On The Wall with Jared Isenberg

At some point everyone has opened a Thrasher, Transworld, Power Edge, etc and saw a picture that floored them. There’s going to be that one shot that made it on the wall above all others. There may have been an entire wall covered in pages pulled from magazines or posters but, there is always one that will stand out 20 + years down the road. I asked five people from Aces Tattoo to recall their favorite image of all time and discuss why it made such a memorable impact. Five skaters, all different ages, different generations, and unique personalties sharing their favorite photos that made it on the wall. Next up is Jared Isenberg.

1. Jared,  this is a tough question because skating is so unique and styles reign supreme in so many different eras but, what photo would you say is your favorite of all time?

Gonz -Thrasher cover September 1986.

2. Describe what it is about the image that made it your favorite, although it is a Gonz photo so it’s going to be a keeper.

Gonz was my idol. Look at that shit, Indy Boneless. Rad! This photo single handedly made me stop using rails, not to mention he’s riding my favorite board of all time.

3. Is this photo more about the trick at the time, the actual photography, or a blend of everything?

It’s not the trick really. I like the yellows and blues! I love the movement of this photo.

4. Was the Gonz your favorite at the time or was it purely based on the photograph?

Fuck yeah. Hands down fave, tied with Rick Windsor who never got enough coverage.

Even then he was changing everything.

5. To even mention Windsor is rad, underground ripper. How about an of the older advertisements? Was there one particular skate ad that made you run out and buy it up?

No ad ever made me buy anything but, the World/Blind ads in the late 80s early 90s ruled. Especially the Powell one, “Dear George”.

I have that ad on the wall at the shop!  Thanks Jared, everything Gonz is the right stuff. – ERL

Chris Carnel Caught on Film.

It’s not too often you get the chance to interview someone who usually does the interviews, or shoots the photos. I approached Chris with a unique idea for this interview. There were a number of questions I had for him, knowing how long he has been involved with skateboarding I knew it would be an interesting read. I asked Chris to submit photos from his personal collection. Chris has been shooting photos of skateboarding and snowboarding for over 25 years. The idea being that this is an interview of a photographer, why not include his favorite shots throughout the years. Given the stipulation that the photos can be of anything. Skateboarding, snowboarding, landscape, or portrait were all open game. We are proud to bring you the latest Wheel Bite interview with the photography of one of my favorite people Chris Carnel. Enjoy. -ERL

Early Death Ramp backyard session. Circa 78 – Jeff Grosso Channel Plant w/ Classic Crew in the background. 1984 Mile High Jam. – “Quiver of 84” Custom hand painted Monty Nolder board. Hand made pedalboard and Axe for the ages!

1. Chris, what was the thing that got you onto your first board?

I met Joe Bansuelo (later played in 7 Seconds) a childhood friend who lived up
the street and a skateboard was laying around the neighborhood that I tried. Grew
up on a early BMX type bike. Moved from the valley, the outskirts to town to the
heart of Reno. There was now cement everywhere; it was 1977.

2. Was your first skate scene here in Reno?

Not so much a crew to speak but started with the first pool I ever skated called Oppio in sparks. Olympic size and huge.. lots of vert. I got a metal type board not wood with Sims Snakes and Tracker Full Tracks I believe from Bob Ferrin who was just opening Flow Motion park. My dad was supportive, bought me that board. Took me to the ditch. Where I saw Robbie Chadwick skate who was from another planet. Did like ollie to laybacks off the lip into the dirt… Insane for that time period. The true meaning of style. One of the Reno Outlaws. I thought his board said marijuana on it.. I was just so like shocked! He had a Maheraja deck actually.. Haha. Rode the park that was just opening at that time period too. Next to the airport landing strip. It was loud. Jump years later to the early 80’s see I would go back and forth between bmx and skating, Allen Benchoff would always call it staying on one side of the fence, or the other. So I’m all bmx’d out sick of racing every weekend. And I meet Clancy Gigguere, Mike Snellbaker and Hugh Shamberger (RIP) at the downtown plaza doing street skating shit.. Mullen style. Hugh had the Powell board with the bombs on the bottom. They were super cool, I was stoked and I was back into skating again. Somewhere I acquired a Powell Beamer, maybe from Hugh or Mike. Skating was dead, it was 83 maybe. John Franklin and I skated his quarter pipe at the end of his parents driveway we all built. He was way out in Golden Valley. World of Toys and those dudes were the people you could count on one hand who were the only reminant of skating in Reno at that time. Next phase was meeting Edgar, skating Lemon Valley ramp and the rebirth of skating here. The Outlaws were insane and appeared at Lemon Valley with cigs and beers in hand, without notice, dropping in on each other, destroy then leave. They were late 70’s era. It was like the meeting of 2 era’s. World of Toys was 95% toys and the rest a cabinet with hard goods, a shirt or 2, Thrasher Mag in newsprint and a ice rink next door.. this was at Meadowood Mall. Previous to their Park Lane store. The crew factor in stuff today is crazy.. Mostly like a film crew if you are a snowboarder. Getting your pics and footage done. Serious job. Sponsors. Crazyness. Skating is more of a buddy thing, skating with friends. Pretty much it was 100% diy. Built a ramp in the yard. Bailed and skated pools. Nothing much else around in a hick town which was what Reno pretty much was circa 1980.

Edgar “Pineapple” Rivera early fashion jib Donner Ski Ranch. Circa 1987.

3. What a time that must have been, the ground floor of Reno skating. What was the scene like here in Reno? What spots did you skate and who were you rolling around with?

A scene might have begun in the slump of my bmx racing turned retirement, sick of racing every weekend. Wanted a change. I didn’t totally fit into any scene, an outsider in High School. Kevin Cox was the one dude I could relate to who wore Vans and skated. I met Edgar around that period too; only dudes in Reno wearing Vans actually. Kevin Cox gave me my first HC Punk tape in the early 80’s too. Eye opening. A scene and skating flourishing for me around 1988 between Roman deSalvo, Jeff Kunze, Willie Toles, John Deaton, Stan Craigo, Augie, Brian and John Fralick, Schalberg Brothers, Dave Baker and his Sparks ramp and people like Edgar, Bob Lichty, Terry Patterson, etc. A lot of those dudes lived in sparks. The center of attention was always the terrain at hand. Be it the McSully ditch with Rob Noxious, Sparks High, and 7-11 lunch break curbage. Downtown Reno where the movie theatre is now, the plaza in the 80’s was a semi bust but, I was a kooky awkward 80’s metal guitar freak non-drinker wannabe photo addict kid so that helped my future. I drove a 1970 Monte Carlo all over the place..Haha!

4. I liked it better when you could identify another skater by his clothes or shoes, it was like minded guys doing their own thing. What shop opened first, World of Toys or Excell? Did they sponsor the local contests or did you guys do it on your own?

World of Toys in 82’ I believe. Excell was a few years later. Excell was doing the demo/contest things all the time in the parking lot. In the early to mid-80’s Reno wasn’t a hotspot for skating and it was a era when skating was in the absolute low point of it’s ups and downs. WOT kept a dead scene alive. Demo’s and skate contests came much later.

Terry Patterson on a double curb slide at the Excell Jam. Energy drink via Pepsi 1988.

5. I bought my first complete from WOT, they have so much history in Reno. Who were the Pros at the time that inspired you to buy their boards? Who’s style did you look up to or emulate? I always ask, what was you first real board?

