a brief glance issue_31 by a brief glance skateboardmag

issue _31

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ROWLEY [ S OLO S ] FEAT URING DURACAP DU RA BIL IT Y

G EO F F ROW L E Y VA NS . C OM /ROW L E Y

London 2015_photo // Davide Biondani_

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DCSHOES.COM MIKEY TAYLOR COLLECTION: BEETLE SS \ M TAYLOR OXNARD JEAN \ ELEPHANT SS \ TENKER \ AMBER SS \ DOS SHORTS \ RISER \ MIKEY TAYLOR VULC

BLABAC PHOTO

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Cover_ Remy Taveira // Pain & Anger_ photo Davide Biondani_

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JULIAN FURONES - OLLIE • PHOTO: ALBERTO POLO

EDITORIAL_31

Cab & Hosoi // London 2015_ photo // Davide Biondani_

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To make a board jump you need technique, knowledge, awareness, effort, and perseverance.We don’t do what we do because we have no brain, we are simply lacking that part of the brain that keeps telling us: “ You will never make it.” Cristian Viga Mantovani_

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1 2 E N

Y L TA

5 1 0 2

CONTENTS // 31

Fragments_ Children of Belfast_ Propeller_Hunt /Allen /Trujillo_ Out of the Blue_Antiz video_ Gypsy Life_ Places_Chile_

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EDITOR and CONCEPT_ Davide Biondani.

(davide@abriefglance.com) ASSOCIATE EDITOR_ Guido Bendotti.

ASSISTANT EDITOR_ Andrew Zolin. TRANSLATIONS_ Jonathan Levin. PHOTOGRAPHERS_

Leo Sharp, Kévin Mètallier, DVL, Fred Mortagne,

Anthony Acosta, Craig Dodds, Brian Gaberman, Marcello Guardigli, Davide Biondani, Jason Lewer, Erik Groß, Bertrand Trichet, Jacob Messex, Sam Ashley. CONTRIBUTORS_

Oli Buergin, Mario Torre, Francesco Paolo Chielli, Jerome Campbell, Mark Baines, Willow, Ale Martoriati, Niall Neeson. DESIGN_

Fake Donkey Lab.

GET ALL THE INFOS at: info@abriefglance.com

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Roma 2015 // Pantheon _photo // Davide Biondani_

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F BOA

RD TRU

BOA

RD TRU

BOA

RD TRU

BOA

RD TRU

TM S

BOA

RD TRU

BOA

RD TRU

BOA

RD TRU

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FRAGMENTS

Tom Kleinschmidt, Fs feeble. Photo_ Erik GroĂ&#x;. Czech Republic.

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Maxime Geronzi, Bs kickflip over the rail. Photo_ Davide Biondani. Brescia, Italy.

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FRAGMENTS a brief glance

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FRAGMENTS

Ollie Lock, Bs noseblunt to fakie. Photo_ Jason Lewer. Bristol, England.

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FRAGMENTS Boris Proust, Bluntslide pop over. Photo_Leo Sharp. U.K.

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Children of Belfast_ Photography and words_Craig Dodds.

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Harsh weather, scabrous surfaces, precipitation, unnecessary ledge bling, impatient security guards and ever-vanishing skate spots are usually, in the eyes of a skateboarder, what make up your typical city landscape but in Belfast’s case this could never be more true. For a quick rundown for those who may not be so familiar with Belfast we’ll start off with its name, Belfast coming from the Irish Béal Feirste translating to “mouth of the sandbanks.” Belfast is possibly best known, around the world, for its historic ship-building industry and the building of the Titanic (‘it wasn’t our fault it hit an iceberg, it was fine when it left here’, someone once famously quoted). Unfortunately it’s also more gruesomely known for its 30-year bad patch, more commonly known as ‘the Troubles’, when Belfast was engulfed in sectarian violence leaving it and its people a little battle-scarred around the edges. Thankfully we’ve moved on from those days and the wounds on the city and its people are slowly healing.

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Jonathan McConkey // Tail drop 5050_

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Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been taking the exasperating 40-minute bus ride to Belfast nearly every other day for the past 7 years, but when you

come from a small town where nothing, literally ever happens, Belfast for me has always been the place to escape to.

When I was growing up, Belfast was the city that fascinated me the most. I was always seeing and hearing stories on the

news about gruesome murders, bomb threats and constant violence that it became embedded in my mind as quite a ter-

rifying place to be in. It was only when a friend of mine started living in Belfast, that I discovered to the contrary, that Belfast is quite a serene place to be. Of course it still has its dark underbelly that likes to rear its head every so often when provo-

ked by the backwards attitudes of people, but apart from that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the best places to be.

Peter Kelly // Nollie fs heelflip_

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Paddy Lynn // Kickflip_

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Kurtis Boyd // Fs lipslide_

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Skating in Belfast can be a tough gig most of the time when you want to get anything worthwhile done. A lot of people say

about their city having terrible ground and spots for skating

but if you think yours are bad Belfast is on a different spectrum. Most of the spots in the city are fairly old and beat-up as

it’s very rare there is ever anything newly built that is securityfree or worthwhile skating. A lot of the time we have to make do with what we’ve already had for the past 10-20 years, which

has its plus side as it gives the spot a touch of history but can

also make it twice as hard to skate when it’s been exposed to

skating and the elements for that long. Recent years have seen Belfast getting a facelift and bringing much welcomed tourism back to the city. The Titanic Quarter has been developed and

the city has a new-found love for making movies. With new developments also comes a spark for the construction of new possible places for skating.

