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Mike Vallely Interview from SLAP;-)

After our little natter with the Elephant man dropped yesterday, we found this great post in the SLAP Forum. Make sure to check it out.

Mike Vallely Interview

Interviews via email are kind of lame, but this time we had no chance to get in touch face to interface.
In december last year we hit up Mike V. to ask, if he would answer some of our questions. We were excited to see what he would answer.
That he is a polarizing, stand up character is a non deniable fact. So here are our silly questions and his straight up answers (I hope he got over all the sponsor questions, hahaha).

 Mike Vallely Interview

Name: Mike Vallely

Age: 42

Years skating: 28

Years pro: 25

1^st real set up: Sims Jeff Phillips, Gullwings, Sims 2 Tone Wheels

You are 25 years in proffessional skateboarding, can you still remember all the companies you rode for?

I try not to.


We always wondered why you quit World Industries after you basicly helped to build it. What was the reason to do so and why you went to New Deal?

I didn’t like Steve Rocco’s politics or master plan and I didn’t want to be party to it or used as a pawn. I just wanted to skate.

Your career on New Deal was kind of shortlived.

I had a few models with New Deal but the relationship just wasn’t right. 

What made you to try and open TV together with Ed Templeton in a time when skateboarding was about to hit rock bottom again?

We started TV for fun – as a creative release – an extension of our skating – for something to do. We didn’t think in terms of business. I never really have.

Yes, this is a 360 flip

The early 90`s must have been a really dark time when you were depending on boardsales to feed your family. How did you surrvive? Would you call it the worst time in your career?

I have great memories of the 90’s. I did what I had to do, just like everyone else. Those who skated then or stayed in skating in the 90’s were true blue.

Elephant Brand is after TV Skateboards, Transit Skateboards, Vallely Skateboards and By The Sword Skateboards your fifth own board company. What´s the difference to those other projects?

The difference should be obvious at this point. It’s not really up to me to point it out or try to convince anyone.


What about a Guest Board for Ed Templeton on Elephant Brand? You always seemed to get along very well when you`ve been on the euro contests together.

I’m not really interested in guest boards. Ed and I haven’t skated a contest together in probably a decade.

What do you think of the Skateboarding industry today? As a Skateboarder and owner of a Skateboard company. Good things, bad things?

I don’t really think about the industry. I just skate and do what I do.


We`ve just seen the “Bones Brigade Documentary” and noticed that you were in there for maybe 30 secs.
Do you think that Fred Durst has more to contribute to the OG Bones Brigade than you?
(We thought it was rather fucked up after your part in Public Domain blew everyone in 1988 and we don`t mean the graveyard run. We are still stoked on the fakie flip and halfcab flip)

Fred is the same age as me. We grew up with the Brigade. I think he spoke to the influence and inspiration of the times. I’m happy with my part in the movie and my contribution to it.

What would be your „Dream Team“in Skateboarding today and of all times?

I don’t think in such terms really. Some of my favorite skaters are Lance, Duane, Gonz and Blender.


When you look back, what was the happiest/ best time in your career?

I don’t look back. I’m living right now.


One year in Münster (1994 or 1995?), after you had a great run and the crowd went completly nuts, you took a spray can and wrote „Neil Blender“on the street floor. Why did you do that?

It was just something I needed to express at the moment… There’s more to skating than competition and Neil embodied that more than any other skater I could think of.


What was the most fucked up situation you have ever been in (Skateboarding related)

Anytime you’re taken away in an ambulance is pretty fucked up. I’ve been there a few times. Not a fun place.


The craziest thing you experienced on a Skate Tour? 

Not for public consumption.


Will you be on tour with your team this year? If yes will you hit Europe aswell?

Nothing planned at the moment.


You are famous for your all or nothing approach when it comes to skateboarding. What drives you to fucking shred to the fullest, even on a little demo in some shitty skatepark?

I love skating and it shows.


The Hockey stick incident is wildly discussed via internet and we all know what happend, but one Question that I couldn`t figure out.
Who got the stick? Your daughter or the drunk fuck?

It is? That is sad. People need to get lives. What you’re asking me is not important and not something I feel like discussing on the internet or elsewhere.


Thanks to:

Nope.

Well, but we thank: The Chrome Ball Incident for the scans and Mike V. to answer this in 10 mins. The man is always down for a good and extended e-mail natter.

FOG 
For comments and thoughts: Check the SLAP FORUM  

Jordan Richter Interview pt. 2

Jordan Richter Interview pt. 2

After a long break from doing the site, we finally got the lengthy conversation with Jordan Richter transcriped (Part 1 you`ll find here). Damn, that was a real dragging thing, but more than worth it.

