Chris Cole

Thrasher Magazine, April, 2007 by Jake Phelps

HOW'S THE HOT WAX vid coming? Shit ... we're waiting on my footage. Everybody says the same thing. What do you have? El Toro, MACBA--what other footage you got?

All the big stuff. All the big name places. "I went there and blew 'em all out."

Yeah, for the Hot Wax video. Not even the Fallen shit.

Tell me about how a percentage of every ollie you do goes to feed children in Somalia.

Affirmative. I get paid two cents per ollie, and one of those cents goes to some place for somebody.

What's been going on the last year being SOTY? I bet those have been some heavy shoes.

Yeah. It was very cool to have the title for a little while.

Like Muhammad Ali: The Title.

Yeah, that's what it is, right?

What'd you do last year? Anything exceptional, aside from having a wonderful child with Red?

That's pretty much what I did.

What's your kid's name?

Wyatt.

Wyatt Earp?

Exactly.

How does having a kid change your life?

I had to grow up. I had to grow up and man up and do grown-up stuff, whereas I felt like I had no time to do certain stuff before. It was actually just me deciding that I didn't feel like being locked down for certain things, like for instance, guitar lessons. Before I was like, "I don't know, man, going every Thursday at this time--what if I want to do something?" Now, what I'd give to go to guitar lessons. I don't have time. When I have time, it's to skate or do something around the house--to work on the house or do something that needs to be done. Everything's calculated; everything in the day is calculated. When I have to drop off Wyatt at day care, when I have to pick him up, what I have to do in that time, how much skate time do I get? How long is the drive to the spot?

What does the baby gravitate towards more, skateboarding or the guitar? Rocker or skater?

As of now he likes skateboarding and he loves pushing it around. He has a little toy skateboard, but he really likes the guitar. We have a guitar that looks like an Ibanez, it's a little toy for him and he plays that--and he actually holds it correctly. He holds it righty, and he has his left hand bent around under it. He's pretty legit. He's got a piano, too.

Besides Jamie, who would you pick as babysitter from the Zero team?

You know, there are a lot of people. I would probably go with Rattray.

Would you let Tommy babysit if he promised not to get the kid high?

Absolutely n-e-v-e-r. Actually, you know what's funny, though? Tommy, I don't know whether it was his nephew or something like that, but one of his family member's kids he used to watch all the time. Which is strange, you wouldn't think that about the Guns, but he's got it. Did you also know that Tommy can play the piano?

He can? Does he play Rod Stewart sappy melodies?

No, I think it's only a couple songs and they're like Beethoven or Mozart. Classically trained Tommy? Whoa, now that's video I'd pay to see.

I know! Well, who pays to see videos nowadays anyway? Go on Youtube.com like a bunch of assholes. It sucks, man. The bastard that uploaded that video onto Youtube, I hope he can't sleep at night.

Did you take 2006 any easier after all the skating you did in 2005?

Right after Wyatt was born I got a lot of skating done in the earlier parts of 2006, but once my lady went back to school and I had to start really being there all the time to watch my son and make sure things were taken care of around the house, it ended up I couldn't skate every day. I got a lot of skating done, but not nearly as much as the year before. It's hard. I'm also fighting the battle that a lot of people that have had a couple video parts are battling, which is trying to outdo yourself without just doing the same thing. You have to start picking your crap because it starts getting monotonous. Now what? Everyone usually finds a way to make their skating progress and make their next part better, but we're not really sure how, 'cause everyone that comes out, we don't think that we can beat it. Every pro feels that way, I think.

Who were you stoked on in 2006?

Josh Harmony.

I heard you say Nicky D was coming for your shit, too.

That guy's really good. There's a lot of guarly skating, and I tell myself to remember that dude as someone I was really feeling for the next time I get an interview, and you know what? I never remember. The only dude that I can remember off the top of my head is Josh Harmony, because I really haven't said it in any interview, although I've always liked his stuff. What advice would you give to Daewon as SOTY 2006?

Like you can give Daewon advice. Take it easy. No more video parts. I don't know. There isn't any advice that you can give somebody like Daewon. He's been around for way longer than I have, like a decade or more than I have. It would be pretty pompous of me to give him advice.

Where do you keep your SOTY trophy?

On my mantle, with my three KOTR trophies.

You have more trophies than anybody in the history of Thrasher. You have the KOTR, and the SOTY. Trujillo has one of each, but you have three KOTRs. Congrats, kid.

Well thank you.