Brian Howard

Thrasher Magazine, March, 2003 by Michael Burnett

"I WON'T EAT BEANS!"

Of all your disembowlments, which was the most unpleasant?

Probably the most unpleasant was when I wrecked on the BMX bike and fucked up my liver. I was riding these dirt jumps at Woodward, 'cause I kind of like bikes and I thought I could do it. I quickly found out I wasn't as good as I thought I was. I fell on top of the bike basically and the pedal jabbed into me and broke two ribs. Everything got pushed in until my liver popped open inside. It was pretty rough. They had to rush in and sew it up and I was pretty jacked up for a little while.

Did it affect your drinking ability?

No. It's funny, the doctor never really said anything about it and I assumed I could never drink again and after about a month I decided to ask him and he said it was OK. So everything's presumed normal.

What's your favorite meal at Woodward?

I don't want to talk about meals at Woodward. I'd have to say the pizza is probably the best one. Breakfast's OK. It's hard to mess up breakfast.

What's wrong with professional vert contests?

They're predominantly just a TV show being made. It's not a skate contest for skaters, it's a TV show and they've got to fill air time. It doesn't have any soul at all. It's not based on skating, it's more like they've got a half an hour of time they need to fill on TV so, "Let's go. And they only show the same few people anyway. If someone shows up and does good, you might see a second of them, but otherwise they just focus on the same guys they think will make the best TV story. I just like the contests that are fun--the ones that don't even seem like contests. You don't have to wait for someone to tell you when to drop in. Things like that.

What's been your lowest point working for TV cameras?

All that stuff. It's because it doesn't even seem like skateboarding. You'll go and stunt double for a movie and sit there all day long and you'll skate for a grand total of a minute. They'll film you drop in six times and then do three backside airs. That's your whole day. It just seems like a waste of time. I'm glad I'm not an actor cause I think I'd go crazy.

What's been your favorite contest you've ever been to?

Switzerland in '96. They had a really good ramp for the time. It was kind of big. And plus that contest is always fun. There's always a lot of people and everyone's going crazy. It didn't even seem like a contest at all. They had a high-air contest and I can go higher frontside than backside. I was the only one going frontside so that was kind of fun.

Who was your favorite vert skater as a kid?

Probably Bod Boyle. I just like the stuff that he did. He was smooth. He didn't do all the hardest tricks, but how he strung them together was always cool. He was one of my favorites. He was right up there.

In the G&S Footage video, did you pick out the tye-die shirt special for your part?

Actually my friend made that.

Did you have a hard time picking out the shirt that morning?

I didn't even know they were coming. I didn't even ride for them at the time. They just showed up at the park and started filming me.

How many months did you film for that part?

About an hour. Back then it was a lot different. Footage was for about an hour and I didn't even ride for them and when Stun came out I spent about three hours at a skatepark at home and two hours another day in Florida and that was my part. It didn't really take a lot of time.

Let's talk about you and Hubba Hideout.

OK. I was going on a trip from San Diego to Vancouver. These were the days when I was living with my parents and there weren't any ramps around so I street skated a lot. We got there and I figured I needed to get something on it so I eventually got a tailslide.

Chomp on that, Tom Boyle!

It was a bit of a beat down but I got it eventually.

Is it true you never tried a banana until you were 21?

It was actually 25. I had one bite of one when I was 18 and didn't like it. I've never touched 'em again.

What kind of household did you grow up in that you never had a banana until you were 25?

A good Southern home! Meat and potatoes. Except I don't like potatoes, so just meat and bread. I didn't have Mexican food until I was 21. Chris Miller took me to Taco Bell to break me in and then a week later we had real Mexican food. That broke me into that. We didn't eat that stuff in South Carolina.

What did you think when you had that first banana?

I didn't like it. The taste wasn't so bad, but it seemed all mushy

What other foods can you not handle?

I won't eat beans! 'Cause they seem like little potatoes. And I don't really like potatoes unless they're in french fry or chip form. But I'm starting to like them now. I'm getting older and a little wiser, I think.

What about Vienna sausages?

I used to eat those up all day. Everybody used to eat those. That and bologna. Bologna's great when you're growing up, but then you realize that it's not that good. It's great when you're nine. I've eaten my fair share of pigs in a blanket.

How are you doing in the North County vert pro home buying competition?