BMX UNION

What can I say about Justin Kosman that isn’t already well known? He’s always ballin’ out, spending money like it don’t matter. Making money like its nothin… Justin Kosman aka “The Koz Man” is all business when it comes to phone calls and photo sessions but a complete party animal with no regrets when it comes to having a good time and remodeling his condo. Read up and take notes. Yeah its a lengthy interview, so if you’re not into reading, you can suck it.

Your Full Name: Justin Michelle Kosman

Age: 27

Born and raised: Geneseo, Illinois

Currently residing in: Carlsbad, CA

Years on a bike: 17

Years behind the camera: 15

How did you get into bmx? What’s your earliest memory of shredding?

Pushing around a Standard prototype when I was 9 at Rampage. I barely remember that, but I had been skating at that time so my frame of reference for BMX was Kurt Schmidt’s raw bike. I didn’t know wtf was going on. The next summer my best friend got a GT so of course I got one and started riding these trails in our town called “The Moose” with some 17- year old high school drop-outs on Skyway Teardrop frames with choppered forks and Bullseye 2-pc cranks. Spike pits, water jumps, and fly-out no-footed x-ups. Everyday was a circus. Mag in the front, spokes in the back. Vaseline on my pitbull brakes.

You have a history of racing under your thoroughly notched belt, what happened to those days?

In hindsight, those were awesome days, and before clip shoes came around so it was kind of hairy in the turns. The biggest jumps were at the track so I raced and dirt jumped a lot in the mid nineties. We’d have open class races and I’d bust out a 360 at full speed and over rotated (of course) and my yellow soft bead Mitsubishi Tioga knock-offs would come off the rim and I’d carcass into the dirt with everyone behind me into a full regrets crash pile. We were racing for free 6-inch Subway sandwiches so it was a big deal. That’s before Jared. Before Subway was the grossest shit on earth. So to make a long story longer, Standard Bykes hooked my up for racing for a couple years and I did the nationals and state series races until I gradated high school. I remember entering a DK Dirt Circuit when I was 17 in Nashville and Crandall was announcing. He said I was from Alaska. I turned pro when I was in college and made some money racing local pro classes in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. I got my ass waxed at the big races. It wasn’t glorious, but it was fun. Fuck it was better than hanging around campus on the weekends.

Shredding in chest protectors, what’s the deal with that anyways?

I don’t’ remember telling you that. How do you know? My friend Billy had a motocross track at his house and he built some really fun BMX trails behind his dad’s machine shop. It was like the game Frogger dodging the hundred illegitimate cats and walnuts nuggets all over ground. We’d burn cardboard boxes in between jumps and get embers stuck in our hair while riding. The place was like Thunderdome, as much as we could replicate it with all the sheet metal and fire. I thought I needed protection so I started wearing Billy’s chest protector and used it for a couple years. I remember watching a video from Rampage contest of me in my racing jersey, with the chest protector and no helmet doing tailtap half barspins. In 1995 I got sick at the Christmas Classic and puked all over the Standard Factory BMX pit area; all over Moliterno’s bike- so I painted “Puker” on the back of my plastic exo-skeleton that year.

Unlike a lot of the bmx industry, you received a proper education… Where did you attend school and what degree do you currently have?

Proper is a subjective term. I attended North Central College back near Chicago and graduated with a degree in English and an honors distinction. A couple really inspiring professors and a photo mentor really lit a fire under my ass to try some things I probably wasn’t ready for at the time. Bottom line is that they taught me to go get whatever I wanted. Cut to the front of the line, jump in the deep end. Being first in your class doesn’t mean you’re smart, it means you are in the wrong class- the shit is obviously too easy for you. Not to accept mediocre work, always trying to do the best job with what tools you have. I’ll never forget the simulacra and simulation lecture that Guzman gave on Baudrillard and Barthes; that semester changed the way I looked at the everything around me- made me a little nuts, a little too introspective and over analytical- but I use a lot of those concepts in most every project I am a part of. So glad I did it. I wish I would have taken another religion class and finished my minor, but I had fucked up on classes and took 20 extra eng credits that they wouldn’t count. I hadn’t taken any gym classes or art so my senior year I had all these gnarly grad level eng composition classes and then I’d have to go sit through a 4-hour jewelry making class to get art credits and then go to jogging class three times a week. I made silver skull knuckle rings for my final project. I’m going back to that school in a couple weeks to speak at their 2008 honor convocation- trying to think of a good BMX story to tell in front of two thousand students.

