132 Thrasher
HEADS_BARKER
these days?
I think most everybody’s answer would be
Instagram. When you log on you see, like,
40 kids doing tricks you will never do in
your life, and it can definitely make you feel
inadequate at times. The self-promotional
aspect of it is a little weird, but it’s just
become the standard now.
Yeah, we were recently at a park and
saw a group of kids dressed exactly
like a particular group of pros, but they
were way better than the pros they’re
emulating and you’re just, like, Holy
shit.
Yeah, I see that a lot too. It’s pretty insane.
Young skaters, and just kids in general, are
so much more aware and style conscious
these days. LA is fucked. I’ve seen so many
13 year olds with Gucci headbands and box
logos.
I feel you. Did you find any of the LA
stereotypes to be true?
It was definitely different than I thought.
People are pretty closed off. I worked in
Beverly Hills for a while at a coffee shop and
those people are all as soulless as they are
made out to be. The richest people were the
rudest and never tipped, while the people
who also worked in the area were the nicest
and always tipped.
Who did you skate with when you lived
out here and how did you get involved
with Quasi and Cons?
Well, my first sponsor was Lakai and I rode
for them for a bit. When I visited I skated
with Daniel Wheatley, so I would hit him up
to skate and there was a natural progression
there. We had a good dynamic of filming
and skating, so most contacts came through
him. I think he was the one that hit up Chad
at Quasi and then I spoke with Chad on
the phone. Then when Wheatley got fired
at Lakai—I don’t know if you want to say
that. Ha! When they “parted ways,” he was
my main contact there so I didn’t feel good
staying. So I talked to Bobby de Keyzer,
who’s a good friend of mine, and he got me
hooked up at Converse pretty quickly after.
You skate with Bobby a bunch?
Yeah, we go on a bunch of trips together. He
lives in Toronto, so we don’t see each other
all the time. He’s been a good guide through
skateboarding for me, I guess.He has a face that makes him look like
he’s a dick, but I heard he’s nice.
He’s nice, not too much of a dick.
That was my next thing I was going toask. I always liked those classic kind
of questions—who are some current
skaters you enjoy watching?
That’s sick because I already had an
answer for this one just in case it got asked.
Mostly my friends, which feels like a cop
out, but Jake Johnson, Gilbert Crockett,
Alexis Sablone, Bobby de Keyzer and Mike
Anderson. Are those current enough?
Yes. How about top-five all time?
Ready for this one also. In no particular
order: Ed Templeton, Anthony Van Engelen,
Max Schaaf, Huf and OG Tom Knox because
he’s one of the first sober punk dudes that
was a skater, to my knowledge.
Why do you like cats? Cats are weak.
Like the animal? I mean, I like dogs too, but
my girlfriend had a cat and now we have
two. Cats are easier.
How long could someone leave a cat in
an apartment?
If there was enough water and food, they
would probably be fine forever. You could
never come back and they wouldn’t even
care.
Last question: have you seen the movie
Dumbass Says No?
Maybe.Ollie up, backside 180“I’VE SEEN SO MANY 13 YEAR OLDS
WITH GUCCI HEADBANDS
AND BOX LOGOS”
COULTHARD