I had these early weird scary metal boards, one was a Banzai, a metal freestyle board. The Sims Taperkick was the first real board that was laminated wood. Inspiration, 70’s era- Tony Alva, Peralta, and the Skateboarder Mag. 80’s- Gonz, Neil Blender and his street antics, Tony “Hospital” Howard, Bob Lichty, Mike Chantry and his video library, and the Mile High Ramp. Also Christian Hosoi, Shaun Palmer, Terry Kidwell, Rick Windsor, and Eddie Van Halen.

Shaun Palmer with a classic Method in 1988. At the famous Matt Marcewicz Blue Ramp.

6. Jesus, metal skateboards are sketchy! Yeah Eddie rules, I used to do his wardrobe back in 81′. During the skate movement when did you start taking photos?

My first idea to try and take pics was at the first Mile High contest in 84’ prior to the Massacre. The Mile High ramp was an epic ramp and a unique time. We skated up there a lot. It’s funny though, my skate senses took over and I got a few still nice pics even though I was fumbling with tech things like loading and advancing color neg film correctly. My inspiration and drive overshadowed my knowledge of photography. Learn as you go, shooting film of course; lots of mistakes along the way.

7. I can’t imagine the shots you must have gotten. The creativity level was off the charts. Who did you like shooting then? There was more camaraderie then since there were so few skaters. Were you in a crew?

Shooting with Craig near Fernie, British Columbia, Canada.

Sort of a crew, but these were friendships based on meet-ups at a spot or ramp. The building of and skating of these ramps were a running thread through the survival or skating in Reno back in the 80’s. We built Augie’s ramp off of Valley Road (Augie Cordero) and that was really cool, circa 88’. It was totally create your own scene, try and learn tricks, etc.. Became tight knit but not pretentious in any way. People would randomly show up, an unknown Chris Senn would occasionally come up from Grass Valley. There were vert ramps that popped up around those years in Reno, lasted a year or mini-ramps that you only got to skate maybe once cause someone’s folks got pissed at all the skaters showing up all hours of the day. They chained it up and just let it rot into the ground. Crazy.

8. It was rad hearing about a ramp and just traveling to find it. Knocking on the door and asking, “can we skate your ramp?”. That was skating though. Were you able to hang and take photos when Mark Gonzales and John Lucero came to Reno?

WOT demo- not really hanging out but skating as much as possible, tripping on the Gonz then grabbing my camera. Pretty green to photography so technically my shit was kinda winging it somewhere around that time period. That was some of the first B/W film I had ever shot and was developed in my college photo class I believe. Gonz was hanging out at Richard Barrs sometimes years after. He had the only boyscout post an insurance loophole to be able to have ramps at that time. It was almost cult like out there. Ramps buried halfway underground, bizarre but cool. So I remember this one day not having a camera or time to pull it out but Gonzales was up at Rancho. He was cruising down the sidewalk, ollied onto a picnic table at Rancho. Maybe it was after the demo … (Note: Damian in background of demo pic).. Blown away. Gonz was just inventing the future landscape of skating before our own eyes at that demo. Windsor was killing it as well I remember in that demo.

Mark Gonzales 1985 World of Toys Demo ahead of the times. Damian Sanders looks on.

9. I heard a lot of Gonz stories from Reno heads. He literally was inventing street skating right then and there. How did the transition into a photographer take place. Who published your first skate photo?

I pretty much became interested in photography during the first year I got into snowboarding about 86. Granted renting Wintersticks with my bmx and junior high school friend Andrew Merlo from College Cyclery was a experiment to try snowboarding next to Tahoe-Donner. We road around all these Manzanita bushes and it was really fun. Well that was winter of 82-83’ I think. Trippy. I waited years to get a hand me down board through the Chantry Village. Bob Lichty finally sold me a demo or a one-off Avalanche board with fins called a Aero. Rode it on the hardpack at Slide Mountain and it ripped off my fins, yikes. I transitioned into wanting to shoot by just lugging my camera with me in the mountains. Met Bud Fawcett shooting Palmer at Mt Rose back then. I was in Awe. He worked with a mag for snowboarding. Then I soon had my first pic published in ISM (International Snowboard Magazine) of Mike Johnston, 1987 Mt. Rose backcountry. Thrasher became interested in snowboarding shots for Cold Snap and I sent them skating shots as well. I believe Rob Noxious at the Mercedes curbs was one of if not my first skate pic ever published. But around the same time period Fralick at Skinnies ramp got printed. The pic of him frontside rocking the tv set on the deck.

Brian Fralick FS Rock at the Hood Ramp aka Skinny’s. Circa 1990.

10. That Rob shot is still one of my favorites. Was it a natural progression to start working with snowboarders?

Natural progression? Yes. I was very inspired and whatnot by photographers Bud Fawcett, Grant Brittain, and just seeing pics of beautiful powder and landscapes via Hank deVre’ out of copies of Powder mag. The inspiration at the time. I just wanted to ride and shoot powder. A few skaters crossed over as well. Beau Boozer Daly and Brian Fralick to name just a few. Rode and took photos of them and Corey Kopahee, the Schalbergs, and Pineapple. Donner Ski Ranch was the place. Met up with Basich’s, and the Roach brothers there. Not many resorts allowed it then. There were a few winters like we are having now- drought-like back then for sure.

Terry Kidwell into the best part of a Mount Rose back county adventure. Circa 1996.

11. Obviously you traveled to some exotic places as a photographer. What’s a memorable trip you went on? Any danger, excitement,or gun fire involved?

Spain was awesome in 1998. Winging it on trains with our huge snowboard bags and driving a rental van up into the Pyrenees Mountains was amazing. Myself, Temple, Goulet, and Sonny. Raf got us the van with his fluent Spanish, he was from Belgium. Such a rad time. Only snowboarded for actually 2 days. Skated around different parts of the country for 2 weeks. Tim Brauch was on that trip only months prior to this death. So crazy! Sad. Most snow trips for a mag would be staying at a resort never leaving for the whole time. On that Heckler trip we were all over the place, eating exotic foods, skating through the streets at night in Barcelona. Getting lost on trains in Bilbao from skating the park near the Guggenheim. It was Rad! Went to China in 99’ skated on the Great Wall and did skate demos over the different parts of the country, we got to go on behalf of the Government there and also in conjunction with K2 as they were setting up there initial oversees hard-goods production in China, I think in secrecy. I was a photographer in secrecy and skating these demos on the rain soaked ramps with Sonny, Antonius Toad Ditcho, Jessie Van Roechoudt, and Steve Bailey . Getting stuck in the airport in Beijing dealing with language barriers. We sat for 3 days basically. Our return tickets didn’t work. Long story but made it home eventually. These were Heckler Mag trips. Life experience nutty shit. Gunfire? Well I can tell you why the now sadly missed Uzi bowls here got their name. We pulled up to the fence and a guy pulled a gun on us telling us to, “Get the Fuck Out!” I was with Jim Merritt and maybe Roman.. I kinda blocked that incident out a bit. Trespassing and pool skating has always kinda been like that anyway.

Evening light on a winter day in Chamonix France. Heckler Europe Trip 1998.

