Stevie Williams is a name that all modern street skaters should know. From his upbringing skating the streets of Philadelphia to owning his own skateboard company DGK, Stevie is a man whose name carries a lot of weight.
Zac took some time out with Stevie on the London leg of the DGK/RBK tour to chat about travelling, youth projects and being good to your lady.
So Stevie, how long have you been on the road now?
About 11 days
Are you missing home?
I flew my girl to London, just for two days so I could be a good boy.
Haha nice! And when was the last time you were in London?
Probably about four years ago.
Four years and it’s still pissing down with rain!
Yeah but I like London. I come from Philadelphia so it’s kinda the same type of weather, grey clouds hanging over the city.
None of that Cali sunshine burning in the heat.
Well I live in California but I was born and raised in Philly and it’s sorta the equivalent to London in a sense.
Tell us where you’ve been on these 11 days so far.
We’ve been to Serbia, Munich, Berlin and now London. We’ve still got another 11 days to go.
Another 11!
Yeah, this is the middle of the tour right here.
Worldwide domination…
We’re working on it. Growing the brand and having fun with the kids.
So tell us a little bit about Reebok/DGK collab.
Well, I own the DGK company and I licensed it to Reebok for shoes and apparel so we’re repping Reebok here and DGK as a whole to inspire the kids that really don’t come from anything and wanna be a pro. You know, it’s not really about being the best, it’s about inspiring the kids to let them know they can have fun and stay out of trouble.
What do you think you’ve achieved today at Bay 66, have you been teaching kids how to skate?
Nah we didn’t really teach any kids how to skate. But we skated for them and then we’re gonna see which kid is the best and get him some products so he can inspire the other kids and keep them skating, that’s what it’s all about.
So are you looking to build a worldwide team?…
I am, I am. I’m looking for a UK team.
How do kids get in touch with you so you can see their talents.
They can get in touch with the Reebok or with the distribution people out here, High 5. Send a sponsor-me tape, you can hit me up on MySpace at www.myspace.com/dgk215 and send me a video, tell me to look at your footage on YouTube, I’m always on the internet looking for footage. I’m always looking for music or anything – Anything where someone’s doing something positive and looking to get out of a bad situation, I’m all ears and I’m looking for it!
What about the future of DGK – Any video stuff coming up?
We’re working in a video right now with everybody from DGK. We’re actually doing our first trip right when we get off tour. 4 days after we get back we go to Canada and start working on our video for 10 days out there and then just going around the world, skating and having fun and filming. Like I said, it’s not about being the best, it’s about doing your best and being motivated enough to share it with the kids – that’s what it’s about.
Who’s coming up on your team right now?
Lenny Rivas, he’ll be turning pro next month. Little quiet assassinator. Wade Des Ormeaux, he couldn’t make it because he’s having some passport issues in Canada, they’re really strict right now. But just DGK as a whole, look out for us, we’re out there doing it.
And if we wanna go check you guys out, outside of MySpace, what’s the URL?
You can go to www.rbk.com and you’ll see the DGK section, they have a whole documentary section on this trip. If you look at Kingpin magazine, you’ll get a free DVD that comes with the magazine with this whole tour and everything. So we’re doing a whole bunch of stuff, you caught us in the action!
How important is Europe to you guys on the worldwide scale?
Europe is always important, it was important before I started skating and now I run a business and own a company, it’s all the more important y’know, both the financial side and also making sure the kids are motivated towards the brand, just like the kids in the US because they all come from the same situation – in the ghetto or having messed up skateboards, they’re the kids we look for. Not the dudes that think they’re the best. We’re here for the kids that don’t have anything, just look out for us, you don’t even have to try too hard, we already see you. Just have fun and be safe.
We wish you all the best Stevie.
Thanks man, peace.