Chase Robertson : A Blue Collar Scooter Rider

Over the last decade I've watched scootering explode from nothing into a full blown industry.  While it's crazy to see where we've gotten in this short amount of time it kind of bums me out when all the kids talk about is "sponsorship."  It's rare to see riders who are truly dedicated to the sport and don't give up once they get past their teenage years.  A lot of kids seem to think if you don't make the sponsorship "cut" or you get hurt, your riding days are over. My buddy Chase is a solid example of a true scooter rider.  Chase lives in Portland, Oregon and works for Phoenix.  He doesn't give a shit about sponsors, he's recovering from a broken leg, but he still lives to ride.  Here's a conversation we had the other night.

Hey man, lazy Saturday?

Yessir, rains keepin me inside.

Oh damn it's already that bad? Is it gonna be raining a lot from now on?

Yeah probably, it'll be wet for a week at a time sometimes so when it's dry you gotta be on the ball to get some riding in.

Haha thats insane, I'd freak out if it just didnt dry up. So is your leg fully functioning again?

Yeah finally, feels so good to have that stupid boot off. I’ve been riding at full steam again the past week or so.

Hell yeah man, was that your first broken bone?

Yep, broke the outside metatarsal. I've been pretty lucky this far i suppose.  After this long it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Yeah man I still havent broken a bone yet, my days are numbered.

No kidding? Better count those blessings man.

I know, knock on wood right? So when did you start riding? and where you originally from?

Well I got my first scooter in like 2001 or something when it was first blowin up but it wasn't till 2007 that I started  going to parks and stuff. I was into mountain biking then but I'd always break parts, so at some point I couldn't ride my bike and grabbed my old b model out of the garage and tried some tailwhips. I started watching some videos online and found SR and got hooked after that.  Im from Bend Oregon and It was only my buddy Nick Toigo and i at the start, everyone else kinda thought it was a joke, they were more into snowboarding and mountain biking.

Hahah it's funny how things turn out, how does it feel to come from riding a B-model in your garage to work in a full blown scooter scene?

Its super rad to have watched it all happen. If you would have asked me then what i thought id be doing, working for a scooter company would have been the last thing. I feel lucky to be where im at for sure.

So when you got into riding did you ever want to pursue sponsorships? or were you more down to put some labor in?

It was in the back of my mind when i was starting out but it seemed like I was miles away from these dudes who lived for it. I figured id be able to carve my own path whether or not I was sponsored, I just wanted to keep riding.

That's rad dude I respect that a lot, so what kind of work you doin at phoenix?

Im workin with steel day in day out. I do most of the work on the bars and our steel forks before our welder puts em together. I help Evan and Cooper ship stuff out sometimes too. Its pretty gnarly sometimes but i like it, i couldn't handle sitting at a desk 8 hours a day ya know.

Yeah man fuck those cubicle sheep jobs, so do you have any plans to start your own world dominating scooter company down the road?

Haha nah no plans, maybe a dream but its just scattered ideas in my head right now. I've always wanted to work for myself though and that seems like the best way to do it. I guess time will tell.

Word up man, well im gonna wrap this up with what's the craziest thing you've witnessed in portland? hobo wars? hipster dramas?

I saw these two fat homeless chicks get in a fight outside this church across the street from my apartment. They started yelling and one of em shoved the other one down and started wailin on her pretty heavy. They got up and shook hands right after though. I couldn't help but laugh at the whole thing.

There you have it, you don't need to be a sponsored rider to live the scoot life.  If you truly care about scooter riding,  try harder to get yourself involved in the industry.  We need a scene that is run by the riders, that's the only way to secure a safe path for the future.

- McKeen

The Parrish Isaacs Interview

The Parrish Isaacs Interview

Alright man how old are and how did your parents come up with the name “Parrish”?

I'm a week shy of 16, and from the artist Maxfield Parrish.  They didn't want to name me Max because my great aunt was with some guy named Max and they didn't like him?  I dunno, I used to not like it but I think its kinda cool now.

Hahah that's pretty tight, max is kinda plain anyway. So where do you live in Vermont? And how did you get into riding out there in them hills?

I live down in the southern part, near the Green Mountain National forest, which is a wonderful piece of protected wilderness.  And its kinda weird.  My dad gave me this floppy disk cam and I was looking around for floppy disks one day, and I came across RVM1 that came with my Razor I got for my sixth birthday, that was right when we moved to Vermont, I had just turned eight. I skated through fifth grade and through seventh grade, after seventh grade I got my first legit scooter and haven't stopped since.

Dang you've been at it for awhile then. So I know you can't be riding scoots all the time in VT, do you ski or snowboard in the winter?

Yeah I snowboard pretty much every day in the winter, get riding in when I can but the local indoor park is kinda hard to get into because its owned by the ski academy, and the guys with the keys aren't always around.  Snowboarding is definitely one of my biggest influences in my riding. I get pretty into snowboarding, but every spring when the snow melts I know I have more fun scootering haha.

Yeaahhh scootin rules everything. From watching your vids, the spots around you seem pretty scarce. What keeps you stoked on riding? You thinking of moving to the city one day?

I mean I can't fucking stand the city, I really love being in nature but I think it might get to me.  I might have to move to the city for a while just because of all the spots.  It is really fun finding really gnarly spots to ride driving around these mountain roads.  You just have to be able to adapt to shit, because usually there are only a handful of tricks you can do on a spot without getting maimed haha.  I have so much fun cruising just through the little roads around my house, the city is a whole nother level, I go crazy when I'm there its soooo fun to just cruise, get lost in the constant shit that happens.  There is always stuff going on between people in the city, up here you don't get the same--social experiences I guess is a way to put it.

I can dig that. You do a lot of your own editing and it's safe to say they’re not like anyone else's scooter edits, slow songs, poetic verses..what inspires you to be different?

I guess its just a mass of conformity in our culture, and a lack of being in touch with yourself.  Its a lot of things, but I think most of all its the beauty of the place I live, the people I have met, the places I have gone, the substances I've come in contact with, literature, art, I had really awesome English and art teachers through middle school and still do, i early on got really into that stuff, the counterculture, the sixties, the beat poets, surrealist painting, all sorts of things can help you pass through different doors of perception that tend to make you who you are, mine just might be a little different than other people's. My parents aren't the most typical people either, always encouraged me to be who I am and to stand up for what I know is right.  And my mom always made sure I knew to treat people well, no matter what background they came from.  To be accepting of people, that’s really important to me.

That's really rad dude, well I think that pretty much tops it off. Got anything else to say?

Just to be yourself, don't let people's perception of you effect who you are and what you do.  Don't do what everyone else is doing because you want to feel included.  Appreciate everything you have and the crazy miracle that is life on this planet, don't try to figure every little detail out because you'll drive yourself crazy.  Don't smoke too much weed because you'll get lazy, and down with Monsanto, the Federal Reserve, and Halliburton, they're ruining this amazing country and taking away your freedom and nature for their personal gains.  Peace out, go fucking shred the gnar and thank your mother earth, and support your local famer's market and skate shop. Thanks to Matt for putting me on here, Sam and Tanner for driving me around, Mom and Dad for being the shit and supporting me, and Sarah for being the best girlfriend ever.  And thanks anyone who's ever made legit scooter parts.

Check out Parrish's latest edit!

- McKeen

Sunday Funday with Yara Haynes

Jah blessed us last minute with these clips of Yara Haynes, check em out and go shred on this fine Sunday.

Trendkill Road Trip : Philly to Chicago

After a month of sitting around and smoking our faces off in Philadelphia Hep, Logan, & I were ready to go on any possible road trip.  For us, the Chicago jam has taken over the glory of what used to be the Brooklyn banks jam a couple years back.  So there was no one way we were gonna miss out on it.  My car got fucked last year from the 12 hour drive so we had to rent a car this year which turned out to be the best fucking idea ever.  Thrifty car rental, get the Ford Fuzion!! It was like we were riding a space ship across the Midwest.  Anyway here are some photos I managed to snap amongst all the mayhem.  

We made our first stop in central PA, Logan's hood. Stopped at this fun little tranny park in Williamsport.

 

Hep Greg - No hands

Nosepick from Logan or toothpick, whateva.

Picked up the camping gear & chilled with our boy Duney

Greg copped a new DVX, Say sayonara to the GL2

Fucking Ohio and their shitty ass fast food

After our first night of driving we made it to Ohio and decided to stop at a random campground at 2 am, of course it was closed but I snagged a map from the office and we heading to the back of the campsite so no one would find us. 

And then Karma struck at 6AM in the morning, our tent got flooded by a downpour of rain.  Logan had bought a bottle of rum so we chugged it quick and ran outside to take the tent down.

Greg was Salty

"The Seawalls"
The Jam this year turned out to be a pretty big bust, we got immediately kicked from 3 of the spots we went too.  A lot of the older guys were just chilling out watching the groms.  It was sick to watch the new guys shred it this year, I'm not sure where everyone was from but there were some hammers being thrown down by dudes I'd never seen before.

"The Rittler Rail"
This was easily the sickest spot of the jam, everyone was feeding off each other's hype and the riding was gnarly.  Deprived of legit handrails in Philly, Logan went fuckin hambone when he saw this rail.  Lip, Frontboard, Backlip, and Icepick, if we didn't get kicked I know he would of just kept going.  The ground at this rail sucks though, pebbly sandpaper, instant hand holes if you fell.

"Tom K vs. the Pigs"
While riding back on the train from Chicago we spotted this giant ass bank from the window.  Tom said he'd been meaning to hit this for awhile.  We loaded up the van the next day and headed to Blue Island.  The cops came to kick us out before he got a real try but that didn't matter.  We paced around the parking lot for a second and came right back stealth mode so Tom could get it in.

A lot of people still think about the infamous fall when they hear Tom K but I just think about how gnarly it is that he's still shreddin after all the bullshit he went through. Fuck yeah dude.

The Tilt Squad

We parted ways with the Tilt homies sunday night and starting our trip back home.  Around 2 am again we stopped in Ohio to try and find a random park to sleep in.  We came across "Bible Park" in the middle of nowhere, how appropriate.

While setting up the tent in the middle of night we heard the howls of coyote pack across the pond, but we said fuck them cause we were too tired to care.  "We're dead" Logan kept sayin.

The pond creature of Bible Park

"Board to Fakie from the bank"
On our way back from Chicago we decided to stop in Pittsburgh, PA for a little spot lurking.  I wish I had taken more photos cause Pittsburgh has maaad spots everywhere.  This was at the MLK school, there was some dude there watching and I guess decided that he liked us. He wrote us directions to some skateparks and even offered us a place to stay for the night.  But we declined, on the note that he could of either smoked us all out or wanted to kill us. 

"Keeping the youth hooked"
There little dudes were stoked to see us riding MLK, their grandmother kept telling "they bigga than you!" to keep them from trying tricks, but that didn't stop em.  They had them janky ass scoots though, so Logan the scooter technician helped em out.

"Boyce Park"
After Greg's cam died we decided to hit the road and get back to Philly, but shortly after getting on the highway Logan saw a sign for a park that he knew.  We skirted off the exit and got a sunset session in, twas glorious.

After this road trip I've realized how awesome and cost efficient it is to just camp out instead of finding some cheap hotel.  I'd advise everyone to do the same if your planning on going on a riding road trip soon.  It may be a shittier night's sleep and you might get rained on but at least you'll get some stories out of it. 

- McKeen

Ali Kermani Interview

In every sport theres always this one dude who always been around. Ali Kermani started out Shredding then quickly jumped to working for razor working as the team manager for that siick team we all wanted to be on as kids, he watched scooters roller coaster threw their popularity and stuck around for it all. When we started Trendkill  Ali was the first person that came to mind that I wanted to shoot the shit with and hear all these rad storys from the start of it all so Ali and I recently got to talking and got this on the go for all you shredders. The Man himself...Ali Kermani
So you were already barging concert on a skateboard before razor came to you with this foreign 2 wheeled object.. how did this come about n what were your first thoughts?

A few years before Razor started, I met a guy named Carlton Calvin at a local skatepark who was trying to make a skate video to help promote his company's new product called 'Finger Board' (predecessor to Tech Deck). His idea was to make a video that showed tricks on a skateboard and then the same tricks on one of his Finger Boards. After chatting a bit, he hired me to provide footage of the skateboard tricks. Then, a couple years after that Finger Board project had ended, Carlton hit me up one day out of the blue, asked me if I still skateboarded, and asked if I'd be willing to help him try to start a new sport using high quality folding aluminum scooters. Apparently he had read an article in the L.A. Times about how these scooters were a very popular mode of transportation for Japanese businessmen and thought that they might also be popular among American kids who were interested in action sports like skateboarding and BMX. So he hired me again, this time to provide footage of "whatever tricks I could come up with on a scooter". To be honest, my first thoughts were a mix of stoke and pride. I was stoked that this guy was going to pay me to fuck around with a cool looking toy. And my pride came in when I realized that making a dope looking video on a scooter with zero past experience was going to be a real challenge... and I love overcoming challenges.
 
hahaa how can you say no to that!! you had to see what he was talking about and take the dare. skateboarders always enjoy trying out my scooter and they all have that awkward way going about it, for you how was it stepping on er for the first time? since the biggest problem is compared to a skateboard it has that small deck and bars added in. how confident were you that you could over come the challenges that was brought to the table with knowing nothing about scooters, what did you first go for and barge?

To be honest, my initial plan was to handle the filming portion and get my friends that were way better skaters than me to do the tricks, but I quickly found that a lot of my homies were more concerned about their 'image' than about getting paid. At the time, I didn't understand them at all and didn't have time to waste, so I got someone else to film, and I got busy trying to learn tricks and stack clips. The main challenges I faced in transitioning from a skateboard to a scooter involved the handlebars. I didn't have a scooter growing up and my bikes always got stolen soon after I got them, so I didn't really have much handlebar experience. Since doing tricks on skateboards involves standing sideways and using your legs and upper body in a very specific coordinated manner, messing with that dynamic by tossing a handlebar in the mix was definitely a challenge at first, but it also opened a lot of new doors. Specifically, I remember one day early on when I was struggling to learn to tailwhip on flat and thought to myself... fuck this... I have handlebars... I'm going to just go fast and jump off some shit. There was a long and low 3 gap 3 at our local high school that I had broken myself off on countless times while trying to ollie it, so that was the first place I went. My record with that double set at that point was something like 3 landed ollies out of 420 attempts... so when I hopped down it with the scooter first try, it was game on! I spent the rest of that day and that summer hopping and 360ing down every street gap and stair set I could find. I always rode street spots, because that's basically all I had experience with and easy access to. This was like summer of 1999 I believe, and the only skatepark I knew of was an hour away in Huntington Beach (and it sucked), so I spent the summer learning how to shred a scooter in empty schools, parking lots, and local skate spots. Little did I know what was coming.

thats a pleasing thought knowing it mostly started in the streets. The first video i ever seen was a VHS called "scooterz" theres a section in it with bunch of dudes shreddin and you were actually one of the killers in it. i was soo stoked on it that i actually took your style from it n went with it. whats the story behind getting to hook up to film for that?

Todd Grossman, the guy that was making that video, was looking for some 'trick riders' and somehow got my number. I remember getting a call from some random guy that wanted to film me riding, and since the whole point of what I was doing for Razor at that point was to try to get a sport started, I said 'YES!' figuring any publicity was good publicity. Turned out that while that video was cheesy as hell, Todd was a super chill guy and we've actually become good friends over the past 13 years. There were actually a couple weird video/movie things that happened during that initial craze in 2000. I remember we went on a crazy trip to New York with Jarret Reid, John Wilkening, and Jason Fry where the director of that movie Demolition Man (with Sylvester Stallone) paid us to be chauffeured around downtown Manhattan from spot to spot in a stretched limo. LMAO - It was pretty ridiculous.

you should throw the idea of doing "scooterz 2" at him with this big up roar were having. you seen it blow up n first scooter craze begin you had to put together a team of shredders. how did you find and put together the first scooter dream team.. that was "Razor team USA"

In the very beginning, I tried recruiting my friends that could skate or bike and were open-minded. Like me, they mostly struggled and learned tricks based on sheer determination. Gotta give props to these guys because they paved the way for a lot of what's going on now, but they ate a lot more shit doing it! John Wilkening, for example, did the first legit boardslide down a handrail (9 stair at the Brooklyn Banks) I ever saw on a scooter... but he did it based on brute force. I don't think much of anything we did back then had great style... we were just trying to land tricks no matter what it took. Then, after the product hit shelves and were in thousands of kids' hands, we started seeing the real talent emerge. Jason Fry was the first person I remember being a natural talent. His whole family showed up at one of our team practice sessions with a VHS of him riding and a TV and VCR Jerry-rigged in their minivan. I remember thinking it was weird, but as soon as I saw him ride, it was obvious he was on a different comfort level. After Jason, we met Jarret Reid, who took things up another notch. Unlike Jason, who had only ever ridden scooters, Jarret was seasoned rollerblader/biker/skateboarder/acrobat/stuntman/nut ball who was gnarly on just about anything you handed him. Jarret was able to combine his skills and craziness to significantly raise the bar on what could be done on a scooter. In addition to the first backflip and backflip variations ever, Jarret also was the first person to hit and flip a mega ramp on a scooter. Although we had had a number of riders come and go in the past, I'd say the first legit team we had was Jarret, Jason, John, and your boy.


cheers to all the og og bro's toughing it out to get er done properly, you guys definitely knew what you were doing. Ive noticed you are bringin back all the hype with phase two?


Yeah bro, Phase Two is awesome. Basically, the riders and I convinced Razor to create a completely separate brand that is focused only creating top quality parts for serious scooter riders, and then let us run it however we see best. Razor backs us financially, but leaves all the product design and brand management in our hands... which is basically every rider's dream. The result has been great for everyone involved: The riders now have creative control over the design and development of the products they ride (and get paid for it); Razor gets a new core focused sub-brand that is run by the experts in the field: the riders; and the industry gets a company focused on raising the bar with respect to product quality and performance as evidenced by innovations like John Radtke’s Dirt Scoot and the new 110 Spotlight deck. Everyone wins.

hell yee! i was getting tired of that B model profile getting reused over and over again. that dirt scooter really blew up tho dude! really shows you guys are not messing around. whats the current team line up?

In the U.S. our crew includes John Radtke, Big Ron, Tanner Markley, Jason Beggs, Ricky Wernicke, Michael Pytel, Trevor Navarre, Dustin Nooner, Jeremy Malott, and Austin Kuentz, as well as Danny Rambert and Cameron Ward on our Phase Two Dirt Team. In Europe the crew is O.G. Martin Kimball, his brother Graham, Lewis Crampton, Scott Higgs, and Finn Murphy. And in Australia the crew consists of Royce King, Zac Everingham, and Reece Alderton, with Phil Lagettie as T.M. Basically a small Army.

Noiicce!! Thats pre sick you guys are doing a dirt scoot team also. Cant go wrong with phil lagettie managing the auss team. Whats up with videos? Full length or wha?

As you know, we used to put out full length DVDs back in the RVM days, but those only came out once every year or two and often the clips were pretty dated by the time people saw the DVDs. As Youtube got bigger and Razor started wanting content to post, I saw an opportunity to benefit Razor, the riders, and myself. I started a video production company called Acoustic Productions, hired talented riders to help me film and edit videos, and now make weekly videos for Razor's various YouTube Channels including www.youtube.com/teamrazorworldwide and www.youtube.com/phasetwoscooters. Team Razor O.G. Ricky Wernicke is the main editor and my partner in crime at Acoustic.


I was always stoked on those! People always wrap interviews up with asking bout last words n such but what i want from you are those inspiring words you told me when i was younger looking for a sponsorship n what needed to be done.

Not sure what I told you back then, but my advice today would be to focus on having fun instead of getting sponsored. Focus on the stoke of landing a new trick and on the laughs you share with your homies. Focus on being yourself and developing your own style; your own way of expressing the art of riding. If you do all that well, you can never go wrong... sponsorship or not.

Sounds bout right. Thanks for everything man, Interview n all. You will always kill er n have that impact on the sport that i enjoyed back in the day.


-Peasley

Throwback Thursdays : Andrew Broussard Interview

Andrew is without doubt one of the founding fathers of the U.S. scooter scene.  Without him, riders wouldn't have been able to link up through S.R. forums and the scooter riding wouldn't be where it's at today.  I remember when I first visited Andrew he was working out of a small garage sized space just welding forks and bars on his own.  It's crazy to look back and see how far he's come.  Andrew is the epitome of rider owned companies. It's dudes like him that give me hope that the sport is heading in the right direction.

"Never Stop Creating"

• 
  
• Alright brohem, being one of the first rider owned companies in the industry, what drove you to start Proto? Give me the basics.
  
  
  My name is Andrew David Broussard. I was born on December 25, 1985 in San Diego, California where I still call home and I love riding scooters. 10 years ago, as a high school senior (January 2003), I launched a website called The Scooter Resource with the “if you build it they will come” force driving the project forward in a time in the sports history when riders were so few and far between that most people’s only interactions with other riders were through digital pictures and videos on the internet. It was my field of dreams, people came and nearly everything I have done in this industry/life over the last decade since has stemmed from “SR” and its success as one of the largest information resources for our sport. After the first few years riders became united and a strong community had formed around SR; a community that shared their desire for quality parts that were designed for the demands of freestyle riding as well as their hopes and dreams of a sport and an industry that did not exist. I had what I thought were great ideas and designs based on peoples requests and my own riding experiences but with very little manufacturing knowledge and no money it was an impossible task to see my visions realized. In the Summer of 2005 I got fired from my job, moved from San Diego, California to New Iberia, Louisiana and proceeded to work 84 hours a week on an oil drilling rig just outside the Gulf of Mexico for 6 months with the help of my family in Louisiana. I basically had nothing going for me except a dream that required money that no one in their right mind was going to give me to invest in an industry that didn’t technically exist. I moved back to San Diego at the end of 2005 with all the money I made in the oil field in the bank and began working a series of manufacturing jobs which taught me most of what I needed to know at the time to begin prototyping my designs. I started with forks because they were one of the weakest components and were one of the easiest parts to manufacture from a technical standpoint. I developed the first threadless fork and compression system now known as Inverted Compression System (ICS) under the brand “SR Parts” and sold them through the “SR Store”. Next were “BUFF” Bars using a BMX like stem and an interchangeable crossbar. As time progressed more companies came into the industry who I wanted to have equal opportunity through The Scooter Resource but having everything branded under the “SR” umbrella caused some conflicts so SR Parts were renamed PROTO scooters in 2008 and the SR Store became Freestyle Depot in 2010 effectively creating 3 totally separate operations; wholesale, retail and community.
  
  
  
  
  Holy shit, soo deep.
  
  
  Duh, what'd you think you were getting into.
  
  
  
  
  Well moving on then, when you started Proto, who were the original dudes on the team? how do you go about choosing who rides for Proto now?
  
  
  
  
  The first PROTO lineup from 2008 was actually a rebranded/merged combination of the SR "Pro" Team which consisted of Anthony "Twan" Bustos, Brandon Kilbury and Brian Murphy and the SR "Am" Team which consisted of Dylan Kasson, Elmer Ferreiras and Alex Steadman. In that order.  My general rule of thumb is not to sponsor anyone until I know them personally. I try to associate with people who have the same vision and passion for our industry which is something impossible to know until you really get to know a rider. When people talk about their teams being a "family" that sounds all fine and dandy to the kids reading it but the truth about PROTO is that these guys really are some of my closest friends beyond the business. They have all shown a level of dedication and passion for this sport and life that is hard to match. Though some of them have taken different paths away from PROTO for their own reasons, they were closer to me than most will ever be and I wish them well.
  
  
  
  
  So you guys are a completely USA made company, how do you feel about that and what are your thoughts on companies who get their parts done in china?
  
  
  I am very proud to say that PROTO components are 100% made in the USA but not because I think America is somehow superior, I am just against big business and globalization. I like to support my local industries because at the end of the day I can literally see the fruits of their labor as well as my own which makes it easy to sleep at night knowing I'm not supporting a society revolving around monetary slavery on the other side of the planet. I really can't stomach the thought of people making pennies on the dollar building something that they will never in their lifetime have the opportunity to ride and enjoy like we do. Don't get me wrong, places like China are completely capable of making high quality products but that is not why companies go there. They go to save money; money that I would have to spend on prescription medications to ease my conscience if I ever did such a thing. Unfortunately with the state of global affairs it is literally impossible for some people to support local brands that cannot exist where they are from but if you can you should because they very well could be employing your friends or family which directly effects the very community you live in on a daily basis.
  
  
  
  
  How do you view the sport being involved as a both a rider/owner? Has running Proto cut out your time to ride? What keeps the fire burning?
  
  
  Sometimes I wish I could walk away from the business and ride just for the sake of riding but I am from an older generation of riders who never had that opportunity or luxury. My goal, since the day I committed to it, has always been to ride the best parts possible for as long as possible and the only way to really do that is to be the boss designing everything so that’s what I did. What I didn’t know when I signed up was the amount of stress and responsibility that go along with the territory. Business has definitely taken its toll on my riding. I haven’t progressed much technically in years because I don’t have the time or energy to keep up with all the new “tricks” kids are doing these days but I was always part of the “go big” mindset anyways. When I do find time to ride I try to push my own limits by going faster, higher and farther. Before I attempt anything gnarlier than the last I get the most pure clear headed terrifyingly addictive sense of euphoria which is what keeps me coming back for more!
  
  
  
  
  You lot are the only team to release two full length videos on DVD, Is there a specific reason why you guys don't just do web edits? Why do you guys prefer DVD's??
  
  
  
  
  All full length films are made to tell a story or to document events and translate the feelings and emotions of them to the viewer. When I make a movie I try to document not only the individual riders’ personality, style and dedication but also the way we actually interact as a team. I do my best to tell a visual story about all these things in the hopes of conveying to the viewer what it was like to be there and the process it took to get there while giving insight on each rider and the team/company as a whole showing why we operate the way we do in our never ending hunt for the next best spot and the journey we take to find them. None of these things are possible with a web edit. Web edits, at best, are good for getting recognized by a potential sponsor or a good promotional outlet for dumping B footy. Web edits, in general, are quick and easy to make and are just as quick and easy to forget. When a company actually takes the time to plan, prepare and execute a full length movie it really speaks of their level of dedication to the sport and will never be forgotten. I have dedicated my life to enhancing every facet of this industry and I want that to be undeniable by the quality of the films we produce.
  
  
  I remember when we spoke before the release of Armageddon you said you probably wouldn't have your own part, but then you turned out having one of the gnarliest part's in the video. What was going through your head during the backyard set up? How long did it take to nail your hammer?
  
