NORTH SKATEBOARD MAGAZINE
ISSUE 24
©2019 Vans, Inc.
S K AT E B O A R D I N G
MANNY LOPEZ, BACKSIDE SMITH
PHOTO: MAXIME VERRET
AVAILABLE AT SKATESHOPS WORLDWIDE AVAILABLE AT SKATESH OPS W OR LD W ID E @LEVISSKATEBOARDING @LEVISKATEBOAR D IN G
TERRY WORONA FILM GALLERY DALE STARKIE Cover: Dale Starkie - Crook Pop Over Photographer: Graham Tait
TE Photography by Terry Interview by Graham
Portrait by Julien Kinori
ERRY WORONA
The first time I saw your photography was on a website called skateboardphotography.com, this was probably around 2002, does that sound right? I don’t recall how I found that site; I probably typed in “Skateboard Photography” into a Yahoo search; 2002 sounds about right. I had just picked up a camera and was wondering about the (technical) aspects of shooting skateboarding. Can you explain what that website was all about? The internet in 2002 was a lot different than it is today. Nowadays, you can learn just about anything via YouTube or whatever. At the time, there wasn’t much for skateboard photographers - most of the knowledge was by word of mouth, or if you were lucky, you had a mentor to show you the ropes. I always refer to the photographers that came out of that era as, “The Class of SBP”; [Allen] Ying, Zander [Taketomo], [Matt] Price, [Ben] Karpinski. Too many others to name. That community was really tight-knit and we all kinda learned from each other and evolved together. After skateboardphotography.com died, I tried to re-create it with jazzpush.com some years later, but I learned that some things are better left alone. As my skills developed and I became a published photographer, I always reverted to that site for critiques. Trends in skateboard photography were interesting to observe, especially in hindsight; infrared film, large format, Hasselblad fisheyes, Lumedynes, hypersync, etc. It was funny when a particular technique was shared on skateboardphotography.com and within months you’d see it showing up in the pages of Thrasher or whatever. It was our own small piece of the internet, back when communities like that were a bit more authentic.
Charlie Pravel - BS Flip - San Francisco
I felt like it was the first time you could interact with your peers and established photographers. There was nothing like it before and it was exciting to see people progress and then go on to being published. The pace at which people learned and improved was really impressive. Some members went from buying their first camera (likely a Hasselblad), to shooting beautifully composed, technically perfect skateboard photographs in a matter of months. Very rapid iteration. No digital either. Those that could afford it, shot polaroid backs to check exposure, composition, etc. before shooting a roll. Nowadays, I don’t even think people use light meters. You shoot a lot of natural light photography. Did you make a conscious decision to do that or did it happen naturally over time? It was a combination of things. For one, I moved from Canada to San Francisco where it’s not really practical to own a car — you simply skate everywhere. I would show up to the session with my car full of gear and people would kinda laugh at me — they’d be like, “Ok, we’re heading out now, good luck following us in your car.” So, I sold my car and almost half my gear. I streamlined everything and found that I could produce images that best represent skateboarding in San Francisco, without strobes or fancy sensors. It also lightened my mood - I could enjoy cruising around with my friends, actually skateboarding instead of driving which, in turn, produced better work. Aesthetically, I prefer shooting with available light — for the same reasons people still film with a VX. Skateboarding just looks better when it’s imperfect. I think skateboarding should be captured in a way that suggests the photo wasn’t preconceived or polished. At the height of my gear acquisition, I was producing photographs to spec - exposure, composition, sharpness were all dialed in from a technical point of view. I was using the best strobes and sensors that money could buy. But, I look back on those images and they don’t do anything for me. They look like they should be in a Milk or Monster Energy advertisement or something.
Los Angeles
Toronto
Kai Gormsen - Kickflip - San Francisco
You can tell your skateboard photography has been influenced by your street photography. Are you glad that San Francisco changed the way you look at your photography as a whole? The street photographer’s cliché motto is to capture the so-called “decisive moment”; composition, exposure, and sharpness are all secondary to this. If you can tell a story and evoke a certain emotion from the viewer, who cares if it’s sharp or perfectly exposed? San Francisco moves at such a rapid pace, I couldn’t help but adopt this methodology. I guess it transcended to my skateboard photography. What prompted the move from Canada to SF, and why there? I moved to San Francisco because it’s the best city in the world for skateboarding. It’s paradise - even still, with all the change and gentrification. Canada is safe. I felt like it wasn’t pushing me anymore. I had a few friends that had made the move to SF like Russ (Milligan), so I took the first job opportunity I could find and packed my bags. I still get the same feeling each time I leave and return to SF flying over the city or driving back over the bridge. A friend once said when I first moved here that “San Francisco owes you nothing”; and it’s true. San Francisco has given me so much and I’ll never be able to repay it-- at best, I can produce photographs that remind people how special it is to live here and not take it for granted. How long have you been there? About 7 years. I’ve thought about moving to LA, Seattle, NY or whatever, but my time hasn’t come yet. Still got some work to do.
