Tyler Bradley Welcome to Phoenix Video + Interview

The Scoot Mag cover photo, shot by Shelby Grimes.

Hailing from Sammamish, Washington, Tyler Bradley began his scooter journey like any other.  Riding the local park, doing the trendy scoot kid tricks, basically a completely different rider than he is today.  Lucky for him, Tom Kvilhaug moved to the area and started riding with him.  Showing him what scootering could be, Tom lit a fire beneath Tyler that today rages like an inferno.  Flavor picked him up in 2013 and it was clear that Tyler would be a force to be reckoned with.  His rail game, specifically back lips, was on par for the standard back then, if not surpassing it, all the while with his own nonchalant, machine like style.  Flavor USA sadly fell apart and he was on his own again.  Tyler kept at it, and found himself on Phoenix earlier this year.  Tyler does things on a scooter that might seem possible to most people, but have such a small margin for error that nobody else really even thinks of trying them. The way he applies 5050s is unmatched by anyone in scootering.  His efforts have come to fruition today with his first video part for Phoenix.  Read on for a look into how the video came together, then watch it below.





Jordan Jasa:  So this is your Welcome to Phoenix part. How long in the making was it?

Tyler Bradley:  I spent about 8 months filming for this video part. I started filming about a year ago after my foot and ankle were completely healed, but ended up switching over from SD to HD and did not want to mix the footage so I just started over.

At what point did you get on Phoenix? How did that happen?

I started talking to Cooper in May or June about sending him what footage I had at the time for him and Dan to check out and they ended up being hyped on it. And after talking a bunch and making a few trips down to Portland to film this summer I ended up getting a spot on the pro team, which I am super stoked on.

Word, definitely psyched that you found a sponsor after the whole Flavor thing fell off. So you go to school at UCI yeah?  How is it riding in SoCal compared to the PNW?  Who all do you usually ride with now?

Same dude. Its going well, I only have classes two days a week right now so I ride almost everyday and there is definitely a huge difference between riding in the PNW and SoCal. The scene is so much bigger down here and the weather is always good, so you never have to worry about not being able to ride or film. Usually the crew is Nick Donatelli, Ralfie Gracia, Eddie Cuellar, Shelby Grimnes, and Andrew Zamora and I, but lately the AO/Elyts dudes, and Zack Martin have been coming up a bunch so theres usually like 15 people at each spot on the weekends, which is rad.

One hefty lip by Eddie Cuellar.

It's awesome to see the LA street riding scene growing so much.  Does that push you, having so many people to ride with?  Or would you be doing crazy fucked up tricks anyway?

Its great man. And yeah, having a bunch of people to ride with all of the time definitely pushes me. When its just me and one or two other people, there's a good chance ill overthink the trick and psych myself out, but when theres' so many people at the spot, you just feed off of everyone else's energy and don't really think about what you're doing and just do the trick.

So you said that 5050 uprail hard 180 took three hours.  Did you just keep eating shit or how did that go down?

Yea I got there and ended up doing the backlip 180 whip up pretty quick, so i started joking around with Blake saying that ill 5050 up it and then when I got into it first try messing around I just started going for it. I actually only missed a few times, but it was the speed that I needed in order to get passed the last step that was killer. I probably landed on the top at least 25 times and the rest of the tries I either wasn't running fast enough to make it up the rail or just didn't try it.

How did it feel to land it?  Come to think of it, there's like zero emotion shown in your riding haha, besides a few frustration scoot throws it seems you do this shit with a machine like mindset.

Honestly, I kept trying it for almost another hour after I landed that one until I could hardly ride anymore because I didn't think it was good enough, but had to settle with it because it was my last day in Washington.

Textbook 5050 by Shelby Grimes.

That's insane. You recently got the cover of Scoot Mag.  How's that feel?  Also where's the footy of that?

It's pretty surreal. I knew I was going to have an ad and a few page spread inside, but I had no idea that I was going to get the cover until a few days before it was released. And it was only a lip popover so I wasn't really hyped on the clip haha.

Ahh for sure. How's your back these days?  Is the brace just a permanent fact of life for you?

Aha its pretty shitty, some days it doesn't hurt at all and others just a bit, but either way I ride and its something I just deal with haha. I actually haven't worn a brace in like 2 years since it doesn't really do anything at all.

Can you tell us what cheat code you used for  your ender?

