{"id":70199,"date":"2017-07-15T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2017-07-15T16:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/?p=70199"},"modified":"2018-12-12T08:34:01","modified_gmt":"2018-12-12T16:34:01","slug":"christian-hosoi-surf-skate-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/christian-hosoi-surf-skate-style\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Hosoi Surf Skate Style"},"content":{"rendered":"
SURF SKATE STYLE WITH CHRISTIAN HOSOI<\/a>.<\/strong>\nINTERVIEW BY JEFF HO<\/a>.<\/strong>\nPHOTO BY ART BREWER<\/a>.<\/strong><\/pre>\n
 <\/p>\n
My name is Jeff Ho, and I\u2019m interviewing the myth, the legend, the ultimate stylist, Christian Hosoi. Christian, how is it going?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Wow. I appreciate the love in that, man, from Jeff Ho, one of the people behind Zephyr, Shogo Kubo, Jay Adams, Tony Alva… You\u2019re the one that inspires me. To say something like that is just a huge honor. I really appreciate that. Thank you so much.<\/p>\n
Well, thank you. Christian, in my mind, you\u2019re one of the ultimate stylists on a skateboard, and I\u2019ve got a couple of questions for you. We\u2019re talking about surfskate style. When did you first hear the words surfskate style?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Well, I\u2019ve never heard of that term all in one sentence like that, but I believe that they\u2019re all connected. I think there is something so beautiful about surfing on a wave, especially when I think of the most elegant surfing, like Gerry Lopez dropping in at Pipeline and just soul arching and relaxing into the tube on those boards with the   <\/span>Lightning Bolt on them. Seeing that calmness in such a treacherous moment, that is the ultimate style. That is what burned in my mind as being the pinnacle of style. How that transfers to skateboarding is because surfing birthed skateboarding because they wanted to surf on land. Sidewalk surfing came in and it was all about surfing on the land, so the moves they were doing were surf-related. When I got into it, my idols were Jay Adams and Shogo Kubo, who surfed. I would go surfing with them at four in the morning and I\u2019d sit on the rocks and they\u2019d be yelling at me, \u201cGet in the water!\u201d I\u2019d be like, \u201cI\u2019m not getting in the water. It\u2019s freezing! You guys are nuts!\u201d I\u2019d try it, but I never got past that point. I liked to go watch those guys shred because there was something about it that I was so attracted to and I believe it was the style and the grace and the power and how you generate speed. There\u2019s not an engine there. You can\u2019t rev a boat. It\u2019s not a hill where you gyrate your speed. When you see it done properly, there\u2019s something uniquely beautiful about it. Skateboarding adopted that in the late \u201870s and early \u201880s. That\u2019s when I came in and it was all about doing my tricks and pretending I was in the water, because my ultimate goal was to emulate    <\/span>surfing. Surfing style and skateboarding style are all  <\/span>married to each other, and it\u2019s what I love so much. I love martial arts too, and Bruce Lee and his style and Elvis Presley and his style, but there\u2019s something about fluid style when there\u2019s power involved and there\u2019s speed involved. When it comes to skateboarding, there is height involved too. That\u2019s where you get the ultimate refined style that comes out of that. When you see it, you just know.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s very cool. You know, as one of the leaders and one of the most stylish skaters that I\u2019ve ever seen, what does surfskate style mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n
It\u2019s an expression. When I think of style, it\u2019s expressive, and everyone expresses themselves differently. Everyone has their own laugh and everyone has their own walk and everyone has their own way of doing things and I think it\u2019s an expression of one\u2019s self and it\u2019s pure. You can\u2019t front it. You can\u2019t fake it because          <\/span>everyone knows if you are or not. When it comes out pure, it\u2019s something that is so beautiful and so flowing that you\u2019re just attracted to it, and you can\u2019t help but keep your eyes focused on it. Until it stops, you\u2019re basically in the moment, just absorbing it all. That\u2019s what I love about surfing and skateboarding \u2013 it has that    <\/span>feeling. Art is great. Music is amazing, but there is   <\/span>something about when you add the athletics to it. It\u2019s like when Bruce Lee is flying a kick or doing a combination of punches or having to fight a group of guys. There\u2019s something about that. It\u2019s not planned. It\u2019s spontaneous. I think that\u2019s what style really is. It\u2019s real and pure, as is the spontaneity of whatever you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n
