How did you first get into skating?
Believe or not, Gleaming the Cube. My brother who skated a little bit took me to see it at the dollar theatre. I was hooked. Keep in mind this is like ’89 or something and I’m like five years old.
What was it like growing up as a black skater in Texas?
Probably the same as growing up a black skater anywhere… rough, confusing, frustrating….I’m actually a little jealous of black kids skating today. They got it way easier than heads my age had it. You got Lil Wayne skating now, and TK had a show on BET!!!
Top 5 skaters from Texas?
You know, there are a lot of amazing skaters from TX. I guess I’ll just mention my personal favorites: Guru, Nate Broussard, Bryan Botelho, Richard Angelides, Mike Crum, and don’t forget John Comer, he’s got one leg! And I’ve seen him do tre flips! Ridiculous! Kalis isn’t really from TX but he’ll always be a Dallas skater to me, one of the best.
How is the East Coast different from Dallas/Texas and how is it similar?
Well for one, we can’t really skate in the summer here, and y’all cant really skate in the winter there. Ain’t that some shit. But for real though, as far as skateboarding is concerned, we have a lot in common. Heads are grounded and have a lot of heart.
Switch back 5-0 or switch crook?
Sw crook is definitely my go to, but sw 5-0 gets the props.
Best ledges you’ve ever skated?
That’s hard to say. I’ve skated a lot of ledges in my day. I’ll say this much: I’m sure they were granite/marble. The ground was buttaz, They were in downtown. There were bums, derelicts, and hoods in the way. They probably reaked of a weird concoction of urine, chicken wings, and liquor. Security was probably constantly rolling up. Half the kids down at the skatepark either couldn’t skate them, or just didn’t want to. And the way things are going in skateboarding today, ledges like these will continue to be less and less appreciated, if they even manage to remain in existence. I’ll stop ranting now.
How did you end up having a part in Logic 11? Did you go out and film for the video or did your footage just end up in it?
Ah, a little bit of both. I knew Heath Brinkley through Mikey Taylor and all the City Stars kids. One way or another word got to him that it would be a good look to get me a part. So I guess I sent him some footage I already had, and that got the O.K. Then I filmed some more stuff to finish it off. I never imagined the part would get the response it did, and still be remembered now.
Who were the first skateboarders that you looked up to?
At first, Ray Barbee. I saw him on sk8 tv. I was like, “Look dad, brothas can skate too!” Then as the 90s came around and I started really getting into magazines and videos it was the same thing, Kareem, Keenan, Marcus and Lavar, Lil Stevie..ha, remember that, when he was just Lil Stevie. I remember how psyched we were when he was in that Thrasher with all the young skaters. On the cover, Thrasher was written in crayons. I don’t even remember who else was in that issue. I just remember seeing Lil Stevie doing a heel flip down the stairs at city hall, and thinking: Whoa, he’s black and young. Mind you, I’m like in 4th grade or something at this point. Going back to what we spoke on earlier, it was always a struggle back then (being a black skater) so seeing any brothas out there doing it was a huge source of motivation.
Have you ever skated Love Park?
Yes, right at the end. Back in like ’01 and ’02. I was on Ezekiel and would come to Philly to skate with Kerry Getz and Pete Eldridge. It was cool too, because I saw Josh for the first time since he left Dallas, which was when I was like 11 or twelve, and he still remembered me and everything. He was like why you hanging out with Kerry and them, come kick it with us. I guess he had beef with Dridge back then or something.
Who is your favorite Wu Tang member?
Tony Starks aka Ironman aka Pretty Tony aka Theodore aka The….Ghost……Face….Killaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!
How long did it take you to nollie back noseblunt the ledge to drop at MACBA? Did you eat shit at all?
It didn’t really take that long actually. I did it in one session which is more than I can say for some of the clips I’m trying to get these days when I have to come back like 3 times over the span of month before finally getting it.
Jeremy Holmes’ part from Logic #11 2002