Haha Tom Kvilhaug has been telling me to do it on a double kink for awhile now, but I just kept saying it's not possible. And then a few weeks ago I ended up going to that rail in Dana Point thinking I was going to do 5050 to lipslide, but accidentally landed in a 5050 on the second down so I knew it was possible and just kept trying.

Backlip through the drop by Dom Dimatteo.

Really though, how does that work? Is there a certain technique you can share with us?

Everyone always says 5050's are easier on square rails, but that's definitely not true haha. On a round rail you can completely lean into the 5050 and just sit in it, but for my ender I had to jump into the second down part so I kept missing or landing in a feeble or whatever it's called haha.

I always felt the same about the round vs square rail thing.  So now what's next for you?

Right now, I'm just going to keep going to school and riding a bunch. I'm about to go film the first trick for my next part today, so expect another part in a few months haha.

Ya'll need to make a Phoenix DVD.  Speaking of, are there any Phoenix trips planned that you're going on?

Yea dude, i'd be hyped to film for a DVD. And I think were doing some sort of tour in SoCal for SD10, which should be rad.

I'll prob see ya down there then. Let's wrap it up.  Congrats on the part and thanks for pushing scootering to a new level Tyler.

Hell yeah, hopefully i'll see you there. And thanks a lot man.

Another huge 50 by Shelby Grimnes.

And now, feast your eyes on the insanity that is Tyler Bradley.

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

___________________________

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

Ryan Ruegg aka BADGERCLIT Interview

Badger and Thomkat.

I first remember Ryan Ruegg, AKA @badgerclit as some kid shredding bmxer Stevie Churchill's local skatepark.  I never saw too much about him other than clips here and there, and eventually I heard his name as someone to look out for in the future.  This summer he showed up at Chicago jam and took home amateur MVP, then a month later was killing it at the San Diego street jam.  The dude kinda came up from nowhere so I hit him up to see where he comes from, and what he's been up to lately.

Jordan Jasa:  So first of all, you just got back from a cross country road trip, right?  How was that?

Ryan Ruegg: Yea haha it was crazy I had the best time. I'd do it again fasho. I can't believe it worked out how it did to be honest. We made it 3/4 of the way back before having any car troubles or anything and it didn't rain once the entire trip.


Who all was with you?  What were the main stops?

It was me, Lew Hobbs, Jimbo Hawkins and Draven Woolley. Lew has been one of my best friends/go to scooter pals for a while and I worked at Woodward all summer and Jimbo and I had become very good friends from that. That's the crew I drove to Chicago with. And I met Draven the first day of the SD trip. We had a lot of stops. Me and Lew met Jimbo and Draven at Woodward from CT and we stayed there for a night then went to Kentucky in the morning. Jimbo is from Kentucky so we stayed the night at his house. (am I elaborating too much haha?). Well we rode spots in Kentucky the next day and then headed to Missouri. I think the next stop was Tulsa, Oklahoma and it was 106 degrees out so we said fuck that. Then we drove through Texas and stayed at a rest stop pavilion haha we set up our hammocks in the rafters. It was extremely windy and we woke up to find out there were like 500 windmills a football field away from us hahaha it was crazy. Next stop was Albuquerque New Mexico skatepark. That park is crazy if you're ever in the area its 1000% worth stopping there. We met some homies there that found us weed after bein dry for two days it was perfect lol. Then we went to Phoenix, Arizona. 100+ temps there too so we made moves to SD and got there a day early.

Downside tooth shot by Max Peters.

Before that trip, you were in Chicago for the street jam.  How was that experience for you?

Best weekend of my life. I met so many people. First street comp I'd ever been to.

Its always the best weekend of the year, no doubt.  What was your favorite moment from this years?

Seshing that rail spot, or at grant.  I finally met so many people that I've been Instagram homies with for years lol sounds stupid but it was cool for me to be in the same environment as all of them for once.

Haha not stupid at all dude, the internet is how I met almost everyone I know in scootering.  This year we let Chris Aponte stay at our house, who I knew solely from snapchat hahaha.

Hahaha yea he's a homie.

So whats up with the sponsor situation, did AO hook you up?  How did that happen?

So the day we got to Chi we had nowhere to stay and it was like midnight and Lew is already on AO and shit so he hit up Corey and Elliot and all them and they were like yea come thru, so we stayed at the apartment Andy rented. So I had met Tanner, Elliot, Corey and Andy that night and it was cool and then they saw me do some stuff at the jam and they were kinda hyped and Ian announced that I got AM MVP and tanner pulled me aside after and said he wanted to put me on.

