When I started riding 7 years ago or so if you told me that I would interview Chris Doyle someday I would have probably laughed and brushed it off. However I decided to give it a shot and when Chris said he was all for it I was super excited since hes seriously has been one of my favorite riders since I started and still is today. I think you guys will enjoy this one.

Name:
Chris Doyle

Sponsors:
Kink, Rockstar Games, DC, Demolition, Duo, Pro-tec, Square One, Bicycle Union

Location:
Pittsburgh, PA

This will make for how many interviews now?
haha. Haha, I don’t know. This same sort of thing happend to me when I was 17/18 years old. I had a ton of interviews come at me all at once and then there wasn’t too much until… well, last month. If history repeats itself, I can look forward to another onslaught of interviews when I’m 36, hahaha.

How is the winter treating you so far?
Not too bad, we haven’t had too much snow but the temp. is definitely too cold to ride outside right now. I went to Arizona for about a week to get a head start on filming for the Kink video, on the second to last day I ended up smashing my face and getting eight stitches in my chin and spraining my thumb. Now, I’m just chillin’ and letting my body rest up a little bit… It’s been a long year.

Your recent Props interview was a hit, how cool was it to be able to look at an interview when you were 17, and then do one for now looking back on it all, was it weird at all?
I definitely had some good laughs after looking back at that old interview, I can’t believe how young and naive I was back then, I guess most 17 year olds are. When that first interview came out I remember being really bummed and a little bit embarrassed – I was 17, I’d only been around for a year, and I didn’t really have anything to say, I think I was just stoked to be in Props. I’m really happy that they let me have a do-over on that one.

How did you feel about contests this year?
I had my fair share of ups and downs but overall I’m pretty stoked on how I did.

What contest are you looking forward to the most next year?
Man, I don’t know. I don’t think there’s an “Elevation” contest this year and that’s usually my favorite comp. Oh wait! I think they’re doing that “Empire Of Dirt” contest in England next year, I’ll be looking forward to that one for sure!

Where have you been riding since the winter has hit? Is there many indoor spots nearby?
There’s two indoor parks in our area, both of which are about 45 minutes away from my house – not too bad. They’re good parks but I’m trying to pace myself, the winter is long and I don’t want to burn myself out on ’em too quick. Other than those two parks, every tuesday a crew of guys usually goes up to Rays MTB park which is about 2.5 hours away. That place is hella good.

Now that the holidays are over for the most part what do you have going on?
Not too much. I’m pretty much chillin’ for a month or so before I start taking some trips (which are below). I’m gonna start filming for a new Demolition online vid soon and I’d like to film half here (in Pittsburgh) and half out in Cali.

Are you planning any big trips anytime in the next few months?
Nothing too big. I’m going out to Cali in early February to film for Kink and Demolition and then in late Feb/early March I’m going to Austin to start filming for Anthem 2.

If I remember right, a few years ago in an interview when 401 trails got plowed, you had talked about buying some land and starting a new set that you owned. Did that already happen or am I just imagining things?
It was actually the 22 trails here in Pittsburgh that got plowed… 401 is still there but it’s beat. And, no I haven’t bought any land… yet. I’d still really like to but there’s a lot of ins and outs to it and it’s obviously gonna cost some serious money… However, I’ve been trying to come up with a better plan, I’d like to rent out my current house and buy a new house that has some land where I could put my own trails on, that’d be ideal. It’s just a matter of committing to making large purchases… it’s hard for me to do, I’m very conservative.

You have been on Kink for a while now, how have things been going with that? Your frame is out now, do you have any more plans for signature parts coming out this year?
Kink has been awesome, so stress free and laid back. I think my favorite thing about riding for Kink is taking trips with the team. Everyone shreds and everyone gets along, we’ve done a couple trips so far and they’ve been awesome. So far the frame is awesome and I’m getting a lot of positive feedback, as far as other signature parts go, I might start working on a signature fork with Demolition.

How are things at Duo? Any new additions to the team or new products coming anytime soon?
There’s one rider that may or may not start riding for us soon but I don’t feel I’m at liberty to talk about it just yet… I wouldn’t want him to get in trouble with his other sponsors. As far as new products go, the Van Homan grip just came out and we just released a limited edition seat in which we collaborated with Rogue Status. Also, I’d like to get Bohan’s grip moving along. We’d also like to start doing some cool apparel and bags.

After being pro for so long now, I would imagine you have been just about everywhere. Is there anywhere you have not been that you would like to go to?
I’ve never been to New Zealand before, I’ve been close, I went to Australia back in ’02. Everyone of my friends that’s been to New Zealand says it’s an amazing place.

I figure this was probably asked in your video interview but didn’t make the cut. Is there any set dates for a wedding anytime soon?
Haha, no, no set plans as of yet. Believe it or not, my girl is as busy or busier than myself. We’re happy together and It’ll happen someday but we’re in no rush.

Then and now, 1997 Vs. 2007
Frame
Then: S&M Challenger that I later traded for a Holmes.
Now: Kink “Farside” 21.25 top tube (blue).

Weight of bike
Then: Who knows? Probably pretty light though, my bikes were always pretty “raced out”.
Now: I’ve actually never checked, nor do I care. Light enough, I guess.

Riders you looked up to most
Then: K. Bennett, Joey Garcia, Brian Foster, Joe Rich, and Brandon Pundai
Now: Brian Foster, Chase Hawk, Jason Enns, Joe Rich, and Corey Bohan

Time you have to wake up
Then: I think I had to be at school by 8:00, so probably around 7:00.
Now: Around 9:00 on most days.

