Ammon chesworth interview 2020v49

WORDS A ND PHOTOS BY MITCH MORRIS ION INTRODUCTION BY A LE X LII V

Ammon Chesworth Ammon has a finite passion to accomplish and succeed in whatever he does. At times Ammon can be a bit nutty, but you have to appreciate his enthusiasm for whatever it is he is focusing on. This high energy enthusiasm has taken Ammon far beyond what many people may perceive him to be, or be capable of, including myself.

Ammon has done things on his bike I thought were near possible.

He pushes the boundaries of what confines him, BMX or non BMX, the social and peer pressures that may restrict many others. I think Ammon gets off on people thinking he is insane or something, its pretty funny though.

At the same time I have also seen him get bitter about old friends that say ‘you’ve changed’. Ammon has changed, and for the better.

Change is an essential part in all our lives, yet many people fear it.

I have seen many changes in Ammon first hand. From the intense BMX world of flip whips and fakie front flips to his newly found fondness for the ocean, nature and life in general.

Ammon has chilled out. His riding has changed as so has his mind set. Ammon has used his drive and enthusiasm for life itself.

Ammon is interested in things now I would have never thought him to be interested when I first me him. I certainly would have never imagined Ammon and I working on a secret summer cabin together, let alone living with him or even becoming such good friends.

I’m sure he could say similar things about myself and our friendship.

Life is change. To be honest I think even Ammon is surprised at how much he is capable of with the application of change. He has told me countless times of how happy he is and how excited he is with life right now, more than ever in fact. There is no stronger character building experience then having a strong appreciation for ones life, whatever it is we choose to do. Ammon has grasped this vital part of life and Ammon isn’t afraid.

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Ammon Chesworth Super smooth 360 Down the infamous “Chima” 17 at St Mary’s cathedral, Sydney.

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Ammon Chesworth The interview process starts in Ammon’s new home in the Blue Mountains.

After the decision to leave his mother’s home in Windsor over half a year or so ago and move in with good friends Alex Liiv and Alex’s girlfriend Rachel.

Which is certainly a different pace from his mother and younger brother Liam aged six. Alcohol and good vibes has been flowing all throughout the afternoon as we just got back from watching the sun set at a lookout in the mountains. As we all sit around the table we figure the interview has to start sometime, so we start taking turns at asking Ammon some questions.

Before this all starts though, Ammon for some reason feels its necessary to do this whole interview completely naked. Well, sorry he was actually wearing belt and a helmet he covered in denim. He strolls out which results in Alex and myself trying to tell him it’s pointless, yet Ammon sat there for an hour and ten minutes completely naked. Alex breaks the ice and we start chatting. After about= ten minutes of rambling it’s clear that both Alex and myself just want to get of the bottom of the one subject... Ammons growth over the time spent shooting the photos for this (the last two years) piece. Alex laughs then says. ‘’Basically what we’ve come to, is that people change.’’ It’s a relevant and interesting subject for Ammon to touch on, so we decide to try get more out of him.

Mitch: All right, so you were essentially a cookie cutter. You did the whole brown jeans thing, but now are past that stage. Do you think the style you have now will be something you run for a while?

Yeah, I just wanna be... Well I guess everybody wants to be an individual. But, I like to be an individual. I always have and Im comfortable with were Im at. I don’t know, I guess I don’t really make plans. I just go with the flow. So if shit does change it changes.

Alex: Ok, well back then what were some of the things you did like about yourself? Then what were some of the things you didn’t?

I guess Im always having fun and no matter what my image was portrait as I was still having fun. That’s something I did like about myself back then. What I didn’t like about myself from the start of this interview would be... I don’t know. It’s hard because I don’t hate myself. Everything I did has sculpted me to who I am today and Im happy with that so it’s hard to pin point something I hated about myself.

Rachel: What wouldn’t you keep on doing right now that you were doing before? OK, I wouldn’t dress the same. I wouldn’t listen to the same music I was listening to either.

We talk more, but go back again to the start of the photo shooting process of this interview. We laugh about Ammon and mine’s hungry to get out there, as it was only a couple of years ago. I guess shooting something like this takes a lot of effort and loads more of your time.

