The Edge of Atlanta

Photos by: David Morico

Words by: Jeremiah Babb

Interview by: Rob Williams

Me and some old dudes saw Andrew skating this pre-fab park in Decatur many year ago. You should know the rest right? "This little kid, wow! Mind blowing stunts! Things we could never imagine...and we knew the future is now"....and all that bullshit. But it wasn't. Little ass, annoying 10 year old Andrew and his buddy Zach were always there chasing each other around doing lil 50-50's on the flat bars, a tweaker ollie on the hip, nosegrinds here and there, 5-0's on the quarterpipe, etc, etc. Nothing especially amazing. These 2 kids were in their zone just kinda doing their own thing, getting in our (the rippers!) way and they'd sneak off as quick as they'd sneak in. "Dude, that Baby-Epo kid is gonna be good man...if he keeps skating" was kinda the real verdict at the bar after the sessions. He didn't switch tre-flip the pyramid or kickflip nose blunt the box. No contest training. No P-Rod boards. It was just real solid, fluid, natural skating. It was awesome! I was 26 at the time; to see this little kid and to get stoked on his skating was so rad to me. He's grown up now. He tries to get witty. He and his friends think they're lil' fart jokes are funny. I can tell he thinks I'm lame at times; he's all "in the scene". He's not a jerk. He answers in one word answers. I mean shit man he's in his 20's, he does dumb shit like everyone. Then he steps on a skateboard and transforms into one of the most in-tune, intelligent, and gifted skaters ever. If you've never heard of him then that's half the reason we love him. There is no showboating or "look at how rad I am" with Andrew. He's just doing what he's doing. He's living, and he just happens to be one of the best skateboarders from the South, hands down. 

-Jeremiah Babb

Rob- Where are you from?

Andrew- Atlanta, Georgia. Born and raised down here. I grew up skating in Decatur, which is a tiny city a few miles outside of downtown Atlanta.

How did you start skateboarding?
    A friend of mine at school skated and got me into it. At the time I lived on a street with 10 or 15 other kids my age. A bunch of us got really into it. We had a few flat bars and little boxes. There was a church at the end of the street with a few small stairs and grass hill bombs too.

What is your favorite part about Atlanta and its skate scene?
    I love that there is always some kind of DIY foundation spot around. The DIY motivation is pretty high here. Street skating downtown is real fun too, but I’d say my favorite part is probably the backyard ramp scene. There are a few fun ramps just around the downtown area; they are all sick and unique. As you go farther out of the beltway there are a few more. Jeremiah Babb’s is probably the best I think.

Have you skated Jeremiah's miniramp since he put all the pool block on there?

    Is it all pool coping now? Well nope, haven’t been there in a minute...been waiting on a invite Miah! Nah but seriously that ramp is amazing though.

So you just graduated college, where did you go to school and what did you study?
    I studied business marketing at Georgia State. It wasn’t something that I planned on from the get-go or anything like that. By the time I got through my general studies classes I had no idea what to do. I ended up deciding to go into the business school, because I figured it was pretty broad and practical. I ended up choosing marketing because it seemed more interesting than accounting, finance, and the few other majors the business school offered. Since I graduated I’ve been applying for a bunch of jobs, but it’s hard to get a job that I’m interested in without much experience. I’m working in restaurants in the mean time and staying optimistic about finding work that relates to my major.

Standard headshot required by law

You had a part in the THREADS video last year that Matt Creasy and Andrew Rose put out; how was filming for that video?
    That was a lot of fun. I think we filmed everything in just short of one year. I took a few small trips for it around the South. Everyone involved seemed really motivated to skate and create something important.

Does this mean you will have footage in Creasy and Rose's upcoming project with Chris Thiessan at Transworld (Headcleaner Video)?
   I think I’ll have a handful of clips in there. Filmed some stuff, but we’ll see what happens. Can’t wait for that video to come out, it’ll be here soon.

What are your plans for 2015?

    Filming a video part for my buddy Jack's video called Bae1000. It’s supposed to be out in June? Other than that just trying to work on some life stuff, take some trips, skate a lot, and enjoy life.

I heard ATL is building another new big skatepark, what's going on with that? Have you seen the layout?
    Well there already is the 4^th-Ward park that’s been here for a few years, but I heard about a new one being built near Turner Field or something like that. I saw the plans a while back and truthfully it looked pretty weak, but I haven’t heard much about it in a while. Maybe they made some changes?

Andrew and friends filming for top secret shit

 

For anyone visiting ATL to skate what are the top five must hit skate spots?

1)Wallrides at the Bell South building

2)Skate flat at Black-Blocks   

3)Hit up the naked lady building downtown

4)Skate the DIY rubble at The-Coop

5)Rex banks up in Gwinett

How about the top five must visit places to eat grub and drink beer down there?

