An Interview With Jake Johnson

November 25th, 2011 | 9:30 am | Features & Interviews | 37 Comments

Photo by Emilio Cuilan

Sorry this took so long, but here’s an interview with the always talkative Jake Johnson. Some of the answers are long, and took a different turn from the questions, but you can treat it as an open-ended thing. Not having to worry about space is one of the good things about the internet. Read it in two sittings if you have to. Enjoy.

Just to backtrack a little bit…Everyone seems to move to L.A. or New York, why did you move to Pittsburgh?

After I messed my knee up, I just decided to get away for the recovery. In New York, you’re paying for your ability to move everywhere fast, and share space with tons of people. It just wasn’t worth it for me. My ex-girlfriend and my brother lived in Pittsburgh. I was seeing doctors there, I just felt comfortable moving there and hibernating. I think I work better in New York, but there’s a lot of value in having more space and you save a lot of money living out there. I don’t want to be a victim of rent forever.

You’re trying to buy a house?

Eventually, but my rent is really cheap as it is.

Is that where you’d most likely settle at?

I don’t know yet. I just signed another one-year lease there. I actually have a pretty sick skate house out there now, because I live with two young kids, Justin and Zach Funk. We have a mini ramp in our backyard, a whole house to ourselves, and central air.

You think you’re going to stay in Pittsburgh after this next lease runs out?

I do need to move back to New York, but I’m going to be traveling so much this next year. Right now, I’m paying $400 a month to have a whole house and a mini ramp.

Since you’ve been posted out there, do you want to talk about the scene they have in Pittsburgh a little bit? It seems like New York, Philly, etc. are nowhere near as rough as Pittsburgh is spot-wise. How was it adjusting out there?

It’s really small, I adjusted well. There’s One-Up Skateshop, and a crew of guys that skate for that shop. It’s like a dozen core skaters of all ages. There aren’t lot of people out there that are skating for any image, and most of the skaters out there are from very rural areas around the city. They’re just resourceful, country-type people. In New York, there’s a “scene” to everything, and you’ll bump into skaters everywhere. Being a skater puts you into a scene, like a network, night clubs, this and that. Out there, there’s nothing to skating except gnarly rugged street spots and a small skate shop. They drink just as much as people do here [in New York] or anywhere else, but there’s no scene to it. I relate to people from those sorts of areas real well.

An Interview With Black Dave

November 9th, 2011 | 10:15 am | Features & Interviews | 11 Comments

As we approach the end of the year, the Quartersnacks Rap Desk‘s vote for “Rapper of the Year” is torn between 2 Chainz, Future, and Black Dave. On Monday night, Dave performed at some random lounge in the Financial District (appropriately a block away from C.I.A. Ledge…it wouldn’t be right if it wasn’t next to a skate spot), as an opening act for some members of ASAP Rocky’s crew. This performance may be the tie-breaker that puts Dave ahead of the competition. Torey Goodall claimed that “watching Black Dave perform was like that last scene in The Karate Kid where he kicks everyone’s ass.” Switch Mike equated the event to seeing your own child accomplish something great. Taji Ameen interviewed Dave and was kind enough to send it our way.

Photos and Words by Taji Ameen

So what the hell were you thinking when you decided to dress up in a suit and call yourself The Black Donald Trump?

I have a lot of ideas going on in my head that I’ve been trying to expand on. The whole reason I decided to enter the music world was to release them for people to see and have a good laugh to. I’ve been skateboarding for nine years and it has been a great way to express myself, but with music I can show a bit more of my humor and personality. Being The Black Donald Trump consists of balling out on a budget, missing cabs, going to the chicken spot, drinking 40s, and smoking blunts on your homie’s roof.

Yeah, we have seen Heath Kirchart and Jeremy Klein skate in suits in Birdhouse’s The End, but never Black Donald Trump shredding Tribeca in one. What is the story behind that baller-ass suit?

Well I called myself the Black Donald Trump because I’ve always seen myself as an entrepreneur, which just makes the suit necessary for the video. I needed a fucking wig, but I blew it, and couldn’t find one in time. His crazy hair style wouldn’t work too well while I was skating anyway.

The video kind of reminded me of Harold Hunter raps from old Zoo York videos. I was backing that.