More importantly, how often did you 420 bong rip in your dorms as oppose to studying? An approximate number of beers shotgun’d and girls 69’d during your schooling days?

420 bong rips- hahahha, nah I don’t do the rips man. I pretty much studied and rode my bike a lot. I was more into stuff like climbing up the side of six story buildings and sleeping on air conditioning units for my weekend fun and switching parking tickets onto campus police cars. I spent my 21st birthday scanning photos for the school newspaper. My junior year we had these trio of displaced freshman soccer players move into our upperclassmen dorm and it was obvious that they were really shy so I made it my job to make them feel uncomfortable by throwing beer bottles from the recycling bin out the window real late at night and fastball chucking my old broken cell phone down the hallway accompanied by a loud “You F*king Bitch! I Hate You Colleen!,” like I was having a mental breakdown with an imaginary girlfriend. Good times.

You recently made the move to sunny San Diego, after living in regretful Huntington Beach for quite some time, how are you feeling about your current living situation?

The North County scene is awesome. All of my neighbors (minus Gary Young) are over 40 and all the San Marcos guys shred hard. Less rotting than Orange County. I do like it here. It feels like a vacation home when I come back from a trip. I like that feeling.

I’ve been slowly remodeling your new house little by little, would you say it’s going to be a poon palace upon completion?

Man, since the wood floors have been finished this week, I just walk around with a full boner for no reason. Seriously though, the place was a high-priced dumpster three months ago and now it’s on the verge of being a hi-dollar penthouse condo. Not really, but the roof does still leak. You fixed the leak from the fridge so that was good. We did buy a toilet the other night didn’t we? 3 liter Kholer was it? More liter’s than Gary Young’s BMW, that’s all I know.

I have a fond memory of meeting you at Steve Kennedy’s old Fullerton house a couple years back on Halloween… Your costume consisted of temporary tattoos, all black clothing, a lip ring and a bandana… What particular bmx icon were you that year? How many girls did you flip to fakie that night? And by flip to fakie, I mean 69…

I was Rick Thorne and the next day I had full tattoo status still in effect when I went to go ride the Santa Monica skatepark. Rick Thorne showed up and it was top 5 awkward moments of my life. Damn funny now though. People did think the neck tats were real. I could have kept the spider web and been happy.

You’ve been into shredding bicycles for a while now, but what made you start picking up a camera more often instead of your bike? Do you remember your first camera? How many n00dz would you say were taken on that camera?

My first camera was a Canon that I bought with 40,000 Marlboro Miles, my first real camera was a Pentax K-1000. The transition from spaz rider to spaz photog happened when I was on the racing circuit back home. I was at a pro national in Michigan and I never made the mains at those big races. I was way more psyched to shoot photos of the pro main- of all the guys who wiped my ass earlier that day. It was kind of a weird realization. For me that was a transition from riding hard to learning about magazines and photography. Some of those photos I shot that day were published in the Sanction mag and that made me feel more accomplished than a podium finish. Actually I wouldn’t know b/c I never got top three at a national so I am full of shit. I sucked at racing, as a job- there you go. I never had crazy pressure from my parents or sponnos to race so it wasn’t a big deal to switch it up.

You’re known to make business calls that range up into the thousands of dollars, travel to numerous countries within a single month and party with superstars, is this how you envisioned life in Southern California as a multi-platinum photographer?

It is a little surreal, but sometimes you gotta jump in the deep end and do a 180 burnout 69. I just got back from Italy with Bucky Lasek, that was pretty dope. I have a shoot with Tanner Hall this afternoon, I’m trying to finish this interview before I leave to go do that. So, yeah it’s better than I could have expected.

Can you briefly describe the term “cat butt” and your feelings towards it?

My feelings on that subject are negative. Cat Butt is when a cat licks it’s own butt and then sits there with it’s tongue hanging out because it’s realized what it’s done. I can’t incriminate myself any further. Cat butt = Full regrets.

