights?

Maybe, in a way, but the ‘fame’ part is almost a distraction from the real point. He’s happy skateboarding gave me so much, for sure.

What advice would you give to kids who are in the same position now?

I understood my dad wanted the best for me, but it was hard to reconcile with how gnarly things got. There isn’t one little tidbit of advice someone could give that would have really made things better for me, mostly because you’re not in control of anything when you are a kid. The only thing I can say is to do your best and never give up, no matter how dark it seems. If your folks are the hard, confrontational type, just try to suck it up, so you never have to feel shame for words you can’t take back. They’ll know what that means and it makes it easier to live with yourself.

How did the FBI drop into your personal life?

It all started with a girl!

You mention on the Almost website that the first thing that you think of in the morning is to pray, how much has religion driven you in your career from day one?

It’s a real personal thing for me. It’s between me and God. I always pray a lot when I skate and I think it’s driven me a lot to be what I have become. I’ve skated alone since I was a kid, aside from obvious stuff like tours and hooking up and skating with friends sometimes, which is a lot of fun too, but I always go back to the same thing: Fortress of Solitude.

Are there rules for this? Does this mean that Slayer just cannot appear in your record collection?

Nope, no real rules. I’ve got my healthy share of Bad Religion, too! Haha!

What other music do you like to listen to?

Lots of stuff. I’m really into music, like a lot of skaters. I go through phases, so it’s hard to just say a name that sort of ‘means everything’ to me. I like a lot of Nina Simone, Clash, Johnny Cash, Stiff Little Fingers, Dixie Hummingbirds, BB King, Metallica, Beethoven, IZ, Leonard Cohen, Dvorak, Tom Waits, Shostakovich.

Top 5 records ever, stuff you would have to have on a tour like this?

Right now I’m in a Nick Cave phase. Blind Boys of Alabama: Spirit of the Century. Angelic Upstarts: Teenage Warning. New Model Army: Thunder & Consolation. Beethoven: 2and movement, 3rd Symphony.

What happened between you and Converse shoes?

They were good to me.

How much input do you have in making your own shoes models for Globe Shoes?

As much as you want, really. I have a good amount of say in most of my shoes.

Where did the name Almost Skateboards come from?

Daewon. The name is the last thing we came up with everything else was pretty obvious from the very first time we talked about doing it together. Names are hard, even if you have a good one, it’s hard to trademark so you can actually work with it. We’d gone through lists, and nothing great, then Daewon just called me and said, “what do you think of ‘almost?” Right away, it felt good.

How does it feel to travel together with kids like Greg Lutzka and Ryan Sheckler? i.e. Old legend with young ripper and vice versa.

It’s embarrassing skating with these guys. They are so good, and they’re so good to me. They’ll goof around with me and try my goofy crap. Then they’ll walk me up to a little handrail and try to coax me along. Obviously that’s not going too well so far. But I’m on my way. Ryan’s dad made me a flatbar. Such good people.

Have you ever helped each other learn tricks?

That’s what it’s all about.

Is it true that Chris Haslam beat yourself and Daewon at a game of skate?

Not ‘formally’, but it could happen if we tried. Could be a long game.

Have you ever felt jealous of Ryan Sheckler? Ever felt the urge to lock him in a cupboard?

All the time. Seriously, I cannot say enough about Ryan. The other day on the plane, Ryan and I were talking, then when he went back to his seat, the lady next to me thought he was my son. That was the first time I really thought about it, and I couldn’t imagine anything making me more proud than having that kid be my son. On top of being as gnarly as he is, he’s the coolest, most clearheaded and humble kid I may have ever met. He’s got a rotten sense of humour, too. Ryan Sheckler rules!

What is your fave part in the Almost Video?

Hard to say. Maybe Greg’s part. I wish I could fly like that. Even the way he stands on a skateboard looks so good and unique. Chris’ part is fun, too. I don’t know.

Who do you think is the best technical skater, that isn’t on Almost Skateboards. Who would you poach if you could?

I don’t personally know PJ, but I admire his skating a lot. I’ve met Paul Rodriguez a number of times and I really like how he is and the way he skates. It has to be someone who’s not just a good skater; they have to be a certain way and add something to the team, as well. Hard to say right now. Couldn’t be happier with how it is right now.

What is your best demo?

I have done every form of demo you can imagine. The Pork Rib Cook offs in Ohio, it was two 4×8’s laid on and I did a full demo on an 8×8 and all these guy are walking about eating ribs looking at me like I was from out of space and it was funny! Haha!

Wow, I can’t wait to ask you what the worst one was!

Yeah, that was back in the rotten 80’s. I had an agent at the time, I don’t have one now, but I did something with these rock and roll guys. That era was just weird, we all did random crap stuff back then. These guys were all drugged up with roadies and the girls. It was the worst.

Let’s talk tricks. You invented the flat ground ollie and Tony Hawk has been quoted to say: ‘“Every time you ollie you should get on your knees and thank Rodney.” How did you feel about that high accolade then?

Yeah, I guess I did. As for Tony, I write him monthly cheques!

What is the trick that gets you mad the most?

The way I skate there is not a trick really like that. I just try to reach out from what I’ve done, rather than focusing on doing a single type of trick further or higher that I have to practice all the time. I suppose that is why I suck so much when it comes down to doing demo’s as I never just roll around and do generic sort of things. I just try to focus on single types of tricks or movements, try to take them someplace new, then redo the same procedure.

No routines like you used to do in freestyle then?

Nope. There will be periods where I will not do a 360 flip in months, just so I focus on new movements and I don’t get stuck in doing things I’ve already done, unless of course I just have a really good time doing them. That’s where a lot of the joy I have skating comes from, how it stays fresh for me.

What tricks are you working on right now?

