Step Dad Fall 2014

2 | Step Dad | Fall 2014

Cover: Mötley fücking Crüe Contents: Cyrus Bennett, Kickflip [P] Colin Sussingham

Editor / Graphic Design Mike Gustafson

Assistant Editor / Senior Photographer

Christopher W. Martin [CMART]

Videography:

Jimmy fucking Collins Joe Radano

Staff Photographers:

Christopher W. Martin [CMART] Sam McKenna Jimmy fucking Collins Jon Wolf

Editorial

Shea Blair Michael Cirelli Christopher W. Martin [CMART] Justin Reiff Oscar Wagenbuchler Nathan Keegan Liam Annis

Fall 2014 | Step Dad | 3

Contributing Photographers: Colin Sussingham Darnell Scott Tim Snyder Michael Cirelli Bryan Eneas Charlie Davenport Justin Reiff

Contributing Photographers: Steve Sirvan Christoper Erbeck Chris Gurinsky Andrew Helvey Taylor Morgan Liam Annis Peter Martin

Send photo’s, funny stories or general inquiries to: stepdadmag@gmail.com

www.stepdadmag.com www.facebook.com/stepdadmag | Insta: @stepdadmag StepDadMag publishes quarterly and is distributed to skate shops throughout the U.S.

TM

Ariel Perl Wallride Nollie out

www.cornerstoreskateboards.com

Photo: Annis

Fall 2014 | Step Dad | 5

UNCLE KEEGS BY: NATHAN KEEGAN

The Key to the City.

This past weekend I took a day trip to the Berkshires, to a town named Great Barrington. I’ve been once before for a, “Shred for Keenan”, which they hold annually, as every city and town should. It was like a mini city in the mountains. I fell in love with it. The night of the shred, we got invited to a fire at a river in the woods. We end up in the middle of nowhere, off the road, and start following a flicker of light in the distance. We get to a river and yell, and a guy yells back, “Hold on, it gets deep in certain parts. I’ll come get you”. I shit you not this guy comes walking down the river with a candle and leads us to this island where there’s a fire, beers, babes,

the Mom from that show, I YouTube’d her. Pretty funny I guess. She’s got a nice dent in her Lexus from your boy too, haha. So, the day is just getting worse. My lady and I get into town and get done with some Thai food. (We both love Pad Thai). We are leaving, it’s getting dark, we have no plan. We pass a guy walking his dog. Cute dog.

I hear “Nate?” I look back, the dog walker comes up. It’s Bryan heck. A skater. Homie through homies. I never really knew him up to this point. He asked, “What are you doing here?” I’m like, “I dunno, chillin.” We end up going to the park for a while and skating. We then decide to go to his buddy Mark’s restaurant. I meet Mark, we chill, talk, have beers etc. My lady and I decide we are gonna spend the night. As I’m about to call a hotel, homie says, “All good. You guys can stay on the bed,

“I shit you not this guy comes walking down the river with a candle and leads us to this island where there’s a fire, beers, babes, homies, wine and cheese and crackers. “ homies, wine and cheese and crackers. I’m obviously baffled and the river guide guy gives me a beer and says “Pretty rad here, huh? Welcome to fucking Narnia”.

There’s plenty of people who were there that can back that story up. It was ridiculous.

So, that was about 5 years ago. Haven’t been back since. This past weekend my lady and I were brainstorming places to go. I suggested there, she’s down, and we hit the road. We hit tons of traffic, we already got a late start, she’s dealing with some other stuff, I’m a little off, just not an ideal start. We get off the highway hours later and I rear end this woman that thought ‘Yield’ meant ‘Stop’. I pull over, she’s fine, I give her my info. I figured I should probably have her name and number, just to have it, and she says “Have you seen, “That 70’s Show?”” I say no, I haven’t but I’ve heard of it. I’m not in the mood for anything, nor do I care about that show, but I ask, “Why? Are you in it?”

She says, “Yes.”, I say “Cool.” I think she was humbled. She was

I’ll rock the couch.” Word! We go out, get drinks, come back, he makes homemade pizza. Ideal night. We wake up, get breakfast, and he takes us to this amazing river, rope swing spot. We swim, swing, and head out.

