Next/Best Back to Magazine

Sponsored at 12, pro by 16, Mr. Beach was a veteran of the skate world by the time he was 20. He spent a good portion of his career under the wings of Tony Hawk and Lance Mountain, which helped Matt become the classic skater that he is and had the added benefit of grounding him as an individual. Stylish yet humble, Matt’s modesty towards his extensive bag of tricks is refreshing. Now catching his second-wind in his career, Matt’s casual attitude and skating still continues to win people over. One of the true “skater’s skaters,” there are few who could watch his footage and not get stoked. Somebody once said, “The only winner in skating is the guy who has the most fun.” Mr. Beach is definitely winning.

Music can either “soothe the savage beast” or inspire some to do unspeakable acts. For skaters, it fires our blood and gives us extra motivation even as the session comes to a close. Whenever you see Keegan Sauder skate, it is as if he is skating to his own soundtrack. There is a bounce just before he goes for a trick and a rhythm to how he moves. Watching him skate familiar territory can be likened to a musician playing an old standard. While familiar, it is the subtle changes and moments of improvisation that make each rendition/run different. After recently spending many rainy S.F. days coming off an ankle surgery, he’s just started to be able to skate around and get that old-time feeling back. Part of his rehabilitation has been lengthy bike rides across the Golden Gate Bridge at 6am as well as skating the hills of the city. Never one to rest for long, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more from this fine lad in the coming months.

“I want to learn how to skate tranny. I want to skate handrails too. Dude, I’m going to frontside
lip a 12 stair”

Amidst a launch party for his fourth pro-model shoe with Nike, we managed to sit Paul down
for a minute in his upscale SOHO hotel room and got to the bottom of his in’s and out’s.

Being a man of style and travel, Mr. Judkins has always had to keep many things in mind when out skating on trips in Paris with Adidas or Vancouver with RVCA. Large luggage isn’t an option, so it’s no small accident that his sponsors reflect his choice of garment and shoes. Both companies put out quality classic goods that appeal to a broad base in the skate community⎯from Hessian to Ledge Dog. And from what’s been whispered by the girls he’s not too shabby on the eyes either, with a James Dean swagger about him that photographers have highlighted in more than a few ads and editorials. In the day when just about everything under the sun has been worn by skaters, it’s nice to see that the simple yet cool-looking skaters are still out there, letting their style and skating doing the talking for them.

What was this Chocolate Skateboard artist’s favourite board-graphic series? Read on and see.

SAMPLE:
Best know in the skate world as the man behind the bulk of Chocolate’s graphics Mr. Hecox has had his work exhibited in places near, far and in between this continent and the others. His scenes of buildings, objects, people and the ephemera of everyday life have delighted and inspired a multitude of bipedal creatures from Tokyo to Paris. Skaters and gallery goers alike find common themes in his images, colors and use of specific media to convey ideas. His work appear on just about every type of printable surface you could think of and a couple you might not, from wonderfully screened prints to lampshades. His style is instantly recognizable but he’s no one trick pony as even a cursory look at his website proves. As versatile as he is in working with different styles he is equally proficient with different mediums from block printing to illustration. Over the years he’s been copied by those who lack what he has. Respected by his contemporaries in both words and by act of purchasing his gallery work he has earned respect from those who matter most, his fans.

No Age have been familiar to indie rock fans, regulars at The Smell and subscribers to the DIY, punk/hardcore ethos for years now. But it wasn’t until Los Angeles natives Randy Randall and Dean Spunt began collaborating with Andrew Reynolds’ Altamont Apparel brand that they caught the eyes and ears of an entirely new audience in the formerly bleak “skate rock” circles. Since being shepherded by Reynolds, No Age have travelled to France, scored Altamont’s “The Foreigners” video, collaborated on a line of clothing, toured with “The Goat” and even designed a custom colourway for Emerica’s Archer shoe.

Hopefully, the skateboard industry will continue to embrace these two because despite skate rock’s sordid past, No Age is perhaps a ray of hope for the mainstream, showing that the two terms need not be mutually exclusive.

What happens when you mix one part skate rat, one part artist, one part do-it-yourself maniac and a dozen patches? You get Mark “Fos” Foster. As the guiding art (and business) hand of both Heroin and Landscape board companies out of England, his plate is overflowing with responsibilities, from team management to ordering boards. Recently he added a side order of garnish by taking the job as head chef (art director) of Andrew Reynold’s Altamont clothing. His artwork has appeared on every type of skate product from shirt to shoe. The talents of this well-traveled man about town have taken him from the comforts of England to the stained streets of San Francisco, Shanghai and beyond.

Julien Stranger just may be the quintessential skateboarder’s skateboarder Heavily dodging the limelight and staying true to his own view of what skateboarding should shouldn’t be without standing on a soapbox to do it. Julien started Anti-Hero in the mid 90s and it remains one of the most respected and revered skateboard companies to date. There have been many discussions over the years about who the worst person in skateboarding is and Julien is so far on the other side of the argument that his name almost always comes up, if only to remind ourselves what the criteria is for a good skateboarder. Who better to check in with for our tour issue than the man whose team is responsible for inspiring the Girl team to rough it?

Next/Best

Find out what kinds of things former Stereo pro and filmmaker Greg Hunt thinks are best and what kinds of things you should be looking out for next.

STEVIE WILLIAMS

wordsby rhianon bader

Of all the pro skateboarders that have come and gone, there are only a few from every era that really stand out from the others as something lasting. These few are the type that any skateboarder will look to with respect, regardless of how much they like their skating or their style. Stevie Williams has made an imprint on the skate industry in decade-plus that he’s been in the game, and he says himself: “I just want to see the next generation, to stay consistent, and finish with what I brought to the table for them.” Inspired by the likes of Michael Jordan and Jay-Z, who showed Williams how important it is to keep an overall vision of what you’re trying to do, the veteran pro and businessman is planning on maintaining his presence in the skateboard world for some time yet. The ethos that has got him this far and will carry him further is simple: “I just try to be me and be as creative as possible.”

Notables weigh in on the best of the past and predict what the future holds.

introsby jay revelle

featuring BRAD SHEPPARD, ELISSA STEAMER, ALEX OLSON, RYAN SMITH, HEATH KIRCHART, JULIANA NEUFELD, POROUS WALKER, MATT IRVING, MIC-E REYES, MIKE BLABAC, HUGO BALEK, BARRY WALSH, ANDREW POMMIER, ANDREW W.K., BRIAN LOTTI

NEXT/BEST:

with Danny Garcia

words and photos by mikendo stanfield