Not much to write for the intro, you guys have been waiting for too long. Let`s get right into action. 
(BTW we don`t take any blame for typo errors, because we dont give a fuck!!!!)

 

Jordan Richter: So tell me about your zine.

F.F.L: Well, it used to be a paper zine and then in the late 90`s we`ve been busy doing other shit than a zine, so we stopped doing it. Like six months ago we started to do it again as an online zine.

Jordan Richter: Are you in England?

F.F.L: No, we are in Germany, but we have tight connections to the UK scene

Jordan Richter: Yeah my last name is Richter (german for judge) hahaha

F.F.L: I`ve seen you once in Germany. That was on the Münster Monster Mastership. I think that was 1994 or 1995?!

Jordan Richter: Yeah I`m interested to hear what I did during that time, cause I don`t remember most of it. It was a really unique time of my life. It was a hard time aswell and in a way I`m glad I went through it.

F.F.L:  You mean: You have to fall deep to rise again?

Jordan Richter: Exactly! You know prior to that, I was with Josh Swindell and Danny Way. Josh Swindell is now doing life in jail.

F.F.L: Yeah that was the story. He was beating a guy to death. Must have been early 1993 or 1994.

Jordan Richter: I can`t recall the exact year, but a few months before this incident, I was living with Danny at the time. We all went up to the mountains and decided to take LSD. Me being the naive kid I was, took a whole lot more then everyone else and I winded up getting poisoned.

A year later it came out of me in Germany. Plus all the weired behavior, so a lot of people don`t know that I was actually poisoned by LSD and all that resulted in that odd behavior.

F.F.L: It was like a heavy LSD flashback?!

Jordan Richter: It was an extremly heavy flashback. I went really deep into myself and was confronted with things and this particular situation took me to some weired places. I remember I got into a lot of adventures caused by it and it was a very very weired experience. Unfortunatly!

 

F.F.L: In our online chat we covered so far the Video Days, but why you left Blind and started to ride for New Deal?

Jordan Richter: At the time I was winning some contests and I was doing fairly well and I think I got on Blind, cause of Danny put in his word. Rocco and Mark Gonzales put me on because of that. The whole time on Blind, I was just the vert dude and I didn`t really fit into the whole equation and I wasn`t the best street skater at the time either. I just brought in some value as a street skater, but on the same time lacking behind, when you look at Danny Way and Alphonso Rawls. The other guys on the team were like (sighs)… Well, I had my differences with them.

Actually in the end Rooco weeded me out. They were ready to give me the boot and I was just 16 by the time. I just turned pro a year prior to that and was enjoying the benefits of that. I don`t know if I wasen`t producing enough board sales, but Rocco was ready to boot me off. I didn`t feel motivated and I felt seperated from the rest of the team, so I started looking elswhere. Steve Douglas from New Deal hooked me up, so I started to ride for them. I can`t really recall how it went down, but I think Justin Girard helped me to get on.

 

F.F.L: Yeah Justin was still riding for New Deal, before he strted Mad Circle

Jordan Richter: I was living with Justin, I really think he was the one who hooked me up.

None of those team managers: Steve Douglas, Steve Rocco had no idea how to deal with kids. Take any team-or company manager from that time. They were very irresponsible. They were never concerned that we were going through anything and instead of helping us out of our problems or trying to figure out what this kids issue is, they wrote them off.

You have people like Jeff Phillips (pro skater from the 80`s who commited suicide) who were devasted by the industries irresponibility. There was no one who understood the struggles of kids or people.

I`m thankful that I came through it, eventhough I missed out a lot, but I`m skating again and I feel way better and I`m 37. I`m still thankful to Danny for hooking me up with Blind, eventhough Danny himself became  a completely different person as he used to be back then, but he helped me out a lot and I have total respect for him.

I ride now for a company called Green Issue, which is a small company. It`s mostly tranny riders like Owen Nieder, Paul Wisniewski, Jed Fuller etc. We are like a tight family and it`s cool!

 

F.F.L: Well, so what happened when you vanished from New Deal?

Jordan Richter: Man this is really hard to remember. So after I got from Germany it took me almost five years to recover from this LSD flashback. Long story short I went to Germany, came back and I had this chemical hepatitus. I had this yellow green cake on my tonque and my whole body was greenish yellow, my equilibrium was off. I couldn`t balance or skate. I stayed a long time in a psychatric hopital. I did the whole trip.

Mostly the industry just wrote me off, cause they didn`t knew how to deal with it. I was a hard character and people didn`t know how to talk to me when I was in that state. I was really way out. I really love skateboarding, but I left it cause I was sick.