The video has just ended and before that I was practicing loads of primo moves but now that is finished I am starting from scratch and learning how to stand on my board different and just cruise around and do things. Switch helps you a lot to learn how to re-establish shoulder settings and stuff so that is what I do after any big thing I am done with. I try to start from scratch and see where that takes me, so I’m now looking at goofing around with a lot of nollie impossibles and seeing if I can grab it really high and turning it and seeing where that takes me. At the end of any video it is always a big stop point in my life where I try to look at things from a newer perspective, starting over.

What is your personal favourite trick that you have invented?

Er….haha! It’s a goofy trick that does not even have a name. It’s just based the freestyle days but the way you catch it has a fun feel and the board just does it’s thing. I will try and explain. You do like a noseblunt on the ground, front wheels and nose touching, and with your back foot you throw the board 180, so it cracks the rail. Your back foot will be standing sort of one-footed primo and you continue the motion behind you, so it’s almost like a 360 and it just goes back to the wheels, or nose wheelie or to whatever.

Is there a trick you have never been able to learn? Was there one that got away?

There are always a couple that got away. In the video I do a casper to nose wheelie and I really wanted to do a casper 360 flip to nose wheelie. That one got away. Another heartbreaker.

Yeah, I have had problems with that trick too!

Haha!

Was the Casper slide an accident?

That was not me, that was Mike Ternasky. I still think of him all the time. He was forcing me to skate for Plan B and do the video and I was like, ‘nah, Mike, you don’t need a part from me,’ so he basically stood by me filming all the way through and it was at the end of the video and I was going, ‘Mike you should not even show this part, what are doing.’ This is for Questionable, and he was like, “Rodney, we are not done yet,” and he took my board and said, “this is what you are going to do.” He slid across like a casper with his hands and said “you are gonna do this…” and he sat there and he made me do it and we did it over and over again. I remember being at the premiere and throughout my part it was so silent – until that trick, you could hear crickets and he grabbed me by the neck, which was a great feeling, and he said, “wait until they see your next video.”

Explain a monkey flip out?

Haha! It’s just a stupid thing you write down, like you grab the rail, you know, like a frontside air and hop out of a trick and flip your board. Haha!

How do find switch primo slides?

Yeah, there is one on the video. Not a big deal, just goes by.

Do you ever ride transition now and again?

I wished. When I was a kid I used to skate parks a lot until I lost my teeth and my Dad had me no more than that and nowadays it’s like a never did it! I’m absolutely retarded on transitions, so that is one thing I wanna learn again.

So I could take you at a mini ramp comp?

You sure could! Haha!

Ok, let’s step outside!

Haha!

You have appeared in Tony Hawk’s video games, have you ever been disappointed with your image on a video game?

Those guys who put those things together are always so funny, I always bring boards to try to bribe them into making me look younger!

What is it like to play yourself?

I never have!

Never?!

I have never played one single video game! They always ask me how I think about the last game and I’m always like, ‘hey I loved it!’ Haha!

It must be strange playing yourself, if you did?

People probably use it like a voodoo doll, my wife does when she is pissed with me!

After this Tony Hawk boom, do you think that kids who play these games expect to pick up a skateboard and skate just like their idols?

Maybe they will, but I know a lot of those kids drop out pretty quickly. If people discover skateboarding through a video game even if it is 2% of the people who get into it and find a love for it, then it’s good. Skateboarding has given me everything, and maybe it can do the same for one of these kids that just started by playing video games. Videos themselves are like the game a little, to an extent they are make believe, you go out there and try all day for one single trick.

There is a barrier of disbelief, and if you see one person do it and get through that barrier it becomes believable. Take Pat Duffy as an example, then you get kids everywhere flying down rails and they can do it. These video games are virtual reality, it’s not real but they make kids believe and it raises that bar of skateboarding. Seeing is believing.

What are 3 fave spots in the world?

I’m such a hermit, I just like a few things around LA that I skate but no particular spots.

If a deceased spot was resurrected tomorrow, which one would you like it to be?

I only went to Love Park in Philly a few times on tour but it had the best vibe. I know it meant a lot to the locals there. It would be super cool if people could skate there again.

Did you enjoy your time in London?

Yeah, like always. It was a little wet, though.

I really want to know if you can do a hang-ten nollie back foot impossible, cos i know someone who can. I would like to see Meanwhile Darren and yourself in a game of skate. Are you man enough for a sesh with him at our local Tesco’s car park?

Hah! I wished I could meet him, that would be awesome..

Any plugs, shouts or links?

Er..I hate these little one liners as they always sound cheap, but I suppose what you see in the videos, it takes over a year to get those things out. Don’t be disillusioned about your own skating and don’t feel you have to skate a certain way by what you see by what is popular. Just skate from what is inside you and this the real thing that will keep you going and that is the beauty of skateboarding. Don’t be dissuaded from what you would otherwise be by what you see and what is promoted so much because it often changes like any other fashion. Just skate from your inside.

Thanks Rodney….

Visit:

www.almostawebsite.com
www.globeshoes.com

Brendan is one of the best skaters around. He has the best attitude and never gets riled (pardon the pun!) like most skaters when things don’t go their way. Skateboarding is fun for him and he makes it look as easy like no other. He is a local London skater who has always come down to Crossfire Jams and supported what we do here so it gives me great pleasure to return the support in my own way. Brendan came into HQ in October to do this one face to face and this is what came of it…..

How are ya fella?

Yeah I’m great, all is good, just about to skate the park here at Bay Sixty6 for a Wednesday night sesh and looking fwd to it as ever.

Lets let people know who you are , where you from?

I grew up in South Africa my whole life and I have been here now for about 5 years now after my entire family moved here. There is more here to skate, better job opportunities, less hijacks etc

So are missing the high jacks?

