NORTH SKATEBOARD MAGAZINE
ISSUE 09
NEWBALANCENUMERIC.COM PJ LADD | ARTO SAARI | LEVI BROWN | TOM KARANGELOV | TYLER SURREY | JORDAN TRAHAN | JORDAN TAYLOR | TOM KNOX | MARQUISE HENRY | JACK CURTIN | MARIUS SYVANEN | JAKE HAYES | ANTHONY SCHULTZ | AXEL CRUYSBERGHS
ARTO SAARI | PIVOT FAKIE
ARTO’S SIGNATURE MODEL THE 358 NOW AVAILABLE IN FINER SKATE SHOPS
MAURO CARUSO - CROOKED GRIND • PHOTO: SAM ASHLEY
SUPER HIGH QUALITY SHIT.
ROB GONYON
There I was, standing on the edge of the roof of a seven storey building in Williamsburg, camera in hand and wind in my face. I’m not scared of heights but I generally prefer not to shoot photos where I could fall to my death if I make the wrong step. This was the second time I’d been to the spot; the first time being at night. I’d seen so much potential for a rad photo that I made arrangements to come back in daylight. I’ve always been lucky with equipment on trips and never had any real camera problems. So when my Hasselblad shutter decided to break for no reason, I didn’t know what to do. I started to panic as I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to get back to the spot and shoot the photo again, or if I would even be able to shoot any more photos at all. I didn’t want to miss out on a great photo opportunity so I had to do what was necessary, and shot the photo on digital. North is still film based but sometimes you need to adapt to the situation or you could miss out. Cheers to Daniel for bearing with me while I had a mini meltdown on top of the roof, I hope it was worth it! Graham Tait
Cover: Daniel Kim - BS Heelflip Photographer : Graham Tait
CONTENTS NYC with Josh Stewart Film Gallery Benjamin Deberdt
The Cons One Star Pro
Made by Zered Bassett
Introducing the
DIC K
R I Z Z O
JO S H
W I L SON
NYC with Josh Stewart
Photography by Graham Tait Interview by Stephen Cox
Hi Josh, how’s it going?
So how did you first get involved with videography?
What’s happening Stephen? All is good. I’m out in LA right
I guess it was in the late ‘80s when my parents got a
now filming with the Theories of Atlantis crew, dodging the
camcorder for the family. It was one of those little mini-VHS
New York City winter.
cameras that you’d place the tape into a bigger, full sized VHS tape to play it on the VCR. That was some cutting edge
What are you filming for?
technology back then. So I started using that camera when I was about eleven years old, filming skits by myself and stuff.
We’re trying to make a little video piece to follow up on the
Then I started skating that same year so I started bringing it
Escape from New York tour we did last year in Florida. I
out to film my friends. I’d dub that footage over to the family
guess this would be the Escape to LA trip? Basically, it’s just
VCR to make video parts for all of us in our little skate squad.
a way to get our guys out of the cold and allow everyone to
That’s how it all began for me. The first time I saw a video that
film for upcoming projects and also hopefully make an edit
I filmed, edited and added music to playing on my TV, I was
from the trip.
hooked for life.
Sounds good. Who have you been skating with?
How did you learn the ropes?
We have a pretty rad crew here throughout January: Brendan
It’s weird because there was no such thing as small
Carroll, Ben Gore, Taylor Nawrocki, Dustin Eggeling, Leo
underground videos back then. There were maybe a few
Valls, Pat Stiener, John Baragwanath, Paul Shier, Jon Nguyen
videos coming out each year and they were only big
and we’ve been skating with some friends like Brad Cromer,
company videos like H-Street, Powell and then Plan B. I just
Danny Montoya and Vincent Alvarez to name a few.
was filming and making little mixtape videos until I was sixteen and I got my first car. Then I decided I was going to
Hefty list there. Any good stories from the trip so far?
make a full-length video with different skaters from around Florida. I had no idea what I was doing but I knew of a video
We were skating in a small beach town the other day. A large
production company in downtown Tampa, so I called them
group of us including Pat Stiener, Ben Gore and a few
and rented out an editing bay for a day. They showed me
others were wandering around these back alleys behind rows
the basics of how to lock in an edit and add music. But this
of houses right next to the beach and I noticed that a skater
was before non-linear editing, so everything was analogue.
was walking up the street towards us about three blocks
Any edit you made was final once you moved ahead to the
away. I started to recognise the way he was walking and I
next edit. It was an insane experience. That first video was
said out loud, “Dude, that looks just like Bobby Puleo”. As
called Prospects and I made one hundred copies. I think I
he got close to us we discovered that indeed, it was Bobby
was seventeen years old. I sold them at the Skatepark of
Puleo somehow wandering around the back alleys of this
Tampa and several other Florida shops that were down. It
weird beach town in California, which was ironically named
was mind blowing to me when I sold out of those first copies.
Manhattan Beach. So fucking weird. And even weirder, he
It just was the beginning of a never-ending addiction to make
was nice to all of us before he skated off into the sunset.
a better, radder video.
Brendan Carroll Ollie
Do you think learning the way you did has served you for the
What frustrations do you experience with filming?
better, in the way that you’ve experienced such a dramatic change in technology?
