FUZZ Magazine

former

skegss

HURRICANE SEASON

december 2017

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WWW.LURKINGCLASS.COM

CONTENT On the cover: Rockaway Beach after Hurricane Maria. Photo: Dawn Morga

REGULARS

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FROM THE EDTIOR Story time

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CONTRIBUTORS Who did what wehre

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A FEW QUESTIONS We sit down with Sean Evans of “Hot Ones” to learn some of his favorite spots in the city

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THE PRODUCT Our holiday season essentials

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PROFILE Lacey Baker

FEATURES

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PETER SUTHERLAND A look at the New York based artists new project

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FORMER The new brand that is bluring the line between skate and surf culture

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SKEGSS We learn about the punk band that is reshaping how we think about genre

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EAST COAST HURRICANE SEASON A look back at what many are calling the best hurricane season the east coast has ever seen

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FROM THE EDITOR Story Time

I’m sitting in a pizza parlor. Like the real shithole kind. It’s dark, no windows, arcade games, dirty carpet, Fox News and clown sounds. I suppose its a little weird, me sitting here alone, midday on a beautiful Tuesday, typing on a Macintosh with greasy fingers while the rest of this bookis uploaded onto a printer’s hard drive back at the office –especially considering there’s tons of swell running and it’s 90 degrees out and that’s all happening less than a mile away from this red booth I’m in. But a man’s gotta get away. Besides, this place is paradise too: I can see the bar from my seat (in case things go completley awry) – it’s called Ye Old Filling Station and they definitley have pitchers of Budweiser. My phone is overheating and hopefully being stolen from my car in the parking lot and I just got a meal for 5 bucks flat. So it’s just you and me... and a few day laborers feasting on that same lunch deal.

Some curious things have happened. For one, we got around. Barcelona, New York, South Africa, Oregon, a desert, a forest, Baja. We just said yes. And then there was the day when a man we all know was nearly preyed upon by a great white shark right before our eyes. And the thing where some dude rode a motorcycle through the tube at Teahupo’o. And the the guy (J.O.B.) who lit himself on fire in the tube at that very same wave. And that wasn’t even all the wacky. The dudes at the WSL invited us to a party. Kolohe backed out of his own party. And El Niñolooks like it’s actually gonna be a party. And then, working away, behind the curtain of all that, was this: the ink-filled middle earth of book you’re about to discover.

The flashing lights of the Love Meter machine in the corner got me thinking: For all the fleeting good that these nutty things may do for your wesites analytic index and as conversation fodder with great-aunt Milly in December, we like to think there’s more to our lives than these hyperbolic click-bait one night stands (for the record, watching Mick get attacked is not hyperbole or click-bait; that shit was gnarly), but it’d be weird not to include it with the curiously ridiculous stunts above.

All these things undoubtedly got a lot of clicks. Came up in conversation. And more or less dominated coffee banter in parking lots, skate parks and Instagram feeds... for the day, give or take. And as awesome as something can be for one night (and yes, we know), we just demand more. We want to fall in love. Forever.

Over and over again. And we think what you’ll find inside this – our 1st book – will spark a lot more long term love affairs than the one-click freak show.

So yeah, I honestly have no idea how else to introduce you to this 1st edition of Fuzz. But this much is fact: We’ve definitley done something here. Call it a book of curious oddballs whisked together by one unifying cocktail stick (us!). All we ask is that you take a moment to recognize that in a world gone mad ( and it’s definitely gone mad), this book proves we’re still a little more far gone than the rest.

Photo: Dawn Moraga | FUZZ 7

Photo: Erik Schwab | FUZZ 9

DEC. 2017 FUZZ

CREATED BY Sean O’Dea

WITH Leslie Steiger Megan Rojek Juan Zalaquett CONTRIBUTORS Nick Steben Dawn Moraga Erik Schwab Eliot Struck Former Katie Falkenberg Jenn Harris Woody Harris Tim Torchia Brian Shannon Joe Schondel Steve Melidossian Bruce Chrisner Nick Steben Stephen Quick Leo Alexander Christor Lukasiewicz Wil Mayfield Will Skudin Hunter DeNicola Colby DeGrechie

ISSUE 01

CONTACT hello@fuzz.com

FUZZ | Issue One | December 2017 | All Rights Reserved | CONSTRUCTION | Made and printed in New York City on recycled paper