Did it change your mindset at all, knowing that you're riding for a company now? Like, are you more motivated to go out and send it? Being a part of a team, having the chance to be able to travel if you're killing it everywhere you go?

Nah I didnt feel that in San Diego but there's a lil pressure for this Seattle jam, honestly I feel like I have to make an impression. The last spot at the San Diego jam was more of a sesh than a competition. It was awesome. I love riding with Issac haha his attitude motivates me. And David Coe, that's my fuckin boi.

Double peg to front board to heelwhip.

Yeah I was gonna ask you about that rail sesh.  What's it like being at the top of an 18 rail, knowing you're about to hit it and possibly eat a lot of shit?

It's like any other rail haha I've eatin WAY more shit on little down rails than I did on that 18. It was definitely intimidating but watching other people throw down made it look easier.

That shit was too gnarly.  So lets back up, where are you from? When did you start riding?

Bristol CT. About 5 years ago I started only scootin. I skated for a while. I rode my ultra pro to the park with my skateboard on my back for like a year then I just started progressing more at riding and I was over skating.

180 shot by Mankong.

Who, or what inspires you today to ride?

Well on the day to day just riding with Lew and all the homies at Rockwell. Their squad is @theforestboys you should check em out haha they all shred.

Will do!  So whats with the name "badgerclit"?

Haha I had a feeling that was comin. A while ago one of the homies from the original Rockwell generation said I looked like a badger one day.. and everyone started calling me badger... so ya that's how that happened and then I was trying to think of something clever and my friend's name on twitter at the time was "clitlord69" and I just copped clit from him haha.

I was always so confused as why this kid on instagrams name was so weird haha.  You got a video in the works yet?

Uhh I mean there's gonna be a video from the road trip but as for an actual video of me no I'm trying to travel a lot more just to film.

For sure.  What do you like to do when you're not scootering?

Hammock and cannabis with my pals.

Word.  That'll about cover it, got anything else you wanna talk about?

Not that i can think of.

Haha aight, thanks for your time dude.  

Check out Ryan shredding in the videos below and follow him on instagram @badgerclit.

Inside the Industry: Tommy Daddono Interview

As the freestyle scooter industry grows, more and more scooter riders are getting the opportunity to be employed by companies.  It's really awesome to see companies giving riders a chance to work for them, because it keeps more money in scootering as well as gives riders a chance to gain experience in a professional career field.  We all dream of being a pro sponsored rider, but not everyone can or will be able to accomplish that.  Getting a job in the industry is the next best thing.  Whether it's running a shop, operating machines, filming and editing, graphic design, and beyond, there is a wealth of positions that scooter riders fill, and with Inside the Industry, I'd like to find out more about them.

This time I hit up my long-time friend, riding buddy, and now business partner (more on that later) Tommy Daddono to discuss his involvement in the industry.  He’s been in it off and on since nearly the beginning of the modern industry, and has been involved in a ton of different projects, so it was a no-brainer to interview him.

Words and photos by Jordan Jasa.


Jordan Jasa:  Let’s start from the beginning.  What was your first position in the scooter industry?

Tommy Daddono:  My first technical position was Sky High back in 2009, which I launched shortly after I started riding scooters.  I quickly became obsessed with riding my scooter and found through Scooter Resource that there wasn’t really a developed industry yet.

How old were you when you started it and why did you start it?

I was 16.  I found I had a business sense early in high school, and after discovering that the scooter industry wasn’t developed yet I thought I’d have a shot sourcing and selling parts on the Scooter Resource forums.  One of my early influences was a user named Ian who was known as the “Blade Brake King.”  When early parts were hitting the market, everyone was pretty much riding a bolted foldy Razor Pro Model and one of the few mods you could do to the scooter was a different brake.  It was an upgraded, thicker, shorter, better looking brake that you could retrofit to a pro model, b model, old a, most everything.  He would receive small amounts of the brakes and sell them through the forums. I decided to contact him to ask if he could source a bulk amount of brakes for me.  Near the same time, the company YAK, which already was proven as a better alternative to the stock razor wheel, had just developed and released a metalcore version called the Yak Skat wheel.  They were an in demand and highly discussed product at the time and I decided to contact Yak directly to see if they offer any wholesale pricing, because it wasn’t really available in North America.  So I started selling on the forums, and shortly realized that the demand for the products I was offering outgrew a thread within a forum.  That’s when I decided to I needed to start an online shop.