12. I’m stoked to hear the Uzi story! We heard random tales about that place. We used to jump on the trains headed out west at that spot, so fun. Heckler was a great magazine, it felt like it was a local mag for sure. How did that start up?

It was basically started for fun and a way to get free resort tickets. Met one of the founders Matt Kennedy at Donner one day and told me he was working on a magazine, it was Newsprint, local and cool. Later that winter I was in Sacto at a ski tradeshow and Matt borrowed my board to head over to where the mag was produced. He left it there. I called over and it was this recording studio called Enharmonic that was in a shaky part of town near the train tracks. This dude John “Botch” Baccigaluppi who I had conversed with gave me a tour and thanked me for contributing pics for the first issue. Oddly enough I attended a skate party there years prior and it had ramps and such on the second story. Anyway, they used a lot of what I had sent them. A lot of the South Shore dudes, and pics from Kirkwood. At that time the founders were John, Matt Kennedy and Dave Sher. It was built off the studios computer which was a early Mac and worth about 15 grand I think, this was early desktop publishing. After issue one when everyone dropped the ball so to speak I became involved over the phone as John Botch asked me if I wanted to be part of the mag. Sonny Mayugba was working for John’s Bike Messenger company and selling some ads for new issues of the mag. He became the third partner at that point as well. Heckler was sort of a feat created by basically 3 people and functioned like a tripod, so to speak. Some amazing chemistry.

1st road trip with “Hecklers” bound for drained pools in the Oakland hills. Sonny’s Valiant, 1993.

13. Heckler was ahead of it’s time as far as it’s content and mix of skating and snowboarding together. Was there any industry snubbing at first?

Being more or less a regional publication like we were in the beginning, this is not so much a issue. We were well received for sure and had a cult following I would say but, this changes once you become worldly distributed through a publisher that has a competing magazine. Case in point Transworld, and the mag they produced called WARP (skating, surfing, snowboarding). Although we were totally different, internally this was odd at times.

Kevin McGuire at Plumb Pit, we bailed and skated it for about a solid 4 weeks. Then a realtor showed up and they filled it with water within a day. It hadn’t been skated, to my knowledge, 20 years prior to that.

14. I always thought WARP was real stiff, kind of no character to it. How did Transworld come into the picture?

We had ambition and ideas that outweighed money, resources, etc. it skyrocketed from 16 pages in newsprint to 128 pages within a very short time and became this huge beast, so to speak. It was rad but needed more of a staff and resources to support it’s growth. TW was interested in partnering with us. Them having experience that built Tracker Trucks and their TWS titles (this being prior to them being part of corporate publishing entity Times-Mirror) from the ground up, independently. They could relate to us wanting to become a 4-color worldly distributed mag. Even though we were way more uncensored, you know. Running early interviews where Palmer talked about freebasing with a siren set up in his house.. haha.

Temple Cummins into the sky above the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain. Circa 1998.

15. That must have been a weird transition, TWS is well known for censorship. You were involved with the snow scene so early in the game, you had to have seen so much progression. Do you prefer the early scene as opposed to now?

My one belief is that these were and on some level are individual sports opposed to having a team and leaders. This has changed for sure in skating some but especially today in snowboarding. It was the golden age of snowboarding for sure comprised of a lot of individuals with unique attributes. At that time in the 80’s and early 90’s a cottage industry. Everything now is practically in the Nascar realm of sponsorship marriage it seems. The skaters and snowboarders themselves are athletically on such a progressive realm it’s crazy. But some things feel like cloning on the media side for sure.

16. Nascar is a great description, with all of the big corporate sponsors these days. Who did you enjoy shooting back in the day both skating and snowboarding wise?

Quite a lot of riders. Tough question to answer. Would have to say looking back getting to shoot with Craig Kelly and making a trip to meet him in Fernie, B.C. Canada for a Heckler interview I wanted to do was a lifetime experience. This was in 1997. Shooting over the years at different points with Keith Kimmel, Tucker Fransen, T.B., Jim Zellers, Palmer, Kidwell, Cardiel, Travis Yamada, and Chris Senn to name a few were always insane. Those who were under the radar were more my scene I guess. A lot of Reno skaters had something unique to hold for sure. Kevin McGuire and North, Denny Franchini, Willie Toles, Fralick brothers, etc. this is a topic that could go on and on….

Denny Franchini 100 mph ollie over channel to fakie board slap. At Skinny’s Ramp. Circa 1990.

17. On the other side of the coin, how about any nightmare guys you dealt with without saying names?

I try not to focus on shit like that too much especially these days, as those things drain your positive energy to some extent. I avoided those situations if possible. But one funny thing looking back that bothered me for years was a shoot I did with one of the first commercial shoots. It was for O’Neil in Europe of this racer they had here in the states. Probably one of my very first company type shoots. I photographed this dude and it was oddly enough with his team-mate who turned out to be his girlfriend. They were training at Donner with the Cross-M team at the time. We shot all carving cheese shots on race type boards, this was the early 90’s. Anyhow I send off the slides to some obscure address in the Netherlands and shipping was pricey! I’m waiting to see via snail mail how much they like all the what I felt were sharp, well exposed pics. 3 months go by and I get this rude letter from some Corporate Euro a-hole saying “What are these images!? Of Primo (name change) and his girlfriend!? They’re not on vacation! They are there to train. This is ridiculous!” Rejected. I was so crushed! Otherwise some riders will tell you where to stand and what to do. A bit of ego. Take it with a grain of salt. Others for example like Palmer would just rip and you had to be on it and ready or you missed the shot! He would ride away and down the mountain. He was always amazing to shoot with. Spontaneous, dynamic, such an individual, over the top, to say the least.

Cardiel as an unknown ripping a table slide as Jason Lee and Wade Speyer look on. Circa 1990.

18. Damn, you got the Euro back hand? Wow, I’m sure he had a pony tail so that’s even worse! How do you feel about all of this online media? I mean back in the day you could pull out an ad or poster of someone shredding, put it on your wall and be inspired. Does all of these online shots seem forgettable?

Amazing how the Mapes building turned into a plaza where the cops let people skate there. Jim Damone Downtown Reno 2009.

I’m just not sure on the longevity of it. I think both are different and good. Posters and album covers are solid. Online media and access is a great tool but given way to a sea of people pumping their shit up all the time. Everyone has or wants their deserved(?) 15 hours of fame.. be it Facebook or Youtube. Posers galore! But there are amazing forums, friends to be in contact with, and good deals to be found on used bike shit, camera garb and whatever else is to your liking. Like what you guys have going here is very cool. Roots.

Tony Alva blasts into the Bronson Ditch LA. Circa 1995.

19. Thanks man, we dig it. If you’re not supporting your local scene, what are you supporting right? What is a perfect day skating to you?

Oh man, it’s ripping my shirt off in the heat, flexing with tons of sunscreen of course and just ripping anything in front of me with my POV camera attached to my headband…all day. haha. Well for me it’s usually on some trip through a random town and you have a few hours to skate a place you have never been. It’s uncrowded and a non-stop session of fun just cruising around. You get back in the car and keep driving. That’s pretty rad. The act of skating the unskateable has always been something to behold. Pools are obvious but also remnants of development via the concrete jungle. Then there’s always been – “Hey that’s not meant for skateboards.. get out of here!”.

