Thrasher Magazine

Who picks the song? How do you raise a goose? And how do you keep uncovering spots on the well-worn East Coast? We caught up with the off-grid powerhouse to answer these and many more pressing questions as he wrapped up Intervals. As seen in our December ‘24 issue.


Flying between buildings and over streets, Intervals' most veteran headliner charges through the Northeast with unstoppable power 

What up, Brandon? How you doin’?
Pretty good. How about you? How are the kids?

They’re good. Losing teeth and looking funny, but they seem happy.
Same with mine, at least the older one. My younger one hasn’t lost any yet. Have you noticed when they come in, the teeth are huge, like giant?

Yeah, it’s insane looking.
Like crazy.

Seems like a lot has changed for you semi-recently. I wanted to ask you why you moved and did you give up farming cranberries?
That’s a good place to start. I don’t have a farm anymore, and I moved to Lewiston, Maine. It was kind of random. The whole COVID thing was happening, and Element stopped paying for a bit. They were stressing about taking the vaccine, and I didn’t want to take it. So, I thought, If shit hits the fan, what am I going to do? I was doing the remote learning with the kids for a while and felt pretty strapped, to be honest. I started looking for a house and found this cool place with some land. I figured if we didn’t like it, we could move back or figure it out from there. But it’s been four years now, and we’re still here. We love it up here. It’s way more chill than the farm.

Blasting ollie to the ledge. His aim is true

So you went from a rural farm to even more rural property in the forest?
Yeah, pretty much. We have utilities and stuff, but no internet at first.




No TikTok, huh?
Actually, my last property, I didn’t have internet either, just because it was so far from a power line. So I didn’t have internet for like seven years, then we moved up here and they had the same shit. It was even further away. But I got the Elon Musk thing, the satellite—Starlink. But Lewiston in itself as a city, it’s kind of a shithole. Honestly, it’s like a total dump. I’m not complaining, because anywhere in Maine is nice to be in the forest and close to central Maine. Plus, I’m still two hours from Boston.

That ain’t too bad. So you’re close enough still to meet up with Tim Savage and whoever’s skating in the city?
Yeah, and Portland, Maine is usually what people think of when they think of a city in Maine. That’s probably 45 minutes away.
It’s not bad.

So are you hunting and fishing? What comes with this lifestyle change?
No, dude, remember I was a vegetarian? I mean, I’m not one now. I’m actually so bummed I was for so long.

You’re bummed you were a vegetarian?
Yeah.

Lofty kickflip in New Orleans   Photo: Black

Really? Why?
I just feel happier and way more healthy, like I used to be. I was kind of bulkier, and I lost all the muscle, I couldn’t gain it back not eating meat. Every winter I’d be like, I’m gonna bulk up, and I couldn’t do anything. I would try all types of things to gain muscle that I used to have, and I could not gain muscle; it was crazy. I was like 127 pounds and now I’m like 145. I couldn’t get over 132 as a vegetarian.

Damn. I gotta be honest, it was always really impressive to see how fast you would eat your food. So it makes sense; you were just fucking hungry all the time.
All the time. It was crazy. When I started feeling full, I felt a lot less anxiety. I felt genuinely happier. I don’t know how to describe it, maybe not the case for everybody. I don’t want to put that out there, you know, but I felt so much better. It’s wild, dude. Going in, I order a half a cow and I put it in the freezer, and I’m hyped. It’s good grass-fed cows too. I talked to Darwen about how many meals I missed when I didn’t eat meat.

That’s amazing. What made you go vegetarian to begin with?
I think my wife, and Netflix documentaries telling you to be healthy. Spanky was a vegetarian. Suski was a vegetarian. I saw
them feeling good and I wanted it too.

That checks out. Was it hard to be a vegetarian in Maine?
I was thinking about it a lot because, in California, you could probably grow vegetables most of the year. But I don’t know what these motherfuckers up here are doing. They must be eating meat all winter because you can’t grow shit up here for six months out of the year.

Offline but on target, Brando cranks a tré

The kids are liking being out there?
Yeah, definitely. We got bunch of animals, like chickens and goats. We got geese, this big dog that guards them and a pond. I take the kids on our little quad, and they sit on the tube in the snow and tube ‘em around. We live kinda on a hill. I think they love it so far.

I heard geese are assholes. Is that true?
Nah. I think I’ve always heard that, but we got them when they were babies. Wild ones are probably assholes, though. We feed them and stuff, so they’re pretty friendly.

I’ve always heard that if you get chickens and ducks, then you get a batch of geese to protect them, because they’re bullies.
Yeah, definitely, the geese are good at that. They’re actually my favorite out of everything, just because you really don’t feed them in the wintertime. But other than that, I’ve been curious to actually eat a goose, because they say they’re like ruminant animals—like a sheep or something because they just eat the grass. So they essentially taste different than a chicken, more meaty. You ever eat a goose?

