82 Thrashertrip, that’s all I remember—and being culture
shocked. Being from Covina, there’s no place
like it.
Right, you were very young; you were
easy to hang out with.
Yeah, I feel like I was older then.
Do you grocery shop or do you eat at
restaurants and take-out?
I eat out almost every meal—actually, every
meal and it’s usually the same thing from the
same spots.
If you were to cook at home what’s the
one meal that you are good at making?
And have you ever cooked for anybody?
All I ever cook is bagels with some avocado,
pickled beets, tomatoes and hummus. That’s
what my lady friend and I were living off of
for awhile.
Do you believe in God? If so, is there a
heaven?
I believe in a higher power or something that
is bigger than us, but I think heaven and hell is
now. I also don’t know anything.
What do you mean by heaven and hell is
now?
When you live with love and good morals and
you’re just a good person, that’s heaven. And
when you live and accept all the evil, that feels
like hell.
Do you remember a time when you
weren’t able to ride a skateboard? You
were basically born into it, correct?
My father let it come into my life naturally,
before I knew what I liked or thought I
liked, and it was a way to be free later on in
my life. I’ve been beyond blessed to have
a relationship with that board. It’s a real
personal relationship but I get lost with it
sometimes. But I know it will always be there.
I need that thing to feel normal. It saved my
life because I don’t know where or what I
would be doing without it. It showed me the
world and gave me a family that I absolutely
love.
I mean, shit, two very important things
are how you feel about the skateboarding
you are putting out and what the people
closest to you feel about the human you
are. I had that too, though—there was
no time before skateboarding. It was just
there before I remember much else. Doyou think you will ever live anywhere
other than Covina?
Covina is home, but for now I am happy being
home. If I did move away again I’d probably
move to Australia or somewhere out of
America.
I understand. You do not suffer from
lack of travel. You have been going and
seeing places for most of your life now.
It’s bizarre to say I’ve been to the places I’ve
been too. I’m thankful.
What are a few of your favorite movies
right now at this point in your life?
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, There Will
Be Blood, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Mindfield and
Little Miss Sunshine.
You have been filming for a new Nike
video for about ten months. It’ll be
done by the time this is out I bet. Did
you pick your music or did they suggest
something?
I’m still in the middle of figuring it out. I want
to skate to Harry Nilsson or Black Flag but it’s
hard to choose. It’s almost harder than picking
a spot for the day. I get to choose but I just
hope it is something that goes right.Less of a jam, more of a journey—
Donovon hits the pipe for a natural
high over the fencePHOTOS: COLEN