You’ve brought Sky High to life from nothing like three times now.  How does one go about building a brand like that despite having to go off basically nothing?

Back in the day I didn't know that much about branding, or building an image.  What I did know was that I needed a logo, consistent colors, and promotional products like stickers and shirts.  The name of the company helped me figure out what the brand developed into, with the blues/greys/whites, and I started to brand on that.  Another one of my ideals was by building trust within my customer base and the rest of the community. On the forums, I always tried to be helpful and contribute as much as I could.  I translated that into my business as well, going above and beyond to help customers, even if it wasn’t the most profitable thing to do. I lucked out with finding a niche in an industry that I was passionate about. Timing was a major part of it.

You’re one of the few riders who has completed school but came back into the industry.  Did you want to pursue a career in that field (filmmaking) or did you know you wanted to be in the scooter world still?  

I was really stressed by running Sky High at the time, and wasn’t enjoying it anymore.  It took away from my riding, it just wasn’t good.  At the same time while that fire was being extinguished, I was very interested in filmmaking, filming videos and editing, that process.  But ultimately decided that I had to either continue to run Sky High for like the rest of my life, or stop it, potentially sell it, and go pursue an education.  I decided that for my future an education would be the best investment as well as a change of pace for my life.  But through school I realized that it was never something that I was as passionate about compared to scooters, and after graduating I realized that the people who were going to be successful in the film industry who were around me in college were the people who were truly passionate about working a camera or editing a movie and I never had that drive to do that as I had with working in the scooter industry.

Another project you undertook was Transit 2.  Where did the idea for that come from?  Did you expect it to turn out how it did?

I watched Transit 1, which at the time was a couple years old.  I started talking to you, and a few other names within the forums and decided that it would be possible to make the 2nd Transit.  We wanted to make it our own thing if we couldn’t get Matt (Andrus)’s approval (we didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes,) But after talking to Matt and getting his blessing, we knew it had to be Transit 2.  So we started planning some of it out, and it seemed really possible that we could do it- we had the cameras, the equipment, the people, figured out the editing, my mom decided it was cool to let 10 random dudes stay at her house for a week, and so we set a date and it worked.  I didn’t think it would be nearly as good as it turned out to be, mainly because of Sam Short (the editor), easily.

You recently came out with a video out of nowhere for Satori.  How did that whole thing happen?

I actually just had a bunch of footage banked from 2014 and I felt the need to put it towards something. In the past, I'd release my footage as a Sky High video, but this video ended up dropping right around the time I left the company. I've always been tight with all of the homies on Satori and I really wanted to be involved to help Kirk develop and progress his vision. Having been a fan of the Satori-style edits, I spent a day trying to mimic that same vibe. It ended up turning out pretty well I guess because I sent it off to Kirk and he dug it and put me on the team.

You, Spencer, and I recently started a company called Forefront Supply. What exactly is this company and what can the scooter world expect from it?

Working at Sky High through all of 2014 gave me a pretty clear vision on how the industry works and who the people involved are. Handling all of the purchasing at Sky High, I noticed a huge disconnect in the distribution of our industry. Some of the distributors put no effort towards promoting the progression of our sport, and simply handle the logistics and sales of scooter components to make money off of our industry. Meanwhile others simply have no idea what they're even selling and don't answer their phones.  In my opinion, our industry will develop in the most pure way if we have actual scooter riders running the businesses that we so heavily support. That's where Forefront Supply was born. It started off as a conversation between you, Spencer and I and quickly turned into the reality in which we're all living now. We all got a house in Northern Chicago and we're two months into the project. It's a little overwhelming sometimes but I have faith that we'll be able to do something great with our similar mindset and combined efforts. We currently have five brands under our belt but the goal is to distribute and support many more as we move forward.

So what is your official job title there, and what are you responsible for?

We don't really have job titles since we all help with whatever needs to be done. I spend most of my time during the day working on marketing though. I handle a heavy portion of the social media content which consists mostly of photography, video editing, and graphic design.

Forefront is a distro, Sky High a retailer…will we see you involved with a manufacturer someday?

Haha that's tough to say. Forefront takes up pretty much all of my time right now and I'm really working hard for it to become a success with the dudes. I've definitely thought about it in the past but I never wanted to bite off more than I could chew. I guess we'll see what the future holds.

Finally, what would you tell someone who wants to make it in the industry?