I mean, how much time do you have? No, obviously the positives outweigh the negatives by a mile. Otherwise I
Absolutely. It taught me the need for structure and
would’ve stopped twenty years ago. But the frustrations are
pre-planning. Building a storyboard was crucial to making a
a long list. From the physical toll that filming takes on your
linear edit that made sense once it was completed. I think
body to the endless hours and super long nights that a
that really helped me to structure my videos in advance from
dedicated filmer has to commit themselves to, not to mention
that point moving forward.
the constantly evolving and expensive camera equipment that you have to spend your money on. It’s a long, long list.
What criticisms could you give to some of the videographers in
Plus, filmers are one of the most taken advantage of people
skating today that might not have the experience you do?
in skateboarding even though they’re one of the most important pieces of the whole puzzle. The skate industry
Just that a skate video is like a song or a story. It should have
essentially revolves around skate videos, be it full-length of
a rhythm and structure. And even if it’s very loose, it should
simple web edits. Yet, most filmers rarely get paid for their
tell a story. Just a bunch of skate footage with a song laid
work or when they do, it amounts to peanuts.
over it isn’t unique. That’s been done a million times over. If you can give your video its own twist and create a new
How do companies continue to get away with this when it’s so
experience for the viewer, that feeling will last with them and
clear how central the role of a filmer is? Are there exceptions to
make your project memorable.
this with bigger companies?
Each time you make a video, what sort of things pop up that you
Well, one big problem is that there is always another young
want to improve upon with the next? Does this always happen after
filmer who’s just anxious for the opportunity and he’s willing
you release the video?
to work for free or close to it. I think that companies often feel that they can get away with paying their filmers very little
It’s honestly different with every video. After Static II I wanted
money because there’s always someone else to waiting to
to make a video that looked a little cleaner and more
replace them. There’s the exception with those select two to
polished. But then after I finished Static III I wanted to bring
three big name video makers of course, who get paid very
back the dark, rougher aesthetic of the earlier Static videos.
well for their work.
Nollie FS Noseslide
Who do you particularly like shooting with and why? Off the top of my head I’d say my favourites have been Jake Rupp, Pat Stiener, Jahmal Williams, Steve Brandi, Bobby Puleo, Ben Gore, Sean Mullendore Forrest Kirby, Kenny Anderson and Aaron Herrington to name a few. Those guys all have super unique styles and abilities that translate really well on camera and they’re also all willing to work with the filmer to try to make the footage capture what they’re doing in the raddest way possible. A lot of times it takes some choreography to make a line pop best and pull the most potential out of a spot and all of those guys have been great to work with in that way. Static began in 1999 partly as a resurgence of real street skating as opposed to single-trick heavy videos. Is it fair to say that this has been pushed back to the other end of the spectrum now? Certainly with the likes Magenta and Polar some people feel feel that no complies, wallies and power slides might be drawn out a bit. What are your thoughts on that? Do you hate ‘trends’ in skating? Yeah, that’s a good point. I mean, it’s to the point now that I bet most skaters today either don’t remember or weren’t skating when the style and vibe of that skating - like you’ll see in a Static video - was a rare thing. But something definitely clicked a few years back and I’d say that the inspirational effects of small brands like Magenta and Polar had a lot to do with it. Now you see even an Eric Koston part nearly filled with wallies and slappy combinations. It’s incredible how quickly things can spread nowadays and how something inspiring like a Polar video piece can be seen to wash across the industry like wildfire in a matter of weeks or months. It’s really a weird thing and I don’t know how to take it. In one respect, I’m stoked to see so much more diversity and creativity in skateboarding. But in another respect, I really
Switch Ollie
do hate trends and it seems to sort of diminish the power and effect of some things that were once really rare and special.
Taylor Nawrocki Switch 50-50 up and over
Can you walk us through the reasons for and how Theories started and what it means to you? It was something I wanted to do for years. But more in the sense of one of those things you just talk about but never actually plan on doing. Like, “Man, we should start a distribution company and carry all of the ill East Coast brands”. I always thought it would make rad independent brands like Traffic or Hopps much stronger if they were all under one roof. The East Coast has never really had its own industry. There were little bursts of rad brands here or there, but overall they were mostly just individual brands struggling to get noticed outside of the East Coast. Zoo York killed it for a while in the ‘90s, but still it was just one brand. East Coast skaters always would get sponsored by West Coast brands and eventually have to move out there. There was plenty of talent and energy on the East Coast but it hadn’t been really harnessed properly. I’d been doing the Theories of Atlantis blog site for a few years and the web store had become a source for underground skate videos and a few Theories brand tees. Soy Panday and Vivien Feil told me they were starting a board brand and asked if I’d want to carry some of their boards on the web store. After a while skate shops started to ask me if they could get the Magenta boards through me and it slowly started to spread that way. It was completely organic. And then soon after Pontus Alv started Polar and I offered to do the same thing for him. Pretty soon we were the US distributor for Magenta, Polar and Palace, which were probably the three most interesting and dynamic brands out at the time in my opinion. Then we finally ended up bringing Traffic, Hopps and Isle into the fold. All brands that were run by classic, legendary skaters who had paid their dues.