Mitch: Do you still care about BMX as much, in a way that you would do something like this again? Spend all that time and effort? (answers whilst playing with his pubic hair) Back then it was like, fuck gotta get your name out there. Fuck work, I just wanna ride for a living. I sorta did that whole deal. As I got older and more mature I realized that shit is so farfetched it’s unbelievable. So I still love riding, I always will love riding, but yeah Im not no wolf no more. I ride for fun, I ride when I wanna ride and Im going to keep doing that. Yeah I will still shoot photos and yeah I will still film stuff but it’s all my within my doing so. Not other people pushing me as to pervious. It would be like, oh lets go shoot a photo and I would be like all right Im keen. Now its like I will shoot a photo when I want to shoot a photo.

I will be the one to tell Mitch and we like it like that. Being like this now isn’t because I don’t love BMX like before. I’ve smashed my body with injuries and yeah I do shit when I fell comfortable. When I don’t feel comfortable is when I crash and fuck that shit, thats fucked! OH, and Im still playing with my dick Mitch: Well this ones pretty simple, What’s shit about BMX? People.... No wait. What’s shit about BMX? Just people’s fucking attitudes man. I fucking hate that shit. The people that are like, I gotta ride for this I gotta ride for that. No, you ride for yourself and fucking just have fun, stop being a douche. Do what you wanna do, so many people get peer pressured into... Well not so much peer pressured I guess, I don’t know.

Alex: So what about riders that are getting paid?

Going back to before saying that you realized riding for a living is a pipe dream. Now that you’ve rationalized that. You realized Ok so I’m not the golden child, the lucky guy, the dick sucker (Laughs) exactly right! So how did you rationalize that? What was the process? It was a lengthy amount of time.

It wasn’t just like I woke up this morning and said oh fuck thats not going to happen, thats for sure.

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Ammon Chesworth Fast plant in exchange for a friendly morning beer

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Ammon Chesworth

“I wasn’t to scared of much stuff, so maybe if I didn’t crash I would be in a worse state. Maybe I would have had a way crazier crash. It was a wake up call, like to tell myself I wasn’t invincible” Alex: How did you feel about other riders that still think that?

Out there going yeah well we’re riding street and we should do this and we should do that.”

Yeah that was my sort of attitude when we started this interview. I guess over a certain amount of time it wasn’t due to realizing, it was due to injuries. Just smashing my body and thinking why the fuck am I putting myself through this shit... Yeah and there is always going to be someone better then you. There are so many dudes in Australia that deserve to be getting paid to ride, which aren’t! They shred the fuck out of me. So why should I have the mentality of I’m going to get paid when there is dudes more worthy of it. I guess over that period of time I realized it’s not going to happen. I just started doing shit for myself again. Like I was before.

Alex: So you went back to raw bones almost?

Yeah exactly! You start riding and obviously you progress over years. Get sponsored and then you think. I wanna ride for a living, Im sponsored now. But that shits fucking... No its.. It totally changes your mentality on riding. Im glad it’s changed back. Because I’m having more fun riding now, like I was three years ago. Just doing my own thing, not sweating it.

I still love getting loose on my bike and doing shit that makes me fucking shake, that makes me smokes cigs and drink beer. (laughs) I don’t know? I like the thrill of that shit. But I still have the mentality of Im here to have fun. Im not here to do this for a living, because it’s not going to happen.

Mitch: Do you think you ever ruined BMX for yourself?

Yeah fucking oath I did. Thats why this interview has been going for over two years...

Alex: Did you begin to realize we’ll its all fun and games, until you do eat crap. What do you think about those people that haven’t realized that yet? I think to be honest, fucking go for it. I learnt the hard way, so you can do the same shit.

Alex: Lets say if you could go back in time. To just before you did the gap to ice a second time. What would you say? I would say ride for yourself, have fun, do what you wanna do, not what other people want you to do. Back then Mitch was there shooting the thing, Im not saying Mitch told me to do it. Because he was actually all against me doing it! But I felt like I should be doing it again because the first one wasn’t good enough and because this whole web edit craze thing. I thought oh everything has to be perfect. Then I thought oh fuck it, I landed it once I can land it again. But who gives a fuck about what people think. Thats what I would tell myself. Oh I would probably tell myself not to watch so many edits as well (laughs).

