April 29th, 2009 - by
Stuff
In the Know: Brandon Smith
Tags:
brandon smith, in the know, itk, jeremy stephenson, themgoods, valo
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Brandon is what he wants to be at the time. Some days he's a gifted skater shredding everything in sight, other days he's behind the lens shooting some of the industry's best photos. Then maybe sometimes he decides to rejoin the pro game and start winning contests and becoming Valo's new pro.
Brandon is what he wants to be at the time. Some days he's a gifted skater shredding everything in sight, other days he's behind the lens shooting some of the industry's best photos. Then maybe sometimes he decides to rejoin the pro game and start winning contests and becoming Valo's new pro. Some days he decides to be Julio's right hand man and head up the business at Them Goods. Other days he's working magic behind a video camera. Some days he's quiet and laid back, and other days he is good buddies with Jack and inventing new dance moves. Today however, he's answering all the questions you've been waiting to ask him. This is the Brandon Smith In The Know.
- Jeremy Stephenson
Why did you get shafted so hard at barn burner? I shafted myself by giving up in the finals. Some days I actually feel like competing… most of the time I don’t.
Why do you rule so hard? I was raised that way.
Word on the street is you mizou aired el toro for the new valo ad, is that true? Miz air to disaster miz.
Will you teach me how to skate park good? It takes time.
Why do you hangout with your girlfriend more than you come skating with me? She’s a lot easier on the eyes. Plus she can shred pretty hard. She mostly likes to skate after a few drinks though.
Will you film a section for my next drunk edit skating to mac dre? If, and only if its to mac dre.
Do you like burgers? What's your favorite kind of burger? Not particularly. I do eat In N Out from time to time. I prefer them with ketchup and mustard.
You kind of dropped out of the scene for a while, akin to a bluesman woodsheding. what were you doing between the dyna video and the first time you got a free pair of valos? Blading with the homies and going to school.
Will you ever make a park edit like that sturgess/stockwell 8 min jam? Maybe one day. Filming a section like that takes all the fun out of sessioning with the buds though.
180 That Grab TransferDo you think everyone has the capabilities of developing good style? Some people are born with it, some people get better with time.
I can watch a thousand disaster 450 back royales but at some point it seems like those huck yourself guys forgot to develop their style. or maybe there is no hope for people like that cyril daniels. . . Some people don’t care about style and prefer to huck themselves around. Different strokes for different folks. It's all about having fun.
Would you prefer an 8 dollar breet or a 3 dollar reet? Breets and Reets go hand in hand
Is jameteq ever going to hit mainstream? Too intense… nobody can handle the 1/2 jameson 1/2 tequila shots.
How have you stayed so good for so long? Constantly being pushed by my friends.
Can you get to tha choppah? Im sure google maps could show me the way.
Alley Oop Unity or Frontside Savannah? AO Unity
Do you love maryjuana as much as i do? I don’t smoke.
Tomorrow is 420, are you gonna get higher than i am because you can smoke california nuggs? They don’t celebrate 420 in Australia, so no.
Backslide CessslideOdd question but I always wondered how you felt about Mr. Roboto being used in your first Dyna section, was it supposed to be a joke or were you even aware it was going to be used? It was all v3000’s idea. Originally it was half of a green day song and half mr roboto. I thought it was cool and everyone else was super juiced on it. I particularly remember Rob G being super hyped on the Mr. Roboto part. During the editing process all the timelines got lost and V started from scratch with mr roboto throughout the whole thing. I was never super juiced on the song, but I also didn’t find anything wrong with it.
Why do you look so sad when you skate? Because it’s the most boring aspect of my life, that’s why I’ve been doing it for 14 years.
Whats in the making? 4life
Favourite place in the world? San Francisco, NYC, Rome, Sydney
What is your VHS skate video ? vg4
Name your top 5 influences as a youngster, can't include anyone riding for any company currently. (in other words, no Julio!) Pat Lennen, Johnny Hedges, Jared Magers, Erick Garcia and Jon Julio
Do you ever smile? Not on camera.