Well, I managed to escape about 4 of those, being held at gun point and all that.

So what was the worst, if you managed to avoid 4, wanna share it!?

A friend of mine was driving through Johannesburg with his arm hanging out of the window and saw some mad guy running up behind us with a fireman’s axe and he tried to hack of his arm with it to get his watch off him!

Fucking hey!

What else? Er. I opened my front door one day and was confronted by a man holding a gun to my head as he thought I was gonna call the police as he was trying to hang some guy in my front garden was going out one day!

Friendly neighbours huh?

Well, it goes on, we got away from 3 or 4 high jacks, they don’t really want to hurt you, they just want your possessions, but life is worthless, they want your car, watches, cameras etc. Another friend of mine was in a coma when he was attacked by a man who smashed a 4 pound hammer into his head for his camera! So we moved here!

Not much filming goes down in Johannesburg then?

Yeah, but you don’t film or take pics you need to go out with a crew of at least 7 guys to get stuff done. It’s that simple. If you have a flash set up you have a guy standing there. Laughs.

What do you miss about it being here though?

I miss friends for sure, also the weather obviously, but there are also great skate spots like in Pretoria, it’s like the capital, right next to Johannesburg and they have the best spots right there. I miss all of these.

There are loads of SA riders here; did you know many peeps when you arrived?

There is like a South African invasion in London, loads of people here now, but I think that Greg Finch from CIDE, was the first to make the step, he started it; I think he was the first to descend here! When I got over here I tried to find him and once I found him, I found everyone. I knew Greg from growing up back home and we used to skate contests from the age of 10 years old. He is amazing, the same style, and whatever he does he always looks good!

When did you start skating then if you were in contests at 10?

I was about 6 years old when I was bombing hills, and then I started learning to ollie when I saw er.’Thrashin’..haha!

(laughs!) Ok stop right there, that is a first for this website! “Thrashin”!?

Yeah, ha-ha, I saw the stunt double of Mike McGill in that movie when he ollied a car and rewound that scene so many times to try and work out how to Ollie! My first board was a Sergie Ventura, so I was stoked to see him at The Snickers Bowl, we had a few beers and a can of Heinz baked beans.

beans?

Yeah, he just pulled them out of his backpack and started eating them at this comp!

So beans aside, you must be about 27 years old now?

Nope, 28.

I was close…So you came over here and what happened?

Well, I was lazy when I first got here in November 99 and the weather shocked me at first so i did not skate for about 3 months, so basically I started to hook up with Greg and the legend Clint Van der Schyffe (Panic/Emerica) who is back in SA now. In fact he ripped, he used to do switch back lip down kinked handrails and stuff, and I got to know the guys at Slam as Greg was working there.

It took about a year before I really started getting into it as SA was full-on all the time as there was only about a handful of really good skaters out there and you would get kids following you all the time. It’s more relaxed here. I’m no Danny Wainwright here, that is for sure!

So let’s talk Ortega Skateboards, what was the hook up?

Well, due to the lovely weather I skated Meanwhile 2 at Royal Oak a lot and then Ricky noticed me skating, I sent him a tape before he set up the company and that is when he started it. He had not pressed any boards then.

So who else is on the team now?

John the Brickie aka Ivan Rodriguez just joined us, Tom Crowe has been there for a while, Trevor Beasley aka Ronaldo, Team Manager Jamie Harrison, Ramon Thackwell and Sam Bruce.

Crowe? Is he still on Ortega, did he not wobble in the summertime?

Yeah, but that is Tom isn’t it!

Yeah, I suppose he flies and never comes down huh! Great skater and good mate..

Yep! That is a good way of putting it. Mike Sutcliffe was in there. Mike is like Willie Nelson man! He is there but nobody really knows what’s going on. He just cruises around loves skateboarding and does not want to be associated with anything. He rode for Ortega for a while and decided he wanted to skate with no pressure. He still represents, he is one of the crew and he is an amazing skater.

Yep, I agree, we love Mike and I know he checks this site weekly so big up yo’self bad man! So back to you. I hear you have a pro board out now, are you proud to have your name on your board?

Yep, here it is right here. As for proud, it’s very cool to be part of a company that you have input in. It would suck if Ricky phoned me up and said hey I wanna do a board and stick your name on it. That is bullshit. So it’s cool to ride for a company where I can ask for concave, shape etc, not just a name on a piece of wood.

So the inevitable question is this. Why are there plug sockets and forks all over your board!?

Well, I stuck one into the other when I was quite small. I grew up in a farm back in SA and I was 2 years old, I watched my parents stick things into the sockets and I decided to plug my fork in there and from the current of the conductor, your muscles contract and was basically frying myself, the lights had dimmed etc and my Mum came flying in and obviously she knocked me away as she could not touch me otherwise she would have been stuck too.

So I went to hospital and I had fried my pigment cells that are connected to my nerve endings and because you nerve endings are under such tension when you have been fried like that it has to be released somewhere the same as when you have a car accident and they get a white patch, it’s the same thing that happens from your body and I got left with a white eyebrow!

That is why you are known as White Lightning then?!(Laughs!)

Haha, Mark Brewster’s a wanker! (laughs!)

Did Brewster make that one up then?

Yeah, it was the first Meanwhile Jam and he was on the mic which is always amusing and he did not have a clue who I was and I was skating quite fast and he saw the white eyebrow and called me that and then it stuck. After that it appeared in Sidewalk and it has gone on from there.

Did you design your own graphic on this board yeah?

Well, the thing with small skateboard companies is that nothing really happens that quickly and Ricky mentioned he wanted to do a pro board and I kept sending him these graphics going ‘this is the one, this is the one’ and time ran out and he said, right, it’s time, which graphic do you want, and I was like, I have changed my mind, I have an idea of forks and plugs and he was like ‘what?’ so 6 months of stuff went waste and here it is. But there is a new series of boards just out for 2005 and they all look fresh.