Favorite Food
Then: Bojangles chicken, biscuits, and fries.
Now: Peanut butter and banana sandwiches

What you wanted for Christmas or Birthday the most
Then: Bike Parts
Now: Apple gadgets

Biggest Fear:
Then: Not getting into a good college
Now: Arthritis

What advice do you have for keeping those 200 LBS+ girls away from a guy?
Haha, my problem was always that I was too nice, don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you to be a dick, just be careful.

Your a pretty influencial rider, do you have any crazy stories of stalkers or obsessed fans?
Haha, this may be one of my favorite stories to tell, I’ll give you the short side of it. I think it was 2001 and I was down in Orlando for the Roots Jam. There was an after party / video premier – it was packed but it was your normal BMX gathering, you know, a ton of dudes and about three girls, all of which had boyfriends. So anyways, this girl starts talking to me and being really flirty and touchy – she was showering me with compliments left and right. Needless to say, I was stoked – she was HOT. All of the sudden this dude taps me on the shoulder and says, “yo Doyle, that’s my girlfriend”. I didn’t know the guy and he was a bit bigger than me but he was being pretty cool, he told me that myself and Aitken were him and his girlfriend’s favorite riders, he then followed it up by saying that it would be his honor if I hooked up with his girlfriend. He’d said that she was TOTALLY DOWN and that she’d been looking forward to meeting me and Aitken for weeks. I ended up turning her down, I said that I was flattered but I had a girl at home (even though I didn’t at the time). The guy was a little bummed and then asked me, “where’s Aitken”?

If you were forced to only be able to ride contests to one song (Like Nyquist and “Jump Around”) what song would it be and why?
“Back before you go” by Dinosaur Jr.

By now you have had the opportunity to meet so many riders, who are some people you haven’t had the chance to meet that you would like to?
I’d like to meet Jerry Galley someday. He’s from England and was way ahead of his time. He’s been known to do things like HUGE 540’s and inverts on vert wearing nothing but a pro-tec, shorts (no pads), and a T-shirt.

How mad do your friends get when you have all the stories about what actually happend the nights they were drinking?
I wouldn’t say that any of them ever get mad. It seems though that they always think they had the wildest time ever, even when it was mellow. I think the alcohol just makes them exaggerate their stories more.

What do you think you would be doing if you didn’t start riding BMX, and the meteorologist thing didn’t pan out?
I honestly have no idea.

What kind of TV show are you into?
Seinfeld, Scrubs, Chappelles Show

What about some of your favorite bands?
My Current favorites are Dinosaur Jr. and Band Of Horses. Some of my all time favorites are Blankface, The Get Up Kids and The Farside; all of which are now broken up.

And to keep going with these, favorite movies?
My favorite riding videos have always been the early FBM videos (Ring of Fire, The Bar Is Closed, Live Fast Die), 1201, Lights Out, and Anthem “Home of the brave”. Non riding… There are too many to mention.

Outside of the riding world, what are your biggest influences in your life?
Probably my mom, bro, and sis. We’ve been through a lot together and they’re some of the strongest, most driven people that I’ve ever known.

If you could spend the day with anybody to ever exist, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Elvis. I don’t know why, that’d dude just seemed cool.

What would you like to accomplish in the next 5 years?
I’d like to film a couple more video parts with each one being better than the last, travel to some new spots, stay healthy, and move to a house with enough space for trails or a ramp (both!).

What is something that you feel needs to be changed in BMX?
Less talk, more rock!

What kind of advice do you have for people getting into BMX?
Pace yourself and have fun, you don’t need to turn pro your second year riding.

Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
In my Props interview I said thanks to my sponsors but I should’ve thanked them individually, so here goes. Zack, Jay, Chris, and Matt at Kink – you guys are the best! Ken, Damon, Bree, Sean, and Eric at DC, Brian Castillo and La at Demolition, The Bad Boy (Badders) at Pro-Tec, John Dye, Cory Muth, Steve Buddendeck, Kris Bennett, Todd Walk, Pittsburgh locals, NC locals, Wild Will, Barrett snake, and my friends and family everywhere.

Anything else I missed that you would like to add?
I think we’re all set.

Trying to find a video of Chris is not hard to go with this, finding one that isn’t a recent video part is. Here are some random clips and a recent one just posted up on the Square One website.

Square One Clip

Ryan is one of the bigger names in the production of BMX videos now days, I know I am a fan of his work. We had a request from somebody to do an interview with Ryan so I got in touch with him and this is what came from it. After you check out the interview head over to Ride BMX to get some more info on his newest DVD project.

Name:
Ryan Navazio

Location:
Long Beach, Ca…typing these responses in Ridley, Pa

Years Riding BMX?
14

Years Filming BMX?
6

You have been working for Ride for a while now, how are things going? Are you strictly working for them or are you doing free lance stuff?
I started at Ride mid-february of last year so it’s almost a year now and in that time I haven’t really had time to do much freelance just because I kept myself pretty busy filming for the upcoming Ride video, Insight. I filmed a few things for DQYDJ2 and Animal but thats about it. Its cool to be working at Ride because I grew up watching Ride videos and now I’ve been given an opportunity to make one so its pretty awesome.

The new video you have been working out is supposed to drop, or already has been released, how do you feel about it?
It’s just been finished and I’m pretty happy with it. A few people have came by and checked it out and they seem to be feeling it so thats good. Everyone put a lot of effort into their parts so thats the most I could ask for.

Do you think it can compare to Left/Right or do you think you cannot compare the two?
I think it can be compared for sure, it was all filmed by me or the same contributors as Left/Right so you’re getting the same filming style. A few of the guys that have parts in this video had clips in Left/Right and the majority of the video is street. All aspects of the production were real similar to the way Left/Right was done.

Did you go to school for film or editing at all?
Yeah I have a bachelors degree and part of my degree is in film and video.

Now that Insight is complete, what is your next big project or are you going to chill for a bit?
I’d like to take a little vacation but I’ll probably get right back to work on something. Definitely want to do some kind of Paul Horan comeback video part. The only problem is I don’t even own a video camera right now so….

