1.) Lets start off with a quick introduction to cover the basics. How long have you been skating, what got you started, who did you ride for over the years and why 'freestyle'?
I guess I started skating around 1984 or 85. After my mom went through a divorce we were forced to move into a small apartment in down town Huntingron Beach with my aunt and 2 younger cousins. It was a small duplex and ironically Ed Templeton was my next door neighbor. I was a total jock and he and a few of the other kids in the area were starting to get into skateboarding. One day I decided to hang with them and we all went to a local Surf Shop in the area. I can still smell the wax and resin like I had just walked in there. On a little TV on the front counter they were playing a Powell video and I just happened to catch the footage of Rodney skating in the park surrounded by pigeons. What he was doing blew my mind and I was hooked. For the next few weeks I saved my money and walked into The Sidewalk surfer in down town HB on Main st and paid $18 for Primos Madrid model. Fun fact it was sold to me by none other than legend Mike Foster who was working the counter that day. I took that board and threw on some trucks and wheels from an old Nash skateboard that I got for Christmas or something like that. Anyways fast forward a few months and I found myself starting to frequent the famous Pay-N-Play raquetball across from Huntington Beach High School. There was a huge basketball court area that became the local hot spot for Friday and Saturday night sessions. Tons of street skaters would bring launch ramps and it was common to see guys like The Gonz, Marty Jiminez and John Lucero there. But little did I know the European invasion of freestylers was happening right in our backyard. Don Brown, Stephan Johansson and Hazze Lindgren all lived in an apartment down the street from us and they would show up and practice there almost nightly. So I started going to Pay-N-Play every night. I just kept meeting more and more freetylers, Per Welinder, Pierre Andre, Fabian Kravetz, Bob Schmelzer, Lynn Cooper, Andre Walton...it was crazy. All of these guys started flowing us product(Yes Ed used to freestyle). My progression was pretty rapid only because I was completely obsessed and surround by so much talent. One day Don told me about a CASL contest coming up and told me if I won my division he would get me sponsored by Vision. So I entered and won. I think there might have been only 3 or 4 people in my division. So Don threw me on the back of his moped and drove me to the Vision office in Costa Mesa where I tried out in a rocky parking lot infront of Team Manager Everette Rosecrans(Dad of Kele Rosecrans) and that was it. Soon after I got picked up by Vans and I think Bob hooked that up, and rode for them until Vision Street Wear came out. I also rode for Thunder Trucks, Astrodeck, Swatch and when SMA came out with Gizmo wheels I was picked up by them and used them for freestyle wheels. After a couple years Bob started Circle-A and wanted me and Fabian to come and ride for him. Bob was a mentor to me from the begining. He would mix tapes for me to use in my contests runs, we did a ton of demos together and I always dug his hustle and vision so I went over and took a chance. I knew with Don, Primo, Hazze and Rocco already having Pro-Models in the Vision, Schmitt and Sims arsenal it was going to be tough for me. So I went over in hopes of getting my Model. After winning the NSA Western Regionals and placing 4th in Nationals in 88 or 89 it was in the works. In fact I think there is still a prototype that a buddy of mine drew on one of my blank decks that Jose Cerda has in his office in a PS Stix factory down in TJ. Anyways, soon after due to some shady business agreements Bob had Circle-A went belly up soon to be followed by the freestyle industry in general. So I had to go out and get a real job and started working at The Home Depot before joining the Marine Corps. Looking back now a part of me wishes Ed Templeton would have talked me into buy a street board instead. How's that for a quick intro?
2.) Everyone's been waiting for this one. The coconut wheelie is a very popular trick today. Mystery sounded the origin of it's name over the years as well as how it was invented. You are the first person to pull it off. How did you come up with it, when did you come up with it, why didnt you name it, and what do you think of it's progression?
Yeah I dont have a clue where the name the coconut wheelie came from. I guess I wasn't aware that there was some discussion out there about whether Pierre or myself came up with it. I started doing them back when Primo started doing Primo slides. He would notch out the edge of his board so he could install a plastic rail on the slide making it flush and slippery. I didnt want to take the time to do it so I just started by getting some speed and going up on the edge of the wheels. Pierre and I skated together a lot and fed off of each other because our styles were pretty similar. He also started doing them and did them way better than I did. I guess I didn't name it because I didnt really put much time into them and just thought it was a cool way to fill some dead space transitioning from one side of the freestyle surface to another. The progression of the trick has really been pretty cool to see. The distance and the variations that came out of it have been impressive. Was totally floored when I saw Osterman Impossible out of it. Thinking back, it could have been Pierre that ultimately gave it a name.