Ricky is a bit of a legend really, he ripped Meanwhile with Crispin and American Steve and that crew, have you seen any of that footage?

Yeah for sure, I saw some classic footage with him skating with Boma from years ago once. Did you know he skated with Jamiriquai as well?

I didn’t know that but Matt Sanchez told me Jamiroquai used to sell dope to other skaters back in the 80’s. Small world huh?

What?!

So, talking of graphics, your love of art and the way things look through a camera is part of your everyday job right?

Yeah, I work freelance as a photographer and I also assist other bigger photographers cos that way I get to travel and see the world on other people’s budgets. I got into photography through taking skate shots of local riders in SA. The mag at the time had crap photography in it and I though I could do a better job and soon became their senior photographer.

So when I moved here to the UK i decided enough of that and just skate. But I think that some people do not actually realize how much hard work it is. It’s unbelievable how much work that goes into one photograph that gets printed.

So what are you working on at the moment?

I’m quite lucky right now. I have been shooting some semi-naked women for lingerie shoots.!!

Hey, do need some assistance with that!?

(laughs!) yeah maybe..it’s fun, but it is a job that I can do for the rest of my life and as a skater, you cannot expect to be a pro skater for life. A lot of skaters think that and never think about anything else. I think it’s important to have something to fall back on. You need a sideline. Only so many people can start up a new skate company, the market is saturated, and it’s not the only thing in life.

Too true fella, let’s start talking filth it’s far more interesting! (laughs!)

Haha, yeah lingerie shoots are fun. Sometimes it’s classy, sometimes not, it all depends on the client. I just assisted an Anne Summers shoot.

So you are like the Thierry Henry of the lingerie shoot world? He assists in every game! More than Van Nistelhorse!

Yeah, I’m like that! Arsenal are my team to. Not just since I came here either, I actually have supported them since I was about 12, one of my friends was a gooner and brought it back. So I moved to North London!

I agree, there is only one team in London..but let’s talk tricks, you love annihilating a rail, what is you fave trick?

Difficult question..if it’s a rail, currently my fave right now is backside overcrooks.

You love doing 2 tricks at a time as well down a rail huh? Ive seen you do feeble to 50-50’s a lot..

Those are just party tricks! Ed Templeton taught me that trick. He came over with a team once and I was riding for a shop there. I had to do the tour with them and he was the founder of feebles to 50-50, and he showed me the basics and it was easy, all those tricks, feeble to back lip, feeble to front blunt and it’s like riding a bike, you never forget them.

So what is the trick you love most, you love a frontside flip right?

Yeah, but I hate hardflips, they are the bane of my life! Yep, that trick drives me nuts. I suppose that any grinding trick is always good, I love to grind.

What about vert, ever got into that?

I like to warm up on a vert ramp but not to ride one any more. I had an experience where I hooked up once and my knee went sideways and that was the last time. I can do back lips on vert and stuff like that but I prefer street.

If you had to pick 3 spots in the world to skate for a day where would you go?

The first one would be The State Theatre in Preturia in SA and it has the best marble forecourt, that is so huge, in fact if you were to film a line you could include about 15 tricks. There are 9 marble ledges that are a little bit lower than vic benches and twice the length and the water fountain is quite wide, perfect marble, with a 4 set and rails. It’s the best spot in the world for me. Secondly, England is weird, there are good spots but no great spots.I suppose anywhere in Milton Keynes, you can spots everywhere there. Not Southbank, it’s a good spot but not great, in fact I would rather skate the water trough in Aldgate.

What about tunes? I have noticed that whenever I DJ at skate events you are always going through my boxes of records and CD’s to see what I have on offer…

I have been into music my whole life; it’s one of main driving things. I DJ’ed in a club, I played bass in a band that released 4 albums in SA and also go to bury the bass into a Nazi’s head once!

What?!

The shows always had nazi punks beating up skaters and one day I was sick of it and I just took him out!

What kind of punk did you play?

Ska punk really. Operation Ivy crossed with Face to Face.

What was the band called?

Leek.

What, that is my surname!?

No way! That is funny! Yeah we used to play a lot and in front of good sized crowds too.

What was the last CD you bought?

Hmmn.I like to buy from i-tunes, not CD’s, but the last thing I got was something like Led Zepellin b-sides record.

So what track would you use for your part if Ortega put a video out?

Hmnn.probably a track from a friends band who was in Leek, his band is called The Slash Dogs and I would definitely use a track from them. He calles it Monster Trucker Rock, like ska punk meets Motorhead! (laughs!). But I love vintage rock like ACDC, The Stones, I like a lot of Jazz, some hip hop like older Wu Tang, Public Enemy, not all these new MTV faux pas creations and I just appreciate good styles really.

So who is your regular skate session?

Depends on where we are going, but if it’s demo’s etc it’s the OG lot and if it’s a local session probably Irish Steve and Alan Christensen who you know well from his great contributions to this site, let me see… Mike Sutcliffe, the man that can ollie a beer can and look good!

Mike, i f you are reading this, i think you owe us beers! So what is coming up next Brendan, any plans?

I have been lucky. I have a good life and my whole life has revolved around skateboarding but I could never see a career in it.

You should blame Thrashin’ for that mate!

haha!

Any last words.

Thank you for this interview, keep Crossfire rocking and big up to everyone i know and rock to Ortega!

I will do. Cheers

Video Director

(Menikmati, Sorry and Bon Appetit)

How do you feel about the abundance of footage that’s getting done in Europe at the moment? Do you feel you played a part in this rush of visiting pros to Europe?