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A FEW QUESTIONS

By Jenn Harris

SEAN EVANS A

little more than a year ago, Evans became the host of a YouTube series called “Hot Ones,” produced by FirstWeFeast.com and Complex Media, which airs every Thursday. His job: to interview celebrities while he and his interview subject both eat chicken wings coated in sauces with increasing levels of heat. This is how it works: Somebody famous, maybe Michael Rapaport, comedy duo Key and Peele, Bert Kreischer, DJ Khaled or Kevin Hart, sits across from Evans at a small table. Both Evans and his guest are presented with a board of 10 wings, all sauced with hot sauce. The first is the mildest wing; the last is the hottest. Evans interviews the guest as the two make their way through the hot wings. If the person sitting at the table finishes the wings, then he or she gets 30 seconds to plug whatever he/she wants. Yes, that’s the prize.

Sean Evans and Riff Raff

There is a lot of swearing, sweating and stuttering. Bottles of water explode, copious amounts of milk are consumed — and most everyone cries. Some of the hotter sauces, including Blair’s Mega Death sauce, made with habanero peppers and cayenne pepper, measures at 550,000 Scoville units. To put things in perspective, a jalapeño is anywhere between 2,500 and 10,000 Scoville units; the Carolina Reaper, currently the hottest pepper in the world, is 2,200,000 Scoville units.

How did you get here?

Chris [Schonberger] had this idea to interview celebrities but have them eat, like, violent-hot chicken wings. It was kind of inspired by Alexa Chung, who used to do these offbeat interviews on this English TV channel. We thought, we can introduce this sort of disruptive element. We don’t know what it will yield exactly, but it will be a reaction of some kind.

Did you ever see yourself doing something like this?

My earliest memory as a kid is my dad would tape Letterman during the week

and binge-watch them all on a Saturday.

I’d make him do this thing whenever the audience laughed, I’d make him pause the VCR and explain the joke to me. In a weird way this was probably all created because I just want to make my dad laugh the way Letterman made him laugh. I became obsessed with Letterman and the interviews.

Do you eat wings when you’re not doing this?

Now I stay away from wings. I used to love wings. People come up to me and say, ‘Hey, you have to try this hot sauce, let’s go get

Sean Evans calm and collective

This chile-fueled chaos is the brainchild of Evans and FirstWeFeast.com Editor in Chief Chris Schonberger. The two created the show, and along with it, its own hot sauce you can buy online. Called the Hot Ones hot sauce, it’s a mix of chipotle pepper, ghost pepper, habanero pepper, pineapple and lime, made for the show by Phoenix, Ariz.-based Homeboy’s Hot Sauce. Of the 10 wings eaten on the show (one being the mildest), wing No. 5 is always sauced in Hot Ones hot sauce.

wings.’ I don’t even want to do that for Key and Peele. This is not a hobby. This is what I’ll go through in the same way Steve-O made a name for himself stapling himself to two-by-fours.

How do you prepare for the heat?

I just die every time. People always ask, ‘Do you line your stomach?’ No. I just have that experience. I’m not a superhero and I go through it and it sucks at times.

Growing up my dad would always have hot salsa. When I’m a little kid watching Chicago Bears games, hot salsa would be on the table and the first time I was like, ‘Ah, this is hot Dad, get mild salsa,’ and he was like: ‘Not in my house. We have real salsa. And if you can’t handle real salsa then you can just eat dry chips.’ By virtue of this C-, D+ parenting that I had, I ended up kind of building up a tolerance to spice.

I don’t have a ton of talents. I’m not this conventionally attractive TV dude. I’m not Ryan Seacrest. If I want people to pay attention to me, I have to just eat scorching-hot food.

Where do the wings come from?

They will switch up. Gunplay, when he was in, he wanted Wing Stop because Rick Ross has a Wing Stop ownership deal or

something like that, so we’re usually pretty accommodating. We’ve had one vegan celebrity come in, RZA from Wu-Tang Clan, we got him vegan wings. If somebody has a request we’ll fulfill it. But otherwise we’ll just order from Buffalo Wild Wings or whatever.

Why is the prize a 30-second plug?

