{"id":57469,"date":"2016-09-15T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T16:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/?p=57469"},"modified":"2017-05-11T11:33:52","modified_gmt":"2017-05-11T18:33:52","slug":"charlie-wilkins-juice-magazine-state-of-skate-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/charlie-wilkins-juice-magazine-state-of-skate-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlie Wilkins – Juice Magazine State of Skate Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Name: Charlie Wilkins<\/strong>
\n Hometown: Boston, MA\/Portland, Oregon<\/strong>
\n Age: 40<\/strong>
\n Sponsors: Lifeblood Skateboards, Matix Clothing, Ace Trucks, Bones Wheels, Lakai Shoes bro-flow.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What set-up are you riding right now?<\/strong>
\nLifeblood Kevin Kowalski \u201cBig Fish\u201d board, Ace 44\u2019s, Bones \u201cKowalski Parks\u201d SPF 54mm, Bones Swiss and Lifeblood Plasmatic Pieces 1\u201d.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the most fun DIY, skater-built or renegade spot that you\u2019ve skated lately?<\/strong>
\nThe Bird\u2019s Nest bowl inside Orchard Skateshop in Boston, MA. Nice job on that one, Dougy Death!<\/p>\n

Have you ever built something to skate?<\/strong>
\nPretty much all I ever do is build shit to skate. Ever since I was 11, I\u2019ve been building minis in my backyard or a friend\u2019s. I got into pouring concrete with Sloppy Sam and the 5.9 Crew way back when. I\u2019ve built over half of the Dew Tour courses over the years. As soon as I moved to Portland, I started building public and private skate spots like crazy. First was the original Unheard mini. Thanks for the messed\u00a0up pile of used wood for that build, Colin!<\/p>\n

Who do you like to skate with the most?<\/strong>
\nThe Lifeblood dudes and Dieta dudes. Kevin Kowalski, Cody Lockwood, Bryce Kanights, Steve Reeves and Johnny Turgesen. I also like skating with Scott Koerner, Daniel Evans and new Portland resident, Matt Milligan, when he\u2019s not busting up his knees.<\/p>\n

Coolest skateboard graphic?<\/strong>
\nThat Almost Brian Lotti deck took me back.<\/p>\n

Best thing you\u2019ve skated in a skatepark?<\/strong>
\nThe T-Rex dinosaur sculpture with kitchen knives for teeth holds it down at Tigard Skatepark in
\nPortland, OR.<\/p>\n

Favorite skateboarders of all time?<\/strong>
\nAnimal Chin, Neil, Blender, Lance Mountain, Stevie Cab, Gonz, Mike V, Natas, Danny Way, Mike Carroll, Dennis Busenitz, Mark Suciu… Too many to name.<\/p>\n

Is there anything that hasn\u2019t been built to skate yet that you\u2019d like to see built?<\/strong>
\nI have an idea for a weird pole jam coming out of the tranny under the coping of a 4\u2019 to 6\u2019. Might have to be over a hip though. I can just imagine all the pole jam grind to grind\/slide combo that would go down.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best road trip you ever took?<\/strong>
\nI think it would have to have been the Imperial Distribution (Maple, 151, Dynasty) tour in Australia in about 1999. It was me, Chad Knight, John \u201cThe Man\u201d Reeves, Donger, Vinne Ponte and Neal Heddings. Vinnie and Neal kept getting naked, John was pouring beers over his head in the van because it was 106 degrees at night, Donger caught and cooked 20 reef fish, I got food poisoning from a shitty burger, and Chad probably hooked up with a girl at every demo.<\/p>\n

Any skate-related charities you support?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m a fan of Mike Rogers and Grind for Life. I love what he\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n

What music have you been listening to?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m all over the place with music. Mostly old shit I listened to when I was a kid. Joy Division, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Pentagram, Radio Birdman, Dead Moon, stuff like that.<\/p>\n

What do you consider the responsibilities of a professional skateboarder?<\/strong>
\nBasically to inspire kids and not be a dick. Kids look up to pro skaters, just like I did when I was a kid. You see a kid that needs a new board, give him yours. Don\u2019t sell it to him. You see someone that is just starting out, show \u2018em how to ollie, drop-in, or push the right way. I never liked the \u201ctoo cool for school\u201d skater that does his own thing. There are too many cool people to meet through skating to worry about your image. Also I\u2019m not sure how I feel about the majority of sponsored skaters being walking beer and weed advertisements. I love a good time, but kids are impressionable.<\/p>\n

Which skate shops do you support?<\/strong>
\nThe one I actually visit most is Orchard Skateshop in Boston, and that\u2019s across the country from my house. Bro and Armin are the best. They\u2019re doing amazing things for the Boston skate scene. Google \u201cOrchard Bird\u2019s Nest Bowl\u201d.<\/p>\n

Favorite skate photo of all time?<\/strong>
\nChris Miller\u2019s frontside air at Upland shot by Grant Brittain. Looking at that photo reminds me of just how incredible skateboarding really is.<\/p>\n