Europe is definitely getting over exposed which is not a good thing because the more it gets exposed the more it gets over exploited. It works as a vicious circle: there`s this new amazing spot that people find, people want to skate it after they see photos and videos of it, then it gets over skated because every one go skate it which causes damages and disturbs so neighboors get tired and ask the city to skate-proof the spot which then become unskateable, which in the end doesn`t really matter since nobody wants to skate it anyway as all the tricks possible have been done on it. then people look for more spot around thecity and same stuff happens again and again until there`s no more good spots to skate in town. So then people get forced to travel to foreign countries to find skateable spots, until the same stuff happens again. That`s the situation we`re in right now. Every team is going on filming trips across the world to get their job done, and then they go home to chill. That`s just the way it is. You can`t blame anybody for wanting to skate stuff and contribue to kill the spots. We are all guilty. Maybe in 20 years street skating will die because of no more natural spots remaining anywhere.

How and why did you start filming?

I first started filming with my friends Yves, Hamid and Lorenzo so we could check us out on TV to have an outside view of our skating. And to have fun. It was not serious and I didn`t have any idea it would later become my job. Then about a year later two things made me consider makinga local video: At the infamous spot of Hotel de Ville I met an american who I think was working for Transworld, and I told him that there were a lot of good skaters in Lyon and that some of them were may be good enough to be sponsored, and asked him what we should do to hook them up with sponsors. He replied by saying: “make a video and send it to companies”.

And at the same time 411 VM was starting and after 3 issues I was dissapointed not to see any french skaters in it, while there were so many people shown and these videos. So I talked to the skaters in Lyon and everybody was into starting filming. We filmed for a month and a half, got a 55 minutes video 5not possible anymore these days!!!), and I sent the tape to Steve Douglas as he was working for 411 and Giant. That`s what we called a “coup double” in french. I got good feedback from him and from everybody in Lyon and the local shop who was supporting us wanted to sell the video which I was not into, thinking the video was not good enough for resale. We sold 80 copies which was amazing and everybody in France was amped on it so it gave us motivation to make another one. I sent it again to Steve who was blown away by JB`s skating a pretty much straight away got him on New Deal.

That was a complete success for me as the original reason to make the videos worked out. That`s how it all started and from then I was into trying to push it further.

If you had to choose between the camera and the skateboard, which would it be and why?

Well at the beggining as every kid my dream was to be sponsored but I quickly realised this would never ever happened, and at the same time I realised I was the first guy in France and one of the first in Europe trying to take filming seriously so I took my chance and jumped into it hoping it would work. you know for a skateboarder the ideal is to work in the skateboarding industry, so I`m so stoked to be where I am right now.

Did you really mean it when you said ‘Fuck USA’ in Thrasher some time ago?

During that interview I said it as a joke but I really think that way. Before going there I wanted to go so bad, and once I got there I got super quickly dissapointed as I was expecting it to be like what the american propaganda make you think it is. The so-called land of freedom was everyhting but free, and I got shocked with the real culture and the way of thinking. I`ve been travelling so much, discovered so many cultures, and seriously only the american culture I think is made of pure stupidity. The perfect example to illustrate this argumentation is New York: it`s safe to say it`s the best place in america, it`s so rich because it`s basically a mix of all the cultures in the world. Every single country is represented. More than half of the people there don`t speak correct english, or not at all!!! It`s way more down to earth than fantasy land California. But don`t get me wrong, I`m not saying France isthe best either. Not one place is perfect, but yeah I think America is the worst place on earth.

How’s working on the Cliche video going?

It`s so rad I`m so stoked. I get to be home and do the job I love, and on top of that with good conditions. the team is great, no big heads, no rock stars…and it doesn`t feel like working with pros, but amateurs. not because of their skate abilities, but because they are not on the same level as pros on major companies. they still have to push themselves a lot as they are not as much exposed to the skate world, so there is so much motivation from everybody. the atmosphere is so good.

What would be your ideal filming session?

Rad looking spot, rad stylish trick, perfect light, most amazing unseen angle, no security guards or hungry people, and a veggie barbeque!!!

For all the chat room nerds and groms out there, will PJ get a part in the ‘Sorry’ DVD?

All these guys will be happy, it will be xmas again!

Is there such a thing as a camera-ho (like pro-ho)? If so, is it worth it?

Not that I know. it`s impossible, we are just in the shadow of big rich stars!!! It`s better this way anyway.

Your first and last skate video/DVD purchased?

The first video I ever saw was H-Street`s “Shackle me not”. It was a shock, I didn`t know skating was that far. Right after I went out skate,with the biggest motivation I ever had. It was so inspirational (c’est bon on dit comme ca???). The second big shock was Plan B`s “Questionable” video. I couldn`t believe my eyes. I just bought the Zero video, it`s a classic.

Do you really like those rice cakes you’re always chomping, or is it just product endorsement?

I don`t eat those as much, I found new veggie snacks. I try to be healthy, and if you don`t eat this kind of stuff then basically you snack crap.

*Bonus question* After your career in the skate industry, will you pursue your dreams of shooting porn?

I can`t see myself into this business, hopefully I`ll travel and shoot photos, photographer sounds like a good job to me, but it`s more a passion.

peace yo je file a plus

In a time when you’re only as good as your next leap of faith of fashion accessory, it’s hard to spot the skaters that keep it real in every sense of the term. Somebody that understands company loyalty and doing what they please is the not-so-young-anymore Brandon Turner. Brandon is often looked over by the media but they are quick to forget how good this guy really is. As a change from the norm, Crossfire tracked Brandon down in Europe and asked him about San Diego, japanese food and strippers. Brandon knew a bit about all three, and more…

Hey Brandon, how are you doing?

I’m cool. Where are we? Lyon? Yeah, I’m just chillin’ in Lyon right about now, trin’ to score some weed… (Laughter!)

You’re touring with the Osiris team, travelling all over the place. Where were you before this?

