Speaker 3:
Hey, it's Shan here this week I catch up with skateboarder and popular youtuber. It's mr leon paxton. Leon is an interesting cat. I mean he does these epic reviews on all of the new skate parks that are being built around sydney and other parts of australia and he does it in a way that's so authentic and so thorough. It's built a really large audience for him really quickly.
Speaker 3:
So Leon goes into the reasons why he felt compelled to do it and just what's actually happening for him in his life now that he is a little bit more recognized through his YouTube. Leon is a big man and he skates like really good and I just love watching him skate like with his big frame, gets on rails, does his flip tricks and I think that's a real big part of the success of his YouTube videos because he can actually skate and skate well and one of his key things that he does in his videos is like skate every obstacle and as hard as that can be sometimes. But he takes us on a journey through his life so far where he grew up, how he got into skateboarding and how he made a decision to create a lifestyle by his own design and not get stuck working in a job that he really didn't like or wasn't really made for. So I love that aspect of it. This week we record in the art studio of Steve Tierney and Nick Collison for those of you that are Sydney skaters and Steve sits in as this week's guest co-host and you know he jumps in, adds his two cents and brings that 90s stee*z to what is a younger skateboarder.
Speaker 3:
So again, I sort of see Leon as, like you know, he's part of the shift in the culture, shift in pop culture and media and the way people are, I guess, gaining exposure and coverage, except he's doing it right. So enjoy getting to know Mr Leon. Paxton Cheers. Hey. The other day you said to me hey, in my podcast I don't want to really swear and stuff, and you're cognizant of that.
Speaker 4:
How come the young audience I have is the only reason why.
Speaker 3:
How do you know they're young?
Speaker 4:
I get so many people coming up to me at skate parks and then even parents too. Yeah, I went to Glebe the other day and these kids were like eight to 12 maximum. Like oh my God, leon Paxton, no way, are you like, are you actually here? I can't believe. You just came here Like yeah, of course I just come to skate. Like no way. Like shaking my hand, like bumping me up. It was crazy. They were going off like oh my God, can I get a photo? Can I get a photo? Can I get a photo?
Speaker 3:
How often does that happen, like regularly.
Speaker 4:
Super regularly.
Speaker 3:
More regularly than ever.
Speaker 4:
Probably I don't want to say every time, but almost every time I go anywhere, I don't want to sound like, oh yeah, I got these guys everywhere.
Speaker 3:
Super interesting.
Speaker 4:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
Because I'm here with Steve Tierney and such a juxtaposition to how we had to like fight for exposure.
Speaker 4:
Yes In the day, I'm probably very lucky in that sense.
Speaker 3:
Lucky.
Speaker 4:
Well, just because of the shift of the skate, what the world is like now?
Speaker 3:
But you created this situation for yourself.
Speaker 4:
I did.
Speaker 4:
So I can't get like sometimes I'm super focused trying to film something, or I need to talk, like I have my little script out of, like the, I need this shoe review about this, or I need to talk about how this board does this and then these kids are like yo, leon, oh my God, and like they want to stand there and talk to me for ages, which I give them that time because I can make these videos. But if these, if these guys aren't watching it, then like what am I doing it for? I can do all this work, but if no one's receiving it and enjoying what I'm doing, these videos wouldn't go anywhere, right? So like I give every single person like the time that as much as they want, but then I'm like damn, where was I? I gotta warm up again. Like I gotta try and do this trick again. I forgot the, forgot my train of thought of what I was going to say about this product, but I'll always take that time because these guys are the ones watching my videos how sustainable is that though?
Speaker 4:
uh, that's why I go to the skate park at 8 to 10 am to film a video, because I know like if I go on a weekend, no deal, if I go in the afternoon, no deal plus, just because I'm I don't want to be an asshole putting my camera in front of everyone, like my tripod's, in the middle of the skate park trying to get a good angle of this trick. So I'm conscious of that a lot. That's nice you're not.
Speaker 3:
You have a distinct lack of arrogance. Where do you think that comes from?
Speaker 4:
Do you reckon?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, you're super humble.
Speaker 4:
Am I? Yeah, I guess so. That response is humble, I don't know. I don't try to be, I just try and be respectful of everyone.
Speaker 3:
But that's not natural for everyone. That must have been taught to you in some way it probably stemmed from, like skate park awareness.
Speaker 4:
so like I don't want to be in front of, like everyone has the right to be there, even little kids that have their little tricycle scooters that are super dangerous at a skate park they have the right to be there too. So I can't get annoyed if they snake me because they don't know any better. They belong there just as much as I do, yeah, so I try and be like, mindful of the space.
Speaker 3:
Like do you feel someone that's in skate parks a lot and it's part of your love but also part of you know, a project you're working on? Do you feel like skate park etiquette is completely lost in this day and age?
Speaker 4:
I don't think there is any in this day and age. If you, when's the last time you went to a skate park? Every single time I go to the skate park, I see something wrong, like a mom sitting on the ledge. Yeah, it's not to talk bad about, like how do I say this the most polite way? So these kids have every right to be there as much as we do, and I don't blame the kids, but it's the parents that are sitting at the table on their laptop doing work, or they're on their phone or they're on a phone call, not paying attention to their kids. They treat it like a playground. So let's go take our little kids to the skate park and drop them off. We're just going to sit on the side, work on some emails or whatever. Not even like look at what their kid's doing, and they're zigzagging all over the park on their little tricycle. Yeah, it's so dangerous. You've seen it.
Speaker 1:
You know when I see a parent like I was at glee recently and her dad was there with his little daughter and he he couldn't skate. I don't reckon he was really a skater, but she was there trying to. She was actually on a skateboard and she was trying to skate and she got in front of me. He could tell I was doing a line because I was coming back and forth and he was like no, no, no, no. You know, whatever her name was, just wait for this guy to go first and then you go after him. And I was like dude, Legend, Cool. After that and I was like, yeah, that's right, he got it. But I was also like, yeah, right, look good on her, she's rolling. She's like seven or something.
Speaker 3:
Like you said, they think it's a playground.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, I'll get into a story in a second. That's pretty funny. But the parents actually I'll just tell, get into it now. The parents look at it as a playground. So not me personally, but people I've been with and like younger kids in the crew have had direct like almost fights with parents because this one incident, the most recent one, we're at that new park, we're just talking about the old park and this young guy. He wasn't with us, he was like 16, maybe he was trying to do have you been there, penthurst? Yeah, penthurst, the old spark the new one.
Speaker 4:
So it's like there's an a-frame bank to bank that leads into another like bank to bank gap, so you can like do a flip trick over the first bank to bank and then the next one. So this kid was trying to do that and every time these two little kids on their scooters would get in the way of either the first one or the second one. So and he was trying this line for hours and he's like yo, can you move to the first? Like this first kid on the first a-frame and the dad sitting on the side was like hey, don't tell my kid to get out of the way, don't tell him to move. And I heard him yelling across the skate park. He's like he's in the way he's been standing there for so long. He's like don't tell my kid to move, you're out of kids playground and you're telling them what to do. You don't even belong here.
Speaker 4:
And I was like what is this guy on about? So I went over there to try and like this. This guy was, but I didn't. I didn't meet this kid before but he was like kind of overstepping a little bit, getting up in the dad's face and everything. But what the dad was saying was completely wrong. As well, I was like yo what do you?
Speaker 4:
mean like it's an open field, like we can all be here. They belong here, we belong here. It's not a playground at all. Where are the slides like? Where are the swings?
Speaker 3:
exactly, and I see it as a real clash of cultures, yeah, and I feel that older skaters such as us and yourself like you're not young, but you're not old either. You're kind of in your prime, in my opinion. I hope so. Almost have a responsibility to pass on the culture and the law, not L-A-W like L-O-R-E, and I think it comes through. It's going to come through conflict for sure, because it's dangerous and, as a parent myself, parents see playgrounds as a place of respite from parenting, where they can sit and forget.
Speaker 4:
That's exactly right.
Speaker 3:
They can drop them off and that's it, yeah because, like, they're exhausted most of the time, but then they don't understand that skate parks are so dangerous. It is.
Speaker 4:
Like a highway.
Speaker 3:
Exactly. No one's reading the signs either about the risk and whatever, but we're just in such a transition period with all the onset of these amazing new skate parks. Yeah. So I'm sort of leading into something here With what you're doing with your reviews of all these amazing new skate parks. Do you ever see yourself as a custodian of the culture and someone who has a deep responsibility to pass on the culture? That's a very good question.
Speaker 4:
Too deep. No, that's a good one. I feel like at this point I have a certain responsibility now because I have so many viewers and people recognize me a lot and people come to my channel with uh, I don't know how to like, there must be a word for it but they they trust and believe in what I'm saying like an authority. So authority, yes. So I have a certain responsibility in a way for how I portray my videos, how I portray myself, what I say in my videos. So that's why when I do a skate park review, I highlight the positives and the negatives of it.
Speaker 4:
I don't want to say I like this skate park, but if I don't like it, I don't want to say it sucks, don't come here. I say all right, this is good about it, this is bad about it, this is what I like, this is what I don't like. So I try and have a balanced opinion I tell my opinion, but a balanced perspective of each place I go to, because I don't want to be like going to your local park or your local park and just saying this sucks, don't come here, no one should come here. So I've been a lot more conscious of having a certain responsibility with what I say and that's why, coming back to the first thing you just said, I try not to swear in my videos, or I just try and be mature enough to get my message across, but like not influence anyone. The bad, like the wrong way. Does that make sense?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, it does Like a certain responsibility.
Speaker 4:
I try and stick to like certain guidelines.
Speaker 3:
I mean, you're independent media, so, and you do. I love how honest your reviews are and they're just very factual. It's like this park doesn't have this, this, this or you'll be like this park cost this many million dollars and they haven't even considered this.
Speaker 4:
No parking at this time. They don't even have a water bubble.
Speaker 3:
And, like some of them, you're like I don't know how they justified spending $14 million. I don't know if that's a correct figure, but just so. Have you had any backlash from park builders or designers?
Speaker 4:
uh, not really not yet. I'm sure there's people out there that don't agree with what I'm saying, but that's why I try and make it clear that this is my opinion of the skate park. I'm not saying that this builder made a bad skate park, so don't go there. I'm just saying this is what I like, this park, so don't go there. I'm just saying this is what I like, this is what I don't like.
Speaker 4:
There is one skate park I made quite a negative video about not negative, but I just said how bad it was, how poorly it was designed for the amount of money they spent. My angle on it was for the amount of money they spent on that park. They could have done a lot better and I'm kind what's the word? Disappointed that they didn't put that money into better use and make a better skate park. But there's people that I've met from skate park building companies that have said we loved that video, like we thought everything you said was true. It was so funny when you said that about that skate park and it is bad. Like they should. They wasted their money. They shouldn't have done it that way. So I haven't had backlash. If anything, I've had like positive kind of feedback.
Speaker 4:
That's cool yeah, like they're keeping them accountable yeah, but it's, that's probably my most ruthless video. And even tell us the park what's it called honest, like art, like art I thought it was that one.
Speaker 3:
It was built next to like a wedding center.
Speaker 4:
Yes, yes, that's the one.
Speaker 3:
And they were complaining about the noise. And they're trying to have weddings there.
Speaker 4:
So the angle on the video was it was a super good, like it was a positive. They were fighting for years to get this skate park built and they got it built. And then this amazing reveal and then the skate park sucked, so it was like a win and a lose at the same time.
Speaker 3:
And had like the gnarliest rainbow rail.
Speaker 4:
Yes, that's the one, yeah, and this massive like vert wall that I don't know it's. Probably I shouldn't say some of the things I say, because in my perspective, I'm not going to skate that rail, I'm not going to skate that vert wall, but there's people out there that have. They've gone to that park and done that stuff. So in a way, I need to like I can't just discredit and just say, no, that sucks, you can't skate that because people can skate it, but the majority of, like skateboarders can't touch that stuff. If you couldn't touch that rail though not many people could I probably could have, but it just wasn't worth. Like it's square, first of all, it's wide, as and it's yeah, it was wild. Yeah.
Speaker 4:
I wasn't going to do anything on it.