Who has the best surfskate style?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I\u2019ll just name the one that I always pick and that\u2019s Jay Adams. Rest in peace J-Boy. To me, J-Boy was the ultimate stylist. He personified the freedom to express himself without being subjective or it seeming forced. There was no money involved. Obviously, he skated for some money, but there was never any indication that he was doing something because it was monetary. I think that Jay is one of those guys that really was pure at heart when he surfed and skated. He is the one that Stacy Peralta said, \u201cWhen God created skateboarding, let there be Jay Adams.\u201d To me, that is so profound because Jay raised me. When I was young, he brought me into Z-Flex, and we became partners through thick and thin and through dark and light. I think if there is any one person, that personifies surfskate style, it\u2019s Jay. I have a whole list that would fill a page, if I were to start naming them all, but then I\u2019d have to keep adding to it because there are so many people today that are starting to carry that torch. To me, it\u2019s the aggressive attitude, the flow and the freedom in how they approach skateboarding. For Jay, it wasn\u2019t so much about the tricks he did. It was more in his approach and how it remained pure. I have to say Gerry Lopez too. He\u2019s the guy that burned in my mind to be stylish.<\/p>\n
How has surfing influenced skateboarding and how has skateboarding influenced surfing?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I think surfing gave skateboarding that flow, which obviously Jay Adams, Tony Alva and Shogo Kubo took to the pools as they emulated surfing. I think that\u2019s what surfing gave to skateboarding. What skateboarding gave to surfing is the aerials and the maneuvers that advanced and progressed the sport and took it to a whole other level, where you see it today. I think that\u2019s the healthy giveback. I think they complimented each other along the way and there\u2019s been a lot of respect on both ends. It took a while for us to grow each culture in the industry to where we see it today. Now surfing and skating are the biggest, coolest cultures that we love the most. For me and you, Jeff, it represents who we are. Whether it\u2019s art or music or skating or surfing or fashion, it all relates to what we do and who we are. I think that\u2019s a healthy relationship. What surfing gave skateboarding, I believe skateboarding gave back to surfing and then some. I think it\u2019s been an amazing journey. I\u2019m 50 now and to be able say that I\u2019ve been part of it since I was ten years old and to still be involved is incredible. Just to be doing an interview with Jeff Ho is amazing. Come on! I\u2019m feeling pretty special right now! [Laughs]<\/p>\n
Come on now. You\u2019re a special individual and I\u2019ve watched you skate since you were a young, little, mini grom. Okay, I have another question. Is surfskate style important today?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I think it\u2019s always been important. Maybe it\u2019s not for some people, because tricks became a more progressive part of the sport, but I think that in our culture of people that like certain things and are attracted to certain types of art and music and certain types of skating, I think style has always been an important factor. It\u2019s almost like it\u2019s a mandatory factor where I come from. Within the school that I came from, and the school of guys that I learned from, like you, style matters more than money. I\u2019d rather be stylish and basically skateboarding for free than to not be stylish and making millions of dollars. I\u2019m not doing this for money. It\u2019s all passion. It\u2019s all love. If you get paid on top of it, that\u2019s a bonus. I\u2019m doing what I love regardless. When I started skateboarding, it was like, \u201cCould you imagine if I could do this for a living? I wouldn\u2019t have to work a day in my life. I\u2019d do this anyway!\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh, man, you got it, Christian.<\/strong><\/p>\n
To be complimented by you about my style is so humbling because I learned from the best. I learned how to stay grounded and how to remember where I came from and I owe that to my father, Ivan, and my mom, Bonnie, who kept my head on straight. There were times when I could have gotten carried away, but I was always brought back down to Earth by guys like J-Boy and Shogo. They\u2019d say, \u201cWe do this because we do this. We\u2019re not doing this because someone said to do it.\u201d To me, that has always remained the foundation and why I try to keep it real. I love skating and I love doing all the things that we get to do with skateboarding, with all of our sponsors, like traveling with Vans around the world and being able to represent as an ambassador of skateboarding, and showing up and signing autographs and taking photos and doing demos and contests and all that. That\u2019s just a part of giving back and sharing what we love so much. On top of that, we get to skate all over the world at the best places. I think we\u2019re reaping the benefits of all the hard work and all of the walls we had to tear down. There were a lot of naysayers that said we were just a bunch of punks. Now look at us. Everyone wants to be a part of it and it\u2019s cool. Skateboarding and surfing are still the coolest things in the world, to me.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m so thankful that we can still do it and we\u2019re still here.<\/strong><\/p>\n