We were in Paris right before Lyon, and before that we were in London and that whole side of Europe.

Was it cool over there?

Yeah it’s cool, I like the people, man. It’s all some different experiences and shit!

This isn’t the first time you’ve been to Lyon, though. The Osiris team came once before about 2 years ago.

Nah, the last time I came out here was with Shortys. I like the spots in Lyon, the people. Shit, I just want to party! Just skate, chill and party with some, you know, special people. (Smiles)

Are you guys still tight over at Shortys? Do you hang out together a lot?

Yeah, we hang out. Actually we’ve been busy filming for the new video. We got some new riders so we’re just taking our time with them and the video, so it can be the best it can be. Not comin’ out any time soon.

Osiris has changed quite a lot over the last couple of years, but you’ve been on the team since day one. How have you felt those changes?

Well, it changed a lot with the style and the people. I mean, definitely the whole team is different. Me and Jerry Hsu are the only original people on the team since day one. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go. So far as me, I just keep doing what I do, it’s not like I can do much about it.

Where are you living at the moment?

I’m living in San Diego.

Have you lived there all your life?

No, not all my life. I lived in Japan for 5 years! That’s like my second home. It’s real different from the States! The culture’s different, that’s the main thing, besides that, you know.

What are some of your favourite places you’ve travelled to?

Japan, fo’ sure! I like Canada, Barcelona, Paris. I had fun in Belgium, too. I’ve got my favourite places! (Smiles)

Belgium?

Oh, I’ve just got good friends there, ever since we first toured there with Shortys. I just like it, you know! (Laughter) The people are cool and we have good demos.

Do you still see Peter Smolik a lot?

Yeah! That’s one of my best friends!

What’s he been up too lately?

He’s busy running Skate Mafia, and he just had an interview in the Skateboard Mag. He’s just doin’ his thing. He was injured for a while and that’s why nobody saw him skating. He had like a chip in his ankle or something, but it’s fixed now.

You’ve had a couple of bad injuries in the past. Tell me about them.

I broke both my legs!

That’s kinda harsh. How did you deal with not being able to skate?

It was only a couple of months that I wasn’t going to be able to skate on each injury. It sucks, but it’s something you have to go through.

Are you looking forward to continuing this tour?

Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. My shoe just came out, so I’m busy tryin’ to promote that, you know? I’m just tryin’ to get my interviews going, and film a part for Digital while I’m out here, too. With that, I think it’ll be me and Zered Bassett, and a couple of other guys.

What did you think of skating in New York?

It’s weird. It’s different. I like New York, but as far as skate spots go, I think it’s kind of a hassle. But I liked it out there, it’s cool!

Have you got any plans for the future?

Just keep on skating! I’ve got my shoe comin’ out. Eventually own my own shop or restaurant, or something, in San Diego. Like a Japanese restaurant or something. Try and travel as much as I can.

Have you got any crazy stories of things that have happened during this tour?

Yeah, actually I do have a crazy story! Where was it again? . Bristol! Yeah, in Bristol there were these crazy girls that wanted me to strip for them! We were eating at this restaurant. I guess it’s the town where people have their bachelor parties, or something. Anyway, we’re eating at a restaurant and a girl comes up to the table, and I guess her friend must have just got married because it was all girls at their table! They wanted somebody from our table to come over there and act like a stripper! You know? (Laughter!)

A gang of English girls let loose at night can be pretty dangerous Brandon!

Yeah! So, they were all like, ‘One of you come over and act like a stripper and ask for Lisa’, or somebody. So, I’ve had a couple of beers by now and I was up for doin’ it. I just walked over there and acted like, ‘Who ordered the stripper?! Where’s the Lisa Duet party?!’ The girls start getting all embarrassed, and I’m walking up in there shakin’ my shirt and shit! (Laughter) The girl was wearing some roses over her, so I took one of them and started ticklin’ her, she goes all red and I’m just jokin’, you know?! (Laughter) The whole table went crazy. I’ve never met the girl in my life, but I posed for like a hundred pictures with her and her friends, you know! Her memories of her marriage will be of me, but she brought me a couple of drinks, so we’re cool. (Laughter)

That’s wicked Brandon! Cheers!

Cheers to you and cheers to Crossfire too!

The last time we met, you were filming for the Cliche video, Bon Appetit. What have you been up to since then?

I went to Barcelona for a little bit, and then I went on a Kingpin trip to Israel a month ago which was pretty cool. Then the last thing I did was tweak my ankle pretty bad! I tore the ligaments in the front part of my foot, so that sucks. I’m just starting to skate again, right now.

Tell me a little more about your injury. How did it happen? What have you been doing off your board?…

I injured myself doing nothing special, just skating flatground at a skatepark. I guess I wasn’t really paying attention and I wanted to get going, and then it happened. I was pretty bummed just laying on the sofa, with my leg in the air for a week, icing it. I went to the doctor, but he said he couldn’t really do anything. Luckily this happened just as the European Football Championships started! (Laughter) So I ended up watching that quite a lot. I spent time with my girlfriend and we went to see some exhibitions and stuff.

Did you find yourself picking up any new hobbies at all?

Umm. No, not really. Nothing worth mentioning.

Were you disappointed that the German team got taken out so fast this year?

No! I wasn’t expecting any better really! ( Laughter)

After this experience, do you think you’ll try and take the time to heal properly, or are you itching to get back on your board as soon as possible?

It sucks, you know. It’s always a hard decision to make. On the one hand you really want to skate, but on the other you really want to get fit. For myself, I always try and start to skate too early. It’s a tough decision between not skating at all, or skating half fit? My foot still isn’t completely healed, like right now I feel like I can skate, but I’m too anxious to really do something. Being anxious skating is not always the best thing.