Paul Liliani - FS Flip - Oakland
What are you currently working on? I have a zine called Anyways. I put out a single issue a year, limited to 100 copies. Each issue covers a trip I took earlier in the year. This is my fourth year & fourth issue; covering a trip I took in June with Snack Skateboards throughout Europe. I sell them through my website (codejazzpush.com) and through word of mouth. It’s all shot on film (not that it matters) and printed in England through an offset newspaper printing process. I think newspaper compliments film photography in a way that digital printing doesn’t; despite it being of “lower quality” from a technical point of view. Was there nowhere closer to home that could print it? I’m sure there is a local printing company, or certainly within the US, but this was a printer I found a while ago, and I wanted to keep the quality consistent across all issues. You make the zine in your spare time, what do you do for work? I’m actually an engineer at Uber AI. I’ve always been tinkering with computers and writing software since I was a kid. There’s a lot of similarities between skateboarding and engineering (and I know I’ll catch some heat for saying that). Growing up, I became accustomed to being somewhat of an outcast, because of my interest in writing software. Once, when I sprained my wrist skateboarding, I had to wear a protective brace; kids would tease me by calling me “computer wrist” over and over, whenever I passed them in the halls or whatever. It was like I doubled down on being a social kook - first with computers and then with skateboarding. But, it all worked out in the end.
San Francisco
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Las Vegas
Nile Gibbs - Varial Flip - San Francisco
Ben Gore - Ollie - San Francisco
I just googled Uber AI and it sounds mental! What do you guys do there? If it’s anything to do with making robots then please stop. I work on sensor intelligence; leveraging sensors to develop algorithms that solve problems. Before that, I worked for a variety of startups ranging from gaming to health care. It’s a fairly broad industry with an endless amount of cool stuff to do. I also write mobile applications in my spare time - none of which have been successful. Haha! I’ve always wanted to work on something that combines skateboarding and technology, but it’s like mixing oil and water. Skateboarders are notoriously anti-technology (with the exception of Instagram) and that’s perfectly fine by me. In fact, it’s probably the reason I’m able to run parallel lives; it helps keep my work and life balance in check. What apps have you tried out, any photography ones? I once forgot my light meter and downloaded a light meter app, it worked fine! Nah, I don’t mess with photography apps - just the basic camera app. I like phone cameras, though. You catch a lot of stuff with them that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to get with a point & shoot, or Leica or whatever. They are fast and discrete, and always in your pocket. They are definitely the best cameras to have for non-skate pics, in my opinion. I really liked Jerry Hsu’s new book with all Blackberry photos. The quality is shit, but the content and subjects are perfect. I don’t think cameras matter anymore, not like they once did. I give it a few more years until we have cameras embedded in our glasses that can take a photo with a blink of the eye.
Tokyo
Paris
Paris
Paris
Paris
Milan
Kevin Braun - Switch FS Flip - San Francisco
I enjoy Jerry’s photos too, he must be ready at all times to capture those! What other photographers do you like, skate and non-skate? As far as U.S.-based skate stuff goes, Zander (Taketomo) remains one of my faves. He’s the only dude still lugging around a full Hass kit and Lumedynes. It’s easy to spot a Zander photo from the rest he has a unique style, a refreshing element in the age of hypersync and digital sensors. For non-skate, I’m more influenced by people who aren’t exclusively photographers; John Baldassari, David Hockney, Agnes Martin, Cy Twombly, to name a few. I like Templeton’s series of (southern California) suburbia paintings; even more than his photographic work. I favour simple ideas, lines, colours & techniques-works that aren’t over-produced. Do you remember your first published photo? My first published skate photo was in a Canadian magazine titled Concrete. It’s no longer around. In fact, few magazines I used to shoot for are still around, the most prominent of them being Color (RIP). That publication was really special to me and a lot of others. One of the last photographs I shot, while still living in Canada, ended up as a cover for Color Magazine. After that, I figured my career was complete and I could happily retire from shooting skateboarding (which I didn’t).