I take him back and realize I left my wallet in the grass near the restaurant. He calls his buddy Mark. He finds it, and sends like 10 photos of him fucking with it, haha.

Brian sent it back for me a couple days later along with some fresh Berkshire coffee from where he works and a postcard. Since I have the opportunity to give people, and places light, I thought I would tell that story.

The point is, what I’ll always say, the best thing I have gotten out of skateboarding, and being a good person, is having all of these connections with awesome like minded people, all over the world. This dude single handedly made our weekend awesome. Me, him and my lady talked about everything. Chilled with his dog. It was awesome. Fuck your Street League, that’s pure New England skate life. Takes one to know one. Thanks Bryan and safe travels to Italy!

6 | Step Dad | Fall 2014

interview with a female thug Shea Blair: How old are you and where do you live?

Female Thug: I’m 27 and I grew up in Auburn but I currently live in Durham.

SB: Tell me the story about fighting the girl on the motorcycle?

FT: Actually, there was two girls this night. I was at a backyard party with a bunch of friends and my ex-boyfriend got jealous that I was talking with another boy so he came over with his new girlfriend, made a comment, one thing lead to another and I poured a drink on her head and we started fighting. That broke up, we left, I left with my friends, she left with some of her’s and drove off and she called and she’s like, “Ohhh, I’m not scared of you, blah, blah, blah,” you know, just typical running her mouth cause she got beat up. So then...we tracked her down in her car and we were chasing her across the bridge and my friend Danielle, was driving, she was swerving into her car so they pulled off into “Y’vonne’s Car Wash”.

was the second time we fought.

SB: Shut her in the car door?

FT: Yeah. She was trying to get in the car and she was kind of out of the car like still talking smack and I was so mad that my guy friends like picked her over me that I kicked the door shut on her. She started crying. So then we pull out of “Y’vonne’s” and we’re at the light, where’ “Y’vonne’s” on your left, that little waterfall is on your right and you’re looking at the falls and she is behind me. She pulls out behind me, well, to my left who pulls up to me and my girl Danielle on a motorcycle is my old landlords. Who at one point and this is why I truly believe in karma - where there is a perfect place and time for anything. Someone does you wrong there will be a perfect place and time to have your revenge. Cause this woman had gotten in my face, told my roommate that I was throwing parties at her house and having guys over when my roomate only worked until 8 O’clock in the evening.

“I just went up right behind her, grabbed her by her hair and by the back of her leather jacket and ripped her of the back of the motorcycle and just started kicking the shit out of her. Kicking her in the stomach, in the head, I was going crazy.”

SB: That’s in Lewiston?

HB: Yeah, that’s in Lewiston. We were in Auburn, chased her into Lewiston. So, she gets out of the car, I get out of the car. We start fighting again. The people that she was with were two of my guy friends.

I was really disapointed in them bescause one of them pulled me off of her. So she got on top of me and another one poured a drink on me so from her being on top of me, I was punching her in the face and somehow wrapped my legs around her and launched her off me and then started chasing around my guy friends because I was mad they took her side. I threw one of them over the car, the other one I couldn’t catch.

SB: The skinny guy?

FT: Nope, TJ the shorter guy and the other guy is like 6’ 3” and he is like jacked. So I couldn’t even catch him but I ended up shutting her in the door. This

So of course I’m not having parties there. Anyways, she caused so much drama and hate and discontent in my life, I just hated her. So she pulls up to me, on the back of a motorcycle and starts running her mouth to my gilr Danielle because she doesn’t like my friend. I jump out of the car not even knowing who it is and I see her. Perfect. This is like hand delivered to me and I was so amped from just getting into a fight twice, I just went up right behind her, grabbed her by her hair and by the back of her leather jacket and ripped her of the back of the motorcycle and just started kicking the shit out of her. Kicking her in the stomach, in the head, I was going crazy. And you know what her husband did? He sat his ass on that motorcycle, on his Harley, and just went, “OH, my GOD! OH, my GOD!OH, my GOD!” He didn’t do a fucking thing. Just fucking looked at me and so I finished that and got back in the car and some dude’s was driving by, in a van and they’re like, “DUDE!!!

That was fucking AWESOME!!!”