To not name names, there was a tour here not so long ago and

one of the European riders left early because he simply just wasn’t feeling the spots, and I couldn’t blame the guy, you need to be pretty head-strong to skate some of the places here.

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Ironically, in most cases the best spots you’ll find in the city

are usually in the worst possible areas. I mean by this strong Protestant or Catholic parts of Belfast that don’t take kindly

to anything new or strange showing up in their area which usually results in stones being thrown or “the boi’s” getting assembled.

Belfast has seen its rise and fall of notorious skate spots in

its time, leaving skaters practically ‘homeless’ with nowhere

to skate without being given a headache by the general public. Biggest and most talked about to this day had to be none

other than St. Anne’s Square. A whirlpool of constant ledges, banks, and stairsets which then sadly met its maker when the

city decided it was too dangerous of an area because of the

camouflage the ledges provided for your everyday “scumbag” who would take shelter there to go about his daily drug taking

business away from the city’s prying eyes. Also, check out St. Anne’s Full Circle documentary if you want to hear more.

So far it might sound like I’m not really doing Belfast any favours in terms of skating but a lot of the time we have to make

our own fun. With the weather being lousy most months of the year we’re pretty used to hunting for shelter. Luckily we’re blessed with a little place not too far out of the city called the “MB social club” or known simply as the Driving Range

to most folk. For roughly 10 years now it has been abandoned and it has saved our asses from the ever bi-polar weather

of Belfast. Over the years it has been the hub of many DIY successes and failures, most destroyed by young hoodlums with nothing better to do. Today it still stands proud with the exception of a few things still left skateable.

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Paddy Lynn // Fakie kickflip_ a brief glance

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In Belfast skateboarding has changed drastically over the years in terms of it being a lot more acceptable in the eyes of the

general public, compared to the dark days where you could

barely skate down a street fast enough for fear of someone ei-

ther shouting something at you or shoving you off your board. The most likely reason for this is because after 30 years of

struggling, planning, and begging, Belfast has finally been

blessed with its first concrete skatepark and the scene has never been better. Plenty of new faces coming through from all around the world and with a constant group of young guns

growing up and having the joy to be able to skate a park every day. The skill level it helps create is really beginning to show.

What always stokes me is to be in a city with skateboarding

on its right hand side, no matter where in the world it might

be, and that there are people out there supporting and sharing it with the rest of us. Wireless Skateboards is a locally owned

skateboard company straight out of Belfast and has been going

strong for a good couple of years. Despite being short on funds

most of the time, they still manage to sort everyone out with a grade A product and keep the love of skateboarding alive. It

is run by two OG skaters that are still out skating every time

they get a break from the everyday bump and grind of workâ&#x20AC;Ś look out for these guys!

Keith // Tucknee_

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Mikey Gordon // Fs smith grind_

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Conor Benson // Fs kickflip_

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Curtis Boyd // Fs bluntslide transfer_

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One thing Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll always be reminded of while skating in Ireland

is how lucky we are to have such a close-knit community of skateboarders who know each other from the most rustic of

places to the most municipal. Folk are always quick to tell you tales which sound almost fiction in some cases, of local skate

bygones who would find a place for you to slumber, buy a pint to keep the perpetual party going, and offer you a smoke on the old peace pipe if you do so indulge.

So come visit us, if the spots are too shit for you the craic will always be mighty. Peace.

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propeller_ a brief glance

Interviews_Greg Hunt // Andrew Allen // Trujillo.

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Propeller is the first skateboard video by Vans. It took 5 years to complete and Greg Hunt, who filmed and directed it, together with all the skateboarders involved in the project did a really great job! The result is 60 minutes of pure skateboarding, good old, great skateboarding. No frills, no dramatic intros, no bullshit, and the styles of all the team riders were filmed and portrayed in the best possible way. We think the easiest way to judge a skateboard video is to see whether it makes you desire to go out skating, and believe me, the Vans Propeller video definitely makes you want to go out skating. We had the chance and the luck to sit down for a few minutes with Greg Hunt , Andrew Allen and Tony Trujillo in London and talk about the video, the work behind it, about the Stereo days and moreâ&#x20AC;Ś Enjoy the following interviews and the photos shot during the making of the Vans Propeller video.

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All photos_Anthony Acosta_ Words & interviews_Guido Bendotti_

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Greg Hunt_ You’re from Ann Arbor in Michigan, and the first time you went to S.F. was with Sean Sheffey? Yeah, he had a kid in Michigan, and was living there at the time. A friend of mine met him at a contest, and next thing you know we were driving to S.F. in my car. I was 16 and had a really small Toyota, pretty bitter, but at 16 nothing really matters. I can’t believe my parents let me go. Before leaving, I had to drive to my dad’s house, and Sean Sheffey was with me. It was around the time he was on SMA, a year before The Life Video. You know, big guy with crazy hair. But they let me go, no problem. I know you’ve told this story a lot of times, but we’re skate nerds and we’d love to hear about your first day in San Francisco in 1990. I know that sounds crazy, but the first day in San Francisco I skated with Natas at the Safeway Curbs at 8 in the morning. Just goin’ to that spot was crazy for a kid from Michigan, but skating there with Natas was unbelievable. Then we went back to Jim Thiebaud’s house and Julian Stranger came with us. Natas had the first Julian Stranger pro board (the one with the needle airplane graphic), and for the first time he showed it to him like: “Hey dude, this is your pro board!” and I was there... it was so weird.

