January 10, 2008
Sklog: LanceMountain.com
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag February 2008
Anyone blessed with the legendary status Lance Mountain possesses should damn well have a website these days. But Mr. Mountain's site isn't just some sort of hype and destination for the skateboard community to keep up on all the latest Lance Mountain news, contest results, roster hops and whatnot.
Refreshingly, it's more of a scrapbook of his life, family, art, friends, interests, memorabilia, career and more. It's essentially a story—and should be required reading for anyone who's ever stepped on a skateboard.
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December 6, 2007
Storefront: Sk8 Skates
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag January 2008
A skate shop is lucky to make it three years these days, much less 20. Hell, I bet many of you reading this haven't even been around 20 years.
But Sk8 Skates in Winnipeg, Manitoba has, and they've figured out a formula for two decades of survival despite harsh Canadian winters with temperatures dropping to -40 degrees Fahrenheit, multiple changes of ownership, the tragic loss of an owner, eight or nine shop relocations (which is suicide for many shops), no snowboards, wakeboards or gimmicks, no online retail, and all the peaks and valleys the skateboard industry has seen since 1987.
What is it? Well, they just do the right thing.
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December 1, 2007
Chris Gregson
By Rob Brink
Bliss Magazine December 2007
Intros to interviews are boring and cliché. No one ever writes good ones anymore. Basically, if you suck at interviewing, or the person you interviewed is a turd, a great way to cover that up is to write a clever intro. Like, I'd sit here and tell you some stuff about Chris Gregson and how good he is on a skateboard and what a cool cat he is. Or maybe even get real abstract and write something completely unrelated and pass it off as "cryptic art." But why would you want to hear me say it when I just spent an hour on the phone with him and you can read about it for yourself, right?
So Chris, I found six different Chris Gregson MySpace pages. Why do you have so many?
Are you serious? I have one. But I don't make my own MySpace pages.
Did you do the one with the Regina Spektor music on it?
Uh, no. I have like some sweet like banjo music.
Oh, I see. You're the one named "Fagasaurus."
That's me! What can I say?
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October 2, 2007
Festivus: Manny Mania
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag November 2007
If interplanetary beings, or even regular ol' human beings who don't know about skateboarding for that matter, were to watch a contest based solely on manuals, they more than likely wouldn't be too impressed. A switch stance frontside flip up a Euro gap, to manual, to one footed ollie out down another Euro gap (Ã la Creager), although difficult as hell, isn't exactly fathomable for the average citizen. In fact, it probably almost looks like a mistake or something. And it certainly doesn't embody the "Ooooohhh, Aaahhhhh, Wow" factor of say, a 20-stair or a halfpipe or that God forsaken Mega Ramp thing.
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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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