Aiden Chenard

Fall 2014 | Step Dad | 7

Crook [p] Liam Annis

Max Palmer

Back Noseblunt [p] Colin Sussingham

8 | Step Dad | Fall 2014

Life In the van for me was from Brooklyn to Louisville. In between was filled with Arizona Tea, hype, boss tricks, good food, babes, and a party here or there. Boner and Tal Cual were ripping. Just feeding off of each others tricks and going bigger and bigger. Getting to skate with Tal Cual was great. His style is clean, tricks are fancy, and sure to make you laugh. Awesome crew to skate with, photograph, and party with. My time on the tour ended in Louisville with a drunken night of bourbon, gambling, left hooks, man hugs and redeye flight delays for 12 hours. Back to Virginia.

Until next time. - Justin Reiff I flew into Chicago for the last two weeks of the trip. We zig zagged through the midwest with some amazing vibes from Milwaukee, Minneapolis, O’Fallon and Omaha. Then we had a couple days off in Denver where Dave Davis showed us an amazing time with lots of beer and medicinal goodies :). Our next stop was Las Vegas where Dave and I almost got arrested for skating this epic spot in the middle of the Strip. Three cruisers drove right at us and pushed our heads to the hood of one of the cars. We thought we were fucked, but the cops just took our boards apart and said that we were banned from skating the Strip for the rest of the night. The team proceeded to drink lots of free beer and play Blackjack at Hooters. Heading to California, our van got searched at a checkpoint. I hid a joint in my cigarette pack and when I returned to the van my cigs were broken and the joint was gone. I think that the dog ate it. The dog was hyped for sure cause that Denver weed is no joke! California was amazing! We hit San Diego to hang out with the Pacific Drive crew and skate around P.B. We then proceeded to LA and SF where street skating was priority.

Over all, everyone was hyped and it was an amazing trip. Big thanks to Arizona Iced Tea, Etonic Shoes, Milk and Root studios and of course STEP DAD!!! - CMART

CMART & Dave with the Las Vegas Welcoming Committee

ip 0 Frontside Fl Dave Davis, 27 [p] CMART

Fall 2014 | Step Dad | 9

Tal Cual, olli e [p] Justin Reif f

Jose David Va lez, FiveO [p] CMART

Adrian McElha ney, Kickflip [p] Justin Reif f

10 | Step Dad | Fall 2014

Words: Oscar Wagenbuchler Photo’s: Chris Gurinsky

Exodus 14:21 So much crazy shit is going on in this world right now with people focused on killing all the life force on this planet. It’s sad and hard to keep from getting dizzy if you think about it.

However there exists a slice of heaven located in the back country of Maine where nothing matters but the nature of creation; art, ideas, freedom, peace and fun with skateboards. Enter happy smiley face emoticon here.

morning, waiting on the corner of two dirt roads because the GPS was nervous about letting us go any further.

About 5 minutes before the gunshots went off we called Mike for some guidance as to where the F to go! Because all we saw were trees, “No Trespassing” signs and of course no sign for Skate DISNEY! As 5 to 10 more rounds go off everyone looked at each other with the same “Oh Shit” facial expression. I said “Fuck it, let’s just drive down this road and see if we find some ramps”. We turned left

As 5 to 10 more rounds go off everyone looked at each other with the same “Oh Shit” facial expression. I said “Fuck it, let’s just drive down this road and see if we find some ramps”.

The Bodega crew decided it was time to visit such a place. I called John up and said “I just bought a tent! It’s adventure time!” (NBD! Yes, neither of us have ever gone camping) And in true JTMR fashion with a huge smile on his face (which I could see through my phone) he replied “YEAAAAAAH!” So it began. . .The Mike Long Art Campaign hit the trail up to Kookmeyer’s Skate DISNEY World from upstate NY and we headed to the Jim Grant Son! house in Connecticut to grill up some Salmon Steaks to prepare for our grizzly man escape from the Big Apple.

We arrived in the Maine back country Saturday

and headed towards the gunshots.

About an eighth of a mile on the right there was a large strip of clearing for the power lines and there was a target in the distance and I swear it was William Burroughs who was doing the shooting! Who else would be shooting targets in a suit and a Fedora in the back country?

We kept to the plan and crept on by old Bill going steady down the road and like Moses raising his hand over the Red Sea there it was, Kookmeyer’s Skate DISNEY World!!!