My best words of advice would be to stay passionate, positive, and most importantly to be doing it for the right reasons. There's plenty of other industries that are way more profitable, way easier to succeed in, but there’s no other industry that I'm as passionate about and that's all that matters in my opinion. When you love what you do, you never actually feel like you're working.

KENNY GRIFFIN- LIVING IN STANDARD + INTERVIEW

Kenny Griffin has been a young buck on the come up for a minute now. Getting his start with Lucky, he moved onto a pro spot on Anaquda and has been progressing with no signs of stopping.  His newest video, "Living in Standard," is his best effort yet and has been revered by many riders since it dropped yesterday.  OG Brian Boston said it well when he remarked "Looks like he has so much more potential too."  I hit up KG to get some more details behind the video and what it takes to have a cool miata.

Jordan Jasa:  How long did you spend filming?

Kenny Griffin:  I spent about 7 months filming.

Damn haha shorter than I expected. What made you decide to go SD instead of HD?

I just wanted to change it up Ive never filmed anything in standard and I like the feel/vibe and then once we filmed a few clips in standard we just decided we were going to do the whole thing like that.

Also 7 months is the longest I've really filmed for a part before so to me it felt like a really long time.

Boardslide fingerwhip.  Photo- Zack Martin

Yeah for sure, you can definitely tell you took some time on it. What cameras did you guys use then?

We used a vx1000 s/o kushfart  and then Damion used his HVX but you can put it into standard definition mode and it works pretty much just like a Vx.

Word. Which trick took you the longest? Or what was most satisfying to land?

Honestly the front Board fakie to frontside cab front Board whip on the white rails took sooo long and I was getting kicked out for the last attempts and had been trying it for legit 2 hours then just landed it perfect that felt pretty good to roll away from

Dealing with getting kicked out on top of trying to land the trick is definitely super stressful, must have felt nice. Were most of the spots local to you or did you travel anywhere?

There was a good amount of local spots but we traveled a lot. We went to SF then some places a few hours a way that we had spots planned out to go too. Also I went to San deigo and got some clips.

Miata clips were cool too, tell us about that thing.

Haha well I've always kinda been into cars then recently I bought that miata and I love it and am always sliding it or just clutch kicking. Then after riding a spot at this school Damion told me to bang a few donuts then disappear down the hill, so I did and it ended turning out to be a really cool intro everyone seems pretty stoked on it ha, but my miata will be slammed soon s/o to jared and his miata.

3 downside.  Photo:  Kong

Hard top is necessary if you wanna be cool.

Hahha yeah but droptopboyz.

But seriously, how much did hairdressing school cost?

Hahahhahahhahahhhahaahaahaah

Really though good job on the video, you and Damion killed it.

Thank you I appreciate it, didn't really think people would back it this hard I'm stoked.

PANTYBUNCHERS INTERVIEW

The instagram account @pantybunchers burst onto the scene this November.  With a nobody is safe, gloves off attitude, these guys have put some fun back into the sport.  Obviously, I wanted to know who they were, so I slid into their DM's to try to find out just that, or at least get a better idea of the riders behind the account.

Jordan Jasa:  First off, who are you? Is it multiple people? What area are you from? Be as specific or vague as you want.

PantyBunchers;  It is a we. Who are we? It isn't an easy answer. We can't give away exactly who we are, because the second everyone knows, it probably won't be funny or nearly as funny anymore. That is all.

The idea for pantybunchers clearly came from rodeopeanut, right? What made you want to do that for scootering?

Yes, the idea came from rodeopeanut, it can't be denied. But as diabolical as that sounds, its all for a good cause. There is a lot of hate among the scooter community right now. Different riders hating on other riders, brands hating on brands, and it is ridiculous. So here at pantybunchers, we have created a medium. Where hate is controlled, and turned into a joke. If people laugh at it, it is no longer serious, and will calm people down. So, long story short: We hate so you don't have to.

What's the process for seeing a wack clip and a seinfeld clip or whatever?  Do you just know clips that fit off the top of your head?

Haha this is a good question. It all depends on the scenario, really. We've all seen funny movies and episodes of old shows, so they are ingrained in our heads. So much to the point where if we see a wack clip, or somebody slipping up, we immediately know what to use. But if not, some deep Youtube research is required, and the end result is just as amazing.

How has the response been? Are the riders you make fun of taking it well, or do they get pissed?

So far, 99% of the community loves it, which is exactly what we want. We aren't out to harm anyone, or put anyone down, just make people laugh and ease the tension in the sport. But there has been some instances where people get mad. We've been blocked by Jon Reyes, I don't think he liked the grandma on the gold bike. But just so he and everyone else knows, it ain't nothing personal, just hilarious.