Speaker 3:
So I want to go back a little bit and just to clarify for those that aren't aware and people who are listening may have picked up on the fact that Leon is a skateboarder who reviews, and has been reviewing skate parks recently, which is only a small part of your skateboarding journey. Really, can you just tell us how that journey began, with the skate park reviews and the vlogging, I guess?
Speaker 4:
Yeah, that's a good story, because I never planned, I never thought this was like anything. I didn't know YouTube skating was ever a thing. I'm going to have to give a shout out to my man, Sean Enox. He pretty much like paved the way for what I'm doing. I went to school with him. He was a year older than me, he was in the same crew in my area, so obviously I looked up to him a lot because he was like the year above me. He was like the cool skater guy, him and his crew.
Speaker 4:
And the last few years you talked to him recently, the last few years he was here in Australia, I was skating with him a lot and I was picking up what he was doing and I was like, damn, you go to the skate parks, you're filming yourself, talk about stuff like what's that about? Like I was like what are you doing? This is weird, this is kind of weird, but it's kind of cool and I kind of his tail end of him being in Australia is when I started doing mine. So I learned a lot from him and I've seen a lot of what he was doing and tried to like do my own version of what he was doing without like biting his own stuff what he was doing, but he would give me tips on how to do stuff and how to like, structure your videos and stuff.
Speaker 4:
So he gave me a lot of help. All right, but before that, this is where it's probably that's when I decided to do um youtube videos regularly. So when I I fully made the decision of like all right, I'm gonna create a video and upload one video a week. This was 20, 2020 or 2021, I still don't get my. It was in lockdown time, I don't remember which one. We had two lockdowns in Sydney. One was 2020, one was I really don't remember. I want to say it was 2020. It was 2020. I'm sorry, I'm just trying to track. That's good.
Speaker 4:
So I remember it was 2020, because I had some injuries that year and I had to put a hold on my YouTube videos. But 2020 came through. As we all know, covid hit. Skatep parks were shut. Sean was building a DIY spot near the skate park because you weren't legally allowed to go to a skate park. Because people can't hang out and spread their germs and stuff.
Speaker 3:
How ridiculous does that sound? Keep going.
Speaker 4:
Even though contradictory to that rule, you could go outside and exercise, because COVID isn't outside for some reason yeah, but yeah, we won't.
Speaker 4:
We won't get into that, but, um, yeah, so 2020. I made the decision I'm going to make consistent youtube videos and I was like feeding off sean and skating with him a lot, but I had no like structure of that, like what my channel was going to be, what I was going to do. I basically was like doing product reviews because when lockdown happened, we were getting, like the government, payments and stuff, so I had all this money. Everything was shut. There was nothing to do, so I was just buying online every day buying new skateboards, buying new shoes and I was like skating.
Speaker 3:
She burned man.
Speaker 4:
I was just doing heaps of like product reviews, basically because I couldn't do skate park reviews, which was my initial plan, which I need to get back to. That was the question skate park reviews I. This is a good story because this is why, like, I not started youtube but started making skate videos, because I used to look at photos. When a new skate park would pop up, I'd be looking at online trying to find clips or photos of these new skate parks, because I like to plan what I want to do when I get somewhere. So I want to see the size of this rail or like how the park flows or whatever. And no one was doing that and there was not enough photos out there of these new parks either. So I was like damn, I just had this like light bulb in my head one day. I was like why don't I go and do that and be the guy that I wish like was already doing this stuff? Maybe, worst case scenario, I'll get to travel to more skate parks and skate them and, like, in the better case of that scenario, people can see these skate parks as well and they that was the first ever YouTube skate YouTube video I made was St Helen's park in Campbell town. That was my local park.
Speaker 4:
At the time I was like, oh, use my first one as a practice. And then people were like Dan, this is sick. You like reviewed it really well. You showed everything there. You should do um or do um, or in park skate park that's opening up soon, you should go and do that there. Like I will go and do that. And then like, but I was like what if convict skate parks can like pay me to go and open their parks or like review their skate parks? Yeah, this is like a real career opportunity that could happen, which is funny to think. I was thinking this all the way back then. I didn't know it was possible, but I was like this could be be so cool if I could go do skate park reviews for a job. That's how I started the skate style YouTube videos Gotcha From that. So that was my first ever.
Speaker 3:
It's so legit because you can skate so good, and I know every time I say that you go oh no, I don't, but you do skate well, Thank you. And I just love that every skate review you make it your mission to try to skate every single obstacle in the park. Now, that's not always easy. No, Like you know, you've got slappy curbs and mani pads, but then when it starts to get to some of those big rails and ledges.
Speaker 3:
I'm like no, Leon, don't, and it's really, I think, and it really brings that authenticity to it. So I don't think anyone could do it as well as you do it. Thank you. Going in line with, like you mentioned, say, convict skate park builders.
Speaker 4:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
You said that you maybe aspire to be a skate park consultant.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, I thought that would be cool back then. What do you think I?
Speaker 3:
mean, is it? I mean, is it something that's still in the possibilities?
Speaker 4:
if it's, if it's possible on their end, I'm down for it. I even hit up convict once as well, actually, because, um, they reposted one of my videos I can't remember which one. It was maybe beginning of last year, so, whatever park opened up then it was, I don't exactly remember but they reposted, um, like a bit of a clip of my skate park review or something, I'm pretty sure, and I was like, oh my god, thank you so much. Like convict, skate park has just reposted my video on instagram, like a message back straight away. I was like, oh, this is so cool, thank you so much. And whoever it was that runs the account was like, yeah, of course. Like no worries, we always watch your skate park reviews in the head office.
Speaker 4:
Like why, all of us are watching it, that's right yeah, I was like what I don't like. I never would have thought that. Obviously, like these guys are building it, they would want to see what people are saying about their product.
Speaker 4:
I guess that's that's what they do they build skate parks but I, just when I, when I read that, I was like, oh my god, these guys are watching my videos. That just shows I don't know who's watching. Like could be anyone. Any video I could do could lead to some opportunity, or I could say the wrong thing, which could also be. Like someone could see that and think, oh, all right, this guy sucks because, like, I need to be cautious of what I'm saying. Is what I was saying about the the like heart video, like I can't just disregard certain places because I don't like them. But I even hit up convict and I was like yo, any video, um, positions for, like, reviewing your skate parks. Because they put up a story saying, um, we've got positions for, uh, skate park builders. And I reply I was like any, uh, any opportunities for a guy to get sent out to review your new skate parks. And whoever that runs the account was like, oh, that's definitely a possibility. Like and kind of said that.
Speaker 3:
What do you think you could bring to them, Like dimensions? Spacing spatial awareness Because I think that's one of the fundamental things is the spacing out of obstacles. I feel like they get that wrong so often. I feel like, not to say convict, but in skate park like yeah, design.
Speaker 4:
Sometimes it's not them designing. It's like they have to work with the space they have and the budget they have, obviously. But I really don't know what I would have said that I could have brought to them is those videos like reviewing their parks and stuff. And then I talked to my girlfriend about this and she was like, yeah, that's cool, but why would they like think about why they would pay you to do that if you're already doing that for them for free? I was like, damn, that's so true. I'm going out to these new parks. They haven't even given me any information or anything at all. I'm like doing all my research. I'm talking highly of their, not just talking for no reason. Like Convict, make good skate parks.
Speaker 3:
So, in your opinion, are they the best?
Speaker 4:
out of all the ones, they're the number one.
Speaker 3:
You really feel that?
Speaker 4:
So, comparatively.
Speaker 3:
I don't just feel it it's like a common theme Okay.
Speaker 4:
So Convict is like Con convict concrete skate parks, uh, base plate design is good as well, but I think convict, like, sits at the top of all these companies. I think they're the biggest, they've been around the longest, they have the most like amount of money, so they they can charge a lot for their bigger projects. If you look at all the bigger skate parks that have been built, it's by convict because, like, they can just handle those big projects, bigger projects, projects Okay, from what I've seen anyway I don't know the numbers and everything but yeah, if I'm already doing it, why would they pay me to go and do this? Yeah, I didn't look at it that way.
Speaker 3:
Steve, in the 90s you know how the main form of skate media was magazines.
Speaker 4:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
And in Australia it was slam. How do you personally feel about, you know, this new form of skate media and the things that are branching off it?
Speaker 1:
I mean I'm all for it. I mean I'm just for a change and the difference of you know, our period to this period.
Speaker 3:
As an older skater, you're not resistant to this kind of media.
Speaker 1:
No, not at all Like I'm cool with it. I find kind of no, not at all like I'm cool with it. I find it yeah, I find it super interesting. I find back to the kind of question you put to him about like you've put yourself in this position and now, and you know, you've put yourself out there for people to kind of like you're at skate parks and now people recognize you, but that's like it's not that much different. Obviously he's getting way more attention than what you would ever get, because it was like we would be at a skate park and kids wouldn't never really recognize us, but when they did it was awesome and when you were doing like whatever signings and stuff, you had the same attitude most of most skaters would have.
Speaker 4:
Just like like respectful yeah respect.
Speaker 1:
I remember signing boards and being like holy sh*t, we're actually signing boys. How trippy is this like. But but of course it's on a different level now because yeah to for him to say that, to be going to skate parks and kids to recognize him I don't remember that ever really fully happening. And what's funny is like, even back in the day I reckon kids did, even when we did demos and stuff like kids did I don't reckon they even really knew who we were. They were just like, oh yeah, the pros like come and sign the sh*t, but they didn't have any f*cking clue because they didn't have direct access. Like his name's on the youtube clip, yeah they're watching it every week or whatever.
Speaker 1:
We're just skaters who had a photo in slam every f*cking five months or whatever and they all they knew was like oh, these are the guys, and half of them wouldn't have known our names, I'm sure of it it's so interesting, like so accessible now like you're so you're so accessible, like whether it's in real life, and you're making yourself accessible.
Speaker 3:
Like you said, giving people time. But I mean, how do you go responding to comments and dms and stuff?
Speaker 4:
I do it. I do it just as much you do as in person. Yeah, yeah, okay. So I fully like schedule in times where I'm gonna like log. Uh, log on and go through all my youtube comments and I'll.
Speaker 4:
I have it filtered by like recent to oldest okay I'll start at the bottom and I'll I'll work through, like the oldest comments leading to the newest ones, and then on my Instagram too. So that's what I was saying. I might be a little hard to get ahold of an Instagram cause I'm not on there a lot and I have my phone on. Do not disturb a lot too, cause if I'm filming YouTube video, editing YouTube video, street skating or something like, I want to put my energy into that fully. So, like right now, my phone's on. Do not disturb, because I'm here doing this. I want my attention to be here. My phone is not going to be going off. I'm not going to be distracted man, that's so funny.
Speaker 1:
You just want our hearts back to like our day, like the opposite right here. I'll show you after this what we remember in. Remember in mags, when we'd have our ad and it said at the bottom send in PO box, send in a letter, to get free stickers.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, or self-addressed.
Speaker 1:
So our way of like DMing was that. Then I've got letters here I've kept since then that were sent to CLS, from kids who would write in, like on a piece of paper, sketchy little handwriting hey, we love CLS. Michael David's, my favorite skater, send me a sticker.
Speaker 2:
And they'd send a self address envelope You'd put stickers in and send it out to them.
Speaker 1:
That was our DMing, like that was the only way to contact them. Sick Dude, I've got heaps, I'll show you after.
Speaker 3:
I reckon there's still like you could still do that. You know, bring that magic back. Bring it back would be funny. Yeah, cause getting something in the mail Is still the raddest thing yeah, oh yeah, especially getting packages and stuff it's the best feeling. It's like christmas every time yeah do you get packages of anyone?
Speaker 4:
um, I've got a few. They're not like random though. Like people be hitting me up sometimes, um, but most of the time it's I'll get it sent to like the shop I work for, like certain promo stuff okay, but it's more of um a byproduct of like the youtube stuff I'm doing okay, which is funny. Like I'll go back to a, a store, not a story, but like how I got into youtube, or even I should probably set some context to what I've been doing the last few years. Out of school I fell into like a trade, like an apprenticeship, as most of us do, most people have, most people do Did that for six years and I absolutely hated it. What?
Speaker 3:
was it.