Fucking Amazing.

Fall 2014 | Step Dad | 11

John the Man Reeves

Front Disaster [p] Chris Gurinsky

Jim Grant

Front Feeble [p] Chris Gurinsky

12 | Step Dad | Fall 2014

Justin Henry

Ollie [p] Andrew Helvey

Ryan Farley Kickflip [p] Taylor Morgan

BRIAN DE Words & Photo’s: Liam Annis

Liam Annis: How did you get the nickname, “Dutchmaster Delaney”, and who gave it you?

Brian Delaney: The nickname came from when I first moved to the city and was heavily smoking blunts, “Dutch Palmas” to be specific. I’m pretty sure the name came from Rob Cabral, Dana Ericson, and Steve Costello. The name stuck and everyone started calling me “Dutchy” after that. It seems like everyone that skates in Boston has a nickname or alias, some crazier than others. Luckily, I like mine, it could be worse...

amazing food and views of the skyline. Somerville is more suberb-ish, super quiet with a healthy mix of townies and yuppies. Roxbury is kind of like living in the hood, it’s pretty wild sometimes but it’s cheap and I have a bunch of friend’s in the neighborhood. Shout out to the Mozart street boys. From my perspective, living in East Boston was the best. It was the first place I lived when I moved to the city, so I will always have a love for Eastie. Plus, I had a lot of good times living with Jack Kelly, Rob Cabral, Dana Ericson, and Curt Daley on the couch in the kitchen.

Kitchen Curt.

LM: What are the ingredients for a great day of skateboarding?

BD: As I get older, I realize that it doesn’t take much. I like going on missions and trying to film and get shit done but it can get frustrating sometimes. I think just being out skating the City with no plans is the best. So, I guess the best recipe for a good day is; wake up around 10, get some food and a coffee, go down to Eggs and meet up with the homies. Roll up and skate there until about 5 or 6 (or whenever we get kicked out). After that go to Ernesto’s, grab a slice and head to Aquarium to skate flat. After that, push down the street to “Biddy Early’s” to get dinner and a beer. It’s become a routine for me and my friends.

LM: How many years have you been in Boston?

BD: I am from Cape Cod which is only about an hour drive from the city. Ever since I was a kid, I always had an interest in Boston, even before skating. I remember going on family trips to Somerville to my grandparents and being amazed whenever we would drive through downtown.

It was so much different than the Cape. Fast forward 10 years later, I found skating and realized how good Boston was for it. In 2008, after high school I moved here. So I guess it’s been about 6 years. Crazy how time fly’s…

180 switch crook

LM: How long have you been growing your hair? And how long is it in Inches?

BD: Been hair farming for about three or four years. I don know how long in inches. I don’t have a ruler on hand. It’ past my shoulders though. I had Jack cut it last time I wa on the Cape. Think he took like 4 or 5 inches off. Bee considering cutting it the last month or so but I just can get myself to do it.

LM: You played Hockey throughout your child years.

Whats your best fight story?

LM: You are known to many as an, “Egghead”. What doe BD: I played hockey all through high school, too. Been in this mean and who are the other original, “Eggheads”? a lot of hockey fights but the best one that comes to mind BD: I am definitely an, “Egghead”, but I would not consi was probably when I was about 17 in a summer league. er myself and original. When Egg’s started poppin I w Someone slashed our goalie and I’m pretty sure we were still living on the Cape. The originals in my mind are t losing. We had a bench clearing brawl for about 5 minWisdom brothers, Waffle, Gavin, Curt and the rest of th utes. The refs couldn’t control it, parents were getting into “City People” crew. They are the ones that made the sp it, it was crazy. But that’s hockey and I love it. Never fuck skateable and are still holding it down to this day. Sho with the goalie or you’re gonna get it. But the craziest out to Omar, too, for being handy with the crow bar. B thing I have ever seen wasn’t a fight. Sophomore year can say, “Egg’s” is what ultimately made me move to B of high school my teammate Nate Cameilo flipped a kid ton and what keeps me here. In my opinion, it is the b through the glass during a game. It was insane. Luckily spot in the Northeast. I have been to a lot of other ci the kid didn’t get hurt but the game was postponed. I will and I have never skated another spot with such good never forget that... mosphere and people. I’ve learned most of my shit th We don’t have a skatepark in Boston, so to me and LM: What diffrent areas have you lived in around Boston, friend’s, “Egg’s” is our park. I just wish the State Po and which have been the best from your perspective? felt the same way. But that’s what makes it so real...

