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BJ Morrill – Juice Magazine State of Skate Interview

Name: BJ MORRILL
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Age: Older than 35, but younger than 40.
Sponsors: Speedlab Wheels, American Nomad Skates, Anchor Hardware, Bern Unlimited.

What set-up are you riding right now?
9.5 American Nomad Danforth middle finger salute, Ace Trucks, Speedlab Wheels Lightnings, Anchor Hardware, Mob Grip.

What’s the most fun DIY, skater-built or renegade spot that you’ve skated lately?
I’m a key holder at the Hiawatha bowl in Minneapolis. It’s a private bowl that is insane! Lines for days and no bullshit! Jammin Jay and wizard are the builders and they have done a fantastic job on keeping underground skateboarding on fire in the twin cities!

Have you ever built something to skate?
Last thing I worked on was my mini ramp in my backyard. It’s 24ft wide x 5’ tall.

Who do you like to skate with these days?
I work 50 plus hours a week so, once my son and wife go to sleep, I hit up the Hiawatha on weeknights. During the weekends, I’ve been finding myself going elsewhere, wherever the concrete or session is good, so whomever is around while I’m skating is usually who I will roll with.

Coolest skateboard graphic you have seen lately?
Anything that Michiel Walrave draws up for American Nomad Skates is pretty sick.

Favorite skateboarders of all time?
Man! Too many greats to list, but I will go with Jay Adams, Steve Olson, Duane Peters, Rick Blackhart, Danforth, Alva, Eric Dressen and John Cardiel.

Is there anything that hasn’t been built to skate yet that you’d like to see built?
A skateable bar with an operating kegmeister.

Best road trip you ever took?
This one time I broke up with this chick around 3am after bar close. I ended up bailing out of there and hopped a greyhound from Minneapolis to Santa Rosa, California. I had no expectations and just wanted to go skate something. Get to the park, skate and crash out. Next day I meet two dudes who were traveling from Portland, Oregon to Arizona and were in route back to the Northwest. I skated with them and, when they were bailing out of there, I asked if I could roll with. They said yeah and it was on. We ended up driving up to Portland and hitting a bunch of parks along the way, camping the whole time. Got to Portland, hung out there for a few days and jumped a Greyhound back to Minneapolis. Great trip.

Any skate-related charities you support?
My friend, Mel Tillotson, does a great non-profit called Skate MD Healing Hearts Through Skateboarding. I back this 110%!

What music have you been listening to?
Punk rock.

What do you consider the responsibilities of a professional skateboarder?
Every pro has different deals with each sponsor. Can’t say. I know what my sponsors requirements are and that’s all.

Which skate shops do you support?
I support skater-owned and operated all the way. Keep that shit core!

Favorite skate photo of all time?
Danforth doing a frontside 50 50 in combat boots. That’s punk!

What is your take on girls skateboarding?
What’s not to like about it?! I’ve got some bad ass friends that are girls that skate. I get hyped seeing girls destroy shit.

What skateboarding memorabilia do you have that means the most to you?
Recently, my friend Pat gave me a board that was the same as the first skateboard I had when I was a kid. Only found one and that was at Skatopia in Ohio. Bruce said he would sell it to me for $500. Naturally, I was super stoked that Pat hooked me up for free. Thanks again, Pat!

Who contributes the most to your local skate scene?
Jammin Jay and Mark “Wizard” Leski. Those guys keep the Hiawatha top notch and keep the fire burning underground. Steve Nesser does a lot for the Minneapolis skate scene as well.

Top three favorite skate tricks?
Pushing, pumping and going fast.

Do you think skateboarding should be in the Olympics?
Definitely NOT!