Jonatan Drab - Kickflip - Madrid
Marseille
Rome
Josh Robertson - Switch Ollie - San Francisco
Why was Color so special? Color showcased some of the very best skateboard photography in Canada and the U.S. If you were printed in Color, it felt special. The design and content were so forward-thinking and atypical for the time. For instance, their covers rarely featured skateboarding. Even the paper smelled good. It was a magazine that covered all aspects of skateboard culture, including music, art, cinema, literature, and fashion. Nowadays, this stuff is commonplace, but at the time, it felt like a monthly dose of “what’s good”. As a Canadian, finding yourself in the pages of Color meant that it was also in skate-shops throughout America including LA, SF and New York City, which was a big deal at the time. Do you feel like there’s more for you to achieve within skateboarding photography? No, I don’t have any future goals or milestones to attain with photography. I just want to travel and document skateboarding with my friends for as long as I can. I was dealt some pretty hectic news involving my knee, which kinda made me realize this whole skateboard (photography) thing won’t last forever; so, I’m trying to make the most of it. Do you still get hyped on photographing skateboarding? The way I approach shooting has changed. I think if I focused entirely on shooting for publication like I did in my early 20’s, I would be miserable. The work that appears in print or web is just a small component of the overall experience, that’s what gets me hyped the most — the memories I guess, and the images that accompany them.
Roger Krebs - BS Smith - Marseille
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FILM GALLERY Ross Zajac Switch Wallie Photographer - Graham Tait Camera - Hasselblad 500cm Film - Fuji Provia 100F Location - Glasgow, Scotland
Myles Rushforth Gap to Nosegrind Photographer - Graham Tait Camera - Hasselblad 500cm Film - Fuji Provia 100F Location - Barnsley, England “Barnsely town centre is getting a makeover! The bad news is it now looks like every other town centre in the country, I liked how old school and 80’s it looked. The good news is that there’s new shit to skate.”
Valen Sabin Wallride Nollie Photographer - Alec Chuvarsky Camera - Hasselblad 500cm Film - Fuji Pro 400h Location - Denver, Colorado
Garrett Moore Crook Photographer - Alec Chuvarsky Camera - Hasselblad Xpan Film - Kodak Tri-X 400 Location - San Francisco “These shots are of two good longtime friends who both ride for a local shop out here in Denver called Emage. The wallride nollie was shot a block away from my house in the Whittier neighbourhood of Denver at an older building being used as a community meeting centre, it will soon be renovated and turned into overpriced apartments , a common practice in Denver that is rapidly being gentrified. The crooked grind was shot on Twin Peaks in SF, a heavily photographed spot above the city that has these barriers running along the top and some amazing hills to bomb.�
Mason Merlino Crossbone Photographer - Tal Roberts Camera - Leica M6 Film - Kodak Tri-X Location - Portland, Oregon, USA
TJ Schick BS Air Photographer - Tal Roberts Camera - Hasselblad Xpan Film - Kodak Tri-X Location - Portland, Oregon, USA
Robin Fischer BS 180 Nosegrind Photographer - Balthazar Wyss Camera - Pentax 6x7 Film - Ilford Delta 3200 Location - Basel, Switzerland “This was taken during a late afternoon photo mission with Robin, the sun was quickly going down and the light on this odd concrete spot was filtered by tree branches.�
Michael Mackrodt FS Pivot Photographer - Friedjof Feye Camera - Canon T90 Film - Agfa Vista 400 - Darkroom print Location - Berlin, Germany
Mike Arnold Ollie Hippie-jump Photographer - Nathan Rutherford Camera - Hasselblad Xpan II Film - Ilford Delta 400 Location - Canada Water, London
“Myles Willard is a buddy of mine who grew up in Baltimore. He brought a van full of Toy Machine/ Foundation guys to Baltimore to skate some things and film for the new Toy Machine vid. They skated some pretty rough spots all around the city and I think they got a good idea of how unique Baltimore Skateboarding is. Lots of stoops, bump to bars, and no shortage of rough ground.”
Dakota Servold Kickflip Photographer - Sam Shuman Camera - Nikon Fm2 Film - Fuji Natura 1600 Location - West Baltimore, Maryland, USA
John Gardner Frontside Air Photographer - Andy Enos Camera - Hasselblad 500cm Film - Fuji Provia 100F Location - Readington, New Jersey, USA “This pool has only been drained a handful of times over the last 10 years since John first found it. The pool is slick in some parts and rough in others, very lumpy with quick, steep, vertical transitions that make it almost impossible to keep your speed, let alone actually do something once you reach the coping. John makes it look easy with this frontside air in the steepest part of the deep end.�
Adam Tabone FS Noseslide Photographer - Brendan Frost Camera - Nikon F90X Film - Kodak Ektar 100 Location - Newcastle, NSW, Australia “I love rough roadside construction spots like this and when the guys on the scene started saying it looked like something in an classic NYC video I attempted to replicate something of a classic skate shot. I dunno if I succeeded or if this is just a lame way to explain something that was heaps of fun. Haha!�
David Pearce BS Tailslide Photographer - Brendan Frost Camera - Nikon F90X Film - Fuji Superia Location - Sydney, NSW, Australia “I’d say follow Dave on Instagram but he changes his Instagram name about 7 times a month.”
Uryann Raudet Ollie Photographer - Fabien Ponsero Camera - Hasselblad Xpan Film - Rollei RPX 400 Location - Vienna, Austria
Samu Karvonen BS Nollie Flip Photographer - Fabien Ponsero Camera - Hasselblad Xpan Film - Rollei RPX 400 (Pushed to 800) Location - Milano, Italy
Taylor Nawrocki Nose Wheelie Photographer - Alex Reyes Camera - Canon Eos 3 Film - Kodak Portra 400 Location - Tokyo, Japan
John Baragwanath Ollie Photographer - Alex Reyes Camera - Canon Eos 3 Film - Kodak Ektar 100 Location - Tokyo, Japan
Hiroki Muraoka Gap to Crook Photographer - Alex Reyes Camera - Canon Eos 3 Film - Kodak Portra 400 Location - Tokyo, Japan “If you needed another reason to further respect the legendary work of Nobuo Iseki, go to Tokyo and try to shoot a photo during the daytime. Every security guard and police officer is militantly serious about their job— meaning you’re getting no more than 5 to 10 minutes at any spot. Even concerned citizens walking past will give you the boot. You’ll rarely have time to set up flashes and first priority will still belong to the filmer getting a clip. These photos are the product of a whole crew working with restrictions— a healthy exercise in my opinion.”
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Photography by Graham Tait Interview by Josh Hallett (with Myles Rushforth)
D - Welllllll we are back…
J - When did you start skating?
J - Alright Dale! Where are we at and what’s been going on tonight?
D - I probably started about fifteen years ago. I kind of knew what skateboarding was but not really, so I would just push down the
D - It was my 25th birthday a couple of days ago and there was a
road on my knees. There was a pothole on my street and I had no
bit of a surprise party tonight at my house and now we are at Brude
idea that the board couldn’t go over it, so I ended up smashing my
and I’m pretty drunk. I haven’t been drunk in a while.
face in. I thought that meant skateboarding wasn’t really for me.
J - You don’t really drink do you?
M - When did you first see real skateboarders?
D - I don’t drink often no. The taste of beer is shit. You know when
D - Well some time after that face plant I was in the car with my
you have your first beer and everyone says “You will get used to
mum in Newquay or Scarborough, somewhere around there…
the taste”, well I never got used to it. So I’m sipping a double vodka lemonade now and that tastes much better.
J - Opposite ends of the country…
M - Sorry, I’m quickly going to jump in here. Since we are kind of on
D - …and I saw some skateboarders who were actually standing
the subject of birthdays, can you just tell us about your 21st birthday
on their boards. So I asked her if I could get a board again and she
present?
was down. I would then just skate by myself and for about three years I didn’t really know what anything was. I thought the best
D - I went away for a few days to Norway for my birthday and when
thing you could actually do on a skateboard was ride down a hill.
I got back home there was this skateboard wallpaper over one of my walls in my bedroom. It was of a 14 year old kid doing a rocket
J - Even after three years?
ollie with skyscrapers in the background and it covers the whole wall. That was my 21st birthday present.
D - Honestly, all that time I had no idea what tricks were. I would just ride it down a hill on my own. I was pushing mongo and skating
J - Well really it’s quite fitting because you are a huge grom and we love
in K-Swiss with the tongue that flipped around and had a different
you for it.
pattern on each side.
D - Yeah, I’m quite a grom to be honest. That wallpaper in the
M - What was the first video you saw?
bedroom really says it all. My 21st and that’s my present...”Thanks mum! Love you mum!”
D - Well eventually I went to The Works and there was somebody there selling DVDs on the counter. I ended up buying ‘Bag Of Suck’ for a fiver.
J - Hence why Jerry Hsu is your favourite skater? BS Wallride
D - Yep. Jerry is my favourite skater.
J - Is he really though? What about Bam?