You excel in bmx photography but you shoot photos for a lot of different companies some of which aren’t even bmx related… Can you name-drop some of the current companies you work for? What said companies do you particularly enjoy shooting for?

A little Vans skate this year was awesome. A lot of motocross for Source Interlink (Dirt Rider/Mini Rider). Red Bull is launching their Cola brand this year so they have had me doing a lot of athlete lifestyle photos. Levis has been good with a trip to Hawaii this year. As far as companies I like shooting for, they all kick ass and have been with me for a couple years now. The last two years I did a lot of work with GT mountain and road which was all art directed by McGoo and those shoots were all so much fun. I with I could take him on every shoot- that man knows how to delegate. Lately I’ve really had fun with the Dirt Rider shoots. Denison will bring out some hot-shot amateur moto racer to blast through a berm for a cover shot and I will just yell at him the whole time, be outrageous, make him sweat it out. Then I tell everyone gross BMX stories at dinner and completely traumatize them.

Who are some of your favorite bmx stunt masters to work with?

Guettler and Mackay for sure. They are really tech photographers too and it kicks ass when it is a group effort to make a cool photo happen with those guys. There are so many good riders that I really like shooting with everyone. They do that hard shit. But Guettler and Mackay for sure.

When you’re not behind the camera, what are some of your favorite obstacles and or terrains to shred?

Pools, any mini ramp and any big ass cement wedge. The new mini ramp at Clairmont in S.D. is unreal.

A lot of people know you for your kickass photography abilities, but what should people really know about “The Koz Man”?

All I can tell you is this quick haiku…

Small fish in big ponds
Swim upstream for tasty waves
Pull breathe kick glide. Glide.

A day in the life of Justin Kosman:

Wake up at 5am
Check the phone for any urgent emails from East Coast or Europe that may have came up over night.
Go make some coffee and pour a bowl of “Oh’s” cereal. Non-fat milk. Do the e-mail game. Insert minimal myspace lurk.

5:30: Ride the road bike on the trainer for a playlist while sending ridiculous text messages to Miles Roigish. Take a shower, high-five Chris Collins as his dreadlocks float out the door. Email, laundry, phone calls to east coast. Special day breakfast at El Caribe.
8am: Bank. Then pick-up Alex Give D! to slave at the condo. Sometimes I’m at an airport by this time or picking up a rental car.

10am On the way to the photolab or a photoshoot somewhere. If not run up to Orange County and hang out at Bike magazine or go see the guys at Ride mag. Drop film/pick up film in Irvine. Get my cameras cleaned at Canon. Stop by Vans and Red Bull, see Kelly Bolton if I get up into L.A.

11am: If I am home I watch the hot realtor try and sell the next-door unit to Italian mobsters.

11:30am. Look on AutoTrader.com for any vintage Lotus cars that may have gone up for sale over night. Send invoices. Edit photos or video for a couple hours.

2pm: See if anyone is going to ride today. If not, go to Home Depot and buy tile flooring.

4-8: Edit photos while watching a movie from iTunes. Today it was “The Departed.”

8pm Go take Alex Give D! home and go eat a chicken torta.

9pm come home and go to Barnes and Noble and nerd on books and magazines until 11.

11:30 Take a shower. Fold laundry. Look at late model Lotus Exiges. Crunch numbers, and decided insurance is too much. Need a vintage one to get the antique insurance discount. Make a note to check out Lotus Esprits the next day.

1pm go to bed if I am lucky. Minimal sleeping. No regrets.

Anybody you would like to give a hollar out to or thank?

Mom and Dad, Jeff (RIP), Steve Woltmann, Moliterno, Paul &Rhonda Depauw, Ryan Brock, Tim Boone, Ryan Marshall, Brad Burris, Jon Willy, Jennifer Jackson, Richard Guzman. Badders, Dwayne, EricDC, RM59, Kathryn, Ilana, Marcus Gerber, Sandy V, Losey, Give D!, RickM, Moeller, McGoo, Josh Champion, Wildman, Pondella, GarthM, KevinMcAvoy, DebESPN, Swope, JeanaMAxxis, JackieRoy and Bhunt, Fuzy, Randalle.