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Portrait_Davide Biondani.

Then you became a regular at Embarcadero when everything was happening, with Carroll, Sanchez and all the heads. Did you realize at the time that you were right in the middle of skateboarding history? And what was the vibe of the place like? You know, when it’s happening you don’t really realize it. You don’t realize until later. When I moved to S.F. I didn’t know that Embarcadero was that big spot. The year before moving to S.F. I met Greg Carroll and got sponsored by Venture Trucks, it was my first sponsor. When I finally relocated to S.F. I knew some people I could skate with and stayed at the Carroll house with Mike Carroll. Their mom wasn’t there, and Rick Howard was staying there too... so I was pretty lucky to hang out with them, and even though I was some weird kid from the Midwest, I was accepted by the Embarcadero scene. James Kelch liked me for some reason, so he helped me out with Deluxe. The year I moved, everything changed at Embarcadero, I saw so many people feel uncomfortable there, so I was lucky that I had already been accepted.

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You were one of the first pros for Stereo Skateboards, that also produced two of my favorite videos ever: A Visual Sound and Tincan Folklore. Again, at the time did you realize that with these videos you were doing something totally different and historic for skateboarding? It was a crazy period for me, it’s hard to explain. I was in school and had tons of things to do, so I wasn’t able to skate as much as I wanted to. I

am very thankful for having had the chance to be a part of the first video for a lot of reasons. I was involved with the creative process. Being around Chris Pastras and Jason Lee really shaped me creatively, but I wasn’t really happy with my skating around that time. A couple of years earlier, when I was skating for Real I think I was skating way better. For some reason I wasn’t really confident and comfortable with my skateboarding. I was so happy to be in the first video, but I was disappointed with my skating. After that, for whatever reason, I started feeling more comfortable with my skating, and we started filming Tincan Folklore for the next two months. That’s what it was like. You’d film for some months, edit it in a few days and the video was done. It was so different. I look at the other video parts, like Mike Daher, Ethan Fowler, Matt Rodriguez, Jason Lee, and think, “That was amazing!!” But at the time we also thought, “This is different from all the videos,” so we didn’t know if it would be accepted by the other skaters. But these videos shaped me and my creativity. The first video especially was so influential for me because I was part of the creative process together with Jason Lee, who was really behind it all.

For the second video I filmed a lot, and then I was there during the edit of my video part, and that’s when I started thinking, “This is the thing I want to do!” Something I really respect about you, is that you decided to quit your pro career yourself. It was so different back then, I wasn’t making

much money, so it wasn’t that big thing. There weren’t any big cars or expensive apartments. I wasn’t Koston or anyone like him, I had the opportunity to be pro, and maybe at the time I could’ve still been pro for someone else. Being on Stereo, especially in the beginning was something special, and even being on Real before that was so special, when we were filming for the first video. It was such an exciting time. So when I quit Stereo I knew I didn’t want to do anything less than that, or ride for a company where I didn’t have connections to the people or the company. At the time I was getting into cinematography, and I understood that I had found something I was really passionate about to switch over to.

ANTHONY VAN ENGELEN // Fakie 5-0_

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KYLE WALKER // Bs Smith Grind_

ROWAN ZORILLA // Ollie_

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ELIJA BERLE // Bs Ollie_

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Then you started working for the Transworld videos? There were a couple of years where I wasn’t doing anything skate-related. I was working as an assistant camera for movies and music videos, post production videos... you know, answer the phone and make coffees. It was cool, I was learning and doing things. I worked for a filmmaker and went to Alaska to film some wildlife things. Then I started shooting a lot of skating on 16 mm because I had a lot of free film. I was learning while filming 16 mm films, and then TWS gave me a Job. Is it true that you crashed the computer on the first day of editing? I hadn’t worked on computers back then, so I didn’t know how to it shut down, and just unplugged it.

You filmed a music video with Cat Power. Is this your next project, working outside skateboarding? And with your skateboarding filming skills, where there’s no organization and almost everything is spontaneous like: “Ok, we only have 5 minutes before security guards come, let’s shoot!” how is this approach perceived by the Hollywood industry? People love it to collab with our approach, because we don’t give a shit. Going in the middle of the road and stopping cars to film. They think you’re crazy you know? Sneaking somewhere without permission and stuff like that.When you work for big productions, you have to be careful, because you can get sued. But people that come from skateboarding can do everything, they can shoot, they can direct a little bit, they understand editing, and they don’t have that much ego, like, “Oh yeah, I can help you carry that.” You know, we don’t have that sense of, “I’m on this level, and the crew is on another.” We’re skateboarders, we have a different approach, and people in commercial and film productions simply love it.

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Filming for the Vans video took over 5 years. Was there a moment when you realized that you just had to finish it? You never feel that is finished. This video especially was difficult, because there were so many people involved, and it was so much work just to edit everyone’s part. I didn’t have that much time to look at the whole video and put little things in between to make it in a certain way. For four months I was always thinking, “I have to do this thing tomorrow, and this other thing next week,“ so it was really really challenging. You know, it’s Vans, so when they set the date there was no turning back. I had so much stuff planned to be done and I felt under so much pressure. Is this your last skateboard video? Maybe! I have a kid now, so my life has changed since we started working on the video. If I start working on a new skate video right now, my girlfriend is going to kill me. Some people take skateboard videos for granted with internet and stuff, or they talk a lot about nothing basically. You know, some people talk shit on free videos, and they’re free! But I think people talk shit the same about music, and skateboarding is so especially critical, and you put so much pressure on yourself: you need to have the right music, the right angle, the right tricks... it’s so much stuff, and you can’t please everyone. And that’s one thing that I learned through Stereo. If you don’t like it, fuck it. We’re doing things our own way. Maybe people are going to hate it, but we’re gonna do what we wanna do. That’s something in skateboarding that’s so prevalent and unique, and it will always be present in skateboarding. Like Tony Alva says, “This is what we’re doing, so fuck you!” and I hope that never gets lost. This approach must continue, and it’s goin’ to!

