Steve Rocco about Girl Skateboards in the new Solo issue

[getonkrooked]

This is from the new issue of Solo with Pontus Alv as guest-editor.
The whole mag is incredible, lots of amazing stuff including this interview with Steve Rocco taking a jab at Girl amongst other things.

[botefdunn]

just curious if you have a subscription, and if you are in the states, do they ship on time and how is it pricewise? thanks

[fang]

That's pretty interesting actually. I still dunno what Megan actually does though. Is she a business whiz? But more interesting is "by the people immersed in it not people trying to make it like it used to be"

[Robert Baratheon]

He's still butt hurt over Girl. Funny.

[reptar_bar]

I agree with him. Reynolds is still just as immersed in skating as ever and is doing one of the best jobs running his companies and sister companies. Carroll and Rick Howard... not so much.

[mattchew]

I am in the US and would love to get a copy of this issue.

[Salty Lame Ass Poosey]

Gotta give it to Rocco dude was the game changer in the late 80s

[bo golden]

I agree with him. Reynolds is still just as immersed in skating as ever and is doing one of the best jobs running his companies and sister companies. Carroll and Rick Howard... not so much.

Two of the best and most established pro skaters for 20+ years, owns successful skateboard company for most of that time, actually travels around the US to the shops that carry their product, yet they are not immersed with skateboarding.  Okay.

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

He's still butt hurt over Girl. Funny.

It seemed more like they were fishing for drama and didn't get much. He wasn't even sure if it still existed.

[h00man]

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I agree with him. Reynolds is still just as immersed in skating as ever and is doing one of the best jobs running his companies and sister companies. Carroll and Rick Howard... not so much.

[close]

Two of the best and most established pro skaters for 20+ years, owns successful skateboard company for most of that time, actually travels around the US to the shops that carry their product, yet they are not immersed with skateboarding.  Okay.

Well there's not argument that Rick and Mike are game changers themselves, but I think what reptar bar means is Mike and Rick's companies haven't been doing well and not much themselves. The last RH part was 10 years ago and we get sprinkles of Carroll footy here and there. But The Boss dropping footage and full parts and still expanding BBD with IC and Birdhouse. He's continuing the growth of his brand. Crail on the other hand, is losing riders and brands are folding.

[micky682]

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I agree with him. Reynolds is still just as immersed in skating as ever and is doing one of the best jobs running his companies and sister companies. Carroll and Rick Howard... not so much.

[close]

Two of the best and most established pro skaters for 20+ years, owns successful skateboard company for most of that time, actually travels around the US to the shops that carry their product, yet they are not immersed with skateboarding.  Okay.

[close]

Well there's not argument that Rick and Mike are game changers themselves, but I think what reptar bar means is Mike and Rick's companies haven't been doing well and not much themselves. The last RH part was 10 years ago and we get sprinkles of Carroll footy here and there. But The Boss dropping footage and full parts and still expanding BBD with IC and Birdhouse. He's continuing the growth of his brand. Crail on the other hand, is losing riders and brands are folding.

What to know what Reynolds did a few years ago, he moved Baker boards from shitty Blitz wood to Bareback/Generator. Where are Crailtap boards made? China.

[Fongstarr.]

I can't imagine Reynold skating is the sole reason why Baker is doing better than Girl and Chocolate. Baker has always had a vibe that works well with the young kids today. Girl and Chocolate are golden for older skaters but I always thought it'd be weird for skaters growing up to like a brand like that. I have a ton of non skater friends that don't get Girl for nothing. Like they think the Girl name and logo is the oddest thing to rep and especially for a skate brand.

Girl and Chocolate has always been good cause of their reputation of their core skaters but with most of them gone, it just feels so different now. Hopefully the AMs can keep the brand alive and create a name for themselves to the younger generation.

[Hevonen]

Girl used to be great because it was ran by young people motivated to create a great thing together. Now 24 years later it's still the same guys still hanging on to the creative control and the young guys just sitting back enjoying the ride. Then again they've kinda had some bad luck with how the team has evolved, like if the Mikemo malto cory and AO combo turned out a bit different it could've been amazing. But feels like none of the guys were ever hyped to work on a brand together. Don't even remember when was the last time I saw a clip of any of them together

I think FA is a good example of a company where the young dudes are also very invested and motivated in making the brand the way they want it to look

[reptar_bar]

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I agree with him. Reynolds is still just as immersed in skating as ever and is doing one of the best jobs running his companies and sister companies. Carroll and Rick Howard... not so much.