Mark is all over the place these days, the dude rips it up on a bike. I could watch videos of him riding trails all day long. Myself, Brett Rohlfing, and Chad Degroot came up with a few questions for him.. Enjoy

Name:
Mark Adam Mulville

Location:
casselberry FL. / pittsburgh PA.

Sponsors:
profile racing, ugp, duffs, odi(flow), sun rims(flow) mesh skatepark, steaz energy

Years Riding:
about 10 or 12 i guess

You recently left the take and are a “free agent” floating around, is subrosa going to be legit soon or are you still working on another deal?
im not working on anything right now, and as far as subrosa i have no idea whats goin on with that, cool of them to give me some product though, thanks ryan and ron

Is there any other sponsor changes or additions you can tell us about happening anytime soon?
umm i have no idea really, steaz energy is a pretty new one and its all organic and stuff so thats good.

Last I checked you are brakeless still. Do you ever scare yourself especially on trails? and do you plan on putting them back on anytime soon?
yeah i am always scared thats one reason i like being brakeless, and goin fast is so much more fun knowing ya cant stop at times so you just gotta go for it. im sure they will be on and off this summer.

I imagine you grew up racing? How long did you do that for? and do you think it has effected how you ride your bike now?
i only raced about a year or so and it was fun but just got way too competitive for my likes. It has made me more into trails i think which is fine with me and i guess my bike can look slightly race at times too

Do you have any signature parts/clothing coming from any of your sponsors soon?
i have a stem in the works with profile which should be out im thinking this summer, just had a shirt from them come out a few months ago with kinda a florida theme

Are you working on any video parts or just sticking to the web videos?
the next welcome to pittsburgh is in the works and ill have some shit in there, not sure what else.

You have been traveling a lot it seems like, do you have any big road trips to go on or any trips you are looking forward to going to?
i am looking forward to pittsburgh but thats pretty much gonna be home for a while, other then that vegas is sweet for interbike so im excited about that and goin on a profile new england trip late summer too.

Before the BMX thing started working out, did you have any other jobs?
i have had so many jobs, server, landscapper, worked at central skatepark for a few years and others too, i still do some landscapping at times too

If you could hook up with any actress, model, girl, who would it be and why?
thats a hard one, maybe amy adams from enchanted, she is a real cutie.. rachel mcadams from her role in the notebook or elisha cuthbert will do

why do you like sauce so much and what would you replace it if there was no sauce left in the world?
its just amazing and gives ya whatever taste your in the mood for, i dont really know why i like it so much though i just do. cant think of anything to replace it with

You are super into surfing these days right? If you could go pro in surfing and travel the world on your board, but had to give up riding during that time, would you?
i couldnt do that, but im sure it would be an amazing life. ill just stick to riding and surfing.

A few years back you were responsible for a large amount of womens pants being sold to men thanks to you being one of the first tight pants trend setters, but when Levis got into bmx they did not return the favor and hook you up. What a shame. How tight are your pants nowadays?
haha i dont know if i had any help in making them big i would like to think i didnt but my pants are no so tight now just a average ol’ dude i guess

What are some bands you are into? Any you suggest people check out?
old crow medicine show, jonathan richmen, the doors, anything rasta does me good too

What is your best story of a run in with the cops/security?
watch props megatour 4 when i was on with manmade and we were in miami and shit hit the fan with some security and alot more shit went down too

Any shout outs or thanks?
everyone at profile racing but mostly matt, my mom and dad a ton and my older brother for being a big part of getting me into riding, all my friends here like joey j, aaron s, paul for letting us have the trails, all the other orlando dudes too, my ol lady, all my pittsburgh buddys too like jeff and greg smee, bobby valentine, boner and punjab, chad degroot a bunch for everything he has done, ugp, steaz, duffs, odi, sun rims, and everyone who ever let me ride ther trails or stay at ther house and so many other things but its hard being put on the spot to thank everyone who needs it. so thanks to everyone i missed

Anything else you want to say?
everything is fun

How do you write an introduction for a guy whose been around BMX and is one of the main reasons for it still kicking ass. Chris Moeller is the kind of dude who everyone who has ever wanted to start a company wants to be. He is a kickass dude and has a lot of history behind him. Enjoy

S&M Bikes “board” meeting in the front office bowl.