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GEOFF ROWLEY // 5050_

GILBERT CROCKETT // Fs Nosegrind_

OMAR HASSAN // Fs Ollie_

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Andrew Allen_

Portrait_Davide Biondani.

How’s living in LA different than living in S. Luis Capistrano? Definitely a little bit different. S. Luis Capistrano is a beach town, a little slower but pretty much the same except for the traffic. But it’s way better for skateboarding, altough it’s hard to swim or surf in the ocean. You were born and raised in California, surfing and skateboarding were always around you. Growing up in Southern California, I’ve had skateboards as long as I can remember, you know? Going surfing or skateboarding is simply stuff you did there. When you can’t surf, you can skateboard. I saw older people around me skating, and after a while I put more time into skateboarding, and saw it as something that I could put my energy into. Growing up around there, I had people that helped me, you know getting in contact with companies and stuff. A friend of mine from high school was filming for 411 Video Magazine, so I was able to have some tricks in their videos. Then he started shooting photos for Thrasher, so I got some photos in the magazine as well.

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You grew up in the city next to Ryan Sheckler’s town? Ahahaha, yes! Did he find a chill girl? I don’t know… I’ve only met him a few times, so I don’t know what he does, I have no clue. I’ve heard stories, so I don’t know if his life was really like that or not, but I hope one day he will find a chill girl.

We all love Antihero, but in your opinion, why is it so widely accepted as a great company? I think people just respect Julien, John, and Tony, and the way they represent the company. Like, “We are doin’ whatever we want!” and at the same time they have some of the best skaters in the world.

And when will we see The Life of Andrew Allen on TV? I don’t know, maybe it will be a little boring. I basically don’t do anything, I skateboard, go to the beach, I have no contests or contracts… maybe it will be a realer reality show.

When you’re in the van with them, do you get anxious thinking about the fact that you’re pro for John Cardiel and skating with him? Oh yeah, all the time! A lot of times I’m thinking, “Why am I in the car with these legends?!” This is crazy, but I feel proud to skate for them.

How did you end up on Antihero? It’s more a NoR Cal company... I don’t know how it happened, just for the way I skate I guess. Originally I was getting some wheels from Spitfire and my good friend Van was skating for Krooked. Van Wastell? Yeah, him. So I sent them a video, and was expecting some Krooked boards, but I received Antihero boards, and I was like, “oh, that’s cool, maybe it’s all they have right now!” And then they asked me to ride for Antihero, and it was ok for me.

ANDREW ALLEN // Fakie Crooked Grind_

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It looks like there’s two different skateboarding worlds out there. You’ve got the Antihero world, and you’ve got the Street League world, how can they both survive and progress side by side? Both must coexist side by side. That’s how it kind of works. Maybe if it wasn’t for energy drink sponsors or Street League, some other “core” companies wouldn’t exist and do their own thing. I respect all types of skating. The Vans video just dropped, and it took 5 years to finish. Which is your oldest clip, and which is the latest? The oldest one I think is the switch bigspin flip down the double set, and the last one... maybe the noseblunt tailgrab pop over on the ledge. It was hard to choose the tricks for my video part, because I’m really critical with my footage, and I just want the best stuff in there, but I’m really happy with the final result. Greg did a great job, even though I was out for some time due to injuries. You had ankle surgery during the filming? Yeah, it took me some time to feel better, and after that my other foot was getting worse. I had a carpal tunnel syndrome, and I couldn’t feel anything under my foot. I couldn’t feel my board at all for the last year of filming. I tried to skate, but it felt terrible for a long time. You’re a pro skater and you make a living from skateboarding, but we know it’s hard to live from skateboarding. Is there something that you won’t do for money, sponsors, commercials, and stuff like that... mainstream stuff ? Where do you draw the line and say, “This is my limit”?

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You know, I don’t like to be at the center of attention, so the limit is pretty tight. I don’t like putting myself out there. All my favorite skaters and the people I admire are more like loser characters, they don’t put that much stuff out. To me this is the right mentality: less is more. If I learn a new trick I don’t wanna film it at the skatepark and show it around. I’m more low profile. Antihero and Vans had totally different approaches in terms of filming and editing stuff. What do you feel more comfortable with? When I wanna film a trick, I have spots in mind, I get up early, do my routine in the morning and then I’m ready. I drive to the spots with the filmer and film the trick. So yeah, more Vansstyle. More organized. It works the best for me. But at the same time I had some tricks filmed without a plan, waking up late totally hungover, thinking, “There’s no way I can do anything today”, and next thing you know I land something I didn’t think was possible to me. So you never know what’s gonna happen. But basically I’m an organized person, and I like super organized missions.

What gets you amped to skate? I don’t know. When I was at the Vans video premiere in Los Angeles, after seeing all the videoparts I was so excited that I just wanted to grab a board and start skating around.