[close]

Two of the best and most established pro skaters for 20+ years, owns successful skateboard company for most of that time, actually travels around the US to the shops that carry their product, yet they are not immersed with skateboarding.  Okay.

[close]

Well there's not argument that Rick and Mike are game changers themselves, but I think what reptar bar means is Mike and Rick's companies haven't been doing well and not much themselves. The last RH part was 10 years ago and we get sprinkles of Carroll footy here and there. But The Boss dropping footage and full parts and still expanding BBD with IC and Birdhouse. He's continuing the growth of his brand. Crail on the other hand, is losing riders and brands are folding.

Thank you h00man, that is what i meant. Rick and Mike are immersed in the business side of skating and there own brands and thats about it. Reynolds is still out skating demos, skating the streets with his homies and team, still getting footage. And he still manages to be dealing with all his company stuff. Im not saying Rick and Mike are blowing it because they aren't just like Reynolds, but if they even remotely tried to do what he is doing I'm sure crailtap would be better off.

[Pavementi]

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I agree with him. Reynolds is still just as immersed in skating as ever and is doing one of the best jobs running his companies and sister companies. Carroll and Rick Howard... not so much.

[close]

Two of the best and most established pro skaters for 20+ years, owns successful skateboard company for most of that time, actually travels around the US to the shops that carry their product, yet they are not immersed with skateboarding.  Okay.

[close]

Well there's not argument that Rick and Mike are game changers themselves, but I think what reptar bar means is Mike and Rick's companies haven't been doing well and not much themselves. The last RH part was 10 years ago and we get sprinkles of Carroll footy here and there. But The Boss dropping footage and full parts and still expanding BBD with IC and Birdhouse. He's continuing the growth of his brand. Crail on the other hand, is losing riders and brands are folding.

You don't have to film parts to be immersed in skateboarding...

[h00man]

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I agree with him. Reynolds is still just as immersed in skating as ever and is doing one of the best jobs running his companies and sister companies. Carroll and Rick Howard... not so much.

[close]

Two of the best and most established pro skaters for 20+ years, owns successful skateboard company for most of that time, actually travels around the US to the shops that carry their product, yet they are not immersed with skateboarding.  Okay.

[close]

Well there's not argument that Rick and Mike are game changers themselves, but I think what reptar bar means is Mike and Rick's companies haven't been doing well and not much themselves. The last RH part was 10 years ago and we get sprinkles of Carroll footy here and there. But The Boss dropping footage and full parts and still expanding BBD with IC and Birdhouse. He's continuing the growth of his brand. Crail on the other hand, is losing riders and brands are folding.

[close]

You don't have to film parts to be immersed in skateboarding...

In a way to stay relevant as a company you have to. Maybe not toward Mike and Carroll, but Crail has been recently slow on footy for IG or full lengths. They had a lot of cool stuff like crail couch and my favorite: you said it we read it or whatever its called. But have you been seeing footy of any of the pros recently? Only one I can think of is Biebel and Cory. Even Cory is piling.

Why would a consumer buy a product that doesn't advertise? Skateboarders want footage and Crail has been lacking in all aspects of it. That's why they're struggling.

Really hope the Lakai vid releases soon so hopefully that will bring some life back into the brand.

[Bread Harrity]

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I agree with him. Reynolds is still just as immersed in skating as ever and is doing one of the best jobs running his companies and sister companies. Carroll and Rick Howard... not so much.

[close]

Two of the best and most established pro skaters for 20+ years, owns successful skateboard company for most of that time, actually travels around the US to the shops that carry their product, yet they are not immersed with skateboarding.  Okay.

[close]

Well there's not argument that Rick and Mike are game changers themselves, but I think what reptar bar means is Mike and Rick's companies haven't been doing well and not much themselves. The last RH part was 10 years ago and we get sprinkles of Carroll footy here and there. But The Boss dropping footage and full parts and still expanding BBD with IC and Birdhouse. He's continuing the growth of his brand. Crail on the other hand, is losing riders and brands are folding.

