Where in the hell did this part come from? Well, I have some clothes and a board coming out with Element in September and rather than just have a video of me talking about the product, I thought it would be way cooler to film something proper for it, like a part. Especially since they’re giving me the opportunity to have this stuff come out.
But, you’re Jake Darwen: Photographer! And here you are secretly clocking more footage than half the pros you’re on tour with… Well, that’s the problem. I had to do that, because I can’t just film a few things… If I say “Right, I’m gonna film a part.” then I’m going to try and dedicate all the time I’m not shooting towards it. It got to the point where I only had a few clips, then I got injured after filming for a month and then realised what I got myself in to [Laughs].
What was your best beat down? Broken ribs, switch nosegrind. The ‘Super-8 bail’ where I give the thumbs up at the end of it, but it really should have been the thumbs down. That had me out for eight weeks.
BACKSIDE 180 FAKIE 5-0 | ZHENGZHOU, CHINA
As well as being on some official tours behind the camera you also did a bunch of self-funded travel to get footage, right? Yeah, I went to Tasmania with Lawton, James (James) and Nathan (Jackson) and I didn’t really get my camera out even once. We filmed the ‘NEW LEVEL’ clip that was on the Journal site and I also saved a few tricks for the part. And more recently I did a CHINA TRIP, which was a homie trip. The last few China trips I’ve been on I’ve had a rolled ankle or something and only focused on shooting photos, but this time it was perfect to see cool spots and try and film something.
You work on some pretty crazy combos, what’s the biggest battle you’ve had with a trick during filming? The last trick. It took me three straight hours and it’s the first time I’ve ever felt so nervous trying a trick. I felt like every attempt didn’t get any easier so it was a total battle. Luckily everyone was hyping me up. It’s weird being on the receiving end of that hype, because normally I’m the one trying to help someone battling through a trick. Ant Travis who filmed it was hyped the whole time and Dane (Burman) and a few others got me through that one. You’ll see I pretty much got nutted backwards! [Laughs]
“It’s weird being on the receiving end of that HYPE, because normally I’m the one trying to help someone battling through a trick.”
FRONT BLUNT [IN ALL ITS GLORY] | ZHENGZHOU, CHINA
Explain the Pluto-9 to me… The Pluto-9!!! Well, its’ when you grab the nose and put both feet on the tail…
Like you seem to do in every clip I see… The inspiration was from Nick Garcia doing one. it was from a Brian Gaberman photo that they shot in Japan
But, why Pluto-9? A friend of mine was really cooked one night. Me and Neihana (Tonkin) had to look after him and he was just saying all this crazy shit and he was saying “Pluto-9”. He was on another level. It was around the time I started doing that trick and it just became a joke at the time. It’s not the actual legitimate name of the trick… It’s just a few of us who call it that.
Tell me about almost knocking yourself out on a Pluto-9 on that New Balance trip. Oh, that was more of a pogo. I was doing a pogo, like ‘bounce – bounce – bounce!’ and the ground was so slick, slick because it just started spitting. It was at the top of the Central stairs in Sydney so it’s like bluestone and as soon as it’s wet, it’s totally unskateable. I was pogoing and kind of slipped out and smashed my head into my flash case. I was super dazed and couldn’t really see properly. Everyone came over to ask if I was ok, I was like, “Yeah, I’m all good…” so we all started leaving and Jack Curtin came up and said “Let me have a look at your face.” and he realised my whole eye was cut open and he goes “Dude, we’ve got to go to the hospital now, you need staples!” The second he said that, it was like I’d been hit by a baseball bat…
FRONTSIDE WALLRIDE | ZHENGZHOU, CHINA
Or a Camera case! Exactly! The second he said it I was instantly all light-headed and seeing stars. I went into a 7-11 to have a look how big the cut was, and it wasn’t that big, but I was like “Fuck, yep, I need stitches.” And I skated back to the van because everyone was waiting and when I got there I got this gnarly head rush, like I’d never had before. It lasted for like 15 seconds and I just fainted and kind of collapsed. Marius grabbed me as I was falling. We went straight to the hospital and I had to wait in line with an ice pack on my head for like two hours. When the doctor finally checked me out he said, “Ok, what’s wrong?” And I said, “Oh, I hit my head and cut it…” and he said “Alright, where’s the cut?” I slowly took off the ice park cause it was super sore and right under my eyebrow. He kind of looked at me confused and was saying how there was nothing wrong with it. I went and looked in the mirror… And this is so crazy and I have no idea how it happened but in two hours of icing it, the cut had healed itself, like full recovery. It literally healed itself. I went from Jack Curtin telling me I need staples, to a Doctor thinking it was a scratch and It was a joke that I was in there. I have the before and after photos and it doesn’t make any sense…
Accelerated healing!…Yeah, it just regenerated. It’s like I’m a chameleon or something [Laughs].