Even though I was there with my girlfriend and my mom, I just wanted to skate right there. So... I think skateboarding makes me wanna skate! You’ve travelled all around the world for skateboarding. Tell us one of the craziest places you’ve been or experiences you’ve had? Mmmm... there’s a lot of stories, but I remember an Antihero trip to Cuba in 2008. Maybe that’s the most memorable trip, just because as Americans we had to sneak past the border. It was crazy to see how that country works, and even though there isn’t supposed to be one, there’s a small skateboard community that struggles to survive. We heard that some guy from Germany sends them decks and stuff, but the government checks everything that is sent to the island, so it takes forever for the guys to get their stuff. When we were there we brought some product to donate to the kids, so they can skate… so maybe that to me is the most memorable trip. The Vans video is over, and so is the Antihero video, so now you can chill! You know what? I’m skating more than ever, and filming with a friend in LA. I have tours and stuff, and I just keep skating. That’s what I really wanna do... just skate and get better!

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Tony Trujillo_ Portrait_Davide Biondani.

You started skating when you were really, really young, like 1988... how old are you? Thirty two years old. ... You started skating at 5 years old??? I started skating that same year. Yes... I was young, Peter Hewitt is your age and still rips! Yeah.. but I’m not Peter Hewitt! Something I really appreciate about you, is that you’ve never changed your approach to skateboarding. You’ve never changed the way you skated for something more “cool” at the time... like being technical in the early 90’s, or a rail chomper in the late 90’s. Yeah, I try, but I can’t. I tried to jump down things when I was younger, but I’ve always skated transition, like miniramps and stuff in Santa Rosa, and I feel comfortable doing that.

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Another thing is that you’ve never changed your sponsors. You’ve been on Anti Hero, Vans and Indy forever. When you see somebody doing something right for skateboarding, like Antihero, it is sufficient. They want to put out there skateboarding for kids, and keep skateboarding real… it’s fucking right. It’s not for the fucking money and greed. Vans too is doing things for skateboarding, and Deluxe or Independent trucks too. They’re the best company in the S.F. Area, so I’m skating for somebody that I’ve respected all my life. I assume that during your career you’ve had a lot of offers from other companies, but you’ve always skated for the same people. Do you think that loyalty pays? It feels good, and people recognize you. I wanna skate for skateboarders… you know I rode for Boost Mobile, but just because they fucking gave me some cell phones. 1984 clothing just went out of business and so I can skate for Fourstar. I was skating for a watch company for a minute. Basically I’m thinking: “What do I need for skateboarding? Decks, wheels, trucks and shoes.” When you can put some food on the table and get in the van with your friends and go skate... that’s enough for me. Drink beers and go skate!

seen something I wanted to do. I wanted to skate like them, so to me it was natural to skate transition. A few months ago the Antihero video just came out of nowhere... and you are also in the Vans video. They have a totally different approach. Oh they’re so different. Antihero.. is just... you know we just get in the van and go skate, whether somebody pulls out the videocamera and films something or not. That’s how it is. Spontaneous, there’s no plan. For Vans we had 2 filmers, different angles, lights and stuff. Sometimes it was just Greg Hunt, but sometimes you had this line of filmers... one filming the run up, another filming the trick, another one filming the landing, and a photographer… there just for you and your trick. It’s very different, there was definitely more pressure. But not because it’s Vans, you know, their first video, the shoe company and stuff. I had pressure with myself. I had to get through it, I had to put this thing together.

Your In Bloom videopart with the Motley Crue song was so epic, I think it changed skateboarding. There weren’t so many kids skating transitions at the time, and with your part, to me you made skating transition cool again. I was looking at the guys I grew up skating with, like Chris Senn, Wade Speyer, Cardiel… Good line up. Yeah... and Phil Shao. I was in the van, skating with them, and watching them shred, learning things from them, and that’s when I knew I’d

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TNT // Fs Bluntslide_

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The way you skate is so spontaneous, like you drop in and see what happens... and with so many people involved it must be stressful for you. I don’t like routine, I just like to go out and fucking skate, and if I find something in my way I just skate it and try something on it. I was just trying to be spontaneous with this project, even though there were so many people involved. I drop in and see what happens. It’s not a fucking job, and the way I skate is the reason these people brought me here. Just to do this. So you have to just fucking do it. You’re a good friend of Jake Phelps’. You both play in the same band… do you think that maybe he has a soft side?

YES! Some time ago he came back from a trip and came to my house and we went skating in Sunnyvale with my kids and my wife Trixie. You know, it was a family day, and Jake wanted to be with us. He really wants to be part of something genuine. More genuine than his regular lifestyle. It looks like you’re one of the few that can handle Jake Phelps’ attitude? Oh yeah, dude! You know, we’re friends, and we’ve played in the same band for like 10 years, I’ve seen a lot of shit with him! Thank you Tony. Thank you dudes.