Yeah, in Germany. Christmas goose is a whole thing—crazy oily, but in a good way.
Yeah, I was looking it up and there’s a technique to actually pluck the feathers off. Because with the chickens, you dunk them in the hot water and then you can just rip the feathers off. But with the ducks and geese, it’s like they’re waterproof, so there’s different techniques to actually strip the feathers.

Gotta YouTube that. You started eating meat. You moved to Maine. Did you start drinking again?
I did.





Damn, no way!
Yeah, I did big changes. I just moved up here and became a man, I guess.

When did you start filming for this video? What’s the vibe?
I think it’s been maybe two years. Maybe a little longer, because I always film with Tim Savage. Now, he’s been going on a bunch of trips, so it feels longer. But he’s part of Kyle’s program. It’s cool. Fuck, just skating with Jamie, in general, is insane. I’ve never seen skating like that in real life.

Is it kind of weird being around somebody who does tricks as fast as him? I always thought that it was crazy.
Oh yeah. And he’s doing gnarly shit. We’re all terrified. I’m scared for him. Honestly, he did this gap to grind in New York, and I actually said, “Oh my God.” Like, I don’t know how he’s gonna get out of this. That’s my first thought. But he just did it first try.

Taking the slightly less dangerous route—180 the fence

You had to travel a lot for this one, but you were able to skate a lot in Boston too. How’s it been managing just being gone and having to film the whole time?
It’s been good, honestly. Just because I’ve filmed in Boston for three parts with Tim, and they were mainly Boston, Connecticut and our area. When we started working on this, I was talking to Levi. I was like, Is it cool if me and Tim just branch off to New York, or Philly or wherever? And they said, “Yeah, do whatever you need.” So we started the first year doing that. We took short trips up the East Coast, which helped a lot, just because you like seeing different stuff and new shit, you know? And if anybody knows Tim, he’s a guy that loves looking at spots. So if we go one direction to go film, we come home a different direction to go look at spots on the way home. So it’s never-ending. Honestly, it’s exhausting sometimes. But I’ve known him for so long. We just do that and it’s good, because he has so much shit stacked on his phone. It might not be good, or it might be good, and you don’t know unless you look at it. So, when we’re looking at spots on the way home, you kind of know, Okay, this is something I want to come back to, or, This is complete shit.

How’s traveling been with the New Balance team? Is it cool still traveling with dudes like Levi, Tim Tim and Jake?
Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean, Levi’s been on every trip. And then Darwen, those guys are fun as shit. They make it happen. Levi’s always looking out for everybody, trying to make it as easy as possible, get everybody where they need to get good dinners, good beds. I think that’s the biggest thing, especially getting older. It’s nice having somewhere good to lay down that’s decent.




So did you get to pick your song for this video part, or did you just let Kyle go off on his own?
So, Tim’s kind of been having an influence. I’ve honestly never picked a song that I’ve skated to, ever.

No way, really?
Yeah, no. Especially with Miner and RB, I’ve never picked a song. I’m not that musically inclined. And I’m like, I don’t know what I should skate to. Actually, Jamie was talking about having the same problem, because he was like, What I listen to, I don’t think I should skate to. So he was asking Reynolds and guys about that.

That’s wild. Because I assume that every kid thinks that every skater picks their video part song, and it’s like they’re married to it or something.
Well, maybe someone like Evan.

So do you have any idea what it is, or you heard it already?
I’m not really sure, to be honest.

Beefy bar blast out West

I just like listening to music. I don’t want to think about if someone else will like it.
Yeah, me too. So I feel like it’s different for the guy editing it; it’s his choice. I wouldn’t even know where to start with that.

Is Tim on all your trips? Are you stoked having him around all the time now?
Yeah, definitely. I feel like anyone that I’ve ever skated with for videos, like Miner and RB, I end up having a connection with. They always help me when I’m out there. Because you asked me about the song and everything, I’m fucking useless in every category. And then they’ll just be like, Oh yeah. You should do this; you should try that. Tim’s been throwing a lot of music ideas and stuff like that, so it’s good. And then, obviously, Miner would have his influence. Especially with anywhere we’re going skating, they’re always having suggestions. Which I think is good. It’s always helped.

I’m not saying you don’t skate Tiago or Jamie Foy spots, but what’s it like going on specific trips just with these two dudes? How does that work?
You choose your spots, for sure. I mean, no one’s skating the actual Jamie spots, but Jamie can skate everything. So he can skate ledges and really anything. It’s been a treat watching both of those guys. This last year watching these guys skate is just so impressive. Especially Tiago, he has his own thing. He can switch back tail just about anything. His level’s obviously different than Jamie, but equally gnarly in a different way. It’s super cool to witness that.

Loose as a goose? Nah, but definitely mean as one on this kickflip 50-50

I feel like we’re pretty spoiled with good skating. You get kind of desensitized to it until you see it in person.
Yeah, I’ve kind of always been someone—especially when I started going on trips—when I see stuff in person, and then hang out with the person as well, that’s the best. That’s what I like to see. When I see a lot of videos, I have a hard time connecting with it. There’s so much shit nowadays. I mean, these are my guys, you know? I’m hanging out with them and they’re ripping. I’m watching them struggle, but also succeeding. So it’s super cool. We’re actually bros.