20. You’ve ripped off your shirt a lot this winter. It’s cool skating but, while we are at Star Bucks it’s a bit much! You have done so much in both industries and kept a Reno residence. I’ve personally found it very refreshing that you have always been so grounded. A lot of people who accomplish a lot less let it get to their head. Was it a conscience effort to stay local or just a love for the Biggest Little City in the World?

Dirt’s wedding barge around the year 2000 in Reno NV.

I spent a lot of time on the road. Never home in Reno but, couch living a lot in Sacramento or searching for good snow somewhere to the north or east possibly. My hometown was always gurned for a while as I had snowboard friends being like, “What, why you live in Reno!?’. Now it’s modern day coolness to live here, I guess, now California-ized and accepted? Haha . Different friends of mine moved out of snowville truckee-tahoe to move to the place where the desert meets the Sierra’s; sold off their snowblowers, etc. Now Midtown’s even cooler. Classic Skates, and Midtown Reno. But Reno is a easy place to fly in and out of if travling is your stick. Turbulent though.. Shit man!

21. It’s nice to be this close to the mountains, Sac, and SF. It’s good to get out of Reno and road trip to Sparks sometimes. What has 2012 have lined up for Chris Carnel? Do you have some new projects in the works? I mean besides more skating with the Shred Sunday crew!

Great skating with Sunday crew and just skating around lately in the balmy winter of 2012. I made a temporary gallery in part of a space I rent next to Classic/Neverender. I call it Pequeño. Want to show more images in this tiny pop-up gallery setting there. Want to bike more, shoot more images, landscape and travel. Plans to print more via darkroom and self-publish projects in print media. Print media is important, I think regardless of what the internet world says or blogs. It’s permanent and physical. Having a weird winter here. Been busy with a lot of other work and things. It’s a mental melter on the brain.. no snow really in the mountains. Looks like October for months and months. I feel bad for the chain monkeys and snowplow drivers, yikes. The poles are shifting. Reset your iPhones kids!

Ron Rash scoping the confinements of the Pequeño Gallery.

22. Thank you Chris, it means quite a lot that you agreed to an interview. You’ve seen so much in both cultures, I’m glad you shared some with us. I’m sorry we didn’t have the right coffee at the right temperature for you. There are several people that appreciate everything you have done and continue to do for skateboarding here in Reno. Who would you like to thank or mention anyone in a “I just won the Super Bowl!” manner?

Fun experimental self-portrait at the Old High School curbs, Fallon NV. 2/10/2012

I’ve been very lucky to shoot with and meet all these people through the wonderful activity of skating, snowboarding, even music- especially having opportunities to travel the globe in a counterclockwise rotation, at Mach speed times 3! Tons to thank. Wow. My parents obviously. Bud Fawcett, Tom Hsieh and ISM Mag, Frequency -TSJ, and the Galbraiths. Palladini and early Snowboarder Mag. Heckler OG with Botch, Sonny, Oates and Jessie Locks. Paul Laca and his true AK vision. There’s a lot of people here and you for sure probably know who you are. The riders and such for taking time to work it out and spend the efforts to get great pictures. We’ll have to get your coffee dialed, dial in your bean roast, perfect the tamp and grind.

Dean Christopher Skating, Music, and the Love.

I first met Dean in the early 90s. From day one I knew he was a lifer. You can tell when someone is 100% enveloped in skating. His skating reminds me a lot of his music. Brutal, strong, creative, and original are words that come to mind. It was also refreshing to see someone not chase the trends of the 90s that made us all look so damn ridiculous. We were both from small dirt towns and made our way to Reno’s city lights. Dean took sometime to talk about his skating and musical history. Being apart of the rich skate and musical scene in Reno, it is a special project in the making. Dean jokes around about being the old guy but, personally I think he is in his prime. Skating with him goes to show the passion that has never dulled in his eyes. Welcome to the Wheel Bite interview with the one and only Dean Reno. -ERL

1. How was the skate scene in Fernley? It seems small town skate scenes are pretty strong.

My first interactions with skateboarding was actually in Reno around 1983. My family moved here around 81 from the suburbs of Chicago, so thats pretty much when I got turned on to this culture.
  Fernley? Man, things were strange, there were some ripping skaters, dudes that were older and in to punk and speed metal and shit, getting wasted being weirdos ya know just real rural type shit. We moved to Fernley in early summer so I hadn’t met any kids that skated or rode BMX or liked Judas Priest and shit, so I started  by myself in the drive way and would aways listen for skateboards on the sidewalk. 
  Right before School started I met a kid from Wadsworth, Jack Yellowhair.  He pretty much introduced me to the other side of the skate world I had no idea about, the lawless youth side ya know what I mean? Mostly because I was stuck in front of my house until that time. 

No Comply.  Volland photo.

2. Did you deal with the old skaters vs jocks/cowboy vibes there?

Oh for sure. It was harsh in Fernley but, I was taken in early by the older cats and their younger brothers who didn’t fuck around so we had protection. But Reno/Sparks, shit it was the worst. Fighting, getting jumped for no reason or for whatever you have. You had your cowboys and jocks but don’t forget this is 1985-89 so you had cops, nazi skinheads, crips, bloods, Montelos, and a bunch of other gangs, drunk crazy fuckin tweekers and on top of all that you had to worry about punks, other skateboarders like team Jacks or s.a.p.s taking your shit so…. we traveled in packs.

3. Skate Bettys were a staple in the 80’s skate scene, did Fernley have quality Bettys?

Girls that like skateboarding are great ya know, but I love ALL the women.

Eruption. Jake Griffin photo.

4. What made you realize there was no need for rails anymore.

Partly when I started to get better at the things I was learning and fascinating about other things I could do without them. I looked at my board and saw more could be done with even less restrictions. Plus I heard guys like Gonz and Tommy Guerrero ditched them so you knew something new was on the horizon.

Fast Plant. Volland photo.

5. Who was your crew and when did you first start venturing out to Reno for skateboarding?

Some of the first cats I knew were from Fernley and Wadsworth areas, guys like Jack Yellow Hair, Jim and Chris Short, Erik Prater,  Mel Cornia, Chuck and Dustin Evens…Jack’s mother or my mother or father would drop us of at 395 ditch or U.N.R. and we would skate all day getting into shit and end up catching our rides back home at one of the malls on S. Virginia.  Shit, the squad runs…so many heads. Forgive any miss-spelled names. Spencer Benivides, Beau Bevier, Scott Brown, Toby Riley, John Ludwick,  Robbie Allen, Scott Waters, Scott Mcrae, Gershon Mosley, Greg Janess, Beau Shaver, Josh Stockwell, J.D. Pelto, Dirt Collins, Bobby Blake, Tim Loesch, Damon Watson, Mickey Featherstone, Mike Edwards, Danny G., Chris Erickson, Eric Sabastion, and I’m sure a few others I’m forgetting.

6. I wanted to ask you about the coralation between skateboarding and music, did you start skating or playing music first?

I started listening to my own music real young, it led me to playing. I was getting my first skateboards the same time I got a guitar around 85-86.

Heel Flip @ Verdi Dish. Volland photo.

7. Where did you get your first real board and your first guitar?

My first real board I had for like two days.. it was stolen from under a bush. The owner was was an older cat that later on became like an big brother. Other than that, soon after me and a my friend Mel went in on a board at the original World of Toys at Punk Lane Mall. Santa Cruz Clause Grabke 1986. We shared one pro model for like almost a year, learning how to ollie and boneless one and jump off the roof and cars and shit. 

