Interview and photos by Isaac McKay Randozzi.
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How old are you?
I’m 19. Aww shit I’m actually 20 now!
Who are your sponsors?
I skate for 303 Skateshop in Denver and I’m flow for DC Shoes, DGK, Diamond, and I also get clothes from this shop/company called Phats Buddah Spot.
When did you start skating?
I was born into it because my dad worked in a skateshop so I was kind of riding around before I could even walk comfortably.
How old were you when you did your first ollie?
There is this one time where I remember I hit my face trying to ollie over a parking block and I was like 4. That’s the most vivid memory that I have.
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Have you always lived in Denver?
No, when my dad worked for this shop they relocated us to Albuquerque and we lived there for a year, and then I moved back here when I was 8. When I was 16 me and my roommate Orange moved to Louisiana and skated in New Orleans for a little bit. Then I moved back here and then to Portland for a little bit and then came back.
You guys just did it on your own?
Yeah, we moved to New Orleans and then I went to Portland by myself. I was on Social Security so I could kind of do whatever.
So you weren’t going to school or anything?
No, I lived in this rave house for a little bit with Orange and we just couldn’t get me to go to school ever. I just stopped going after that.
How long have you been on 303?
They’ve been plugging me up for almost two years, but they officially put me on the team two months ago.
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How long have you been doing video stuff, filming, and editing, etc?
Me and my friends, when we were 8, used to make little montages and stuff, but I got a camera on my 18th birthday. I bought it from my current landlord. I was saving up for a whole year for that VX.
What did you use before the VX?
We were filming on this little ass janky DSLR. It was pretty horrible.
Was it bad in an artsy way or just plain old bad?
It was sick, it got us started for sure. Orange already knew what he was doing from before in Florida, so it worked out perfectly, but the VX is definitely a step up!
You two just put out a new video, how long did it take to film and what’s it called?
Two years, we jumped on it pretty much as soon as we got the VX because we had just started getting ur little crew together. It’s called Sparked.
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You just had a renegade premiere for it at a local neighborhood spot, projecting it up on a wall. How’d that go?
At first, it was fucked up because the sprinklers turned on and got a bunch of people and Orange was running a little late, but it was so sick. Honestly, it turned out so amazing and so many kids came, it was pretty awesome.
How was the response?
Everybody loved it. It was pretty crazy to see how many people watched it in the past couple days it’s been up on YouTube. Everyone that went to the premiere was juiced on it.
Are you going to do hard copies?
Absolutely.
The travel bug hit you again and you’re about to pack up and move to Philly. What brought that on?
Since I was a little kid my dad used to take trips to Philly because his best friend used to live out there, and they would come back and tell me stories about it. So I’ve always wanted to be out there anyways. It seems like it’s a healthier move and there is a bigger scene and a bigger city to be around.
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I remember you mentioning SF at one point. What made you change your mind?
I just wanted to be a little more comfortable and I don’t know if I can handle living in a house with eleven dudes. Philly is a little cheaper and still a big city. It’s a little more my pace I feel.
You have a healthy appreciation for skate history and have collected a few things over the years. Where did that come from?
A lot of that is from my dad and his stuff. Since I was a kid he put me on to old skate videos and showed me how important it is to have wall bangers and preserve some of that history. That it is important to know your roots and know where everything came from. It’s pretty sick too because it’s something maybe a lot of people don’t have anymore because they skated those boards, or those videos got played too much and got eaten or thrown out. It’s just nice to have something from that time and being able to appreciate a little bit of that history.
What’s your personal favorite out of your collection?
Holy shit, I don’t know. Probably that Photosynthesis tape, I’m surprised that thing isn’t broken yet. Or that Stereo board that is hanging on my wall from the 2003 re-boot, that’s one of my favorites. I bring that one with me whenever I move.
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What would you consider your Holy Grail?
I have this Lance Mountain family board that’s chrome and they haven’t done a reissue of that one. I just leave that one at my mom’s house so nothing happens to it.
If you had an unlimited budget what would be the first board you’d buy?
Oh man, probably one of the Animobile graphics Don Pendleton did for Alien. I don’t know which one but maybe the Dill one. I remember when I was 16, talking about wanting to get one of those as a tattoo. But that’d be kind of fried.
I’ve seen a lot worse on folks. Do you have any thank you’s or fuck you’s?
Thanks to everybody that peeped our video and continues to support all of us. Everybody that has helped me and my friends out trying to finsih this video. Thanks to Casey at 303 for buying us tapes and everything. You, Orange, and Sam at 303.
