Interview by Sean Bendon. Photos by Daniel Stelly.
fastplant
GPOTZ! How’s it going man?
Bendo! It’s going good. Just got off work. I’m fried. I was fucking around with avocados all day and brought home a bunch of sick fruit and shit.
You get free food at your job?
Yeah 100%. They feed me all day. I work at Bi-Rite on Divisadero.
This ain’t the first grocery store you’ve worked at right?
No, I worked at Whole Foods for five years. That shit sucked. I had some Temecula boys working with me sometimes but I didn’t want to work for Amazon. It’s the one on Haight. Classic Waller on the lunch break rips.
wallie
Why did you move to SF?
It wasn’t even really my decision. I had just gotten fired from my job and my buddy was like “We’re moving into this garage in San Francisco” and two days later I moved in. It’s been seven years. I wanted to live my life without a vehicle, I don’t like cars and gasoline. Metal death traps. Call me crazy but I think you experience the city and people way better outside of a car.
What’s up with that little Waller edit of you that’s got dubstep in it?
You know what’s crazy is Satva Leung filmed all of that. I thought he was just a skate dad for the longest time cause he would come into Whole Foods and I would ring him up like “Oh yeah you skate Waller right?” and then randomly I saw a photo one day on IG and it was like “the legend Satva Leung.” I used to watch Welcome to Hell all the time so I was completely blown away. But then he was randomly like “I have this sick camera setup, let’s film.” And then yeah it was total dubstep vibes, it was kinda sick. But he’s a total legend. Takes his kids to work on a bike with a big ass seat on the back.
Rad dad vibes. Recently you’ve been sharing a lot of your film photos on Instagram. When did you start shooting?
I started when I was 18 or 19. I had this shitty little camera that was my grandma’s. I was shooting a bunch of stuff in Temecula like Clinton Keith pool and Pala pool when they dug it up. But then I fell with that camera in my hand and exploded it. Shortly after that I moved to SF and I was kinda off it, but in the last two years I’ve been fucking around with little point and shoot cameras, doing a lot of street photography. Just bringing my camera out everyday, taking photos of whatever crazy shit I see. I’m actually about to print my first zine. Been sitting on some photos that I’m juiced on that I haven’t shown anyone. It’s called “The best day of your life” all color, all film, unedited and raw.
ollie
Do you have any photographers that have been inspiring you lately?
This dude Troy Holden is a super sick SF street photographer. Shoots the most unreal stuff. Then James Ferrando, SUBSIST! He made a book a couple years ago called “Unplugged” that’s just amazing. Gets me so hyped to have a copy at the crib. I always come home hammered and go through my zines and find that one and get so juiced. The photo of the dude holding the sign that says “have a nice day” also the photo where the dudes are exchanging money. I thought it was fucking insane that he captured that moment where they both have the bill in their hands perfectly. James is a legend.
You just got back from a trip to New Mexico, what were you up to out there?
Elijah Ackerly and Renette Hammer got married at White Sands National Park. It was so cool and sentimental. Everyone needs to go. I didn’t get to skate though because I flew Delta. Fuck Delta. They wanted me to pay $50 to check my board. It was the first time I traveled without my board.
I feel like every skater has a special trick they call their own and yours is kickflip fastplant. How did you get into that trick and why is it so appealing for you?
When I learned that trick I was visiting SF before I moved. We were at 3rd and Army and I was claiming that I was gonna fastplant Clipper the whole time then my buddy Joey was like “Yo you ever try to kickflip into that?” It’s easier than a regular fast plant in my opinion. If anyone out there knows how to do a fastplant, they know it randomly doesn’t work when you ollie sometimes and it does this weird heelflip thing and it looks super fucking stupid. The kickflip part gives you a moment to think about it, grab it, position your foot, and just do it. But honestly I’ve grown to hate it and I think it’s corny. I try not to do them anymore. But it still has a place in my heart.
Frontside or backside powerslides?
If you don’t want to get smoked just do a frontside powerslide. Because me and a couple buddies know all too well about the unorthodox backside powerslide to head slam. Knock yourself the fuck out type shit. Even if you know how to do it you can get hucked. I knocked myself out cold last year.
Favorite backside powerslide?
Tony Manfre in the GX video SF Is Where The Heart Is. He does a super long line and at the end he’s coming into an intersection and just does this mean ass backside [powerslide. Big inspo. Tony Manfre is a legend.
In your opinion, what’s the gnarliest hill in SF?
It’s kinda hard to say cause everyone’s over here doing Kearny left and right and that one’s obviously big. Kearny’s gnarly. There’s certain ones that haven’t been touched because they’re basically impossible. But yo actually I know which one is the gnarliest! Shout out Pablo. Elizabeth Street. Right next to 24th. There’s a sick photo that Pizzle shot of Pablo ollieing over the top. I guess the clip never went out, but he did it. If you go there you know it’s fucked. I wasn’t there but the photo was sick. RIP Pablo.
nosegrind 180 p- Sean Bendon
Best advice for a skater coming to skate SF?
Know your limits. Take it easy.
Shoutouts / last thoughts?
Shout out Skate Jawn, Bendo! Daniel Stelly, and shout out to all the homies that makes up this sick worldwide skateboarding community. Fuck the haters. Shut up and skate.
