FRONTSIDE TAILSLIDE TO FAKIE | SEQ: JAKE DARWEN
11:29am | HEATHWOOD, BRISBANE
How’s the day treating you Beacho? Well, there’s a bunch of boys staying in town. So I rocked up to their apartment this morning, woke em’ all up about 7:00am, cooked up some bacon and eggs to get em’ psyched for the day and now we’re out on the streets trying to skate. Actually, we watched Northern Lights this morning too, the Brisbane video, Hookso’s movie. That was a sick way to get us amped. Denny’s (Dennis Durrant) part! Yeeww. Aaron Rowe, and Stuart Hines too.
So, you’re out skating right now? Yeah, we just bondo’d up the run up to the Forest Lake rail, the right hand one… but now everyone is skating the left hand one [Laughs], that’s how it goes aye?
FRONTSIDE 50-50 | PHOTO: JASON MOREY
I’m told you’re on the sober tip? Yeah, it was time to get sober. It’s been a while since I had a dry spell, so I got off the hooter, off the drink and it’s been almost a month and let me tell you, it feels fuckin’ good to cleanse my body, that’s for sure. Probably the biggest thing I’ve noticed is how much better skating is for me. I’ve always thought I needed a couple of beers, to get in the mood and warm me up, but now I’m way more energetic and way more confident. I’m just so much more motivated to go out and just keep skating. Not just get something, stop and go get pissed. It’s not just the skateboarding either, it’s also made my relationship with my girlfriend awesome, even my relationship with my mum and dad is awesome. They actually love me again now [Laughs]
You’re a carpenter by trade, right? Yeah, that’s what I’ve been doing for the past 11 or 12 years. Cert III chippy. I just subcontract out to a couple of builders. Right now I’m working for my brother, who’s a builder too. He’s gotta heap of work on, so he’s gonna keep me busy for the rest of the year.
FULL CAB | SEQ: JASON MOREY
“…Captain Australia would take Captain America down! Captain Australia would just have a carton of VB, wear a wife beater, Stubbies and thongs and he’d just throw his empty VBs at ya!”
SWITCH BONELESS TAILSIDE | PHOTO: JAKE DARWEN
Working long hours, I assume you try and make the most of skating when you actually get a chance to do it? Yeah, definitely. Like, I skate most arvos, just going out street skating. I’ve actually been going out with Mark Lahood and filming a bunch. We’re trying to work on a little video project together, so that’s in the works. Then on the weekend, I just skate as much as I can. Or if it’s like this week and there’s some boys in town I just hit up my brother and he’s like “Yeah, if the boys are in town, you’re all good to take some time off and go out skating.” So, he’s really good. He’s a legend, he pretty much raised me growing up too. I’ve got a good thing going on.
How are you finding not working with a hangover? Fuck, dude, it’s crazy! I seriously don’t know how I did it! It’s so good just to work without your stomach and head being messed up. I get so much more of my work done and best of all I don’t feel like shit all day. The thing I do miss is the afternoon knock off beer after a solid day. But that’s the problem, I never stop after just one.
HIPPIE JUMP | PHOTO: JASON MOREY
I heard being sober didn’t help your health much last week… Oh, yeah. I was trying to get as much work done as I could before taking this week off, so I was rushing a fair bit. I had a piece of timber in my hand and I was gonna use my chisel to shave the edge off it. In my head I was thinking “Dude, just go up to the saw and cut a new one, it’s a brand new chisel, you’ll put it straight into your finger.” And just as I was saying all this in my head ‘Bang!’ sure enough, I put it straight into the side of my finger. I looked down and it was bad. I instantly got all woozy, and slumped against the wall, fully near passed out. I just put it under my shirt and called Nathan Jackson’s dad Randy and was like “Dude, I just put my chisel through my finger, can you stitch me up?” He wasn’t even gonna go into work that day because he was sick, but he was like “All good, I’ll head in there now.” And he stitched me up! [Laughs] What a legend! I also had to get a hepatitis B shot, it was my last one and it was gonna cost $70, but he insisted on paying for it and did it for me. Randy Jackson is the best human in the world! So is his wife Janelle. Bit off topic, but I just have to throw that in there. [Laughs]
FRONTSIDE 180, FAKIE 50-50, FRONTSIDE HALF CAB OUT | SEQ: JAKE DARWEN
What’s this Captain Australia shenanigans Jake (Darwen) was talking about this morning? [Laughs] Oh, that all started last night. Me and Wes (Kremer) made it up in the hotel. I was just saying how much I hate Captain America, he’s the biggest kook. Wes was like “Imagine if there was Captain Australia?!” Seriously, Captain Australia would take Captain America down! Captain Australia would just have a carton of VB, wear a wife beater, Stubbies and thongs and he’d just throw his empty VBs at ya. Even Wes agreed he was like “Captain America is a pussy! He’d have nothing on Captain Australia!” [Laughs]
OLLIE UP TO FAKIE 50-50 | PHOTO: JAKE DARWEN