1)I'd go to the Flying Biscut for breakfast
2)Candler Park Market, they got good sandwiches
3)Daddy D's is a great BBQ spot
4)Twains is a cool pool hall in Decatur that brews their own beer
5)Lastly, I guess El-Myr. It's a skate-bar in Little Five Points with good burritos


Top five favorite skaters?

 Damn that’s a hard one, but I’d have to say the following…
1)Danny Renaud
2)Geoff Rowley…and Arto Saari
3)Brian Anderson
4)David Clark
5)Brad Cromer… shit, Grant Taylor is in there somewhere too. I know that’s more than 5, but whatever I think that’s an accurate list.


Top five favorite skate videos?
1)Static III

2)Sorry
3)The Good Life
4)RUIN’s Noveau
5)VHS tape


Top five favorite skate shoes?

1)Definitely gonna’ put Vans old-skools as #1 on the list
2)The new Busenitz ADV
3)Vans slip-ons...after that? Hmmmmmmm...

ANDREW'S BIRDWATCHING PART

From AZ to PA

Ever since I met Rick he's been super nice, incredibly talented on a skateboard, and just a solid friend. I was a big fan of LISTEN skateboards back in the day, so when he ended up here I was stoked to get to know him and see him skate in real life. LISTEN went the way of he dodo-bird, but it turned out he was riding for 5BORO once he ended up here, which was cool, because most of my friends and I knew the 5B guys and respected their whole crew and direction a lot. Rick got along with our crew right away and ever since then we've been homies. Rick and Brian Lantz (fellow AZ skater) eventually moved in with myself, Bdougs, Andrew Rapoza, Chris Fireoved, and a whole army of other skaters into the Wallace house in the Fairmount neighborhood. Rick later headed back out West for a year and then came back to the Philly area again, bounced back and forth from Philly to NYC a bit after that, but he always seemed to make his way back to Philly. Rick possesses the remarkable ability to smile a lot...for real, he will eat total shit trying some crazy trick over and over and he'll smile or laugh about it the whole time; I respect that a lot. Even if he is mad as hell, yelling, and stomping his board, he still looks like he's having fun...or, he looks like he's crazy, but I still got respect for his positivity. Rick is a skater's skater; a down to earth guy, super good, great style, and not out for some come-up popularity contest bullshit. He's honest and genuine to the core and truthfully...he's got a better push on a skateboard than most of you reading this. If you have skated with him you know exactly what I'm talking about. Take a page out of Rick's book, just go skate, enjoy the day, don't over-think things, feel alive, be nice, be happy, and whatever happens will happen. He's got a great outlook and he's a rad dude, what else can I say? Rick Dawg rules 100%.
-Pusher Rob

Alright Rick, state your full name, where you are from, and who you skate for…

R- My name is Ricky William Geiger III, and I’m originally from Phoenix, AZ. 5Boro, EXIT, Pusher Wheels, Cowtown, and Plus Reserve Hardware hook me up with skateboard stuff.

You have been living in Philly for quite some time now, with a short stint in LA and another in NYC, but you seem to return to Philly more often than not. What is it about Philadelphia that is so appealing?

R- I love Philly, because you really don’t need a car here to get by. It’s a big “little city” and you can skate, walk, bike ride, hop the subway, trolley, or regional rails all pretty easily here. Not saying it’s got great public transportation, but it works. Rent is super cheap and the people in general just keep it real here. Skateboarding in Philly is so great, because of the spots and the aesthetic. It’s an old city, so on film it looks appealing. You can get creative here, and there’s Love Park of course.

When was your first trip here? How did you end up getting situated here?

R- It was probably the Spring of 06’…maybe 07’? My sister lives in Newtown, PA and my best friend Brian Lantz and I came to visit her. We figured it was a good opportunity to skate somewhere totally new and different. When we first came to skate the city we got cheesesteaks and ate them on the levels at Love Park. We met Chris Fireoved there that night and he took us in with open arms. We ended up staying with him for awhile and meeting everyone from the OG Cecil crew at that time. Oddly enough, my stay at Chris’ house was the first and only time I’ve ever sharted my pants. Maybe it was good luck?

What’s your favorite Philly neighborhood you’ve lived in?

R- Center City for the convenience of everything, but Fairmount for a bit of peace, plus it’s still close to downtown too.

You come from Arizona which is a land of endless sunshine and lots of skate parks. Has it been weird living here where we didn’t have that many “legal” spots to skate up until recently? We have tons of spots to skate, don’t get me wrong, but you know what I mean…AZ has more skateparks than we could ever imagine.