[close]

You don't have to film parts to be immersed in skateboarding...

[close]

In a way to stay relevant as a company you have to. Maybe not toward Mike and Carroll, but Crail has been recently slow on footy for IG or full lengths. They had a lot of cool stuff like crail couch and my favorite: you said it we read it or whatever its called. But have you been seeing footy of any of the pros recently? Only one I can think of is Biebel and Cory. Even Cory is piling.

Why would a consumer buy a product that doesn't advertise? Skateboarders want footage and Crail has been lacking in all aspects of it. That's why they're struggling.

Really hope the Lakai vid releases soon so hopefully that will bring some life back into the brand.

have you not been paying attention to the 2+ minute webclips they have been posting every single week for the last 6 months?

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

You wanna know how I think girl can do better?






























neither do I

[DannyDee]

I can't imagine Reynold skating is the sole reason why Baker is doing better than Girl and Chocolate. Baker has always had a vibe that works well with the young kids today. Girl and Chocolate are golden for older skaters but I always thought it'd be weird for skaters growing up to like a brand like that. I have a ton of non skater friends that don't get Girl for nothing. Like they think the Girl name and logo is the oddest thing to rep and especially for a skate brand.

Girl and Chocolate has always been good cause of their reputation of their core skaters but with most of them gone, it just feels so different now. Hopefully the AMs can keep the brand alive and create a name for themselves to the younger generation.

The big difference is Reynolds doesn't own a shoe company. Which in many ways is a smart move by him, he's comfortable taking a solid check from Emerica and running two board companies. Look at the two companies that are probably the strongest in the hard goods aspect of skateboarding. DLX and NHS both have no involvement in shoes, and we never hear anything about them being in trouble. Crailtap, Blackbox and Tum Yeto all got involved, and while they probably saw solid profits for awhile, eventually they got killed when runs weren't selling.

[HungUp]

[sluggers]

I love Rocco, I wish Roberts could get him on his podcast for three hours.

Sorry, Rob Brink and Tim O'Connor, but he would suck on your shows. Chris Roberts and Steve Rocco would be must see.

[ledgendary]

I love Rocco, I wish Roberts could get him on his podcast for three hours.

Damnnnnn. Make this happen!

[reptar_bar]

Expand Quote

I can't imagine Reynold skating is the sole reason why Baker is doing better than Girl and Chocolate. Baker has always had a vibe that works well with the young kids today. Girl and Chocolate are golden for older skaters but I always thought it'd be weird for skaters growing up to like a brand like that. I have a ton of non skater friends that don't get Girl for nothing. Like they think the Girl name and logo is the oddest thing to rep and especially for a skate brand.

Girl and Chocolate has always been good cause of their reputation of their core skaters but with most of them gone, it just feels so different now. Hopefully the AMs can keep the brand alive and create a name for themselves to the younger generation.

[close]

The big difference is Reynolds doesn't own a shoe company. Which in many ways is a smart move by him, he's comfortable taking a solid check from Emerica and running two board companies. Look at the two companies that are probably the strongest in the hard goods aspect of skateboarding. DLX and NHS both have no involvement in shoes, and we never hear anything about them being in trouble. Crailtap, Blackbox and Tum Yeto all got involved, and while they probably saw solid profits for awhile, eventually they got killed when runs weren't selling.

Reynolds owns some portion of emerica doesn't he?? Either way - you are probably right. The shoe game isn't a good one to get into if your already trying to manage multiple hardwood and clothing companies. They would prob be better off to call it quits on Lakai but i doubt that will happen.

[sluggers]

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I love Rocco, I wish Roberts could get him on his podcast for three hours.

[close]

Damnnnnn. Make this happen!

[Iceman]

I think FA is a good example of a company where the young dudes are also very invested and motivated in making the brand the way they want it to look

that's all dill's vision, not the young guys.

[ungzilla]

Expand Quote

He's still butt hurt over Girl. Funny.

[close]

It seemed more like they were fishing for drama and didn't get much. He wasn't even sure if it still existed.

