Good and Evil Toy Machine premiere Oct. 22, House Of Blues, LA, CA

Thrasher Magazine, Jan, 2005 by Michael Burnett

SECRETS, WHEN BOTTLED UP, can eventually destroy you from the inside out--which is what seemed to be happening to Toy Machine's secret new team rider Matt Bennett when I spotted him outside the Downtown Disney House of Blues. Head in his hands and a puddle of what looked to be equal parts Fritos and vodka, Bennett couldn't even speak, so great was the shame of his double life.

Or maybe it was just the excitement of the premier of the first full-length Toy Machine video in six years. As you may have noticed, I'm a big fan of the Toy Machine. They're some of my favorite dudes to work with and I've been shooting with many of the kids since before they even got on the team. It's been totally awesome to see them go from Webb trucks ams, ripping at their local parks, to full-blown international skate superstars, touring the world with fantastic hairdos. As a child, I never played any sports that had a coach. But after the last five years with the Toy Machine kids, I can kind of see what makes those fat asses get up off the couch and get involved. Good and Evil has a heavy legacy riding on its shoulders, and the dudes did their damnedest--flying every which way, grinding all over the place and whatnot to keep up the Machine's record of excellence. There are plenty of shockers and "Hey, rewind-that!" moments for sure. Well-wishers included Erik Ellington, Theo Hand, Dustin Dollin, our guy P-Stone, Jon Allie, Jamie Thomas, Shane Heyl, Griffin Collins, Roberto Aleman, Spiro, and about 1,000 more. Nice one, dudes.