We thought, wouldn’t it be funny if this is all for no real reason? Or if we made them work so hard for just the most basic reason for coming through? And everybody who we spoke to about it was, like, you need to give them a big prize. We were, like, no, it’s way funnier if we put them through this and then just give them the only reason they’d come in the first place. I mean we do give them a bag with, like, a T-shirt. And they get hot sauce.

Have things ever gotten too hot?

There’s always a part of me that kind of thinks this show, what’s going to break down the show is I’m going to get sick, someone is going to get sick or a serious medical issue. We really are operating on the edge, which is part of the draw and the appeal of the whole thing, but it does cross my mind from time to time. We might have physically harmed a famous person.

Photos: Katie Falkenberg FUZZ 13

THE PRODUCT Our Holiday Wishlist

ALLTIMERS GRUMPS $53.00 laborskateshop.com

CONVERSER PRO MID $85 laborskateshop.com

JUN JO PENDANT $98 elsenornewyork.com

CREED PAD $60.00 rageragerage.shopify.com

HOCKEY MASK CREW $60.00 fuckingawesome.store

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THE PRODUCT Our Holiday Wishlist

CRUX TOWEL $60.00 shop.former.xxx

GODFATHER PIN $16.00 callme917.com

MOLLUSK HENLEY $72.00 mollusksurfshop.com

QUASI CIVIC $34.00 quasiskateboards.com

BARREL OF A GUN $13.00 hookupsskateboards.com

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FIRST LOOK

FORMER The new project by Dane Reynolds Craig Anderson Austyn Gillette By, Eliot Struck Photos, Former

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PRECESSION Loose box fit barracuda jacket

On November 1, 2015, Dane Reynolds took his exit from a 12-year partnership with Quiksilver, after the company’s post-bankruptcy restructuring meant contract renegotiation.

Craig Anderson then chose not to renew his contract with Quik, which ended on December 31, 2015. Since then, the two have been busily constructing a new company home for themselves – and we now know the name: Please acquaint yourself with Former.

CREATION Lightweight cotton fleece

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Conceived and actioned in joint with skater Austyn Gillette (Dylan Rieder was a driving force before his recent passing), Former exists in the most pointy end of the place where surf and skate dance together. We were gifted our first look at the brand t his morning, when Dane released his new film Chapter 11, which had something of a Former sneak peek tacked onto the end.

If there is one inconvenient truth within our subculture, it is that skate companies understand brand DNA and authenticity far better than surf brands ever have. The best brands in skate are all owned by pro skaters, who remain the decision-makers within their companies (think: Girl, Palace, HUF, Bianca ChandĂ´n). This ethos, coupled with the resurgence in popularity of boutique, private companies, sets the perfect landscape for Former to enter from stage right and steal spotlight.

VIVIAN 30% silk / 70% cotton Over dyed Japanese fabric

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Dane is a wild perfectionist (mostly to his credit) and will be a driving force in getting everything just right before Former hits eComm.

Dane and Craig’s heft within surfing are undeniable. Dane is one of the most influential surfers ever, with a serious point of view. He shifted webclip culture through his digital vehicle, Marine Layer Productions.

Stickers were jammed up on the nose until Dane stuck them under his front foot. He also normalised stepdowns via the Dumpster Diver. And, (inadvertently) championed the nongym approach to surf. Craig’s legacy has been more of an aesthetic one.

That kinked back knee has become a widely-emulated stance, and the ubiquity of long hair can certainly be somewhat attributed to the South African Australian. Oh, and then there’s the whole popularising the Hypto Krypto to become the world’s best-selling surfboard, ever…

The brand might have been named Destroyer, had Stab not jumped the gun on reporting this fact, thus screwing negotiations with the gent who had already owned Destroyer as a name. Whoops. But, isn’t Former a clever, multi-layered name? And, won’t it look excellent on t-shirts?

Thing is, you might have to wait a minute for those. The gents behind Former are smart enough to start small, do those small ranges well, and then expand. And, they aren’t rushing it. Dane is a wild perfectionist (mostly to his credit) and will be a driving force in getting everything just right before Former hits eComm.

