PHOTO BY IVAN NAREZ
1. How important do you think it is for a pro-skater to pay attention to the internet (rollerblading websites, message boards, edits, etc.) ?

The internet is a real weird thing… it’s the only place where you can walk in on a conversation about yourself and remain anonymous. You can’t deny the fact that the internet is the forefront of our industry. It’s the place where you can learn the latest and greatest news, watch a companies team travel around the world or check out the next up and coming am. For this reason I think it is very important to pay attention to the internet. In any other industry you wouldn’t be able to be a working professional without knowing what’s going on with your industry.

 

2. It seems that the age of hammers has passed (that is, a time when hammers were the end all of skating) and skaters are now focusing more and more on developing their own independent esthetic. Is this an accurate picture, if so, what are your thoughts on what factors might have caused this development and to what extent do you think this development is positive?

In the past the easiest way to stand out from the crowd was to find the biggest baddest stunt and be the first and/or only person to land it. There’s a reason the leap of faith was such a huge phenomenon for years, someone simply wanted to hold the title that nobody had yet to accomplish. I think our industry has started to mature, and somewhat grew out of this phase. It seems like people are more accepting of a different kind of skating, with more variety and individuality. I definitely believe this is a step in the right direction. They say “variety is the spice of life” and that should apply to blading as well.

3. Describe the process that led to you eventually being put on the Valo pro team. That is, was being Valo pro always your goal? Now as a Valo pro do your responsibilities as a skater change? How so?

Being pro for Valo was certainly never a goal of mine, it really just all happened naturally. In fact, i’ve always had one goal and that was to stay involved in the industry for as long as possible. There was actually a time period when i was transitioning out of blading, and was working my way onto what i guess you could call the “business side.” During that time period i was going to college and wasn’t skating at all as a sponsored skater (filming, traveling etc.) In fact, at that time (04-06) i didn’t even have any sponsors. I was still skating a bit, but moreso shooting photos of all my friends, I guess you could say honing my skills as a photographer. Eventually I got to the point where I was shooting ads for companies and getting stuff published in magazines, that’s when I started working for Julio and Valo more. After shooting some stuff for him, he gave me a pair of skates and I guess that sort of sparked my skating flame again. I was skating again, but still focusing primarily on photography. As soon as I graduated from college I went on the road with Jon and the guys to Europe where my main focus was shooting photos. Watching Bailey, Broskow and Julio kill everything on that tour definitely got me juiced to get back into skating full time. Jon gave me a new pair of skates the last day of tour and after flying for over 10 hours, i went straight to the skatepark and skated by myself. It just so happened that everyone from the Bay Area had started skating a lot of skateparks, so that’s what I did for the next 6-8months. Nothing but park skating. Towards the end of 07, I was shooting with Julio for his interview in ONE mag and one day on the drive into SF he pitched the idea of Themgoods to me. He said he had been planning it for a while, and was ready to take on the distribution of soft goods for Valo. He explained the idea of doing shirts and bearings at first, then graduating to bigger and better things. He asked me if i would be interested in working with him, trying it out for a year and seeing what happens. Of course I was stoked on the idea, and was honored to even be asked by Jon to work with him on such a big project. Themgoods officially launched in January 08, and for 6 months we worked non stop promoting the company, selling product out of the garage, and traveling a lot. Sales were doing good and we were growing as a company and needed a bigger space to run the business. In June of 08 Jon brought up the idea of moving down to southern california, which basically would allow the company to grow. At first i was extremely skeptical because all my friends and family were up north in the bay area and I was a bit hesitant on making such a big change. It got to the point where moving was really the only option and since i believed in the company so much, and it’s future, it made the most sense to do what was necessary. We decided to move down mid July 08. Around that time is when stuff started to get real serious with WAV3 filming. People were constantly coming through the house to stay and film for the video and shoot photos. I was still obviously the photo guy for Valo and that was my main priority but i was skating a lot more, even filming tricks here and there. After stacking some footage, somewhat of a section started to come together. Me and Jon decided it made the most sense to go ahead and try and film a full blown section. WAV3 was finished at the end of 08 and Jon put me on the pro team for 09. My repsonsibilites as a skater have changed, but that’s only because i’m putting pressure on myself that I never did before. If you are asking if there are any requirments to being pro for Valo, the answer is no. I’ve never had a conversation with Jon about what he expects from me. We are all so passionate about the brand, that everyone knows what needs to be done on an individual level. As far as the pressure i put on myself, it has to do with the fact of holding the official title “valo pro” so i work harder to avoid looking like some chump that doesn’t deserve it.