J - Yes because it’s strange that you got hooked up by a shop that is about 50 miles away from Leeds. I went into Popcorn years ago and
D - Bam is pretty cool. After watching ‘Bag Of Suck’ I realised you can actually do tricks and they looked sick. I realised that this is the type of skateboarding I needed to be doing. Then around that time the whole Jackass thing came into my life. I’d watch ‘Viva La Bam’ a lot. Bam had his own park in his house and I’d think “Wow that’s fucking sick!” He was just a huge star wasn’t he? I was caught up
bought their video. You had a part in it. D - I’m pretty sure you’re the only person that bought that video. I linked up with those guys because I was filming some stuff at The Works one day and decided to put the footage on Facebook as a bit of a ‘sponsor me’ video. Somebody at Popcorn must have seen
in that whole vibe of Bam is the best skateboarder in the world.
it and they reached out to me. They said they could give me cheap
J - You briefly mentioned The Works. Growing up, how important was
just stoked to be getting some product.
boards and hook me up with this and that. Being so young I was
that place to you? J - You were rocking a straightened fringe and New Era cap in those days. D - Very important! The place taught me how to learn the basics and I also met some of my closest friends there. The Works
D - It wasn’t New Era, it was a Diamond cap and I wore it
definitely had a big impact on my life.
backwards. Also, the fringe wasn’t straightened! That was just how
J - You were late-flipping every obstacle in the place.
sideways but I definitely didn’t. Just imagine Lil’ Chris on a
it looked with the backwards cap. People say I used to wear it skateboard though, that was me.
D - Well watching Mike Wright skate there was crazy. He’d do late flips and I was blown away by them. I had a trampoline in my garden and that’s how I learned how to do them. Nollie late flips
J - How did you end up getting hooked up by Welcome?
and backside 180 late flips became my go-to tricks. Haha!
D - I knew Tom Brown from when he used to come to my school.
J - The difference was Mike could do every trick and was probably doing
as well. I didn’t really believe him at first and thought he was just
He was a youth worker at the time and he’d tell me that he skated
the late flips as a laugh. You were putting in the time to learn them.
some guy trying to be down with the kids. Haha! One day he gave
D - Yeah I definitely was. Mike had a special bar when skating that
Harrison and loads of other Leeds guys. I also knew he was
place. He’d do the most insane lines where the tricks got harder and harder.
me the ‘Herald’ video which he was in with Mike Wright, Tom completely legit when I was watching the Extreme Sports channel and they did a bit on A Third Foot. He’d stopped pushing mongo by this point as well so I thought he was sick!
J - He is the best skateboarder I’ve ever seen in person. D - Yeah for sure. Just incredible. J - Was it around this time you started skating for Popcorn? D - Oh god, do we have to mention this?
Kickflip
J - I’d seen you in that Popcorn video but didn’t have any idea who you
J - The first time we went filming together you did a trick down the Tech
were. I first heard of you through Welcome as Tom Brown, Leon Walton
11 rail and your response to the footage was“Oh that was actually filmed
and Callum Francis would big you up back in the day.
alright.”
D - Well Tom had always told me that he wanted to open a shop in
D - I was just used to filming with lots of different people and most
Leeds. There was definitely a need for one at that time.
of the footage was just at The Works so I wasn’t particularly hyped on how a lot of it looked. That day with you was a little confusing
J - Were you not skating when Wisdom and Exit were in Leeds?
though. I told you that I’d wanted to do that trick and you said that you were going to go home and walk your dog first. I wanted to
D - I never went to Wisdom but I did go into Exit and that’s where
front smith this rail but you just left and walked your dog instead.
I bought my first proper board from. Just a blank complete setup.
Haha!
J - So Welcome became your first real local skate shop then?
J - Russell comes first. Always.
D - Yeah when it was under Crash Records on Briggate I would
D - Yeah he does.
lurk in there and chill with Leon when he was working. I used to go out filming and then take the footage straight back to the shop
J - It worked out though. You did three tricks within fifteen minutes or so.
and show them the trick I’d just done. I was stoked that those guys
That was very impressive to me because at that time I was filming Will
thought I was cool, but they probably didn’t. Haha!
Sheerin skating down five stairs. Actually, I still am.
J - You’ve mentioned Harrison. He was a bit of a hero to you right?
D - Yeah it worked out I guess. I used to love skating that rail for some reason.
D - Harrison had a big influence on me. M - How did you meet Josh? M - What’s your favourite Harrison part? J - I actually don’t remember. D - There’s only one. Haha! His Sidewalk ‘In Progress’ part where he did the nosepick at Man Bank. That’s actually insane. Pushing
D - Maybe my 18th birthday at Mike Arnold’s house? That was
up to that spot and doing that trick is so ridiculous. He’s a legend
when we opened his wardrobe and it was empty apart for one
for that!
Hawaiian shirt hung up. Haha! Or maybe it was that day we filmed at Tech 11. I don’t really know either. J - Did you feel like you needed to skate the more famous Leeds spots to get noticed? D - Not particularly. I was so oblivious to skateboarding and I didn’t really know what the famous spots were. For a long time I didn’t
Blunt Fakie
actually understand what nollie and switch were.
