SURF SKATE STYLE WITH JIM GRAY. INTERVIEW BY JUICE MAGAZINE. PHOTO BY DAN LEVY.
When did you first hear of SurfSkate style?
It was sometime in the ‘70s. I can’t even remember. We always wanted to SurfSkate for as long as I can remember. The first transitions we ever found were banks on the sides of local gas stations and we surfed them, and then the Santa Ana river trail, and we surfed that.
What does SurfSkate style mean to you and who has the best surf skate style?
It’s carving and moving your body with flow, like gliding up and down the face of a wave. SurfSkate style means enjoying the ride, not just doing “tricks”. Best surf skate style: Jay Adams, Ngoho, Hosoi, Dressen, Caples, Bowman, Christian Fletcher, Olson, Oster, Tom Inouye, me (hahahaha, well, maybe not).
How has surfing influenced skateboarding, and skateboarding influenced surfing?
Surfing gave skaters a desire to find angled surfaces to ride, be it pools, banks or ramps to pretend they were surfing. Most tricks today derived from riding those transitions. Skateboarding transformed surfing from Christian Fletcher’s mind blowing airs, which led to variations on airs, 360s, lipslides, shove its and kickflips. Skating has influenced surfing a lot in the last few decades.
Is SurfSkate style important today?
Yes. Enjoying the feeling as well as the trick is important and an emphasis on fluidity and flow is necessary so we don’t turn skateboarding more into a trick driven activity than we already have. One reason I still enjoy skating at 53 is that I’m happy just carving and grinding. It keeps me feeling closer to the SurfSkate style, and it’s something I, hopefully, can do till the day I die.
JUICE MAGAZINE SURF SKATE STYLE STORY:
The influence of surfing on skateboarding has been discussed since the beginning of both, yet we have now entered a new era, where skateboarding has returned the favor with its own unique influence on the surfing world. In order to get to the core of this cross over and to try to define the origins and current state and status of surf skate style, we’ve interviewed some of the most innovative skateboarders, surfers, artists, documentarians, photographers, filmmakers and musicians on the planet. In honor of the great, Shogo Kubo, who once said, “To me, style is everything…” welcome to our exploration of Surf Skate Style featuring interviews with Aaron Murray, Aaron Astorga, Abraham Paskowitz, Art Brewer, Bennett Harada, Brad Bowman, Brandon Cruz, Brian Brannon, Carter Slade, Chris Miller, Chris Strople, Christian Fletcher, Christian Hosoi, Craig Stecyk III, Darren Ho, Dave Tourje, David Hackett, Dennis Martinez, Dibi Fletcher, Don Redondo, Eric Britton, Garrett McNamara, Gerry Lopez, Glen E. Friedman, Greg Falk, Greg Galbraith, Greyson Fletcher, Herbie Fletcher, James O’Mahoney, Jef Hartsel, Jeff Ament, Jeff Divine, Jeff Ho, Jim Fitzpatrick, Jim Gray, John Van Hamersveld, Jonathan Paskowitz, Josh “Bagel” Klassman, Kalani David, Keith Morris, Kirra Kehoe, Larry Bertlemann, Laura Thornhill, Lizzie Armanto, Marc Emond, Michael Denicola, Michael Early, Nano Nobrega, Nathan Fletcher, Nathan Florence, Neil Stratton, Norton Wisdom, Pat Bareis, Randy Katen, Ray Flores, Rob Nelson, Robert Trujillo, Scott Oster, Shane Allen, Shaun Tomson, Shota Kubo, Solo Scott, Stacy Peralta, Steve Alba, Steve Olson, Takuji Masuda, Terry Nails, Tim Curran, Tim Hendricks, Tim Kerr, Tom Groholski, Tony Alva, Wes Humpston and Zach Miller.
FOR THE REST OF THE STORY, ORDER ISSUE #75 AT THE JUICE SHOP…
