Hug-life: October 2008

So a little while back Steven Thomas interviewed me for nride.blogspot.com Now it's my turn. Steve is an incredible surfer and an even more incredible human. I've been on several trips with Steve and I'd drop everything to go on another one with him. He shreds on any board, is well respected in the surfing world, and is a great ambassador for the sport of longboarding worldwide. Take a look at these photos, read the interview, and hopefully learn something. All photos by Danny Franks except portrait.

jh- Alright, here we go. What do you say we start things off with a little would you rather? Quad or twin fin?

st- That’s hard. I seem to have more fishes but I would like to have more quads in my quiver.

Alright, alright. I’d go thruster, but quads are cool. Ugg boots or Rainbow sandals?

Rainbow sandals. There is something creepy about a guy in uggs. Guys who wear Uggs in their adult life are bum snakers.

I’m not sure what a bum snaker is, but I’m feeling you on the whole Ugg thing. What about on a girl?

“Apple bottom jeans boots with the fur.” You know!

That ties nicely into the next one. T or A?

I live for a good A.

Mexican food or sushi?

Mexican food all day, everyday. I can eat I Mexican food every day and never get sick of it. Wait…I do!

Read your news online or in print?

NPR. I basically listen to NPR while I’m in my truck and I stress out. My doctor says I need to cut down on NPR. Its not good for my health.

My doctor tells me the same thing. Cowells or Maverick’s?

Cowellrick

Does that mean you like both? They’re pretty similar. Both cold, crowded, scary, right-handers. Wetsuits or trunks?

Wetsuits. I know its weird but I surf better in cold water.

That is weird. Mac or PC?
Mac. It’s like the Volkswagen of computers.

iphone or Blackberry?

I have a blackberry but I would like an iPhone

Yea, those things are pretty sweet. ASR or Sacred Craft?

Sacred Craft. That was such a good show. There were no cool guys. It was just a bunch of guys who make surfboards. Plus there was a shape off that was really cool. I don’t know who won, but I got a chance to watch it a little.

That’s rad. I hate ASR too. Dogs or cats?

My gay dog Jeff. He’s such a good boy.

Noseguard or flexfin?
Flexguard. What the F@!%k are those thing for. Nightmare.

Skate or snowboard?

Snowboarding, although I’ve been getting back it to skating a lot lately now that I’m living in San Francisco. It’s like the North Shore for Skaters.

Have an elephant trunk or a giraffe trunk?

Pigmy midget arm trunk, which is smaller than a regular midget. Not huge by any stretch of the imagination, but respectable.

Have a third leg or a third arm?

Third eye. I guess that is why homeless guys and crazy people come up to me because they feel my third eye staring through the soul. Yeah I’m like a wizard.

You do attract crazy people everywhere you go. I’m over the would you rather's. Where are you from?

Santa Cruz California.

That’s a nice place. People from Santa Cruz have mad pride. Do you claim Eastside?

When I was a kid, not anymore.

That’s good. You got to know you colors; B’s and C’s. Where are you living now?

San Francisco.

Do you like it in the city?

It has its pros and cons like anywhere. It’s not easy to surf up there. Ocean Beach is a heavy wave with a butt load of current. Butt load.

I surfed that place once and almost didn’t make it out. It’s pretty humbling out there. I know you’re a big coffee person, how many cups a day?

Three cups a day keeps the doctor away. I read that somewhere.

That cannot be good. I remember you being pretty into diet coke. Are you still drinking those?

I’m trying to get off the stuff. It’s got to be bad for me. I drink anywhere from 2 to 6 on any given day.

That’s disgusting. How would you describe your style (in and out of the water)?

I would say that I surf a longboard from tip to tail. I try to do it with as much grace and power as I can. I like to ride all sorts of boards with that mind set to the best of my ability. As far as my style out of the out of the water I guess I would say tee shirts and jean, hoodies and jackets. Ocean and Earth takes good care of me. They keep me in good threads. I’m Lucky that I have that.

Yea, those guys are insane. What’s your quiver looking like right now?

Right now I’m riding mostly my models that Jed Noll and I worked on together. I have two 9’0 HP a wide 9’0 HP a 9’4HP a 9’6 nose rider a 7’0 Alt board called the voyager, named after my favorite space ship (JK) and a 5’6 little puck type board that I’ve been tinkering around with lately. Also I have a 9’8 gun that I look at a get scared.

9’8”? That’s almost as big as my stand up paddle board. What do you think about stand up paddling?