I most definitely look up to Harold Hunter as a New York legend, as a role model in a way. Not only because he was a great skater, but he had a successful career in acting at a young age with his role in Kids, and that’s something I always wanted to be, a well-rounded person who did it all, and had a damn good time while doing it.

The Parallel Between Bobby Puleo & Albert Pike

January 27th, 2011 | 11:19 am | Daily News | 33 Comments

A handful of people inquired about this site’s opinion on a recent Bobby Puleo interview (although the word “interview” should be used lightly, as the rubric of journalistic standards doesn’t exactly lean in favor of an interview with someone being published on their own media outlet, as opposed to an unbiased third party’s platform.) Between insisting that Austyn Gillette skates like the remaining millions of skateboarders, the fact that this website is guilty of showing people from other places spots (i.e. showing the entire world spots), and knowing the “What the hell?” factor that arose from an early screening of Deathbowl to Downtown, where this guy’s influence (which he mistakes for everyone else’s lack of creativity) was able to contort history so much that someone could claim he “Pioneered the New York style of skating,” we’re going to stay out of this one. The whole thing comes off as a skateboard-equivalent of one of those conversations where someone will rattle off five artists that “ruined hip-hop,” while championing the fact that Ghostface has made the same album for five years in a row.

Nevertheless, Billy Rohan, a native of Florida, a state mentioned as one of the corrosive forces behind the declining state of “art” in skateboarding, wrote a significantly more bigger-picture-encompassing response on his website, which aligns with a lot of where this website’s beliefs stand:

“Whether or not this interview destroys his skate career has no relevance in your mid-thirties. The true legacy of Robert Puleo will rest with art historians 200 years from now in museums throughout the country. Much like Pike, who spent his final days being taken care of by his fraternity brothers with just enough money to survive and who eventually died penniless, only to be entombed in America’s sacred pyramid years after his death.

So to does Bobby Puleo at the least deserve to have the respect and care of the brotherhood of skaters that recognize his devotion and contribution to the art of skateboarding. Theres a much larger world out there waiting for Bobby Puleo, his Mausoleum in skateboarding will live in the minds of people who grew up listening to Wu-Tang, watching him skate in the Infamous video, La Luz, Static and Mad Circle [videos], who said to themselves, ‘I want to leave my shitty town in Florida and skate that dope marble shit in NYC or SF or London.’ Not because we wanted to take you out, but because you inspired us to think differently about our surroundings and all that’s out there to be explored. Thank you Bobby Puleo. If this is your farewell interview for skateboarding, where ever you rest and no matter how much money you don’t have, the ideas you sparked in thousands of street skaters across the world will never be replaced with marketing money.”

You can read the whole thing here.

Filed Under: Daily News | Tags: , ,

An Interview With Alex Olson

December 10th, 2010 | 2:35 pm | Features & Interviews | 29 Comments

Quartersnacks has been an established advocate of handsome socialite skateboarders for quite some time, as evidenced by our constant coverage of Dylan Reider, and other, less prominent, but still notable personalities. We recently spent some time to conversing with the second most handsome skateboarder, who has taken up extended (but temporary) residence in the distraction capital of the world these past few years. Aside from the obvious nightlife beef issues, we discuss important details like being billed second next to his competition, dealing with distractions, and being known as “Alex Olson the skater” to people who don’t exactly skateboard.

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To get the pressing question on everyone’s mind out of the way, can you please explain your nightlife beef with Dylan Reider?

That’s Bill [Strobeck] running his mouth. There was never “nightlife beef.” There was one night where we went out — I remember the night — this guy will walk up to the place and there will be three girls, that’ll definitely be like “Hey Dylan! What’s going on? How are you?” And I’ll be standing right next to him, like “Oh. What’s up.”

So why did it take him three minutes to explain it?

Because Bill doesn’t have any good stories.

Really?

He needs to talk about something, you know?

So they were probably just making shit up, like you know how in biopics they embellish everything?

Well, it’s like one of those stories where it wasn’t really a story, but if you add some stuff to it, it’ll maybe become a story.

Seeing as how you are often billed as the other, young handsome skateboarder, have you taken you taken any steps to make yourself more fabulous in light of Dylan Reider’s recent skyrocketing in popularity?

Uhh…start skating harder, I guess? Actually, no. He wins.

