Interview by Craig Smith
What was the filming experience like for you for ‘Seven Rats’, is Melbourne an ideal place to get a DVD done or not?
Hell yeah, skating wise its a perfect place. Melbourne is huge and there are so many spots. There is so much new architecture; which is why there is so many spots here. Also weather-wise you can skate all year around. I don’t think there is many cities worldwide that actually can compete with what Melbourne has to offer.
Do the dudes (the rats) you skate with inspire you to try completely different tricks? Has your style and attitude to skating changed due to the people around you?
Definitely! The people here are generally really motivated to skate, you can skate everyday in Melbourne, there’s always someone skating. The rats inspire me heaps. They all skate in a different way, which is really refreshing to see.
Your ‘Wake-Up’ section was incredible; Jon did a really good job putting it together as well. How would you compare that experience and the end product to your section in ‘Seven Rats’?
Filming for ‘Wake Up’ was a really great thing, Jon’s a good friend of mine and it was so much fun filming for ‘Wake Up’. We travelled to a lot of places like Paris, Munich, San Diego, LA, Phoenix and so on. My ‘Seven Rats’ section was all filmed in Melbourne and most of the clips where filmed in the inner city area which makes the clips look real interesting. Another thing is that I had almost as much time as I wanted for this section. I’m really happy with the end product. My ‘Seven Rats’ rats section shows how I see skating and what I think skating should look and be like.
Your section song is damn intense and get’s stuck in my head for days. What on earth do the lyrics say?
Party, drugs and electro! Pretty much about Harrison’s life. I’ve chosen a German song again. This makes my sections unique, because nobody uses German songs for major skate videos.
What’s it like being a pro skater in Melbourne? Do you think you are looked up to by the younger generation of skaters here?
Hopefully! Everybody needs role models, I hope I can inspire people with my skating and show how good skating can look and how much fun it can be!
Seven Rats Trailer
You can get ‘Seven Rats’ at the Be-Mag online shop or at your favorite skateshop!