KEVIN STAAB

Kevin Staab, interview from the Snow Sports Demo in Seattle, October 1997

So it was the 3rd day of the Snow Sports Demo at the Seattle Center and I get to sit down with an idle from my early years of skating and fire off a few questions. I think this would best be called ” Catching up with Kevin Staab”. Most of the older skaters will know exactly who this person is but many of you post kickflip groms might be scratching your head. All I can say to you then is Kevin is definitely a true skater who has a strong belief in the pursuit of fun and the knowledge of a wise skate guru. So sit back and hear what he has to say in response the the following questions. Roll the tape…..

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Do you drink? Smoke? Eat only Veggies?

2 out of the 3.

Which 2?

I’m not saying, you’ll have to guess.

How old are you and how long have you been skating?

I have currently been skating for 22 almost 23 years and I’m almost 32 years old.

So your still not the oldest one up riding the ramp today.

No still not, but I don’t think age has all that much to do with it anymore. We’re all still doing it because its fun and that’s why we’ll keep doing it.

OK aaahh, next one, How were your days at Sims?

It was actually really good back then, I mean like Jeff Phillips was one of my heroes and thats why I ended up riding for Sims… we got a lot of coverage and got to do a lot of traveling and that’s probably the best thing I got out of skating was just traveling places and like actually getting to meet different people and find that’s there’s just so much more to the world then like the tiny little place your in and if your fortunate to get away from that and actually see the rest of the world then that’s the best part about it, Having fun and meeting all the people.

How did you do and how do you feel about competitions?

UUHHMM, I did really well as an amateur for a while, and I did pretty good and I think I maintained a pretty good level (in the pro ranks), in the top 10, But the best one I did was my second one that was at Del Mar where I got 3rd in half pipe and pool, I was really stoked on that.

How do you feel about them looking back at them now?

You know, that’s weird cuz I don’t really even think about them anymore, I mean it trips me out but, I don’t know, that’s a weird question, I mean I guess I’m stoked.

Was the end of your time riding for Sims the beginning of your 90 clothing business?

That’s a good one, …( trying to remember )…I think I started in 1987 and I can’t remember when I quit skating. Its whenever street skating got really big. So anyways street skating got really big and they’re like if you want to keep doing things and going places you gotta street skate so I said “ok I’m done”, and that was it I was finished. There was no vertical to ride anymore so I just started playing music.

So what do you play?

I’m the guy that just stands in the front and just yells shit into the thing

What’s your band? ( I stupidly interrupt)

I had a band called Ice Cream Headache and that was just actually a lot of fun, and now my bass player just moved out to California so we’re writing new songs, and I don’t know what we’re going to be called this time around.

Nice, I was just going to ask you about moving to California, Are you digging it there & who are you skating with?

The raddest thing about being there is like that’s where I grew up and I moved to Arizona for 17 years and I moved back there ( to Huntington Beach, Ca.) and like I still have the same friends there that I did 17 years ago. People I hadn’t even seen in that long I will just run into them all some place, It doesn’t matter if they’re doctors or lawyers or whatever, and they’re like what are you and I’m aaa… still a “BUM”! (Laughter)

None of my friends ever left Cali. either (except one!).

It’s a hard place to live. I mean it’s a hard place to leave.

Have you ever gotten really injured?

Aah, well, I ruptured my spleen, I was intensive care for 2 weeks. I don’t know, aah both my ankles about 6 times…aah. my wrist, leg, probably knocked out a couple of times, just some typical skateboard stuff. Actually sprained all my fingers and couldn’t use my left hand for a year. That’s when I just started doing ollies the whole time. I fell down like ( shows me graphically all the fingers getting bent back over the wrist.) at that Vision contest, the one with the spine with the little ramp and the Chili Pepper’s played. Second run on the ramp I bailed an ollie put my hands down and my finger stuck and my body went past them and all my fingers went up here. And because I sprained all my fingers I had to wear this plastic thing on my wrist that pulled all my fingers down for a year, and going in twice a week to get my fingers messaged and I was told I might not even be able to use my hand any more, so I couldn’t even do backside airs for a year.

That’s why you do such good ollies now?

Yeah!

I broke my collar bone and now I can do fakie ollies for days ( Laughter ) All I could do was go up and down

Yeah, If you can’t use some thing then you have to figure out how the other shit works. (we agree!) Totally!

Do you still keep in touch with Joe Johnson?

Yeah, he comes over my house about five nights a week right after work. He’s playing in a band where he’s the bass player and we skate together whenever he has a chance, he’s just busy working a lot

Cool , it’s good to hear that he still skates.

Yeah, he still rips!

Whens the last time you’ve pulled a McTwist?

I can’t remember, it was like five or six years ago, I really want to make one now!

Well your getting close

I’m puss!

Your gettin an ollie one at that.

I can spin them any place I go, I just…I just wimp out but every once in a while I’ll be so amped out like just the last run I took I don’t know why I didn’t do it. So Maybe I’ll make one while I’m here (Right On!) I would be stoked on that.

So name the people you can thank and those who helped you get to where you are today.

Everybody I’ve skated with that I’ve had fun with, like all the guy’s here. I can’t even remember everybody’s name and like at uhmmm most the demo’s I’ve done, this is like seriously been the funnest one cuzz like there’s no attitude up here and everybody’s like totally cool, everyone’s got there own style, its rad its like there’s way more of a brotherhood here everyone’s stoked for one another instead of like some of the California things where everyone’s got there little click, its like fuck that shit, I don’t know. As far as sponsors AirWalk, Billabong, Independent, Powell, & Birdhouse, Pro Design,( pause ) and my mom

You always gotta thank your your mom!

Yeah!

Anything else you got profound to say to the youngsters?

FUCK OFF!

Laughter!

Have fun skateboarding, don’t worry about being sponsored and just have a good time because that’s what it’s there for.

Right On! That’s the end

Yeah ok, cool!