“I fucking hate uncertainty,” Dane says in Chapter 11. “Whatever you worry about or dread is never as bad as you expect. I spent years try-

CREATION Lightweight cotton fleece

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ing to validate myself and prove myself to Quiksilver and when it ended, it was like the biggest relief ever. I don’t ever wanna let some dude sitting in an office crunching numbers dictate my self-worth. Not again.

And I don’t care if I ever do a contest again. I mean, what’s important; is it money, legacy, glory? For me, I just want to live with integrity and back myself, and do something that I’m proud of.”

Are you as excited as we are to watch this thing bloom?

Keep an eye out for product early next year.

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When it comes to music, we live in a pretty weird time.

Decades have passed with artists filed in defined genres and it was so simple.

Now, not so much. There’s an outbreak of hundreds of new genres you have to be aware of. What the shit is Nu Gaze?

Underwater pop? It’s very awesome that there is no shortage of music, but at the same time isn’t it a little exhausting?

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Let us introduce you to Skegss. A band without complex. It’s just as you hear, a slack rock band, that remind you of walking bare feet, being sunburned with stiff hair thanks to sea salt. Like Goons of Doom?

You’ll enjoy Skegss. It’s lead by Ben Ben Bograil on vox and guitar, the recently very famous, Noa Deane also on the g, Toby Cregan, who is our unofficial film director dude on bass, and Johnny Layback on drums.

We asked the two-string bassist, Toby Cregan, if there was anything Skegss wanted to tell the world,

to which he replied, “We’re just doing this band for 100 percent fun.

We just wanna play shows, cruise around and drink beer... and try to make nice songs that people enjoy, derrr.”

And to describe the band in three words. “Naïve, fun …and drunk. No, wait, idiot, band, beer.”

Here’s Skegss’ first official music video, L.S.D – “The song is called L.S.D but not like acid, more like, Live.Sleep.Die.” Skegss tour Sydney next week. If you’re around, check them out. It’s a great time.

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Ben Ben Bograil, Toby Cregan and Jonny Layback of Skegss are sinking beers on a warm August afternoon at the Courthouse Hotel in Newtown, ahead of one of their few rehearsals for a national tour starting in Adelaide the next day.

The boys deserve a breather, following on from some hectic tours in locales as disparate as Brazil and New Caledonia.

“The two most random places in the world!” agrees bassist Cregan.

“That was bizarre. As random and weird as it sounds, some dude just emailed us for the New Caledonia thing. We went over there and he

put us in this flashy hotel. We were just tripping out. The whole time we were going, ‘When is this guy going to shank us in the neck?’

“But we were playing these fucking random little gigs in restaurants,” he continues.“They’re hell dorky, so the music they like is too. They just didn’t get what we were doing and they wanted us to play for like three hours or something.” He cackles.

“Yeah, full proper sets, like a jazz band or something.”

“We can’t even play more than 40 minutes,” says drummer Layback bluntly.

Their time in Brazil was equally

odd. “Yeah, we played two parties and they were both skitz,” Cregan enthuses.

“One was in a warehouse underground in São Paulo,” says guitarist and vocalist Bograil.

“They do live sex shows there – but ones that are like performance art,” Cregan explains. “You go there and it’s in this like concrete room – it smelt gross when we went down there to check out the venue. The guy was saying, ‘Oh yes, they come down here and this is where they have sex!’ They put the stage where the people literally lay on the concrete and fuck in front of all these

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“Grown-ups suck compared to teenage people.”

people.” Cregan still seems a little taken aback.

As for future overseas tours, Layback seamlessly suggests Fiji, although the reality is that less tropic and much more conventional European shows are on the cards for the next year. On the local front, the trio are now deep into their first national tour, one that will have the group wrapping up in their hometown of Byron in September. Wollongong’s Yours & Owls Festival follows in early October, with the band returning to the lineup after playing last year.

Not much will be different this time in the ‘Gong, though they admit they have altered their opinions on what playing to a young audience entails. “Jimmy from the Dumb Punts actually filled in for me last

year, because I couldn’t go,” says Cregan. “We’re fucking the same, except Jimmy’s not going to be there. I’ll be playing the bass not as good.

“It’s so good playing to the kiddies,” he laughs. “I used to not want to play to the kiddies at all. Like the first time we were playing an all-ages show, I pictured all the kids this big.” He motions to about half a metre off the ground. “I just thought they were all little fucking idiots, and then I got there and the kids were so into it. Grown-ups suck compared to teenage people.”