(Right before Alex asks another questions he pauses and looks at Ammon in a way that suggests ‘You know what I’m about to ask you, don’t you’) Alex: So Ammon... You used to do front flips to fakies? (everyone breaks out in laughter) Yeah, yeah c’mon I was hoping you would throw that in, fire away just do it ha ha.

Alex: So is that trick hard to do?

All right, I don’t wanna sound like a dick but no.

Alex: So you figured it out pretty easy?

Ok to be honest the only front flip I have ever landed is a fakie front flip.

Mitch: For real?

Yes, for real, never on dirt, never a box jump.

Alex: So how do you do them?

Well, whenever I would try them at Monster I would never get the rotating around. I would pedal flat out but it would never

happen. But if I went slow I could just snap them. One day I just felt like getting loose and Andy Buckworth was trying fakie ones at Slam Factory. So I thought fuck it i’ll try em with ya. I took my sprocket bolt out, 180’d up the euro there, headed for the vert wall. I tried one just thinking, I guess Im not high up so if you fall it’s going to suck but it’s not going to suck as much as falling over a twenty foot gap at that height. So I might get a bruised elbow or something. I tried it and freaked out because I spun so fast and bailed. I landed on my feet though so that just played in the back of my mind. Next time at Monster I took my sprocket bolt out again and tried it a couple more times and landed it.

Alex: Yeah I remember before meeting you I saw on your facebook a bunch of photo’s like that, like flip whips mid trails?

That shit come about because of living out in Windsor, thats all we really had. Zip and I would just go out in the bush and dig jumps. You get better and learn flips, You learn whips, so I thought why not put them together? Better facilities would come about and you did.

(Alex looks at Ammon again with the same look. I think this time everyone knew what was going to be said.)

Alex: OK... When you say facilities, you mean like Woodward West? (Everyone bust out laughing again.)

Im glad you bought that up I’ve been hanging for it all night.

Yeah, yeah I did.

I’m stilling laughing uncontrollably with the idea of Ammon riding around Woodward West doing flip whips and backflip X factors. Then I gather my myself.

Mitch: OK how long were you there for?

I was there for a week.

Alex: What tricks did you learn?

Just some basic park move’s, 360 tail whips, backflip variations.

But it was more about riding bigger ramps and the bike control I got from that. I didn’t notice at the time but coming back here and riding the smaller ramps makes you realize how much more control you have from over your bike. Looking back now, thats what I treasure most from that trip. Being way more comfortable on my bike. Rather then the tricks I learnt.

As we drink more and become engaged with the snacks, we soon loose focus on this part of the interview. But one quote stands out as we talk about what Ammon likes when watching other riders and also what inspires him. I dig guys that look like they’re having fun. If you’re having fun then I like how you ride. Wether you’re having fun doing a triple front flip over a mega ramp or if you doing a 360 down forty stairs..

Alex jokingly ask Ammon if he inspires him. Where for brief moment I see Ammon’s tone change and respond instantly with a yes. Before we speak any more of it, like that we all drown out again in a sea of salsa and corn chips. I could see Ammon wanted to talk more about how Alex has inspired him, even helped him in a way. For the time but it would have to wait. We carry on more and right towards the end we briefly chat about Ammon becoming more open minded about things.

Which is also something I knew had to be chased up with more detail. It ends with us laughing about the bush shack that Ammon and Alex are building deep in the mountains.

Alex says its funny to think that when he met Ammon he never pictured him to be open to want to do something like that with him. I then say that when I met Ammon he would’ve been more down to go set it on fire or throw a big rock at it. We all just laugh, Ammon just laughs too and finishes with saying.

‘Man, thats apart of being young.’

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Ammon Chesworth Hefty roof half cab

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Two weeks now pass, Ammon and myself are sitting on my roof top on a saturday afternoon. As the sun creeps lower and lower towards the horizon, we refill our cups with the finest juice the supermarket could offer and the cheapest wine in the bottle shop.

The mood this time is a lot more relaxed, with it just being the two of us. The fact that Ammon is fully clothed this time is also nice.

We raise our glasses to the orange glow of the sky and cheers to new beginnings. My mind then ticks over and I try to remember what we didn’t cover last time we recorded our conversation. So I bring up the Alex question again. It’s something I didn’t feel the need to really go into last time whilst Alex was there. Plus Alex has played a big part in Ammon’s life over the recent years.