Speaker 4:
Vehicle bodybuilder. I was like heaps of welding truck bodies, like the company was truck bodies. So I got like all these burns and stuff all over me because I was like a heavy welder, like chopping up steel, welding it together Completely opposite to what I'm doing now.
Speaker 3:
Because this is what you dreamed of as a little kid. Yeah.
Speaker 4:
I want to build some trucks, yeah. So finished high school and just fell into that job, not knowing where I was going in life, but hated it. Finished my four-year apprenticeship After four years of working there was super comfortable. I've been doing that for four years, so I knew how long it took to get to work. I knew exactly what to do every day. I knew everyone that worked there. I knew how to get home in like 20 minutes.
Speaker 4:
So I didn't like that job at all. There was no future in it for me. So I was like I'll talk to my girlfriend all the time about how I could, um, like how I could get a job, because you need to work for the rest of your life in some form. So I was like how could I get a job that I can do forever and enjoy? And then my girlfriend's like well, what can you see yourself doing forever? And I was like I like.
Speaker 4:
At the time I was like big into the gym. So I was like I like going to the gym and training and I like skateboarding. I've loved skateboarding since I was 12. And I was like I'm not good enough to make a skateboarding career. Maybe I can go be a personal trainer. That's how I got into personal training. If you didn't know that, I was a personal trainer for the last five years, since I I don't know my years 2010, I finished school six years. I did that apprenticeship, that trade. So from 2016, pretty much up until 2020, 2021, I was the personal trainer until the gyms shut in um 2020.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, so at the time I had my client base that was pretty loyal and so the gym I was working at was like I was contracted there so I'd pay them rent and I pretty loyal, and so the gym I was working at was like I was contracted there so I'd pay them rent and I'd work under their gym pretty much. So my clients were my, they were the gym members, but they were my clients that were paying me for sessions. So COVID happened gym shut, I took them all outside and I was training them outside at parks and stuff, and then the rules changed again so you couldn't train. I had a lot of like couples or sisters or like a mom and a daughter, like I had a couple sessions, a lot, and I could only you were legally only be allowed outside with one person, no more than two people. So I was like damn, they're making it hard for me, how do I keep doing this? So I eventually bought all this stuff and had a gym set up at my house so they would come to my house. So it was like a loophole. So I was working because I was like an essential worker at the time, and then they were allowed to travel and do essential exercise. So it's kind of the loophole of the lockdowns.
Speaker 4:
But then, um yeah, 2020, I tore my hamstring, I broke my finger. So I and they're like within weeks of each other. So I broke my finger, I couldn't train anymore because I couldn't use my hand, tore my hamstring, I couldn't skate anymore and I couldn't train my legs because, like, I was all busted up. 2020, I slowly declined in my own physical training and that was like the catalyst, I guess, of me like slowly losing my love for the gym because I couldn't do anything. So you did love it, oh yeah, of course, great, that's cool. But like my client base was based around trying to like get them to be healthier, moving more, losing body fat as well, and just be like more healthy, functional people. So like I didn't care about teaching guys how to get stronger and muscly and all that. It was like changing people's lives, which was really good. Yes, bro, so that is how I think we talked about this the other day.
Speaker 4:
I used to make like exercise type of tutorials because you were like oh, you can present so well on camera you do, but it was not always like that. It's so funny to think back to my first like training type of videos. I was like I'd film myself in the gym, tripod like long lens zoomed in because I didn't want people to see I was filming myself, and then I'd like take that footage. I'll go home and I'd like do a sneaky voiceover in my house and like of like oh, so you do this and you pull your elbows in this way, like because there's no way I was pulling out my camera and filming inside of the gym. It was so awkward, but from now I can just like cameras out, I can talk, I can present. Well, I've got my notes and stuff and like it's just, I've come so far from that yeah but that's, that's how I made the transition from.
Speaker 4:
So what am I going to do for a job? I like training, I like skating. I can't train anymore. I didn't want to, because I just slowly got out of that. And then that's when me and sean were skating together a lot and he's like I won't say but he's like I made this much money this month from youtube, like what? Do you mean from youtube? It's like I made it from my ad revenue what we're talking about.
Speaker 3:
Sean. Like he's huge on youtube in america. Yeah, like he's got like 30 or 40 000 subscribers or something he's up there, yeah, but it's like which is really what I've now that I've got a bit of how to taste it. That's really hard to achieve on youtube, like youtube is a hard algorithm it is.
Speaker 4:
But once you get those people, they're pretty loyal because are they youtube? No one's going to YouTube to like doom scroll and get that dopamine hit from like all the slides that are coming through TikTok. People like this Instagram, like people go to like you guys probably are the same. You'll go to YouTube knowing that you're about to invest like three to 10 minutes at least.
Speaker 3:
It's my new TV baby.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, so a lot of people use YouTube as like they don't sit down and watch shows. They watch like their favorite whatever influencer, or like favorite series on YouTube or something. So it's more of a loyal kind of fan base if you build your followers on YouTube.
Speaker 3:
From what I've seen, but you've obviously researched how to present your videos in a way that increases and maintains engagement.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, so I'm doing that a lot. What are the?
Speaker 3:
techniques. Tell everyone those that probably already know, but tell us again. I know you do some things.
Speaker 4:
What are the things? My general video structure, whether it's like a skate park review or a product review or something. Actually, do you want to share these secrets? Oh, they're not really secrets like okay, or are they should? I see? No, I'm happy to like if people want to hear this and this is going to help them, because I didn't have.
Speaker 3:
I'm so intrigued by it. Like I said, this is such a shift in the culture.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, I just like let's talk about it I'm happy to share because I had no one sharing besides sean. Yeah, but like I would try, I would search on youtube how to create skate youtube videos, like I didn't know. Is there tutorials for that? No, but I didn't. I didn't know.
Speaker 4:
Besides watching people that were already doing it, I didn't know how to do it like I didn't know how to structure the video, I didn't know what to talk about, I didn't know how to. I was one of those. When you, when you, when I say this skate youtuber, I'm the person you picture, I was that person. When they're like oh, you're a skate youtuber, I was that guy. I was like yo, what's up? Guys, welcome to my channel. I'm gonna be doing this today and then we're gonna go and do this and I'm hanging out with this guy and I look back.
Speaker 4:
I've unlisted and taken so many of my videos down because, like, what are you doing? Why are you talking like that? That's so awkward, it's so cringy, so like, but there was no, there was no structure, there was no, there was no path to follow. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I had to figure out everything myself. Yeah, so, like, I'm happy to share everything I've learned so other people don't have to do the yo, what's up guys, those cringy ass intros that you know and you've seen, yeah, but I didn't know like that was.
Speaker 4:
That was the youtube. That was what skaters were doing on youtube, so you must have to do that how do you feel about the title of YouTuber?
Speaker 4:
I was for a while. I didn't like it because of that like those people and like, oh, you're a YouTuber, so you're like, oh man, it's like a demeaning type of term Like you're one of those cringy guys that walks around filming themselves and you're up yourself and like you're over the top energy type of thing. But then it took me a while to grow into that title. Okay, and I can accept it and be comfortable with it. Okay, because I'm not like that, like I'm not. I try and just people come to me when they meet me in real life like, damn, you're just like your videos, like you're exactly the same. I feel like I know you already Like yeah, because I'm being 100% myself through the camera.
Speaker 2:
But do you only talk in like two-second lots before you talk again? I do. I'm trying to be funny here because, like I'm trying to be funny, didn't I?
Speaker 3:
Because you know how like I just find YouTube videos and vloggers especially. It's like cut, cut, cut every two seconds and like what's the psychology behind that?
Speaker 4:
That's just the audience retention to keep people, like, engaged. So if you put your camera and I answer this whole question right now, with all of my breaks and all of my pauses, and it's just this one angle, people are so much more likely to lose attention. But if, like, I pause or I take a breath and you snip that out, so you snip all that out.
Speaker 4:
No, no, like I try. If you do, I'm saying if you cut out all the breaks and all of the like, you just keep the ums and the ahs and you cut all of that out and keep it like really fluid and flow quick, it'll keep people's attention really fast. So that's why people do the quick cuts like that.
Speaker 3:
I don't do them Because they don't do them Because they don't have an opportunity to lose concentration. Yeah, because they're like bam bam bam.
Speaker 4:
That's why TikTok's like so in your face and it's like they're trying to get your attention and keep you like hooked on that phone. So quick, cut, cut, cut. Not just TikTok Like. People do it on Instagram as well, I know podcasters do it with the audio.
Speaker 3:
They cut out any like mouth sounds Like heavy breathing, or ums and ahs. I do it a bit.
Speaker 2:
Of mouth sounds like heavy breathing or ums and ahs, um, but I've decided I just said um then, but I've decided not to do it.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, for me it's not authentic exactly.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, I do it a bit if I'm like, if there's a point I'm trying to get across and I found myself just waffling on about it and like not being able to get my words out properly, or even then like I'll have the camera still going and I'll just be like, oh sh*t, I messed that up. I'll start again and I'll just like redo that whole sentence. Yeah, okay, but then obviously I'll have to cut the pause and the the sentence I don't want to use. So when I'm editing, like there are cuts, but it's not like I'm not trying to fake out some of the stuff that I've said.
Speaker 4:
That makes sense, yeah it makes sense, yeah but people do that because they they want to keep you just hooked on and like like super attention grabbing.
Speaker 1:
It must be a formula with like stuff for kids on youtube, because obviously we've got kids right and like I watch my kids watching youtube stuff. Oh, it's all like super quick, yeah, super quick cuts it's crazy and it's like must be just that little bit of brain attention.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I heard it's like I tripped on some of that stuff. I heard it's like poker machine.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, it must be the same. Yeah, same thing Like stimuli, stimuli, stimuli.
Speaker 4:
That's scrolling, if you think about it.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 4:
Like the, the screens are scrolling down on regulate as well exactly.
Speaker 3:
They don't know when to stop and like I don't know. If you see some of those kid youtube channels and like you, look at their view count yeah, it's like one day, 20 million views.
Speaker 2:
I'm like what, and it's rubbish it's just like some dude with a gopro walking around his house like today I'm gonna pull a prank on my sister and it's like kids love it, what?
Speaker 3:
but that's the difference.
Speaker 1:
Like you're talking, oh man. But that's the difference. When you see as a parent but also you're also talking yourself, you've obviously got like an idea of what's good and what's crap. So now, as parents, we've probably seen this stuff where I see this crap come through and I'm blocking, blocking, blocking, blocking constantly. But then sometimes something does come up that's actually legit, like done well, produced well. Sometimes something does come up that's actually legit, like done well, produced well. Because to be able to just give like, when you see cartoons or normal TV produced and there's obviously there's producers, there's money, there's writing, there's editors and there's some kind of like idea behind it, but someone who can just grab a camera and make it some weird YouTube clip, you're like there's no, they haven't actually thought out what they're doing and how to do it well.
Speaker 1:
And so if you're, you've got to that point when you there's a difference, so there's.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, I'm trying to structure it more.
Speaker 1:
Which is great. Like then you can Sit where you are and say yeah. That you are doing something Worthwhile.
Speaker 3:
Well, it must be. You've captured my attention. I'm genuinely interested. I'm like, oh, I haven't made it to that skate park yet.
Speaker 4:
Oh, yeah, yeah. There's just so many now there is, and I'm super lucky pretty much since the Olympics.
Speaker 3:
I feel like Do you think the Olympics was a big influence on that?
Speaker 4:
I don't remember parks popping up so often like that, like before 20 or 21, because it was delayed Besides? No, I don't think so, like we're always getting new parks, but maybe once a year, twice a year, yeah, but now like this is crazy it's been insane right the last couple of years every almost every month, every like second month, there's a new skate park. Yeah, yeah, not just like, obviously not in sydney, but new south wales, like they're not that far away from each other. It's crazy, it's great.