To me, that read like the classic I'm-too-cool-to-know-what's-going-on-so-I'll-feign-ignorance-response...

Ever see the Austyn/Dylan skatenerd trivia episode? Like that.

[bo golden]

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He's still butt hurt over Girl. Funny.

[close]

It seemed more like they were fishing for drama and didn't get much. He wasn't even sure if it still existed.

[close]

To me, that read like the classic I'm-too-cool-to-know-what's-going-on-so-I'll-feign-ignorance-response...

Ever see the Austyn/Dylan skatenerd trivia episode? Like that.

That's kind of how I took it also. 

[Fongstarr.]

Expand Quote

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I can't imagine Reynold skating is the sole reason why Baker is doing better than Girl and Chocolate. Baker has always had a vibe that works well with the young kids today. Girl and Chocolate are golden for older skaters but I always thought it'd be weird for skaters growing up to like a brand like that. I have a ton of non skater friends that don't get Girl for nothing. Like they think the Girl name and logo is the oddest thing to rep and especially for a skate brand.

Girl and Chocolate has always been good cause of their reputation of their core skaters but with most of them gone, it just feels so different now. Hopefully the AMs can keep the brand alive and create a name for themselves to the younger generation.

[close]

The big difference is Reynolds doesn't own a shoe company. Which in many ways is a smart move by him, he's comfortable taking a solid check from Emerica and running two board companies. Look at the two companies that are probably the strongest in the hard goods aspect of skateboarding. DLX and NHS both have no involvement in shoes, and we never hear anything about them being in trouble. Crailtap, Blackbox and Tum Yeto all got involved, and while they probably saw solid profits for awhile, eventually they got killed when runs weren't selling.

[close]

Reynolds owns some portion of emerica doesn't he?? Either way - you are probably right. The shoe game isn't a good one to get into if your already trying to manage multiple hardwood and clothing companies. They would prob be better off to call it quits on Lakai but i doubt that will happen.

I would think the shoe game has a better profit margin then that of skateboards but since we are talking Lakai, I see your point. Their shoes were never that great imo.

[natenola forever]

I love Rocco, I wish Roberts could get him on his podcast for three hours.

Sorry, Rob Brink and Tim O'Connor, but he would suck on your shows. Chris Roberts and Steve Rocco would be must see.

What about Chris Roberts interviewing Steve Roberts? Although Chris prolly has no idea who that is

[midevilco]

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I agree with him. Reynolds is still just as immersed in skating as ever and is doing one of the best jobs running his companies and sister companies. Carroll and Rick Howard... not so much.

[close]

Two of the best and most established pro skaters for 20+ years, owns successful skateboard company for most of that time, actually travels around the US to the shops that carry their product, yet they are not immersed with skateboarding.  Okay.

[close]

Well there's not argument that Rick and Mike are game changers themselves, but I think what reptar bar means is Mike and Rick's companies haven't been doing well and not much themselves. The last RH part was 10 years ago and we get sprinkles of Carroll footy here and there. But The Boss dropping footage and full parts and still expanding BBD with IC and Birdhouse. He's continuing the growth of his brand. Crail on the other hand, is losing riders and brands are folding.

[close]

You don't have to film parts to be immersed in skateboarding...

[close]

In a way to stay relevant as a company you have to. Maybe not toward Mike and Carroll, but Crail has been recently slow on footy for IG or full lengths. They had a lot of cool stuff like crail couch and my favorite: you said it we read it or whatever its called. But have you been seeing footy of any of the pros recently? Only one I can think of is Biebel and Cory. Even Cory is piling.

Why would a consumer buy a product that doesn't advertise? Skateboarders want footage and Crail has been lacking in all aspects of it. That's why they're struggling.

Really hope the Lakai vid releases soon so hopefully that will bring some life back into the brand.

[close]

have you not been paying attention to the 2+ minute webclips they have been posting every single week for the last 6 months?

I actually think that is part of the problem. All the content is forced and on a schedule, they have just been pumping it out, which makes it easy to ignore. How many times do we need to see the same person sit on the same couch and get asked the same questions?

Design contests with Adobe, Hello Kitty collabs, and gross manhater sister molester Lena Dunham getting a shoe + some cheap China made products. What's not to love?