R- Yeah for sure. It’s so much easier to actually just go skate there. You can hit up a park, ditch, or whatever out there. You can just do that and get a good session in for hours at a dope park before you try to go street skating. Plus most of the parks have lights until late. Out here in Philly it’s a lot harder to simply just go out and skate in general. You have to deal with so much crazy shit here just to try to grind a ledge once. Cracks, bum-shit, traffic, crazy hero citizens…the list goes on and on, but in the end it makes the day more interesting and it make me appreciate the act of skating more. Plus, if you get a clip amongst all that nonsense it makes it more rewarding.

I know you spend a lot of time at Love Park and MUNI now; did Phoenix Arizona ever have a gathering spot like that?

R- Nah not really, Phoenix is way too spread out. All my friends lived in different areas of the city. The meet up spot was just at Cowtown skateshop. We would do the usual thing of meet up, watch videos, talk shit, and then go skate. We never had a plaza spot or anything like that. Deck park had a scene and The Wedge too, but it’s different.

Do they have granite in AZ?

R- No, but we have lots of stucco, rocks, and cacti.

How and when did you get hooked up by 5BORO?

R- Hmmm, shit, again, probably like 06’ or 07’? I was riding for LISTEN at the time and when LISTEN went under Tombo (5BORO TM) hit me up and has been helping me out with product ever since. 5BORO and LISTEN had a bit of distribution deal, so towards the end the brands were kind of affiliated together. That’s how I met the 5B guys.

Did you save any LISTEN boards from when you skated for them?

R- I saved one. It’s the “Viajeros Locos” graphic with everyone’s signature on it. I still can’t believe I got to have footy in that vid. Thanks to Rob-G, Toya, and Vern for asking me to be apart of that brand.

Best skate trip you’ve ever been on?

R- Haven’t really been on too many to be honest. I just live places and skate those local scenes. Coming to Philly has been one big awesome trip. I went to Baltimore a while ago and that was tight. That city is so good for skating; the “wire” spot is dope.

Where would you like to travel to for skating that you haven't been to yet?

R- Europe and Australia look awesome for skating so I’ll say those two.

Why is yuengling the best?

R- Not too light, not too strong, just right; drinkability is king. It still tastes like beer unlike other popular American beers. Gimme’ a lager mate!

I remember when you moved here you always said you couldn’t skate transition at all, but every time we skate the Pusher miniramp at my house you learn something new and make everyone look like clowns. Why are you such a liar?

R- It’s funny cuz’ I had all these amazing skateparks back in AZ with so much transition, but I never really messed with those parts of the parks. I just skated the ledges and manual pads in all the parks cuz’ it was the closest to street skating. I worked at the Cowtown warehouse for a bit and they had a 40ft wide miniramp, but I really never messed with it. I just wanted to skate street stuff when I was that young. I could always do the transition basics ya’ know, but I just didn’t focus on that side of skating much. Then when I moved here we started skating your ramp like every single week and I fell in love with miniramps. I don’t skate miniramps as much recently, but I get it now, I understand transition skating a lot more so it opens up more options at spots and parks too. 

Your thoughts on the new Paines Plaza in Philly?

R- Meh’

Got any interesting plans for 2015?

R- I’m just gonna’ skate and film and see what happens while juggling work and life stuff.

Top five favorite skate shoes of all time and why?

R-
1) Es Accel, because it looked dope and was super comfortable
2) Es Koston 2, because it just looked sick and was kind of ahead of its time
3) Axion Guy Mariano Aries; super sick silhouette and comfortable
4) Ipath grasshopper, gotta’ be the black leather version. Illest kicks and the raddest dudes backed it like Nate Jones, Kenny Reed, and Jack Sabback
5) DC Lynx, if you don’t know why then I don’t know what to tell you

Top five favorite skaters of all time?

R- 1) Ray Barbee 2) Keenan Milton 3) Gino 4) Andrew Reynolds 5) Pappalardo

Thanks for taking the time enlighten us all Rick. Any wise words for the skate world before we close out this interview?

R- The Internet isn’t real life.

Photos by: John Rentchler, Kevin McGovern, and Luke Darigan

Video links of Rick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEoPOIdEZe4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRs96tiCLdU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaZ1Zabai6Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BosrBOC5Q6Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrGCgdqJfWY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iCeFsh3N9w