So you’re just outright admitting defeat?

I can’t top him, he’s too handsome and too good at skating. I’ll settle for second best.

I remember one occasion when I was with you and some other people at a bar, and some gay dude tried to hit on you by using your Fully Flared part as his pick-up material, is this sort of thing frequent with you?

I have definitely got hit on a couple other times, they’ll say, “You’re Alex Olson the skater, right?” I remember sitting down by myself at my friend’s restaurant, having dinner, and it was empty with plenty of seats. This guy sat down next to me and asked if he could buy me a drink. I was literally about to leave, and said “No, thanks though.” He said, “Well, you’re Alex Olson the skater, keep doing what you’re doing.” And it was real awkward and weird, because this dude definitely did not skateboard.

How do you think they know about you?

I have no idea.

Do you think there’s a cult of gay dudes who hunt down cute skaters?

No, but I’m sure that’s a “look” though. There are definitely gay dudes that are like, “What kind of guys do you like?” “Skater boys.” And I fall into that category.

Why have you been spending so much time in New York these past few years?

All my friends that I grew up with went to college out here. I actually do like skateboarding out here more than in LA. I like pushing, I don’t like driving. There are more things to do. The quality of life is better for a younger person.

Do you actually manage to get things done out here, skating-wise?

Sometimes. There is only like, one photographer, and since everyone has now switched over to using HD cameras, there is only one filmer. So it’s kind of hard to get these people to film you, or you’re just not close with them or whatever. Bill still only films on a VX. I definitely skate more when people are in town though.

An Interview with Josh Kalis

November 12th, 2010 | 10:50 am | Features & Interviews | 41 Comments

Kalis is one of those dudes that has been around for many of the ups and downs of real, old-fashioned, straightforward street skating these past two decades. The Pier, The Banks, Love Park, the Barcelona exodus, hiding out in Chicago instead of a schoolyard somewhere, etc. Since this is the sort of thing we tend to try and keep going over here with QS, as much as the park/plaza climate of today seems to push us all in different directions, it seemed only natural to sit down for an interview with someone who has been through more than a handful of eras in street skating.

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To start it off, what have you been up to this past summer up until now?

I moved from Michigan to southern California.

Any particular reason you moved out to California?

Quite frankly, I was just tired of flying out here so often. I’ve been flying out here twice a month to be involved with stuff. Everything’s a little bit different now, because the internet now has videos and web blasts, and all this shit is happening so fast that they want you out here. And I couldn’t be so instant living in the Midwest, just trying to skate and film.

Is it because skate media and all that has changed so much recently, that you have avoided doing it up until now? It’s like, everyone moves out to southern California but it seems like you’ve been everywhere but there.

When I first got put on, I moved out here, just to see and I couldn’t deal with it. But it wasn’t really necessary for me, because I was trying to take care of my business elsewhere and I didn’t really have to be in this mix. But now, you still don’t have to move out here to be in the circle of pro skaters or whatever you want to call it, but it’s just to be as relevant as you can be, you have to produce five times more than you used to. Before it was like, do your thing, shoot your photos, film you video part, and it gets released at whatever date it comes out. Now it’s just like… you got warehouses, podcasts… It’s just like non-stop now.

What’s it like to finally be on a team with Stevie after you guys have been associated with one another for pretty much all his career, but a large portion of your career as well?

It’s the illest thing ever. It’s no sweat, no people breathing down necks, its just homie shit. “What do you want to do for this thing?” And you just have a little pow-wow and boom, it’s done. It’s so easy to brainstorm because we’re on such the same level, in terms of what we think about, what we want to do, and the future and direction that we hope to see skateboarding go. It’s just some back in the day shit, like it was growing up.

Do you guys still get a chance to skate together out there?

We haven’t much because he spends most of his time in Atlanta, and I’m out here, but now when we talk on the phone, we get to talk about shit that we’re both involved in, even though he’s doing his thing there and I’m doing my thing wherever I’m doing it. Even though I live in southern California, all my street skating stuff happens elsewhere. We got this new warehouse cracking in Atlanta, so we will be [skating] soon.

Is there truth to the fact that he was supposed to have got on Alien way back, like in the mid-nineties?

Oh yeah. There’s a lot of truth to that.

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