Cregan continues, on a roll now.

“Heaps of kids from Sydney are asking us to play an all-ages, so I think we’re going to do one in summer. We would’ve done ’em in every

state [this tour], except it’s hard to get all-ages venues and stuff. It’s unfair for the kiddies.”

On the subject of their next Sydney gig, Layback is blunt when asked why revellers should get there early to catch Verge Collection and Dumb Punts. “’Cause they’re better than us.” There’s laughter all round. “’Cause they’re better than us!”

Cregan repeats with his infectious cackle.

More serious, Bograil praises the pair of acts. “Vergies are such a tight band and their songs, even if you’ve never heard them before, they’re real easy to listen to. They’ve got heaps nice songs. Dumb Punts are all real close friends, but the coolest people you could ever be

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friends with, ’cause they’re just so stoked and just have funny banter between ’em. [They] bounce off each other the whole time.”

As the boys’ schooners are emptied and taken away, we approach the subject of a typical gig and what to expect. “Um, like, you just start,” Bograil says free of irony. “Hopefully everything works … we sometimes have tuning problems.”

“Technical difficulties,” Layback adds, before Cregan sums it up.

“A typical Skegss gig is like: get too drunk beforehand to play then play terribly, fucking me and Benny will go out of tune for a little bit, maybe have a fight, kick my pedal over, hit someone in the head with my guitar, tell everyone we have small dicks and then leave.” They all laugh.

“We don’t have to be drunk to tell everyone we have little dicks,” Cregan continues. “But I think that’s like from my point of view. If you come to one of our shows, it could potentially be fun. Even though we’re not going to be the most technically sound band you’ve ever seen.”

“We have the most hectic fights,” Bograil finishes, smiling the smile of a proud man.

A Look Back

NY. Photo: Brian Shannon

At one of the greatest hurricane seasons on the east coast

By Jay Reale

The East Coast has been on fire. Of course, this isn’t meant in a literal sense, but it’s no secret that hurricanes and tropical storms have been lighting up the Atlantic. Unfortunately, these weather events caused mass destruction, loss of life and impacted millions of people. Seeing the devastation people still face in places like Puerto Rico and other islands ravaged by storms, it honestly felt weird to be stoked about the arrival of waves as a byproduct.

NC. Photo: Woody Harris

hile I have no plans to make this my magnum opus, a recent three-day sojourn across the country to sample the hurricane-fueled waves of the Sunshine State just renewed my stoke.

But more importantly, it reminded me how important “getting away� from the day-to-day existence we all sometimes want a break from.

The pull of responsibility constantly battles with the adventurer inside me.

I try to find the balance between being there for my family, my business, paying the bills, fixing stuff around the house, and the excitement of going someplace new, surfing different spots (or old favorites), meeting local surfers and bodyboarders, chasing warm water on a whim, and spending all day riding waves with no particular place to be. This trip was a throwback to my pro bodyboarding days.

Or, maybe it was my version of a midlife crisis.

W

FUZZ 41 Mike Gleason, NJ. Photo: Tim Torchia

Alex Brooks, NJ. Photo: Joe Schondel

I blame it all on social media. For weeks on end, my feeds have been choked with a plethora of heaving barrels back on the East Coast. New York nuggets, Outer Banks barrels, Florida juice, and my Facebook friends from back east reveling in the glory of the best hurricane season in recent memory. And while I live in typically surf-soaked San Clemente, a two-week flat spell in mid-September and a light work schedule were all it took to fuel a Sunday morning of checking airfares and forecasts. Alas, Hurricane Jose was about finished

NC, Photo: Jay Reale

working his magic in the northeast and his successor Maria was chugging northwestward in the Atlantic, perched to funnel swell westward.

My former hometown, Ocean City, Maryland was forecast to be onshore through most of the week, but Florida looked to reap the trifecta of plenty of swell, perfect weather, and favorable winds. Tickets from Los Angeles to Orlando were only $335, so I got permission from the boss (my wife, Vicki) and booked a dive motel on the beach.

On Tuesday morning, the rumble

of long-period swell filled the air and the hair on the back of my neck bristled with the offshore breeze.