LBC's Finest

Scott Kane was a heavy force in skateboarding in the early 2000's. His skill level on a board was uncanny and I'm sure when his Bootleg 3000 part dropped there was a collective "oh shit" being said by many professional skateboarders all across the US. I know as a young skateboarder I was blown away, especially since Scott Kane was pretty close in age to myself. I saw Scott a few times back then in Philly filming with the Bootleg crew and their TM Mark Brandstetter (Plain). I remember one specific time skating William Penn High in North Philly and Scott, Brian Machaud, and Plain showed up. They Warmed up on the ledges and the 3 block, but that was not their intent. They obviously came to skate one of the bigger and more life-threatening spots at the school. I watched Scott skate the corner-pocket rail and right away I couldn't believe my eyes. I watched him front blunt and front blunt shuv-it that thing; both of which were done first try. I was in disbelief that someone could step to that rail so easily and with so much confidence to do tricks like those on the first go. I'll never forget watching that and thinking, "that was unreal, that dude is one of the best". He went on to have a shared promodel shoe in two different versions (vulc and cup) with the one and only Steve Caballero. Shit, If you got Steve Cab vouching for you then you know you did something right in the world a skateboarding. Scott laid low for many years and he shares some of the things that have happened to him in the following interview. He has recently popped up on the radar again with a part last year in collaboration with Hellaclips and The Brovas. I felt that it was quite fitting to have Scott Kane do a guest wheel project, because he really did push skating forward and he is yet another example of how Long Beach has produced very influential and talented skaters. He held it down for his scene like no other. Read on and find out what he's been doing and if you can, you should search out any Scott Kane footage or photos from back in the day. Put that stuff in context with the time period and you will quickly learn that Scott Kane was on a whole different level than most during his reign at the top.

-Pusher Rob

R- Scott, I just want to say thanks for letting us do this interview with you and for letting us do a guest wheel graphic for you as well. It means a lot dude.

S- What up Rob! Thank you for considering me to do a guest wheel for Pusher. I've always backed the Philly scene and what you guys at Pusher Wheels do as well. Thanks for asking me to be apart of it.

 

R- You feelin’ the Port of Long Beach reference?

S- I was stoked when I saw the graphic referring to the Port of LB. We have the biggest seaport in North America and now Long Beach has also become one of the biggest hubs for skateboarders over the past few years.

 

R- You have been living and skating in Long Beach for a long time. How has skating changed there over the years? What made you want to start skating when you were a kid?

S- LB has, and will always be my home. I wouldn't say it has changed too much over the years except that the multitude of skateboarders has grown immensely. More and more skaters from all types of backgrounds are moving here which makes it a pretty dope diversity of shredders.  

 

R- Cherry Park seems like a major hub for the scene there, do you like it better now or back in the day with the stage and the tables?

S- Cherry is definitely the place I go if I have no one to skate with. I can always count on running into someone to cruise with. I am a bigger fan of the stage and tables back in the day though. It's where I met a lot of people who helped me come up and there's just something nostalgic about it. But I don't dislike it now; it’s a good spot. It's dope to still be able to go there and skate and see all the homies. It's still the same old meet-up spot like it was back in the day. 

 

R- Who is your favorite skater to ever come out of LBC?

S- That's a tough one. There are so many good skaters to come out of LB, but when I think of skateboarding in Long Beach the first people that come to mind are Danny Montoya and Rob Gonzalez. I would guess that people from my generation would say the same thing. Those two were like our idols. Them and the rest of the 508 crew. Also, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Justin Reynolds. He was the first person to ever kick me down boards to skate. I am forever grateful for that. 

 

R- During your time on Bootleg you came to Philly to film. Did you like Philly for skating? What other East Coast cities have you skated?

S- I've been to plenty of East Coast cities to skate, but Philly is by far my favorite. I've always secretly wanted to move there. It always felt like home every time I was there. Maybe because that was the first East Coast place I went too or because a lot of my friends are from the area. Either way I'm down for Philly!

 

R- Do handrails scare you? Did they when you were younger? I merely ask, because your footage over the years suggests you mastered them quite well.

S- Fuck... I wouldn't say they scare me. I am more afraid of the thought of hurting my ankle. After rolling my ankle an uncountable amount of times I have developed a mental block from going for shit like I used to. When I was younger I sucked at flip tricks and for some reason rails came more natural to me. Like honestly, I suck at kickflips, but kickflipping into a handrail trick seemed a lot easier. It just worked better for some reason. I never really thought about getting on to the rail; I was always thinking about rolling away. I guess that helped me land some dumb stuff over the years. 

 

R- Bootleg was such a dope company and it amazed all those people who loved it that it came to an end out of nowhere. At the time everyone thought it was doing really well; at least from the outside looking in. Any insight as to why it seemed to close up shop out of nowhere?

S- Bootleg was such a rad company to skate for. I still consider everybody that was involved with Bootleg family. I don't think Bootleg was doing bad, I just think there were some politics that were involved that I didn't care to ask about. I felt that it wasn't any of my business and I respect the decisions that were made to shut it down. All I cared about back then was skating not the business side. Nowadays I wish Bootleg was still around. Strickland is an extraordinary artist and had a dope vision and direction for Bootleg. It feels good to look back and remember how dope it was to skate for such a good company. It was 100% skateboarding. You never know, it could come back. I know a lot of people would back it still to this day.

 

R- After Bootleg came to an end what did you do? Who were you skating for after that as far as a board sponsor? There were a couple years there where we didn't see as much coverage of your skating.