Speaker 1:
Like I love it and they're all really good like yeah mostly really good.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, like like it's like the bad ones are few and far between, but even the bad ones like there'll be an element of it, that's still fun.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, smooth like I'm planning to do um, the new lane cove skate park has just opened. I don't know if you've seen that, but it's like super transition based. Okay. So, and a lot of people are commenting like, oh, leon, you should do that Lane Cove video already. Like why haven't you done the Lane Cove skate park? Or they're like hey, just so you know there's a new skate park. Like I know, I know it's open. Like I stay. I follow all the skate park building companies. I follow a lot of the builders themselves because sometimes they'll post like where they are and I get like a sneaky idea of what park's up next. But so I'm like yes, I know the Lane Cove skate park is ready, but like what do you want me to go and do there? Drop in on the quarter pipe and show you like I can't skate any of that stuff.
Speaker 3:
I don't know what to do. You've got some skills.
Speaker 4:
I've got like three transition tricks.
Speaker 3:
What are they front, 50 back, 50 back disaster done in any in any size transition like oh, not any, but they're just like a six foot ball six foot ball.
Speaker 4:
I don't know about six foot, um, maybe yeah, but I just I don't feel comfortable and I would love to learn. I love watching people skate, like bowls and stuff, but I've gone to Orem Park. Have you been to Orem Park you?
Speaker 3:
know I haven't Damn it looks insane. I've been.
Speaker 4:
It's an older one.
Speaker 3:
It's like an older one.
Speaker 4:
That opened in 2020, just before the lockdowns.
Speaker 4:
It fully opened the week of the opening, next week, we're in lockdowns. The first lockdowns, like are you serious, what's the timing on this? Like we just got this massive mad park but there's um, there's a big bowl with pool coping. It looks sick to me. I don't know if it's good or not, because I can't skate it. But there's a mini bowl too and I've actually gone there and put time in to try and learn how to like pump the corners and like figure out how to skate a bowl, not just go back and forth because that's all I can do, yeah, yeah and it's just so annoying like it just doesn't click for me.
Speaker 4:
I just I can't figure it out.
Speaker 1:
You need an apprentice man. You need a bowl skating something yeah any tips dude, you need to.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, branch out a bit, leon, like be an atv I would love to.
Speaker 4:
But, um, people, people think I can skate transition because when I go to a skate park, like there's quarter pipes at every end obviously. So I'll hit a rail and then I'll do like a back disaster or something and then I'll come back and hit the rail. So I've incorporated that quarter pipe, but I can't skate it any more than that one trick I've just done on it.
Speaker 3:
But that's more to keep the line flowing right, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4:
But I've gone and put time in to try and learn and I'm like this sucks. This is so annoying, I'm not having fun. I'm going to go and skate the rail instead, yeah.
Speaker 3:
Have you skated Meadowbank Skatepark, mm-hmm I was there the other day actually.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, that place is insane, oh how's that bowl, the big bowl there.
Speaker 3:
That was a really good example for me the actual pool, the big one. And it's like granite coping, proper pool granite coping and I did have a moment there going like I can't skate this really Like what a waste. Yeah, you know, like what am I doing with my life?
Speaker 4:
That's what I mean, like it's sick, but were we going to look at it and walk past it?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, yeah, and then I'm like you know trying to, you know do a manual on like an ankle high manual pad. I'm like damn it.
Speaker 4:
There was actually a kid there that was killing the bowl. He was like probably 12 or 13. I was like, damn, when did you even start to be this good? Do you know what a sugar cane is?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's like an over.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, like a hurricane, basically yeah, well, no, it's like over.
Speaker 3:
You go over like you're going to do like a frontside decker, but you don't. You land on your back truck.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, yeah. So you know the, not the pool bowl, the other one with the spine, yeah, and then there's like that wall.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, with the flat. What do they call those walls where it's like a tranny and then flat Like the top part? Yeah, it's flat, kieran, at the bottom and then it's like a flat section.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, so this kid was like so the wall's here and then there's a quarter pipes down the bottom, yeah, like the corners of the rest of it. He was airing up from the bottom and then, like sugar caning the top wall and then dropping back in From one side because there's a spine but that divides it.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so not the spine from the outside.
Speaker 4:
So he was regular. He was coming up the like the euro gap side, yeah, quarter pipe, and he was like airing up to sugar cane and then dropping in like every try, like he was trying to dial it in and train for it or something like damn, no older than 13, 14, okay, it was like super young. And then he's like he waved at his mom like all right, let's go to the big bowl. Now it's like she's filming she's warming up.
Speaker 4:
No, she was just chilling. She had her like little camper chair on off to the side just like kind of supervising him.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, do you get bitter steve?
Speaker 1:
I get bitter I think a bit. I know I mean it's. It is weird. I'm watching all this stuff like I was talking to someone the other day about, yeah, how kids are getting pushed into being olympic champions in skateboarding whereas we never. But it's also funny, like coming back to what you're talking about, like parents being at skate parks. Dude, back in our day you'd never see a parent at a skate park no, yeah, ever. And now it's parents everywhere.
Speaker 1:
But what's funny is we're parents, so technically I'm a parent at a skate park but I actually don't really take my kid there that much because he's not added to it into it. But when you see a parent who doesn't skate and they're at a skate park with their kid, who's kind of learning that's so weird. We'd never seen ever. And the skate park used to be a place where you would go as a kid to kind of learn how to f*cking exist like, how to live, like there'd be. It'd probably get bashed up by some dude. That's how you learn how to not go to that skate park again or not be a dick and drop in on that guy anymore or whatever. But that's not being learned by these kids because their parents are there telling the other skater not to abuse their kid. It's like I don't agree with it, but that's where we are.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, and that leads into my next question. Talk to me about skate coaching.
Speaker 4:
Skate coaching. You're in skate parks a lot.
Speaker 3:
You're seeing a lot of skate coaches. Or like lessons or like actual coaches lessons like, for example, I was at meadow bank one time and there was a I don't want to say the name of the place, but there was like a skate school type school and they and there was a school like there was like 20 kids and the skate coach was like, okay, we're gonna practice solving up the euro gap, and had them all lined up.
Speaker 3:
Oh yeah, pe lesson All right, next Blow the whistle All right next. All right, wait, wait. They're not finished and I'm just like I don't know. I never thought I'd see this in my lifetime.
Speaker 4:
It makes sense.
Speaker 3:
But I want to add to it, though I'm not necessarily negative on it, but I'm just trying to adapt to the evolution of where we're at with this. Where are you at with it?
Speaker 4:
I'm not I'm not personally involved in it, but from what I've seen, see, I want to say this in the most polite way as well, but some of the some of the the coaches I've seen aren't really like looking like they're skilled enough to be teaching this person anyway. But from what I learned in from doing personal training and skating, I did some like skate lessons when I was younger too, do you remember? Sba yeah, I did that logo oh true, when true Did you.
Speaker 1:
Gwen Cousin was there Really. Yeah, he designed the logo.
Speaker 4:
I only did like maybe two days. I was probably 18 or 19. I was not in the state to be mature enough to be trying to teach kids how to do stuff, so I didn't really like it and I didn't stick with it. But what was I even saying before that?
Speaker 1:
Skate coaching.
Speaker 4:
Oh yeah, so I was a skate. I was a skate coach for like two, two coaching sessions, but even back then I could skate and I was trying to teach these kids. But yeah, from what I learned from personal training to skateboarding personal training, you're training a movement, you're teaching this person how to do it. Skateboarding there's no way to do a trick, there's no one way to do something. It's so hard, it's so hard to teach. Like you could do a kickflip completely different to how I do a kickflip. So if someone comes up to us and says, oh, how do you guys kickflip, you're going to say a completely different answer to what I'm going to say. Yeah, that works for me and that works for you.
Speaker 4:
So it's hard to like. How do you coach unless you adapt to the specific kid. That's like trying to learn, but there's no like criteria of like this is how you kickflip, this is how you ollie. There's certain basic skills that will transfer over but, like every single trick, people do differently. Yes, so that's kind of hard to run like skate coaching if they've got like a full from your teaching, kind of thing. Like you've got a full curricula your teaching, kind of thing. Like you've got a full curricula that you have to follow right like this is what I have to teach them. This is what I have to teach them. It won't work the same way with, like with skateboarding.
Speaker 3:
I don't think I don't think I'm not okay. Well, I think there's two types of people people that see skateboarding as an art of skateboarding is a sport.
Speaker 4:
It's, definitely, it's a spectrum.
Speaker 3:
Sporty side at the moment, which, which, which it's going that way. Where were you on that spectrum?
Speaker 4:
I'm probably I don't not like I don't want to choose a side, but I'm probably like neither. Like I love watching street league and the Olympics and all this stuff, but then I love watching video parts and like skate demos and the more traditional style of skateboarding. Yeah, I don't know if I see the, I understand and I see why street skating and what you would say the core culture of skateboarding Like I respect and I understand that, and then I also see how far it's come and how much skateboarding is changing as well and how, as much as people aren't going to like it, we have to accept it's in the Olympics, people are calling it sport, people are getting skate coaches and stuff. But I'm outside of all of that. I'm just like an observer of this stuff, so it doesn't personally affect me and I was never in the core industry and as a YouTube skater. I guess, like, what kind of perspective do I have? Like, does my opinion matter? I've always been on the outside just skating and like observing things.
Speaker 3:
Okay.
Speaker 4:
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:
Your opinion does matter, but whether you like it or not, the reason we have all these skate parks is because of the Olympics.
Speaker 4:
That's what I feel.
Speaker 2:
That's why they're popping up so much. I think so Damn. Look at that.
Speaker 4:
Let's put more money into skating now. Let's sponsor more people and make more skate parks.
Speaker 3:
Anyone that's campaigned for a skate park in their local community going to one of those ridiculous council meetings with all the bullsh*t.
Speaker 4:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
Sorry for swearing because I know you've got a large young audience. We can edit that out.
Speaker 4:
This is your show, not mine.
Speaker 3:
It's just made the process easier for them, like oh, the Olympics yeah, we had two or three Australians in the Olympics, yeah.
Speaker 4:
I don't know. Let's breathe the necks up and come in like young guys.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so it's like I guess it's it's good and bad, like it balances it out.
Speaker 4:
It definitely has its positives and Not so much negatives, but it's, I guess, negative If you look at like Skate culture and what it was Before the Olympics.
Speaker 4:
Or even like A lot of people Don't even like Street league or like X Games, even like a lot of people don't even like street league or like x games and stuff like that. Like you can't score a skateboarding trick, like you can't put them together, and I see that too. Like I agree to an extent, everyone does something different. I mean, everyone does things differently. And how do you score? Like if me and you just I'm going to keep using this example you do a kickflip down these stairs and I do a kickflip yeah, one of us is going to do it nicer because everyone's so different. That'd be you. And what? No, I've got my kickflip sign.
Speaker 3:
Like that mine is, so mob anyway you don't even know, I'm a heel flipper I could probably add here, I'm not good at that either.
Speaker 4:
Um, but like, yeah you, how are you going to score the same trick? Differently yeah, but you can, because style and the art form of how you've just done that. Obviously people look better than others when they do it, so it's a really weird thing when you think of how to score tricks. So I understand that argument too. Yeah.
Speaker 3:
But that's still a judgment. Where are you at with that, Steve, in terms of scoring skateboarding?
Speaker 1:
To be honest, I don't put that much thought into it. It doesn't bother me, but I just I don't, don't. Yeah, I don't get it like I don't think you can in a way. Yeah, but like street league and stuff bores me. Like I watch some stuff like I've never watched an entire street league or any competition. Really I can, I might click through and watch like one of my favorite skaters, whatever their run was, but even then I get bored real quick, like even tampa pro and stuff I try and watch online and I just last like one run on someone and then I go back to watch the girl video or something. But you know, like I'd rather watch a skate vid, yeah, but yeah, yeah, I don't know the scoring thing, but the scoring thing has been around forever too, like I remember comps back in the day and we'd be doing our little comps and people would get the sh*ts because it's like someone who won it.
Speaker 1:
They want to be like oh, that guy, his line was sh*t. For whatever reason, you know everyone's going to disagree. But on the point scoring thing it's like yeah, I don't think you really can score style.
Speaker 3:
Another avenue.
Speaker 4:
Because scoring a style is someone's perspective as well, that's the.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I was gonna just you might think. You might think a certain skater is really rad and I might think he looks really ugly because I don't like that type of skating. So then, how do you judge that?
