Thrasher Magazine

Interview and photos by Michael Burnett
 

How did you first meet Kyle?
I first met Kyle kind of just skating around. I would see him and then I kinda started getting on Real and we started kicking it. But really what defined our friendship was when we went on a skate trip. It was a Volcom trip. Choi was driving his little minivan. It was me, Kyle, Alec, Louie Lopez.  Louie is the one who invited me on the trip because I didn’t skate for Volcom. And we drove to SF from LA, we slept in Double Rock. I sacked my first rail on that trip. Everybody got buck; it was a beautiful thing. That’s the beginning of our solid friendship.


Describe a time when you saw him do something where you’re, like, “Holy shit, this is next level.”? Like what kind of stuff have you seen him do where you’re like, “This is Skater of the Year material.”?
Everything he do.

But was there ever a moment where you saw Kyle and you’re, like, “Oh shit.”?
I don’t know if maybe my amazement level is low but I get amazed easily. I be, like, “Woah, that’s crazy!” about regular shit. It’s his mentality more than anything.

People have seen him skate and seen his video parts but what is Kyle like as a person?
He hungry. He wanting it. He not gon' hide, you know if he want to try a trick he’ll try it. He puts his all into it. And that’s nothing but inspiration to me, you feel me? It’s a great thing to be around because it gives you an idea of where you need to be if you want to seriously be a professional. Same thing with Ishod, you know, the same with a lot of other skaters. I think it’s more about the mentality because if somebody believe they could do a trick, they can do it. I’ve never been the one to be, like, “Oh, that’s fucking impossible. Nobody could do that!” You feel me? So if somebody want to do it they gon' do it. It just takes that motivation that inside themselves to fire themselves up to actually try it and to actually continue to do it until they land it and roll away. That’s what it is.



What’s the general vibe of this trip?
It’s turnt the fuck up. Literally. It’s not much else you could say, you feel me? It’s like Ishod fuckin' airing in fuckin' vert ramps and bowls and then back tailing big-ass rails and Zion, back overcrook big as fuck then body jars and fuckin' lien tails. I don’t know shit about skating bowls and shit but being on this trip I’m trying to get into it. I’m scratching coping. Fuckin' everybody just going for it but going for it with a smile on they face. Nobody mad, you know? It’s a very fun-loving environment. Everybody just friends. We all care about each other and it’s nothing better because everybody supports each other. Somebody trying a trick, you know, everybody else hyped on it. And tricks are going down quick, you feel me, Daan is a maniac. Ishod is a maniac. They’re in the fire. They are burning in the fire. And I say that because to be a professional skateboarder or to be a fucking Skater of the Year you gotta throw yourself in the fire. You gotta dedicate your whole life to that. And it burns and it hurts. But a phoenix is born from the flames so it’s all good.

Catchin' a scratch at Kambah

Do you have a special name for that bail that you do? The no handed backflip bail?
I don’t got no special name for shit. I just try to get away safely until I roll away. Yeah, it’s natural. It’s easy.

Do you hit your head when you bounce up?
Nope. I guess that later on down the line I figured out that I could bounce off my shoulder and just flip over. But if you can get to your feet then you okay.


Like Henny and ‘cream, even Nak’s bails are smooth

I heard you say earlier, we were talking about politics, I heard you say you don’t really fuck with America. What did you mean by that?
I don’t want to get too deep into some weird shit but, like, my ancestors were slaves so America not my home; it was made my home.

How do you feel about the direction the country’s going?
I don’t give a fuck. I’m gonna still get my money, still do what the fuck I do. Still skate, you feel me? Like Obama ain’t do shit for me either. I don’t give a fuck about politics and shit. Only thing I guess matters is taxes because I gotta pay that. I’ve been called a nigger and all kind of shit in America. I’ve been treated like shit by every type of person, black people, white people, Mexican people, Asian people, I don’t give a fuck. I care about real love. People who really give a fuck about me. You feel me, I give a fuck about my family. That’s all you could do. The fuck is Donald Trump gonna do? He doesn’t know who Na-kel Smith is.

Riding high off that Firing Line!

Yeah. So for you it’s just more personal.
Exactly. Everything is personal.

Pop shove at the 'Place

What’s your general impression of Australia?
I love Australia. I got great memories from the first time I ever came here. I got great memories from the second time I ever came here. Yeah, I love it here. It’s amazing. It’s a beautiful place surrounded by very fun and beautiful people. I think that, you know, Los Angeles is a mecca for skateboarding, Australia is a Mecca for skateboarding, all these places it’s a whole different energy and vibe here that you don’t get that back in America and it’s a beautiful thing. It’s amazing.


Anything you want to say to your Thrasher fans out there?
I got a lot to say to everybody, you feel me? First off I appreciate everything because sometimes I don’t even believe I’m supposed to live this life. Because where I come from this shit not normal. It’s a lot of people in a goddamn 30-mile radius of where I live that have never traveled outside of California. You feel me, niggas die every day, go to jail every day for a long time, not for no bullshit, you feel me? And it’s real and I’m appreciative that I get to be out and enjoy my life 'cause there’s kids 14, 13 not being able to enjoy their life, having to grow up quick. Very quick, you know? Getting into bullshit. Going to juvenile hall and camps and doing all that shit and because of a fuckin' piece of wood with some metal and some wheels on it I’m in Australia. You feel me, Sydney, Australia kicking it with a bunch of people that if I never started skating I wouldn’t know none of y’all. On some real shit I wouldn’t be the type of person that I am today. I love Thrasher for being a fuckin' basically a goddamn rule book to how to be a skateboarder in general. Not professional, not amateur, not flow, like, just a skateboarder. 'Cause I learned from Thrasher to go hard. Put it all on the table, get broke, make tricks, have fun. And you know I appreciate all of my sponsors because they help me and my family. I’m just super grateful, there’s not shit else I could be, you know? And for anybody who’s reading this or listening or watching I just want you to dig deep inside yourself and find what you love to do by yourself. Don’t find what you love to do with your friends, don’t find what you like to do because everybody thinks it’s cool, find what you love to do by yourself. Because this shit changed my life and showed me a whole different world.