S- Around the same time Bootleg ended was about the same time I got surgery on my ankle. That set me back about a year or so. Most of my footage was used up. The companies that I still skated for at that time began to basically give up on me, because I was not able to skate. I did what I could to keep up, but even after surgery my ankles were mush. I remember the doctor telling me when I was 18 that I had 60 year old ankles, haha! Skateboarding can be pretty cruel; it got very depressing and I would get mad anxiety and have gnarly panic attacks. All I knew was skating, so when I wasn't able to do it I would literally freak out. 

 

R- You also got a chance to skate for one of the best shoe companies around, Vans. What was it like skating for Vans during that time? Do you think this new full-length Vans video is actually going to come out or is it a myth? If it does I hope they include a section of all the guys that skated for them in the past.

S- Vans during that time was dope; a rad crew of skaters for sure. I hope that they eventually come out with a video but who knows? If it does I doubt every rider will have parts. That would be sick to include all the past riders, but that list is probably a mile long. 

 

R- Vans gave you the chance to redesign the best skate shoe of all time; the Half Cab. It was called the Low Cab and I guess it was beefed up a little for the needs of that time. It was a shared pro-model for you and Steve Caballero. How did that come about and why did they stop making that shoe? That shoe and the No-Skool with the same sole were two of my favorites.

S- When they came to me and said Cab and I would share a shoe I was stoked! I've skated half cabs since I was like 5 years old. To make the Low Cab was a dream come true. Not sure how it came about internally at Vans, but I was stoked none-the-less. I still have quite a few of them in the closet actually.

 

R- Also during this time you lived in one of the most infamous LBC skate houses of all time with Darrell Stanton. Both of you skated for Vans at the same time. What were those years with Darrell like and what is he up to now?

S- Darrell and I grew up together. We skated together everyday until he moved to Texas when were 13 or 14 years old. When he moved back a few years later we ended up getting our first apartment together. He was 17 and I was 18 so his Mom co-signed for him. We got evicted in the first 6 months, but those were great times. Darrell and I would push each other to other levels when we would skate together. It was almost like a competition between us, but a very friendly and motivating competition. I think we both felt no limits to innovation at that time. Those are still some of the best days of my life. I always say I wish I could go back to that time. No worries at all, just skating and doing whatever the fuck we wanted. I still talk to him and skate with him every now and then. Dude can still drop bangers. I don't think he'll ever lose his talent (Darrell just put out new footage in the Gold video). 

 

R- I think it is important for kids to understand the reality of what we do on our boards. As we all get older and continue to skate we face injuries. We all have and we all will; both young and old. I know you have had some over the years. How have they affected your skating and your outlook on skating or your outlook on life?

S- Injuries can fuck up your ability to skate if not taken care of properly. I was so addicted to skating that I would still skate with a sprained ankle and other injuries. I rarely did rehabilitation. I remember once doing a kickflip back tail on this ledge with a full cast on my front foot; I couldn't stay off my board. I wish now that I would have taken better care of my injuries. I just thought I was invincible, which I clearly was not. My outlook on skating is still the same. It's fun as hell, but I know my limits now. 

 

 

R- The recent part that you and Plain did for The Brovas was sick man. I liked that it was a lot of lines; relateable skating with a few really hard creative ledge tricks that are rarely ever done by anyone. There were some spots in there that looked relatively new or not skated much. In particular the ledge spots with the long curving ledges. Cali is known for ledge spots to be blown out like crazy, but those looked pretty good and kind of new. Was it all filmed on Long Beach spots? 

S- Thanks man! It was fun to go out and film for that. It must have been 4-5 years since I've gone out and actually tried to film. I wasn't really planning on it, but it all kinda worked out. I reconnected with Plain (OG Bootleg TM) when he moved out here and we kinda just started skating and filming again. I had a lot of free time so it became almost a daily thing. Kalis saw some of the footy and asked if I wanted to do a HellaClips project with it. I was stoked he was down to do that. The curvy ledge spot is really close to LB, it’s right on the beach. It's been there for awhile, but it was a big bust for a long time. Now it seems to be more skateable. Most of the footy was either in LB or LA. A lot of ditches and ledges. 

 

R-Speaking of The Brovas, give the world some details on the company...

S- The Brovas is more a movement then a company. Plain and I have a lot of good ideas for it, but for now it's more of a homies thing. We make stuff here and there. I think all we have at the moment are some beanies and tees. If anybody wants to check em’ out you can go to  thebrovas.bigcartel.com or @thebrovas. Eventually we will make more moves with it. The Brovas will be coming along slowly but surely. Definitely be on the lookout for that. 

 

R- Real estate is your new daytime gig; why the move to that? Have you always dabbled in other things outside the realm of skating?

