MATT OGLE INTERVIEW

When I first started riding in summer 2006, Matt Ogle was already established as one of the top riders.  He had yet to secure a sponsor (as there was only Razor and Micro) but there was no doubt he had some of the most influential and enjoyable videos.  He quickly became a personal favorite rider of mine to watch, along with his riding buddy Daniel Warwick.  I believe it was 2010 when he was added to Inward’s team alongside myself, so we quickly became great friends.  Inward eventually dropped their team and Matt was doing the college thing, so he slowed down a bit.  Over the past couple years however, he’s been going hard, attending street jams, traveling around Texas, filming for a video.  He just dropped his Time Lapse video, which at 11 minutes and three songs long is as ambitious as it is effective.  I decided to ask Matt a few questions about the video among other things, so read on.  

Jordan Jasa:  First off, congrats on the video. How's it feel to release a video in 2015?

Matt Ogle:  Thanks Jordan. It feels phenomenal. 2015 is probably the first year in my life that it has started to down on me how fast life is flying by. The more wild parts of me have started to fade away so I've had plenty of time to really let life sink in.

You're 25 now then right? Do you consider yourself an adult?

Yup, 25 is correct. I do consider myself to be an adult as well although others would contest that.

What a sesh like for you today compared to what it was during the SI days?

Well, the level of activity with riding has changed during all the seasons of my life. When I was 12, it was non-stop and all out in the middle of the street with my neighbors. When SI came around a couple years later, my best childhood friends and I would sesh around the neighborhood and film on my dads old video camera he passed down. These were the years (ages 13-16) that I just had endless energy. We would ride 2-5 miles daily from spot to spot and that was just how we transported from one place to the other. From 16-18 I had a car, so there was much more spot exploration and skatepark visits. I would often ride with Dan and Ricky for over 4 hours and never think twice about my body or level of exhaustion. The SI sessions with Dan and Ricky were really next level on all planes. We were best friends and when we weren't riding, we were laughing or exploring. And in that moment, i swear we were infinite. Now, sessions are much shorter and (while I was filming) to the point. On a good day I can ride for about 4-5 hours straight at max. The quality of the sesh is always about who is with us. Good vibes go a long way. I am clearly still progressing in some ways, and also clearly regressing in others.

I was honestly surprised at a few tricks in your video just because of how gnarly they were. What's the motivation behind sending it today when you're not being paid for it and the risk of injury being upped?

Honestly the motivation behind this video was to get a full length edit out that I was truly proud of, in HD. Without sponsors (shout out to Tommy D and Ian Johnson though) motivation was really only coming from my desire to put out an edit where I felt like if I were to die tomorrow, I would be happy about. Even my Bustin Cakes part in 2010 had loads of filler and clips that I personally look back at and was not happy about. In summary - it was for me. If I ever land another sponsor, that would be just gooch (Proto/TILT shoutout). But I don't expect that nor was I filming for it.

To have 3 songs worth of footage that you're happy with...that's like so much dude, you're definitely getting out there a lot. Where all did you travel for this video?

Theo and I were just talking about this - mostly TX (Austin, Dallas, Waco, San Antonio & Houston). There are a few others though. The main one is China. I was in Suzhou, China for a work trip last January and got to scoot all over. When I finally saw that  subway entrance roll in (first clip of the video) I knew it was going to happen at some point. It was perfect. I contemplated doing it after work for like 3 days and then finally my last day in Suzhou rolled around and I was like....alright it's now or never. I was pretty sketched out considering I am an American in a foreign land...breaking the law and all.

Like you did that solo?

Yup. My coworker Steve was my only other source of English and he would not have approved nor filmed me haha.

That's so crazy. Which place was your favorite?

As in spots from the video? Easily the place where I do the roof drop. Theres a perfect low 4 rail (where I do front 50 to fw), perfect 6 rail, roof drop, naturally waxed ledges...it's always a good time. Plus it is literally in the ghettos of Austin. There are always people stopping by to watch and adorable little kids EVERYWHERE.

So you're a pretty devout christian, right? That's not something I see you share online about very often. What are your views on religion and I guess, displaying it?