J - Yeah when we met you couldn’t do much in nollie or switch.
J - How did you end up getting on Etnies?
D - Definitely a strange time realising you had to re-learn everything
D - I was at work one day and got a call from Gez at Sole Tech
again. Still learning it no.
asking if I’d like to get some shoes. He said he’d heard about me and was keen to send me some product. I was so stoked and
J - You’ve had a few board hookups over the years haven’t you?
ended up telling everyone that night that I now ride for Etnies. Such a grom move! I really loved riding for Etnies over the years. We had
D - 14:01 was the first legit board sponsor I had. They must have
a good crew at that time. Myles, Ben Rowles, Chris Mann, Jiri Bulin
heard of me through word of mouth or something because one day
and Rikk Fields. Ben basically became a bit of a team manager and
I got a call asking if I’d like to ride for them. They had, and still do
proposed the idea of making a short video.
have, a really good aesthetic and a good team. J - Yeah he was the driving force behind ‘Turkey’. That was a really fun J - That ‘Trio’ video they put out last year was really good.
time.
D - When I rode for them it was all just starting out and I think the
D - Yeah it was. We worked hard on that for about a year and it was
deal was two boards for £50 a month. I was really happy to be
such a fun project. I thought the video was great and that maybe it
a part of it but I started skating with Mike Wright a lot more and
would spark something and we could do more in the future.
the guys at Steak Skateboards hit me up. One month they sent me like eight boards, which was insane to me. I was about 17,
M - We definitely thought that close crew and vibe would continue
on the same team as Mike Wright and had too many boards to
afterwards.
get through. The Steak guys treated me really well and hooked me up with a lot of product regularly and I was really grateful for
D - Maybe the lack of any budget was the reason but nothing
that. However, I wasn’t particularly hyped on the actual brand so I
really happened after we made that video. I wasn’t quite sure what
wasn’t making much of an effort to film anything for them. I was just
I expected after that video, maybe some more interest into future
skating at The Works a lot. It was a training ground.
projects or something, but that didn’t seem to happen. We pretty much made ‘Turkey’ by ourselves, then when it was done, that
J - You rode for Would for a while as well.
was it.
D - Yeah, Tom Brown sorted that out for me. I think Cam Barr was riding for them around this time too. I went on a trip to Madrid with the team and got on with everyone but after that I didn’t see any of those boys for years. I began to feel like I wasn’t a part of it anymore and decided to part ways. Would really helped me out for a few years and I’ll always appreciate that.
Heelflip
J - There was a lack of a real team manager then though. This was before Kev was there. D - Yeah it was. Shout out to Kev Parrott! When he started at Sole Tech, he put up with a lot of my shit to be honest. I was, and still am, very particular with the type of shoes I skate. There was basically one model of shoe that I liked skating and Kev was aways so helpful in getting it for me. He once rang me and asked me what I wanted to get out of riding for Etnies and I told him I want to be more than just a number on a piece of paper. I wanted to maybe go on some trips and help push the brand in any way I can. J - I get that. You’re not somebody who expects to get paid or anything. D - No not at all. I just wanted to be more involved, but it came to a point though where I was over it. Kev is still doing good shit over there though and I’m stoked that someone like Jiri has been going on more trips. Jiri is an amazing dude and an amazing skater. A new dad (congrats mate) and yet he’ll go out and switch backtail a handrail or something. J - Haha! You’re not switch back tailing anything... D - Not a chance. J - Something I’ve always liked is that all you really want is respect from people that you admire. People like Marnold and Knox for example. D - If the people I look up to like Mike, Knox, Joe Gavin and Harrison are stoked on something that I do and give me some props, then I’m honestly over the moon. I really am happy with just that.
BS Nosegrind up and along Pop Out
J - That’s sick.
That week I went to my boss on crutches and told him I couldn’t start the job yet and that’s when he told me if I broke anything else
D - Yeah that feedback makes me want to do more and it makes
he would sack me. So basically, that’s where all my anger in
me try harder. They are the skateboarders that I love the most and
skateboarding comes from.
to hear anything positive from them is amazing. J - Outside of skateboarding, what do you get up to? J - Shall we talk about your anger? D - I don’t have many other interests apart from my uni course and D - Definitely.
then working now and again. I guess a bit of a strange hobby I have is building Micro RC planes. Even before I started skating I was
J - You do have quite a temper.
intrigued by how planes could fly. I would always build planes but they wouldn’t ever work because I was too young to
D - Well I had a brick laying job and my boss told me that if I broke
understand the aerodynamics. Now that I’m older I understand it
anything that he would just fire me. That really hit me hard. My dad
more and I’ve built many planes small enough to fly in my living
had gotten me the job and I wanted to prove my worth. When I
room and that have a total weight of two grams. That probably
would try a trick, all I would think about was the worst case
doesn’t mean much to many people, but in the Micro RC world it’s
scenario. I’d think that I would roll my ankle, break my wrist or even
quite impressive!
snap my neck. That isn’t the mindset you want to have when you trying something that scares you. So I get angry and start shouting
J - Over the last few years you’ve been riding for enjoi through Dwindle.
and screaming but it’s always at myself.