What were your first memories of skating?

My first memories of skating were probably of all the kids in my neighbourhood, Gottingen in Germany, doing the jump ramps and stuff. Seeing them fly off that and cruising down the street made me want to do it too.

Did you ever think skating would take you this far? Travelling the world and stuff.

No! When I started, not at all.

Today, do you ever feel the pressure of skating being your profession and looking at it like work?

For me, it only works if I enjoy it to a certain point. If I start to look at it like work, I get so bummed and lose the attraction.

What’s the best place you’ve been to?

Skate spot wise, I think the best place was Prague. The Stalin Plaza is so good! But, the same thing there: I went there for the contest two years ago, and injured my knee only two days after arriving there! So, I couldn’t really skate there, so I was bummed.

You mentioned earlier that you went to Israel with Kingpin. Tell me a bit about that.

The scene was pretty good over there. I wasn’t really expecting to see so many people skating. Unbelievable! There were lots of kids, but lots of older people too. There was myself, Niall and Benjamin from Kingpin, Alexis Jauzion, Hugo Liard and Kenny Reed.

You’re filming for the Cliche DVD. Can you feel the pressure?

Yeah! It’s always hard to film! Especially when standards are fucking high.

What’s it like filming with Fred Mortagne? He’s quite specific in what he wants, right?

It’s hard work, but it’s cool. For this DVD, I haven’t really filmed much with him. Instead I’ve been getting footage with Chassignole, but I haven’t got much footage so I’ve still got work to do!

Apart from the Cliche tour, do you have any other plans for the future?

This year, Cliche is supposed to do a tour in England which will kind of interesting for me because I’ve only been to London so far. Then. I really want to move back together with my girlfriend because we lived together for quite a while, but then we both moved to different towns. Now it’s a long distance relationship and it fucking sucks!

Alright, do you have any shout outs or thank yous to give Jan?

I’d really like to thank Cliche for sure! Everything we did over the last couple of years. Thanks DC! And my mate Stephan who’s doing a cool little t-shirt project. That’s it for now.

Well, thanks a lot Jan, and heal the ankle!

Thanks Ralph and thanks Crossfire!

Steph Morgan has been getting recognised for his skateboarding skills in London for a while now. His skills have led him to be on the CIDE skate shop team and he is also one of Blueprint Skateboards flow riders.Ralph Lloyd Davis caught up with him on the phone and this is what went down…

Ok Steph. This is your 15 minutes of fame so let the people know.

But first, how old are you? Where are you from? How long have you been skating?…

Uh.(Hesitates) 18. I’ve been skating for about 5 years and I’m from South Africa, man! The ghetto!

The ghetto? Whereabouts?

Johannesburg, then I moved to Durban where it’s a bit more chilled out. Just machetes, no guns! (Laughter)

So, how long have you been living in England for?

I lived in Bromley for the first 2 years, but now I live in Longfields. I’ve been here for about a year.

Why did you move over from South Africa?

It was because of a job opportunity for my dad and he figured it would be better than staying back in SA.

Right. Let’s try and get back to some skate questions. Tell me about how you discovered skating.

Well, it’s mainly because of my brother, Gavin. He was already skating, in fact he still is, and he told me that I should try it out, so I was like, ‘Why not? I’ll give it a go.’ My first board was one of those crappy supermarket budget boards but I was super stoked and got right into it and loved it from then on!

Gavin had been skating for a while already, right?

Yeah, he was already skating. I think he’s been skating for about 10 years now.

Not many people know this, but you and your two older brothers, Gavin and Andy, are both skaters, and it’s not like any of you suck either. Is it in the genes? Was your dad pro and never told you about it?

(Laughter) He probably was, eh! (Laughter)

Apart from skating, were you ever into anything else as a kid?

Yeah, I used to mess around with body boards and stuff, but I’ve never been into something as much as I have with skating.

What was it like growing up and skating in SA?

It wasn’t difficult but you need a car because public transport isn’t all that good. Plus, when you drive you can go and find loads more spots and stuff. It’s pretty chilled to skate in SA like people wise they’re pretty mellow. No hassle, it’s completely different. No rude boys! (Laughter)

You really hate those guys don’t you?

Ah! If I could, I’d nuke every one of them!

Come on, it’s not their fault. Anyway, what’s a typical day like for you?

Get up. In Kent! Get my mom to hook me up with some good sandwiches, hop on the train and meet up with Lucien (Clarke) and Rich (Hardy). But, Rich is in a bit of a drinking mode at the moment so. (Laughter) Then we got hit uploads of spots and at night I go chill with my girlfriend.

Oh? Is she done with your skating?

Yeah, she loves it, eh! She just lets me go skate whenever I want to as well!

Damn! When I was your age, girls wouldn’t give skaters a second glance. We were the scum of the Earth. So, when you go skate, what kind of spots do you hit up? Do you skate everything?

Yeah! Well, I try and skate everything anyway. Like, I don’t skate parks that much because I mostly just skate street, but I have been to this one park in Rochester that is pretty good. I prefer to skate street though, and I know it sounds gay but you get a real sense of freedom! (Laughter) You’re not just confined to one area with a bunch of people you don’t want to be with, like rollerbladers. You know you get those cock rollerbladers at skateparks?

Yeah, I know what you mean. But, do you have any transition skills or are you just hitting up the banks and ledges?

Oh, I skate mini ramps. I’m not amazing but I can flow by doing all the basic tricks and stuff. If you drop me in a harsh skatepark, I won’t sink I don’t think.

Has your skating taken you to foreign lands yet, or are you still waiting for the call?

Well I came to London! But, that was just because of my parents I guess.

Then, I went to Barcelona.

What did you think of Barcelona? Did it live up to your expectations?