Name:
Christopher Lawrence Moeller

Location:
Santa Ana California

All the sponsors over the years:
Team Mom and Dad, Robinson Racing, Peddlepower Bike Shop, Lucky’s Crew, BMX Action Magazine, ODI Grips, Airwalk Shoes, Life’s a Beach Clothing…S&M Bikes.

Years riding?
Since 1976 so that’s 32 years.

S&M has been around for a long time, how many years has it been now?
S&M will be 21 this year…its party time!

Credit: 23mag.com
Paramount Skate park 1982. This bowl was 16’ deep and had 8’ of vert on the face wall.

You had some big things come out lately, like the L.T.F frame, what can we expect to see for 08′ or in the works?
We’re bringing out a new Dirtbike frame, and we have a few top secret projects in the works now like a V-bar, a Uni Seat, some drilled out rims, and a plastic pedal. You know…really innovative, new stuff that’s never been done before.

Does S&M have any plans for a team road trip or video? Anything of that sort at all?
There is a new team video being filmed now…Matt, Josh and Cameron just got back from Australia and they are heading to Austin, then the UK and Canada.

With so many different brands under the same roof, all of which seem to do really well, does it ever get too wild?
It get’s a little hectic sometimes but we all do yoga together and mellow out. S&M is a very spiritual company…a lot of people think we drink a bunch or smoke weed to relax but actually we’re more into transcendental meditation and getting in touch with our feelings.

With being a busy guy, how much time do you actually get to spend on your bike these days?
I’ve been riding some local trails lately but I haven’t been riding as much as I’d like to. I’ve been heavy into hacky sacking and Frisbee golf lately.

After all this time, what hurts the most?
It hurts my feelings to see riders argue with each other on the message boards. Please guys let’s just work together to enjoy this beautiful planet and the wonderful gift of biking.

What are some of your worst injuries?
Seriously, my right hip and knee are fucked. I’ve had some other injuries and various surgeries but this thing with my leg is killing me. Getting old ain’t cool man.

You were thrown out of racing, what are some things you are banned from doing?
I got banned from my local bar. No big deal…I just moved to a new town.

It doesn’t seem like S&M does controversial ads like it used to be, what ever happened to that?
No one can take a joke nowadays, and besides riding BMX bikes is so important I don’t want to make light of it. It’s not just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle bro.

Photo: Bmxtransition.com
S&M Bikes…still made in the USA!

What is the best story you have involving you and the police?
BMX or not related at all. Ah the Police…my favorite. My favorite Police stories are the ones that involve ex BMX’ers that turn into cops. We had a party busted up at the POW house once and the cop was Gary Turner’s (GT Bicycles founder) son…that was funny because he busted in and knew who half the riders were.

What exactly causes you to be such a trouble maker anyways?
I guess I have a problem with authority although I’ve mellowed out with age…like a fine wine or expensive cheese or some shit.

Define a perfect day?
Doing something outside that’s fast paced i.e. shredding the knar and then celebrating with some libation, preferably in a large tub of hot water to ease the pain.

What do you think of the current state of BMX? Would you change anything if you could?
It seems cool to me. I can’t complain. People are doing what they want and that’s all that matters.

If you could do one trick for the rest of your life what would it be?
Tricks are for kids…I just want to ride fast once in awhile without excruciating pain.

What is one trick you have never been able to no matter how hard you tried?
I never tried that hard. If it didn’t work for me I just forgot about it.

Who are some of the people you looked up to most over the years?
I always liked Duane Peters the skateboarder and I was into Bob Hannah the old school MX rider. I liked all the action sports more before the big money came into the picture.

Who are some of your favorite people to ride with?
I like riding with the guys from work and/or old friends I’ve ridden with on and off for years.

What do you think you would be doing if you never got involved with BMX?
Probably something with skateboarding, MX or surfing. I was also into computers as a kid so I might have gone that route.

Outside of work and riding, what are some of your interests?
Snowboarding, skating, surfing, and old motorcycles right now. I also spend a lot of time traveling with my girl.

What are some things you would like to accomplish in the next few years?
I’d like to get my hip replaced and continue to dial the business in. Continue to do active shit.