You had to travel a lot of film this year, where are some of the places you have gone?
A lot of back and forth between East and West. Specific cities include, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Fran, Phoenix, Boston, Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle/Tacoma, and Northern NJ. I tried to limit a lot of the filming to areas where we knew the spots and the people.

Out of those where are the best places you got to go to and advise people to visit?
I’ve been to all of these places before so it wasn’t anything too new or exciting but Boston is one of my favorite cities to visit for sure. San Fran. is up there as well.

Being on the road a lot, you must have some good stories, do you have any that come to mind you want to share?
One night we (dean dickinson, chester blacksmith, kurt rasmusson and I) were driving up to San Francisco and we stopped in the ghetto of oakland to get a motel. I’d say half the rooms on the bottom floor were completely full of prostitutes and gangster pimps running around everywhere. It was just a crazy scene, we had no idea what was going on. We saw a domino’s delivery driver pull up and Dean jokingly asked him something funny like “where can we get some pussy?” the next thing you know the delivery guy knocks on the door to this one room and all these girls come out offering us pretty much anything. But none of them were having it so we just chilled outside and watched people come and go picking up different girls, dropping them off. Just sleazy dudes coming and going basically. Meanwhile there were tons of crazy crack-heads living in the hotel. I was skateboarding in the parking lot and this one crack-head lady who called herself “Nightwolf” came out of nowhere and jumped at me and was inches away from getting my skateboard truck to her face. She kept trying to get in our room and would repeatedly tell us how tough she was and tried to fight us. The next morning we chilled outside and met a bunch of the girls from the night before who thought we were some kind of celebrities when they saw us filming in the parking lot, I’m pretty sure some of them were offering there services to Dean for free. We all hung out and took pictures and shit, so it was pretty funny.

Where are some places you haven’t had the opportunity to do “work” at yet but would really like to visit?
Europe in general, England, France, Spain (Barcelona) and Australia.

You have had the chance to film with a lot of people, who are your favorite people to work with and why? least favorite and why if you want?
Most of the people I work with are friends before we “work” together so I can’t really say I have a least favorite. But some of my favorite people to film with right now are Mark Gralla aka Ratkid, Tom White, Dakota Roche, Kurt Rasmusson, and most of the Animal team. I guess you could say I really don’t film with people I don’t know ahead of time.

Have you been getting into the HD camera stuff yet?
Yeah Transworld bought a Panasonic HVX about halfway through the filming of Insight. It’s cool because I was able to use some HD shots in place of 16mm film shots and save a little money but overall I’d have to say I wouldn’t want to shoot a whole project in HD just yet. The camera is bulky, not good in low light, expensive, you pretty much have to have some kind of computer with you at all times to store the footage, multiple backup drives (no tape). It just seems so impractical right now for so many reasons, the biggest one being why shoot an entire video with an HD camera if it’s not going to be released in HD? I don’t subscribe to the theory that HD is suddenly going to make BMX videos look good, there’s a lot more to it than just shooting on HD.

What kind of advice do you have for people looking into the film industry?
If you’re planning on shooting BMX you have to do it because you love it. Don’t work for free but don’t plan on getting rich either. Take any work thats gonna help you learn more about what you want to do.

Outside of work and riding what are some things you are into?
Music, Skateboarding and Snowboarding when I get the chance. Just skating around is so much fun right now.

If you never got into riding or film, what do you think you would be doing?
I’d probably be a bum living in Ridley maybe shooting heroin or something. HAHAHAHA Honestly though I do feel like I was lucky to find riding/filming because it gave me something to focus on and not get involved with a lot of stuff many of the people I grew up with got involved in.

What kind of music are you into?
I guess I’m pretty picky about music but I wouldn’t say there is one specific type of music I like most. Punk, Garage Rock, 60’s psychedelic, Indie, Hardcore, the list goes on.
A lot of the stuff I’ve been into lately ended up on the Insight soundtrack.

How do you go about picking music for your videos?
I seriously think I spend more time selecting soundtracks for videos than anything else, especially now that all my music has to be cleared. But most of the time I will talk to the rider and see what they are into, hopefully they have some idea and we can agree on something that will work. If not I just try and find something that fits. With Insight, I think I most of the soundtrack was picked by me with the exception of Mike Brennan. Everyone else I came up with stuff for and we agreed on it. Literally spending hundreds of hours and tons of money on itunes just getting ideas together. It’s not that bad though cause I love music and it exposes me to a lot of cool stuff I wouldn’t otherwise get to hear and it works out because I always find something for one video that doesn’t get used and ends up in another video.

What are some of your favorite movies(riding or non riding)?
My all time favorite movies include, Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, The Big Lebowski, Back to the Future, Indiana jones trilogy (can’t wait for the new one). I’m real into skate videos as well, Habitat and Alien Workshop videos and the Static and Eastern Exposure videos. For BMX I grew up watching videos like 1201 and Anthem, plus the Little Devil videos played a huge part in my interest in filming. “No country for Old Men” is one of the best newer movies I’ve seen in the past couple of years.

Do you ever catch yourself critiquing movies or anything like that(outside of riding videos)?
Definitely, but I can still get completely immersed in a really good movie. I usually can’t handle bad acting and bad CG’s though.
With a BMX video, If the riding is good enough than I can pretty much ignore everything else.

If you could spend the day with anybody (alive or dead) who would it be and why?
Right now I wouldn’t mind hanging out with Spike Jonze. It’s just cool to see someone who grew up doing the same things we do make it big into Hollywood and still be respected by so many different people. He’s directing the “Where the Wild Things Are” movie adaptation and a Ripleys Believe it or Not movie and both those projects sound pretty awesome.

