BRIAN MURPHY INTERVIEW

  Big Daddy chilling with Brian Murphy.

Lets face it, some people are adrenaline junkies. They love the feeling they get when doing something dangerous. They don't care about the risk they might be taking at the time. Once they set their mind to doing something, they do it. For Brian Murphy it doesn't matter if he's riding a mountain bike, a snowboard, or his scooter. When he's riding anything, you're going to know it, because he will be going higher, faster, farther, and harder than any other rider out there.

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Jordan Jasa:  The earliest thing I remember about you is a picture of you airing ridiculously high on a quarter, and everyone thinking it was photoshopped.  You were an unknown back then, and nobody believed you until you got some footage and more pictures.  How did that make you feel?

Brian Murphy:  I was so pissed when people called my airs photoshopped but it just made me go hard at quarterpipes with a video camera instead.

A lot of people think you are nothing but a hucker with disregard to your own safety.  Would you agree with them?

I guess a lot less these days though, I’m tired of only being able to ride maybe twice every 2 weeks because of injuries.

   The infamous Brian Murphy “photoshopped” air pictures.

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 Brian Murphy is a born and raised New Yorker. He lived in The Bronx until he was in the seventh grade, and then moved to upstate New York. However, he is now back living in The Bronx. Scootering wasn't something that Brian was always interested in. Being the thrill seeker that he is, he was a very talented downhill mountain biker. Although, when his bike would break, he would mess around on his old B model Razor, just cruising around doing small and simple tricks. Once his bike would be fixed, he would be right back to downhill mountain biking. One day he ended up doing over 600 dollars of damage to his mountain bike. This would lead to a lot of time off, and more time on his scooter. After about a month of riding his scooter, he decided to go check out the Brooklyn Banks. During this trip to the banks, he would meet future PROTO Teammate Jon Reyes, and an old ScooYork rider Chris Z. He saw the tricks that they could do on scooters, and he was amazed. They soon introduced him to The Scooter Resource, and Brian has been riding scooters ever since.

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You have a reputation for being a destroyer of scooters, and it seems like you were no different on mountain bikes.  What all did you do on them to get 600 bucks worth of damage on one day?

Land pretty much flat of a 25 foot bridge drop and just hitting rock gardens with no regard for life or my bike.

How old were you when you first picked up a scooter, and met Jon and Chris?

16, just got my learners permit. I remember that cuz i wrote scooterresource down on my permit.

And that means you've been riding for how long now?

Hmm id like to say 3 and half years, cuz i met them in mid august, and i rode that summer when ever my bike broke.  Summer of 06.

   Big air transfer.

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     When he started off riding he was doing tricks like bri flips, double tailwhips, and small rail slides. However, over time his style would change completely. He isn't just another trick rider doing fifty tailwhips, and lots of combo tricks. Instead, Brian prefers to ride huge boxes, ramps, and quarter pipes, and works on flowing them with ease. He does ridiculously huge flairs, back flips, and front flips, all while keeping his eye out for the biggest gap possible at whatever park he is at, and you can bet your ass he's going to attempt it, and most likely, land it. Brian likes riding with just about anyone who rides scooters. Although, ask him who he enjoys riding with the most and he definitely has a list. He likes riding with Matt McKeen, Andrew Broussard, all of his PROTO Teammates, Stan Smirnoff, and Stevon Wilson. When it comes to the sport of scootering, one person who Brian looks up to is Swiss rider, BenJ Friant. For good reason, considering he is one of the best all around riders in the sport today. Outside of scootering Brian also has someone who he looks up to. That person is Travis Pastrana. With everything Travis has accomplished and overcome in his life, it is easy to see why Brian would admire him.

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What a lot of people don’t realize is that you can also do some tech grind stuff, in addition to your usual “go big” tricks.  Are grinds a big part of your riding?

Yes, a lot of people don't know but handrail and park rails are one of my favorite.

One of the tricks you think of when you hear “go big” is a double backflip…is landing that in your plans for the future?

Yes it is when i ride the ramp i want to do it on. I’m pushing for andrew's backyard ramp.

You've ridden it before, haven't you, during SD comp?  Were you ever going to try it then?

Yea i was suppose to till me and pretty much the whole sd3 crew got sick and or taken out by a injury.  I had a stomach virus and i wrecked my knee.

Ah.  What did it mean to you to get on PROTO?

It means the world to me to be on a company that is just 100 percent progressing means so much to me and the team is soo chill and andrew is like a best friend to me.

Tailwhip transfer at the Pala Pipes in Cali.

How is your PROTO dvd part coming?

Well, i still want to redo my promo that was never supposed to get leaked because that edit did not have alll the clips i wanted in it and the guy that edits my videos' final cut would not let him import half the bangers. when i found out it was posted i was sooooo pissed. but other then that still filming for the proto dvd.

What was it like riding with BenJ Friant at the Banks Jam?

Well he spent the whole week at my place.  One of the most fun weeks of my life that kid is so gnarly he was killing it at tic, such a chill kid.

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    He's got some big plans in his future, he is possibly thinking about making the move from the East Coast, all the way to San Diego, CA. He's also going to be at every competition he can make it to in 2009. Representing PROTO and gunning for a podium spot. Plans for his riding are quite simple, he wants to go higher, go bigger, and ride cleaner while doing it. Not to mention he has the potential to be the first scooter rider to do “The Loop” or hit the “Mega Ramp”. So if you ever get the chance to ride with Brian at a competition or at a skate park, and you can't seem to find him...Look up, because there's a good chance he hit a quarter pipe...and with the way Brian airs, you might want to get comfortable. Because it's going to be awhile.

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The Mega Ramp is something that has been talked about for a long time among scooter riders.  What would it mean to you to be the first rider to jump the gap and successfully air the quarter?

A big accomplishment for not just me but for scooters and  i hope it happens soon.  Stan and me been eyeing that thing for a while.  Stan and me will be the first to hit it

So you believe you are ready for it?  Is there anyone else besides Stan whom you think could hit it?

I think I’m ready for it.  Andrew has been trying to get access for a while now and when he does Stan and me are getting a phone call.  And i think Tyler Bonner.

Last words?

Live life, ride hard.

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Interview by Jordan Jasa.

Intro and body by Steven Tongson.