London calling

Thrasher Magazine, Jan, 2003

Interview by Shelby Woods

I HAVE NEVER SEEN BRYAN LONDON LEARN A TRICK. He just kinda does 'em, you know. He's a freak He is as big a skateboarding fan as he is a skater. You won't hear him bad mouth anyone ever, it's just not in his nature. Bryan just goes to a spot, gets a trick in his head, and goes to war. If he gets it, fine. If he doesn't, you can bet your ass he'll come back and handle it when he heals. He doesn't do it for his sponsors or his peers; he does it for himself, which seems kinda rare these days. He just skates to see what he can do-it's that simple. Give it up for London. He's in the zone and just getting started. -- Jason Rogers

Where are you from Bryan?

I was born in Bakersfield but my parents spilt up when I was about 7, then I moved to San Diego with my mom. After high school I got smart and moved out to LA. I've lived in Reseda ever since.

What was Bakersfield like?

It's the closest equivalent to Hell on Earth, at least in the summer. It gets pretty hot there. I'm glad I moved out when I was young. You couldn't even skate there in the summers without passing out.

How did you get into skating?

When I moved to San Diego--I think it was the summer of 5th grade, I saw one of my friends Calm skating with a new neighbor. His name was Seth and his brother was pretty good, so I decided to start skating with them. After a while they all quit skating but I didn't.

What was your first set-up?

It was a Damian Carbajal Evol set up. It had a guy on a bed jumping up and down with a guitar. I had ventures and blank wheels.

First sponsor?

I was on K-5 skate shop, but I guess my first board sponsor would have to be Arcade.

How did you first get on Arcade?

I took a video into Arcade with my friend Brett who worked there on summers and had him put in a good word for me. I talked to Jason Rogers who is the owner/team manager, and eventually he started flowing me.

Was that the first time you met Jason?

Yeah, that was in '99, I believe.

Did you remember Jason from the H-Street days?

Yeah I remember seeing all of the H-street videos when they re-released the set. He was the mini-ramp champ, man. He still is. He just doesn't give himself the credit. He can do everything he used to do. He's just too busy these days.

Do you remember what your first photo was in the mag?

My first ad was on the Beverly nine, 270 lip. Daniel Haney shot the photo. That was when I first went am.

Were people bugin' out when that came out?

I don't really know. I was just trying to get something for my first ad. We were on a deadline.

Didn't Haney shoot a couple photos of you?

Yeah, he shot my 180 over that rail. He's a pretty good photographer.

Does he still shoot flicks?

I don't think he takes photos anymore. Well, of skating I mean. He's always taking pictures of every pointy-top building he sees on tour. We couldn't walk 10 feet without him taking a photo while we were in Europe.

I went pro about a year ago.

When did you first go pro?

Do you feel like you're an underground skater?

Not many people really know about me. I may have gone pro a little early, I just didn't have enough coverage at the time. Arcade offered. I was anxious and jumped the gun.

Do you think you needed more time to get your name out there?

Yeah. If I would have waited and put a couple parts out first, things may have gone better. I'm not really a contest skater, so I knew it wasn't going to work that way. But I'm happy with the way things turned out.

How do you feel about the skateboarding industry today?

It's blowing up. So many people are coming out of nowhere and just destroying. People are too concerned with how many stairs there are, or whether it's a record. People just need to chill and just skate.

Who did you look up to growing up, skating-wise?

My favorite skaters were Ronnie Creager and Tom Penny. Koston, too--my two favorite videos were Trilogy and Mouse.

Now that you're pro, is it weird skating with all the people you always looked up to?

Yeah, especially at contests. It's weird to look at a heat schedule and see your name next to Kenny Hughes and Rodrigo Tx. I get too nervous seeing them against me. That's why I suck at contests.

How did you like the Grand Prix contest this year?

Actually, it was really good. It was built like real street obstacles and you got to skate with a couple people at a time. Not so much pressure.

Do you think all contests should be that way?

Definitely--all skateparks should be that way. I'm hoping to design skateparks after I take some drafting classes. No more local disaster cement parks. It's the least I can do.

If you could take one of the obstacles home with you from the Grand Prix, which one would you take?

That would have to be the Hubba Hideout.

Why?

It's the exact copy of Hubba. How great would that be, to just have it in front of your house and skate everyday?

But then you'd have a bunch of dudes hanging around on your Hubba stoop drinkin' 40s and pissin' on your steps and skating 24-7.

Yeah but it would be worth it. At least until it got chunky.

So who do you usually skate with around home?