BD: In the past 6 years I’ve lived in East Boston, SomerStevie said “Run, Skate, Chill. Keeps you on point”. ville, and currently Roxbury. It’s cool because all three of the areas are completely different so I feel like I have LM: I know there were some rumors you were movin gotten a real taste of the culture in Boston. Eastie is suNYC, but it hadn’t happened. What are your plans fo per close to the city and primarily a Hispanic area with future? Where do you see yourself?

ELANEY BD: Yeah, I was planning on it but I couldn’t pull the trigger.

Had a plan to get a place with Coakley and Luke Janis and work full time for DQM. I love New York and I love working for DQM but as it got close to moving time I just couldn’t see myself living there at the moment. Right now, I am content with working a few days a week at the shop and having time to skate. I’m getting older and I want to take full advantage of the next couple years with skating. I just don’t want to have any regrets. And right now, I feel like we have a really good thing going on here in Boston. Between the Raw video, Orchard video, the opening of DQM, and big companies like Converse coming to town, things are starting to come together. I am not saying that I would not want to move to New York in the future. But right now Im happy in Boston.

w

n’t ’s as en n’t

LM: Anybody you’d like to thank or give a shout out too?

BD: Where do I start? My family and friends on the Cape.

Kevin Susienka and Steve Costello at RAW for holding me down over the years. Yolanda Ortiz for being the best!

Dana Ericson for always motivating me to do cooler tricks.

Lee Madden for putting in so much work filming and editing (he really is the best in the city). Also thank you Dave Ashley for always looking out for me and Ryan Dewitt at Vans. I can’t thank you guys enough. Shout out to Chris Keefe and the whole DQM crew. It is an honor to be working and skating for such a respected and legendary East Coast brand. Howard Travis from DQM for letting me leave early and go skate on slow days at work. Jonah Miller at Bolt’s premium hardware. Paul, Archer, and Timmy B. at Boarding House for looking out for me as a kid and still to this day. Anyone that cuffs me dubs and doesn’t kill me when I take too long to pay back. Sorry. Anyone that has ever helped me out along the way, I thank you.

LM: Whats your best Jack Kelly story? es BD: Damn…that’s a good question. I honestly can’t think ? of just one story. I met jack in Kindergarten, we started idskating the same day, got drunk/ high for the first time towas gether, got arrested for the first time together, and moved the to Boston after high school together. We have been he, though the best of the best and the worst of the worst pot together. That’s my dog. Ask me in person for the best out stories. I don’t want to incriminate Jack or myself.

But I BosLM: Who is the skate god? best BD: Easy. There is only one skate god. That is Rob ities Cabral. The head spinning, car bomb chugging, freestyld ating, skate anything in his path, maniac. He is like a cross here. between Steve Olson and Bruce Lee. He is my favorite d my person and skateboarder ever. He is the definition of a olice skateboarder, doesn’t give a shit about material objects .Like or what people think. He doesn’t need to. His personality and outlook on life makes anyone that meets him an instant fan. He is the most interesting man in the world. ng to Right now he is living in Portland Oregon killing life. We or the miss you Rob, Keep in touch and be safe! JBLM for life.

16 | Step Dad | Fall 2014 [1997]

by: nathan

keegan

Intro by Lack YME, SFL, (T) Blah, blah, learn, yme, circle t, blah, blah. Since I’ve been around this shit for 20ish years a lot has changed. Learn hasn’t. He has consistently been doing what he does with no regard for trends or bullshit. There aren’t a lot of writers that haven’t given into all the things that don’t matter or do flash-in-the-pan styles. It’s easy to look around and see where everyone gets their shit. Making things technically perfect becomes easier with new paint and caps and that’s the way it is. There are dudes that just love to paint and have a crazy work ethic about it. Learn paints all the time and hasn’t stopped, and has his own thing and doesn’t care what you think, but does it with class and respect for his city, spots, yards and the history and the culture. If you never get to paint with or sit down and talk to him, you are missing out, but whatever the interview is, you are lucky to get that.