Speaker 3:
yeah, it's true, me and ty calling were having an argument the other day, um, because ty's just so aggressive. No, he's not I'm, but he was kind of saying how he feels like skateboarding is the most diluted he's ever seen, because there's less big personalities and less big out there characters. You know challenging. You know things like this, like with the passing of people like Jeff Grosso and Jake Phelps, like who is out there being outspoken on certain subjects like we're talking about today, and everyone's getting so nice because they are scared of being cancelled.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, but that's across everything.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I mean and even like Leon I'm not calling you out here or anything like it makes a lot of sense, Like Leon's, a bit like look. My YouTube channel has made me more cognizant of my negative traits, such as swearing a lot of sense, like leon's, a bit like. Look, my youtube channel has made me more cognizant of my negative traits, such as swearing, um, and maybe being crude and things like that, because you know you don't want to, I guess, polarize an audience that shows you a lot of love, right? Yes?
Speaker 4:
because, like, we all know what it's like growing up at the skate park and the stuff that you've seen. So, and because I know what a young my audience can be. Yeah and um, even parents, like I've had parents come up to me like, oh my god, my son watches you all the time. Yeah, and then another one dad I met once. He's like, oh my god, leon, we watch your videos. Like at night we eat our dinner and your your youtube videos up on the tv and like we watch it as a family.
Speaker 3:
They're that good. I was doing the same thing. I was eating my dinner watching a review of the um, one of your older ones, I think. It was on glebe skate park, so that's one of my personal favorites and yours as well.
Speaker 4:
Hasty the park. Yeah, glebe, yeah. So yeah, like I don't know who is watching, because like that I would have never guessed. I've got a whole family tuning into my video watching their dinner but the underlying concern of cancel culture is there that's what I mean, like I have to like.
Speaker 4:
I swear a lot in real life but I don't notice. I don't put that in any of my videos because I don't want to influence younger people to be swearing or like they're going to find their own path. I'm drinking beers as well, sometimes when I'm skating. I'm not trying to show that in my videos to influence these guys, you don't, you take that out right?
Speaker 1:
I don't you just don't film it, I think that's fair enough, though that's your audience, but you're talking more like cancel, cancel, cancel oh like my opinions and what I say and stuff like that more.
Speaker 3:
Well, I just think because, like cancel, culture is so real, people are becoming more concerned about showing who they really are. So, like you, look at the Baker videos, the early ones. They're raw as hell. They put everything in there. They can bring those out now.
Speaker 3:
I mean, imagine they brought them out now, like they would literally get canceled. Yeah, yeah, you know like some of the integration of partying and hard skating. I mean, you know like Reynolds passed out. Yeah, you know, dustin just going beers and then 50-50ing around like sitting at a bar sculling a drink.
Speaker 4:
That's actually sick, though.
Speaker 3:
You know what I mean. Like it's so sick, but I just think people are removing that rawness.
Speaker 4:
And is it?
Speaker 3:
really helping the culture.
Speaker 4:
When you said about those characters aren't there anymore, I straightaway thought of Dustin and Lizard King, what they were doing back then.
Speaker 3:
I've got a question for you. Do you think protecting young people from that raw side of things is actually helping them, because they're not able to find that counterbalance and decide what is good and bad? I think it's, you know like. Are we wrapping them up too much?
Speaker 3:
Because me and Steve we were exposed to some of the rawest sh*t. Like we grew up in the age of Big Brother magazine, where we could like buy this magazine and it had articles on how to make LSD. Oh damn, like I mean, there's the really controversial one that they had, like they did an article on how to kill yourself but it was all satire. Yeah, yeah, but it was just like to show you the spectrum of what's right and wrong.
Speaker 4:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
You know, and I think it was actually healthy Like we turned out all right, I think we did. You did.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 4:
Not you. I still love you brother.
Speaker 1:
But it's also interesting. But that's also kids are finding that on the internet, though. Now too, right. Like is there a? Is it even just as worse? Like p*rn and stuff is a massive issue, right, so bad.
Speaker 2:
That's how hard it was actually hard for us to get p*rn.
Speaker 1:
You know you'd have to like sneak one out of the newsagents Still a magazine. But now a kid can just get online and just if their parents haven't locked their computer and that haven't locked their computer, and that's their education, or whatever, and that's their education so that's freaky.
Speaker 4:
It is freaky, but also probably in a way similar to kind of like yeah, similar but different to what we're saying saying that's how I was going to answer that everything is so much more available now, even when you're saying I might get more exposure than you guys were getting back in the day, because instagram, facebook, like social media, wasn't like that back then.
Speaker 4:
It wasn't as easy to just like to post to these audiences. It wasn't that easy for, like your fans, to like follow exactly what you're doing every day unless, like you said, your magazine article comes out. However often, everything's so easy to see, to get a hold of, so it's completely different in that sense that they're seeing the fights and the drugs and all the alcohol and stuff like online rather than in real life, actually getting it yeah not that I don't know real life experiencing that does it help better we are.
Speaker 4:
That's how. I've seen that at skate parks all the time people getting bashed, people getting robbed, people drinking and smashing bottles and smoking bongs in the toilet stuff yeah like 12 years old looking at all this like damn yeah, that's a disclaimer I should put on. That was in campbell town that's every other area.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, was there ever any like temptation for you to become more involved in negative or antisocial behavior?
Speaker 4:
because you think I was so focused on skating. Honestly. You just love skating, I think. Yeah, I think I honestly was just so focused on skating. Like I went through my phase when I turned 18, going out to the city and all that, but I was just, I was always at the skate park, like on school holidays. Every single day would have two weeks off at school holidays. Every day I'd be there, I'd get dropped off or I'd catch the train and the whole day I would be at the skate park. Yeah, so that's how I seen all this stuff. But I just wanted to skate the whole time. Yeah right, I was just so like locked in and focused on it.
Speaker 3:
You kind of grew up in the hood.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, definitely did. Yeah, so I was seeing stuff. I definitely seen some stuff, but, um, that's a good question. I don't know how I didn't get caught up in any of that, but um, just love love it had to be like, but I wasn't hanging around, like my friends weren't doing that sketchy stuff either.
Speaker 1:
I must have found, like the right people to be around, that we would just go and skate and like none of that extra stuff would like interest us yeah, it also sounds like that's you in many ways, like even when you're saying earlier about how you thought about your career path, like pretty young if, like these ideas are like how, what can I do? Like a lot of kids wouldn't think that they just go off and smoke bongs or something you know, you seem like you had.
Speaker 1:
You've got to focus, and I mean, I'm a similar person, I think, in many ways, like I always had a younger mind of like, thinking a little bit into the future, of like what, yeah, not just like, not just not thinking about it, whereas I think so you've set yourself up into this situation, otherwise other kids would be doing it, but if they're not doing it.
Speaker 4:
You know what I mean I don't know if that was from more trying to set up and get into a future I liked, or I didn't want to have a future I didn't like. So, like the turning point at that first job I had, I really didn't like it and I knew I didn't like it. I was like I have to work for the rest of my life, how can I work and enjoy that work? And that's how I got into.
Speaker 1:
there was only the two options of what I could do for the rest of my life. Well, that's amazing that you've had that thought at a young age, because so many people wouldn't.
Speaker 4:
Yeah.
Speaker 1:
And that's when they get. Oh, I don't know, it's a generalization, but some people just get caught out. You don't have to plan your life out, but at least be aware of who you are and what choices you have.
Speaker 4:
I think, even going back into that, when I chose to become a personal trainer, I was like, all right, I love training, I'm going to help people do what I did, and then that's how that started. But as I slowly got out of it, I realized like it was funny to look back at how passionate I was like. If you asked me back then I would be like, yep, I'm going to go open up a gym and I'm going to be that guy and I'm going to do this. And I look back at that now and I have no interest in that life at all, which is really crazy how deep I was into that. But now skating I've been skating since I was 12 and I've always loved that, so there's never been a question. But when it came to those options, I was like I can't skate for a living. I'm nowhere near even a sponsored level skateboarder. How am I going to be pro and get paid to be a skateboarder?
Speaker 3:
But even the best skateboarders.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, am I going to be pro and get paid to be a skateboarder? Even the best skateboarders? Yeah, they don't make it like. Yeah, like there's such a small percentage like you just, but I wasn't, even even if I thought I could become that. I never got that far as I got skating's out of the question, but I didn't know any of my.
Speaker 4:
What I'm doing now is possible yeah, and you work in a skate shop as well yeah, so everything I do is pretty much skating fully, which is amazing, and but I I didn't know. It's funny to think when I was all right, I like skating and I like training, what am I going to do with my life? No, skating's not going to work. But now everything I do is based around skateboarding and you are making enough money to live.
Speaker 4:
Yeah I've got like I'm juggling a few things within, like my youtube. I'm working the skate shop, doing the YouTube videos for the skate shop too, and I've still got one client left too, one personal training client, one of the older ones that wanted to keep. They don't want to go to the gym anymore, they just want to keep up what they're doing. So I'm like I've got a few different things I'm doing that kind of equals like a normal wage. Yeah, that's awesome dude.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, that's awesome dude yeah.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so you said you're filming a skate part at the moment, a street part.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, very slowly.
Speaker 3:
And this is your second one, so tell us about the first street part you put out. What was the name of that movie?
Speaker 4:
Gobbledock. Yeah, do you remember him?
Speaker 1:
Yeah, he was like the chip guy. Yeah, the chip guy, little gremlin from the Smith Chips. I'm surprised you know that, or was that your generation?
Speaker 4:
I guess it was. It was towards the end of the Gobble Doc. That's probably when I was a little kid.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 4:
Like I don't remember it as much, like I didn't grow up with him, but funny name actually, the funny story how we got that name me and my man, harry, that we were filming, like me and harry filmed the video together. We were filming, I was trying to do this line, I was trying to backsmith this ledge, and then I can't remember what the second trick was, but it was a ledge spot where there was two ledges and I was like, oh, I just can't dip it right, like I wasn't getting the, the smith dipped. And, in my opinion, when you're doing a backsmith on a ledge, if your board doesn't touch the coping or like the ledge, it doesn't count.
Speaker 4:
Your front trucks have to be below the level of the coping and your board has to touch.
Speaker 3:
Okay.
Speaker 4:
That's when I know I've done a backsmith.
Speaker 3:
Yeah.
Speaker 4:
If I feel my board touch, keep going. They're hard.
Speaker 3:
I feel like everyone can do backsmiths except me. Anyway, keep going, not that easy.
Speaker 4:
But I see the kids, they look good.
Speaker 3:
If you do a good one, everyone does them easy. Anyway, keep going.
Speaker 4:
Sorry, I cut you off so I don't remember how it was phrased, but I was saying something like that and harry was like he started saying the phrase like oh, you better lock up your smith's chips because of the gobbledog, or something. I was like what, what did you just say? Because like it kind of sparked something in my memory. Yeah, I feel like I know that. What did you just say? He's like it's from, it's a gobbledog from the smith chips ad. It's like that is so funny. And he like unlocked that memory for me. I was like damn, because we weren't like we didn't have a deadline or anything. But we're trying to think what are we going to name this video? And we're done, done, and I was like damn, gobbledog, just as one word would be sick, like as a video title. And he's like that would actually be sick. And we never looked back from that. That was the name just then. So it came like so natural, yeah, yeah, so that's that's how we got that name Classic.
Speaker 4:
Aussie way to come. Well, like it was referenced from a skate trick. It's like an old funny aussie ad. So like, oh man, let's do it I love it.
Speaker 3:
Do you ever skate like street spots and go? This is bullsh*t. Like this ground isn't polished concrete, I'm not gonna skate here I was so precious.
Speaker 4:
What's he? What's he? Or griff or ben? Whoever? However, you know him dude.
Speaker 3:
I love ben watts ben shout out man.
Speaker 4:
You know, shout out my man he skates, so so good, I can credit a lot of my skating to him too, actually but again, style matters, like oh yeah he just actually his style kind of reminds me of vincent alvarez.
Speaker 3:
He kind of gets this back leg like a in surfing they call like a craig leg. Like you drop the back knee in a little bit yep, yep and it's just effective. And I don't know. I just love how he skates he he goes fast and powerful too I think that's. I think speed adds a lot of flavor but, um, he came back.