 

4. You grew up skating in the bay area. What influences did you have locally that kept you motivated to come up in the blade game? Did the Erick Garcia Signature Series Kind Grind keep you motivated to blade?

My friends have always been my number one form of motivation. The only reason I stuck with skating is because all my friends did it. If they quit skating, I probably would have quit a long time ago. All my friends were bladers, so when I was hanging out with them we were always blading! People like Garcia and the older heads always inspired me because they were doing the hardest coolest tricks and I wanted to do them too.

5. Do you like drinking alcohol? What kind of drinks? What is your advice to the kids out there, as a pro rollerblader, on drinking?

I don’t have an addictive personality so drinking with the buddies is one of my favorite activities to do. The best part is the social aspect of getting to kick back with your friends and have a good time. For that reason, i love all kinds of alcohol. The atmosphere really dictates the type of drink. Margaritas and mexican food is probably my favorite but we can never forget about good old Uncle Jack. Can’t beat a cold brew on a hot day, or a nice bottle of red wine and keeping it mellow with my old lady. My best piece of advice to kids would be, don’t get blacked out and proceed to raid my refrigerator leaving it empty of all quesadilla making necessities.

6. How regularly do you think about/discuss the ’state of rollerblading’. Are these discussions helpful at all to the state of rollerblading?

I always dread these conversations. They tend to come up when some “outsider” finds out i’m involved in the industry. They usually think they have some great idea to change the entire industry in one night. Usually the conversation goes the same and involves an “outsider” trying to suggest insane ideas that certainly don’t apply to our industry, while i am trying to explain that we’re a very unique industry with unique people and companies with unique business practices. It really is a whole different beast, and most people automatically assume our industry is just like any other large participant based industry, which is certainly nowhere near the truth.

 

 

 

 

 

7. Your skating has always had a “robotic” look to it. However, in recent years this has been complemented with a smoothness and fluidity. Is this something you had to ‘work’ on? What are your thoughts on improving ones style? Is faking a style a waste of time? Should we just skate as natural as possible?

Forcing or faking something in life is always a bad thing, thus being a waste of time. I do think there’s a difference between flat out faking ones style and being self aware about how your skating looks to other people. From the beginning i’ve always skated in a way that came naturally and felt the best to me. I’ve never gone out of my way to change the look of my skating. Any changes in my style are probably a result of the comfort level on my blades. In recent years i’ve gotten a lot more comfortable skating, and i don’t mean just doing tricks but the actual act of skating from point a to point b. I really think this level of comfort translates to “smoothness and fluidity.”

8. Who did you look up to as a young/developing skater? In what ways have you deviated from your youthfull influences in order to become the person and skater you are?

I’ve never been a person that watched skate videos all the time. In fact, I owned a very minimal amount of skate videos growing up. The only time I would watch them was at friends houses or when I got a bootlegged copy from Cory Good. Instead of looking to skate videos for inspiration like most, I’ve always looked up to my friends and acquaintances. Since I grew up in Norcal my friends happened to be people like Erick Garcia, Vinny Minton, Robert Guerrero, Pat Lennen, Jon Julio and many more. The way i’ve differentiated myself from these people is simply by doing what always came natural to me.

9. You come off as a quiet person. Would you describe yourself as quiet person in all situations? When is the last time you leapt for joy (literally or metaphorically) and what brought on this feeling?

I am a quiet person, and like to keep to myself. I’m an observer and it’s a lot easier to observe the world when you have your eyes open and your mouth shut. Thankfully i’m surrounded by a great group of friends, family and a wonderful girlfriend so my life is always filled with joy.

 

 

 

10. Did becoming a photographer influence the type of spots you choose to skate and your overall mode of skating?

It definitely influenced the way I think about the visual aspect of skating and the way my skating looks on video and photos. For instance, thinking more about trick selection and what tricks look best for a certain spot. Getting older and more mature has been an influence on the type of spots I skate. After skating for so many years and becoming comfortable with my skating, i’ve really learned which kind of spots I have fun skating and which ones I don’t. I simply avoid skating spots I don’t enjoy.

Brandon Smith Welcome / Happy Holidays! from AGGRESSIVEMALL on Vimeo.

COW:03 Brandon Smith from Connected Skating on Vimeo.

Valo Cow – Brandon Smith in empty Bowl from flo976 on Vimeo.

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