from the Focus website:
What you up to Pete?
Not much, just making some breakfast.
Yeah, are you cooking eggs?
I’m working on the bacon right now.
So anyway, how has skateboarding been treating you?
How’s skateboarding… yeah. Skateboarding is treating me great, but you know, companies are crazy sometimes. I don’t know.
What happen with you and City Skateboards recently?
Nah, I don’t really want to talk about that. Well, I kinda do but I kinda don’t. I just don’t even know how I feel about the whole situation. It just happened, so I’m not too sure I want to talk about it.
Come on.
Nah, well yeah, I guess. As of right now I am a free agent. City shit just fell through. It wasn’t on bad terms or anything, just a conflict of interest I guess you could say.
They wanted you to move to SF, right?
Yeah, they wanted me out there. I would have to change my whole life around. I don’t really get that. It isn’t just City either. It’s weird because it seems like that is what all these companies want you to do. Even when I was on Stereo, they wanted me to move out there too. They wanted me to quit school and just move away. When I was seventeen, I was a little more down for it, but I couldn’t just quit school. Plus, I had some family shit going on. I just don’t understand what is up with all of it. To all you kids out there that want to get sponsored, just move to SF and you’ll get hooked up a lot faster. Just drop everything you are doing and move now! That is what is easier for them. They can keep tabs on you easier.
You’d much rather live on the East though, right?
Yeah, for sure. I mean SF is a dope fucking place, but I just like it here more.
You just got the cover of Slap. How did that make you feel?
Yeah, that was pretty cool. I mean it took a year for the photo to come out, but when it did it was on the cover, so I guess that was pretty neat.
It was neat?
Yeah, I was psyched on that. It was neat.
Where did skateboarding begin for you?
Damn, man. I don’t even really remember. I think it was because of my brother. He had a skateboard, but never really skated that often. I thought that shit was cool and I would steal his board all the time to go skate. Whenever he caught me he’d beat me up ‘cause I was riding his shit.
Even though he didn’t even skate?
Yeah. I think I got my own board this one Christmas. Like, my brother got a new board and I guess he was too cool for it. He didn’t even want it, so I told him I’d trade him some of my presents for it. The best part was I gave him a bunch of crappy presents. I made out on that deal.
Did you grow up skating with a crew?
Yeah, sort of. There were a few homies that lived down the street from me. I had this one homie, Justin, that I used to skate with all the time. And then I met up with Chris Cole. We used to skate together a whole bunch. I would go out to Langhorne a lot and skate with all those dudes, Chris, T. Dog, and all them homies.
But you don’t skate with Chris much any more. Any reason why?
Yeah, I don’t know why. Really, everyone just seemed to go different ways. I moved to the city and… yeah, I don’t know. But I mean, we are still cool though.
Who was your first hook up?
Well, I skated for some skate shops but my first real hookup was with Stereo skateboards. Chris Pastras saw me skating at that Shred for Life event and he came up to me and just asked if I would ride for Stereo. Then, right after that, I started riding for Thunder and Spitfire too.
Where did you go once Stereo went under? Bootleg?
No. Shit, who the hell did I skate for after Stereo? Umm, let’s see. When Stereo went under I think I skated for Zoo York for a little bit. Then my friend had this idea for Bootleg and I was really psyched on that ‘cause it was going to be a team with all my friends. It was the sickest thing.
Are you drunk or something right now?
No man. I’m cooking bacon right now and I’m getting grease all over my hands.
Dude, bacon doesn’t take that long to cook. You’ve been cooking bacon for like ten minutes now.
Yeah, but this is some gourmet shit I got. But yeah, Bootleg was the sickest thing. I mean, everyone that skated for Bootleg was all cool and got along with each other. Once we got rid of Anthony Mosley, it was even better.
You weren’t into that dude?
No. I mean he’s an all right kid. He was just one of those kids that thought he was the shit and that nobody could touch him.
Do you dislike a lot of people in skateboarding?
No, not really. It is just that a lot of people are crazy. It just seems like some kids are handed shit and others have to work a lot harder for it. You can just tell the difference in some people.
Do you feel you had to work hard?
Yes and no. It’s skateboarding; no one is really working that hard. Even if you got a regular nine to five job you’d still go skate after work.
You ever work a regular job since you’ve been pro?
Eh, not really. I mean I worked the door of this bar for a few weeks, checking IDs. That was about it, but I wouldn’t really consider that a job.
What about before you were pro?
Yeah, I worked at a supermarket for a few years bagging groceries. I never got a raise or anything. Maybe it was because I called out every weekend so I could go skate. They always wanted me to work weekends and I just wasn’t feeling that. I wanted to skate so I would always tell them I was sick on the weekends. One day they told me if I didn’t come in I was fired. So I just told them, “Okay, guess I’m fired. “ That was that.
You’re lucky to only have had two jobs.
Yeah, I guess.
All right, so is there anyone you want to thank?
Nah, fuck everybody.
What?
I’m just playing. Yeah, I’d like to thank my mom, my family, all the homies, Strickland, Plain… Um, I don’t know. A big what up to Hot Wax, those dudes are ill. I’m still waiting for the album to drop. Big what up to Maldonado for holding it down in West Chester. And all the Pittsburgh heads. Let’s see, Jersey, Mazur, Kerry Getz, Nocturnal, and all the haters.
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