Dustin Eggeling FS Crook
Zach Lyons Switch FS Feeble
So it’s a given that you won’t just take any brand under your wing
Video output is important too.
then? Actually, yeah, video output is crucial. If a board brand Yeah, I mean we’d be wise to take on a lot more brands and
exists for over a year and doesn’t put out a video to back
not be so picky. Because that’s the only way a distributor
it up it borderline doesn’t make sense for it to be selling in
makes money is to carry a shitload of brands. But we want to
skate shops.
set a standard and prop our brands up as the premier brands of the indie skate scene.
Why has the Static series ended?
You’ve spoken before about how you found out it was actually
Well, it had to end sometime. After putting seven to eight
quite easy to start making your own board brand and how lots of
years of work into Static IV I worried that it might be
brands have popped up. Are there too many? Here in the UK I’ve
impossible to commit that kind of energy to another project in
spoken to people who feel it somewhat devalues the status of
the future, so it was a really great video to end the
being a pro skater. How can the right balance be found, if at all?
series. It was the perfect storm for me having legends like Quim Cardona and Jahmal Williams in the video while also
Yeah, that’s a good question. It’s always more difficult to be
having breakout parts for skaters like Aaron Herrington and
one of the first to do something. But once the path has been
Yonnie Cruz. I figured why not leave on a high note instead of
laid by a few others, it becomes much easier for others to
keeping the series going and the quality of the projects
follow. When brands like Hopps, Traffic, Magenta and Polar
dwindling because of my inability to commit the time and
first started it took a long time for shops to become willing
passion that I’ve put into the other projects of the series.
to take the risk to try out their boards. Because small, indie brands were not popular at all at the time, it was a struggle
You’ve spoke before about how you’re not a VX-Nazi, and I know
just to get it in the door. Nowadays you can start a brand
you’ve actually used HD in the Static series, but are there plans
out of your garage, easily make your own boards and start
for an all-HD video? What are the right circumstances for an all-HD
a brand Instagram account in a matter of days. And as long
video for you?
as it’s new it seems like people are immediately welcoming to it. I think that there should be more strict criteria for what
I think Bill Strobeck has proven that you can make an HD
brands get let into the mix and supported by shops. In my
video that still has the energy, spontaneity and dynamic of a
opinion there should be someone behind it that has a history
VX project. If it’s done right and the right filmer has his hands
of contributing to the culture of skateboarding. Whether it’s a
on it, I think that HD video projects can work. And lord knows
pro skater, an artist, a video maker or photographer, just as
that the VX is getting more and more problematic to use. If I
long as it’s someone who’s paid their dues. And any brand
did an all-HD skate video it would mostly be to differentiate
that doesn’t have a team and at least one to two pros isn’t a
the project from the Static series and try to bring a different
real board company in my opinion.
look to my work so that I’m not pigeonholed into one style. That was what I tried to do with the MIA Skate Shop Welcome to MIA video. I shot HD for intros and title
Jimmy Lannon
Switch Pole Jam
sequences, but it still had a Static vibe despite my best efforts to make it feel different.
How do you feel each of the Static videos progressed or developed? I think that the overall quality of the videography and editing improved with each project. I hope so at least. Every time I’d finish a video I’d find a lot of things wrong with it after watching it at the premiere. I would go into the next video wanting badly to improve on the shortcomings of the previous one. I started Static II right after finishing the Adio video, so I was anxious to apply some of what I’d learned through that process to make a video that was a little cleaner than the first Static. But after that video was out for a month or so I started to notice that a lot of the spots weren’t really well suited to the vibe of Static. We’d done some road trips around the US and also filmed a lot in Barcelona. And after I had time to step back and see it from outside of the mayhem of being in the eye of the storm, I was unhappy with a lot of the spots and music I’d chosen for that video. I went in to Static III with a goal of keeping the spots and background cities consistent with the Static aesthetic. So we filmed about forty per cent in New York City, forty per cent in London, ten percent in Philly and the rest in Washington DC and Miami. Once I finished Static III, I felt it like it was the most consistent and cleanest projects I had done. I was able to film the vast majority of the video, so all of the footage looked and felt homogenous and the music, spots and skaters all fit together really well. I was really happy with that video. But, moving on to Static IV I realised that Static III was missing that darker, eerie vibe I had originally envisioned Static to portray. So I decided to try to bring back a dirtier aesthetic, to push the 16mm film a stop or more to bring out the grain, and film a lot more at night. Also, filming primarily in New York City helped to build a darker, grittier vibe. And then when I started building the theme around the New York subway system I felt like it tied it all together well. In hindsight, I’d say that Static III and IV were the two that I felt most proud of in the end.
Danny Falla Crook
Jordan Trahan Pop Shove-it up the steps
I know you’ve a tendency to let the footage build up before reviewing it in the editing room, which keeps you excited. What’s the editing process like for you? Is it as gruelling as people would imagine? I’m sure the starting point is the worst. Yeah, that used to be how I preferred to handle editing a video. It made the process so much more powerful because all of the footage felt fresh and exciting. It helped drive your energy the whole way through. But with Static IV, which spanned over such a long period of time, it became quite exhausting because I would was overthinking every aspect of the project and I had so much pressure from what I thought people were expecting from it. I lost any sense of objectivity. I had watched every single clip countless times and tried out so many different songs and ideas that there was a danger of it turning into almost a burden. But then one part would start to click and I’d get an edit going that seemed to work perfectly. That would get me so excited that it would help get me sparked to tackle one of the parts I was struggling with. Overall, I think the most gruelling part is just deciding what direction you’re going to go in, what concept you’re going to use to capture the vibe you’re trying to get across. Once you make the decision the chips quickly start falling into place. Who else do you involve and what do they bring to the table apart from a fresh set of eyes? It’s tricky because when I involve other people it often takes the wind out of my sails when they don’t like something I feel is really working. So in the past I’ve often tried to keep anyone else from seeing the edit until it was done. But for Static IV it was such a massive project I started sharing the edits with some friends like Steve Brandi and Pat Stiener and their feedback was actually super helpful. Sometimes they would hate on something I was really stoked on, but other times they would also save me from making a really bad
Luke Maleney Ollie up and into the rough
decision on a song choice or an edit.
