Do your own thing. Don't listen to any of these industry marks that think they got skateboarding dialed from their desk. I mean if these kooks arent skating how are they calling shots? I think they all need to sit down and think. "I can't even ride a skateboard and I'm tellin' these kids what moves they need to bust." The only moves that need to be busted is getting all these kooks out of skateboarding. Makin' that shit fun again.
I interviewed Gareth Stehr a while back for TransWorld's Am Issue. The piece that ran was about half as long as this actual transcript. Enjoy the unedited interview:
How often do you go back home to see friends and family?
I haven't been home in a while, the last time I went home was for Christmas. Because of the process of getting my work visa, I can't leave the country. I was allowed to leave the country at one point, but if I left within this last year, I wouldn't be allowed back. But hopefully I am getting my visa next week.
Sometimes when a bunch of pro skaters are sitting in front of a hotel in Paris for hours on end, silly shit happens. Check out Kyle Leeper, Ryan Sheckler and Bastien (yes thats a full cab double flip, in a suit and hat, second try) in action.
It was really just a random impulse when I wrote about Gino last week, but it turns out, if you haven't heard already, you'll be hearing some real bummer news about him shortly...maybe I'm strangely psychic? Whatever the case, Gino is the best.
Someone gave Kyle a coper. He was seriously stoked.
With the etnies crew in Paris right now. Not that you wouldn't expect them to be, but the team is a bunch of characters for sure...fun times. More to come soon.
Gino Iannucci is my favorite skateboarder. Has been since the very day I bought 101's Snuff from the skateshop and ran home to watch it.
Also, have noticed lots of kids doing proper hardflips nowadays and it dawned on me to take a moment to thank Bryan Herman and PJ Ladd for bringing back the proper hardflip. Thanks to them we don't have to see those harsh, Caine Gayle-style illusion flips anymore. But I guess that's just it...if you're gonna do a trick, do it...
This etnies 20 Year Anniversary Timeline took months to complete. A royal pain in the ass if you ask me, but fun too. Garry Scott Davis worked on the orignal text version a few years ago, assembling a large portion the info and history. Fast forward to 2004 and I was handed the monumental task of picking up where he left off, editing it, re-arranging, working with a buttload of people here at etnies to get it approved by all relevant departments and so on.