Speaker 4:
We talked about this in his episode, I'm pretty sure 2020. He came back to australia from norfolk because I was skating with him heaps a lot and he was making me a better skater because we'd go and skate something and I'd be scared to just say this handrail, I'm like, oh, I want a board slider, but I'm kind of scared and he'll just be like hopping on 50s, smith's nose grinds like damn, how am I scared to board side this thing when he's just having a full private demo? I've, surely I can just hop on it and then I'll do it. But then he helped me, like, unlock, like or get that fear away, right, and then he would always want to street skate. And then I'll go street skating with him and I'll be like, oh what, this ground's so rough, that ledge is so high, like full diva on the session, like, oh, my god, how are you even skating that?
Speaker 4:
And he's like, dude, it's not even that rough. Like you're honestly like you're doing too much, pretty much, yeah, but like, so he helped me. I don't know, he didn't, he didn't physically like, he didn't do it himself, yeah, to push me to get out of that, but watching him skating with him a lot helped me like get rid of a lot of fear with skating and just not send it, but like actually try stuff and not just be so scared about it. Yeah, sick, but yeah it was so precious and he can definitely agree on that.
Speaker 3:
How different is like a park rail to then going to a street rail, like they could be the same height and everything, they're never the same.
Speaker 4:
Street skating, street handrails you have to skate at least a 10 stair for the dimensions to be good, because if you're skating anything lower than a 10, then the rail is higher and it's steeper yeah so from my experience in the rails, I've skated anything from a 10 stair and above, which is when it gets more scary and like gnarly. Obviously, yeah, but they are the better like dimensioned rails to skate, okay.
Speaker 3:
In terms of like, because you can ollie out more and so it's effectively lower when you get on.
Speaker 4:
But the stairs are longer too, so the rail doesn't just go straight down. Just say, think about, like, how long a five stair is. Oh yeah, yeah, that rail would have to go from the top of the five to the bottom. But if it's a 10 stair it just goes further in distance, so it doesn't go straight down so the gradient is probably less. Yeah, it's more mellow, more mellow.
Speaker 3:
Yeah.
Speaker 4:
But then you have to jump on a 10 stair rail. So it's like it's a massive contradiction, like the bigger the rail, the easier technically because of the dimensions of it, but it's not easier.
Speaker 3:
You did a 10 stair rail. No, you backstriped 50-50 to. Was it a 12 stair? Was that the one in Redfern?
Speaker 4:
No, oh, in that last video Might have been. That was the ride rails, the ride rails.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, the 12 stair at the top 12 stair 12 stair. Yeah, you did that, that was horrifying back 50 50, yeah, how many shots?
Speaker 4:
damn, that was a session actually. This was a perfect example of me freaking out, so got the homies there to go and film. That's what I had in mind to be like my ender for the part. Yeah, because that rail has been annihilated forever, but I've never seen anyone back 50 yet. Yeah I've seen.
Speaker 4:
I've thought because it's a round rail yeah, it's a round rail, but, um, like back 50 is just the easier, most comfortable trick. I would be. I wouldn't do anything else on it. But, um, I'm, I could probably swear to you that someone's back 50. I don't know if they have, but why wouldn't they? Like that would be your walmart trick before a back smearth or whatever.
Speaker 4:
But I I have never seen a back 50 done on it. So I was like, damn, not that I care about mbds, abds and all that, I'm not on that level. But I was like, if I back 50 this, this would be sick. Like it's a 12-star rail. I've never even skated a 12-star rail. Yeah, so to me it was endeworthy, so I got the boys together. It's a scary looking rail, um, but the rails are perfect, like for a street rail. That rail is lower than normal too, so it's mellow, dimensions are good, but the the actual height of it's lower. It's not low in any way, but it's lower than normal, yeah. So we got there and, if you don't know the spot, the 12 is at the top and then the 13 to the bottom, so people have hit both of them in a row like grinded the first rail I think, chamber back.
Speaker 4:
So now he lipped it the chamber, just destroyed that whole spot he did fakie too in that last part, which is so that trick is the most awkward blind behind your back type of trick and that rail like, just do that.
Speaker 3:
What do you call it? Fakey to switch frontside board or fakey back you technically?
Speaker 4:
you're in a frontboard, you fakey ollie, and then you're in a frontboard.
Speaker 3:
On the other side of the rail, though like a transfer you regular.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, so the rail is here. Yeah, you're coming this way and you fakey ollie onto the rail, onto a front board.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, it's like behind you.
Speaker 4:
you can't see sh*t, and then you go back to fakie.
Speaker 3:
But can you do nollie backside lip slides on flat rails. I can do them, but Because it's the same thing, except you're nollieing. Nah, it's not, it's that trick. Well, why is it different though? Because, like think about it, you're fakie.
Speaker 4:
It is the same it but nolly. You're facing forward and you can look over your left shoulder to where the rail is Because that trick comes around really easy. When you're doing it fakie, you're not looking that way.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, your tendency is to look that way.
Speaker 4:
You're fakie. So, it's like, unless you can open up your shoulders and look that way, I can't.
Speaker 1:
It's hard to do. Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 4:
So like when I went there and looked at it and I was like, looked at it and I was like no way he did that. I knew he did it, but rolling up and picturing myself popping backwards onto that rail, it makes no sense.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, how do you overcome that fear? What's?
Speaker 4:
your mental go. So that session I'll get back to that. So I had the homies in the car, went to that spot with the intentions to do that back 50. We parked downstairs like down the 13. I walked up I seen the 13 stair rail. I was like no way, is that the one I'm supposed to skate today? Walked out I was like oh no, that's the one, that's the smaller one. It's only one stair smaller Because they're pretty close together. Like the landing of the 12 stair is the run up for the 13. Yeah so, and then I, as I got to midway up the 13, I was looking at the 12 stair. I was like no, that's the 12, is that the smaller one? It looks just as big. And I got there, I stood at the bottom and I looked at it and I just went quiet and I was like I didn't want to tell my mates that like I don't, I'm not doing this today, everyone's come for you.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, no one else was skating it. But I was like there's no way, like I'm so out of my league I'm not doing it. Yeah, and they're like, yeah, leon, hell, yeah, you got this, this will be easy. My mate started putting his music on, like to get the vibes going, and I had a like I had a beer at the top and I was like just looking at it sipping this beer, like no, there's no way I'm touching this thing. It's crazy. And no, no, come on, don't be like that. Like don't worry about us, like we don't care if you don't want to do it. Like oh, you just got me here for no reason. It's like just look at the rail, you know you can do it. Just focus on on it, take your time.
Speaker 4:
I was like, nah, I don't know. It's like all right, all right. And they finally talked me into it. So I was like this is Harry always says this is so stupid of me, but before I hit a rail, I mentally have to ollie the stairs. Yeah, right, no matter how big the rail is. So I was like I have to ollie this 12 stair. Never ollie the 12 stair in my life, really no.
Speaker 3:
Okay.
Speaker 4:
I've done like a 10, 11 maybe. Yeah, I was like damn Just for me to mentally get over the barrier of jumping on the rail. I just had to ollie the stairs. I don't know why I just have this thing in me.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I get it.
Speaker 4:
So we went to Meadowbank Skate Park because ride is not far from there, warmed up back 50 that rail like 20 times in a row, but it's so small like it doesn't translate. Like, all right, I guess I'm ready, let's go. Went to the spot, had a brand new board ready. It's like all right, I'm doing it. Boys, I'm going to ollie the stairs. I went so far back for the run up. I ran, I threw down and I was like the cracks are pretty far apart, but the way I knew I was going fast, I was like, because it was like I was so fast.
Speaker 4:
I popped the ollie and I cleared probably a 15, 16 stairs. I was going so fast. I landed on the back, though, and snapped my tail and I shot out.
Speaker 4:
I was like no, and I ripped my pants and like my hip was ripped because the landing is like rough, yeah, full cheese grater, yeah. And I was like all right, that's my first attempt, this is not going to be a good session. So I had a spare board with me, just in case, because it's a 12 step. Set up the spare board that was already skated, the one I like I before I set up the spare board that was already skated, the one before I, set up this fresh one. So it was good condition, already skated, already worn in. Set that up, went back up. I was like all right, let's go. I even did a stupid. I stood at the top and jumped to flat just to get like, yeah, jeep up.
Speaker 4:
I jumped the stairs. It's stupid, it's worse. And then next try, only that slipped out. Ollie, that slipped out. I think I don't remember. If I broke another board, I did so. I broke a second board ollieing the stairs, had to go back to the car, get my mate's spare board out, because I only had one board left. So I was like, if I break this one, I want this one to be ready. But on the third board I landed the Ollie like sixth or seventh try, because at that point I was dusted. I just jumped down.
Speaker 4:
I jumped down it six times, plus my body jumping down it. My hips were all shredded up from falling and I was sore. Got that out of the way. I was like, oh, my mates were like, yeah, that was sick. I was like my mates like, yeah, that was sick. I was like, no, it's not now I have to try the rail. Yeah, totally. So I was like all right, I'm gonna back 50 at this try and just, super hyped up, ran through down and I was like I was freaking out when I popped and I just popped into a board slide and then like shot out and like fell over. Yeah, I was like oh damn.
Speaker 4:
I didn't try the 50, but maybe I should do a board slide next just to get my hype up.
Speaker 3:
So I spent the next like six tries trying to board slide it so you were getting on it yeah okay because that's often the hardest part is the initial just like yeah, committing oh no, like that took so long to stomping onto it I've skipped past how long it took, how many roll-ups that took me to hop onto my first board slide.
Speaker 4:
But yeah, so maybe six, I'm pretty sure six ollies. Sixth attempt for the ollie, five or six for the board slide. And then I was like all right, I'm finally ready. I've made it further than I expected. I've ollied the stairs. That's sick. I've made it further than I expected. I've ollie the stairs. That's sick. I've never ollie to 12. Board started the 12-stair rail. Never done that before, let's do the 50 now. My first 50 attempt back truck locked in front truck slipped off into a feeble and then I just jumped off. I was like, oh all right, this isn't that bad.
Speaker 4:
Like, why bad? Like, why did I just waste 12 attempts trying to bought only this dumb 12 star um? And then the next two, two or three tries. I stomped it like back 50, grinded, landed, fell forward elbows done. Next try back 50, fell forward, my hip and my knees done. The next try, I fell forward again, bruised my palms. They were like shredded open and I was on the ground like fetal position, almost like arms across, legs across. I was like rocking back and forth like fully. And my mate was like are you right? Like do you want me to get something to wrap your hands up? I was like I just need one more try. I know I can do it and I can only like I only have one more left in me.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, went back to the top and I did it, but I don't remember doing it Like I threw down. I don't even remember if that was a try that I threw down, but don't remember popping onto it. I remember landing and it's like the. It's weird. People say, oh, I blacked out and I just did it Like nah, I don't know if that is that real, I have fully blacked out and did it. I've had it.
Speaker 3:
You've had it, Steve, surely?
Speaker 4:
It's a weird thing to think about. But the landing, the impact of the landing, is what kind of like?
Speaker 4:
snapped me out of that blackout, yeah right. So like I landed, took the impact and I was like oh, oh sh*t, the the next stair set is coming up and I like jumped off my board really awkwardly and ran down the stairs. All right, I was like, oh, my god, I just did it. And I just ran over and laid on the grass. I was like oh, oh my god, I can't believe it and I was like shaking. Both of my legs were like hips were swollen because of all the slams I took like that was the worst session I've ever had.
Speaker 4:
That was the most painful, stressful, that sucked. And then my mate sagey that was the worst session I've ever had. That was the most painful, stressful, that sucked. And then my mate Seiji that was filming. He's like, yeah, but you f*cking did it dog.
Speaker 2:
Oh, you know Seiji, I know Seiji, yeah, yeah he's the best.
Speaker 4:
He was like man, Like seeing his reaction as well, and then it was like damn, I did do it. I can't believe that.
Speaker 3:
It's amazing what you can overcome like once you just start the journey, like you went from getting there going. I'm not doing this, yeah, fully like just like I'm just gonna, I'm gonna roll up on it yeah and then I'm okay, now I'm gonna just do the, I'm gonna just start tinkering, tinkering, tinkering yeah, and next thing. You know, it's like you get a little taste. You're like hang on, yeah, and then it's, it's like a series of small victories, yeah, so cool.