That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n
The waves are good, man. I\u2019m at First Point at Malibu right now and the waves are just roping right now.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Nice. I was just driving in H.B. and it was insane. If I could surf, I would have been out there. You know what I said to J-Boy right before he passed? Right before he passed he told me, \u201cYou\u2019re going to learn to surf. When I get back from Mexico, I\u2019m going to teach you how to surf.\u201d When he passed, I made a vow that I\u2019m going to learn how to surf.<\/p>\n
You have to come up and go surfing with me.<\/strong><\/p>\n
For sure. This summer is going to be the summer I think that I\u2019m going to be out there flailing until I get it right. I can\u2019t wait to be able to ride a wave. It\u2019ll be cool.<\/p>\n
Yeah! Come up to Malibu this summer. It\u2019s going to be a good summer.<\/strong><\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to be psyched. I\u2019m going to look up to the sky and say, \u201cJ-Boy, this barrel is for you!\u201d I think that\u2019s what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n
Nice. Is there anything else you want to say about surfskate style?<\/strong><\/p>\n
When it comes to encouraging people to discover or find style, you just have to find what inspires you and what intrigues you. What is it that motivates you? For me, it was surfing. It was Christian Fletcher. It was Bruce Lee. It was Elvis Presley. It was Clint Eastwood. Those are the ones that inspired me to have style. That created and  <\/span>personified what I do. I just added all of that together and it\u2019s really who I am and what created my style. Everyone has inspirations, but they don\u2019t add that to what they\u2019re doing sometimes. If they\u2019re surfing and skating, and just trying to do what they do, it\u2019s cool, but if they tried to capture that moment and think of where they\u2019re at and just flow, whether it\u2019s by listening to music or envisioning someone you look up to or whatever it is that inspires you, you can let that take you there and the world goes away and it\u2019s just you and the wave, or you and the ramp, or you and the pool. You become one with it. I believe that\u2019s where your true pure skate and surf style will come forth.<\/p>\n
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Hosoi\u2019s style was and is iconic! Crafted in \u201870s skateparks and \u201880s vert\/street culture, just a stone\u2019s throw away from the beaches of California, Hosoi\u2019s skate style was emulated In every skate shot and video you would see. This backyard ramp air with surf icon, Christian Fletcher, looking on tells the story of surfskate style crossover! Photo \u00a9 Art Brewer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
JUICE MAGAZINE SURF SKATE STYLE STORY:<\/b><\/p>\n
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\u2019ve 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, \u201cTo me, style is everything…\u201d 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\u2019Mahoney, Jef Hartsel, Jeff Ament, Jeff Divine, Jeff Ho, Jim Fitzpatrick, Jim Gray, John Van Hamersveld, Jonathan Paskowitz, Josh \u201cBagel\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
FOR THE REST OF THE STORY, ORDER ISSUE #75 AT THE JUICE SHOP\u2026<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SURF SKATE STYLE WITH CHRISTIAN HOSOI. INTERVIEW BY JEFF HO. PHOTO BY ART BREWER.   My name is Jeff Ho, and I\u2019m interviewing the myth, the legend, the ultimate stylist, Christian Hosoi. Christian, how is it going? Wow. I appreciate the love in that, man, from Jeff Ho, one of the people behind Zephyr, Shogo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":70200,"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-70199","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\/2018\/11\/32-Christian-Hosoi-Christian-Fletcher-Art-Brewer-scaled.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70199","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=70199"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70468,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70199\/revisions\/70468"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}