It was on! I met my local contact, Jason, his fiancee’, and his son Jaden at a beach up the road a bit and we headed into the gloriously balmy 84-degree water and pumping headhigh-plus waves. After a solid two and a half hours, we took a break for breakfast and mulled over where to go next.

One great thing about this crew is they aren’t afraid of driving. They thought nothing of driving 30

NJ. Photo: Bruce Chrisner

Unidentified, RI. Photo: Steve Melidossian

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NC. Photo: Nick Steben

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Fisher Heverly, NC. Photo: Stephen Quick

RI. Photo: Leo Alexander

c minutes south just to check Sebastian Inlet and the Vero Beach area before rebounding back north to finally pick a spot along the highway.

After another couple of hours, everyone parted ways and I hauled it back to my motel where I paddled out front for session number three before sunset, not wanting to waste a single minute.

On Wednesday, a disappointing east wind plagued the surf out front but the boys were already checking the conditions elsewhere. The call was to hit Volusia County where offshores prevailed. I asked how long the drive was and was undersold with “an hour and change.” That “hour and change” was actually an hour and forty-five minutes, and I found myself thinking the entire drive, “This is nuts!” I would never go through

this much effort in California. When I finally stepped out of the car, I immediately ran past the dunes to check the surf. Holy smokes! Glassy conditions and wedging overhead peaks coming off a jetty with nearly 100 guys out. The shifting peaks were calling though, so I grabbed my gear and charged it. A bit of initial frustration with the crowd turned to smiles all around for Al and myself when we found a peak to ourselves with wedges and barrels. Three hours later we came in crusty and sunburnt but stoked with a plan to eat and hit up another spot a bit further south.

Day three was set to be my final day. I was in a bit of a quandary.

Jason was going to stick around the Indialantic area. Al was headed back to our wedge spot. I wanted to head up there too, but that nearly

two-hour haul was weighing on me so I opted to stick around. Dawn revealed a beautiful offshore wind and another face-melting sunrise. Only two guys were out and a few decent lefthanders still pulsed in around the 3-5 foot range. I paddled out with Jason and his fiancee’s son Cully and we shared waves for an hour before deciding to head south to Sebastian.

30 minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot and decided to go for it without even looking.

I have to say, Sebastian was a ghost of its formerly glorious self. Granted, the swell direction was wrong, but gone was the legendary A-frame peak that I recalled from my visits here in the 80s and 90s. I had won my first US Championship at this

o

jet

Glassy conditions and wedging overhead peaks coming off a tty with nearly 100 guys out

Brendan Tighe, NJ. Photo: Tim Torchia

Jude Clark, NJ. Photo: Tim Torchia

SC. Photo: Wil Mayfield

NJ. Photo: Christor Lukasiewicz

Shayne Poss, NJ. Photo: Tim Torchia

NJ. Photo: Hunter DeNicola

Cliff Skudin, NY. Photo: Will Skudin

NY. Photo: Brian Shannon

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NE. Photo: Colby DeGrechie

Tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us, but if you have the means or even a small slice of time, find enough balance in your life for a mini-adventure now and again.

very beach in 1986 but today was mostly closed out and the wedge barely detectable.

Following my eighth and final session in three days, I felt like a young man again. My shoulders were a bit tired, I had the beginnings of fin ulcers, and my face had a deep tan amongst the lines that 53 years will bring a man. 14 hours in the water over three days left me with the kind of content you feel when you take a risk and get the payoff.

Since hitting my 50s a few years ago I can’t escape the fear that I need to do as much “fun stuff” as possible because I could drop dead, get a disease, or be incapacitated at any time.

Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for any of us, but if you have the means or even a small slice of time, find enough balance in your life for a mini-adventure now and again. It somehow shakes off the stress of daily living and reminds you that the young man (or woman) in you still exists.

NJ. Photo: Tim Torchia

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g n i g n i r B t s i t r A e Th Queer Culture to Skateboarding. d parties, Through zines, boards, art an Cheung is Oakland-based artist Jeffrey – creating making skating more inclusive unity for a safe, judgement-free comm young outsiders.

By: Dominique Sisley Photos: Unity

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Unity Skateboarding is difficult to define. The company, started by artist Jeffrey Cheung, does a little bit of everything – publishing zines, designing boards, and hosting regular skater meet-ups. It even has its own ‘creative space’ in Oakland, which comes complete with a radio station, print studio, zine store and community workshop programme. As a company, its ambitions are broad, but its aim is still resolutely simple: To make skateboarding more inclusive.