Speaker 4:
I just wish I skipped the Ollie and the board side and I could have been so fresh in the 50.
Speaker 3:
What do you prefer Round rails or square rails?
Speaker 4:
Round, round, a hundred percent what?
Speaker 3:
Is that because of your cross lock ability?
Speaker 4:
Um, yes, um, yes, but I I never really knew. I knew I like skating round rails more, yeah, and I can do a lot more um tricks on round rails more, and I would always choose a round rail over a square. And then it wasn't until jamie foy explained it, which we have to respect his opinion he's one of the best rail skaters in the world. The way he explained it was on a round rail, you've got the whole 180 degree radius to lock onto and play with.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, on the square rail, you've only got the 90 on each side yeah so, and unless you're doing like one of those neutral grinds where your trucks are on top, yeah like that's not. Like, how else do you? 50, I guess, but you're not. You're not on either side. Like you have to use that 90 degree and it's almost like a ledge. Yeah if you think it's like a really small ledge. So I can probably hurricanes like front side and back side hurricane on a square rail better than a round rail, but other than that, every other trick is round rail round rail, yeah, interesting I can't back 50 square actually I just hate flat rails.
Speaker 1:
I hate rails generally, but you're a ledge guy.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, speaking about style, like style really does matter. I think about it more and more. I'm so, I'm so drawn to style like steve got the cover of slam magazine just pushing really, because the style was so stee*zy. Who are some skaters styles that you really gravitate towards like favorites? Who are some of your favorite skaters style wise?
Speaker 4:
style damn. The first person I just thought of was ishod. Yeah, like that effortless flow yeah, um, but I I don't know, like I was talking to someone before, I don't have this guy. That's like my favorite skater and I love like the way he does this or the way he does this, but I can't really it's a tricky one. I might have to go with the short actually. Yeah, he's just the first person that popped in it's a good one. Whenever you just said that's the first person that came to mind. Yeah, I reckon.
Speaker 3:
I like your style Cause, like I said this to you on the phone the other day, like big dudes, when I see tall guys On skateboards, I don't know Just watching them Throw their big frame around. There's something really sick about it. Like I used to love Javonte Turner, you probably don't even know that he's there.
Speaker 1:
Brian Anderson, for sure, brian BA.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, who else is tall and sick? Oh, jason Lee. Back in the day.
Speaker 1:
Oh, jason Lee, for sure Style master. Yeah, like lanky tall, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:
Something about it so sick. How tall are you, Steve?
Speaker 1:
You're pretty tall, I'm 6'2". There you go. So, you're another example of it.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, man, what is up with you and your obsession with egg style skate?
Speaker 4:
I was wondering if you're gonna ask this. Yeah, so filming most of that first um part I did was on 875 right and then I rode the same because street skating I wanted my setup to be the same. So every time I went to a spot I knew, all right, my board's going to perform exactly how I know it will and how I want it to Right. So after I finished filming that first part, there's heaps of egg boards that I had my eyes on just because they look cool. I don't know I wanted to have like a cool shaped board or something, because, riding the same board for like a whole year straight I was riding pretty much the 875 Antihero Eagle board like back to back to back to back, same board. It's like I'm going to back to back same board. It's like I'm gonna get an egg board and just like set up a cruiser board and just like skate skate parks again for fun, because I don't remember what that's like anymore.
Speaker 4:
So I got this 9.1 inch egg board, stepped on it and thought it was so sick, like the way it funnels out in the middle. So where you're standing it's the widest point, so you're super comfortable. Yeah, heaps of space on it, but the kicks taper smaller so the nose and the tail are smaller. So a 9.1 was probably had the kicks of maybe like an 875. So the kicks are more functional because they're smaller, but you have a lot more surface to stand on and like just cruise around on in the middle. Plus the heroin skateboards egg boards that I started riding. Their wheelbases are shorter too, so you can have a really wide board in the middle, but the tapered kicks and the smaller wheelbase helps it just skate like a normal board. Yeah, so that was my first one and I pretty much people like always give me sh*t about it, like you had one egg board and then you just took that as your whole personality.
Speaker 3:
You've kind of become the egg guy. Now, that's what I mean. You've kind of become the egg guy.
Speaker 4:
It's so funny, they're overrated. Why do you ride them so much? They're like, oh, I can't stop, they're just so sick. So, from riding the 875s to the 9-inches popsicles don't usually go any bigger than that yeah, and besides a 10 inch, like weirdly 10 inches like the next one. So my regular size is like anywhere from a 925 to a 975 eggboard. Obviously so. Yeah, so the wheelbase is a little shorter. The tail and the nose works fine, so it's still good for scooping tricks like pop shovers, tray flips, all that. Um, the tapered nose helps you like slappy into grinds more because, like the corners are kind of gone, yeah yeah.
Speaker 4:
So like just starting to ride egg boards, they just they felt better, honestly, than a normal board, so I didn't want to stop riding them. Yeah, I went from nine one to like I think nine two, five, and then nine five was my regular shape. Then I tried a 975 and then I was trying a 10 inch, yeah, and then I kind of just didn't stop going up and just recently I skated a 14.25 inch wide board I watched that.
Speaker 3:
I watched that video, yeah who makes them?
Speaker 4:
heroin, heroin, yeah so it's obviously like a pure novelty thing, it looks like a skimboard.
Speaker 4:
It's a hundred percent looks like a skimboard, but with concave the first one. So this is the exila 2 that I've got. The first exila was 13 and a half inches but it was flat, like it didn't have concave or anything that looked like a full-on skimboard. This one has, um, like a bit of concave and then some kicks too, but um, I can't. I just like them and they skate really well for the way I want to skate, I guess, is my answer you're big dude but you try like I can't believe you tray flipped it I should show you what I did the other day.
Speaker 4:
I went and skated glebe with it. Yeah, I put some 39 millimeter wheels on it. Why no why? This is the response I always get why is your board so big? Why are you doing that? Why?
Speaker 3:
are your wheels so small? Why?
Speaker 4:
did you do that? So I've already had these wheels from Boardy Cakes. There's a guy, american dude, imports these Boardy Cakes wheels and like other american stuff, yeah, so we can get it here. So their bawdy cakes is a brand. They're 39 mil wheels. Um, I just wanted to try them. Like I'm in a position where I can just try these weird kind of wacky things and make youtube videos about them and people love to see it. So I had an idea. First of all, I spent like over 500 on that setup the exila board. The board itself is 320 for the deck. What? Why? It's just because it's so big there's, so much wood.
Speaker 4:
It's like a specialized shape it's having a special press you can't just be pressed, yeah yeah, yeah, okay, so the whole mold would have to be redone and then I had to get 10-inch trucks for it, which is the biggest trucks I could find, and then build it from there?
Speaker 1:
Who makes them?
Speaker 3:
Independent Indie-making. Yeah, I got independent. What do they make them for, danny Way, I was going to say they make them for the mega ramps.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, the old Danny Way, but yeah. So initially I wanted to skate that board. I never got my hands on the first model, so I got the second one. And so the amount of money I spent on it. I was like, damn, I need to make.
Speaker 4:
I spent so much money on this, I need to make a few videos in a row, just to get my money's worth and not just spend so much money on it. So my next idea was to put the 39mm wheels on it because I was like, damn, that would be funny, like, even like as a YouTube video biggest skateboard like. It's 14 to five wide, so it's super, extremely wide, and then 39 mil wheels, which is the opposite of extreme, yeah. And but I had a like. I always structure my videos and I had a like, a story or an angle behind it to like because it's smaller wheels, it'll lighten the setup, obviously, and then I'll sit closer to the ground so this big, hunky, heavy ass board will pop easier and be lighter to get off the ground okay and so it was yeah okay
Speaker 3:
I actually did heaps of flip tricks but not slow as though with the small wheels it was.
Speaker 4:
That's why I wanted to go to glebe skate park, because it's kind of new, like it's really smooth yeah, but um, and I put new, I put like uh, oh, I've only rode those reds once, but like the bones reds bearings, so they're pretty new and, um, still slow, though the wheels are 103a as well, so super hard. But it's because if it was a softer wheel that thing would flat spot so quick for how small it is yeah so it skated really well, like I did.
Speaker 4:
What did I do? I did on flat ground. I did like kickflip, nollie flip, switch flip. I did nollie tray, which I was pretty surprised about.
Speaker 3:
I'll show you all this stuff in a second. Are you making a vlog about it?
Speaker 4:
yeah, I was filming that video was like um biggest board versus the smallest wheels or whatever. Yeah, but um. So I had a few trick requests that I had on that board from the first video so I was like I need to make another video doing the trick request. People put um sent in plus. I wanted to see how it worked and it was so much about it skated, it was so fun it skated. Well, it counteracted like the weight of the board. Yeah, but um. Yeah, I did. I was doing stuff like half cab flip on it, which I'm horrible at half cab flips, and somehow I nollie heel flipped it too, which I never thought would work. In nollie heel yeah.
Speaker 4:
And it was only like third try as well? No way, but yeah, it flips like really well.
Speaker 1:
I should have brought it today.
Speaker 4:
Damn I was thinking about it too, actually, wow, man. But the eggs, yeah, they're just fun. But I sit at the moment I'm riding a jacuzzi eggboard.
Speaker 3:
it's a 9.1, so this is the lowest I've gone over the last year did you pick up my 8 inch popsicle board and just go like I'm disgusted by this thing?
Speaker 4:
I stepped on it and I thought you were joking when you said it was an 8 inch. I thought it was like 7.5.
Speaker 3:
Dude, me and Steve are all about 775. What are you size? 12 or something 11. 11?
Speaker 1:
Yeah, same as me.
Speaker 3:
Steve, you rode 775s, but I rode 775s. Yeah, totally Dude, I'm all about them.
Speaker 1:
But you get used to it, I guess.
Speaker 3:
Remember Sid told me he used to shave his 775s down with a file, so they were 7.5? Yeah?
Speaker 4:
Yeah, Mick used to do that too, riding a 14.25 but it's funny though.
Speaker 3:
I've been at skate parks and stuff and younger crew have like picked up a board, go look at this eight inch board and then they'll have a little cruise. Oni go oh my god, this is so much easier to skate. Yeah, like like, I can flip it so much easier and stuff. I'm like yeah it does.
Speaker 4:
It just depends what you want.
Speaker 3:
Everyone always asks yeah, exactly it's just so on trend to have wide boards, in my opinion it doesn't work for everyone no, it doesn't but they're just trying to keep up because that's what their favorite pro is doing.
Speaker 4:
It definitely works for me, but like I'm a big dude, I need a strong board, a wide board. I don't do that. I can. I can do flip tricks, but I don't do many. Yeah, like I can skate like a pyramid hit maybe, or some flat ground, yeah, but like I'm not doing tricks downstairs or anything.
Speaker 1:
I can't. Brian Anderson does those boards that are a bit football-y shaped right, Doesn't he Probably? I think, his shapes are a bit like that.
Speaker 4:
He rides that nine-inch Antero board pretty regularly.
Speaker 1:
It's a bit like a, not an egg, but it's like the football shape, right, or maybe?
Speaker 4:
not. Antero does a. Yeah, they do a lot of good shapes, so I'm probably Any hero would be good boards, yeah.
Speaker 3:
What size boards Are you riding at the moment?
Speaker 1:
I'm back on 8 Thanks to You're back on 8. He was like To what you were exactly saying. I was riding big boards, I don't even know why, because everyone else Was riding them and then he's like dude, just try an 8. And he gave me it and I was like I f*cking hate this, dude, I'm back on 8. I can't, even I can't. To be honest, I want to get on your Contact for the 39 mils.
Speaker 4:
It's so funny to hear 8.5 and big it's a small wheel.
Speaker 3:
Straight out of the 90s man, ron Kennedy.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, totally, and lay them down to make them smaller. Or four to flip, make it lighter. To make it lighter Exactly what you're saying, bro, Like it's funny.
Speaker 1:
You're thinking that because we were thinking that back in the 90s because all wheels were like bigger. They were big, yeah. And also you could ride your wheels for a bit and then to make them new again, you just lay it off like a wheel and then you'd have a new set of wheels, again Specifically just for flip tricks.