What's been your favorite post so far?

Oh man, that's so hard to say! So far, the Juzzy Carter one with the cat is hilarious. Ohhh nononono hahaha. But the one that makes me personally crack up is the post about Fuzion! That one will never get old. People don't forget!

Are there any plans for expanding the pantybunchers name? Stickers, shirts??

It is something we have thought about, but that might easily give away who we are ;) Return addresses are a bitch. So that is a maybe!

What do you think the wackest part of the industry is today?  Who's doing it wrong?

It is tough to say what the worst part about the industry is right now. There are little kids with big heads that are turning pro because they can do a couple tricks. Riders are switching teams for some extra cash. And the worlds biggest contests are paying the worlds smallest amounts. There is a lot of mending to be done, but we are young, so I have confidence that the bumps will be smoothed out over time.

What do you think the best part of the industry is today?  Who's doing it right?

There a lot of great things about the industry. We've been in it since the beginning so the fact that it is still around is awesome. I wouldn't say anybody is doing it "right." There is no right and wrong here, just different methods. The guys at Sunshine (AO, Elyts, etc.) have a great handle on things, giving their riders freedom of expression, as well as making them earn their rank. Tilt also has done wonders with their team, making sure it is a tight knit group of dudes that get along super well. But the best part of the industry is the fact that you can go anywhere in the world, and if there is someone that rides a scooter there, you have a place to stay. It is like a bond that you won't get anywhere else. We stand apart from other sports, and we have a unique outlook on life. Anything is possible. Do what you love and love what you do.

Back to who you are, can you tell us if you're notable riders at all, or just some random joes?  Props on keeping your identity secret, secrets in this sport don't remain so very long.


I cannot say ;)

That'll wrap it up, keep up the good work, seeing a pantybunchers post always brightens my day.  Thanks for your time!


What I will say as the final words here, is that we love this sport and are dedicated to it for life. Here for the growth and prosperity.

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So really, it seems there aren't bad intentions here.  They're just poking fun!  I think a lot of riders tend to take criticism badly, so I'd say PB is a good thing.  They may not be the heroes scootering deserves, but they're the heroes scootering needs. 

The Vex Interview

Vex is making some serious moves, and one of them got everyone's attention recently, which was the announcement of the newest addition to their Team, Matt McKeen. I recently caught up with the guys from Vex to find out what the big deal is. Let's see what they had to say.

(James Bull slaying the Botanical Gardens Rail)



IS: What's going on guys, first off, tell me a little bit about the people behind the Vex Brand?

FLEA: Well, VEX Brand is run by myself (Chris, but everyone callse me Flea) and Angus Russell. Our team includes James Bull, Ben Duncan, Kane Hunt, Zak Frazer and Jeremy Petropoulos, and as you all saw, Matt McKeen.

(Jeremy Petropoulos with a Fingerwhip)

 

IS: Super stacked! Now I could have sworn I've heard of Vex before? But this was years ago...am I thinking of something else?

 

 

FLEA: Yeah, that would have been us. We've been around as a company since 2006. Back then we were doing one-piece bars. I'm pretty sure we were the first ones doing one-piece bars in Australia and I think second in the world. RAD was doing them just before us. Through time and circumstance we stopped doing bars and relaunched as an apparel company.


IS: That would explain that. So, as most people have seen on Inside, your logo is showcasing a shoe. When did you guys decide on making a shoe?

 

FLEA: The idea for a shoe has been in my mind for ages. Maybe five years or so. We decided to actually go after the dream about two years ago and have been working on the VT1 since then. I originally saw a gap in the market because there were no scooter specific shoes but since then that gap has been somewhat filled. We believe we can improve on the current scooter shoes available.

IS: Awesome man, So break it down, what makes this shoe different from other shoes in the skating or even scootering industry?

 

FLEA: We have been testing our shoes for a fair while. We went through a couple designs that weren't up to our standard so we scrapped them and went back to the drawing board. Our R&D has been very thorough. We approached the whole thing with a view to functionality and style. We want something that you're not going to be shy about wearing in public but also performs well and stands up to the punishment that you are going to throw at it while riding.

IS:  That's good to hear man. So, we're based in the US, will people be able to get their hands on them over here, or is this an AUS only thing?

