Name: Tony Magnusson
Hometown: San Diego, California
Age: 52
Sponsors: H-Street, Osiris.
What set-up are you riding right now?
I’m riding a custom Magzilla board that Jim Johnson at Watson made, featuring Mil Carbon, glass fiber, five layers of maple and Black Hole Technology, a cool new design feature that Jim came up with. It’s a board that is thin, light and has awesome “Live Flex”. I always run the Bones SPF wheels, best wheels ever made and always their six ball bearings, all guided by a set of Indy 149’s.
What’s the most fun DIY, skater-built or renegade spot that you’ve skated lately?
Probably this DIY spot in Detroit that is awesome. You could say that Bucky’s bowl is both skater built and very renegade and same with Danny’s crazy mega quarter that he used for a World Record Air recently, both totally radical and super fun to ride.
Have you ever built something to skate?
I’ve built all kinds of ramps, from mini ramps to vert ramps and made a number of modifications to a variety of skate stuff.
Who do you like to skate with the most these days?
I had a lot of fun riding with Danny on his crazy Mega quarter and we have a crew of San Diego North County vert dogs that ride on a regular basis, like Owen Nieder, Paul Wiz, Scott Taylor, Caveman and a number of others. I like to skate with Team Brazil, Christiano, Lincoln, Mancha and the boys. I also like skating with Hackett at Aura or Cardiff.
Best skate graphic you’ve seen lately?
Madman skate artist, Fian, just made an H-Street graphic for Cookiehead that’s pretty cool.
Best thing you’ve skated in a skatepark?
The combi at Vans Skatepark in Orange County. It’s the best shape of a pool ever built, even though they had to make all sorts of compromises on the size, due to space limitations.
Favorite skateboarders of all time?
Per Viking, Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Dave Hackett, Dennis Martinez, Alan Gelfand, Steve Caballero, Tony Hawk, Chris Miller, Danny Way, Eric Koston and Alphonzo Rawls. It gets pretty thin after that.
Is there anything that hasn’t been built to skate yet that you’d like to see built?
Someone needs to make a third iteration of the classic combi shape, built right with modern pool technology, then that’ll be the best skate structure ever.
What’s one of the best road trips you ever took?
Too many to recount, but there were a few Euro trips back in the H-Street days, 1988 or so that were pretty epic.
Are there any skate-related charities that you support?
Grind For Life.
What music have you been listening to lately?
I listen to a lot of stuff, really no favorite. A lot of metal and punk rock goes down at the skate sessions, so there’s definitely a lot of that.
What do you consider the responsibilities of a professional skateboarder?
On one hand, you get into skateboarding as an escape from reality and responsibility, to live in your own little world. On the other hand, there are a few basic fundamentals to keep skateboarding real and pure, like embracing individual expression. Skateboarding is supposed to be a product of your own creation, not that of the “kool kids” that you follow along with like some f’ing sheep. Dress your own way and skate your own way too.
Which skate shops do you support?
I don’t have a local shop I go to. My support of shops comes from my ability to design and create unique products that they can in turn get out to the public. It’s really important that real skateboarders that are in the business support the core shops that actually care about skateboarding.
Favorite skate photos of all time?
It’s a mostly unknown photo of Swedish skater Per Viking, RIP, one of the greatest skateboarders of all time and the only reason I was able to skate at a competitive level. There are also some fairly epic photos of Miller, Duane, Hackett, D-Way and other legendary skaters that personify the true essence of skateboarding.
What is your take on girls skateboarding?
Last night, I skated Cardiff with a blonde girl named Jordyn Barratt that’s about 16, a girl named Brighton Zeuer that’s about 10 and a tiny Japanese girl that’s about 7. They all ripped like nobody’s business, so I figure it’s all good. You go, girls!
What skateboarding memorabilia do you have that means the most to you?
I have a trophy from the first Per Viking Memorial Bowl contest that was held in Stockholm, Sweden a few years ago. It was a super fun time, a hard fought contest and it’s an honor to have a trophy with my best friend’s name on it.
Who contributes the most to your local skate scene?
I’d probably say all the local rippers, the kids, the older dudes, basically, the average fan of skateboarding, who you can always count on to spark up a good sesh. They all help keep skateboarding fun and interesting.
Top three favorite skate tricks?
Frontside ollie, frontside grind, Indy air, pretty much in that order. There are so many moves and, depending on terrain, there so many variables that it’s pretty impossible to pick out three. Feel free to check out my vid “Playing With A Full Deck” for a complete set of tricks I enjoy, 52 to be exact.
Do you think skateboarding should be in the Olympics?
Possibly. It totally depends on how it would be done. The soul and original purpose of skateboarding must be respected, protected and preserved and there might be a way to do that. If so, it would be good and bring more attention to skateboarding in a way that cannot be achieved in another way.
What is your proudest moment in skateboarding so far?
Anytime someone comes up to me and shares a moment of personal inspiration based on something that I or H-Street did in the 80’s, that made a difference in their lives, often causing them to pursue a dream of their own, whether it’s a career in skateboarding or art or aspiring to create something fun and unique in their lives.
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…
