March 6, 2009
Mikey Taylor for Thunder
By Rob Brink
ThunderTrucks.com, March 2009
So how and when did you get on Thunder?
I've been on Thunder for about a year now. I would always ask Malto for trucks, till one day I just asked him if he could try and get me on. He came through big time!
What made you want to switch?
I think Reda was the real reason I switched to Thunder. He'd always make fun of me for not riding my sponsor’s trucks. He'd tell me," Why don't you just...
February 25, 2009
JT Aultz for Real Manifest
By Rob Brink
RealSkateboards.com, March 2009
Why do so many people ask you about San Diego, Mohawks and Blink 182 in interviews? It’s getting old.
Well I live in San Diego and ride for a SF company so I think that’s why. When I was younger I rode for this clothing company that Blink owned.
Give us another musical guilty pleasure.
Musical guilty pleasures... well, do you like Phil Collins? I've been a big Genesis fan ever since...
December 19, 2008
Question Mark: Justin Schulte
Words: Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag February 2009
The day before our interview, 22-year-old Justin Schulte missed his connecting flight from Dallas TX to Newark, NJ by about 30 seconds and was preparing for a night of less-than-comfortable sleep on an airport floor.
“I watched my plane leave, dude!” Justin says, “And all because I had to go and buy a Whopper.”
“Is that a typical Schulte circumstance?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m pretty much the last-minute guy. ‘Oh no worries, the plane’s not gonna leave without me.’ Then I get to the front and they’re like, ‘You’re Justin Schulte right? We paged you four times.’ But somehow I foreshadowed myself blowing it. I had a feeling that something wasn’t gonna pan out right, so I didn’t check a bag in. I just carried on my bag with the skate.”
December 19, 2008
Festivus: Downtown Showdown '08
Words: Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag February 2009
It’s virtually impossible to be surrounded by a few hundred of your friends in a Hollywood replica of downtown Manhattan, with Slayer’s "Angel of Death" playing at mind-shearing volumes while Jon Ponts kamikazes himself twenty-something feet across a pentagram-shaped monstrosity of a skateboarding obstacle named the “Five Points of Pure Evil” and not have a good time. Im-fucking-possible.
December 19, 2008
Festivus: Goofy Vs. regular 2008
Words: Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag February 2009
Winning is played. Seriously. Throughout all of history, people just want to win shit. Free stuff, games, wars, bets, the affection of another person or many people, skateboarding contests. Wanting to win just starts trouble and drama and usually results in mental anguish or a loss of income and pride. So, in an unprecedented new marketing strategy that will soon resonate and be imitated throughout the entire industry, The Skateboard Mag decided to lose this year’s GvR on purpose. Keep an eye on your inboxes for the big press release next week.
December 19, 2008
It's nice to be able to speak/post freely about my friend Jose riding for etnies now. Waiting for the formal announcements and ads are hard sometimes, especially when you are sitting on tons of cool photos and video and most people know the scoop already.
Anyway, we did an interview the other night for his "Welcome to the team" deal. Part one of three is live. I like it.
October 29, 2008
Cara-Beth Burnside
Words: Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag September 2008
Cara-Beth Burnside has been skating for a looooong time. She’s won, and is still winning, lots of contests. She had the first female pro model shoe—ever. Back when having a pro model skateboarding shoe actually meant something. She’s been in the Olympics for snowboarding, but she’s over that now—strictly skating. She’s a brown belt in karate, so don’t call her Cara or she’ll fuck you up.
October 27, 2008
Jason Adams
Words: Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag December 2008
There are more than a few pro skateboarders out there who cringe when you ask them how old they are. Jason Adams isn’t one of them.
I read an old Big Brother interview with you and learned all about the BMC [Beautiful Man’s Club]. Is it still in effect?
Just in spirit these days. There’s still a few people out there. It was me, Jai Tanju, Tim Brauch and Crazy Eddie that started it in an elevator in Long Beach during a trade show—as a joke. It was created out of way too much time on our hands and we just drank way too much. But next thing you know now there’s like BMC Japan and they’re still fully into it. Years ago I went there and they had BMC shirts, all written in Japanese.
Were those the dark years?
Kind of. I did drink a lot, so half the time I was having the time of my life the other half was dark depression. I was just pile of shit basically. The high moments when you’re just partying everything’s great. And then there’s the next day and you’re like “God I hate myself. I don’t hardly skate anymore and I feel like shit and I’m broke and I live in a shitty house with eight dudes.”
October 6, 2008
Milestone: Corey Duffel
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag November 2008
Corey Duffel admits to being a certifiable drama magnet. Some of it, as you may know, has been self-inflicted and highly publicized in the skateboard media over the years, while other parts of it might just be the fact that Corey stands out in a crowd. He looks and dresses different. He has presence and a big mouth every now and again. It could be something in the cosmos—some weird energy. You know that friend of yours who’s always having odd or funny or crazy stuff happen to him for no apparent reason? That’s Corey.
“Drama is following me constantly,” says Duffel. “The worst part is, I try to avoid drama, yet I’m always stuck in the middle of it. Whether it’s with fucking girlfriends or fucking kids or whatever. And cops never leave me alone. I just want to sit down and have a peaceful evening, and nope, it always seems to be drama.”
September 9, 2008
Sticker Recall: A Collective
"Fuct"
By Rob Brink
Skatebook #3
It was like ‘92 or ‘93. The heyday of huge clothes in skateboarding. I didn’t have money for some Blind jeans or Fuct shorts like everyone was wearing, so I rocked the carpenter-style ones, called “Big Yanks,” from K-Mart for $11. Knowing this, my best friend at the time, Mike, got me a pair of dark green Fuct shorts for my birthday. I was over six-feet tall and and really skinny and pale back...