3.) I always like hearing about people's setup; both 80s and now. Tell us more about your gear in the 80s, the struggle with the lack of freestyle choices, and any 'hacks’ you might have with your setup.
My set up was really pretty straight forward. Mostly rode a single kick until we started playing with some concave with Circle-A. Tracker Trucks with copers to keep my legs from getting tore up with pogos and truck to truck tricks until I was picked up by Thunder and Vision Freestlye wheels until SMA came out with Gizmos. I used astrodeck on the underside of the board to grab for finger flips and stuff. Astrodeck was a spongy pad that was used on surfboards for footing. Other than that not much different than today, skid plates on the nose and tail, oh and a shit ton of shoegoo on the nose and tail so the board would grab on slippery surfaces. I always wore knee pads and shingaurds too. I dont understand how people skate today with no protection and in skinny jeans. I cant say there was a lack of freestyle gear in the 80's. Although it was a much smaller sample size then vert or street, all of the big hitters supported freestyle. Vision, Sims, Powell, Santa Cruz, Madrid, Independent, Tracker and Schmitt Stixx all had pro and product representation.
4.) You competed quite abit. What differences so you see with the level of competition and type of tricks today compared to the 80s. Give us some pros and cons.
Such a difficult question to answer, the 80's were just different. 80s freestyle really helped develop modern day skating in general. Freestyle or even skateboarding for that matter was a blank canvas back then. People had to be creative, imaginative and self motivated to progress. While I was extremely lucky to be around so many big names, it wasnt like that everywhere. Everything today is so transparent and at your finger tips. There are countless clips and videos out there to pull from and see whats going. You know who everyone is and there are no surprises. I know I sound like an old man, but back then you had to rely on magazines, stories and the occasional video clip to see whats happening. When someone would show up a contest or to a local spot you just didnt know what you were going to see. Thats what I mean by transparent today, everybody posts everything. We know the Japanese are going to show up and kick everybody’s ass because we have seen it. I guess the pros to this would be you have the ability to appeal to the masses today which attracts newer generations of skateboarders. I think for me the biggest differences in Freestyle today is the way it fits in as a subset of skateboarding in general. Yes in the 80's freestyle was seen differently, but it was respected within the skateboard community. Freestylers were a part of the overall scene and intermingled with others. Because guys like Ed Templeton and Jason Lee were around freestylers like the great names that I have named already and myself on the daily, they were influenced to do things different than anyone else. They took things they saw being done on a freestyle board and changed the game forever. I always say that they made fun of us, stole our tricks and board shapes and ran us out of town. Tony took the things he saw Rodney doing and took it to the ramp. Rodney saw Hosoi doing Christ airs and took it to the flat...it was back and forth. Freestyle today is like a cult. Outside of Unicorns like Andy Anderson, I feel like the disciplines are super segregated and its more like an underground world. If it wasn’t for guys like Lillis, Daryl Grogan, Lynn Cooper and the Terry Synotts of the world who weathered the storm over the years I am not sure todays generation would have come too. Ok types of tricks. Well let me say that there is no difference in trick types. Variations yes but differences no. Like I said, the canvas was blank and laid out in the 80's. Rodney deservedly gets a TON of credit for his contributions, but there are a lot of guys who contributed heavily that get lost in the shuffle. I was always a huge truck to truck guy, when I saw what Keith Renna was doing with those variations I almost shit my pants. When I saw Osterman impossible out of a Coconut wheelie I was blown away……Skateboarding is hard. Some of the shit I see today is next level. I mean the Japanese talent is ridiculous. Even some of the 13 year old girls would have been in the top 10 in an 80's Pro contest. Everything I see takes talent and hardwork, but everything you see today is a variation of some trick that somebody started doing in the 80's. Progression needs to happen, but I do feel like sometimes the 80's generation is shit on. Probably wont be a popular statement but I am ok with that.
5.) How do you keep yourself busy these days? Do you freestyle much and have you sustained any long term injuries from years of hardcore freestyle? Oh, and give is your best Barbeque rub recipe.
Dont really skateboard to much anymore. Im about 50lbs heavier than when I skated thanks to the gym. I do have a MODE setup that I got from Terry a few years ago. Occassionally if the liquor hits me the right way I will mess around. Its crazy, some tricks are like riding a bike and some not so much. Work keeps me busy and on the road quite a bit. When I am home I keep myself busy at the gym and a lot of golf. In fact I run a Chapter in the Mediocre Golf Association. If you are a golfer look it up.
Basically beer league gold for shitty golfers. There is probably a chapter near you. Ha!! You would think living in Texas now I would have a BBQ rub down, but my wife is the cook in this house. But I do make a mean Old Fashioned.