There’s the infamous Bobby Puleo story with Static II, which
Which videographers have influenced your filmmaking over the
highlights the fact that you’re the owner of the video project.
years and why?
Would there be more tough cuts and horrible decisions to make than people would imagine?
Well, obviously Dan Wolfe’s work in Underachievers was a huge influence. But I would say my biggest early influence
Oh man, there have been really difficult decisions with every
was the work of Mike Hill in the first Alien Workshop video,
video. Sometimes there are parts that end up not really fitting
Memory Screen. That video used brilliant imagery and
in the video. I debate with myself whether to include it or cut it
music to transport you into a whole other world. It made a
from the project. But, in most situations, I’ve always decided
big impression on me how much you will remember a video
to just keep the part in the video. It might have been the
if you’re treated to a new experience that ends up capturing
wrong decision here or there, but I just don’t have the heart
your imagination completely. And then of course the first
to push someone out of a project after they’ve spent years
Stereo video, A Visual Sound. One of the most stylish and
busting their ass for it.
well art directed projects ever made. I think if you watched all three of those videos you could identify a lot of elements that
How important is it for you to have full creative control over a
made their way into the look and vibe of Static. Also, I think
project? Does it differ to working a company?
that Aaron Meza’s work in the first FTC videos was significant as well as Dan Magee’s with the Blueprint videos.
At this point it’s almost imperative for me to agree to a project. I would definitely get other people involved and I
What videos are you enjoying at the moment?
would be happy to collaborate with a motion graphics designer or another filmer, but I feel like for a project to be
To be honest, the only thing I’ve gotten stoked on over the
really cohesive and to portray one unique vision, there has to
past couple years have been underground independent
be one person with full creative control directing the project.
projects. In 2015 I liked Headcleaner a lot as well as an underground video called Cuntry. But, overall I’d have to
The fact that one Static video got split into two suggests to me how
argue that Isle’s Vase was easily the video of the year. So
much people have wanted to be involved over the years, as well as
good on so many levels.
your trailer being hacked and posted before it was ready. Modesty aside, how do you view the Static series as having its
One Step Beyond was the first skate video I properly rinsed clean.
place in skateboarding or how do you hope they will be
How long did it take to make?
remembered? Oh boy, it was actually surprisingly short process. I think it That’s a difficult question. I guess my hope would be that it will be remembered as a platform that shined a light on the underground scene and the real street skateboarders who might have been ignored or overlooked by the mainstream skate media otherwise. And hopefully, people will look back to Static as having highlighted style and individualism in an era of stair counting and competition.
was roughly eighteen months.
John Baragwanath
How was that turnaround so quick? Especially considering the
I’ve always loved Kenny and Danny’s sections. Richie’s too.
standard.
The music was great, was it all your own doing?
I don’t know, I guess just because we were on filming
No, with a big video like that I had to be a lot more open to
missions literally every single day. Add to that the entire team
working with the skaters on their music choices. So the
was incredibly talented, which definitely helped a lot. It was
music for each of the sections you mentioned were picked by
pretty demanding being in a van every day until 1-2am and
the skaters themselves. Montoya has rad taste in music and
sitting in Southern California traffic all day long. Somehow we
I thought his choices were spot on. Richie’s definitely fit him
made it work.
really well. But Kenny’s choice of Get a Move On by Mr. Scruff always frustrated me. I didn’t really think it was a good fit.
How high do you hold that video in comparison to the rest of your work?
Did you notice the light blinding the camera during Ed Selego’s part just as he does the 360 flip? I always liked that.
I mean, it’s a completely different kind of project. It’s on a very different part of the spectrum from the Static videos but
Yeah, that was sick! I didn’t film it though. My friend Travis
I’m definitely proud of it. I’m stoked to have done something
Sales from Texas helped film a lot for that video and he filmed
so different from my usual style. But it’s the result of a heavy
that line. They were bummed on that sun flare for a little while
collaboration with Jose Gomez, Andre Stringer and also the
but we all ended up being really stoked on it. That spot was
skaters who were very involved in their own parts.
like the Holy Grail spot of Tampa, which is where both Ed and I are from. So we were really hyped to have it in there.
Any particular fond moments of shooting that video? A friend said he holds it up there with Menikmati as pushing the I went from making small time local video projects in Tampa
boundaries, how do you feel about that statement?
with my friends to filming video parts with Tony Hawk, Jeremy Wray and a bunch of skaters I had been looking up to my
I don’t know what to say about that really. Menikmati
whole life. It was an insane and overwhelming experience.
definitely put a lot of pressure on me at the time to do
But it was a huge break for me. It’s hard to pick out any one
something big with the Adio video. I had people holding that
single moment from the trip. I remember flying in to film with
video over my head as if I should consider myself in
Bam in Philly and ending up getting stuck in the middle of him
competition with it. But I just wanted to do something
filming skits for Jackass.
different and stay true to my own style. The motion graphics in One Step Beyond definitely pushed the boundaries. But I can say that because I’m not the one who did them. That was the work of Jose and Andre. They’re both geniuses and went on to start a world famous motion graphics and advertising agency after we finished that video. So I can’t take credit for the graphics myself.
FS Smith
Will you always stick to shooting skateboarding? Not at all. I’ve done a lot of commercial work outside of skateboarding, which I really enjoyed to be honest. But I always get crazy anxiety when I’m about to go in for a job. It’s so out of my element that I’ll be stressing about it for weeks up until the moment the shoot starts. It’s weird, I’ve just been working in skateboarding for so long that everything outside of it makes me nervous. I’d be super stoked to make full-length films one day. Plenty of time yet. What do you think you would be doing if Theories hadn’t started and grown the way it has? At the time when Theories of Atlantis was starting I had been working pretty much non-stop contract video jobs for random companies like Vice, HBO and whoever would hire me. That world is fucking stressful. I think I probably would’ve ended up just getting more and more engrossed in that industry working as a Director of Photography. When I was doing that work, I was barely ever able to film skateboarding. I would always be on a deadline to finish a job. If I’d continued down that path I probably would’ve rarely been able to film any more. And what would you be doing without skateboarding? I think I probably would’ve still ended up doing something with film, writing or maybe even acting. I was acting before I started skating and I stopped because I was enjoying skating a lot more. I’ve always enjoyed telling a story and trying to capture an audience’s attention, pulling them into a different world. Skate videos seem like a weird way to do that, but it’s just how it ended up manifesting itself for me. It’s pretty incredible what opportunities a piece of wood with four wheels and a video camera brought me over the years.
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Benjamin Deberdt
Interview by Stephen Cox Portrait by Lui Araki
Hi Benjamin, how’s it going?
My wife went to a friend’s house and she said that on her way home there was literally no one in the streets. I guess people
The kid and wife are in bed, everything is good. It’s been
went to the main rallying points of course, but it seemed
raining all day, we’ve just been watching cartoons.
different. I’ve been to a couple of bars before video premieres or whatnot since, and you can get a seat in places that would
It’s just the one kid isn’t it yeah?
be usually be packed.
Yeah. We adopted him about three years ago now.
Crazy. From what we see in the news there’s been a positive response from the French people too.
Is that difficult to do in France? Definitely, hopefully it brings people together. Now you have Yes. I guess it’s like that everywhere in the world, nowadays.
a lot of politicians trying to push different groups of people
It’s becoming more and more complicated. Of course,
against one another. The fact that the attacks were so
sometimes with good reason, but most of the time it’s just
random, and that anyone could have been there; any colour,
down to political issues between countries, which have
religion or anything. You could just be in a bar having a coffee
nothing to do with the good of children.
with your Muslim or Jewish friends and get shot. Hopefully a lot of people - especially kids who are a lot more
How’s the city of Paris been since the attacks?
impressionable – realise that it’s people that are out of their minds trying to do something against what everybody else
It’s kind of crazy because we lived in the area where everything happened for ten years, but moved just two months before the attacks. Because I’m older, my friends, neighbours, colleagues and people I know weren’t out. When I found out, I thought most of them would be home with their kids. I didn’t realise until late because I was home chatting with my friend Charles, and we didn’t have the radio or television on. I was at the Vase premiere a week later and I saw how it affected the younger kids. A lot of them knew people, and were touched by it directly or indirectly in some form. That’s the age when you’re out and about on a Friday night. We somehow are a bit sheltered from it all, but you can definitely feel it in the city now. We don’t live centrally anymore, but you see cops and the military patrolling sometimes. Even the kids at preschool are talking about it and ask questions. In the streets, it’s a lot quieter. I stayed at home for New Year’s Eve, I was a bit ill.
Let’s talk a bit more about you, Benjamin. Can you tell me about your life growing up? I was born in Paris and when I was five my family moved to the countryside just outside the city. I grew up in a small village with about two hundred people living there. But funnily enough I got exposed to skateboarding really early. My uncle was and still is to this day, a jack of all trades. He’s always been a teacher of some kind of sport. He was a skiing instructor at one stage. He had a ski shop and imported some of the first boards that came to France. My dad actually got one and I even remember skating with him. It was just that trend that lasted one summer in the late seventies, I guess. We had those slalom boards in the garage and once in a while me and my brother would take them to a slightly slanted paved street in the village. It wasn’t like I was a skater, we would do that for five minutes and then go and play soccer, you know? I kind of started properly quite late. I think I was sixteen, when my cousin and my brother started riding BMX. I remember reading that French magazine that mixed BMX and skating and even a photo or two of surfing. That was the first time I ever heard of Mark Gonzales, he had an interview in it. My cousin was going to school in Paris and would tell us about how the scene was, what the real skaters were doing.