Being in magazines all the time, what are the current ones you receive?
I don’t subscribe to any magazines but I get all the Transworld ones as promos and I read all the BMX mags I can.

Who or what are the biggest influences in your life?
Mainly gangsta rap…just livin that thug life and being a G. Know what I’m sayin?

What kind of music are you into?
Right now I’m kind of into country rock type shit. Like Drag the River, Mike Ness, Lucero, etc.

If you could spend the day with anybody alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Hervé Villechaize. He was Nik Nak in James Bond’s Man with the Golden Gun and Tattoo in Fantasy Island…the dude was little but lived large. I’d like to roll with a bad-ass midget like that for a minute.

What would you do with the money if you won the lottery?
Same thing I’m doing now but with a little less stress and a few more luxuries.

What kind of advice do you have for kids just getting into BMX?
Have fun…it’s just BMX.

What kind of advice do you have for people who want to start a company or business?
Enjoy what you do, put the work in and innovate something.

Do you have any shoot-outs or thanks?
I’d like to thank everyone that has bought a bike from us, we appreciate it!

Anything else you would like to add?
Thanks.

Chris and the P.O.W.’s from Steve Emig’s the Ultimate Weekend video 1990.

Adam is the kind of guy that everyone has an opinion on. Some like him, some hate him, but that is up to the person to decide. If it weren’t for him this site would probably have flopped. He helped me out and it worked and I owe him for that. When we talked about an interview we decided on staying away from the come up as much as possible but there is times where it is neccesary. So this is what we got out of it

Name:
Adam John Grandmaison AKA Adam22 AKA The White Truth

Photo: Aaron Buckley

Location:
Originally from Nashua, New Hampshire. Currently reside in Woodside NY.

Sponsors:
Zip zero.

Years riding:
11 I think.

Your career choice is uncommon, where would you like to or where are you going to take it from here?
I never dreamed about running a website, that’s not something I’m passionate about. It’s just something I happen to be good at and I like doing it. In terms of what I am going to do in my life once I’m done running websites for a living, that’s a damn good question, I have no fucking clue.

You have a few projects in the works with music and online community going, care to share or is it still on the down low?
There are two projects in the works that I’m involved with that aren’t related to The Come Up. The first is a community/original content site that I’m doing along with Chad Shack and Harrison Boyce. Basically it’s going to be a community site like Myspace for BMXers… That isn’t a new idea, but we’re going to produce a huge amount of original videos, interviews, articles and more. The whole reason we want to start this site is because there are other sites out there making online content, but they aren’t speaking to us. If you ask around, everyone says the same thing, that they aren’t feeling any of the sites producing content ( believe me, we asked pretty much every company at Interbike ). There is a disconnect between what kids want and what those sites are doing. I can appreciate some of the stuff they do, but a lot of it is just boring and bland. With me, Chad and Harrison having to okay everything that goes up on this site, you know everything on there’s going to be dope.

The second project has nothing to do with BMX. Ever since The Come Up really took off, I’ve been thinking about how I could apply the same concept to another type of site. I’ve always been pretty into hardcore music and I really thought that a site like The Come Up but focused on Hardcore content could be huge. But I kind of lack the connections and knowledge in that department, so I put the idea on the back burner until I had the idea to team up with my friend Kris Mission on it. Kris is an older dude from Boston who I’ve known for a few years… He runs a record label, books a lot of the shows in the Boston area, owns a screen printing business and used to own a skate shop. And he has connections with pretty much every band and label in hardcore and commands a lot of respect, so I presented the idea to him and he was unbelievably stoked on it. We’ve been working on it ever since and it should be ready to launch soon.

When you first started doing things on the internet, did you ever expect it to become what it has for you?
No, I just wanted to start a blog posting cool videos that I saw on BMXBoard. I never knew that it was possible to make legit money from advertising or to get the kind of following The Come Up has.