Nate Keegan: Ok, so let’s get some basic info out, full name, address, phone number, how long you’ve been writing on things that don’t belong to you, and what got you interested in it to begin with.

NK: Damn, you’ve been writing since I was born you old fart! Growing up around that time period, you must have a grip of early influences as far as writers. You want to drop a few of them?

LEARN: Yeah, I’ll get back to you on those, haha. Be 25 years this Fall, since I first scribbled some shit onto somewhere that I shouldn’t have. Probably about 21 years I’ve been seriously hooked and made it a regular waste of time with the same name. I was a typical California surfer-town kid playing in the streets, causing mischief, pre-cell phone. Just living to be outside and exploring the world. Growing up in the 80’s and early 90’s, I just started seeing this weird writing of names all over. Especially when I used to drive up to SF and San Jose. I immediatley was interested. Why I was, is a question for a psychologist probably, but it just spoke to me, I was mesmorized. and from like ‘87 - ‘89, I just tried to figure out what it was, and how it was done. Then my Dad came home with subway art sometime in late ‘88 and from there the biting and toyness began! The shit that I was into wasn’t all this fancy pro, fancy paint art you see nowadays. What got me pumped and still does, was flair tags, gang writing, power scribes, mixed mean streaks on buses, and just straight late 80’s early 90’s California tagging.

LEARN: Yup, happens to the best if your lucky...my influences early on were just the whole mystery of it, then you didn’t know shit until someone showed you or schooled you. Wasn’t like today when you can know everything and how to do a piece in a week. I didn’t even meet another writer until like ‘92. So, I was just influenced by what I saw then, unknown local legends back then...writers I saw up like Core, Tropik, Some, 8edge, repos, krazer, thero, Early FTL and HNR stuff. Then I started seeing Twist, Dream, Spie, Tempt, Orfn, Kolage, Moby, James hnr. Those were all Bay Area dudes I saw killing it in the late ‘80s early ‘90s. Great time period!

No shorts were taken. You had to do your work. You had to get dirty and be out there trying to figure shit out.

Nobody was gonna give you a free pass like today’s kids. Later on a lot of dudes I became friends with where influential, like Erupto, Iksoe, Diet, Renos, Gore B. in the mid to late ‘90s. I never really got inspired by someone I didn’t know personally, it was more the whole vibe and how secret it was then! Miss that a lot!

Fall 2014 | Step Dad | 17

“There isn’t any shorts with freight’s. You have to do a lot to get noticed, hundreds and hundreds before anyone really gives a fuck.”

NK: Yeah, things are definitely a lot different nowadays.

Lucky for you, you grew up in the hay day, where as far as freight’s, things were just getting going. I know you’ve done all types of painting, but why did you choose to focus primarily on freights, besides them being really, really awesome?

LEARN: I never even saw too many freight’s as a kid.

There weren’t too many in my city. Wasn’t until 1992 when my Mom moved us up to a small town in the Northwest. Was my Senior year in high school, and after an already hectic, unstable childhood, this move away from my hometown kinda fucked me up. I started smoking a lot of weed and became pretty withdrawn. I was not pumped on this small hick town compared to where I grew up. But this town had a freight yard, and I found it wondering around all high with my SMA ever slick and 32mm wheels. I immediately was taken by the solitude, industrial mix I felt around these trains. This was 1992, so it took a few trips into the yard to see Graff. But when I did it was just the icing on the cake. I remember walking up on this e2e by crisis awr that blew my mind! I think I was hooked immediately. For me freight’s are where Graff is at its best, moving around the country! Freight’s filter out a lot of people that don’t have the heart or just want to do Graff to get some quick stupid fame. There isn’t any shorts with freight’s. You have to do a lot to get noticed, hundreds and hundreds before anyone really gives a fuck. Its a blue collar vibe with freight’s and that fits me.

Just paint to have fun with your crew, not worrying about flix, who see’s it, or getting anything but the experience of that session out of it. Just paint it and let it float out into the railroad earth and see what happenes. I love the idea of hundreds or thousands of little pieces of yourself floating all over the continent! Fuck the other shit! I always thought writing Graff for fame is kinda lame, especially if your over 18 years old. I never even realized that’s why dudes did it ‘till later, I just thought it was fun! It felt good to write my name on shit. It temporarily cured and still cures my anxieties about all types of existential questions of life. To do and create something over and over, you feel a deep calm for some reason.