What are some things you would like to accomplish in the next 5 years?
I’d like to put all the money I’ve been spending on rent towards a house. Aside from that I just want to be happy doing whatever it is that I’m doing.

If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?
Buy back all my shit that got stolen. Buy a house. Do something real nice for my family/friends. Make a BMX video with a huge budget and just get everyone I’m friends with involved and have a great time making it.

Who are some of your biggest influences on your life?
My parents for sure, they have always been pretty supportive of what I do even if they don’t really understand it. Everything and anything can be an influence it’s just whoever or whatever I happened to be surrounded by at the time. Pretty broad I guess…

5 things you can’t live without?
My Girl
My Family
A Car
Camera shit (coincidentally I don’t have any right now)
A Home…(not as in a house) but just somewhere to come back to and feel normal

Any bad habits?
I guess I tend to procrastinate from time to time.

What is a story or interesting thing about yourself nobody will believe?
I seriously hate editing. I don’t mind it as much when I’ve shot all the footage but editing other peoples stuff is the worst. I feel like I’d be a lot better at what I do if I could just get over it.

Anybody you would like to give a shout out or thanks to?
Everyone in the new Ride video for putting the time and effort to make it good. Whiteboy for making the video look good and keeping me from going insane. The Ride Staff for giving me the opportunity, and all my friends and family. Thanks.

Name:
Marcus James Tooker

Sponsors:
None

I saw you weren’t on Haro for 08′ what’s the deal about that?
It was quite an honor to be a part of Haro, but I guess they weren’t into keeping me around. It was definitely a fun year.

Do you have any new sponsors lined up?
I’ve briefly talked to a few people, but nothing for sure yet. Time will tell.

Photo Credit: terrell gordy

You originally moved to Greenville for school, are you still doing that or is riding main priority now days?
I moved to Greenville because it’s unique in that I can go to school to get a degree, which is pretty important to me, and I can ride my bike as much as I want on some of the best ramps in the world.

What are you going to school for anyways?
I’m about 32 semester hours shy of graduating with a degree in small business and entrepreneurship, and yes I am still going. I took last semester off because I traveled so much with contests and such. Now I’m kind of wishing I’d done something in the sports medicine department, but who knows, I might go back when I’m done with the whole business thing. I like school, and don’t really mind going.

Photo Credit: Jordan Vilonna

Do you have keys to the unit or Mirra’s place?
I have a key to the Unit.

What’s it like to be able to ride those places, and with those people all the time, does it still feel unreal or is it just something you’re used to?
It’s pretty amazing, and just loads of fun. Everyone down here is real cool and fun to ride with. I guess I’m kinda used to it, but that doesn’t mean I’m at all tired of it. You just know that when you go to ride, stuff is gonna go down. I love it.

Have you been riding the trails down there much? I think Quinn mentioned there was a lot of trails stuff going on around Greenville lately?
My roommate Jordan has some real good trails going on the outside of town. The weather in Greenville has been pretty awesome this fall so lots of people have been digging. I love to go ride and dig and just hang out in the woods. I don’t get out there as much as I’d like, but I try and go at least once a week and put my time in behind the shovel. For the record, Quinn is the laziest man with a shovel I’ve ever seen. Ha.

What are some of the tricks you have been working on lately?
I’ve been riding a lot more street lately, so I guess bunnyhop stuff. This is a hard one, I guess the best answer would be whatever pops into my head as I’m rolling along.

Photo Credit: terrell gordy

How did you end up doing on the dew tour this year? Do you plan on doing that again next year?
Some stops I did well, and other stops, not so well. I’ll definitely be doing it again next year. I enjoy going to them.

Any video parts or web edits or anything coming out with you in it soon?
I have some footage that was going to be for an Adio video, but there’s no more Adio in bmx, so I’m not sure what I’ll do with the footy. Possible web video? Who knows?

Who are some of your biggest riding influences?
There’s a bit too many to list, I like most anybody who you can tell enjoys being on their bike.

Do you think your riding would be where it is at without riding in Greenville?
I’d definitely still be riding, but probably not as often or at the level I’m at now. If I went to school in Boston, like everyone else I went to high school with, I’d probably be doing weekend trips up to rye airfield and snowboarding a lot more.

Would you suggest more people to move to Greenville, or how do you feel about the whole “pro town gotta go there” thing?
I suggest people do what makes them happy. I’ve been there long enough to see people come and go trying to “make it” in bmx; they never last too long. It’s a fun place to ride, and I’d like for everyone to come visit, and if you like it, stay.

What is on the christmas wish list since thats coming up in about a week or so?
A new car, haha, but that’s not gonna happen. I never know what I want. I’d be psyched with some new socks and a Pixies T-shirt.

If you could spend the day with anybody alive or dead for the day, who would it be and why?
It’d have to be my High School Astronomy teacher, Mr. Gyra. He’s kind of kooky in an extremely awesome way and has a real positive outlook on things.

Photo Credit: terrell gordy

What is the trick to picking up the ladies?
If only I knew. . . I guess just be yourself and you’ll get a good one eventually. There’s a lot of crazy ones out there, ha.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years and what are some things you would like to accomplish?
I really have no idea where I’ll be. Maybe still Greenville? I gotta finish school and maybe go back and do something medical. Hell, I could be married, haha. I’ll definitely still be riding. I’d just like to stay happy doing whatever it is I’m doing.

Outside of riding, who are some of your biggest influences?
Anybody who enjoys their life, I get psyched on positive people.

If you could do anything in the world for a job (outside of riding of course) what would you want to do?
There’s this lady on the travel channel who travels around and tests out vacation spots in all kinds of weird places. I definitely want her job.

Photo Credit: Jordan Vilonna

Anybody you would like to thank or give a shout out to?
My Massachusetts family, my Greenville family and anyone else who has helped me or had a good session with me along the way.