 

FLEA: For sure. We have TGE distributing them in the U.S. So if your local shop doesn't have them get them to call TGE and they'll hook it up. We also have distribution throughout Europe and the UK via Greenover (UK), NextWheelsDistribution / 9Transport (Spain) and Centrano (the rest of Europe).


IS:  Damn, you guys are going hard! What colorways will be available when they launch?

 

FLEA: We'll have them in black, navy and red for a start. We’ve released photos of the black and navy models before, but not the red. So here it is!

                              (Vex VT1 in Red)

IS: Looking good man! So, speaking of launch...when can we expect these bad boys to drop?

 

FLEA: We’re looking at a June drop worldwide.

IS:  And I KNOW ISB will be getting that homie hook up! Right?! Well, I appreciate you guys taking the time to sit down with us and give everyone some more info on the upcoming shoes. Stoked to check em out when they release! Any last words, or shout outs, let em go now!

 

FLEA: No worries man.

Keep your eyes peeled for some new vids dropping on our YouTube channel, and if you want more details on the shoe, head to http://vexbrand.com/VT1.

Shout outs to Gus for putting up with me, the whole team for shredding so hard, Ben our Videographer, our distro dudes, the scooter community and IS for the interview!

Thanks again!

  
  

Aaron Ngo Interview + Scooter Hut USA Video

Aaron Ngo may be a name you're familiar with, or maybe not.  The first I can remember seeing him is online through Facebook, commenting being a little troll like many scooter riders.  But then I saw a clip of him trying to wallride the Hollywood High 16 (on someone else's scooter) and I was like "Who is this kid?"  I got some more background after talking to Anton Abramson, who filmed his Concrete part.  Finally I decided he would be a good person to interview, so now that his video for Scooter Hut USA is finished, I hit him up.

Photos by Matan "GUAT" Geller.

Jordan Jasa:  Aaron, what have you been up to lately?

Aaron Ngo:  Basically I've been filming a lot of last minute clips for my edit with Anton. I've also picked up skating again so I've been doing that when I'm not filming.

Again?  You used to skate?

Yeah, I actually started skating basically on my 12th birthday when my sister's boyfriend at the time gave me his old skateboard. I never really abandoned it but when i picked up scootering around November 2010, I started scootering a lot more.

Back before you picked up scootering, what did you think of scooters?  Can you remember like what your first exposure to "real" riding was?

I think it was around the summer of 2009, I went to my local skatepark in Menlo Park, CA and I remember seeing Rayan Simian, Dominic Gullo, Shuo Liu, and Danila Popov just doing tricks that I've never seen before in my life. I just remember Rayan pulling out briflips and triple tailwhips which absolutely mesmerized me. haha

Downside whip.

A lot of scooter riders get flak for trying to "copy" skateboarders.  Do you think thats whats happening? Are people ride scooters because they can't skate?

I don't think people choose scooters just because they can't skate. I mean we all know that we started doing scooter or skateboarding or anything else because we were interested in it and it was fun. "Copy" wouldn't be the right word to use at all but skateboarding does influence some scooter riders such as me and I think that people are just looking at it as a negative thing.

Word, I think it's just from people's differences in taste that causes that thinking.  Many of those same guys are drawing inspiration from BMX, with the box jump and quarterpipe tricks.

Yeah exactly. Growing up skating, I always skated street doing gaps, stairs, and ledges. So when I picked up scootering, I wanted to ride the same way I skated which is why I always stuck to street riding.

You're not exactly a stranger to gaps.  I think the first clip I saw of you (that made me remember you) was the Hollywood 16 wallride attempt...what's the story with that?

haha that's actually a funny story. Basically me and the BFCM crew (Cameron Poe, Issac Padilla, Aaron Watson, Tyler Rehard, Nathan Franco, Ryan Hoyt, Alex Lopez and Nic Politi) took a trip down to LA with Zack Martin, Ryan Day, Brendan Kim, Sam Dybeck and Gerardo Gonzalez. Near the end of the day we decided to go to Hollywood because I wanted to see how big it was and if it was possible to throw a wallride down it. So we all went and I kept saying I wanted to do it but wouldn't try it. Then Aaron Watson comes up to me and says, "What if I try to 360 this?" I immediately said that I would go for the wallride if he goes for the 360. Then I just remember Aaron hucking the 360 down first try like it was nothing. Then he looks at me and says "Yo we had a deal." So basically I was like fuck it I'm gonna do it. Oh on top of that, I actually left my scooter at my parents house back up in Norcal so I had to borrow one of Zack Martin's old scooters that had  like 24 high bars and a prototype AO deck. I think I basically ran up to it bitching out for like 15-20 minutes until I finally went for it. I don't really remember what happened during the wallride but I basically bitched out and jumped off my scooter and landed on my feet at the bottom of the stairs which ended up giving me a fat heel bruise that took like 2 months to fully recover. I tried to go for it again but the pain in my foot pretty much discouraged me from trying again.