Bastiaan Van Zadelhoff - Variel Flip 2015
I remember reading a story about you getting a train to Paris to get
If you started at sixteen, when did you pick up the camera?
an issue of Transworld, which had Jason Lee in it. My dad had a camera for shooting family life and he would Yeah, I think I wrote that piece for SB Journal, the Japanese
show me how to use it. I was interested but not obsessed.
mag. I have that memory and I probably have that mag at my
The magazines we were sharing and studying made me more
parent’s house but I don’t want to look at it again. I like the
interested in photography. Visually, Transworld was
memory of it, more. I was so excited about skateboarding
super strong back then. It was designed by David Carson,
and apart from physically skating, we only really had were the
not that I had any idea about who he was, but you were
mags. We had a French magazine, but finding the
holding some seriously creative mix of his work and amazing
American mags was a different story. I think Transworld might
photography. It was when all these different people were
have been bi-monthly back then. It was really huge too, so
coming up, like Tobin Yelland. Now everyone more or less
thick. But you had to go to a skate shop, which meant you
shoots in the same style. Back then, people were trying
had to go to Paris. Then you had to be there at a time they
different things and developed their own style. There is a
just got copies, or it would be sold out. I vividly remember it
single Tobin Yelland photo that made me want to borrow my
being full of pools and transition, because that’s what
dad’s camera. It’s of Mickey Reyes skating a transition into a
skateboarding was then, around ‘88. I remember a quarter of
wallride, at the BART station in San Francisco. It looked so
a page being a black and white Jason Lee photo, amongst
cool. It is fairly simple; no flash, grainy black and white, but
a collage. He was skating a transition or a bank, but it was
so strong at the same time. It seemed like it was something I
in the streets. Not that I knew who he was but we thought it
could try. I met them both years later at a party in San
was cool because we weren’t going to find an empty
Francisco and told them, which was a pretty cool moment
swimming pool in the village. Obviously street skating was
for me.
something that we could relate to. So that really started it off? Yeah, I would borrow my dad’s camera and on the weekends we would take trips to small towns near where we lived to find other skaters, and I would try to take photos. It led us to start a zine. We would hang out at Street Machine in Paris and, since we were kind of the only people doing that at the time, they ended up supporting us by giving us use of their photocopier, for an ad. My cousin Seb Caldas who I started skating with and I would do it, and that eventually lead us to starting a real magazine over time.
Jason Dill 2012
Did anyone show you the ropes when it came to shooting? I had no idea what to do, to be honest. I just tried different things. I had no idea that I might need a fisheye or a flash. I would study mags, and look at every photo super close. I met a couple of the photographers in Paris who were older than me, and they helped me with pointers, but I was too intimidated. My real schooling came from Thomas Campbell. I was studying and living in Paris by that stage and he came to Paris, travelling on his own, but also shooting stories for Transworld. Skating was really small and almost dead at this stage. He was hanging out at Street Machine one day when I walked in and the guy from the shop says, “Hey Thomas, this is Benjamin, him and his friends do a zine. You should talk”. We did talk for half an hour on the curb, chatting about Chet Baker and jazz music but he was leaving the next day. He said he would be back in a couple of months and gave me a print to include in our zine. Months later, I get a postcard from him saying, “I am in Madagascar, I’m going to be in Paris in a couple of weeks”. Of course the postcard was dated from a month before! But we did eventually get to cross paths, hang out and skate a lot as he spent quite some time in Paris. I was trying to shoot more and one day he said, “What you need to do is come to New York, buy an FM2, a fish-eye, a Sunpack flash and then you’re pro”. That was the exact sentence. He explained to me how you progress with the right equipment, and gave me the run-down of how to use flashes, what to do, what not to do, what film to use and all the rest. I started saving some money and we were starting to do a bigger zine for the main distributor in France. I convinced them to fly me to New York to shoot a story. I got some money together, bought the fisheye, the Nikon FM2 and the Sunpack, but I wasn’t sure if I was pro yet [laughs]. I thought I would give it a go. That was in ‘95.
Clark Hassler - Fakie Nosegrind 2010
Ari Marcopoulos 2011
Thomas Campbell 1996
Olly Todd - FS Rock 2003
It went well then?
It’s still going today.
Well, that first trip was such a kick in the butt for me.
Yeah, those numbers must still be OK. People still get
Skating in Paris was not cool at all. Me and my crew were
confused about whether I’m involved or not. It’s completely
just skating all day, drinking water and then going to bed. No
run by Charley Pascal now, and has been for years. But I still
outside life. You get to New York, you’re skating and then
contribute a photo or story here and there.
people say, “We’re going to this club!” “Wait, what?” There’s an opening for an exhibition here, someone’s friend is doing
So you’re solely focused on Live Skateboard Media now?
the door of a club there. It was a big eye-opener on many levels. This was the Alleged Gallery heydays too. I met so
Pretty much, it came hand in hand with my personal life. We
many fascinating and inspiring people. It did change me.
knew we were going to be adopting. Long story short, we tried to launch another mag called Pause in 2010. We did
When did Sugar come along then?
two issues, but then the publisher canned it. I was working with Samir Krim on it, and we knew we needed a
It came out at the end of ‘98.
strong website for the mag at some point. An independent publisher later told me they had the resources if I wanted to
Not too long after that trip then.
do something online and it suited me because I could do it from home and be a dad at the same time.
