Robert Brink Writer

I've wanted to get back to more frequent updates for a while now. The last few years have been blurry. Not in a bad way, but somehow work and opportunity have taken me further away from writing and doing my own thing than I'd like to admit.

I saw this new Orion clip of Kevin Taylor and it sparked the idea to re-purpose my older pieces (and possibly share them with a newer generation of skaters who never saw them) based on what current stuff pops up online.

I'll just call it "Now and Then." The name is highly unoriginal, but I'd rather focus on getting this done than procrastinating by contemplating a bangin' title for weeks.

Skating in NJ in the mid '90s, Kevin was a local hero of ours. Yes, the area of NY, NJ and Pennsylvania is considered "local." Coincidentally, he rode for a Pennsylvania board company called Little* that flowed me boards for a minute. Kerry Getz rode for them as well.

I don't know if I can easily explain Kevin's skating. I just like it. Basic, but not in a bad way. Stylish. Classy. with a trick selection that was always off-the-beaten-path enough to appeal. His grate to double-stacked picnic table trickery definitely seals the deal.

Kevin was pretty quiet during this interview. It's not groundbreaking by any means. Quiet guys usually make for tough and under-stimulating interviews, but there's something I admire about people who's skating speaks louder than they do.

I found out AFTER I interviewed Kevin that he's a bit of a gambler and it would’ve made for good conversation. He also he made out with a female friend of mine who road tripped to Tampa Pro with me, on a dance floor at a club in Ybor City. Pretty sure that was 2002. It was pretty rad.

Without further ado, here's my Kevin Taylor interview from The Skateboard Mag, September 2007.

*Kevin's Journal issue Zero cover, riding a Little board.