September 21, 2007
Al Partanen
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag September 2007
Al Partanen started skateboarding in Milwaukee, and since those first Midwest thens and theres it's been a non-stop collision course with all that's ever had to do with skateboarding. From the very beginning he and his friends skated it all. If someone had a ramp or they heard about a ditch or an empty bank-to-wall pool, they were there. "I miss those times," Al says. "Those were like the most die-hard times where we had the most fun. There were days when there would be snow banks along the roads and we'd go out wearing a couple extra sweatshirts and skate curbs in the parking structures underground."
And from that point he kept starting—parks, stairs, rails, and everything that leads to an eventual laundry list of skate experience so diverse, there's really no way to explain it to anyone who hasn't gone through the same. Like with you, like with us, like with Al—each day skating is a new inferno. A possibility to take the abridged inventory to the gnarliest spots, heat it all, and see what can get started. Smoke and fire—Partanen lights skateboarding up.
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August 28, 2007
Paul Rodriguez
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag September 2007
Jeez, how do you write an intro for someone like Paul Rodriguez? I mean, he's one of the best, right? He's come so far in such a short while, and he's only 22. One can't even begin to imagine what the next ten years might be like for Paul and what he will do for skateboarding.
I did some snooping around… trying to get dirt on Paul, and Chet Childress summed it up best for me:
"To be honest, I don't have any dirt on Paul because he is such a good kid. I mean, the level that this guy is at would give anybody else and ego the size of this planet. Then add his skating to that… the kid lands bolts every time. Every time I go on the road with Paul he basically gets enough stuff for a video part."
Was it difficult growing up with a famous father? Or did it help prepare you for your career?
It's definitely helped me in certain aspects. I see how he carries himself. I definitely was privileged in the aspect that I got to be on movie sets and meet some famous people, but that was pretty much it. I only saw him once a month or something, but I would have liked to see him more growing up. We're so much closer now.
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August 28, 2007
Kevin Taylor
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag September 2007
What I like about Kevin Taylor is he's the type of dude to nollie nosegrind a ledge while everyone else is just plain nosegrinding it. He and I played phone tag for three weeks prior to this interview. There were plenty of times he was supposed to call me or be ready for my call and just straight flaked on me. I was pretty frustrated, honestly. That is, until he told me he was just busy skateboarding all those times. And upon realizing that Kevin is essentially a total skate rat, I instantly and involuntarily forgave him.
You're a busy dude. I've been trying to get a hold of you for three weeks!
Yeah, just always skating, that's all.
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August 26, 2007
Peter Ramondetta
Words Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag September 2007
"Peter is a totally normal guy who'll stand next to you, talk quietly about whatever, laugh at a few jokes, kick around the park with you and you feel like, 'Hey he's human. He's like me when we skate.'
Then you see him bust and it's like, 'Holy shit where did that come from?' And not in a totally aggro 'Look at how big I'm going' way. It's subtle and natural. It's clean and almost out of nowhere. And even though death is inches away, Peter looks like he could do it all day.
I really don't know anyone else who has what Peter has and carries themselves in such a solid, straight-up, 'regular guy' way. When some guys are going fucking huge you see them get all amped up and something changes in their eyes. But Pete is even—just cool as fuck. He's got the 'I'm going to backlip this kinked fucking rail or I'm going to eat fucking shit—either way what will be, will be, so fuck it'-type eyes.
It's subtle and huge. Like a freight train coming out of the fog and heading right at you."
—Jim Thiebaud
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August 26, 2007
Ryan Bobier
Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag September 2007
Prior to interviewing Ryan, I had a hard time coming up on info about him. The only thing anyone knew was that he won the Volcom Damn Am in 2003. His good friend Lee Dupont informed me that Ryan wasn't so keen on phone interviews, was questioning who the hell I was, and was over being asked countless questions about "having Jamie Thomas as a boss."
It was nothing unreasonable or out of the ordinary at all, but it did throw the slight game plan I had for a total loop. No gossip, stories or abundant media coverage to go on, keep the Jamie Q's to a minimum, hope he's doesn't hate me right out of the gate and hope he stays on the phone long enough to get an intriguing 2000 words out of him. Not as easy as one might think.