S- I've always been interested in Real Estate. I bought a house when I was like 19. At the time my Mom was a realtor and actually sold me my house and then eventually sold it for me. I was fascinated with the process and read a lot of real estate books about investing and management. I got my Real Estate license about 8 months ago. Crazy how things work out, because now I work with a bunch of skaters/realtors. I get to work with one of my childhood idols Danny Montoya and the legend Richard Mulder. It's also an awesome feeling to be able to help people with their real estate goals. It's most likely the biggest purchase or sale of their life. I'm always hyped to help. 

 

R- Are you currently working on anything for next year as far as filming or photos go?

S- I will be working on some more filming. It's a little harder now doing real estate full time, but skateboarding is my only escape ya’ know? Why not go film some shit when I can? You never know what it will turn into.

 

R- As a guy that has been on all sides of skateboarding and had quite the memorable carrier, how does skating feel to you now? Do you feel pressure to pay attention to all the stuff happening nowadays? Did you feel pressure in the past in any sort of way?

S- Skating is the same. I usually try to learn something new when I go out just like when I was a kid. It just hurts a lot more now. Honestly, I've rarely ever paid attention to skateboarding media and all that. I've been skating since I was 5 and didn't see my first video till I was like 12 or 13. It was 411 issue #13. When I was 10 years old I told my Mom that I was going to be the first pro skater ever. I had no clue there was such a thing or that there were already a lot of pros. That shows how much I've paid attention over the years. It's not that I don't care, but I'd rather just skate and stay in my zone.

 

R- Social media, love it or hate it?

S- I'm on some social media. Instagram and shit like that (@scottkane). I love that I can see some cool stuff sometimes, but hate that I can get stuck on it. I try and limit it and not get caught up in it.

 

R- Top five favorite skate shoes of all time?

S- Reynolds One, Reynolds Two, Marc Johnson One (Emerica), Half Cab, and Rowley Ones. 

 

R- Best skate trip you ever went on?

S- Probably this 30 day Bootleg tour driving from LB to Miami. I brought two of my homies and it was a super grimey. We skated probably about 30 demos in 30 days plus every spot along the way and then some. Rad group of people on that trip (Strickland, Plain, Eldridge, Little B, Elissa, Trapasso, John R, Berry, Maldonado, Strickland’s dog JoJo). It was hi-jinx the whole way out and back. I wish I could go on something like that right now haha! 

 

R- Picnic tables or granite ledges?

S- Concrete ledges with hardly any wax. I hate wax. Push through that shit. 

 

R- And lastly, if there is one skate spot you could de-knob and make legal what would it be and why?

S- They just tore down the OG Belmont pool ledges. I wish they would have re-made them and made it skate friendly. One of my favorite spots ever; that and Love Park. That is such a sick spot. I'm so stoked to look back and know that I was able to film a line there. 

 

R- Thanks for doing this interview Scott. You are a true Sultan of Shred my brotha. Any thanks before this thing goes to print?

S- I am honored you asked me to be a part of this, thank you. Thanks to all my family and homies everywhere, and thank you skateboarding. I'd be nothing without it. Honestly, I want to also give thanks to all the people that still show love. It's crazy to hear the things that people still tell me and how much they enjoyed my skating. It's almost bitter sweet, and I get upset that I haven't given them more. If it wasn't for these people I would have given up on skateboarding forever. Thank you to all of you guys. They are the people that remind me that skating is special and that I impacted skateboarding; even if it was just a little bit. I hate to be cliche, but that was literally my dream. When I finally saw an actual skate video and watched Marc Johnson skating, innovating, and pushing himself with dope style, it made me want to create and motivate other skaters to do the same. The only person I've ever been in competition with is myself, my own head, and trying to create the things I thought possible. I encourage others to be themselves and don't let anybody tell you that you can't do something. If they do, let it fuel your fire, but don’t be a dick about it. You're the only person that can tell you that you can't make it. If you can have full clarity of what your goals are than nothing can stop you. Contrast creates clarity. If you can think it, you can do it and I’m not talking just in regards to skateboarding. Act on all intuitions.

 

One of my best friends from childhood till now once told me... "In order to achieve something you've never achieved before you have to become someone you've never been before." -Nissay Sao 

 

Go out there and get it homies! Thanks for all the love and support!

Check out classic Kane footy below:

http://youtu.be/D2J1XV3mNOc

http://youtu.be/vNY31KT5Tak

http://youtu.be/iMsTov1U0qc

http://youtu.be/uCXN8kjfA7E

Sultan of New Jersey

New Jersey has always seemed to produce really really good skateboarders. It's gotta be the water right? Sloan Palder is no exception. I first met Sloan several years ago when he moved to Philly to go to Temple University. Sloan is a member of the infamous Skate-Jawn crew; a group of guys that run a skate mag and murder spots here in the tri-state area. Early on I realized Sloan liked to build skate stuff and not just skate on stuff. I grew up building skate ramps all my life on a farm in West Chester, PA so when I realized Sloan was into that type of stuff too I had instant respect for him. But Sloan doesn’t just build stuff, he’s rips everything he creates. When you skate with the guy you realize he’s a creative skater with lots of surprises up his sleeve. Check out his part in the BRUNS video from last summer for proof and you’ll probably shit your pants. Anyway, Sloan and I have been on many DIY projects together and I respect him a lot. He’s motivated as hell and has the talent on the board and with a trowel to back it up. Recently I got a chance to catch up with him before he disappeared on another concrete park adventure across America. Enjoy

-Pusher Rob

What part of Jersey are you from?