A few years later I got back into skating and started riding the company called Goodtimes, with Adam Mc Natt, Joe Pino and Peter Hewitt. Those were top notch guys, we had a really good team. I was just back skating and functioning again.

 

F.F.L: Goodtimes was like in the late 90`s?

Jordan Richter: Yeah it was like 98 when I disappeared from skating again. I went to the Wembley Arena for a contest and I couldn`t even function on a skateboard. I thought I could jumb on a board and take a whole vert run, but I didn`t work out to well. I didn`t feel comfortable at all. I also had a major shift in my spirituality and belife system. My identity was shakky, so I had to figure out who I was to actually feel normal and to be with my friends, rather then to be insecure.

I think sometimes you have to step back to really figure out what you really love and it`s better you do it like that, then being uncomfortable in the process.

I hope this isn`t to deep.

F.F.L: No, no totally fine. This is an Interview about you. Deep answers are good. Keep it going, it`s your history.

Jordan Richter: Cool, I appreaciate.

F.F.L: So how you made a living when you haven`t been paid for skating after Goodtimes?

Jordan Richter: I did a lot of odd jobs for a while. I drove a taxi for about seven years. Later on I landed in a job where I got training and working like an entry level engineer for AT&T and t-mobile network. I did that for seven years too and then I relocated to the bay area and opened my own buisness. I did perfume buisness and then I sold that buisness.

Now- I`m skating and teaching skateboard lessons. My main focus is on skating

F.F.L: When did you start to skate a lot again?

Jordan Richter: About a year and half ago.

F.F.L: What was the reason?

Jordan Richter: Main reason why is: That skateboarding is part of me. I can not deny. You see some people go through a spiritual journey and they think that their shit dosen`t stink. I know those people very well, cause I used to be the same arrogant, but I got this shit out of my system. I got my faults like everyone else and I do mistakes like everyone else, but you have to look for the good in people.

I really missed like skating with my friends and the art of skateboarding itself. I have the feeling that a lot of things haven`t been done yet and I still think I can contribute something to skateboarding. I`m 37 and recently I have been skating with Cab and I think, I still have a couple of strong years.

Man I missed skating, I missed my friends and I love the progression.

Now with 3 kids and a family the time is rare, so I enjoy every minute of skating.

 

F.F.L: You mentioned something about Simon Woodstock. What can you contribute?

Jordan Richter: I tell you one thing brother: I stepped out of skateboarding for 14 years and in that time I was around a lot of people who gave me a lot of wisedom. I guess what I see is that everyone is good in playing their role. If you are good on a skateboard, then skate. If you want to be a preacher, then become a preacher, but don’t try to mix the two together!

Don`t push an agenda behind skating. I don`t like being preached to and I don`t what he (Simon Woodstock) is mixing into skating. I talked to Simon before and he tried to convert me, but he is from a different group anyway. I never dressed up to skate. Just let the skating do the talk. Just skate you don`t have to dress like a clown and joggle balls. I can`t knock him man. I don`t wanna attack him, but I`m just saying what I think.

 

F.F.L: What do you think about the skate scene nowadays?

Jordan Richter: The industry, the way it is set up and the magazines, namly Thrasher in general, has carelessly kind of opted for a more (sighs)….  I mean is skateboarding: Drinking, womanizing, doing heroin? If that is skateboarding, then I ask: How do that actual apply to your buyer, when your buyer is like 8 to 14 years old?! Your customer has nothing to do with what the industry is portraying to be skateboarding. It only eludes one fact, that when Jake Phelps dies- then this will change. It`s his perverted pipe dream.

This is my own experience from being an outsider who got back in. I reduce it to one major personality guilty for skateboardings downfall and that is Jake Phelps. He is reasponsible for a lot of this bullshit, because of his carelessness he has done in Thrasher. He has taken what Rocco has done and perverted it into the maximum in print form. I really do think Thrasher has good elements, but this whole satanic vibe and other things are bad. I know people hate me for saying this, but I don`t care. I know it is true and the know it too, it`s clear.

It was different when Kevin Thatcher was around.

I had a discussion with Jake about it. This is a few months back and the discussion wasn`t the best. He was very rude. I tried to be straight forward with him, why I`m back in skating, but he didn`t care. This is not bothering me at all. It`s the contend and message Thrasher is backing. It rallys a certain aspect from the pro level, a way of certain behavior and Thrasher celebrates that certain group. Actually supporting and backing them up and basically making them the little Thrasher puppets. They set the toll for the rest of the industry. Thrasher polluts the industry, it`s like a virus. If you would take out the negative elements and would brought Thrasher to what it was: Coverage of raw skateboarding, wild honest skateboarding, than Thrasher would be great!!!!