TNT // Fs Craislide_

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OUT OF THE BLUE Photography and words // Davide Biondani_ Interview // Mario Torre_

THE NEW

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Antiz VIDEO_

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The new Antiz video Out of the Blue just came out. The guys

spent the last two years traveling through Morocco, France, Spain, Italy, and Greece to film for this project. It’s a full length video and nowadays with the hunger for daily clips, working

on a 2 year-long project is not exactly the easiest thing to do, you have to be solid and focused. For a small skateboard

company it means a lot; a lot of work, a lot of commitment, and a lot of dedication with basically no budget. What strikes me every time I’m on tour with them is the friendly and chill

mood. Everybody has his own personality of course, and some tension inevitably arises as in every trip, but a second later

everything is ironed out with a laugh. And that’s one of the things that makes the Antiz guys a real team, or better, a group of friends. Different styles of skating, no problem having to

sleep on the roof of an unfinished building, and always ready

for a new adventure; that’s what Antiz is all about. A solid company with a 10-plus year-long history and some impor-

tant changes coming. We spent a week in Roma and southern

Italy with them and sat down with filmer Ludovic Azemar, who is the man behind Out of the Blue, and talked about the

making of the video, about waking up at 4 am in the desert and

walking up to the top of a dune to watch the sunrise, and other future projects. We discovered that Out of the Blue is just the first step…. db__

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Remy Taveira // Ollie up to ollie into the wall // Roma_

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[ Interview with // Ludovic Azèmar_Antiz’s filmer ]

Hi Ludo, can you briefly introduce yourself to those who don’t know you? Ludovic Azémar, from the Parisian suburbs, but no real home for the last 4 years now? Skate videographer, 26 years old.

On your Vimeo channel I’ve watched your work in collaboration with Mark Gonzales and the clip about the Circle Boards in Paris. How did that happen and how was working with the Gonz like? Can you tell us something about this experience? Benjamin Debertd called me. The Gonz needed a filmer for this little clip in Paris. Benjamin was taking the pictures and didn’t want to film at the same time... so he called me and I said, “Yes, for sure!” Working with him was super easy, we arrived super early in the morning, and the Gonz was already there, going all over the place on the circle board. Fifteen minutes after we arrived he already wanted to stop filming... hahaha! He let me super free to do what I wanted to do, so it was cool and easy. While we were on tour you told me you haven’t had a fixed place to stay for some years, is this a personal choice or is it a consequence of your work as a filmer? How does it feel to not have a “regular” place to go back go? It’s a personal choice but also a consequence of being on trips all the time... I can’t pay rent

every month and be at home 3 days a month... especially in Paris. So many thanks to my friends in Paris and everywhere else who help me

to keep on going with this lifestyle! Especially Marion and Arnaud in Paris. It feels super good, I love it even though sometimes I wish I had my place to just chill... but I have this place at my mum’s house when I need to “rehab!” Do you think being on the road all the time is one of the peculiarities of being a skateboard filmer, and is that why this job is not for everybody? It’s a part of it for sure, doing skateboarding is a lot about traveling to me. But I know people who love to stay at home and document it and they feel good this way. I just love being in another country and being with new people on the road... and feeling free. Is Out Of The Blue your first full-length video project and your first big project with Antiz? The first big project with Antiz, yes! But I’ve been on the road with those hobos for a few years now, so I’ve been working with them a lot with small web clips. But this full-length video is not my first, I did 2 videos with Nozbone skateshop, Cafe Clope and Rendez Vous, Color Your Memories (a personal project a few years ago), and some other web clips for different companies.

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Gabriel Engelke // Wallie up to nosebonk bs out // Roma_

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How long have you been working on it and what are the best and the worst aspects of working on a full-length video? I think it’s been 2 and a half years... the good thing I think is following people for a long time, start creating and building something with them, and making the video the way people want it. When you spend a few years on the road with the same guys, for sure something is created among the crew. The worst part is that you need a lot of energy. You film 2 years and a half for a 25-minute video that is gonna be forgotten after a few weeks... hahaha! But I think full-length videos will not die. I still enjoying watching and doing them!

Antiz has a huge team with a lot of people, what’s it like to work and travel with so many different personalities? Who made you laugh the most while filming and who drove you crazy more than once? We want names and stories… ha ha ha! The thing is that they are all different. That’s the good thing about Antiz, that’s what I like. Working with different personalities, different types of skateboarding too. I really like to film with all of them because of all these differences. Sometimes I just don’t feel good or too motivated to film, so I guess it’s my fault when it doesn’t go well... I just hate filming with people who go crazy after 3 tries... hahaha!

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Is it true that when Hugo is leading the team the soundtrack in the van is death metal music only, and when Juju is the boss the sound is more mellow and romantic because he’s getting married in a few months? What do you prefer more? Haha kind of... to be honest we only have 10 metal compilations and a few old French CD’s in the van... so it’s more or less metal and rock music in the van. Luckily for us, some guys have those speaker boxes so we don’t have to listen to the same songs all the time! I’m pretty easy with the music, I enjoy any style! Which countries did you travel to while filming for the video, and which mission was the most fun and productive? We’ve been to Morocco, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Finland... and I guess some guys like Dominik went to South Africa, China, and the USA. Morocco was the best! The desert and no drinking for 10 days made for a trip full of good tricks! And nearly the whole crew was there. We had really good times, and I think Greece was another super good trip as well, Thanos is the man! We just had super good times in many ways!! So super productive as well...

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Hugo Liard // Fs tailslide // Roma_

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Teemu Pirinen // Fs crooks // Roma_

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Samu Karvonen // Boardslide pop out // Salerno_ a brief glance

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What was the strangest place you slept in during your travels with the boys? I’ve seen some pics of you guys sleeping on the rooftop of a house... Yes, that was in Greece, we had a small flat and we were like 10 guys inside I think, so the first night some guys went to sleep on the roof, but the next day we had some neighbors complaining that some hobos slept on the roof ! So we got kicked off of the roof... then it was another 10 days of the Tetris game every night, as usual! But I think for me the best one was the night in the desert in Morocco. We arrived late at the camp after 45 minutes or maybe more, of riding on the back of camels. We slept a few hours and woke up before sunrise. I saw the guys were already on top of the dune, so I started running right after waking up with the camera bag on my back... but the dunes were pretty high and walking on the sand is not so easy! I almost puked half way up the dune... but when I reached the top of the dune, I think it was just “magic time.” The stars fainted away and the sun said hello to us... it was just the best feeling!