I asked Jed to make me one and he said that his shaping room is not big enough. Then he said don’t ask him again. I went and to his shaping room and measured it and it was plenty big, so he lied to me and it hurt. Jed you’re a liar. I just want to sup like everyone else. Seriously that’s the last thing I need to do. I already get enough shit as it is longboarding. But hey, to each his own right?

I respect that. What about bodyboarding? I’ve heard rumors that you shred laying down.

I like to boogie. I’ve always wanted to get a good set up but never got around to it.

If you all of a sudden became paralyzed from the waist down, would you start to bodyboard all the time?

Of course. I’d be flying down the line with my dead legs flapping around laughing my ass off.

Is it mean that I would love to see that? Aside from you boogie-boarding, who has rad style in the water?

That Robbie Gato kid. I can’t believe that people take that guy serious. Someone needs to shoot a blow dart in that kids neck with some Settle down juice in the dart. You know who I think is the real deal out of the San O kids is Pickle. He can surf. Well I might add and he is a great artist. Truly. I really enjoy watching him surf. If the industry was to truly market someone who can surf and dose art, it should be Pickle.

What about on land?

Ummmm lets see Mark Gonzalez. For those you don’t know he’s skater. I dig his skateboarding.

Agreed. Who do you look up to?

Nobody I think that’s my problem. I have no heroes. I’d like one though.

Well I hope you find one. What’s your most prized possession?

My dog Jeff. He’s a possession I bought him for six hundred dollars so he’s mines to keep weather he likes it or not.

You are such a proud father. Jeff is lucky to have a dad like you. What can you not go a whole day without doing?

COFFEE!!!!!

I should have known. And Diet Coke’s too. Do you like tattoos?

Yes.

I’m not a hug fan. Favorite movie?

Highlander, the first one

Never heard of it, but I know your taste in movies, so I’m guessing it’s either Fantasy or Sci-Fi. What about TV show?

Right now I’m really in to True Blood, the vampire movie on HBO. I can’t get enough of it. I primarily watch a lot of cartoons on Adult Swim. Family Guy (standard), Squid Billies, Venture Brothers, Lucky Daughter of the Devil, and Metalocalypse to name a few.

What’s the best trip you’ve ever been on?

I’d have to say Nicaragua. The Surf is so good their.

Yea, judging but some of these photos, it looks sick. I’m going next week. Hope we get waves like you guys got. Where else would you like to go?

I’d like to go to Madeira and Scotland as well as Taiwan. I’d really like to go surf in Russia but I think its super heavy to go there. I could be wrong.

I’m not sure, but let me know if you’re going. I’d love to be part of any of those adventures. Do you ever wear a leash?

Ninety percent of the time I don’t. I hate them. It’s like using a condom wile having sex with your girlfriend. Bareback.

Do you wear booties?

When I shortboard. If it’s big and cold, and I’m longboarding then maybe. That’s a big maybe.

I’m the last person to claim that I’m soul or retro or anything, but I don’t think booties or a leash should ever be worn while riding a longboard. I bet you’d never wear either shooting photos. Who are your favorite photographers to work with?

Patrick Trefz because we have been working together for so long and he always comes up with something that I’m super stoked on. However, I’m always grateful when anyone goes out of their way to take a picture of me. I think some surfers who are in this game think that their entitled to have a photographer take a picture of them and don’t appreciate all the hard work that they do for them. It’s a give and take relationship between a photographer and a surfer. Those guys don’t make much money. They’re doing it because they love it. If they wanted to make money they go shoot something else. So the next time a photographer takes a picture of you say thank you and buy them a cup of coffee.

That’s nice. I definitely will. Who are your sponsors?

Jed Noll Surfboards, Ocean and Earth, and Hotline Wetsuits. They’re all-real good to me.

Where do you see longboarding going?

I see it going towards Tip to tail surfing, but with grace and style. I bet kids are going to be hang ten on a 9’0 HP like they where on a heavy log then wrap it around like a 6’2 all with flow and style. That’s what I would like to see anyway. Too much tail surfing on a longboard is not good because you can do that on a shortboard, and too much noseriding will bore the shit out of well, me at least. It has to be the combination of the two.

Agree, that’s why I longboard. Why do you longboard?

I longboard because I love looking down when im noseriding not seeing a board underneath me as well as turning all that rail. It’s like the ocean, graceful and powerful. I can’t help it. I love riding longboards. I could no sooner force my self to quit just like a gay person could “Pray the Gay Away”. I’m Gay for longboarding (sorry I thought that was funny). I was just born that way.

You do live in S.F. Anything else you want to say to your fans?

I have fans. Sweet that’s pretty cool thanks for liking what I do.