Mitch: Right, what do you think about Alex? Do you reckon he has helped you over the last couple of years with BMX and well, just life in general?

I guess him having the whole insight into the industry and the BMX dream thing. That shit is delusional... It’s not going happen, which is a good thing. His taught me that. I don’t know, I guess his taught me that umm... That there is a lot more to life then BMX. I was pretty much just solely focused on riding but now Im focused on living and having fun. Enjoying your life for what is has to offer and it’s fucking great. Why? What do you think he has done for me?

Mitch: From what I have watched, Alex has help you realize the person you wanna be. His opened your mind a lot and help iron out some of the kinks. Thats a good way to put it man. There is just so much more to life. His not even a BMX role model for me any more.

Now I just look up to him as a life role model you know? His always having fun, his always out there doing his own thing, he doesn’t give a fuck what people think and thats rubbing off on me. I thoroughly enjoy that. It’s just always good vibes and thats what Im about.

But mostly it was just about good vibes whilst riding and partying. Now its good vibes with everything you do. His motivation to learn is pretty rad. like thats making me wanna learn as well. Because there is so much out there to learn. There is so much more to know. Why just be happy with what you got? When you can always be continuously bettering yourself. I really dig living with him.

My mind starts rolling over some more and I remember Ammon saying some stuff last time about his view on other people from the past till now. Then we dive deeper and deeper into that subject.

All people are equal man. Like to put this in a riding perspective, there are dudes out there that are fucking giving it there all and having fun. They’re doing a 180 down three stairs and thats not much for some people. But they’re trying there best man, we were all there at one stage. I appreciate that shit, as opposed to before when I use to look down on.. Well, not look down on I guess I didn’t appreciate it.

Mitch: So like younger kids or just people starting out in general?

Anything man, like Matt Chapman (my housemate that has been riding since 2004 and hasn’t learnt a trick since 2006) his been riding for years. He’ll go to the skate park and there will be younger kids that are better then him, well think their better then him. They think they’re king shit, but no, you’re not fucking better then no body.

Mitch: In my opinion I like to think someone that has more fun and does their own thing is doing it right. As opposed to the kids out there busting there arse. But in saying that I still respect that, like they’re just learning. I don’t know... Each to their own I guess?

There was a stage when I was like that. I was like fuck Im a heaps better rider then you, but no Im not a better riding then you, Im not a better rider then nobody. Im out there having fun. I don’t give a

Ammon Chesworth

“Humans will always be changing. All these people telling me I’ve changed don’t realize that they’ve changed too. Ten years ago you weren’t sitting up all night playing a xbox were you?” fuck if Im a good rider, I don’t care if Im a shit rider. As long as Im having fun. Judging people is for fuck wit’s man. Thats probably a bad thing to say ha ha as I said before, each to their own ha ha. If you wanna judge then you wanna judge. But thats not my thing man.

Mitch: Yeah, you gotta draw the line somewhere though, otherwise it never ends.

Yeah yeah, I guess... Alex has sort of taught me that there is no reason to be upset too.

Mitch: The rad thing about Alex though is his has been there, his has paid his dues in BMX. He could still ride how he used to, but his just at the stage where thats not what’s fun for him. What’s wrong with that too? Everyone thinks it’s a wrong thing and he has spat in the face of BMX or something? But he just simply has an understanding, he has a passion for something and he doesn’t want to wreck it.

Alex always cops it man. People asking him do you still ride? I’ve been getting it a bit too ha ha. What’s it matter? He still rides, we go riding a fair bit. We will go to the local skatepark and have good rides. Or just build a lip somewhere and ride that. It doesn’t matter we ride when we wanna ride. Do things for yourself. Thats the way I roll now, I just do things for myself. Not what’s expected of me. If Im not riding Im out doing other stuff. Im not just sitting around. Im always doing something new, keeping life interesting.

I was born to be alive, Im not going to sit still and be bored. Only boring people get bored. Alex and I were only talking about that the other day walking back from the shack. A lot of people will say, you’ve changed now.