Then for the title, I was at the office in Lyon, and we were thinking of a title (like 3 weeks before the premiere) and Hugo came out of the toilet and just said, ”Let’s call it Out Of The Blue, Into The Van.” We all agreed straight away! Hahaha, so for the second video we tried to make more stuff with the van... let’s see how it comes out!

What do you think a skateboard video should have to stand out nowadays in the ocean of clips and video edits we see every year on the web? I think it’s hard to drop a big video nowadays... but as I said I don’t think it will die. To be honest, I don’t really watch those daily clips on the web, I really do prefer a good strong edit with no bullshit music... I’m more into watching one good edit a thousand times, than watching 10.000 videos in less than a hour, hahaha!

Do you also work outside of skateboarding? If you do, which projects have you worked on, what are the main differences you have noticed, and how has the “improvisation factor” so typical of skateboard filming helped you? I wish I could... hopefully next year I’ll have time to do it a bit... but these days I really only film skateboarding. I made two little documentaries for Rvca about Jerome Romain and Charles Collet, and I really enjoyed making them! I think the “improvisation factor” helps a lot, even photographers I think. We always shoot with these street conditions... weather, people around… so when you work in “normal” shooting conditions with assistants and stuff, for sure it seems easier! I can see how I work when we go on trips, running between cameras to shoot different angles, trying not to film every trick from the same place, so when you have people to help you with these tasks, it’s easier for sure!

When you started working on this project what was the idea behind it? And what do you think the plus side of the video is now that it’s finished? Haha, the concept was really not in our minds, we wanted one but we definitely did not have one... haha, we just thought, “Yes, the blue van is super nice let’s create the video around it...”

What’s your opinion about the future and importance of full-length videos? As I already said, for me it’s the best thing... even if it’s not super easy. I mean working on small clips is super good, it goes fast, and you can work on different types of ideas. But the idea of spending 2 years on a project, traveling with the same crew makes the project more ”human” I think... If you had to list 3 skateboard video makers whose works stand out in your opinion, who would that be and why? Fred Mortagne, Greg Hunt and Pontus Alv just for the videos they made.

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Remy Taveira // full speed gap to lipslide // Roma_ a brief glance

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Samu Karvonen // Bs tailslide pop out // Roma_

What do you like the most and what less about filming skateboarding? I really like that you share something with the skater. When filming a line you push with him and try to motivate the guy. And you really work together to make something that he’s gonna like. And yes, also this traveling time, being here one day, and the next day you’re somewhere else... meeting people too. And for sure doing something that is your passion, I feel lucky compared to other people who really have no idea what to do for a living and who have no passions. And the down side... the money maybe, haha! Antiz has been on the scene for more than 10 years now, you have been in touch with the team and the company for the last 3 years, so you have had a privileged point of view, how do you see the the future of Antiz Skateboards? I think these days some changes are going on at Antiz, in a good way. New graphics and fresh blood. Even in the video, Polo has his own style, me too... so for sure it’s gonna change positively for the full-length. I think it’s good after more than 10 years to refresh the whole thing. What’s next for you? Are you going to chill for a bit or do you already have something cooking? We are working on the second episode straight away... so back in the blue van for the next 6 months! I’m also starting a new video project with Vincent Coupeau... but it will start for real in January!

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Gypsy

[ Interview with Boris Proust, Cliché’s filmer ]

LIFE _the new Cliché video_ a brief glance

Photography and intro // Davide Biondani_ Interview // Guido Bendotti_

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The Gypsy tours are a Clichè classic and among their videos

they are the ones I prefer. The idea is as simple as it is brilliant: take your team on tour for 15 days, give each skater a 10 Euro

budget per day, sleep in tents anywhere, washing up only when

possible, and eating what you can get. Basically a normal skate tour any wretch on Earth would take part in... The difference is that the Cliché guys skate on a whole other level!

It’s probably Jeremie Daclin’s annual revenge on the guys for the stress they cause him... and is probably also what is behind the Gypsy tours.

The video is actually a mix of the missions on the road and some new amateur parts.

Boris Proust is in charge of all the Clichè video projects. He

carries on his shoulders the heavy burden and legacy of being the successor of French Fred, but instead of trying to copy what has already been done, he has brought his own style and

taste to the video, creating an excellent product. A must-watch

before going skating or before going on tour with your friends. Boris kindly submitted to our questioning, gave us some insight

about what it means to work on a video like this one, wildly traveling around for 15 days with 20k of video equipment, and also talked a bit about his future plans_db.