First Guitar my grandmother and mother picked up for $99.00 at the J.C. Penny Outlet, it came with this little fuckin amp and my uncle would tune it for me.  I wanted to make the sounds happen that I was hearing on my tapes and records. Like grimy fuckin crunchy riffs ya know, so I’d down tune all the strings low to make it all nasty..dark and shit with fuzz. Like Misfits  Earth A.D. or something,.. took so long to just scratch the surface of  some of the sounds I love to create. I owe a lot to my family, that worked hard for my Sister, Brother and I.

FS Disaster @ Verdi Dish. Volland photo.

8. Damn, sharing a Pro board! That’s serious love right there. How much of Skate Rock had an influence on your playing or getting into music?

Man, Skate Rock and Thrasher  had and still have a sub-concience effect on me. That time period for me was so colourful, new, and exciting. It was just all so new and raw.  I was young and things were finding me verses me searching for them. Yes, a big impact on me. Listening to different styles of music while painting, skating, ect. can seemingly open unseen or forgotten doors in the mind. Creating  things while using others creations can help the flow, sometimes as much as totally clearing your mind can.

9. What were some of the early musical influences that you were listening to when you started playing?

The song “The Monster Mash”, “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow”  by The Rivingtons. Kiss, Black Sabbath, The Kinks, John Denver, The Beatles, Greek Music,…. then came Rich Kids on L.S.D., Exploited, D.K., Misfits, Death Angel, Sex Pistols,Thrasher Skate Rock comps., D.R.I., Slayer,ect.

On stage with Dean. Jake Griffin photo.

10. You’ve been in some pretty heavy and legendary underground bands. Tell me about  your  first band and some of  your  favorite shows.

I started playing with Jack Yellowhair in my room,  just thrashin out on a snare drum and a beat up out of tune guitar. Through various friends like my buddy James from Discipline/New blood I learned enough to explore my imagination leading up to my first real group playing shows under the name Bludgeon. We cut a 7″ and played a swarm of shows through 93-94. All those shows back then went done sick, all kinds of peeps would pull together, sxe, stoner, skateboarder, it didnt matter. You had guys who are true punk rockers that mix up in the rave scene that would bring lights, goth dudes that housed the club, skaters to build stages like ramps, sick crowds of all kinds of kids that would come from all over northern Nevada and California to hang out, talk, skate, mosh and stage dive with no to little rules. It was truly amazing times.

11. Breakdown the bands you were in from the start. You have  a lot of musical history here in Reno and I’d like the readers to know more about  your  journey.

Man, lets see…. 
killer Squids (kids dont know what they are doing) 86
Dead Goldfish (see above) 90
Bastard (metal/h.c.) 90
Bludgeon (metal/h.c.) 91-94
Gacy/601 (metal/h.c.) 95
Panzer (crust/power violence/metal) 95
Gehenna 95-current
MotherFuckinTittieSuckers (punk) 95
Gurilla (political S. American power violence) 96-98-current
Fog Spector  (acoustic graveyard folk) 98
Dealing With It (metal/Punk) 98
SangRaal (thrash metal) 99-current
Unified School District (hip hop) bass/guitar  appeared for a few tracks on “hacienda de acapulco” 99?
Discreet Doll Band (r&r/punk)99-current
Witch-Lord/Beyond the Grave (sludge/metal) 99-current
Teenage Life (acoustic punk)2000
Lewd Lucy & The Dumpster Babies (punk)2005
Witch-Cat (electro noir) 2006-current
Penetration panthers (punk/goth/electo) 2008-current
Killed By Death (punk covers) 2011-current 
who knows whats next mang…..

Get there! Jake Griffin photo.

12. Gehenna was and is a beast. Care to talk about some of the more notorious shows?

Gehenna… we are playing shows, touring, we will be out in Baltimore this January playing with Eyehategod and our long time allies Integrity. Also, we are working on our new album entitled “RAWWAR”, we have had the title for years and the world is at a stage now fitting for this record.  Shows have been great too man, the cult is strong.

13. Seeing you play music all these years, there’s a definite correlation to the style of music you play and your skating. Describe the  outlet you get from making/playing music and when you skate.

I feel connected to the source of all things when I’m in those states of mind,…. playing music, skating, painting ect. its like i’m half here planted on earth and the other part is being guided by some cosmic forces letting the universe do it’s work with me so to speak. To give in a positive or truthful way will only in turn make you such things.  I can really get off on music and skateboarding, it’s amazing. All though I do feel one should let go of things of youth gracefully, that does not mean you can’t find new and refreshing things to replace them, see what i’m saying?

BS Flip at the 395 Ditch. Volland photo.

14. Agreed, youth is a treasure that people seem to runaway from at a certain point in life. What is some music that lights you up lately?

Man, seems like stuff just finds me at the right times in my life. The last few years have been good in the search for different sound. I really like a lot of heavy low-fi electronic stuff like White Ring from NY. and Modern Witch from the Netherlands are fucking amazing. I like OooOoo, Mater Suspiria Vision, Holy Other, Grill Grill, Glass Candy, Gatekeeper, fuckin Juicu J., and a shit tone of others. As far as guitar driven stuff, it’s been a lot of the same shit I love…  Bauhaus, SIXX, Cat Party, Sisters of Mercy, Bolt Thrower, Slint, Gehenna, Judge, M.O.D. for U.S.A., Black Flag, K.B.D. punk, Blonde Redhead, and a bunch of others stuff. I guess I’m more drawn towards music with attitudes that are aligned with mine. 

BS Grab into Afterburner Alley. Volland photo.

15. Music is like a puzzle that finds you in life. I couldn’t live a blissful life without it. With all of the touring you have under your belt, what was some of your favorite cities/countries you’ve skated?

Ahh..everywhere! I’ve been blessed enough to play and skate in some beautiful and eclectic places. The streets and hills of Greece, Bridges and skateparks of Prague Chez., back alleys and ramps in Amsterdam, Metal vert ramps in Virginia, pushin with  Beau Shaver and my crew through Paris with Tom Penny, the rest stops of Utah, the red clay transitions at Arches National park, San Jose parking lot with Spencer and Gershon, The walk ways of the Roman Coliseum, Ditches of New Mexico at sun set, epic pools, streets and parks of Phoenix, Las Vegas Strip wasted as sin, 293, Derby ditch slid and rolls in Santa Cruz, sun rise at Idlewild, The flat rails and smooth streets of Geneva Switzerland, Back yard ramps and amazing streets of Austin Tx., San Francisco Ca. with the hills, and streets, Original EMB in 93 with small ass wheels, Love Park at 3:30 a.m. cold as fuck, Schools of Costa Mesa with Muska and Smolik,  trollin with Toby and Shaver at the most classic of killer spots in San Diego, riding high in Portland, Chicago winds, all up and down the best coast to Greek islands….under the Reno Arch with some of my favorite peeps just to name a few.