S- I’m from central New Jersey, a town called Hopewell. It's an hour and a half from New York; 45 minutes from Philly. 

When did you start skating and what made you want to start?

S- I started skating in 2001, the summer before 5th grade. My brother had grabbed my cousin’s old board from his garage. One day my friends said they were going to skate at our elementary school. I grabbed that board and the rest was history.

Who influenced you the most growing up skating?

S- The Trenton Survivors. Chris Davis, Scott Patricelli, Greg Michaud, Dean Innocenzi and Justin Warias. They were the older dudes skating in my area. They’re a crew who held down Trenton skateboarding for some years. They took me under their wing early on and showed me how things worked inside and outside of skating. They all have 7+ years on me so the knowledge they were able to pass onto me as a young-bull has and still does heavily influence my life and the way I skate.

Who are you influences now?

S- Anyone out there getting it and trying to make it work. Whether it be someone who just started a board company, people out there building spots, or the dude driving through the city with their trucks packed with scrap metal. It’s inspiring to me to see people out there working towards a goal that might not be so clear, or just going against the grain, but still going for it 100%. 

You have been skating for NJ Skateshop for a long time, how did that come about?

S- My homie Chris Davis was one of the earlier dudes to ride for the shop. As I said before, he kind of took me under his wing so he was able to put in a good word for me. NJ’s the most respected shop in New Jersey, so it was a goal of mine early on to make that happen. I started riding for them during my senior year of high school, and the week that I turned 18 I got their logo tattooed on my body. 

We met at Temple University. Why did you choose to go Temple, and why the move to Philly? What did you study besides shredding ?

S- Since day one I knew I didn’t want to go to college. I went to Temple to make my Dad proud. My younger brother had just gotten in and I’d been floating around working in New Jersey. I applied to one school and got in. I’d been skating in Philly for a couple years prior and my friends already went to Temple so it just felt right. I studied Sociology, because I heard that it was easy. If I hadn’t gone to school I probably wouldn’t be doing this interview or know the people that I know now. In the end it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.   

You just graduated in 2014 right?

S- Yup, I put in my four years and graduated in 2014. 

You started working for Evergreen Skateparks this past summer correct? I know you are deep into pouring concrete and we have been on many a DIY project together. What is it about making stuff to skate and then skating it VS just knowing how to ride a skateboard on stuff on not knowing how to make anything?

S- Yea that’s right. This past summer I volunteered on a park in Rehoboth Delaware, hoping they would invite me on the next project. They started paying me, we built a park in Montana, and I’m leaving to work in Texas tomorrow for the next 4 months. Since I was young I’ve been into building anything and everything. When I got older I got into concrete. Being a skater and into building, building parks seemed to be the next logical step. It’s been my most supreme dream to work on skateparks, similar to the way a young kid may aspire to be a fire fighter when he gets older. Because of this I have to thank Billy and Kathy Coulon, Jesse Clayton, and the whole Evergreen Crew.  

In college you were in a pretty heavy video called Totally-Nector and recently you had a dope part in the BRUNS video. Both productions are born from the Skate Jawn clique; why does SJ kill it so hard? What was it like filming for those videos?

s- Skate Jawn kills it so hard because we do things the way that we see it; with no filter. We present things the way that we want with nobody telling us how and when we can do it. Filming for those videos were some of the best times. Thanks to Kevin Winters, Kyle Dalyrample, and Nik Stain for putting those together and thanks to Marcus Waldron for seriously holding Skate Jawn down. Skate Jawn wouldn’t exist as it is today or as its know if it wasn’t for Marcus. 

What happened to your warehouse and the bench we made? When are we making another bench like that?

S- The warehouse was sold to some yuppies that are not doing anything with it nearly as cool as we were. Money talks, so we had to bounce. I was working in Montana during the last days of the warehouse so I really didn’t get to see it run into the ground. The last party in that place was gnarly. Someone brought a sledgehammer to celebrate (brilliant idea). I saw a clip on the internet of someone smashing the bench with a sledge hammer, along with our toilet and other stuff. We should build another bench next time I’m in town. 

What's good with Grey Kult, explain to the world what it is and where it hails from?

