Let's start at the beginning, how old were you when you started skateboarding and what got you into it?

I think I was about 12 when I started...

What was your first board and the first skate video you ever saw?

Besides getting my older brother's Valtera for a little bit, my first real skateboard was John Montesi everslick board with a graffiti-type graphic. I lived in these shitty apartments so I thought it looked like my neighborhood, which is why I bought it. Montesi was the man, but I didn't really know that yet.

Did you always want to make a life in skateboarding or was it something you just fell into?

No, I definitely fell into it. I was just skating with my friends, having a good time. It wasn't til I actually got on my first sponsor, Entity Skateboards, that I realized what being sponsored or even pro was. I was a pretty quiet kid that just skated and never really said anything or expected anything.

What do you feel have been key factors to the success of your career?

I think my success came from knowing the business that goes hand-in-hand with being a pro skateboarder. I never considered myself a talented skateboarder. I took my strengths in skating and did the best I could. I also think my loyalty to my sponsors has been a huge factor in how long I've been able to stick around. When it came to my signature shoes, I treated that like a full-blown business. I would sit in on every sales and design meeting, go to one-man signings, meet with every retailer from mom-and-pop shops to Pac-Sun headquarters. Anything to let everyone involved in selling my shoe know that I was appreciative and willing to help. It paid off, for sure.

In this interview we're pretty much telling the world that you no longer ride for Mystery anymore. What prompted that decision and was it a hard one for you to make?

Leaving Mystery for me wasn't as hard as ending my days with you and Black Box. We go back 15 years so to end that era is hard and even sad. I disconnected myself from being a part of the team a while ago by not having any desire to film for videos. I wasn't contributing to Mystery in anymore, plus Loser Machine skateboards started becoming something I wanted to do.

What's your plan with Loser Machine?

The plan for Loser Machine is to grow and spread the word that there's a brand out there different than everything else. We pretty much took our 3 favorite passions and combined them, based on their grassroots. Skating, motorcycles and old cars: its timeless and its something that will never go away. I just want Loser to maintain its rawness and continue to make stuff outside the box.

What role do you play at the company?

My title is president, but I'm kind of sharing the creative director role. That's something I've learned from you over the years. It's cool how I learned so much shit from Black Box without ever really knowing when or where I'd put it to use.

Do you go into the office everyday?

Yeah, pretty much. I'm there 4 days a week. I get a little stir crazy sometimes, but honestly, I love the business and going to Loser so I don't mind the 9-5 gig. The new Loser staff is killing it.

You've had one of the best-selling shoes at Circa for the better half of a decade, how does that feel? Have you made any noteworthy investments with your earnings?

Having a shoe that sold well for that long is pretty crazy. It's like winning the lottery, you never know what's gonna hit. For the most part, I just tucked away my money. I never really jumped on any get-rich-quick schemes, thank god. I'm a partner in an old dive bar in Encinitas called the Daley Double Saloon. Other than that, I was cool just paying my mortgage and taxes on time. Loser has been my biggest investment.

What motivates you or gets you hyped these days?

Watching Loser Machine turn into a real company. When we started about a year ago, I was in-between legal troubles where I ended up getting sent to a work furlough program for 2 months, which is basically a halfway jail that lets you go to work, but you still have to sleep in jail. I planned the launch of Loser Machine around those dates so my sentence led to me getting sober. It also got me motivated to get Loser set up a lot quicker than we planned. To see people wearing our stuff after how jacked our start was is amazing.

Do you still enjoy skating or does it feel like a chore?

I'll always love skating. When I go to the park or roll around with the C1rca guys and do my tricks that I've been doing for years, that feeling will never go away. I can't tell you how good it still feels to sneak into Black Box and do a shitload of backtails on the box.

Can you tell everyone when and how you got on Zero?

I've been on since the beginning, 1996. I was filming at Serra High, in Tierasanta, with a few of my friends when you rolled up and asked if you could film me. I didn't know what the hell was going on! I had just read your TWS interview on the toilet a week before, so I was a bit nervous. After we got the line, you asked if I liked Toy Machine, and of course I did. We exchanged numbers and I hounded you for months with ghetto sponsor-me tapes and pre-thought-out voicemails trying to go skate with you and the Toy team. Then you asked me to be a part of Zero when it started.

I liked the Misled Youth days cause the team was super tough. I had to step it up big time when the team took shape for the video. I still think the Mule should've gotten first part, I'd watch that video if it was.

Can you tell some memorable stories from those days?

I really miss the days of traveling around with Tum Yeto. back when Zero was with Toy and Foundation. I was always the one who tried to hide during signings and demos for one reason or another. I remember back then that I would skate the demos because I thought it was cool as shit to be in the same demos as you, Muska, Templeton, Barley or any of the people I looked up to.

I was so young and everything was new to me on the road. On the Welcome to Hell tour, I didn't call my mom for a week cause I didn't know what an area code was, I thought all the phones were broken.

You've always been really hard on yourself, is there anything that you've done that you're proud of or that doesn't make you feel awkward when you see it?

I'm not proud of any of the video projects or interviews I've done, but I never expected much out of skating when I started. I still get stoked when I'm out and someone tells me that they skated because of me or that they learned backtails cause I did them. That's what my job really was; to keep kids stoked on skating. Even if it was just a few, thats something to be proud of.

What are some highlights or favorite photos that you've had throughout the years?

The backlip cover shot for the Transworld Photo Annual. I was doing backlips a lot so it wasn't that big of a deal, but for a kid like me to get the cover the year after Koston got it was crazy. Heath got it the year after that.

And what's your favorite video part you've had?

If I had to choose: Misled Youth.

Do you have any desire to film another video part?

I feel I need to for myself right now. I can do something for Loser as a promo vid when we get a little team going. I think that would be fun. I like that I'm forgotten in the industry. I feel maybe that I can start having fun again. We'll see.

I remember on several tours throughout the years, you'd just disappear. We'd all wake up and you'd be gone. Sometimes there wouldn't even be a note. What was it that made you feel like you just had to split?

I like this question cause even I didn't know the answer until a few years ago. I have really bad depression and anxiety and at the time, I didn't know what the hell either one was. I would go on tours and wake up or go to bed with these really bad chest pains and bad thoughts.

Bad thoughts about the demo or signing or anything about the trip or my career. I would drive myself nuts until I'd say, "Screw it, I'm going home."

I've flown to Australia and had to leave the next day cause my chest pains wouldn't go away. I thought my chest could explode. Now I take medication that helps but I'm still pretty crazy. The anxiety got really bad to where I couldn't skate without throwing up cause of all the acid my body produces... I'm fucked.