I guess as a prelude to Ian's question... Why did you drop out of the scene in the first place? Did you actually quit skating in that time, or were you just not filming/marketing yourself? I was busy studying photography in college. I was always skating when possible, I just wasn’t worried about filming because I didn’t have any sponsors. It was a good time period for my skating because I could truly just skate for the fun of it and not worry about having to get stuff done.
Air / Photo provided by BrandonFinish this sentence: Canon 5D MkII is..... The future.
Is there anything you don't like about the camera? Some of the video files make my computer crash… time to upgrade.
Anyone who inspires your work? Im inspired by all my friends and people surrounding me doing creative work.
How you flow so gooood Thank you
When all is said and done and your body just can't blade anymore, how do you want the rollerblading community to remember you? If the blading community actually remembers me, that’s good enough.
Are you selling me a a wide angle lens for cheap? Keh.com!
When did you realize that blading is more of an artform than a sport? I’ve always thought of it as a form of personal expression. I suppose I started thinking of it more of an artform when I got bored with skating the same type of stuff over and over and realized there is more to skating then your standard hand rail.
Do you remember Billy and myself at Chris Foxes house being drunk and shouting "corn dog" at you? Corn dog slurpees
Why do you drink Newcastle Brown Ale? It tastes good.
InvertDo you miss NorCal? Yes, all my friends still live there.
What do you think of John Stevenson? Thats my dawg. Stabyourselfintheface.com
Is your CPU a neural net processor? (also known as a learning computer) It’s probably a mac.
Are you a coffee snob? No, I drink starbucks regularly.
If so, do you have a company/ blend that you swear by? Whenever im in SF, Philz is a must… philzcoffee.com
How big can you grow your beard? Never tried… usually trim it every 2 weeks or so.
Do you want my address so you can mail me your alien bees for free? Yeah that would be great, thanks.
Brandon, I drew this picture of you wearing a large hat. What do you think? Badass!
When are you going to come visit your sister in Miami, and blade with me? When its not too hot!
Are you Valo pro? If not, why? Will you have a pro blade? You should. Yes i am. A better question is, if I did.. would you buy it? And, thanks.
If you were chained in a dark room and were forced to listen to a single song on repeat for 24 hours straight what song would you choose? The Grouch – Simple Man
At this very moment, are you experiencing a chest or pull? Chesting real hard. In the middle of a 14 hr flight in the very last row of the plane. Yup, right next to the shitter.
Should we be expecting any new products from Valo soon? Always!
NugenWill they be new models, or remakes? Something all new in the works.
What do you want to do with the rest of your life? Photography? Design? As long as it involves being creative… I will be happy.
What inspires you to skate and flow the way you do? All my friends that skate and flow the way they do!
Whats up Brandon, I haven't rolled with you in awhile at Houghton at Monday Night Skate. I hope all is well. My question to you is.......how many pairs of Valos do you think I have convinced the Long Beach skaters to buy? A lot!… you the man!
Why in gods name did you ever try to transfer that kink rail in SLO, the one where you cracked your head? It seemed like a good idea at the time. It would have been, but I was wearing Ivan Narez’s salomons which I was definitely not used to skating. Shit happens.
Whats the deal you dont ride able frames anymore? I found something that I like better for the type of skating I like to do.
Have jon and u some plans for new valo blades? (not the skin) Jon always has plans. Quality takes time!
Favourite trick? Backslide
Favourite spin? Fakie 360
Do you prefer switch or natural? Whatever’s clever.
If you had a valo boot, what colours would you make it and would you add anything special? Its hard to say. I would like some army geen in there somewhere.
Pancakes or waffles? Pancakes
Important to you, pushing yourself to learn new things, or refining the things you already are comfortable with and applying them? Both are equally important. Learning something new usually hurts. So it’s a good idea to have a proper balance of both.
Lambskin or latex? Candy wrapper.
What are the plans with dyna wheels? are there more wheels coming up soon? who'll be on the team? Full size wheels in the works. All new urethane, all new team, all new look. We don’t want to release anything premature, and like I said quality takes time. We’ve been testing wheels for months.
Do you like hairy manfeet? There is only one pair of feet on earth that I like, and they are certainly not hairy.
Is there a 'rapi-est ape'? No but there is plenty of bathing ape.