Anything else I forgot you would like to add?
Thanks for reading this, now get off the internet and go ride your bike!!!!!!

(an older video interview with Marcus from VitalBMX.com which has a lot of good riding.)

Name:

Anthony Napolitan

Sponsors:

Hoffman/Target, Sobe, Levis, Duffs Shoes, Maxxis,Kicker Audio, Woodward, Ogio, Lavs Lab Productions, Profile Racing and System Cycle

You have had a huge year, I sware you have been around the world, how was this year different from last year?

Well this year I started off the years with some new sponsors, which I was really Stoked about! I went to Singapore for Metro Jam. Basically I did a bunch of hopping around from city to city. Sadly I started off the contest season by separating my AC joint in my shoulder. But I was quick to bounce back from that. Overall with my injury irritating me all year, I’m really stoked on how I finished up the year. I placed podium twice in the Dew Tour and took a bronze medal in the Big Air event at X-Games.

A few years ago before you were pro, did you ever expect you would be in this position?

I never expected that I would be in the position that I’m in now! I couldn’t ask for more in my life right now. I ride bikes because I love it, I have an amazing and supportive family and girlfriend, I live at Woodward camp, I have the most amazing and supportive sponsors and I get to travel the world!

Now that winter has hit and the contest season has for the most part come to an end for a few months, what are your plans?

It’s nice that the contest season has ended because I really get to ride how I want to now. I don’t have to show up anywhere and throw down. I’ve still been traveling a ton with my bike. All that I really have planned is to keep riding.

Levi’s has been going above and beyond doing a lot for the team it seems like, how are things going with that and is there any big news like new team members or anything you can share with us?

Levi’s is amazing! Not only are they a great sponsor, but they are almost like a family. I don’t have any new info that I can relay right now. But I’ve heard rumor that there are some announcements to be made that will be pretty exciting for the team. Other than that, Ronnie and Jeremiah have been continuing to shred!

Speaking of Levi’s, how awesome is it to be able to help your little brother out?

Being able to have a brother that you can travel with and ride with on it’s own is awesome. We’re probably the closest brothers that you’ll ever meet. It’s really badass that I can help him out. There is no doubt in my mind that someone was going to try and snatch him up soon. So I figured I might as well do it before someone else does.

What is it like to have a brother that kills it to ride with whenever?

Like I said. It’s amazing! Not only can we ride together, we can do almost everything together.

I noticed your back at woodward now, do you plan on riding and just getting all dialed in over the winter or are you going to do some “training”?

Hahaha! I don’t really train. I just consider riding bikes as riding bikes. Once people start getting into training mode I feel like they’re not having much fun riding a bike. Everything that people see me do on TV is what I do everyday. Not because I have to, but because I think it’s fun, and I have fun doing it.

Any new bangers you have planned for 08′ you can let us in on?

Not really. I’ve been working on a lot of opposite tricks. More so just trying to keep all my tricks I have now dialed.

Do you have any big plans like video parts or road trips for 08′ that you already know about or is it pretty much just the dew tour and X games that is set?

I’m pretty sure that Levi’s will do another trip. It’s not been confirmed yet. I’m heading to Estonia for Simple Sessions soon. I’m hoping that Levi’s does a video this year. I’ve really wanted to put together a good video part. And of course all the Dew Tours and X-Games.

What kind of advice do you have for some of the newer riders out there who are just getting into riding?

I’ve said this a MILLION times. PLease don’t ride bikes because you want to be sponsored. Ride bmx because you love it, and that’s what you have fun doing. I didn’t start riding bikes because I wanted to be sponsored. I started because I had fun riding. I’m very fortunate to be on of the few BMX riders to make money in the sport.

If you didn’t start riding, what do you think you would be doing instead?

I would probably be finishing up with college by now. Unless I changed my major 12 times. Which is pretty likely.

What are 5 things you would like to accomplish in the next 5 years?

1. Buy a house. (almost there)

2. Win the Dew Tour in Dirt again

3. Win an X-Games gold medal

4. Qualify for BMX park in the Dew Tour

5. Buy a Bull Terrier

What are some of your favorite bands you like to listen to when you ride? Is it different when your not riding?

I listen to just about everything. The only thing I don’t really listen to is country. Traveling has a lot to do with music. Since I travel so much I get to be exposed to so much great music. I’ve been listening to a bunch of dance music lately. A little bit of Lil Wayne which is my brothers fault. Hahaha

What are some of your favorite movies?

I love Pirates! When my BMX career is over I’m going to become a Pirate! Superbad is a favorite as well. Basically anything with Johnny Depp in it. He’s a bad ass!

Since it is that time of the year, whats on the wish list?

I couldn’t ask for anything more right now. I’m completely content with what I have now.

Who are some of your biggest influences in your life?

My parents, Girlfriend, Tj Lavin, Brother and Friends

Where are some places you haven’t had a chance to go to that you would really like to go to?

I don’t really know. Paris, Germany, parts of Asia

Do you have anybody you would like to thank or give a shout out to?

First and foremost my family, friends and girlfriend for being supportive of me and dealing with my life style. All my sponsors that I listed at the top of the interview. Steve Swope. And anyone else that I forgot and will remember in a couple hours. Oh and BMXunion for giving me the opportunity to have this interview. Thanks

anything else I missed you would like to add?

Stay Strong Stephen Murray

See More BMX Videos at VitalBMX.com

Name:
Andrew Clinkscales

Cred: Shelby Gibbs

Location:
Lafayette, IN

Sponsors:
None at the moment… (ahem…anybody?)

How long have you been riding for?
About 6-7 years… a while.