Yeah. I did the trip, got back and we were still doing that zine for the distributor but they got kind of tired of us. I was
You went for both the English and French language options.
still learning to be a photographer and my cousin ended up teaching himself how to be a designer through the zines. A
Yeah, I’ve kind of shot myself in the foot as it’s a lot more
publisher realised that skating was getting kind of big again.
work, but it’s worth it. It’s funny, when we started Sugar we
He met the main distributor, who told him, “Hey, I’ve got
were doing whatever we could with whatever resources we
these two guys. They could do a mag for you”. They asked
had. We did a Pontus Alv interview and interviews with a
us and we said, “Um, sure”. I remember we had no idea what
bunch of English or Spanish skaters when no other national
we were doing making the first issue. The publisher asked us
mag would really do that. Whenever we could do a feature
one morning how many copies we thought we would sell or
on something outside France, we would do it. I won’t name
should put out, for that first issue. We looked at each other
names, but a lot of people would get annoyed about that,
and in my head, I was thinking “Twenty?”
telling us the magazine should only focus on French skating. I always just thought a good story is a good story, I don’t care
How many went out? No idea. He always lied to us about what we sold anyway.
where the person comes from.
Quim Cardona 1996
Sean Pablo 2015
True words. Then whenever we ended up doing Kingpin, the same people would be critical because we were not European enough, which meant focusing on their industry, and what they thought was important. But just like myself, Niall Neeson was always open to do more than that. If you do a website only in French, then you know who’s going to read it. If you go for two languages you can reach out to a lot more people, which has been proved because over half of our readership speaks English. I get contacted from people all over the world too, which is cool. I know you’re not able to skate because of your health. What’s going on there exactly? Is it your back? That’s what people usually think at first. “Oh, too many years with the photobag, uh?” But it’s actually a neurological disease. To keep it simple, it messes up the connections between your brain and nerves. It’s a long story, but I ended up getting a reaction to a treatment a few years ago, which really messed me up. I can do a lot of things though, I can walk but I cannot skate at all. I can’t run. I’m walking with a cane now, actually. I think I’ve been unable to skate for five years now.
Dennis Busenitz - BS Disaster 2007
Ray Barbee 2011
I think everyone imagines that when someone is shooting, they’re
On the flip side has the disorder caused you to shoot in ways you
either crouched or lying down at the bottom of a stair set. Is that
wouldn’t have before or affected your work positively?
something you’re still able to do? I have kind of gone back to the basics. I don’t carry flashes Going down is easy, getting up is the hard part [laughs]. But
and all that crap anymore. I guess I also choose my battles.
the main thing for me is that I can’t just run around after you
I don’t go out and shoot every kid. Then again, I don’t have
all day because you maybe remember there was a spot in
a mag to fill up anymore. I only really shoot with people that
some direction near a party you went to six years ago. That’s
know me. For people that don’t, it might be like shooting
what a lot of skateboarding is about though, and you might
a photo with their grandmother or something, “We need to
find something on the way. I need skaters to know where
slow down!” It’s more interesting to shoot with skaters who
they’re going and have a spot in mind. If the trick doesn’t
know what they want. I’ve never really thought about it until
happen, that’s fine, but I can’t just follow everyone around all
someone pointed it out to me, but people really make the
day, slowing everybody down. What is most frustrating to me
extra effort with me because they want to take a photo with
is that skateboarding is now almost exactly where I wanted it
me. That sounds really arrogant, but what I mean is that they
to be for years. Especially in Paris: the way people are
might want to get a different look at what they do, and get a
skating pretty much everything creatively, or are at least
different result because I shoot with film. Some of those kids
using everything in their surroundings. They don’t need to try
have never seen a roll of film in their lives, they get confused
something on a perfect ledge for six hours. People are really
because they can’t see the photo straight away. Now is such
thinking about the spots they choose. But I can’t be really be
an interesting time, because skate crews such as the Bloby’s
there to follow it, which is really frustrating. But, then again it
have way more impact through Instagram than through
should be, and it is, a new generation documenting it.
magazine presence. They put stuff out every day through their group account, which has a worldwide following, but if they shoot something with me it might come out in six months in a Japanese magazine or something. It must be a very exotic concept for them. I’ve been shooting with that kid Noah Bunink from Amsterdam, he’s eighteen. The way he deals with everything is so different from anything I do, or the way I think. But he’s also super cool about it: I’ll shoot a photo and he’ll ask if I got it and carry on. He never really questions anything. He’s just a really smart kid.
Do you think skaters like Noah still think the mags are relevant?
Can you tell us a bit about your equipment choices? Do you only use film?
I wish I knew what goes on in Noah’s mind. It’s just interesting how a lot of magazines still try to enforce ‘the rule’, where the
Pretty much. I have a completely outdated digital camera,
photo has to be published before the footage comes out. It
but I only use that for sequences and at that, probably only
doesn’t matter at all. I don’t care if it goes on Instagram today
twice a year. Everything else is film. I don’t shoot every day
and the photo is in print in two months. If the photo is good,
and I don’t need to fill up magazines so it suits me. It suits me
then it’s good anyway. Whether it’s Instagram footage or a
because I pick those battles. I try to shoot things that I think
photo, it doesn’t matter. I guess it does depend on who or
are cool now, or will be interesting to have in a few years.