Yeah I am. I guess when it comes to sharing my faith online, I keep it rare and relevant. Social media is a double-edged sword for sharing my faith. Many non-believers feel persecuted or annoyed by constant Christian opinions and I understand that. I have gotten multiple messages from friends outside of the scooter community that have expressed that to me, or are just outright hateful about my POV. Therefore, I just stick to what I know - be myself, glorify God the best I can (nobody is perfect and deserves respect unless warranted otherwise) and love others. The most effective way to communicate my faith, from my experience, is to just talk about it in person and hold back from seeing people as "possible converts". People are human beings, not projects. This way of approaching the conversation generally ends in a mutual understanding and tighter bond with that person. Daniel Warwick was very anti-religious, yet he remained my closest friend until the day he passed away. I think that out of respect and love we were able to see past our differences and that made our friendship unbreakable!

That's what's up. Danny was the man. I never really knew him personally but he seemed so cool to me (and was an amazing scooter rider).

He was cool man. And intelligent. And hysterical. And deep. The list is endless.

Which scooter riders right now stand out to you? Pro or otherwise.

In terms of riding i've really been feeling Gus Rymer, Cam Poe, Arnaud Marchenoir, Tom K (Tilt throwaway was just gooch in face) and I gotta say your part got me back on a Jordan Jasa high as well! There are honestly too many gnarly riders these days to give proper credit to haha, but these are a few of the ones that I have really built an alliance to. Oh and I need to give Mckeen cred as well. He is a primary OG (and personal friend) that raises the bar with every video. As if we don't all know this. Respect.

So how do you manage riding/work/Carlos/having a life? A lot of people seem to get too busy to ride when they hit college/post college years, or just drift out of it and move on to other interests.

This one is tough to answer, mostly just because I don't really know how. I like to stay busy so having an agenda every day is great. I write to do lists every day as well to make sure that the priorities are straight for how I want them to be. Carlos requires a lot of attention (currently passed out in my lap). Work requires 8-9 hours a day. And then in my free time (evenings and weekends) I just try to get time in for everything. My social life has probably suffered the most. Or rather, I have stuck to a few close friends and my girlfriend instead of trying to see everyone and their uncle. TO DO LISTS THO. Shoutout to roomy Theo Kotyk for giving me a social life when I don't have one.

Have you ever felt that you were going to stop riding? To quit completely?

Only one time. When I first started college. I took a semester off from heavy riding as I was trying to establish a college life. And then Steven T. hit me up with the Inward offer and I was fully back on board. Nowendays I don't see a reason to stop riding! I love being on a scooter. It was getting pretty old torwards the end of filming season but now that I can get back to the parks and purely enjoy the essence of riding I am thrilled. I will probably stop riding the day that my body can't put up with it anymore. Hopefully that is far away.

It's always nice being able to chill after putting out a video. But how on earth did such a thing as a kneeble come to your mind?

Right? Hahahah I really don't know. Obviously it's a classic circus trick that was thought of on that spot. That ledge is like an inch higher than the run up so I figured it was completely possible to do such a trick there. As to how I thought of it, who even knows. PCP is a hell of a drug.

Hahaha I was psyched on it.  I probably have enough now, was there anything else you wanted to address, or do you have any final words?

Glad to hear it brother! Final words:

1. Thank you for the interview Jordan & Inside. I wish you the best of luck with the recent Inside changes.
2. Thank you to Theo Kotyk, Mike Dejong & Austen Hailey for all of the time they put in filming me for this video. Y'all are the real goochpoppers.
3. Thank you to everyone who has sent me kind words regarding the video. My all time favorite part of releasing an edit is hearing the feedback...especially the detailed feedback highlighting favorite tricks, spots, and other features. I think our community needs to remember this for future releases. If you like authentically like an edit, don't pull a Mankong. Give them a brief critique at the least. Who doesn't love being appreciated for their riding?! Don't let the rapid release of edits and instaclips prevent you from taking the 30 seconds to make another riders day.

Shake em,
Matt

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Check his full video "Time Lapse" above, and his raw footage below: