Friday, July 28

Andrew Reynolds Interview

Here's a short intro for this semi-sweet interview with Andrew Reynolds. Not much to say that won't be covered in the Q&A. It's all there - a few vital statistics, a bit of humor and personality, Andrew's views on geographical issues, as well as a glimpse into his feelings on the world of sport. Beginning, middle, and end. And, of course, there's skateboarding. He's good at it.

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How tall are you?
6'2".

When you started skating, were you already tall?
No, not at all. When I was eighteen, I grew a little bit, but before that I was always short and small.

Did you find your skating changing once you got taller?
A little bit. I could ollie higher.

Did you lose anything?
No. No way. It got better if anything.

Frontside Bluntslide made oh so sweet.

How are your knees doing?
Great.

You jump off some gigantic stuff.
They never hurt. Never? Do you do anything like stretch or lift weights?
No. Not at all. I stretch occasionally. I get into it for like three days and then I don't do it for a month. I just don't feel it's necessary, really.

How old are you?
21.

Do you have injuries right now or are you pretty healthy?
Right now I'm fine. I can't remember the last time ... let me think. There's minor things, you know?

Like ankle twists?
No, I haven't done that for a while. Palm bruises?
Yeah, stuff like that. I cut my hand open all the time in the same spot. It'll never go away. You're lucky, 'cause I'm sure you see everyone around you getting worked.
I've done some bad things, too. I've broken bones and stuff, but that was earlier.

You better knock on wood right now.
I know, I wanna find some. (laughs)

Do you consider yourself a southerner?
Like in what way?

Well, you're from Florida, right?
Yeah.

Is Florida considered the south or is it like its own planet?
No, it's the south definitely. It's crazy. It's like Georgia or Louisiana or someplace like that. Just serious rednecks everywhere. You don't have an accent really.
I think I used to. I first started coming to California when I was fourteen, and people used to make fun of me about it. But I never thought I had one because everyone I was around would say the same sort of stuff. In the last four or five years, I've only been hanging out with kids from England and Australia, so I don't even think about it anymore. When I go back [to Florida] now, I hear people who have major hick accents and I start thinking, "Damn, did I sound like that?"

15 stairs, if you're counting, and one big ol' lipslide.

That must be weird.
Yeah. I don't know if they think I sound different or what.

Like, "You're trying to change."
Yeah. (laughs)

Tell me some stereotypes about Florida that are true.
Basically, the young kids I know who used to skate are into being thugs. Like gangsters and stuff. I see that all the time.

Then there are kids there who grow up and fish everyday. They go hunting. They're into killing deer and stuff. They come to high school in trucks with big tires and mud all over. They're complete hillbillies. That's just a certain type of kid. They're not living in the woods in some shack, though. Their parents have money; but they're like, "I want this big truck with huge wheels." It's just like if you were into dressing like a hip-hop kid or something. They're not really hillbillies, It's just something they do. They take the truck out into big mud pits, but that's fun for them. They don't go for the purpose of getting dirty. They go out to ride over gnarly hills and through mud and stuff.

How about Southern California stereotypes?
Okay. When I first lived in Huntington Beach, so many people can't help that they have this bro talk. Complete bros. Everything's like, "Right on. Right on, bro." and it's so real. It's straight out of a cheesy 80's surf movie. Certain kids I've met have been really bad. There are a lot of surfers and a lot of people who dress like greasers down there. Do you know what I'm talking about? Rockabilly. It was fun when I lived there 'cause all my friends lived there, but it's just not a very cool town, I don't think.

Where do you live now?
Hollywood.

How's that?
It's fun. There's a lot more places to skate and a lot of things to do, but you gotta weigh it all out, you know? I could see people easily getting to where they can't even skate from going out so much. Every single night there's something to do.

So you're right in the middle of it.
It's fun, though. Atiba [Jefferson] lives right around the corner. Eric Ellington. Everybody from that ... I don't know if you ever heard of that Warner Crew apartment? Everyone from there. Jay Strickland is up here, and I got my own place, too. You know how people talk about basketball players being creative with their play or punt returners being creative runners? Can you point out some examples of skateboarders being creative?
Every single guy on the football team has these big suits on and they all look the same size and the same everything-with the helmet you can't even see their faces. And every basketball player is the same height-big, tall guys - and they all wear the same uniform and they are all using the same exact ball. But with skaters, you can almost see someone's clothes and hair and not even see their face, and be like, "That's that dude." Or you can see a silhouette of a trick and tell who a person is by their style. It's way more noticeable. Every single person skates different.

Do you have a secret musical interest that would embarrass you if someone found out about it?
I like certain songs that are pretty corny, but not one type of music.

How about a band?
I like Journey. They're good.

Yeah?
But that's not embarrassing. They are good. Someone else might me embarrassed about that, though.
Yeah, I know. You sound tired. What time did you go to bed last night?
3:30.

So what time did you wake up this morning?
Maybe 1:00.

That's good sleep - like nine-and-a-half hours.
That's pile style.

What?
You're just like a pile. You don't even care. No plans. You just wake up and do whatev's.