NK: I agree. You mentioned earlier, writers getting “free passes” and what not, what are some of the differences between painting then, and now. A lot has changed, I mean nowadays your almost irrelevant if you don’t have a GoPro on, and Google Glasses updating your Instagram with every tag or sticker you put up. What are your thoughts on that? Unleash!

LEARN: Haha..shits weird today! The desire to document everything for strangers is odd to me. I understand putting up stuff from 5-15 or more years ago, nostalgia and history, but to flick and post shit you did that day, week, month, or even year seems in my opinion to be purely ego driven. I dont see why people wouldn’t want their stuff benched freights or walls flicked naturally, by a stranger or an admirer, then posted some day who

knows when. Thats real admiration for your work and dedication to this craft. I guess self-promotion gets done in all other aspects of life in this capitalistic, shitty country, that usually involve money and fame. I like to keep one thing I love away from that shit! That is my own graffiti.

Sucks it has slowly creeped into this culture. I remember we used to call dudes that sent flix to magazines “stamp lickers” and used to laugh at that shit. Now people dont even blink an eye at that. Happens every millisecond on Instagram or whatever else. I remember laughing at dudes filming themselves skating, too, in the early mid ‘90’s. I was always like, “Why can’t you just skate and have fun?” Maybe I’m wrong and need to get on the bandwagon, instead of being a salty, old buzzard. I just, at the core, believe that if you work hard, keep painting, skating, or whatever it is you genuinely love to do, year after year, people will notice and appreciate it and come ask to document you, want stories, flix, whatever. Might take decades, but if you are doing it cause you love it and can’t really exist without it, the time will go by in a flash.

Believe me it has!

[2002] NK: For sure, never force a good thing. It used to bother me that a lot of people that share the same hobbies as I do, don’t do it for the right reasons, but realized the act of doing them, and myself, have never changed. So I just try to pretend it’s not 2014 and do my thing. Still skating 7.5, because my shoe size has been the same, and still benching cuz, in person seeing things roll is exciting. Not knowing who’s on the next car, etc. I’m sure some of your motivation to keep going out is the same, and some has changed. What keeps you going out now, and how does it compare to going out back in the day?

LEARN: For me, with all the changes, the one thing that never changes is the process and experience of painting.

That’s what keeps me going. Never gets old to crack a gloss black outline under the moon onto a rusty old

18 | Step Dad | Fall 2014 boxcar! That’s the motivation. Everytime! Just a beautiful feeling to be with close brothers and go do something that nobody else may be doing in your city. Something that isn’t really bought or sold. Something that has pretty much saved me from getting involved into other dumb shit! I stay loyal to graffiti in the same form I started when I was 14, its one aspect of life I don’t want to evolve in, change, grow, or make money at. I want it to stay pure to me and be there for me to release all of life’s shit on.

It’s always been there for me so I stay loyal to it also. As far as what’s changed going out...a lot man! As far as freight’s, when we where doing tons, I mean 400-500 a year, it still felt like a secret society. Freight dudes were kinda different, it was sort of a fraternity around the country. You had HM, A2M, Network, TCI, BFK, BA, NSF, TVC, YME and T and a few others focusing on freight’s.

It was a nice little scene. Didn’t have to worry about toys too much, or finding a clean panel. People where trading flix, tracking freight’s, benching, and loving freight’s. It felt really pure and real, seemed everyone had a serious love of freight’s and the life. Not just Graff and getting noticed.

NK: Yeah, it defiantly seemed more pure back then. Personally, I was lucky to always hangout with older people growing up, so I was schooled correct, no matter what it was. As far as writing, I think there’s a large percentage of them without any knowledge or respect, when to go out, when not to, etc. Any advice to the younger generation coming up?

LEARN: I think collectively, kids nowadays, in any avenue, need to just slow down! Stop worrying about “being down” or knowing it all. Knowing shit is easy, you got to actually do work for years and years! Just relax and find out if you wanna do this or have the heart to stick with it. If you don’t, you should stop and try something else, cause this in my opinion takes serious dedication and sacrifices if you keep at it. It can ruin and save your life, give you the best of times, and worst. It’s really like life itself. So, I’d tell kids to slow down, realize its a marathon not a sprint, worry about the fame in a decade or two, if at all. Have fun, learn the history (especially where you’re from) and rules and stay off the internet!