Maxime Geronzi // Nollie bs nosebluntslide pop over // Milano_

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Kyron Davis // Bs tailslide // Milano_

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Hi Boris, the Gypsy Life video has been out for a few weeks, how do you feel after having finished a job as big as a full-length video like this one? Satisfied and also relieved, I guess? Hi! Yes, I feel really relieved. We had some issue with iTunes just before the end, and the video needed to be 45 min and not 30 as was planned, so there was some last-minute pressure but it worked. And yes, pretty satisfied of the video, lots of work with the green screen but I like how came out. This was the second Clichè video you worked on, what were the main differences between the approach you had for Bon Voyage compa-

red to this one? Gypsy Life is completely different, in Bon Voyage I’d say it’s like a “basic” video ‘into which I put a lot of time and effort too,’ but yes, it’s like intro, parts, and outro. In Gypsy life there’s sort of a story, the video is based on the 15 days under a tent, with the amateur parts in between. The pro parts and all other parts are “linked”... like the first Gypsy part is more focused on Paul whose part follows, the same goes for Kyron and Max later in the video. But there are also thematics as you can see in the challenge section and the tent section. It is all “organized” and that took me a really long time... haha. Until a while ago you were on the official Clichè team, and now that you have tried both positions, do you prefer being in front or behind the lens? How many times have you gotten to a spot and would rather have brought the board instead of the camera? Ha ha... Hehe, I think I like both, but when you are with all those guys I really want to skate sometimes, but most of the time after their session the spot is killed or I’m pretty cold and don’t really want to skate the spot alone. I used to take my board on tour all the time, but now I think it’s better

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to focus on one thing if you really want to do it well. I know you study cinematography at a school in France, is filming something that has always interested you, or did you bump into it by chance to find that you actually liked it? My father gave me a camera like 13 years ago, a shitty camera but I immediately found it fun and used it all the time just to film skateboarding at the beginning, and then short movies when I was in university. I think I like cinematography, but more filming “in the moment,” like skateboarding or real things that you see in the street, but I wouldn’t say no to making a film if I reaaallly liked the scenario.

The Clichè Gypsy Tour is not a tour like the others. What did you think when Jeremie hired you as a filmer, “Oh, cool!” or rather, “Oh, shit .. why me.. but I can’t say no?!” Ha ha ha. No, I was pretty hyped when he asked me to film, and for me it’s not like a mission to do it. I used to do it all the time with the homies, so I’m stoked to be where I am. What are the worst things you had to face as a filmer during the trip? I mean with 20k of video gear, cards to be downloaded, batteries to be recharged, humidity, dirt, and so on… not really the ideal situation… were there some bad moments when you thought, “What the hell am I doing here?” The worst moment was when someone broke into the car in Amsterdam and we had to take things to the van. Luckily I had my bag with me but they stole some lights and microphones, and they didn’t go into the trunk where Dan’s camera bag with all his stuff was. But they did steal his laptop too… bad situation. “Gypsies got gypsied!” as Chet said, haha!

Carlos Cardenosa // Fs bluntslide // Brescia_

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably Jeremie Daclinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual revenge on the guys for the stress they cause him... and is probably also what is behind the Gypsy tours.

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Among the guys who felt more comfortable with the Gypsy Life? Also, Chet Childress was the guest on the mission… what was it like to go around with him considering he is a bit older than the other skaters involved? Chet is the man! Reaaally cool, fun, always creating the attraction and distraction. Hope to see you again soon G! I can imagine you guys experienced many funny moments, if you had to choose 3 sick situations that happened which would they be? Hm, I’d say the day when we slept between the 2 vans with sheep, a storm, and Paul’s slam haha. Maybe when Chet was stealing with his special jacket, supper funny. And for sure when Kyron puked in the van!! What’s the real secret to survive and enjoy a Gypsy Tour? I don’t know, maybe thinking you’ll be here for a year, then 2 weeks go by easily ha ha ha. No, I don’t know... the Gypsy Tour is pretty easy I think. It seems Jeremie has fun pushing the riders to do disgusting stuff, like chew their own bloody skin or swim in a dirt canal just to get an extra 10 Euros for the day. Do you think it’s his way of expressing his sadistic side or just a revenge on the guys for the stress they cause him during the year? I’ve heard rumors they are working on a plot against him for next year… ha ha ha, do you know anything about this? Hahaha I don’t know, yeah or maybe he’s the real true gypsy and he asks others to do what he would like to do haha The video has some parts filmed during the

tour and some filmed on other occasions, why this choice? As I said before the plan was to mix parts with Gypsy stuff. But we couldn’t make 3 Gypsy parts and full parts of Max, Paul, Kyron, Brad, and Adrien in 15 days so other missions were needed. Maxime Geronzi has the last part, a sick one I would say. When I saw him skating in Milano it seemed he was just chilling or playing around and a second later he was blasting some amazing trick on the rail…Did you ever miss a trick because of that? How was filming with him? No, it never happened but it could have, yes! Like the switch flip at Bercy that nobody filmed except Janoski with an iPhone… I think he’s more serious now. When he wants to do something he goes for it! I saw you filming with 3 cams at the same time, 2 long lenses and a drone. You were working hard on every clip… How was filming with all these cameras? Could the drone be a future option for filmers to just sit in the van and not push back and forth all day to film a line? Ha ha ha, I’m joking you did a sick job Boris! Hahaha thank you! Drones are pretty cool but I think there’s beginning to be too many drone things now. We’ll have to find something else, hahaha... like Fred’s crooked angles. What are you planning for the future? Are you working on a new project at the moment? Working on different video projects, not in skateboarding though. And doing another Mo’fo’ video with the friends here. It’ll be ready by September I think . We’ll see.

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Maxime Geronzi // Manual to bs lipslide // Milano_

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Flo Mirtain // Bs kickflip over // Brescia_

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Maxime Geronzi // Switch bs nosegrind // Milano_

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PLACES_

Photography // Fede Romanello.

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CHILE

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chile

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issue _31