It`s when you open any issue. Look at the ads and contend. It`s just heroin and shit. Look at all this Shake Junt, Baker, Deathwish etc, this is what you get.

Essentialy you can say that it`s not Thrasher`s view what skateboarding is. Thrasher is portraying Jake Phelps thought of what skateboarding should be. He is telling people through Thrasher, his own world of skateboarding. He is the main editorial guy, he is the guy who decides with his temperment. When you look at all those company logos nowadays, everyone is copying the tone of Thrasher. I`m not big on symbolism, but my next graphic will be sword breaking the satanic star in half. I ask why is everyone using the satanic star?! Cause Jake has pushed it.

I`m happy that I stepped away for a while, cause I think I would have got eaten up by all this crap. I think I would not have survived.

 

F.F.L: You mentioned that your body is not fucked up, cause you had this long break.

Jordan Richter: Ahh the only thing is that my legs are stiff from driving a car for long hours, so I have to bend. Everyday I have to take a foamroller and massage the right side of my leg. I usually have to do stretching and do yoga to get my knees and muscles flexible. Sounds gay!? (laughs) My biggest issue is to get a bit more raw and to get more commitmend in my skating. It`s the head thing. You want to push yourself to get in things and you want to try something new, you dreamed about and you already visiulized the trick that is in your ability. My mission is to get in touch with the things that are reasonable and in my abilities. I`m not proud of what I achieved on Blind, I think I start my career as skateboarder now with 37. I never liked my part in “Video Days”.

Look at Danny Way, he has evaluated things that were never been done before and then he decides that he can do it and does it. The main thing about Danny is not jumping out of helicopters and jumping over crap. Look at Danny at his early age, he was a punk, a really bad guy and he became a really descend individual. I admire him for that. 

 

F.F.L: A question of the topic. How was the “Blind Video Days reunion” shot?

Jordan Richter: It was cool. It was a long time since I have seen all the guys. It was more than a 15 years since I have seen all of them.

I used to live with Jason Lee and seeing him was nice. Transworld set it up in a good way it was all realistic. The car they got and we went for a drive with it, that was fun. My most favorite person of the day was Mark Gonzales. He was real. Guy and Jason were somewhere near cloud nine. Jason hasn`t seen me for a long time and he is now Hollywood sponsored, but deep down I love them all. It was very nice to meet them.

Alive and kicking- Massive Japan Air

F.F.L: You want to send out greetings, shouts and cheers?

Jordan Richter: 1^st my wife, god- my creator, Shouts out to the Green Issue team- The Revolutionary Army, Brian Reid from Osiris, all my sponsors who has been helping me, Rob Washburn from Powell and all those people who hateing on others for doing something- cause they are the motivators for you to do something.

Thanks to Jordan Richter for this deep conversation

Cheers to The Chrome Ball Incident for the scans 

Jordan Richter Interview pt. 1

Jordan Richter Interview

Well, well we have been pretty much under the radar for the last month. Working the regular job and keeping up with the non skate life demanded a bit of time, but hey we are back with the 1st part of the conversation we had with Mr. Jordan Richter.

You remember the man? If the answer is NO- check this one here again.

We got in touch with the man himself via one of the social networks and he agreed to answer some of our questions. The 1st session was a chat and here is the original back and for tipping, typo errors and grammar fuck ups are included:

F.F.L.

So lets get started

Jordan Richter

ok 

F.F.L.

Let`s start off with the classic Chromeball Incident question: When did you start skating and what was your 1st real board?

Jordan Richter

I started skating in 1984, when I was 10 years old...First board was a G&S board with barbed wire and a wolf on it with indys and rat bones

F.F.L.

Where did you live then?

Jordan Richter 

Lived in Cali in Lajolla

Grew up skating Del Mar skate park

F.F.L.

You were mostly skating ramps I reckon, cause that was the shit to do back in the mid 80`s and Del Mar was one of the epicenters for vert skating in Cali.

Who were the guys rocking that place back in the days?

Jordan Richter 

true! Del mar was the epicenter ]

Skated with Hawk

Miller

D. Way

Hewitt

Adrian Demain

Owen Nieder

Reese Simpson

I was a local there every day 

 

F.F.L.

That reads like a top ten contest line up, must have been very influential for ya back then to get hyped.

Jordan Richter 

Most def

 

F.F.L.

How old were you back then?

Jordan Richter

I have been fortunate to skate with a solid mixed of the best

It help me build me up to be where I am today ./...I am thankful to them all

I was 10-13yrs

F.F.L.