What is your proudest moment in skateboarding so far?
When Bill Danforth said, “YOU’RE ON THE TEAM!”

bjmorrill-matthew_jenkins-Judo-Tailblock
RIPPING IT UP WITH HIGH SOCKS AND A GREAT ATTITUDE. HERE’S BJ WITH A JUDO TAILBLOCK RAFTER GRAB. PHOTO BY MATTHEW JENKINS

 

ABOUT THE JUICE MAGAZINE STATE OF SKATE:

When we started Juice Magazine 22 years ago, you could count the number of skateparks on one hand and grindable pool coping was mostly a distant memory. Now there are thousands of skateparks all over the world, along with a vast quantity of DIY spots built to skate. In 1993, the majority of skateboarders listened to punk rock or hip hop exclusively. Now skateboarders listen to almost every kind of sound created. Two decades ago, skateboarding related charities were non-existent. Today, there are numerous non-profits giving back to skateboarding in many ways. One of the most important differences between now and then is that, 22 years ago, there was a clear division between old school and new school skateboarding. Now that wall of separation has followed the same path as the Berlin Wall, allowing for an unprecedented unification of skateboarders all over the globe. Great strides have been made for girls that skate as well as the acceptance of skate history and long overdue recognition for skateboarding’s pioneers and its artifacts. At the same time, the current generation of skateboarders is taking skateboarding to new heights, previously unimaginable. As the landscape of the skateboarding industry changes on a daily basis, and the topic of skateboarding in the Olympics rears its head once again, along with the disturbing subject of who controls skateboarding being tossed about by corporate entities, we decided it was time to take a good look at the State of Skate. We asked 20 questions to 100 skateboarders, ages 8 to 58, and found that skateboarding is as diverse as the skateboarders that are addicted to it, no one controls skateboarding except skateboarders, and the State of Skate is savage and strong. Now get out there and skate tough!

JUICE MAGAZINE STATE OF SKATE features interviews with 100 skateboarders including: Tony Alva, Dave Hackett, Chris Strople, Duane Peters, Steve Olson, Dave Duncan, Steve Alba, Tony Magnusson, Pat Black, Jesse Martinez, Bill Danforth, Jim Murphy, Ric Widenor, Lester Kasai, Glen Charnoski, Bryan Pennington, Peter Furnee, Jeremiah Risk, Ryan Smith, Jason Jessee, Omar Hassan, Cam Dowse, Jen O’Brien, Depth Leviathan Dweller, Brett Roper, Travis Beattie, Chris Gentry, CW Dunn, Chris Albright, Charlie Wilkins, Cairo Foster, Pierre-Luc Gagnon, BJ Morrill, Dr. Lenore L.A. Sparks, Sid Melvin, Jesse Irish, Packy Fancher, Greg Lutzka, Jimmy Larsen, Adam Dyet, Luis Tolentino, Greg Harbour, Frank Faria, Ryan DeCenzo, Dave Bachinsky, Johnny Turgesen, Casey Meyer, Edward Sanchez, David Gravette, Ben Hatchell, Brian Geib, Felipe Gouveia, Eric Santos, Kyle Smith, Cameron Revier, Josh Stafford, Justin Grubbs, Etienne Eden Archila, Sanzio Piacentini, Josh Elder, Eddie “Mighty” Moreno, Kevin Kowalski, Otto Pflanz, Jeremy Smith, Adam Wiggins, Jimmy Wilkins, Danny Gordon, Jake Hilbish, Corey Blanchette, Adam Legassie, Nick Santos, Trey Rounds, Curren Caples, Justyce Tabor, Andy Anderson, Sarah Thompson, Coral Guerrero, Collin Graham, Derek Scott, Ace Pelka, Sonny Rodriguez, Jarren Duke, Mikayla Sheppard, CJ Titus, Noah Schott, Emily Earring, Julian Torres, Wyatt Wisenbaker, Josh Forsberg, Nathan Midgette, Roman Pabich, Yago Dominguez, Jack Winburn, Jonas Carlsson, Kiko Francisco, Bryce Ava Wettstein, Desmond Shepherd, Matty Jessee and Luke Kahler.

FOR THE REST OF THE STORY, ORDER ISSUE #74 BY CLICKING HERE…

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