So a lot of people saw your video on the come up and remembered you from your video in Aspire. Which one did you win?
I won the first round am class. I’m surprised people remember that. haha

Cred: Shelby Gibbs

How is the weather down in Indiana? Does it even snow there?
The weather is ok I guess, it gets crazy humid in the summer and real shitty in the winter. It snows for sure, but often times it’s just this really annoying shlushy wet shitty snow.

Your friend Nick told me I was supposed to ask about your nickname “Edwin”.. whats the deal with this and why do you get pissed?
I’m gonna hurt him… No, people see me riding street and for some reason its like a reaction to say, “Edwin.” It doesnt make sense to me. I don’t try to or want to pull style from or ride like anyone but my self so it kinda irritates me sometimes. To hear it from my friends is whatever because i know they’re just trying to piss me off but I hate to hear it from other people. They just get 2 warnings… lol

Your pretty legit on street, do you ever ride anything else?
Haha oh yea. Anything you put in front of me. I like to ride street, trails (brakeless), park, my basement, the sidewalk to the 7/11 for a O.E. 40.

Cred: Shelby Gibbs

Your hop is pretty high, have you ever measured to see how high you can jump?
Not really. I usually just set my bike next to whatever im jumping onto or over to see where it is compared to my bars…

Who are some of your biggest influences on your riding?
My friends who ride and the people who support me.

Outside of riding, what are some of the things your into?
I love to travel. Friends are a big part of my life so whenever I can, I kick it with them or party or whatever.

Favorite movies, non riding and riding?
Of corse Rad! The Last Dragon. Forrest Gump. Any “growin up in the hood” movies. Summer of fit made me shit myself… umm. Anything interesting.

What are some of your plans for 08′?
Full time school, traveling A LOT more to ride and film. I want to see New York and Germany next (My girl is from there so I have a tour guide and a translator)

Where are some of the best places you have gotten to travel to?
I just got back from the west coast. LA and every city around it was amazing. I had so much fun riding and meeting the locals… you guys are fuckin nuts. haha Joe, Matt, Arnold thanks for showing us around. In videos you never really see anything from Indiana so when I got to ride, for example, UCI I was blown away. Everything from Nowhere Fast was there and I had no clue until I rolled up. It was a great trip and definitely wont be the last.

Cred: Shelby Gibbs

What do you think needs to be changed in BMX to make it better?
I think a lot of people could quit the “contest” style everyday riding and people could quit trying to one-up other people. I guess if thats how someone has fun riding, then thats whatever, but I just don’t see it as fun.

If you could ride with any pro for a day, in any place, who would it be, where would you go, and why?
I don’t know, theres so many people I’d like to ride with but I really dont have just one or one particular spot. I would ride with anyone at anyspot as long as theres no contest or one-up match going on. haha

5 Favorite websites?
Thecomeupbmx.net
Myspace.com
weather.com
havefunandenjoyyourself.com
and BmxUnion.com lol

5 Favorite Music artists or songs?
Lil Wayne
DJ Drama
anything from the south
pimp c (rip)
old 8ball & MJG

Who are some people you think are going to be, or should getting coverage?
Nick Summerlot… he’s ridiculous in bmx and life.
(Go check his interview after this one Nick Summerlot

Did you go to college? If so what?
I did but took a break for a good job opportunity that turned into Office Space… I’m going back in the Fall though for something.

So where do you work? What do you do?
I work in a operations center for State Farm… in a cubicle.

Cred: Shelby Gibbs

Who are your biggest influences on your life outside of riding?
My mom.

What are some things you would like to accomplish this year? How about in the next 5 years?
This year I want to ride all the places I’ve only talked about riding and on the way to those, ride some I didn’t know existed. I want to get back into school and get that shit over with. In the next 5 years I want to finish school, still be riding and still be healthy. I want to be on a coast and just kickin it wherever I land.

Do you have any new web edits or video parts coming out soon?
I’m going to make one this week and get it on the web… it will have most of my new stuff and some recent clips. I have a video part comming out in a local high def video from Kyle Mullen. Other than that I’m just doing what i can. If anybody is interested in me, get at me!

Any shout outs or thanks?
I want to thank my girl Eve for helping me clean out a full pipe yesterday and standing in the snow while I rode it. I want to thank my room mates for riding and helping rent stay at $205. I want to thank Luke for helping me edit videos. I want to thank anyone and everyone who has every helped me with anything. Without them I wouldnt be here.

Anything I missed you would like to add?
I don’t like watermelon as much as people think. haha. I do use my left side pegs alot.

Untitled from Andrew Clinkscales on Vimeo.

While I was putting up this interview, I was trying to think of when I first met AJ, and honestly all I can remember is that it was like 3 years ago, I am sure it was at the Mankato Skatepark here in Minnesota. However since then I have had a lot of chances to ride with him and just watch him utterly rip anything he rides to pieces. He is so talented it is insane. Along with being talented he is about one of the nicest guys in the world, you never hear him sware or anything really (I was shocked the first time I did hear him sware)and hes always pretty helpful if you need tips on a trick. Hes been around the country so maybe you have heard of him?
Be sure to check out his video at the end.. so good!

Name:
AJ Haines

Sponsors:
The Alt bike shop, Chaos on Wheels, Stunt Dudes, Enemy Opposition

How do you feel about the weather? (It is 9 degrees out as I write this)
well, quite frankly I don’t like it. I guess its good in a way because it really shows your dedication to the sport, you cant just walk outside and ride, now you have to plan a day and head out somewhere.

Your really dialed, who do you think influenced your riding the most?
Why thanks, hmmm that’s a good question, in the very beginning I think Joey Garcia influenced me the most. I loved his part in Schwinns American Muscle, I just remember him doing the longest smoothest manuals, it was really the first time id seen anybody ride street like that and it got me psyched, im pretty sure I wore that tape out by the way. Then Tom Haugen because I would ride with him many a weekend at Mankato skatepark in the winter when I was just a youngling, he would just shred nonstop and really encouraged me to progress.