Skating every day Del Mar with those legends led you to your 1st sponsorship then or was it that you entered one of thei am contests?

Jordan Richter

I enter lots of Am contest

back then

Won lots of them...haha

for real though...

F.F.L.

You got sponsored then by who?

Jordan Richter

First sponsor was Santa Cruz

But Dog town was giving me boards for a while 

F.F.L.

when was that?

Jordan Richter

and Adrian Demain flowed me boards from Powell

when I was 14

F.F.L.

Have you been on Speed Wheels aswell,`cause I think I remeber an add with you?

Jordan Richter

nope no speed wheels

F.F.L.

so there we see that memeories are somtimes a blurr

Jordan Richter

ha! i have some blurred memories too my freind!

F.F.L.

Everone has

Jordan Richter

Come to think of it maybe i was on Speed wheels

I am fortunate i didnt fall into all the crap that my frerinds did...Drugs etc...

I only caught a little of that mess so the memory is fairly good

F.F.L.

How you got on blind wasn`t that like 1990?

Jordan Richter

yea 1991

Danny Way called Rocco or Gonz i dont remeber

Buit he basically put a word in for me and then they were for it

F.F.L.

Ahh yeah D.Way was riding for them back then

Jordan Richter

yep

F.F.L.

so wehn you got on in 1991 you were there just a supershor time, but you still had a section in the famous Video DAYS

How long did you film for your part?

Jordan Richter

I film like 8ntimes for that part really not much bro ]

8 times

F.F.L.

sick- cause the part is realy far ahead for it`s time. 

Jordan Richter

I really dodnt like it 

F.F.L.

Eventhough most people back in the day couldn`t understand

Jordan Richter

I am starting to film again soon...

New Shit

F.F.L.

so you are on a mission again.

Jordan Richter

WAR

haha

F.F.L.

Back to the video days did you know that Jake Phelps was taking the word for your part at the "Evening of the skatevideos"?

Jordan Richter

I heard something like that 

F.F.L.

Here is what happened:

(after a lengthy conversation regarding blind's Video Days at the MOMA's "Evening of Skate Videos")

Jake Phelps: "...and don't forget Jordan Richter!"

(crowd snickers)

Jake Phelps: "Don't laugh. How many of you can do 5ft nollie shuffles on vert?"

(crowd immediately shuts up)

----

Jordan Richter 

Yea Jake is alright

i really dont care what anyone thinks about me though I am very cointent with who I am and what i stand for...I try not to think about other peoples view of me...As long as I am doing the right thing I dont mind the haters

i have always been defirent and caught alot of hell for that

I gotta get going on 10 min homie

F.F.L.

I reckon it was not all fun back then. There is a story floating around, that you have been in SF with the plan b heads and that you guys watched Video Days together, but they editted out your part. Is that true?

   

Jordan Richter

Yea

Its true

haha

Like I said i dont care 

 

F.F.L.

If you have to go no problem we can continue any other day if you don`t mind

Jordan Richter

We were little kids

got some time

 

F.F.L.

Really!!!! Taht must have been a tough one. who was there and what was their reaction when they realized?

Jordan Richter

I think they just laughed

I dont remeber exactly

continue tomorrow

is that cool

Gotta get up at 4;30am in the morning 

F.F.L.

Totally cool

Jordan Richter 

Sorry man
thanks for understanding

ok

F.F.L.

No worries I know how it is to work

Talk to you later

Jordan Richter on the June 1991 Transworld Cover

So this was the 1st part of the "My War" conversation. In fact it took another month before I got back in touch with the him. Computer breakdowns, sickness, work and all kind of other stuff led to the delay. If I would have nown that I would have said: " Talk to you a lot later" hahaha, in the end you are always wiser. 

2nd part of the interview was a proper skype conversation wich is almost finished to be transcriped and it`s a good one!!! 

Stay tuned for a full lengthy Interview with Jordan Richter.

See ya later

FOG

Questions for the Notorious Clown

While we have been going through all the FB stuff we stumbled across the name we have been missing for years in skateboarding. So we wrote up this truly legendary icon to see what would happen. Some two days later this e-mail interview was done. 

We are really stoked on the kindness and honesty he put into his answers.

Who is it ?

Simon Woodstock

Who is Simon Woodstock (age, roots, current place of resistance)?

I am almost 42 years old. I was born and raised in Campbell, California (near San Jose). currently reside back in San Jose.

When did you start skating?

I think I was like 6 or 7 years old.

What was your 1st real board set up?

Powell Peralta Ray "Bones" Rodriguez with Tracker 6 Tracks and Bones Cubic wheels.