S- Grey Kult is a board company born in Jersey and ran out Philly by Scott Patricelli and Roy. Roy is the most talented artist that I personally know and that’s evident by the artwork he makes for the graphics. In a time where shit is neither black nor white, Grey Kult offers people some seriously authentic shit. 

Best skate trip you have ever been on?

S- I have trouble answering questions like this because I don’t know what tomorrow has in store, but I would say any place that I’ve been or am going to go to build skateparks. Building parks gives you a reason to travel places you may have not ever thought of going before. The crew that I work with and the places I’m able to skate because of work is priceless to me. I was just living in the cut of Montana for 2 1/2 months but whose to say the next 4 months in Texas won’t be better than what I experienced in Montana. By working with Evergreen, I’ve just embarked on a never-ending skate trip.

Worst trip you have ever been on?

S- If I’m out their skating, seeing things I haven’t seen before there really is no “worst” for me.

Next mission is to Texas then?

S- Yeah, I’m headed to Texas for 4 months to help build two skateparks. One in Fredericksburg and one in Taylor. After that, I’m headed wherever the work is. 

Favorite DIY spot and why?

S- Ann Van in Hillsborough, New Jersey. It’s an awful old skatepark that we have been able to build up into what is now, an NJ mecca. Ann Van is run off contributions only, so it’s inspiring to me to see what some similar minded people are able to create. Ann Van would not be what it is if it wasn’t for us, because we built it. That’s the kind of shit that gets me hyped. 

Favorite Non-DIY spot and why?

S- Browning Skatepark of the Black Feet Indian Reservation in Montana. We just built the most fucked place, a one of a kind skatepark. Because of the circumstances, we were really able to throw ourselves into this place to make something unique. It shows in the design and the ride. It was also really awesome to be able to provide the kids with such a place, because life is pretty rough on The-Rez to be honest.  

Top five favorite skate shoes and why?

S- Chuck Taylors, skate or not…annd Half-Cabs. I rocked Half-Cabs pretty religiously up until the point that I discovered Chucks. So those are really the only two pairs of shoes that I'm familiar wearing. 

Top five favorite Jersey skaters and why?

S- Fred Gall, Jordan and Zach Gesko, John Gardner, and Brenden Wilkie. Those dudes shred and get what it’s like to live and skate Jersey. I got to keep it to five, but I could write a book. My favorite skaters are the homies hands down.

Do you say “down the shore” or “I’m going to the beach” like a normal person?

S- Neither, I don’t fuck with the beach.

Water or Wooder?

S- Bud Ice

Spot you want to skate before it’s all said and done?

S- You never know what’s around the corner, I want to skate them all. 

Frontside grinds or backside grinds?

S- Frontside grinds, backside lips.

Ledges or tranny?

S- Tranny, more fun to build and skate. 

Any last words before we sign off?

S- I got too many people to thank, so we’ll do it quick. Shout-out to my Skate-Jawn, NJ Skateshop, Evergreen, and biological families! Thanks for making this happen Rob. Rest in peace Manny Law.

Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHnzlOqrFEk

Mike Maldonado Chromeball Interview

Our good friend and longtime team rider Mike Maldonado has the latest Chromeball interview. Check it out here...

http://www.chromeballincident.blogspot.com/2014/12/chrome-ball-interview-80-mike-maldonado.html?m=1

Photos by: Luke Darigan and Ryan Gee

Photos of Interest

With skateboarding tricks ("moves" as some say) getting downright dangerous and life threatening it's becoming apparent that I care more for photos as I get older. Video is tight, don't get me wrong, but photos just hold a lot more interest these days. Maybe it's because we are bombarded by nonsense on every tube-channel imaginable. The photos that really get me stoked these days are ones of simple tricks but with the double exposure action and usually a fisheye of some sort involved. Here is one of my all-time favorite photos of a man who is definitely a huge inspiration to my skateboarding, Mr. Karl Watson. This flick is almost 20 years old at this point. Then there is one recently shot of Pusher team rider and one of my best friends in the world Ricky Geiger. This photo was shot by our good buddy Zander Taketomo. It's kind of cool to see a recent shot that takes it back to a style that was very prevalent in the mid 90's. I'd like to see more of this stuff, because too often people forget how crazy skateboarding really is. Think about it; what we do, even the simplest of tricks is pretty nuts compared to what most normal people do in their lives. Classic tricks, done right, that's what matters. Not some flip in to grind on a rail-of-doom into a bank that let's you out into on-coming traffic...or some stupid gold spray-painted rail in the middle of a struggling city arena fighting for relevance.

-Pusher Rob

Meeting of the minds

Today Shawn Beeks and I are planning graphics and product for January 2015. Get stoked loyal followers. Oh yeah...and Shawn just had knee surgery so he's got plenty of time to draw awesome stuff. Meanwhile I'll be filming for the full promo releasing next year. Keep Rollin' 

-Pusher Rob