Your going to school for digital arts if I remember right? How is that going?
Yep, the tech term for it is Visual Effects and Motion Graphics haha. Its going great really, we get some really nice video cameras to work with, we get to do a lot of fun stuff with there stuff. I took a video that was shot of me doing a hang nothing and erased the bike out so it just looked like was floating swinging my legs, it looked pretty stupid but at the same time awesome? I really hope that I can apply the stuff I learn there to the BMX industry(not taking bikes out)by bringing something new to how videos are presented. Im not even totally sure what that is yet but I still have a lot to learn there so we’ll see what happens.

You were doing shows for Chaos on Wheels, Do you still do that?
Yeah, its kind of hard now that I have school but I still do shows when I can, usually on the weekends. I flew out to Washington twice this month to do shows, one with Chaos and one with Stunt Dudes which is Vic Murphy’s BMX team. I just started doing shows with him in October, hes a super cool guy and he can still rip!

What is the best part about doing shows?
One of the cool things is seeing the excitement on kids face (and the horror on their parents faces) when we do this stuff. It brings me back to when I first saw BMX and was totally blown away by it, its just kind of cool to pass on what I was given. Often there are thousands of people at these things and I’m not going to lie, when there are thousands of people screaming your name it tends to put a smile on your face. Also traveling is a big one, before Chaos on Wheels I had only been to a few states, now theres only a few I haven’t been to. Getting paid doesn’t hurt either, but I would have done them for free if I had to, it’s been quite an experience.

Where are your favorite spots to ride?
Well here downtown it used to be the Hyatt bank but since they did some reconstruction its not as good, still rideable but I could spend hours there every day in the summer. The Government Center is also a good street spot, but security has gotten to know me there since I moved. I still love Mankato, best in the summer of course, but ill still go there just for the indoor, maybe its just because I grew up riding it but its definitely a favorite of mine.

You have been all over the country, where is your favorite places you have been?
That’s a tough one, I would have to say New York and Oregon. New York was fun for so many reasons, first of all I had never been to NY before, second we had our show inside of Six Flags theme park, Third we got free passes to cut in line on any ride, though I felt like a dick because we walked up the exit ramp and cut people that had been waiting off. Oregon was awesome because we spent I think like a week or so there, so we got to hit a lot of the parks there as well as see some cool nature spots with trees that make me look like an ant. We also went to the ocean, which was my first time ever I believe, and we happened to walk by the same piece of beach that was shot in “The Goonies”!

Where should people not go at all costs?
Hmm well I really cant think of anything specific, I think people should go everywhere and explore, im a big fan of it myself.

In the Chaos on Wheels video on their site, you do what appears to be about a 60 stair double peg.. Where did you find that and how many tries did it take?
That rail was in Joplin, MS where Chaos is based out of, me and Don Johnson were going to a movie and we spotted it, it looked perfect and had a good runway. This had by far dwarfed any rail I had done before, so there were a few things I had to learn the hard way. For instance, as scary as it is, going faster at longer rails will make you balance on them better. It probably took me somewhere around 15 trys or so, there was a break in the middle of those to go on a search for band aids for my bloody arm. I also hit my tailbone the hardest id ever hit it on that rail, it seriously hurt to sit for over a month. The final count on that stairs was 40, but they were longer then length of normal stairs so I don’t know what you would call it.

What is your favorite trick to do?
Id say inverts are my fav, I struggled with them for years and only started getting them a few years ago. Its just a fun one to do, the next step for me is 360 inverts. 540s are also fun to do when you can blast them, but you can quickly end up with a bar in the gut if you over rotate.

What are some of your favorite bands?
Well I find a new band I like almost every day, but some of my all time favorites are Mustard Plug, Catch-22, The Briggs, The Gamits, After the Burial, All Shall Perish. I like a little bit of everything, but I mostly listen to Punk, Ska, and Metal depending on the mood.

What do you think needs to be changed in BMX?
Well as most people would say, they need to start treating BMX fairly with other “extreme sports”, we usually get jipped on hours and cost at a lot of skateparks, along with having to take our pegs off at times. I also wish they would come out with a decent BMX game, SKATE is amazing, if they put that amount of time into a BMX I would survive winters much easier. I think BMX is fine the way it is beside that Ive become desensitized to big tricks because everybody’s doing insane stuff, it almost doesn’t phase me to see a front flip or double whip anymore and I hate that, but its nothing that should be changed I guess.

If you won the lottery what would you do with the money?
Build a huge skatepark next to my house. Build a new bike. Pay for College. Let my parents retire. Give a ton of it to charity. Buy large quantities of pizza rolls, orange milanos, and lemonade with the rest.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?
I guess that depends, probably working for a visual effects company or maybe even a bike company doing videos. Ill probably still be doing shows on and off, hopefully internationally. I have thought about moving near the west coast for a while, but I guess ill ultimately move where I find a job, it doesn’t really matter. What I do know is that wherever it is I will still be making time for riding.

Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
I have to say a big the thanks to God for blessing me with the ability to ride and allowing me to travel everywhere ive been and meet tons of cool people. My parents for hooking me up with my first few bikes (they now regret it). Frank Stewart for letting me ride his backyard ramps all the time. Travis McCray for kind of bringing me into BMX. All the peeps I ride with, the list is to big and I don’t want to leave anyone out but you know who you are. Id also like to thank BMX for bringing me together with a wonderful girl named Sarah.

Anything else I might have missed you would like to add?
Just for BMX in general to keep the scene positive, don’t get down on people because they ride differently, if we all rode the same it would be pretty boring. We’re all trendy in one way or another. Be helpful to the young ones just coming into it, we want to encourage, not discourage, even if the first trick they learn is a backflip. That’s my lame 2 cents bye….

you can see that big rail talked about in the interview about 35 seconds in.