What was the 1st video that really stoked you and what are your 3 all time favorite vids and why?

Actually, it was a very old movie called "Skateboard Madness" that was very old school late 70s skating that really stoked me out when I was a very young kid. Then it was the Bones Brigade Video Show. That was probably the first well made skate video that came out during my grom era. I used to watch a lot of those old NSA competition videos which were cool. Those all got me into watching a lot of skating on video.

I would say some of the later videos were the ones that got me super stoked. If I had to pick 3

1. The Search for Animal Chin. They did a special in theater release in my area and it was sooo good. I just remember tripping hard on the whole mega animal chin vert ramp. No one had done anything like that before. The quadruple runs that they took on the ramp were insane.

2. Blind "Video Days". I remember watching it and the skating was so advanced. I recently watched Gonz' part again a few times and I realized that back when I saw it for the first time I didn't even understand the technical difficulty of what he was doing. Lots of switch stance before anyone was doing it. First darkside slide I ever saw. Amazing!

3. Probably the first Plan B video. Pat Duffy was doing things on handrails that were inconceivable at the time.

Who was Your 1st sponsor?

Technically, my parents were my first sponsors as we owned a family skate shop called Winchester Skate Shop (1986-90). My first free deck that I got outside of the skate shop was given to me by Allen Losi. But, my first factory sponsors were Thunder Trucks and Spitfire Wheels. The first ad I ever had in a magazine was a Spitfire Wheels ad.

You were riding for Black Label back then, why did you jump ships and boarded Sonic Skateboards?

Well, that's a bit of a long story. I was supposed to turn pro for Black Label but Lucero changed his mind at the last minute for some reason. I rode for two other smaller companies before I was on Sonic.

When did You turn pro and for which company?

Ha, right after I left Black Label I turned pro for a very short lived company called Koklieb in 1992. It was a local company out of the San Jose Skatepark with me and JJ Rogers as the pros. The company never really went anywhere but it was a fun time. I basically had all access to the skatepark which was very helpful in the development of my skill set. I then rode for a company called New School for a while and then Sonic.

The SJ posse like Jason Adams, Salman Agah, Tim Brauch (deeply missed), Ed Devera etc. had a super reputation back in the days and all were on rock solid sponsors, did it help to be tight with those guys. 

The whole San Jose scene was amazing! It still is with the Enjoi guys and stuff. Hanging and skating with those guys was always rad. We pushed each other to be better riders and we always seemed to be having fun doing whatevs.

Simon Woodstock: "I submitted this photo to Vans for an ad in 1996 because a similar ad got a great response for CCS mailorder. The Vans ad department didn't like it due to "low skill level" or something like that. They may have had a point, but I tried to explain to them that having my hair and pants match my ltd edition colorway signature Vans was the focal point of the shot. Nevertheless, the photo never ran as an ad. They did use it for this trading card, but cropped about 8 inches off the height of the flatbar thus lowering the "skill level" of the shot even further. I LOVED riding for Vans, but often the communication between core and corporate was rather difficult."

What was the 1st contest you entered and how was it to rip there?

The first pro contest I entered was in 1992 at a skatepark called Transitions in Southern California. It was cool because I got 6th place and Lucero congratulated me. I think he had doubts about my skill level that were part of the reason he didn't turn me pro so it was cool to be able to have validation by doing good in my first contest.

Sonic ad- Bs Kickflip in the old Powell Skatezone

Is skating still fun when you make a living out of it, event hough it always looked like you had tons of fun?

Yeah, it is really fun getting to travel everywhere and skate. Because I had a lot of creative freedom with my advertisements it was always pretty fun. It can be a drag when you get to the point where you only skate to film or shoot photos but even then it is lame to complain. I can't think of a better job or whatever you would call being a pro skater. It was one of the greatest times of my life.

BTW fun. Please write down what are your memories about following boards  and how did you come up with the idea for each? Which one was the hardest to ride and which the funnest?
 

Formula One ad

Double pair of trucks:

I really liked that set up. I just had the idea that if you put trucks and wheels on both sides of your board you could do 1 1/2 kickflips and 360 1 1/2 flips and so forth. It just happened to work so I took it around to some contests and did some filming with it. In fact, my first Sonic ad was on that board. I think I used to call it "double trouble"

 

Skim board:

That came out of just being board working at a boardshop called Go-Skate up in Sacramento. We had a bunch of skimboards for sale in the shop and I just set one up with trucks and wheels and took it to the Sacramento skatepark. Everyone tripped out on it and I was actually surprised that I could do tricks on it.  