Change is fucking rad man! Change is so good, like what’s the point in me being the same thing forever? Change is sick, change is the best thing you can do. Humans will always be changing. All these people telling me I’ve changed don’t realize that they’ve changed too. Ten years ago you weren’t sitting up all night playing a xbox were you? No, so you’ve changed. Like I know I’ve changed. Everybody is forever changing. Some people more then others.

Im proud of that. People say you’ve changed like it’s a bad thing. Change Nose bonk in Perth is never a bad thing. I guess that’s why this past year has been good. I’ve just been learning and flittering all the shit stuff out of my life. If it’s not enjoyable for me Im going to cut it out. I got a whole new perspective on life from this year. I’ve learnt enough and thats brilliant. Sorry not enough! You can never learn enough!

Mitch: Was there a moment when things started going this way?

Start of the year man, I started this year fresh.

Mitch: Oh like was that a new years resolution for you?

No, its when my ex broke up with me ha ha. I wasn’t going to let that get to me. I was like fuck it Im going to live life to the fullest. It’s a good thing it ended. It helped me shape my mind to where Im at now.

As my friend G clambers up onto the roof I realize that this part of the interview is done. The sun has gone down so Ammon and I shotgun the last two tins of beer I had sitting in my fridge waiting for this very moment. After that the mood swung for that night. Later resulting in a large group of us going out to the local pub. I remember walking out to the smoking area in attempts to find Ammon. I hear a large group cheering and turn my head see Ammon doing a shoey. Which isn’t really a surprising sight for me. I start to walk over and become blocked by this random guy. He stared talking about how crazy this guy he meet from Sydney was. “Man I just watched him Wu Tang a ciggy before, thats him there” as he points across to Ammon. Who is now making someone else drink from their shoe as he cheers them on. ‘Fucking Ammon’ I laugh to myself as I turn around and walk back inside.

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Ammon Chesworth Large 360 in melbourne

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Ammon Chesworth

The next day as we drive back to Sydney I decide to leave the voice recorder on for the whole trip. I figure we’ve got enough already, but Im waiting for that golden moment where everything would just fall together and it would all tie up nicely.

It normally always works like that for myself. Needless to say Ammon is pretty hungover, his tried and sore. Plus the fact that there is a ciggy somewhere in his digestive system probably doesn’t help. He has a bit of a sleep then wakes up and asked me to start asking him questions. I didn’t really have anything else that I really wanted to cover with Ammon. I was just waiting for this moment. So I ask him again about the crash again. Which is one of the worst things I’ve ever had to experience in my life.

Mitch: If you could go back in time knowing what you knew, would you let yourself hit the rail again? Nearly killing yourself and spending that time in ICU? He pause for a brief moment and replies. Yeah, I guess I probably would let myself do it. Ha ha fuck, this is a hard one. Yeah I don’t know. Yeah I probably would, I would tell myself to do it.

Mitch: So if you could interfere with the past would you? Nope, no way man. Everything i’ve done has a purpose so there is no point in interfering. I learnt a lot from the crash. I learnt not do rails because it’s not for me, they don’t like me at all ha ha. I wasn’t to scared of much stuff, so maybe if I didn’t do that I would be in a worse state. Maybe I would have had a way crazier crash.It was a wake up call, like to tell myself I wasn’t invincible.

“The negative is all these bullshit sub genres like oh you’re a park rider? Or, oh you’re a street rider? NO, you’re just a rider”

We begin then talking about some fond BMX memories we’ve shared. Seeing four states of Australia in the one day due to flights getting stuffed around. One fun night we had in St Kilda which saw Ammon wall ride a 911 Porsche whilst being ridiculously drunk from beers we obtained for free. The All Man Glam Jam, drunk once again. Doing a flip whip over the ghetto jump in a ladies outfit he purchased from Kmart that morning. Then I ask the most cliché question I can think of.

Mitch: What does riding a bike mean to you?

Freedom of expression, I guess riding for me is expressing myself in a way. Having a bike that looks like you’ve just taken 50 mushrooms in the 70’s at a roller disco is awesome too. I fucking love my bike, it’s fucking sick. Having a little bit out there bike makes riding that little bit more enjoyable. Makes me wanna go ride it. I get to express myself with it as an unusual charter. People have their favorite shirts. I wanna were that shirt, I wanna go out because I look good in it. That’s what they think and thats how I feel with my bike. I wanna ride it because I think it looks incredible.