How did that come about?
J - How about the time you landed a trick but I didn’t like the way I filmed
D - Because of you.
it. I asked you to do it again and broke your leg. J - I think it was more because of Tom Brown but we did put you forward D - Oh man that was a weird one. That was just as I was about to
to Scott Howes at Dwindle.
start that brick laying job. I didn’t know I’d broken it, it just felt really weird and I walked on it. Haha! You made me walk to the hospital.
D - I love Scott Howes. He always sorted me out big time. He got me over to the US for that Dwindle ‘Skatecation’ trip and threw me
J - I didn’t make you walk! You were walking about so obviously I just
into the van with Louie Barletta and the rest of the enjoi team for
thought you were fine.We went our separate ways and later that day I got
their 2017 UK tour.
a text from you. It was a photo of you in a full leg cast up to the hip. I felt so guilty but it was a really funny photo. D - I was really close to the hospital and thought that it felt alright so I decided to take a normal step. I collapsed to the floor and realised something was definitely wrong. I limped into A&E, had the x-ray and it turned out to be broken. They put me in that full cast right up to my hip.
Taildrop
J - Tell us about the Louie Barletta slam.
J - I guess it’s a niche but you don’t actually skate off many roofs. You’re not Jaws. Myles and I are trying to re-brand you as the UK Bobby
D - Holy fuck. A signing at Native in Newcastle had just finished
Worrest. Haha! I think this new part we are working on is more well
and we were walking down a cobbled street. Louie was on his
rounded.
phone and about to get into a taxi when he slipped off the curb, rolled his ankle and hit the ground. I love his video parts and I watch them a lot, but this was on par with any slam I’ve seen him
D - Yeah it probably is but I still love that feeling of rolling away from some high impact.
take. His phone went under the taxi and everything. He rolled his ankle, took it to his knee, then to his hip and just crumbled on the
J - It’s a strange time for skateboarding. Everything moves so quickly
ground. I’ve never seen somebody slam so hard just from walking.
because of social media.
He got up and was so angry that he grabbed his phone, just got in the taxi and left.
D - I’m not really that active on social media myself. I post the odd
J - Current day, what’s gong on with Dale Starkie? Still a grom at heart?
film at the weekends and evenings for a real project. I’m sure every
D - That will never change. I still love Bam Margera, skating the
the next project and trying to make it better than their last thing.
Hyde Park clip here and there on Instagram, however I prefer to skateboarder around the country is doing that really. Working on
skatepark, doing acid drops and jumping off roofs etc. Basically I like doing simple tricks but with high impact and that seems to
J - What’s your view on the UK scene at the moment? As you said, people
impress people. Haha! It’s like when you watch a Joe Gavin part.
everywhere must be working on their own videos, but it does feels more
He makes all the simple stuff look so sick. People seem to have a
and more like if you want to make a significant impact then you need to
similar reaction if I drop in off a roof.
be in London. Have you ever considered moving there?
J - Wait…how drunk are you? Are you comparing yourself to Joe Gavin?
D - I don’t think so no. I’m happy doing my own thing up north.
Haha!
London has always been the hotspot hasn’t it, but there are good
D - No, I could never compare myself to him. What I’m saying is it
skateboarders.
reasons for that. There are way more spots and a lot more
seems like people are hyped to see me jump off a roof. All I need to do is take the impact. There is nothing technically good about that.
J - Definitely. We both love going down there and seeing all the boys. D - Yeah I love the London scene. Conor Charleson, Will Creswick, Will Miles and co. They’re all smashing it and doing their thing down there. I do wish some skaters from others areas got some more shine though. There are some amazing skaters around the UK that get slept on but maybe that’s because when their footage comes out people can’t relate to their spots. It’s completely different with London footage because a lot of the spots are way more relatable. If a London edit comes out then it
BS Tailslide
does seem like people are way more hyped on it.
J - How was the process of shooting on film for this interview with
J - You’ve eyed up that ollie from the roof into the bank for quite a while.
Graham?