Speaker 1:
It was just the trend of the time. I mean to be honest with you, we all just did it and probably it was ridiculous, because you're pushing around, we're not pushing around on Glebe Skate Park, we're pushing around on Pitcherman yeah, true, there was no skate park like this and Pebbles so crazy.
Speaker 4:
It was stupid Because I get it and I guess the older guys will say that, but I don't see how functional it would be.
Speaker 1:
But it's a lower center of gravity, for sure that was the, that was the yeah. I mean we used to do crazy things like only put three. To be honest with you, my board's probably here put three deck bolts in because you thought it made your board lighter.
Speaker 4:
Is that why? Yeah, I used to do that when I was a teen and I didn't know why your board's a little bit lighter know why? But like that was just the thing.
Speaker 1:
Some people used to run two bolts in each truck yeah, but then if you start doing heavy, nose slides, your truck just pops off but the advent of hollow trucks.
Speaker 3:
I mean, for me that's been the biggest game changer. Yeah, that's so sick I got hollows.
Speaker 4:
I try and stick around 54 mil for my wheels, yeah, but and I ride deck rails on every board. I'm probably different because of my size, but I feel like you can just get used to anything. Yeah, I can still do all my flip tricks not all of them, but just on that 14. The other day, for example, I did a lot of my flip tricks obviously not as easy, yeah, and I'm not going to ride that thing every day, but you can get used to any type of setup.
Speaker 3:
So you should try and find something that works best for your type of skating is what I always tell people. Yeah, good advice, and I think experiment. I mean, maybe I should experiment with some different shapes, yeah, instead of just the popsicle that I've been skating for, however long yeah, well, that's what was another thing that was so refreshing.
Speaker 4:
I started at 12.
Speaker 4:
It was only maybe the beginning of last year I started writing egg boards yeah I'm not going to try and do that math, but that was a long time riding a popsicle. So when I got my eggboard I was like, damn, this is sick. Yeah, it looks so fun under my feet and like I'm having more fun, it's not so. What's? He used to say the same thing. He rides that shape from girl like the couch or the love seat or something right so and he's like, yeah, when I look down it's not so serious, I just have fun.
Speaker 3:
So it makes skating less serious because I don't feel like I'm riding a serious board and it does open up different possibilities, like that shape just works better for this particular trick. Yeah, you know, and I've actually found that, even with some, like you know, variations on popsicles, I'm like if there's a bit of a difference in the wheelbase or there's, you know, a slight, tapering in the tail. I'm like, oh, that board's so much better for tray flips or that board's so much better for nollie kick flips, I don't know.
Speaker 4:
It is, but the madness gets crazy when you start thinking.
Speaker 1:
I know it's all in your head Like oh, maybe this or like that.
Speaker 4:
Maybe having one less deck fold will help me go higher or something. I mean, the board is crazy.
Speaker 1:
If, as long as in your brain you believe it, it'll skaters get crazy with their startups.
Speaker 3:
So yeah, but I love Wattsy's philosophy, like it just looks fun under my feet and that gets me excited. Yeah, he's so wise, just something simple like that.
Speaker 4:
It's like yeah, that could change your whole session, having like a, like a shaped board, totally he's so wise, that dude.
Speaker 3:
What about how he stared down a great white shark? Remember that story. I just remembered had this guy on the podcast A scary. Yeah, grilf Ben Watts, amazing skater, also works at the same skate shop, same chain of skate shops. We're not going to say their name on here. Do we say their name? We don't have to. No, anyway, he.
Speaker 1:
He had a shark come at him.
Speaker 3:
Dude, he was like, he was like spearfishing In the deep and then this Popped over this ledge and there's like a six-meter great white shark just staring him down and swimming at him. Jesus, and just like, the story's insane, dude, yeah, it's crazy. Yeah, just like, and because he's just such a G, he just like held his ground.
Speaker 1:
That's what they say. Held his ground. Yeah, like if you stare it off it works. Apparently, I guess he proved it.
Speaker 4:
He's like that with security as well. All the time he just stands his ground with security every time.
Speaker 3:
He's such a gentle soul, though. That's what's funny.
Speaker 4:
That's what surprises me. He's like super helpful, super nice to you, kind, but he's got something in him that, if you awaken it, Well, it comes out in his skating yeah. That's how he channels his energy.
Speaker 3:
I think, yeah, like he just that's how he channels his energy. I think, yeah, like Sam Giles is the same.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, true, like the kindest, nicest dude. But then he just gets on a isn't he just an animal? Yeah.
Speaker 3:
Just like no fear. Yeah Well, he's got fear, but he just like takes it on.
Speaker 4:
Another legend, Sam.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, love him. Yeah, we covered some topics, man. Is there anything else we did? Is there anything I've forgotten to ask you? I?
Speaker 4:
don't know, I don't know what your list was.
Speaker 3:
I don't know. I've sort of gone through most of it. You've covered a lot of your early days in southwestern Sydney.
Speaker 4:
YouTube stuff. Yeah, I didn't ask you about your school days. True, we should mention that anyway. I know about to say now why? Because it's weird, I didn't even realize we didn't mention this. I think we did. On what's his other, he was a teacher or something.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, but I must admit, look, this is going to be the oldest f*cking thing I've ever said. Sorry for swearing, but no, don't worry. I just feel like really proud of you because it's like I remember you as an awkward teenager, big, lanky guy yeah, lanky goofy. All your mates loved you but, like you know, didn't do any of your schoolwork like annoying as sh*t as your teacher. But you have just grown into like someone I actually look up to and respect in a lot of ways.
Speaker 4:
And.
Speaker 3:
I just like. How life does that, you know, and I'm so glad we came in contact, man, thanks for that yeah. But yeah so glad we came in contact. Man, that's right, thanks for that, yeah. But yeah, like I just I'm sort of stoked too that like we can be more friends.
Speaker 4:
I'm not like it's not you know, it's like I feel like we're peers now after starting like like that.
Speaker 3:
That's funny yeah it's sick, dude, it's a weird, it's a weird you're a legend from what I remember. You probably have a different memory yeah, I get very conflicted with teaching in terms of why I do it and also the position it places me in. Sometimes you have to be someone you don't want to be. I just you know you might have experienced that with personal training.
Speaker 4:
Well, no, I was just listening to Sean Enoch's episode again. Yeah, and he was saying how he had to tell that kid to stop skating at school and you're like no, I can't. Like. My principal just told me to tell this guy to stop. I'm so conflicted I don't want him to stop, Like I don't want to be that guy to tell him to stop.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I was in that position where I had to tell someone to stop trying something.
Speaker 4:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
Although that kid was never going to land that? No, he tried he did try man, yeah, so if you are interested, in what Leon does.
Speaker 4:
go and check out his YouTube channel. It's just Leon Paxton, isn't it? Yeah, people are like, oh, what's your channel name? Should I? Yeah, Am I supposed to have a channel name? It's just me, Leon Paxton. Yeah.
Speaker 3:
And I mean, in this day and age where, like, there's a lot of content, you know, I think it's, I just think it's really good quality content and I get a lot out of it. Personally, thank you. Personally thank you. But it's also maybe that's why you're having some success with it, because you know there's a lot of people who don't succeed on youtube as well, like most people don't. It's, it's not easy. So if you've, I think, if you, you know, if you've got something that's really legitimate, it does, you know, the cream rises to the top. And I think that's what's going on with you, brother, and I see so much potential with it. So I hope you keep going thank you.
Speaker 4:
I think I got a bit lucky too, being in australia and not having anyone else really to compete with, because everyone that's another thing. They say like no one else is doing this. This is so sick that you're doing this like no one else. Like there's a couple of people.
Speaker 3:
But have you copped much tall poppy syndrome, like people trying to cut you down for it. Skaters can be so fast.
Speaker 4:
I don't know. So I feel like I did, but, like, like I mentioned before, I've never really been in like any type of core industry of skateboarding in any way. Like I've never. I was never like a sponsored skater or I was never representing anything, or like I was never like one of the main sydney skaters were like part of this crew or something. Like I never. I never had anything to go against. Does that make sense? Like I was never. Yeah, I was never an outsider because, like, not like I was a loner with no friends I was skating with, but like I never had any conflict like that.
Speaker 4:
But I think I need to credit I should say this, to credit this to sean he copped more of the sh*t when he started doing his youtube videos. He was like, oh, they were like what are you doing? This is weird, you're kooky like filming yourself and doing all these videos. So when I came in and started doing it, he had already been doing it for a few years, yeah, so at that point he was comfortable. He didn't care about what those people were saying and I kind of just breezed into it because people were used to that already. So I definitely have to credit that to him for like kind of that's what I mean he kind of set the path.
Speaker 3:
Break down the barriers.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, fully Sick Because I didn't really cop much anything. I don't think I get like people talking in the comments, but nothing's ever serious.
Speaker 3:
Like who are some of the YouTubers you like to watch? Like for me personally. Like YouTube is full of like thrasher clips. I love watching Jenkins articles yeah of like thrasher clips. I love watching jenkins articles yeah, uh anything by patrick o'dell epically laded yes, what?
Speaker 4:
about. You see, that's funny because when people like oh, youtube skaters are cringy, all of these are on youtube. Thrasher has a youtube account. Thrasher has a tiktok account. Obviously it's different content so like the youtubey, yeah, yeah, like well, what's up guys, I'm doing this type of stuff Like they're not YouTubers, but they're on YouTube.
Speaker 3:
They are.
Speaker 4:
But what was it? What do I watch? Yeah, Natasha. Jenkim as well. I watch all the main like Free Skate Mag, like all of the oh Pocket Skate Mag.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, pocket's a good one. I love what you do. You know you mic up, yeah Skate, and mic up Like that's. I love how they do that, but YouTube YouTubers.
Speaker 4:
I was always watching John Hill. Have you heard of him?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, he's like the number one, like YouTube-y guy. He's a really good skater.
Speaker 4:
He was like M for Birdhouse I believe he was so good. Out of all the YouTube-y skaters, he was the only one that could have In skateboarding. Yeah, but yeah, that's probably where. I got it from to be honest. Yo, what's up?
Speaker 3:
I'm doing all this. He got a bit cringy for me. I don't know why.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, he did, but he was such a good skater I don't know if he ever wasn't. He just not to be rude or mean to him, but like it's just him, no know. I think his personality Perfectly suited YouTube and doing that stuff and like Moose has got one.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, he's sick.
Speaker 4:
But, like I just found, ryan DeCenzo made a YouTube. He's making his own company and they're doing like Day in the life Skate spots and stuff.
Speaker 3:
Pedro Delfino.
Speaker 4:
Has a YouTube channel when he's doing like Vlogs and stuff too.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I asked Ben Curry what he thinks about it and he said something like you know, like there's people who are only ever YouTube and then there's people who made their way in skating the traditional path and then went to. Youtube and then that's okay, but does it even matter anymore? That's my question.
Speaker 4:
I think it matters. A lot of people are talking about this. It matters for the audience and your fans depending, like if you're a aspiring pro skater and you don't make it and then you get a better deal doing youtube stuff, like you've kind of gone around to get to that top position of exposure and all that, yeah, it just depends how your fans respect that or and it's I think it's it's individual to each person, like okay, I think it's different for each person. I see what ben's saying and you can agree with that to an extent too, but, like I said, I was never there like ben's. Obviously, at a pro level he has more perspective of that. I've never anywhere near that, so I can't really speak on that side. I've just started making YouTube videos as a skateboarder like I'd never really had a path or like I'm not doing this over that. Yeah, it's weird, I'm in a weird position.
Speaker 3:
I'm curious. I don't think it's good or bad, I just think it's the future and that's and we need to embrace it like, whether you're a hater or not, it's not going anywhere. So anyway, well, it's been epic. A big shout out, and thanks to Steve Tierney for letting us use his art space being surrounded by beautiful art. He's been a good legend. Yeah, what a bunch of legends. Pity, it rained we didn't get the skating.
Speaker 1:
I know I was keen.
Speaker 3:
Anyway, mr Leon Paxton, everyone, Thank you. Thanks. Mr Leon Paxton, everyone, thank you. Thanks, steve.