Meaning of life? Happiness
Mistral How do you air out of quarterpipes or any kinds of transitions with close to no speed? It’s all in the legs. And a quality wheel/bearing setup.
I love your profile in Monx team video. Funny but with some solid trick. This is stress you to perform all the tricks first try ? do you have some anecdote on this profile? A lot of the stuff wasn’t first try. At the end of filming the pants were pretty dirty. The champagne glass that I pounded was water… I didn’t drink back then.
What do you learn in your recent trip in Australia ? (Positive and/or negative) Australian bladers are the shit! Past and present. So many good vibes all throughout. Everyone there was tremendously hospitable. And, I could skate the bowl on bondi beach forever.
You, me, a box of wine and we let the emotions flow out of us? I’d prefer a jug
Your a talented skater and photographer, when your out skating or photographing do you have like a set plan in mind? for example, at spot A Im only going to skate a little and shoot a lot and spot B vice versa. How do you balance the two? I usually decide if im going out to shoot or to skate, beforehand. Many times I don’t even bring my camera gear and just go out and skate. Other times I don’t even bring my skates if I’m shooting something specific.
If Valo did a complete tour of Europe would we have enough coffee for you guys? There is no tour without coffee! In fact, there is no Valo without coffee!
Do you see yourself as a marketable skater? Anyone can be marketed with the right people backing them.
Valo-frames, why are you one of the few guys skating them? People automatically assume they are just another standard, stock frame. More people are slowly starting to realize how good they really are.
Would you let a girl suck your dick who has sucked another guy's dick before? Too much dick in the equation… can not compute.
Does CJ dominate Haffey? The only person that dominates Haffey is Haffey.
Back in the day maybe 2001 or earlier you had a profile in db. it said that you had "idontcareitus" do you still have that? Back then I was only 17, and as far skating was concerned I was just doing it for fun and didn’t care about any of the politics. Now im too wrapped up in the industry not to care.
What do you get out of skating/ why do you skate? Personal satisfaction.
What would you change about skating today? Nothing. I enjoy the diversity. As far as the industry, there are some people involved that are in it for the wrong reasons.
Best people to skate with and best spot? JSF! 3rd and Army in SF or Novato skatepark.
True Topporn 360 out / Sequence provided by Brandon
18 honey bbq, or 18 BLAZZIN??? 12 honey bbq and dessert.
Would you say you are more of a baked potato guy, or sweet potato guy? Sweet potato fries.
Favorite concrete park? Benecia, Novato CA
Can you 450 farf? If so, can you do it for fun? Honestly never tried. I tend to get all tangled up when I spin to grind.
Whats your opinion on the WRS and do you feel that not having a selected pannel of judges that travel to every event can still create a properly structured ranking system? I think the WRS is a step in the right direction. There are still a lot of things that need to be worked out. At the end of the day we all know competitions aren’t the most important aspect of our industry.
What is it like being pro for valo? Valo seems to be the most professional company out right now. Couldn’t have it any other way. I would go un-sponsored before riding for someone else.
Other than traveling all over what does Valo offer you? Do you live off a valo paycheck? I live off paychecks from Valo and Themgoods.
Cheetos Puffs or Crunchy? Neither. I hate orange fingers.
If you had to choose between skating and photography (and I don't mean based upon how much money you're making/might end up making, I mean off of which one you enjoy the most) which would you pick? I get the same amount of satisfaction from both. Photography hurts a lot less, so in the long run I would have to go with photography.
If you were at the panhandle pow-wow, and Geoff was wasted at the after party sloppily talking to you about rollerblading for longer than you cared to listen, how would you politely excuse yourself from this hypothetically rather awkward conversation? Pull the fire alarm and run around frantically.
Why are you so good at flowing through parks? can others be as good as well? or do you know something that we dont. is it the Swiss? Most the best park skaters ride swiss bearings, so that must be part of it. Also, learning how to actually pump transitions both on the way down and up is an important aspect. Using every little bump and corner to maintain speed is key.
What is your favorite photograph/ most hated photograph that you have personally taken? My favorite is the air shot of Austin Paz in the middle of the salt flats. I dont let anyone see my most hated photographs!
Photos: Jeremy Stephenson
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April 30th, 2009 @ 15:26 - by wilson
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