According to Cheung, who started Unity in 2013, the goal is to offer a safe space for skaters who’ve felt pushed out by the scene’s “macho-bro” culture. After feeling alienated as a queer person of colour, he began to reach out to other artists and friends who felt a similar way.

The community grew, and now, along with his boyfriend Gabriel Ramirez, Cheung is striving to create a more accepting environment for queer and POC artists, skaters, and outsiders. We caught up with him to find out more.

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“Despite its counter-culture attitude, skateboarding has, for the most part, remained homogeneous and conservative.�

Why do you think skateboarding can be so alienating for queer people?

In the past, skateboarding attracted those who didn’t fit in, were weird, those who may have been bullied or picked on, anti-jock, and even queer, but somehow the macho-bro mentality has become ingrained in the culture of skateboarding. Homophobia and transphobia can be witnessed in almost every facet. You look at certain skate mags, videos, ads, brands, and they are all from a straight cis-male’s perspective. For example, often times the depictions of women in skateboarding have objectified or sexualized them – and there has not even been any queer representation that is not homophobic until recent years. Despite its counter-culture attitude, skateboarding has, for the most part, remained homogeneous and conservative. This toxic mentality stems from society and its dated ideas of gender norms and masculinity. All of this contributes to the alienation of queer people in and out of skateboarding, especially for folks who don’t identify or present themselves as masculine or don’t present their masculinity in ways which are seen as acceptable.

As a queer person, how have your personal experiences affected this project?

I knew I was gay at an early age but never felt comfortable enough to come out to my friends as I would often hear them make homophobic remarks. It’s scary to be a queer person in a culture that is hostile towards you when you are constantly hearing degrading comments about your sexuality or identity.

I wanted to start Unity for the next generation of skateboarders, to show them that queer people do exist. I felt alienated because of my sexuality. If something like this existed when I was younger, it would have completely changed my life and the way I viewed myself. I would have felt better about who I was and would have had a sense that I wasn’t alone, and maybe I would have never stopped skating. Unity Skateboarding has been so inspiring to me because I am seeing queer skaters everywhere across the world through social media, and there are way more than I would have ever imagined. There seems to be a new positive energy and movement going on – it seems more queer people are inspired to learn how to skate or get back into it, and together we are breaking down stereotypes about what a skateboarder looks like or who can or can’t skate. In a way I think it is a step going back to skateboarding’s roots, where people embrace being weird, being different and going against conventions.

Do you think POC representation in skateboarding is also a problem? Do you have plans to address this?

I actually think that skateboarding has helped break down racial barriers and has been able to bring people together from different backgrounds. There have been black and brown skaters since the beginning of skateboarding, but I think that the mainstream portrayal of skateboarding can be pretty white. I think that femme, trans, and queer people of colour are the most marginalised in the society we live in, and

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unfortunately, this is also reflected in the skateboarding world. Brian Anderson officially coming out was a big step for queer people in skateboarding, but there is still a lot to do until skating can be inclusive to people of all identities. We are always especially supportive of QPOC people that skate or want to learn how to skate, and try to provide them with the resources they need whenever we can.

Is there a reason you’ve chosen Oakland as your base?

I’ve lived here most of my life. The whole Bay Area is changing fast but I still think Oakland is a really unique and diverse place that is unlike anywhere else in the world. A lot of people are getting pushed out, but there is still a vibrant punk, queer and art scene. It’s amazing to be skating around and run into other queer skaters on the street. We have some plans to do some travelling, though, and want to host queer skate events all over the world.

Unity is quite a broad project – or it’s a name you at least use a lot. You’ve designed skateboards, published zines… what else do you intend to do? What does the future hold?

Unity actually first started as a music project, a two-piece band with my boyfriend. It’s now a full band and we will hopefully come out with a new record sometime soon. We’ve also been working with queer youth more since we started the skateboarding project and we really enjoy it.

Perhaps Unity can one day also be some sort of creative arts program for queer youth?

“It is a step going back to skateboarding’s roots, where people embrace being weird, being different and going against conventions.”

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