A common complaint

Thrasher Magazine, April, 2007 by Jake Phelps

A COMMON COMPLAINT amongst long term skate creatures: "Skating owes me for what I've done. I deserve the best." Well, to be honest, as someone who has lived this skateboard mess for over 30 years--you owe skating. Big time. Not for any reason. To have the right to love something that basically hates you, it's that fun life that makes you stick around. Love the freedom, yet understand that it can't protect you or believe what you put into it. For the last few years, as people have wanted to be down with the mag, they've bought tickets for guys like me to go skate with them so that they get juice in the book. Well, amongst the mags, the Nike trips were supposed to be top-drawer shit--business class air travel, banging hotels, Joe. Brook "Number One Photo Guy in the World," and as said in two words: room service! I had even heard that they got a spaceship that, Mike Jordan pilots when the team has to be "performing" for the Sultan of Brunei. So when we talked trip, I was hyped. I usually go south in December, but somehow I was skating in the snow of Beijing On the Chinese mainland.

MY RUNNING CREW was all bangers: SOTY 1999 Brian Anderson, SOTY Chet Childress, SOTY 2009 Stefan Janoski, and SOTY 20t00mar Salazar. Add to this Hunter and Kev for back up, Coppola protege Joey Digital, a mysterious Chinese distributor, and'even Johnny Tang, the lean and lanky skate machine. It was all a go. Shanghai was first, and it was 40 degrees. I hate being cold, so needless to say I spent a lot of time in our heated enviro-chamber that was originally owned by Brad Pitt before he bought his own country in the middle of Africa. We skated that sick park and some street juice, but with everybody telling us it was going to rain for the next three days we decided to split for Beijing, where we spent Thanksgiving eating a turkey dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Not until the end of the meal did I notice that the salsa was moving. It was about 30 degrees.

Brain and the Head

BEING AS IT WAS SNOWING, skating was out of the question. We decided to head out to the Great Wall of China. I showed the dudes where Danny Way jumped into the history books while Omar Salazar jumped around, up and over everything trying to kill himself. We all kind of fucked off for four hours, but when I got in the van Brian showed me his little surprise: a broken off head from an old terra-cotta security guard. Everybody thought, "Cool souvenir." We got back to the hotel, packed it up, and sent it home that night. The thing must have been like a billion years old. Anyway, two days later we read in the paper about some locals that got put in jail for two years for "stealing dirt" from the same spot. "Oh well. We'll see what happens," said Brian. When we returned the thing was crushed into little pieces in my office. So much for Greg Brady cursed artifacts.

I LIKE CHINA; it's so fucking gnarly that you just blend in. People grab at you all the time-spitting, pissing, shitting all over the place. In terms of the culture, it will eventually melt the United States with its everlasting need to make more money and cheaper goods for all the world. While we fight our war for oil, they sit back, watch, and wait for their sheer numbers to command the world. How sick is that? While big money might come and go in skateboarding and some of the big buckers may think they're down, only one thing is forever: skating. And what it owes you is wheelbite in the rain with a bag full of rocks. Think about it. Yeah, owes you.

BRIAN ANDERSON VITAL STATISTICS

SHOE Fourteen EE

MUSIC ARTIST LL Wanye

FUTURE TATTOO Scuba diver on a cell phone

STANCE Regs

FAVORITE SAYING "As it turns out"

FUTURE Commodities Broker

HATES Haters

Being the Tyrannosaurus Rex that he is, Chet was all over this corner pocket grinder. If Wade and Senn and Cards were there to hype him. he would have 5-O'd this thing to fakie

Rain Man

CHET CHILDRESS is kind of like that dude Dustin Hoffman plays in Rain Man. He talks outside of himself--and to himself. "It was a Tuesday ... raining in the morning ... snowed at night." He talks circles, but still makes sense. "Kickflip nosegrind 12-stair ... not good enough, maybe in SLAP." Seriously, conversating with himself all the time. Good road dude. Crazy as a two-headed snake, and twice as gnat. Watch out for Nightclub Chet.

CHET CHILDRESS VITAL STATISTICS

SHOE SIZE Anywhere between 8 on the left foot to 13 on the right foot

MUSIC ARTIST Roky Erickson

TATTOO CHET

STANCE Natural

FAVORITE SAYING "Bitches and Marks"

FUTURE Restaurant mis-management

HATES "Bitches and Marks" Mr Burns

STEFAN JANOSKI IS HUNCHED OVER, almost statuesque like the Simpson's nuclear power owner, and he skates bad as hell--one of those natural dudes that just rips. After a couple of road sodas he loosens up and is a fantabulous storyteller. Made me laugh, which is more than most. Serious switch master.

STEFAN JANOSKI VITAL STATISTICS

SHOE Eight and a a half E flat

MUSIC ARTIST Segovia

TATTOO Ain't telling

FAVORITE SAYING "Oh my God"

STANCE Hot Footer