16. You’ve been blessed to see the world in such a creative manner. Who were you inspired by in Reno through skating?

It was mostly the dudes I skated with or saw around me. Like Jack Yellowhair, Scott Brown, Scott Mcrae, I was pretty blown away the first time I went to “The Hood Ramp”. It was sick man, later on I started to hear some of the names of some of these older cats who were a few years up in the game killin it back then, very cool to see. Dudes like Danny G., Mike Huntsman, Brian Fralick, Steve O, Rob Hostetter, Ron Rash, Beau Bevier, Randy Barr, Shit….. Colin Grover, Toby Riley, Chris Pool, Scott Brown. Sick man!  

FS Rock. Volland photo.

17. What is your favorite Reno band?

I don’t really have one I guess, Cathedral Ghost, Spiting Image, and The Indoors are some groups that are making things happen right now. Some pretty tight DJ’s around town right now, I mean shit Reno could be the next Berkeley if the community could come together tighter. There is so much happening with music, art, dance, alternative, vegetarin foods, graf, yoga, ect, ect. We have a very, very, strong creative scene in Reno, for some reason we always have.  I feel some day people will flock here from all over, even more so than now to be a part of the freedom of expression and creative force these regions have always churned out. We live in a truly gorgeous place.

Boneless @ 395 Ditch. Volland photo.

18. Reno has always had such a beautiful possibility to explode, it’s happening slowly. What’s up lately with your music and skating? It seems like you always have a lot going down.

 I’ve got to stay busy creating and giving, do the best work inside and out that I can. Been out taking flicks with Jake Griffin and Kyle Volland. Filming with Juan Fool, Representing for Classic Skate Shop, Vegan/Vegetarian/Raw foods at Pneumatic (skater owned). 
  The Penetration Panthers are playing shows and our  7″ is available now on A389 records out of Baltimore. We are currently putting the finishing slaps on our first full length album so we are stoked about that. Gehenna are playing shows and doing small tours with a new record in the works. Witch-Lord debut 12″ record is out now on A389 as well, if you like heavy ultra-slow-low-sabbath-sludge style check it out. Mike Apocalypse and myself have been fuckin with some dark, tripped, psychedelic, electronic beats, and styles that will drop soon tentatively called “Witch-Apocalypse”….. so yea, we got some new shit comin at yall. 

Gap to tailslide. Volland photo.

19. Thanks for your time Dean, I appreciate what you do. How can you not? One of Reno’s true OGs and still handling business. It’s inspiring and just plain fucking cool to see you pushing the boundaries of life and happiness. Anyone out there you want to drop a shout out to?
In no order, my Mother and Father, my Family, Toby Riley, Jack Yellowhair, Jim & Chris Short, Erik Prater, Mel Cornia, Chuck Evens, Rob Hostetter, Eric Svare, Danny G, Denny Franchini, Rob Roy, Kevin Cox, Spencer B, Tony Hospital, Gershon Mosely, John Ludwick, Brandon G, Darnelle, Jevelle, D Starkey, Coia, Beau Shaver,  Jimmy, Beau Halverson, Shawn Dickerman, Beau Bevier,  Scott Brown, Scott Waters, Mike Hubert,  Lee, Joey P, Flip Nasty, Ben Bledsoe, Kevin and Nick, Mark Melin, Ouchoe, Oink, Jamie Hustle, Rob, Jake Mutha Fuckin’ Griffin, Joe Rock, Neil B, Worms, Boyd and Josh Turner, Big Gary R., Hotel Idlewild, lil Piss, Gingerbear, M.K., Josh and Claude, Greg Janess, Kearney, Max Alonzo, Mike Edwards, Christian Erickson, Mickey, Lonny Impossible, Randy Barr, Ralph, Brian S, Damon and Levi Watson, Sean Stringfellow, Eric Lantto, John Gertz, Dave Maine,  Doug H. Nut, Mob Action, Kathy Griffin, Kyle Volland, Mike Huntsman, Rick Fisher, Brian Medley, Dirt, CHZ, Chunky Salsa, Randy, 2tight, Scott Saturday, Shane, Scotty C., Pringle, and the rest of PHX., Dom A389, S.O.D.C., all my band mates, and anyone I forgot, you know im down wit cha. There’s  just soooo many rad people and all those that believe in love, fun, and creating the posititve change they want the world to become. Thanks for taking the time.

Greg Janess

I don’t really remember the first time I met Greg. The past seems to be getting a bit fuzzy. I do remember the first time I saw him. He was riding a wood grain Roskopp II and was doing boneless variations. At the time though, if you saw another skater you would approach them. There weren’t that many of us, and Fallon was far from skater friendly. Greg had a supportive family and an amazing ramp. To this day skating that ramp with him in the scorching heat is some of my best memories growing up. Watching him excell so fast and the constant road trips made skating so much bigger. From vert, ledges, pools, tech, to big gaps, Greg skated everything on a higher level. Greg also dealt with my ups and downs through out the years and stayed a true friend. I’m very honored to say Greg Janess is my friend and bring you his interview for Wheel Bite. One of Reno’s finest on and off the board! -ERL

Japan style in Reno. Volland Photo.

1. Greg you were the first person I knew that had not only a ramp but, a good ramp. How long after you started skating did you and your Dad build it?

I had been skateboarding a lot for about two years when my dad offered to help build me a half pipe. So that means I was about 14 and it was 1987. I was at a crossroads. My dad had gotten me a motorcycle when I was about 8 and that had become a huge part of my life. I was also really into bmx at the time too. Initially it was a toss up between skateboarding and biking on the ramp. And I rode the motorcycle on it a few times too.

Greg’s backyard was our skatepark. Circa 1987.

2. The Janess Ramp went through several phases of alteration. Your Dad was always supportive and out there sweating in his famous sweater. What were the original dimensions?

At first the ramp wasn’t that great but it was exactly what I needed to learn to compress and do kick turns. At the first phase it was eight feet wide. It had eight-foot transitions and was nine feet tall on one side and eleven on the other. So we’re talking one foot of vert on the low side and three on the other. The higher side was my dad’s attempt to keep us from damaging the satellite dish that was right behind it. That worked for awhile.

Fallon Mini Ramp Contest Circa 1990.

3. What video or mag inspired you to build your own ramp?

My first inspiration was a skate demo I was lucky enough to see at the California State Fair in Sacramento. We had gone to the fair because one of my sisters, Katherine, wanted to go to a ‘Til Tuesday/Rick Springfield concert. Somehow I ended up at that concert with my sister and mom. But anyway there was also a half-pipe demo by Christian Hosoi and Alan Losi. Not at the concert itself but earlier in the day in a large tent. It was the first time I had ever seen skateboarding like that in anything but Thrasher or Transworld. I was completely blown away. I had no idea the human body was capable of such things. Just watching them drop in was the biggest miracle I had ever witnessed. Prior to that I had seen this guy in Fallon, Pete Baratti, ollie over a gutter and that had been amazing. That was the first time I saw anyone ollie anything. I had no idea how he was able to get a skateboard to lift off the ground for almost two feet and to a height of almost four inches. My new goal in life was to ollie up a curb.

4. The first time I saw you skating you had that wood grain Roskopp II. Was that your first board?

My very first board was a hand-me-down from my older brother. Or more like an abandoned relic that was in the toy chest. It was one of those fiberglass ones that was maybe 20-inches long and 5-inches wide. The trucks were so skinny there was no way I could get them to grind the edge of the sidewalk in my front yard. Next was a Locals Only from Gemco in Sparks. My choice was that or an Executioner which I had seen one or two people riding. Either one was crap but it was the next step up from fiberglass and I was beginning to read Thrasher quite a bit. It was full of advertisements and product placement that made me sure I had to get my hands on one of these professional-quality decks. My parents had to be sure this wasn’t a passing interest before they would consider taking me to a regular skate shop.