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Ammon Chesworth

We chat more and Ammon starts to think of what he wants to chat about. OK, I’ll talk about my take on BMX. Like how I perceive BMX. Mitch: Talk about the positive and negatives of BMX. Ok, the negative is all these bullshit sub genres like oh you’re a park rider? Or, oh you’re a street rider?

NO, you’re just a rider. Im sure at some stage the biggest park rider has rode trails or rode street.

You’re a rider you don’t just only ever ride skate parks, you don’t only just ride the streets. Sure there’s been stages, but that shit brings on hate.

What the fuck is this bullshit park vs street guy ordeal. Everybody’s doing their own thing to have fun. That’s why you started riding BMX bikes, you didn’t start riding to make a million bucks and if you did you’re a fucking retard. I don’t like that, I think that’s BMX most negative thing. No matter what you do, there is going to be someone hating. That’s hate for no reason, it’s not needed. If a dude or chick is having fun on their bike, who cares? What’s it matter if it’s a million foot jam combos or a million grind combos? They have the same common mindset and passion as you, ahh what’s the word...

Mitch: Its like a BMX civil war. The same people fighting against each other. North vs south, park vs street.

I can understand if you’re a business man. Someone starts grinding up all your ledges that you’ve work hard to pay for. I understand why they would hate you, that’s fair enough. I can understand a ranger hating riders building dirt jumps in a national park.

But riders hating riders just because of how they ride.

That is so bullshit. Thats what I think is really shit.

Mitch: lets flip it over now, what about the good things? Just the ability to do it whenever you want.

It’s not like football or something. Where you have training and then you have Saturday or Sunday as your game day, so you gotta lock them in. The ability to do it whenever you want, I really like that.

Freestyle.... The feeling you get when you land a trick you’ve worked hard for or not even worked hard for, just a trick you enjoy doing. Like not much can really match that feeling. That’s another great thing. Over coming fears I guess? Yeah obviously a lot of tricks or just learning to air higher, there’s that whole fear factor there. Over coming that and getting it done is very rewarding, that’s cool. I guess its just being able to express yourself, do whatever you want, whenever you want, HOWEVER you want.

That’s the way it should be and that’s how it is.

I push stop on my voice recorder and nothing happens.

This is over, the interview is officially done. The need to collect photos is over and we’ve just wrapped up the words. I guess, I thought right towards the end something marvelous would happen. As I thought that it always works like that for me. But it doesn’t work, sometime things just don’t work. We just part ways like we always do on a Sunday afternoon.

Ammon heads home to the mountains and I head of to train station. Funny that, it doesn’t feel over I think to myself. Then again it never felt like it really started. Then again it never felt like we did anything?

I start to walk up the stairs to the train station it hits me, finally. We just carried on with our life’s for two

years. Im not a photographer, or a writer, Im just me.

Im just a guy with a camera that was there. Which is all I ever wanted to be, there to really experience it first hand. The only thing that changed is I tried to bring that to you. I like to think I would’ve been there anyway. Which is something Im grateful off. Those two years have seen Ammon and myself go through a lot together. That of which can’t fit the pages I have to work with. Ha, maybe I’ll write a series about it one day? Anyway here I was sitting in a car waiting for some forced golden moment to happen between Ammon and I. For the sake to make these words all the more meaningful for you. Now I realize that the golden moment I’ve been waiting for with Ammon started the day I met him and probably won’t ever stop.

Ammon would like to thank First and foremost I’d like to thank evolution. A massive shoutout to my folks John and Julie, the step dad Jase, my boys Zip, Mitch, Gabba, Marty, Alex, Rod and Patty for keeping the party flowing and the good times rolling. The housemates; Alex, Rach, Macca and Rhys.

CEO of tippos cycles Mark ‘Timmo’ Tipping, and Oolz for keeping my bike rolling rad up until late and Matty from tempered for what the future brings. A huge thankyou to Matt Holmes for being behind Australian Bmx. Stay rad matt! Last but not least a fucking massive thanks to Mitch Morison. Nothing makes me more psyched to be your mate. Thanks for keeping me motivated and keeping me alive haha. Heres to future in the form of a shoey my friend. Stay cool you fucking red hot hippy. Xo”

Bad boy wall ride in Sydney’s ‘The Rocks’

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