Take flix for you and your crew or friends! Respect those that came before you and again have fun, travel, be humble and enjoy life!!!

NK: Well said. Hopefully history repeats itself and those cheap, quick fame kids, die out and jump onto the next thing leaving more clean panels! I think nature has its way of filtering out all the shit that doesn’t matter, and never belonged there. Any last words, and shout outs?

That’s a rhetorical question, drop those names baby!

LEARN: Just thanks for the interview!! Love and blessings to my heart and life, my family. And peace, respect, and more rad sessions to my crew and brothers in YME, circle T, and SFL.

[2014]

I think collectively, kids nowadays, in any avenue, need to just slow down! Stop worrying about “being down” or knowing it all. Knowing shit is easy, you got to actually do work for years and years!

20 | Step Dad | Fall 2014

Colby Deluccia Boardslide [p] Steve Sirvan

Alvaro Surjan

180 Nosegrind [p] Christopher Erbeck

Fall 2014 | Step Dad | 21

Scott Zellner Backtail [p] Peter Martin

22 | Step Dad | Fall 2014

Tyrrell TPR LeGrand Crooks [p] Bryan Eneas

www.theartofmaximilianmueller.com theartofmaximilianmueller@gmail.com

Scott Davenport Ollie [p] Charlie Davenport

24 | Step Dad | Fall 2014

kickflip Words & Photo’s:

Michael Cirelli Michael Cirelli: Hey Mark Where are you from and where do you like to skate?

Mark Dodd: I was born in Oxford England and live right outside Worcester now. I like to skate Boston, Auburn park, Worcester, NYC, and providence.

MC: How crazy is Worcester, MA? It’s not all prom queens and rock start’s is it?

bar...I have no idea where he went to buy them but he got em...this is also way before smartphones that have the capability of having gps. For about 30 minutes him and a few others were popping off the knobs on the curved ledge.

I was skating flat at the bottom and all of a sudden I see this kid mike get tackled by a state trooper that snuck up all suspect like. One dude dipped and this state trooper had us all lined up saying “you all are going to be paying for

MD: Worcester is a culture of its own. It ranges on every level of society’s spectrum. Everything from cuttys to CEOs. It’s like any city though, just on a slightly smaller scale.

MC: You work with cars for a living, what’s the stupidest shit you have ever seen modified?

MD: I’ve seen some pretty bad Honda builds that make me ashamed to drive my Civic, twin exhausts on a 1.6 will not help you boost on your stock motor.

MC: you live really close to Subliminal Skate Park, how has that placed helped your skating?

MD: Subliminal is a huge support for me. They keep me skating all winter long. Nothing better than working all week with snow covering everything and still being able to skate.

MC: What’s the story about your instagram name @darkmodd? I hope you don’t do some satanic mad man crap!! HAHAHA!!

MD: Hahaha no that’s just one of the many nicknames my buddy Adam Riggsby has given me over the years.

MC: Tell me a crazy skate related story?

MD: Back when my homies and I found out about eggs we paid it a visit because of how sick the spot sounded.

We got there and a lot of the ledges had knobs on them.

The curved ledge that leads you down to the water had them so one of my boys was like “I’ll be right back” about 20 minutes later he came back with a hammer and crow

front blunt this, big time!” we were all 14-15 yrs old so there was some fear in the factor such as “oh shit my mum is gonna be pissed!” anyways the stateys contacted all of our parents saying we would owe $8,000 each for damage repair so I wasn’t allowed to skate boston for a few months after that, but we never had to pay or go to court or anything so it was all a big scare tactic. Still to this day the joke amongst my friends and i is to send a christmas card to Trooper Newman to thank him for a shitty day.

MC: Anyone you would like to thank?

MD: I would like to thank Jay at Subliminal, Dave Ashley, all my family, the Subliminal family, and all my friends.

26 | Step Dad | Fall 2014

Eby Ghafarian 5050 [p] Darnell Scott

Brandon Bonner Backlip [p] Tim Snyder