Switch Tail 270 Out [o] Brian Caissie So you’re part of the second generation of Red Dragons, like Mike Hastie and Arron Johnson. Being from a small town, how did you end up getting hooked up with RDS? I rode for Top [Ottawa’s Top Of The World] and I flew out to Vancouver. Moses [Itkonen] started giving me RDS stuff; I think he was originally hyped on my Top Dollar part. I was stoked, and I pretty much started filming for Skateboard Party right away. It’s crazy to think back ‘cause I got on RDS awhile ago. They’ve been really good to me.
After that came Darkstar, which had a tight knit crew of Canadians, with Hastie, Machnau and Gailea Momolu in the mix.
Yeah, it started when I was skating with Gailea a bunch; I guess he talked to Chet Thomas, who pretty much just put me on. I respect Chet. I used to watch A-Team stuff with him and Gershon Mosley in it. I was 17 or 18 and just hyped to be a part of something like that. I honestly expected things to go further than they did, but there was a recession and shit—it was out of Chet’s control.
I think most would agree, you are one of the most underrated skateboarders in Canada that should have blown up to become a top tier Pro. I remember Machnau saying that I was one of the most underrated. That shit motivates me, how can it not? But I don’t really think about stuff like that much. I skate for myself.