Various screen grabs of the Skim Board footage. Must be out of 411# fuck knows!!!

Bowling board:

I was riding for Airwalk at the time and they made a "Bowling shoe" that was a skate shoe styled after the shoes you rent at bowling lanes. .The concept of the bowling ball board was for an ad for those shoes. I drilled the trucks and wheels right into the bowling ball, found a set of pins, and shot the ad with Lance Dalgart. I busted it out at a Vancouver Canada pro contest too. pretty fun!

The Bowling Board- Airwalk ad.

 

Carpet board:

A kid had one at a demo once and I borrowed it and took off my shoes and started riding it. I was able to do barefoot tre flips and such so the kid just gave it to me. I made a new one and rode it in a pro contest at the Powell skate zone in 1994. I got 9th place on it.

 

Bullseye board:

Big Brother Magazine was having an advertisement contest so that was just a concept board specifically for the photo shoot for the ad we submitted from Sonic. It wasn't very functional for every day riding. The ad got second place in the contest.

Double nosed board noseslide and the Bullseye board oliie to fakie at Derby

Fish tank board:

Photographer, Mike Ballard, suggested that we try to do something that might be a guarantee for a Big Brother cover so I came up with the idea. I put trucks and wheels under the tank and water and live fish in it. It was the only cover of a magazine that I ever got. Dan Cates from England just recreated the board for a Sidewalk Magazine cover.

Big Brother Magazin Cover- The Fishtank ride

Spring board:

Just screwing around with that one. It wasn't that fun to ride, actually. I learned how to kickflip on it but it was kind of useless beyond that.

Spring Board Indy

Together with the unique boards came the outfits. Looking back wich costume was the funnest which one was the most ridiculous one?

I would have to say that the stuffed animal suit was both! I sewed about 250 stuffed animals to a pair of coveralls and it would get people stoked and laughing wherever I wore it. I would wear it to trade shows and stuff. It wasn't my favorite one, though. The penny suit was my favorite.

You have been to the World Cup in Münster Germany in 1995. I remember that you had everyday a new hair colour. Like one day red then blue and then green. Pretty vicious thing to do, to your hair.
How did you like europe back then and what were your impressions on skating here and the what you like and dislike?

Europe was always cool. Munster and North Hampton (England) were always my favorites. I can't remember anything bad about about them. The fans there always seemed pumped and the vibes were cool.

To which countries has skating brought you?

All throughout Europe, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Japan, Venezuela, and probably some that I have forgotten.

Craziest tour story please (Don`t hold back on this one)

Ha, okay... I had to think for a minute. I was with the Sonic guys traveling on the bullet train out of England and I had fallen asleep. We got to our stop and the guys on the team thought it would be funny if they didn't wake me up. When they were off the train they all started yelling my name and I woke up. But, my legs had fallen asleep so I had to crawl on my hands and knees with my bags and stuff to get off the train before it pulled away again. I literally fell down the steps of the train onto the train station floor. Everyone had a good laugh that day at my expense. I think it was on the same trip that we were on another train into Portugal and the whole mountain surrounding the train was on fire. The train car began to heat up really hot and we all thought we might die. That was pretty crazy now that I think of it.

What was anarchy eyewear???

It was a division of some larger mainstream sunglass company trying to break into the core market. They offered me a signature sunglass and a good paycheck so I went for it. I didn't have a whole lot of creative control with the ads so they aren't my favorite. It was cool, though. Free shades and free money basically.

Anarchy eyewear ad

How did you start Woodstock Skateboards and how was the company doing, due to the fact that you were really prominent those days?

I dunno, this was all towards the end of my career. I started doing wheels with Metiver and then he made me a good financial offer to licence my name to do decks. I probably should have just stayed with Sonic. But, Metiver treated me fair so it is not a big regret or anything. I never knew how well the boards did because I never saw the numbers but I saw them in a lot of shops so they must have done pretty good.

The company was together with Rich Metivier. Who was on the team besides you and which woodshop, distribution you guys used?

I think Rich had his own distribution. I want to say that the boards were made at Watson Laminates but I don't really remember. There were no team riders besides myself on the deck company.

 

How Woodstock Skateboards ended?

After we got sued by Rocco I was just starting to get over the whole skate scene in general. I had a lot of injuries and was burned out. Shortly after the lawsuit Rich and I had a mutual agreement to disband my company.

Woodstock skateboards ad, that led to the lawsuit.

Is it really true that you had to step away from the skateindustry, otherwise you would have to pay a fine of $100,000? Is that really the truth?