Nuts.  Whats the biggest thing you ever wallrode before that?

Probably the 8 stair in my concrete part haha. Basically tried to go big and do something twice the size haha.

The other thing I remember about you is the whole "mom" thing on facebook.  What even started that?

Haha it was actually my good friend and filmer, Ashvin Ashoke who started that. I'm not completely sure if I know correctly where it came from basically he started saying it to me and a bunch of friends from school and I started saying it to other scooter riders and I guess that's how the whole thing came up haha

The other thing on Facebook was about being "homeless not phoneless."  In what is the most stereotypically Asian move ever, your parents kicked you out for not focusing on school and wanting to scooter.  When did that all happen?

My parents always hated how I didn't know how to control my time between studying and scootering. Throughout high school, they always gave me the talk about how if I didn't go to school or get a job, then they would kick me out. So pretty much the summer after I graduated at high school, they pretty much gave me the boot because they had enough of me fooling around and partying with friends and such. I ended up moving in with my brother in LA which gave me the opportunity to explore new spots and whatnot. Then some stuff happened around January between me and my family so I ended up actually being homeless for the majority of January. I spent a week at Danila's house, a day at a 24/7 donut shop, 2 nights at the Stanford library, a few days of couch surfing, and ended up staying at my friend's garage for about 2-3 weeks.

Tailwhip one of the heftiest block sets around.

That's gnarly.  I don't know of any other scooter riders who have been homeless.  How was it for you?  You weren't exactly roughing it in a box but still, not having a solid place to sleep is sketchy.

Yeah it really sucked the nights I had to sleep in the donut shot or the library. I remember putting my legs through my backpack straps so no one could steal my backpack haha. But the nights I actually had a place to lay down, I was extremely thankful for that.

So then, did it work?  Did you straighten up?

well basically because I was homeless, I had to take this quarter off so I haven't really proved to them that I can balance school and work yet. I did get a job though so I've been working and saving up money while paying tuition. I actually start school tomorrow so yeah haha

Congrats on that dude.  I've had a "real" job outside of everything I do with scootering for a while now and it can be tough to balance it with school and riding.  I think once a lot of riders get past high school, it's kind of a turning point for their riding- either they go to school and get a job and their riding kinda falls off, or they go full bore into making riding their life.

Yeah I totally feel that. Im thankful my job only requires 2 hours of my day on the weekdays. One hour before school and another hour after school. It's basically the perfect job if you also want a bunch of time to study and go ride. Oh yeah and I guess if people don't know, I work as a crossing guard at an elementary school down the street from my house haha. I make a good 18.50 an hour doing that job so it's good money even though I don't get alot of hours.

The Jerry Hsu of scooters.

Not too bad at all.  Do you know what you wanna do when you're done with school?

Not to sure about the career path but all I know is that I wanna be able to scooter and skate until my body can't take it anymore.

Spoken like a true shredder.  So your new video is for Scooter Hut.  How'd you get on that team?

So I think it was around Thanksgiving time when Anton randomly told me one day that he might get on Scooter Hut USA. Then suddenly that night, he messaged me saying Steven Tongson was asking about me and whether or not it would be a good idea to put me on. Then the next thing I know, Steven messages me and asks if I wanted to be a part of Scooter Hut USA.

Welcome to the "steven t put me on a team" club.  So how long did you work on the video?

I think i filmed my first clip in mid-November with Cameron Poe in LA. I basically didn't film anything throughout January while I was homeless so I guess like 4 months total. It was hard for me to get a consistent filmer to film my tricks so yeah.

The crew.

Are there going to be more videos from the Hut squad anytime soon?  I heard Steven was coming out with some clips.

oh yeah. We are all filming videos for the hut right now. So expect parts from Danila Popov and Anton Abramson soon.

Awesome.  I think that'll about wrap it up.  Any last words?

Shoutout to Steven T and Scooter Hut USA for helping me out with scooter parts and HUGE thanks to everyone who contributed even to just one clip in my video. Couldn't have done it without any of them. Sorry that I can't name em all because it would be a super long list hahaha.

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