Contrary to what all the anonymous kids think, you are actually a pretty solid rider, why isn’t there more film and photos of you popping up?
Haha, I don’t know about solid, every 16 year old kid I know is better than me these days. I don’t really see the filming/photo side of riding being my lane at this point… It’s fun to film a trick or shoot a photo once in a while but I’m not killing myself trying to learn new things, I’d rather take it easy on my body and hang out. To me, riding isn’t about going to the skatepark and killing myself trying to learn something for a few hours, it’s about chilling and fucking around on a curb for 20 minutes and then eating pizza and sitting around for 3 hours.

Photo: Evan Butts

What are some of your favorite things to do on your bike?
My favorite thing to do really is just go out with my friends on a Friday night and hang out around the city 20 deep, drink some beers, talk shit, yell at some people, talk to some girls, go to parties and shit… Trick wise, I pretty much like riding ledges more than anything else. Maybe some wedges or a handicapped rail, that’s pretty much it. My dream spot would probably be a 3 stair with a waxed up ledge in the vicinity of it that you could do manual lines on between the two.

What are some things you hate to do on your bike?
I hate riding on grass or dirt. Like there’s a time for everything, but I’d always rather ride on some smooth concrete. I also hate riding indoor skateparks more than pretty much anything. It’s seriously the most insane thing to me how gay the kids that those places churn out are. Actually riding skateparks is fun sometimes if they are outdoors and preferably concrete with good ledge set ups, but the whole indoor park experience is the worst shit on earth, dealing with the lame kids, shitty music, having to wear a helmet, having to pay etc.

How much time do you find to ride?
It varies a lot week to week… I definitely ride every day although sometimes it’s just riding around doing errands, I probably go into the city and ride with everyone at least 3 times a week. Kind of depends on if I’m in good health or not.

You get to ride with a lot of big dogs but there’s also a large number of unknown guys, who do you ride with the most or who are your favorite people to ride with?
My favorite person to ride with is Adam Tardif, this kid I grew up riding with in Nashua. In NYC I usually ride with Muffinman, Scallion, Day Day AKA Cook Crack Crookshank and a few other jerks. In terms of more well known dudes, Chase D is always fun to ride shit with, we’re into riding a lot of the same spots, he’s just 100 times better at riding them. Seth Kimbrough was really fun to ride with last summer.

Photo: Some Random Asian Girl

You have talked about a few spots you have been seen over time but never got around to riding. What are they and when are you going to get on those?
The only one that really stands out in my head is this kinked rail I really want to grind up. It’s not even that crazy, if Tom White went there tomorrow he’d probably do it first try, you just have to go really really fast and that’s always something I have an issue with haha.

If you could remove one person from anything related to BMX who would it be and why?
It’s honestly hard to even think of anyone. Like, I had an issue with Steve-O, and look where he is now. He lost all his sponsors and he’s been in fucking jail for 2 months. I fucked up his whole life til he couldn’t take it anymore and beat up his girl. There are other people in BMX that I don’t like, but none that I dislike so much that I wish they would quit riding. Even with the Borat from Grindstate situation, I don’t have anything serious against that kid, I hope he keeps riding, I hope his website does well, I just wanted to teach him a little lesson about disrespecting me so I felt the need to smack him around a little. With Steve-O it was different, that’s someone that was supposed to be a good friend and he shitted on all of us. He can’t come around anymore.

If you could change anything about BMX, what would it be and why?
Most importantly, I think people need to just get off skateboarding’s dick. The fact that Rich can’t put out a shoe without 100 comments about it looking like a pair of Vans is just lame. Rich can’t do a web video without someone comparing it to some skate video. You can’t use a song for a video without someone pointing out that it was in a skate video 8 years ago. Just shut the fuck up and get their beef out of your mouthes, skating is dope but it doesn’t have anything to do with BMX. I don’t skateboard, I ride a BMX bike and I’m proud of it.

Do you feel that if you lived somewhere else, like Texas, you would be a different person?
Every person is just a product of all of their experiences, so I’d definitely be a different person if I grew up in a different environment. But I grew up around people who were really into trails and I’ve never even hit a dirt jump, so in that way, I think I probably would have ended up a street fag either way.

What are some things bmx and non bmx related you would like to accomplish in the next few years?
Just keep running the site, work on the new sites and just get money. Travel, ride some new shit and have a lot of fun, more or less.