That is the way Rocco explains it in his documentary but we actually did get sued and had to pay $50,000 dollars and we just coincidentally both got out of the industry shortly afterwards. I think Rocco just remembers it wrong or maybe said that to keep people from attacking his brands or something. I don't mind that version of the story. If people think that Rocco ran me out of the skateboard industry that is a more exciting story than me just fading off the scene.

When you think about the Powell Peralta and Blind “graphic wars”, can you understand Steve Roccos reaction towards Woodstock Skateboards? There were even rumors that he liked the ad and he would have run a similair one.

Yeah, in our settlement meeting he was cool. He just explained that he had worked hard to establish the World Industries brand and wanted to send a message to people not to mess with it. I understood. George Powell probably should have sued Rocco for doing the same thing before.

What would you do if you would meet him (Rocco) in a supermarket?

I'd say hello. See if he wanted to talk briefly. I have no beef with Rocco. I never did. Attacking his brand was just a publicity stunt that backfired. 

What have you been doing after Woodstock Skateboards? The moment that ended you kind of vanished.

 I was living in Huntington Beach towards the end and had signed all of these contract deals throughout the years but I was kind of done with skating at the pro level. I moved back to San Jose and just sort of hid out for a while. I lifted weights in my backyard and got a tan. After a while my sponsors were calling me wondering why I was in hiding and I just told them all in one week that I was done. We dissolved the contracts and I was free to go. That was it. It was in late 1999. I became a Christian shortly after and went to Bible College. The details of how all that went down are in this article that I recently wrote  http://simonwoodstock.com/testimony/ 

What are you up to nowadays and what are your plans for  2012?

I lead a very chill lifestyle now-a-days and I like that. I take care of my Mom full time and I do the Church thing and I am involved in ministry. I have a missions trip to Ethiopia that I am scheduled to go on with Christian Skaters International Ministry, working amongst the thousands of homeless teens there giving them Bibles and boards. I have some speaking engagements at Christian conferences and so forth. Basically, just staying out of trouble.

Are you still skating and into inventing new boards?

Yeah, I just started skating again last year. Having a great time sessioning with friends and hitting local curbs, banks, and skateparks. My friends are building a mini-ramp and we plan to session that all spring and summer. As far as special boards, not so much any more. I don't have the resources or the the designated time to spend on then that I did when I was a pro. But, we'll see.

Do you collect Skateboards?

I'm so ,old now that I collect dust. That's about it.

At the end of the day are there some things you would do differently now?

Well, the standard stuff. I would have tried to keep the partying under control. It would have been nice to have become a Christian sooner and avoided the party scene altogether. But, really, I pretty much accomplished more than I originally set out to do so it is cool to have been a part of it all and to look back on.

What do you think of  the Skateboarding scene 2012? Mega sponsor deals, big money from Nike, Mountain Dew, etc compared to the 90`s?

It is what it is. There are always corporations trying to break in to it. The thing with skateboarding is that it goes through long fazes where big companies can make money off of it. For me, I would just have to be honest... if Nike called me right now and offered me a million dollars to wear their shoes when I skate... well.. what do you think I would do? What would you do?

Are you still in touch with the mates from back in the days?

Yeah, actually a lot of them. Everybody and thier brother are on Facebook these days. I go to NC Boardshop in Los Gatos every couple of months just to see who's still peculating. 

A lot of people think that  Simon Woodstock was the Skateboarding- Clown. Do you wish they would remeber you aswell as the talented shredder that you have been. We still dig the mini ramp sequence of ya, where you did a bs kickflip lipslide down the extension to to rock to fakie into the ramp. That is still nuts!

Thanks! I don't really mind how people perceive me or my skating history. The reality is that it is flattering that people still remember me at all. All of that stuff pretty much went down over 15 years ago. I like to hear it when anything that I did stoked people out or had some kind of positive affect on them.

fs 5-O with the clown suit

Can you consider a comeback as a skater or in the skate bizz?

Well, I'm actually in the process of getting some skating back and have a deal with Reliance Skateboards (Brian Sumner) to do a re-issue of one of my old boards. I would like for that to turn into something more if the Lord wills. I'm going to try to enter a mini ramp competition in at the Whosoevers  conference in April. Small steps... see what happens.

F.F.L. zine has a campaign: The search for Aaron Deeter. Do you have any information of his where about?

Actually the photo and name look familiar. But, I have no idea where he is. It is funny you have that search going. I would always wonder if, while I was completely off the radar, if some crew searching for me would ever show up on my front door.

Thank You very much for your time and effort.

Lord bless. Peace!!


Thanks again to Simon WoodstocK to be the person he is: Super fun!!!!!


Cheers to: The Chromeball Incident and Skately for the pictures.
  


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