  
  
  
  I pretty much work all the time. I’m a slave to a business I created and love but going into it I never realized how much of my time it was going to consume and how much it was going to deprive my ability to ride. After we finished Catalyst and I finished touring with Nitro Circus Live the industry was really starting to blossom and the business required my undivided attention which took me away from riding and filming which was about the time I started wondering if I was ever going to be able to finish another video part. I finally came to my senses and realized that I cannot tout the rider owned flag if I’m not out there doing what I set out to do; ride. That realization came about 9 months before the Armageddon premiere which was a fraction of the amount of time I had to film for Catalyst then to top it off, on Sunday, April 1, 2012, I decided to start filming again and broke my hand warming up. No joke. I lost another 3 months rehabilitating my hand and arm which really made me second guess if a full video part was even possible but with 6 months left to go I figured there was only one way to find out. I went on every filming trip until the video was complete, which is the only time I can focus 100% on riding and filming when I’m away from the business with the exception of my back yard Baby Mega. I started construction on that ramp in the Summer of 2003 after I watched Danny Way’s part in the DC video and it has since undergone many renovations and additions. I had joked about flipping into the rollin for awhile then with about a month until the Armageddon deadline I realized that all the other potential enders I had in mind I just wasn’t physically/mentally ready for so things on the backyard ramp got real serious. I talked Josh Young and Chema Cardenas into putting in a couple late nights with me building another rollin and kicker into the big rollin then with a week to go until the filming deadline we rented a boom lift to get the epic aerial angles and I started throwing myself off the roof. It took me 4 days, a lot of close calls and a purple body to work my way up to sticking that clip. It was easily the hardest I have ever worked for a single clip. I had originally intended to try a lot more on that setup but I literally ran out of time before the video so that is just going to have to wait for my next web edit…
  
  
  
  
  So seeing as you're a founding father of this sport with S.R. and whatnot, what do you see in the future of the sport? Where do you see Proto in the coming years?
  
  
  
  
  I really think our sport and industry have limitless potential to grow. My only real concern is with the sport growing too quickly without a solid rider driven foundation backing it which is something that we do not currently have. We have grown so quickly in the last few years but not because riders are getting involved with the industry but because business men and investors see a potential gold mine and are dumping small fortunes into it which is great for growth but also has the ability to usher in a total collapse. I would really love to see more riders starting companies and fighting the good fight for the future of our sport because if we ever fall on hard times the big profit companies will pull out and only the core will remain which is where we need our strength. If you have the opportunity to support a rider owned operation just consider the future of your sport and it should be an easy decision to make. As for PROTO I don’t see anything changing. We are going to keep riding, filming, innovating and seeking like minded individuals who fit the PROTO mold. Whatever successes or failures we experience in the future just go with the territory. We are in it for the long haul.
  
  
  In your words, how do you define Proto? if some dude came up to you and asked what are you guys all about, what's the image you'd want to portray?
  
  
  Obviously PROTO started as a scooter company but really it represents a mindset that drives us forward. The name itself is literally short for “prototype” which in essence means it can never be complete because it is forever evolving in a new direction. Whatever we are today, we are not. Whatever you see is merely a stepping stone for the next level of progression and the only way to see it through to completion is with persistence, determination, dedication and passion… even though it is impossible for it to ever be complete because there is always something bigger and better ahead of you.
  
  
  
  
  Damn that was beautiful. Thanks man, really appreciate it.
  
  
  - McKeen

Parrish 4 Basic Bunch

Parrish comes from an area where you wouldn't consider finding anywhere to ride. Many of us take it for granted that we have an unlimited supply of spots and nice parks to shred on the regular. It shows true dedication when you can make an edit out of spots that most riders wouldn't even take a second glance at. This is an edit Parrish threw together for the Basic Bunch, loving the chill lofi vibes.

- McKeen