It seems like lately you have had the chance to travel more, where are some places you have gone and any reasons in particular?
I really haven’t been too many places recently, I went to Hawaii, all over Europe and to Thailand a few years ago though. I’m going to Mexico for Elevation on the 8th though so that should be fun. I love being home but I’m always looking for a chance to go to different countries.

With your first DVD out that seemed to do real well, do you plan on doing another anytime soon?
Probably not, I just wanted to do a DVD to be able to say I did it and see what it was like. There’s no money in it and I’m already really busy with other shit.

Who are some dudes you have been impressed with lately riding or non riding wise?
Marlon Europe and Joey Piazza come to mind, I’ve seen both of them do some wild shit lately. Oh and I went and rode Philly for a few days recently and Randy Brown impressed me a lot, that guy’s crazy.

Outside of riding and “work” what are some things you are into?
Lifting weights, running, hanging out with my friends, drinking, reading, girls, relaxing. And just trying to figure out how to be happier and more content in general.

You used to play poker and did pretty well for yourself are you done with it, still hustling, or is it just something you do for fun from time to time?
I played poker full time for like 3 years. At first I loved it, by the end I hated it. Poker was the reason I stopped all the criminal activity I had been doing, but once I realized how much money I could possibly make from running websites, I had to quit that shit, it was just so stressful. People call me money hungry and shit, but to me that’s a compliment. They don’t know the shit I’ve been through. I feel grateful every day I’m not in jail for all the shit I did when I was younger.

What are some bands you are into? Any that you would suggest?
You should check out my room mate’s band, Incendiary, they are hard as nails: www.myspace.com/incendiaryhc
Personally I only really listen to Cassidy lately.

It seems like a lot of people who have never had any sort of contact with you have this super bad image of you, care to clear that up for people or maybe share how you feel about all that?
They can all suck my dick, I could give a fuck less whether people like me or not. If you have an issue with me, ask me in person or write me an Email or something and I’ll be happy to explain myself, if not, eat my shit.

Your into tattoos, are they just fun to look at or do they have some meaning? I know you had just gotten a new one.
Most of my tattoos have a sort of cryptic anti-christianity vibe to them. I have a really strong distaste for any and all religions, primarily Christianity since that’s the garbage I grew up being taught to believe. The only reason I really like having that shit tattooed on me is just because I’m attracted to it image wise. All my tattoos definitely have a meaning to them although in some cases it’s not what you think. I have a big tiger tattooed on my neck just because I wanted to get a crazy tattoo that would make it so I could never get a normal job, to make sure that I could never consider that as an option.

Photo: Keith Romanowski

Cats, where did this weird trend start and what do you think about all of this?
I never really liked animals at all my whole life until my old girlfriend Katie got a cat about a year ago. Within a week or two of getting it, I had fallen in love and became temporarily obsessed with them. Even though her and I aren’t dating now, I still go see the cats a couple times a week. There’s something about the pointlessness of their lives that I really like.

You’ve written a few things for magazines, is that something you could see yourself doing more seriously in the future?
I wrote that Preconceived Notions article for Ride just because I thought it was a good idea and it seemed like something fun to do. It was very rewarding to see it printed. Keith and I are working on an article right now about underground riders in NYC that I’m stoked on, we already have some amazing photos for it… As for how into it I am, I don’t think I’d want to work full time for a magazine or anything but writing comes really easily to me so it’s fun doing stuff here and there.

If you could go anywhere in the world to ride or visit, where would you go and why?
I really want to go to Australia. There’s this girl I want to get tattooed by out there, and it just seems like a lot of fun. I am going to bring Liam a drive train when I go out there.

Who or what are the biggest influences in your life?
Mike Schueler, Dietrech Washington, Adam Tardif and my parents.

What is BMX to you?
A good excuse to hang out with my friends all day doing stupid shit.

What kind of advice do you have for people getting into BMX?
Buy a can of flat black Krylon and spraypaint whatever gay looking orange frame you buy, stupid colored frames = buns.

What kind of advice do you have for people looking to getting into the website business?
Don’t bother.

Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
Shout outs to Ryan Denehey for helping me get my money up, Greg Rossetti for the same thing, Katie, also my mom, dad, sister and all the young NYC blacks.

Anything else you would like to say?
Quit hating.