Yeah definitely man! There were more spots than I actually thought, eh! You just get off at any metro stop and there are just spots everywhere. You’d think the architects were skaters. Like, you know that one spot Fondo?

The one with the pyramid hips, ledges, banks and fountain.

Yeah. It’s so stupid, man! It’s just like a playground for skaters. It’s so good!

How about London? Do you the spots as hard to skate as they are reputed to be?

There are new spots popping up everyday now, but some of the older spots, like the Barbican for instance, are becoming real bad busts now, like the worst in the City! You run into a lot of cops in the City, but there are so many other spots to skate outside of the City, and the new ones popping up, that’s it isn’t too difficult. When I was on the train to college once I spotted this red handrail. Seeing as I was on the train, I had to figure out the whole route of how to get to it. With Andy in the car, we eventually found it in some industrial estate. It wasn’t easy to find, but in the end it’s this perfect rail that’s nice and low, a bit steep but it is a good rail.

Do people skate that new spot in B******** at all?

Uh. Not really because all the residents have moved in now. Like that one time we went, we sessioned it for 2 hours without any hassle, but then we went back another day and got kicked out by security in under 10 minutes! It’s a good spot though, eh?

Definitely, I found it! As a young amateur today, do you find it hard trying to make a name for yourself when the level among your peers is so high? Is it quite competitive in the amateur ranks nowadays?

It’s weird. I kinda just try and skate and do as best as I can do, you know? I mean, there are like so many good guys out there that for some of them, I don’t even understand how they get that good? (Laughter)I just skate and try what I can, pushing myself.

Does having brothers that skate help?

Yeah! Having Andy there with his camera helps a lot because we can work off one another to get things done.

Would ever consider an image change if your sponsors were all Hip-Hopped out or rocking to the punk scene?

(Laughter) Oh, I seriously wouldn’t give a damn about stuff like that! It’s just stupid, I reckon, changing your whole image and stuff. That’s got nothing to do with skating, it’s just proper selling out, eh? It’s dumb.

So, how would you define a professional?

I’d say obviously it has to be someone that’s really good at skating, with their board like skill wise, but also they have to be a rad person that’s friendly. You need to be able to go up to them and talk to them without worrying. You know how some pros can be all patronizing and full of attitude, like they look down on you? A real pro is someone who’s really mellow and out to have fun.

Who do you look up to?

Pro wise, I’d say Mark Appleyard, Lucas Puig because when I saw him skate Southbank, he was so good! There are so many. Danny Renaud! I like all those Habitat guys with the East Coast skating thing, hitting up loads of different spots.

Tell me about your sponsors.

Well, I just got on flow with Blueprint because I filmed some stuff with Ian Passmore, Ches and Dan McGee liked the stuff so they started sending me some boards. I’m trying to film some more stuff for them and then they might stick it in the video!

What was going on before Blueprint? How did you get boards then?

At first, I got some decks from Vehicle, and then this guy, Bowman, who works with the Spanish company Jart skateboards started flowing me that. But, at that moment the Blueprint thing happened, so I had to kind of weigh out my options. I’d didn’t want to piss anyone off because they’re being rad giving me stuff, but I had to choose Blueprint because it’s a great opportunity. I couldn’t really believe it at first. It’s kind of like a dream. (Laughter)

And how about Cide skateshop?

Greg Finch is a buddy from SA, and he sorts me out with shoes when I need them and anything else I might need, so that’s rad. I had skated with Greg once or twice already in SA, but he was a good friend of Gavin’s so we knew one another like that.

Sticking with the Sponsor topic, how do you feel about competitions? Do you like them or avoid them?

I used to skate comps a lot in SA because I was a real local at this one skatepark. I don’t mind them but I do get mad nervous beforehand because they call your name out and your just standing there with everyone’s eyes on you. But, then you land a good trick and start to feel better and relax a little.

According to my sources, you’re a bit of a healthy living dude. Why?

(Laughter) I don’t know! I seriously don’t see it as ‘Healthy living’, I mean when I came to England it just seemed like people don’t eat as well here as they do back in SA. Look at Lucien (Clark). He won’t even eat a salad, or vegetables! Eating vegetables to me is like a normal part of your meal, it’s weird.

Then, what do you suggest? What can we find on your menu?

Well, my mom cooks really good pasta dishes like macaroni cheese but with tuna! Then, a really good feta cheese salad. Yeah! That’s a good meal. (Laughter)

Seeing as you’ve only been skating for 5 years, this might be difficault to answer, but if you could travel back to a specific period in skate history, when would it be and why?

Uh. Shit.(Hesitates) You know like back in the day when Girl’s ‘Mouse'(1995) came out? When they’re skating the school yards and Keenan Milton switch flips that picnic table, it seems like they were just skating and enjoying themselves. Nowadays there are always cameras involved and everybody has to perform. It seems like everything is already planned, but when Keenan did his switch flip, it seemed like he was just skating regardless. It just seems a lot more original and rad.

Talking about how seriously people seem to take skating today, do you think of riding your board as a career?

I wouldn’t look at it as something to make a living out of, but if you are then you’re damn lucky because you’re doing something that you love! It’s hardly like an office job. If you’re making it skating than you’re lucky. I’d love to just get up everyday and just skate?

Seeing as you’ve started at college, what career would you like to pursue?

Probably something to do with art because I’m studying graphic design at the moment. I dig art, so something to do with that I’d say.

Alright Steph, what are your plans for the future?

Skate and die! (Laughter) Yeah that’s all. Oh, and travel a lot. I want to visit Prague and Paris and anywhere that’s good for skating. I think I might head back to SA for a little bit in the future to visit all my old homies.

Steph would like to thank his parents, Andy, Gavin, Greg, Badger and Alan at CIDE, Blueprint skateboards, Ian Passmore, JP, Rich and Lucien, and his girlfriend.