Innehållsförteckning för 221 från Slam Skateboarding

You’re holding in your hands a little piece of history – the 30 Year Anniversary Edition of Slam Skateboarding Magazine. Three decades have passed since the former publisher, Morrison Media, took a risk on a new magazine in a competitive market; three or four other skate mags were already on the Australian newsstands. Peter Morrison briefed Slam’s original editor, Mike Perry: “I don’t care if this loses money for the entire first year. Just go for it and kick their arses.” Mike was a surfer from California who started skating in 1959. He grew up just a stone’s throw from Venice Beach, rolling through the steel-wheel era, on to clay and eventually witnessing the ultimate upgrade to urethane, which his roommate, Frank Nasworthy, invented! Mike was 42-years-old when he took…

Happy 30th birthday for earlier this year. What did you do to celebrate? I had a bunch of close mates come skate Tugun skatepark and then had some drinks at the Tugun footy club. A bunch of fellas flew up from Melbourne for it, so it was good. Nothing too hectic. So, the question most Australian skateboarders would want to know, is where have you been? Not long after your cover of our December issue in 2013, you slipped out of the limelight. What made you pull away from the scene? “I LIKE TO DRINK, AND I LIKE TO PARTY, BUT AT THE START, I THINK IT WAS A BIT NUMBING TO DEAL WITH SHANE [CROSS] AND MY MUM’S DEATHS.” I didn’t mean to pull away from the scene. I…

So you’ve been out to Australia a few times by now? Do you like it out here? Yeah, I think this is the fourth. Australia is one of my favourite places. It’s just so fucking far. It’s far as hell out here, but it’s dope, I fuck with it. Have you got a lot of friends out here by now? That one dude, Jarrad [Carlin] is sick. But he’s actually not Australian, he’s from New Zealand. And that dude Robert Pace, I met him recently. I really fuck with that dude, he’s cool. I met him in The States kinda recently. He fucks with older BMWs and shit. I think he has a 318iS but it’s built, like a race car, it’s sick. He does work with his dad, and…

As you look upon the photos throughout this feature, you’ll notice a combination of distinguished legends and young trailblazers. These young men took a nine-day coastal trip from Sydney to Brisbane, which consisted of raw skateboarding and constant shit talk, inevitably muddled with some good old-fashioned “male bonding” over a couple of beers (just for good measure). So why would these people, in particular, be chosen to collectively represent this brand? And would it even work? To give you some insight and provide the method to my madness, I encourage you to read on as I introduce you to my newest creation for RVCA Australia and explain why our recent maiden voyage has given me hope for things to come. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the…

How old were you the first time you came to Australia? I was thinking about that earlier. I’m pretty sure I was 16 on Kyle’s SOTY trip. Or no, I was 17 and then I came back for the Manly contest, the [Vans] Park Series they had, and I was 18 there. And then you came back for Jamie Foy’s SOTY trip too. Yeah, Jamie’s SOTY trip was my third time and this trip is my fourth time. I love it out here. It’s amazing. It’s got the beaches, the spots, the beautiful women. It’s got it all. And I heard recently that you went on a trip in the US with a bunch of Aussie Nike guys. Yeah, so Mike Sinclair organised a trip to North Carolina and he…

The back yard pool is ever alluring and ever elusive. How many times have you been at someone’s house and just drooled at the thought of emptying their swimming pool and grinding the fuck out of the virgin tiles with your back truck? If you’re anything like me, then it’s all the time. So here’s a little tale about how you can make your dry-pool wet dreams come true. Apparently one in 12 Australian homes has a swimming pool. This staggering statistic means that even on your street, right outside your window, right at this very moment, there are up to five potential concrete bowls just sitting there, wasting their lives away being full of pissy water and leaves. How many pools have you skated this year? Or in the…

You were living in The States for quite a while – how long have you been back living in Sydney? I moved home around three years ago. I grew up in Sydney, so everything I know is here. All my friends and family. It just happens to be one of the greatest places on earth, so I’m lucky to be from here. You rep Sydney pretty hard. Has it been fun showing the Real guys around your city? Always gotta put on for Sydney. It’s cool to have good friends out here and show them how we live. Anyone who comes through always has a great time. What were the most mind-blowing tricks you saw on the trip? Zion and Ishod skated a rail out in Castle Hill [that] I’d…

So you’re originally from Revesby, in South-Western Sydney. What was it like growing up there? Growing up there was pretty chill. It’s real suburban and pretty quiet nowadays. When I was growing up there, it was a bit of a chat place. I guess some of the people that lived there were pretty cooked. When they first built Revesby Skatepark, it was pretty much the hub for all the lads in the area to hang out and smoke bongs and ciggies and ride scooters. I was only like 12-years-old when that got built, so it was always pretty sketchy going down there. It’s not that far from the city, and it’s only 35 or 40 minutes away on a train. It still fucking sucks though because Sydney transport is skint.…