We all thought you’d smashed your teeth in on one of the bails!
D - It has been interesting! I’m normally out with Reece Leung
Yeah that was a scary one. Every time I’ve been to that spot I’ve
who mainly shoots digital where I can instantly see the photo. With
looked off the roof into the bank but I wasn’t ever sure if it was
Graham shooting on film, even though you can’t initially see the
possible or not. The bank is so steep and short and also has a
photo, I know he’s gotten the right shot and it’ll be a nice surprise
curb at the bottom of it. The run up at the top isn’t great either to
to see them all together in the mag. If there is something that I have
be honest. The first attempt I ended up jumping off my board and
learned from shooting on film, it’s that if you can’t land shit first try
tried running down the bank, but as it’s so steep I just ended up
like Korahn then you’re going to waste film and that stuff is
slamming straight to flat. After that try I realised it was going to be
expensive. I probably used up way more film than I should have
a land or slam situation but I usually like feeling out a trick before
and I apologise for that but I really enjoyed shooting film with
actually committing to it, that wasn’t happening at this spot.
Graham.
Second try I landed into the bank but my board shot away from me before I knew what had happened. The next attempt the same
J - Talk us through a couple of the photos you shot for this interview. How
thing happened but I smashed my face on the floor. It was one of
did you come across the bank spot that you kickflipped into?
those slams where everyone goes quiet. After a slam like that it’s hard to build up the courage to try it again, however after a multiple
That bank is in the middle of nowhere and I’d never been to it
run ups, a couple of punches to the face and a few screams I was
before so it was a bit of a gamble. My friend George Worthington
rolling away. Normally when you land something it feels sick but I
skated it first and as it looked so cool I instantly wanted to go there.
was so scared with this one that I just totally blanked. I think that it’s
We didn’t have a pin for the spot, just a screenshot of a reservoir
one of those spots that you need to go to in person to appreciate
near Harrogate with the bank circled. We had to walk for quite a
but that’s pretty common in skateboarding. Haha!
while down some dirt roads and through a massive field but we found it. The spot is pretty unique as you can only skate it at certain times of the year due to landing being directly in the river that leads to the reservoir. It’s usually filled with flowing water but sometimes you can get a dry area which becomes a perfect landing strip at the bottom of the bank. At the top of the bank there is only about 3ft of run up and it is a 13ft drop on the other side which means you’re stood right on the edge before each attempt. If you don’t commit to your trick then your board shoots down into muddy water, which is what happened to me multiple times before I could actually stick it.
BS 360
Boardslide
J - You’ve recently started being flowed New Balance. How did that happen? D - I got on my knees and begged Baines. Haha! After Etnies, I was buying shoes that I knew I liked but as I was out skating with Baines quite a lot, there was a bit of an ongoing joke about putting me on. I just kept asking him and he eventually caved. I’m really grateful to him and I love the shoes, especially the 440. I skate the Tom Knox 440 all of the time and have bought multiple pairs myself as I just wanted as many as I could get. I love that shoe so much. J - We’ve been working on something new together for a while. Do you have anything else on the go? D - Not really. I’m basically just filming with you for this video. We aren’t really sure what it is yet, but I want to work hard on it and do the best shit I can. Social media has changed everything and even if you work really hard and you’re proud of your part, it still might just get forgotten the next week. I still want to do the best I can though. J - Any parting words? D - I would like to thank Graham for coming down to Leeds and spending the time with me shooting this interview, Mark Baines for sorting it all out as well as driving everywhere and hooking me up with shoes and you for being a great friend and manager. A huge thanks to Welcome, Matt at Dwindle, Tom at Form, my family and all my friends who have helped me in skateboarding. J - Finally, what’s next? D - Whatever the fuck I want.
Ollie into the bank
Thanks Mike @ Keen Dist Josh @ Theories A&M Imaging Terry Worona Dale Starkie Josh Hallett Mark Baines Lucie McIlroy Miller Heather Darwent
Editor & Photographer Graham Tait Layout & Design Graham Tait Feature Interviews Neil Macdonald [@scienceversuslife]
All the contributing photographers. Carhartt CHPO Dwindle Levi’s Skateboarding New Balance Numeric Nike SB Reppu Shiner Dist Skate Deluxe Terror Of Planet X Vans All the shops that advertise and support North.
For all advertising enquiries and film submissions please email: mail@northskatemag.com www.northskatemag.com @northskatemag The views and opinion in editorial and advertising within North do not necessarily reflect the opinions of North or any of its associates. North Skateboard Magazine and everything contained within is copyright of North Skateboard Magazine. No material may be reproduced without written permission.
A closer look at the new 440 colorway by Tom Knox
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