Steve is another one of those crazy dudes from Give D, and I honestly wish like a month ago when I sent him these questions(hes been injured and busy give him a break!) that I would have asked more, I find these responses super entertaining and I think he has a lot to say… but for now this is good..

Name:
Steve Kennedy

Sponsors:
Give D, Odyssey, Sunday!, and Epic bike shop

What are some nicknames you have?
Smilin Steve, Barspins Steve, Regrets-Man

Why are you always smiling?
When you walk into a room and you are smiling you are a somebody, if not you are a nobody. I lost my virginity to a myspace girl.

What is Give D to you?
A whole lot of kicking ass with the best people I have ever met. No matter what we do together it is guaranteed fun. Roadtrips with Give D are legendary!

What is your best Give D story?
Breaking every single sprinkler off on Ben Snowden’s block with Ron. We were both shit-housed drunk and Ron only had one shoe on (for kicking). My prize was this huge ass plastic main that had wires sticking out of it and everything! When I gave it the business end of my size 9.5 Loteks it fucking exploded and soaked my pants with water, it was amazing. We then found a plastic bag and collected all the snapped off sprinklers and posed and took pictures holding them which I think are on the Give D myspace. The best part was when we were taking the pictures with all the sprinklers out Snowden walked into the room but I don’t think he noticed! Ha ha it was like dad coming home and then not getting in trouble!

If you had a teleport button for a day, where are some of the places you would go?
The Fullerton angle iron ledge with Alex, the owner of D. We can seriously ride it for hours and have the time of our lives. I recently tore my meniscus in my knee so I’ll be out for a total of five months at the least, but luckily I was able to film at the ledge before I got hurt!

Who are some of your favorite people to ride with?
So many rad dudes I love to ride with! I’m going to take the easy way out and just say my roommates and everyone on Give D! Bdubbs at odyssey, Alfredo Mancuso because he is real good and constantly makes me laugh my dick off, Eric Litchtenburger (not even going to try to spell that clusterfuck of a last name right) because he is a fucking street animal, and probobly lots of other people who I’m neglecting to mention and who hate me now.

What are your favorite videos/video parts?
I love all of Seth Kimbrough’s recent parts, that guy has great style and tricks.

Do you listen to an ipod or something similar while you ride?
Sometimes. I try not to if I’m with friends, but when I do it does help to motivate me. I have the new Shuffle which is cheap and has no screen so I’m not afraid to wreck it. Right when the ipod came out I bought some mp3 player that was pretty similar and it put me back like $250. I ended up falling trying a footjam tailwhip of all things and breaking the screen. The best part was it kept playing and I didn’t even notice i broke it until like 30 minutes later when I went to change the song.

What kind of music are you into?
Lately I haven’t been able to ride much due to my knee, so it’s been lots of chill stuff: Iron and Wine, The Album Leaf, The Shins, Pinback, and Of Montreal.

5 things everyone should do before they die?
1) Find a copy of Nowhere Fast and watch it
2) Earn 1000 point in Wii Sports tennis to become a “pro”
3) Graduate college
4) Make a scene while quitting a job
5) Get overly drunk and hit on girls

Anything else I might have missed you would like to say?
Think Positive!

Name: Braden Ross

Sponsors: Give D Clothing

Your another one of the Give D guys, so you know the question will be: What is Give D to you and what is it like to be apart of the crew?
Give D is always about having a good time with everyone. With riding,hanging out, partying, anything really. Just an awesome group of guys that shred and know how to kickass.

You also live in San Diego, how long have you lived there and what do you think of the scene?
I’ve beenin San Diego for about 7 years but recently just got back from being in Salt Lake City for a year. I have been back a couple months and things have been going great, the scene has grown a lot since I was gone, and it’s crazy to see how many more kids are shredding these days.

What do you typically ride? are you like the other Give D guys who are big street dudes?
I’d rather go out to a good street spot rather than a skatepark just because I feel I can be more creative on street, but I always have fun going to the local park.

Do you work or go to school outside of riding at all?
No, since I moved back I’ve been lazily looking for a job but I end up just going outside and riding.Once I get a job and some money I’ll probably start signing up for classes as well.

What is the trick that has given you the most trouble?
Probably turndowns, always have the hardest time with them at the skatepark.

What is your biggest accomplishment with riding?
Lately I’ve just learned to just enjoy riding even after I get frustrated with a trick or just not having a good riding day.

If you didn’t get into riding what do you think you would be doing?
Probably just going to school full time.

If you could ride with any dude in the world, who would it be and why?
Probably Corey Martinez, the guy just looks like who really knows how to shred. Real good controlled style.

What are some of the things you like to do outside of riding? I know a few of the Give D guys are big into photography.
Usually just chill with friends or party. Probably start surfing again once my brother moves back to San Diego.

Say the first word or words that come to mind when you hear the word….
BMX? Fun!

Money? I need

San Diego? Amazing people

Snow? Salt Lake City

God? Almighty…?

Girls? Real fun!

If you could ride one place that you have never been, where would it be and why? I’ve always wanted to go Vancouver, place seems like it has tons of stuff to ride. I hear it’s real good.

Who do you think would die first if you loaded the whole Give D crew into a van and went on a cross country road trip?
Haha I don’t even know. It would be random, everyone on the team gets wild enough to do something crazy.

What kind of music are you into?
Metal, hip hop,ambient/alternative stuff. Anything that motivates me.

What are some of your all time favorite riding videos or parts?
Van Homan in Criminal Mischief.Corey Martinez and Mike Aitken in Wide Awake Nightmare. Etnies Forward, I used to watch that all the time when I first started riding.

Anything I might have missed you would like to add?
Thank you and Give D!!!