Circa June of 1985.

5. What inspired you to pick up your first skateboard? 

 My grandmother kept this journal that she would edit and share with the family each year. In it she wrote that at age eight I was interested in all things with wheels and that it would be interesting to see what my choice of transportation would be. It’s true I always loved things with wheels. That love affair had me riding bikes, then motorcycles, then skateboards. Skateboarding has shaped my core philosophy on life and how I see the world.

 

6. Who was in your first skate crew? I rolled with Jim Allred, Steve Schmitt, and Steve Stubblefield. You had a bit of a younger crew at first right? Although we eventually  became one crew.

It seemed like everyone was skateboarding when I really got into it in 1985. My early skate crew included Matt Robinson, Matt Nelson, Jay Descallar, Jason Crockett, Rob Duvall, Ryan Carey, and Derek Yost. Others too but it’s amazing how the years erase those important connections from childhood.

7. The kids today have it made with skating being so popular. Explain how it was growing up a skater in Fallon NV.

There were no skateparks or skateshops. No X-Games or Internet to see what skateboarders in other places were doing. My only connection to the outside world of skateboarding was through Thrasher, Transworld, and a video rental place that somehow had VHS tapes of the 1985 Vision contests at the Del Mar and Upland skateparks in Southern California. Fallon is such a weird place. You have a lot of hicks plus a Navy base that brings in people from all around the U.S. I’m surprised there has never been some huge battle between the locals and the 18-year-olds who signed up for the Navy and have no idea how they ended up in the Nevada high desert.

Nose slide in Fallon NV. Volland photo.

Nose slide in Fallon NV. Volland photo.

8. There’s nothing lamer than the guys who you used to skate with and they quit, only to talk shit to you for sticking with it. After all your friends quit, why did you stick it out?

I’m not sure how it happened but one day it was cool to skateboard and the next day it wasn’t. There was so much pressure from the jocks and conformers to get everyone who skateboarded to quit. It was a constant onslaught of getting shoved into walls, tripped, and being called a skate fag. We live in a funny country where everyone wants to be an individual but then gets upset when someone is different from them. Many have empty lives without passion. They tend to act out anytime they see someone truly enjoying themselves. I loved skateboarding like nothing before. I wasn’t’ going to give it up without a fight. I take that back. I’m more of a conscientious objector than a fighter. Those with empty lives pushed and hit me quite a bit but they couldn’t break me. Skateboarding was my life. Skateboarding is life.

9. You always came back from skate camp with a whole new bag of tricks. I was pretty jealous I couldn’t go, although I was like 45 at the time. What skate camp did you go to?

I went to the Bobby G camp in Fresno twice and then then the Sequoia Lake YMCA camp once. Going to skate camp was a huge motivating factor for me. It was my first opportunity to skate a real vert ramp, a spine ramp, a good street course. It was so inspiring to skate shoulder-to-shoulder with pro skateboarders I had only see in magazines. It turns out they were real people and they weren’t perfect in every way. They were way better than me, of course, but I discovered they don’t land everything on every try. Most of them were really nice and were happy to give me tips and trick ideas.

The summer of my 16th birthday I had appendicitis and almost died. I was supposed to go to skate camp in a week and that’s all I cared about. The day after emergency surgery I was asking my mom to call them and see if it was possible to go to later camp session. It all worked out and was amazing. I got to skate with Jeremy Wray that week at camp. At the time he wasn’t yet sponsored but it was so obvious he was going to be a big deal.

10. I know when you got your drivers license, you started hitting the road quick. First it was Reno 293 trips right? How soon did you start hitting up SF to skate EMB?

Nose pick in Fallon NV. Volland photo.

Living in Fallon without a car is like being in a mosquito-infested prison in the middle of nowhere. Occasionally you could escape to the real world when someone with a car would drive you the 60 miles to Reno. Then you were at least somewhere that had some influences besides farming and the military. With my license I could finally escape most days of the week. Most evenings of my junior and senior years in high school were spent driving to Reno to skate until the sun went down before driving right back to Fallon. That means most of the school year I was driving an hour to skate for an hour in Reno at 293. Then it was an hour back to Fallon to have dinner with my parents and to skate my ramp after that. I know a lot of the skaters at 293 didn’t like me at first because I was so focused on getting in that skate time before driving back home. Making friends would have been great if I had the time for it. I think they started to warm up to me some in the Spring months when I had a bit more time to hang out. Although for that to happen I had to convince my parents that I shouldn’t have to be home for dinner. Not the easiest thing to do. Especially when my dad had spent all that time helping me build the ramp. He couldn’t quite understand why I would need to skateboard somewhere else.

I had been to EMB one other time just before the ’89 earthquake that took out the Embarcadero freeway. Ray Henderson, from Carson City, drove me down. I believe Eric Dado was their too. I had to figure out a way to skate there much more. It took a lot of convincing but eventually my parents let me drive myself to SF to skateboard for a weekend. Daryl Dibattista was with me on some of those early trips and he knew some girls who had an apartment in the City. Sometimes we were able to stay with them for the Saturday night. Other times we slept in the car and used the Hyatt bathrooms in the morning to freshen up. I was lucky that parents ever let me do all that. In hindsight that’s a crazy amount of responsibility for them to give me.

11. The vibe their was pretty harsh with all the “T Dog” craze. You seemed to fit in fairly quit for a small town white boy. What was skating there like for you?

Every trip to EMB was all about seeing what crazy tricks Mike Carroll and Henry Sanchez were doing. Pressure flips and hard flips were all the rage at this point and it was mind blowing to see those two doing them down the 7. A lot of the guys there were vibers but I somehow got in pretty quickly with Karl Watson and Mike York. They were seriously good and respected by the others. The other locals weren’t too bad if you were aware enough to stay out of their way. I’m pretty sure my best skating there was late at night when the place cleared out some. I have many fond memories of skating there with you, Daryl, Mark Carlisle, Kelly Haugen, and John Strickland. Were you there that time James Kelch gave us new decks for giving him a ride home?

Five O to fakie at Ozzy’s Ramp. ERL photo.

12. I missed that trip but, James did a similar deal with me. More of a “cash today, product tomorrow” type deal. EMB was blowing up at that time. I remember you went to San Diego on one trip. Things changed after that. Is that the trip you met Ozzy (Alvarez)?

Daryl (DiBattista) convinced me to give Rob Hostetter a ride to SD for the Zorlac premiere of Zero Hero. Honestly I was still rather green at the time and intimidated by the idea of having a SAP in my car for such a long drive. Rob turned out to be a really great guy and I had been worried without reason. He introduced me to Ozzy at the premiere and we hit it off right away. He had just turned pro for Zorlac and moved from Georgia. He was still in the process of getting things going there and he offered me a place to stay anytime I visited. He also said he could help me out with skate gear if I needed it. I probably took advantage of those offers much more than I should have.

13. Yeah but at the time you were focusing a lot of boards! I remember you invited me on the next SD trip. When you said it was an 8 hour drive, I thought you were nuts. When did you start getting hooked up from skate companies. Although the Polaroid’s we sent to Skull Skates didn’t pan out too well!

