129DANE BARKER
CATS ARE EASIER
INTERVIEW BY MIKE GIGLIOTTI
HEADS_BARKER
Alright, first off, where are you from?
Tacoma, Washington, about 30 minutes
outside of Seattle.
You moved from there straight to LA?
Yeah, I moved there right out of high school.
I graduated a year early and I just left. But I
just recently moved to Richmond, Virgina.
Was there a particular reason you moved
there, or was it just to get out of LA?
I was in LA for four years and it was cool.
I just wanted a change of scenery, maybe
something a little bit slower. It reminds me a
lot of Seattle/Tacoma here. Also, Gilbert and
Will Rosenstock’s crew stays really busy, so I
can still be around people who are constantly
filming.
Do you not like LA?
I liked it for a while, then the last year I spent
there I think I got bored of the sun every
single day. I like to do things outside of
skating, and there wasn’t a ton for me there
aside from just skating.
I know you’re into hardcore music. Is
there a better scene and vibe out in VA
for all that kind of stuff?
Yeah, there’s a better music scene here, in my
opinion. There’s definitely a scene in LA, but
there it’s at clubs and bars. Here it’s like house
shows. But also, if I’m not skating or I’m hurt
I like that I can go chill at the river or go hike
around train yards, shit like that.Do you like the hardcore scene? I mean,
I know you like the music, but do you
like being in the scene or do you think
it’s kind of cheesy to an extent?
I definitely like it. I like it a lot. I don’t know
how to put this—in skating people are trying
to get sponsored and are trying to live their
dream, but hardcore is just for hardcore. You
just do it for the scene around you, not for
anything in return.
Right. So, you feel like there’s not an
ulterior motive behind why people are
involved outside of them just liking the
music.
You don’t get famous off of it; you don’t make
money off of it.COULTHARD