Has anyone told you that your accent is back?
Sometimes it is, yeah.

Now that you’re farther away from Boston.
Yeah. Honestly, I’ve been nervous about this whole thing. I’m always nervous about these interviews, so I had a couple beers. So I’m like, Maybe that will fucking help me loosen up with something.

So is there a skate scene out in the sticks?
Honestly, I didn’t know until I started going to Toby’s skatepark. And then I was like, Oh, shit, a lot of people skate up here. He has everybody roll through there. It’s so good.




You got any stories from any of the filming trips?
Tim actually got me and Darwen pretty sick and he ended up getting strep throat. I didn’t get it, but he was hacking up lungs. He calls them lung chunks, and he spits them across the room. It was gross. I room with him all the time. So I come in there and he’s hawking a lung chunk across the room, and I’m like, Bro, what the fuck are you doing? And he’s like, What? I’m like, You’re just spitting on the floor in the room. And he’s like, Yes, it’s my side. I’m like, What? He said, “Well?” I ask him, “What if I gotta go shut the window or something?” He’s like, Well, don’t come on my side. And I’m just like, What the fuck? But I came back from Germany, and I never got so sick in my entire life. Darwen too, and then he ended up getting his girl sick too. But no one else on the trip got sick. It was crazy. I was actually tripping, because he smokes with everybody. So I kept on asking. Tiago, Jamie and none of those guys got it. I don’t know, smoking must just build your immune system or something?

Manuals are dead—past the whole piece in Valencia

Or the smoke is killing you and the virus?
Maybe, I never thought of it like that. Oh yeah, on that same trip, actually, I tried to ollie this one thing and got the most smoked I’ve gotten in years. Jamie went out there specifically for this one rail that was like down, across and up. You’ll see it. It’s insane. He checked it out, and he checked out this other spot. He’s like, I think you could ollie this thing. It’s like a brick bank that comes down and it kind of loops up over—kind of like a bump to bar. And after seeing it, I’m like, Maybe I could ollie that? The first day I tried, and I’m like, Fuck, I gotta come back. I can’t do it. And Tim’s like, I got these Spitfire wheels, the soft ones. They might help you. Because one bank was angled one way, and the bank that I was taking off from was angled the other way. So I was kind of coming in heel to toe. So I tried those wheels. I don’t want to blame it on those wheels, but it didn’t help. I fucking barely made it over the rail, clipped, and blew my shin open. I actually never blew it out super open like that. And then I ended up leaving the trip early, just because I was like, I’m fucked after this. It was actually the most smoked I got on a trip. So I went there for three days, got smoked and then went home. From Tim’s lung chunks, I was sick for like fucking nine days after that. So I was kind of like, Fuck, that was honestly the worst situation trip-wise that I’ve had in a long time.

Eat a burger, chug a brew and take it over the back to 5-0

You pretty stoked to be done with the project? You’re happy with what you got so far?
Yes and no. It’s all of it. Traveling a bunch, it’s just been kind of a long summer. But I don’t know. You never really get these days back, especially seeing Tiago and Jamie. It’s just been so fun. It’s been kind of small trips to really dope areas. And seeing these guys skate, I may never get that experience again. You kind of get wrapped up into it and then once it’s over, you’re kind of like, What do I do now? I don’t know what it is. These projects kind of take over your life. It just feels uncomfortable. You start going crazy. It’s like, Gotta get this, gotta get this. Everybody’s talking about it. It consumes your life. And then all of a sudden, it’s like, Oh, shit, it’s just done.

Sweet relief, Brandon crosses the finish line with an ongodly O to open his part

It’s bittersweet. It’s a relief, and then also you end up missing it, right?
Yeah, exactly. It’s crazy.

Dude, it’s really good to hear your voice, and I’m happy for you that you’re doing something that you like doing. Your photos are really fucking good.
Thanks. It helps having Darwen shoot the photos.

You see that Tiago cover? I was there for it. That guy’s pretty good.
That guy’s really good. When he goes off, he fucking goes off. It’s insane. It’s funny because him and Jamie are like complete opposites. Jamie’s very strategic and dialed in. Tiago is on the vibes. If the vibe’s good, it’s insane to watch him skate. But if he’s uncomfortable or we’re not chilling, it’s different. Whereas Jamie’s just like, Take me to this rail. He’ll just fucking handle it. But, yeah, I’m hyped. The premiere’s always good, a little nerve-racking.

If you go to the LA one, I’ll see you there. I’ll bring you some beef jerky and a beer. Good talkin’ to you.
Likewise.

There are a lot of bullshit “street gaps” out there. This is not one of them. Frontside flip from a true East Coast legend. This video hits like a ton of bricks