where you’re shooting. I’m not shooting the American pros in
That’s something I’ve learned over the years. Like when I told
California, the people that have worldwide marketing
you about New York, I’ve got the stories but I don’t have the
campaigns based around them. We live such a fascinating
photos. I guess I was too young, too stupid and too broke to
time right now. Some people are really into the likes of Chris
‘waste’ film on that. Now I’m also more interested in shooting
Joslin or Nyjah [Huston], but then a lot of people really don’t
the lives of the people. Their skating too if it’s sick, but I prefer
care at all. That’s cool. Maybe someone will get more excited
a mix. But I’m still shooting with the FM2 that I’ve had since
about Danny Brady doing some weird curb combo on
that trip to New York in ‘95. It works really well and is one of
Instagram. To each his own, I don’t think either is better than
my best cameras.
the other. But the skate media are in such a strange place. In the end, I find myself in the same position as twenty years
Two decades.
ago, questioning how much I can report and the best way to do it.
Of course. That’s the thing, if you buy a digital camera for five thousand Euros, it will be obsolete in one year. Basically I’m
Because there’s so much going on?
too cheap to go digital. I have all these cameras and lenses, which are really good, so why should I buy something new?
Yeah. Trying to pick what stands out, and might stand the
Film gets more expensive but if you shoot digital you have
test of time is difficult, but it’s also the best part.
to buy all the extras, like hard drives, and renew your set-up every other year, which means it’s not free at all. The Nikon F5 is the film version of the DSLR digital cameras people shoot with nowadays. But I bought that off Thomas Campbell, so it’s second-hand as well. He used it for a year first. It’s still running. I’ve been using a Leica M7, and the Ricoh GR1. The GR1 is a point and shoot from the late 90s, with a 28mm lens and is amazing quality. It’s super light too so you can have it all day, every day. But, in the end the equipment does not matter, really. A good photo is a good story.
Noah Bunink 2015
I saw your work was featured as part of the 15 Years of Gonz
Who have you been most fond of shooting and why?
exhibition. Did he misspell your name on purpose to annoy you? There are two different groups. First, the guys that are fun to [Laughs] no, probably not. I don’t know, maybe he did. I
hang out with all day, who have a good eye and are
mean, Mark is heavily dyslexic, and he stopped school very
willing to work on getting a good photo. Not in a
young. He has told that story many times. If you read his
Transworld-style ‘stress montage’ grueling battle, but rather
poems and writing, you might think it is part of the style but
the search for the right photo and how to make it happen.
it’s not. But, yeah, I don’t think it was on purpose but if it was
Then there’s another group, people that might not be the
then that was funny. I laughed hard at that one.
easiest to deal with, but they are amazing in what they bring to the table, and you want to be there, be able to share the
You’ve shot with a few times and made a book with him haven’t
experiences you might have with them through photos. So
you?
many names, but I will state a few, even if they might not really fit either of those two groups: Mark, of course, Jérémie
Yeah, a few times over the years. The first time was probably
Daclin, Soy Panday, Ray Barbee, Jason Dill, Nick Jensen,
in New York, around ‘96, not skating but just hanging out
Kevin Rodrigues, Scott Bourne and the Blobys.
while he was working on some exhibition in Aaron Rose’s apartment. Then he moved to France when he retired from
You’ve said before you do what you do because you want to
skating and was living in Lyon for a year. Back then, I
remind people why they fell in love with skateboarding. Do you
completely messed up a lot of skate photos of him because
ever have to remind yourself?
I was too star-struck and stressed out. When I was younger, I couldn’t deal with it. Everybody’s knows it, but Mark’s also
Of course. When your job is to filter the crap, you start to wish
really spontaneous. He does something and when you
someone else would do it for you. You watch all the
suggest a photo he’s just like, “why?” It’s not worth the
videos, read all the mags, blogs or websites and sometimes
battle to try and make him redo it. Because he’s probably
just think, “What’s the fuckin’ point?” Then you see one
doing something else in his mind, already. You just need to
photo or see someone skate in real life and remember why.
be ready for him.
Hell, maybe you only need to see a photo of Mark Gonzales smoke a cigar to remember why skateboarding is so cool.
How do you feel like your work is perceived today compared to
We’ve been raised on that Thrasher mode of thinking, how
years ago?
you’re supposed to be a hardcore skater and if you end up missing it for one day, you start feeling bad about yourself.
I guess I’m a lot less visible now than when I was shooting for
But then, there is life, when sometimes you need to do
Sugar or Kingpin. I’m content though, I have a lot of projects
something else. That’s something I have learned from many
coming out and I’ve always loved writing. Being at home
different people, from Thomas Campbell to Mark Gonzales:
doing the website keeps me excited to shoot photos. When
sometimes you need to take a walk in the woods, watch a
I shoot, it’s like a holiday to me, getting out on the streets.
movie and you might even need to stop skating for a month.
But I can’t really say what people think of my work because
There are no rules and there should not be any rules.
I’m not sure.
You should not skate every damn day. You don’t have to.
Mark Gonzales 2010
Windbreakers coming soon.
Thanks Sam Paterson Mike @ Keen Dist Josh @ Theories Ryan @ Quasi A&M Imaging Stephen Cox Neil Macdonald Benjamin Deberdt Tony Moore Fraรงois Grand Laura Lee All the contributing photographers. A&M Imaging adidas Skateboarding Carhartt Converse
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