Lucky for me, and you, Ryan is laid back, real and patient. Not just about our interview, but about skateboarding and his career. He's not rushing into or forcing anything. He's not asking for anything he doesn't deserve. His self awareness is much more mature than that of the average 23-year-old, and with the Mystery video finally about to drop, our patience too, will be rewarded and we will see the best Bobier yet.
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June 13, 2007
PHX You: Phoenix Am '07: Serious Business
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag July 2007
Sometimes, with skateboarding contests, there are the people who win and then there are the people who are remembered.
Which is better? Hard to say. I suppose that depends whom you ask and what the situation is.
Cowtown's Phoenix Am was a blast this year. A real contest at a great park run by great people. Lots of cool folks skating and hanging out, good weather, an abundance of cleavage … you name it. Collin Provost earned himself a well-deserved first place—his second Phoenix Am victory. Any more of the typical contest rundown isn't necessary here. However, there's a quote from Fight Club that I often apply to many things I see around me, and it epitomizes how I felt after watching David Gravette's contest runs. It reads:
"After a night in Fight Club, everything in the real world gets the volume turned down." —Narrator (Edward Norton)
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June 13, 2007
Milestone: Ronnie Creager
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag June 2007
"I've pretty much worn jeans, a tee shirt and a hat my whole life and I guess that's just me," says Ronnie Creager, referring to my inquiries on if he ever pondered an "image makeover" to increase his "marketability" and board sales and such.
"I'd have a hard time going out and putting on some flair, you know? If I want to stand out I'll put on white shoes and a white shirt. If I had an agent telling me, 'Ronnie, this is what we're gonna do to build your image…' I see how that can work for some people, but I have a hard enough time feeling normal as it is. I wouldn't want to change myself and be something that I'm not. I mean, it's hard enough being me."
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June 6, 2007
Boy did this one stir up some shit on the Slap message boards! Whoooooowheee! A 25-page thread! But seriously, for all you skateboard conspiracy theorists, haters, ponderers, thinkers, provocateurs, philosophers, lovers, protectors, cred police, whatever... Joe Castrucci isn't sending Silas flair packages, okay? I interviewed the dude and I know. Just ease up a bit. Go skating or something. Y'all know Habitat is legit. It was half a joke from Tim O'Connor in my pre-interview anyway, just to bust Silas' balls. And you'll see plenty more completely false rumors I presented to Silas when I post the unedited interview soon. In the meantime, enjoi this.
New Jack: Silas Baxter-Neal
Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag June 2007
Silas Baxter-Neal might be one of the more unique individuals in skateboarding today. Not because he's trying to be—but because he's just being himself. And in a subculture that prides itself on originality; most skateboarders either unnaturally force it, or end up following the herd. Its no wonder the rest of society generalizes and thinks we all wear tight black jeans, take drugs and listen to H.I.M.
I've never heard of a skateboarder who plays croquet, wants to open a bed and breakfast or was raised the way Silas was. He's down-to-earth and humble. You may have only seen bits and pieces of Silas here and there until now. He's had a few interviews and parts in smaller videos. As cliché as it sounds, with Silas, the best is yet to come. He's just moved from Oregon to Sunnyvale and is skating hard finalizing his parts in the new Habitat and éS videos. Until then, to put it simply, you are reading this because Silas is himself. Silas is unique and Silas is a great skateboarder.
At 23 do you ever feel like you're kinda' old to be am?
Yes, a man am. I think that 23 is the official age for man am.
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May 25, 2007
Here's the actual shoebox art from Rune's Forsvar. First time I ever wrote a piece for a shoebox so I'm pretty stoked on it.
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March 22, 2007
Truth Be Told: Kristian Svitak
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag May 2007
When I was told I'd be interviewing Kristian Svitak for The Mag, my initial thoughts were something to the effect of "Damn, I almost forgot about that guy! He's been MIA for a while…what the hell are we even gonna talk about? He'll probably be all bitter about losing his sponsors in the last few years and disappearing."
That's the pessimist, cynical, jumping-to-conclusions skateboarder in me. But I wasn't the only one thinking this stuff. It's just the way skateboarding goes sometimes. If you get kicked off the right team, get put on the wrong team, roster hop, get injured and take time to heal, go on a bender or lay low for a while, you become invisible, exiled, out of sight, out of mind, message board fodder—the new captain of "Team Blowing It." Not everyone can pull off a career resurrection or be a Guy Mariano or Gino Iannucci.
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