I think I remember us sending Polaroids to Small Room too. The very first company to hook me up was Firewood which was Daryl’s company out of Bikes and Boards in Reno. Daryl was cutting boards out of the blanks the skate shop used to be able to get. I think they were something like 11 x 33 pressed rectangular blanks that had concave with a tail and nose kick. Not much nose kick since noses were really short around this time. Anyway, he would cut the shape himself and then file and buff the edges. He would also add some graphics with a marker. I think Mike Huntsman was skating for him too at this point. That was a huge deal to me. Before that my only sponsor had been my parents.

Toby Riley and Greg in Heckler Magazine cira 1997. Chris Carnell photo.

14. Break it down Greg. Who were your sponsors? From shops to the big boys?

Let’s see. Bikes and Boards/Firewood, Karl Watson when he had an extra board (he skated for Think when it first started), Ozzy giving me Zorlac boards, ridiculously large pants, and small wheels (it was 1991 after all), Entity, Gullwing, Pacific Drive, Vision Shoes, World of Toys (Ben Dickson rules), Pacific Drive, Addiction, Human Skateboards, Clean Skateboards (flow from Kyle Volland), Venture Trucks (flow from Greg Carroll), Jeff and Damian at Out of Bounds. There were many others who helped me on the way. You have helped me numerous times and still do today. Scott Waters hooked me up with boards and shoes more times than I can count. Caine Gayle and Gershon Mosely helped me a lot too. I’ve been really lucky to have had so many great people in my life.

15. I think it was at the 93 Back to the City Contest in SF that Ozzy called you out at Hubba Hide Out. Something along the lines of “get down to business on this giant hubba and you’ll be fully on Entity” type deal. I know we were flowing you at the time. Ozzy always pushed you and Scott Waters. How did that all go down and what did you do on Hubba Hide Out that day?

We had skated Fort Miley for quite a bit that day and then someone said we should go to Hubba. I don’t think we intended to try anything on it at first. It was more of a reconnoissance mission to size it up and think about things we hoped to try on it in the future. I remember popping an ollie down the stairs but not having any real thoughts about trying anything on the ledge. Then Ozzy says something like, “Do something on that ledge and I’ll put you on Entity.” He was dead serious and it was the exact thing I needed for the motivation to try. I can’t remember how many times I rolled up to it before trying the first trick but it suddenly all came together. I locked into a noseslide and realized I had more in me than I thought. By the end of the session I had pulled a 50-50, a boardslide, a noseslide, noseslide to fakie, noselide to 270 shove-it, a 180 nosegrind, and a 180 nosegrind to fakie. That day got me on the team on a lot of what we filmed that day ended up in the Entity video. I was on cloud 9.

Entity Skateboards ad. Hubba sessions.

16. All those years of skate camp paid off son! I realized you stepped it up a few notches at the big four in SD. You were trying BS Nollie Flips, getting wheel bite, and ripping your back to shreds. Sal Barbier and Sean Sheffey rolled up and you quit trying. Sal Kicked Flipped them and Sheffey Heel Flipped them that day. A lot of people took you for a conceited guy, when in fact you were a shy kid. Although you did jump back up there with them. Not too long after that Ozzy asked you to turn Pro right?

I knew I had gotten a lot better but I hadn’t moved past being a small-town kid. Those two rolled up and all I could do was watch in awe. You have to understand this was when H-Street was a huge deal and Plan B was brand new. I knew I had a lot of potential but I wasn’t so sure I could ever be anything like them.

Mira Loma Session

17. Ozzy had your Pro Model all ready and last minute you said no. I’ve never really asked you seriously about that. Why did you pull the plug. Most people would kill for that opportunity?

This is really hard to answer. Turning pro didn’t feel right to me at the time but in hindsight I realize it was my only chance. Ozzy believed in me but I wasn’t liking the constant pressure to perform. My love for skateboarding was very important and I was afraid turning it into a job would kill that love. I wanted to take a step back to focus again on why skateboarding was so important to me. Basically I was afraid of losing my one true passion and also didn’t realize I would never have another chance. I don’t regret my decision but of course there is that big “what if” that will never be answered.

Entity Skateboards ad. Switch flip.

 

18. That’s a hard decision but, it seemed to work out in the long run. I think you still deserved a Pro Model. After that, did your mindset change a bit towards skating?

Removing that pressure to perform felt really good. My favorite people to skate with were in Reno and I never quite felt like I completely belonged in San Diego anyway. It was always in the back of my mind that I would need to move back to San Diego or to San Francisco to get coverage if I wanted to try to get another chance at being pro. That never happened but I have lots of fond memories of many great times.

19. What are some of your greatest memories of skating after all this time?

I skated the Pipeline skatepark in Upland when I was 13. It was the first skatepark I ever skated and then it was torn down soon after.

Funny this popped in my head but I think you were at the Plan B ramp when we got to skate it for a bit. I dropped in on the 17-foot extension without pads and then had no idea what to do with the speed when I hit the other wall. I slowed down as much as I could but still probably went about three or four feet over the other wall before kicking my board away. Then I kind of landed on my feet for a second before sliding down the transition on my butt.

Skating the ramp at Tony Hawk’s house was incredible. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined being at his house and skating that ramp. It was unreal.

20. Tony Hawk’s ramp was definitely insane. We were still in the fan out stage for a lot of Pros back then. What are you doing these days? You went full circle and move to SF?

I’m living in San Francisco and skateboarding when I have time. I’m kept pretty busy doing computer tech support job for a book publisher on weekdays and from long bikes rides to places North of the Golden Gate Bridge a few times a week. Recently I started playing bass guitar in a band, Ritual Debris, after finally getting around to playing music again a few years back (I was in marching/concert band from about 5th to 12th grade but took a music hiatus for about 15 years). I’m dating a woman, Mel, who means the world to me. We’re planning on doing a camping/bike tour of Europe for 4+ months next Spring. My father passed away last July and I’ve been visiting my mom in Fallon whenever possible.

Welcome to the Jungle video.

21. Thank you Greg for not being a quitter and being my oldest skate bud! Now is your time to thank the people out there.

I’ve mentioned many of them earlier in the interview but they deserve to be mentioned again. First and foremost I would like to thank my parents for being supportive of anything I ever wanted to do. They may have not always liked it but they hid that well. I love and miss my dad very much. Many thanks to you for many years of friendship. We had a falling out in the past but we made it through and I’m very happy to have you in my life. Thank you to Daryl Dibattista, Todd Schroeder, Steve Stubblefield (RIP), Ben Dickson, Karl Watson, Toby Riley, Sherry Riley, Josh Riley, Ozzy Alvarez, Ray Underhill(RIP), Steve Saiz, Walt Teidge, John Ludwick, Scott Waters, Beau Shaver(RIP), Spencer Benavides, Lisa and Alan Sprague, Justin Hay-Chapman, Jeff Goforth, Damian Ruff, Andy Haney, Stan Byers, Mike Huntsman, Kyle Volland, Peter Jiminez, Scott Waters, Classic Skate Shop, and so many others. You know who you are so please give me a hard time if I forgot to mention you by name.

Time Warp.

I’m very proud I can say skateboarding has made me who I am. It exposed me to the larger world and introduced me to thousands of great people. Thanks for reading. Now get out there and go skateboarding.