What is your take on girls skateboarding?<\/strong>
\nI love it. I always wondered why there weren\u2019t more female skaters. Half the really good dude skaters are skinnier than most girls, so it\u2019s obviously not a physical strength thing. Out here in Oregon, there are a ton of really good female skaters. Join the fun all you girls!<\/p>\n

What skateboarding memorabilia do you have that means the most to you?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s probably got to be the first board that was given to me when I first got sponsored by Powell. Steve Caballero and Mike V. were at a demo at Z.T. Maximus in Boston and I was skating with them as part of an \u201cinterview\u201d set-up by Jahmal Williams. Mike was looking for dudes to rebuild the Powell team and, after the demo, he gave me a board and said that he\u2019d be calling me. For someone who looked up to those guys, that was the most powerful moment ever.<\/p>\n

Who contributes the most to your local skate scene?<\/strong>
\nBeing in Oregon, it\u2019s all about the park builders. Dreamland, Grindline and Evergreen are the ones that built the scene here. Dreamland started it off with Burnside and Burnside started a revolution.<\/p>\n

Top three favorite skate tricks?<\/strong>
\nBlunt to fakie, I think I\u2019ll be 70 before I lose those. Frontside Smith grind, fast+long+locked. Egg plant, though those are getting harder nowadays.<\/p>\n

Do you think skateboarding should be in the Olympics?<\/strong>
\nI actually don\u2019t think there should even be skateboard contests. It\u2019s not a sport, there shouldn\u2019t be any \u201cTraining Facilities\u201d. Nike, Target, and Bagel Bites should get the hell out of our business. Funny thing is that I\u2019m a hypocrite because I\u2019ve been a World Cup judge for the last 15 years. Plain fact is that there are corporate sponsors in skateboarding now. TF\u2019s do exist and there\u2019s money to be won at these huge contests… a lot of money. It\u2019s much better if a fellow professional skateboarder decides who wins, than a bro-guy who got into \u201caction sports\u201d cause Red Bull likes his resume. To answer the question, I don\u2019t think skateboarding should be in the Olympics, but it will be. There is no avoiding it. Skateboarding to me has never been about making money. I do like the fact that a lot of skaters are actually making some money, but if kids start getting into it (or get pushed into it by their crazy \u201csoccer-dad\u201d mentality parents) with hopes of Olympic gold, that\u2019ll be a pretty sad day.<\/p>\n

What is your proudest moment in skateboarding so far?<\/strong>
\nJust getting the opportunity to become sponsored and ultimately pro. I never thought a kid from Boston in the late 80\u2019s\/early 90\u2019s would ever get that chance. I feel lucky and privileged for everything skateboarding has given me.<\/p>\n

\"charlie_wilkins_bs_disaster_pocatello_idaho-Bryce_Kanights\"<\/a>
CLASSIC EAST COAST STYLE IN A CRAZY PREHISTORIC SPOT. WILKINS BS DISASTER – POCATELLO, IDAHO. PHOTO \u00a9 BRYCE KANIGHTS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

ABOUT THE JUICE MAGAZINE STATE OF SKATE:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n

JUICE MAGAZINE STATE OF SKATE <\/strong>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, <\/span>Lester Kasai, Glen Charnoski, Bryan Pennington, Peter Furnee, <\/span>Jeremiah Risk, Ryan Smith, Jason Jessee, Omar Hassan, Cam Dowse, Jen O\u2019Brien, Depth Leviathan Dweller, Brett Roper, Travis Beattie, Chris Gentry, <\/span>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, <\/span>Felipe Gouveia, Eric Santos, Kyle Smith, <\/span>Cameron Revier, Josh Stafford, Justin Grubbs, Etienne Eden Archila, Sanzio Piacentini, <\/span>Josh Elder, Eddie \u201cMighty\u201d Moreno, Kevin Kowalski, Otto Pflanz, Jeremy Smith, <\/span>Adam Wiggins, Jimmy Wilkins, Danny Gordon, Jake Hilbish, Corey Blanchette, Adam Legassie, <\/span>Nick Santos, Trey Rounds, Curren Caples, Justyce Tabor, Andy Anderson, Sarah Thompson, <\/span>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.<\/p>\n

FOR THE REST OF THE STORY, ORDER ISSUE #74 BY CLICKING HERE…<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Name: Charlie Wilkins Hometown: Boston, MA\/Portland, Oregon Age: 40 Sponsors: Lifeblood Skateboards, Matix Clothing, Ace Trucks, Bones Wheels, Lakai Shoes bro-flow. What set-up are you riding right now? Lifeblood Kevin Kowalski \u201cBig Fish\u201d board, Ace 44\u2019s, Bones \u201cKowalski Parks\u201d SPF 54mm, Bones Swiss and Lifeblood Plasmatic Pieces 1\u201d. What\u2019s the most fun DIY, skater-built or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4027,4028,4041],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-interviews","category-skate-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/charlie_wilkins_bs_disaster_pocatello_idaho-Bryce_Kanights.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57469"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62584,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57469\/revisions\/62584"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}