Full Etnies Team Interview

Mikey Taylor - Noseblunt

Words: Justin Schafer and David Seburn. Photos: Sam McGuire and David Seburn

This past summer, BigWoop had a chance to talk over some beers with SK8 Skate’s Genico Aiello, Alien Workshop flow rider Chris Anderson, as well as the Etnies team including: Mikey Taylor, Sean Malto, Tyler Bledsoe, and Davis Torgeson. What began as an interview about skate camp, turned into a breakdown of Mikey’s new Rap/ Rock band.

BW: So I guess we'll start with you, Genico. What’s skate camp all about?

Genico: Well, when the plaza opened, Investors Group came along and said they’d be interested in helping out with some type of community based event related to skateboarding and the plaza. It was a perfect fit because I’d planned on running some skate camps anyway.

This is our fourth year and most of these guys have been here since the beginning, like Mikey, Chris, and Tyler. [They] were all here for the grand opening of the plaza, so, the contact was already there and they were dying to come back to Winnipeg. It was just a great opportunity [for them to come back]. So skate camp is basically an opportunity for local neighborhood kids to get involved, and spend some time with the pros- interacting with them and having a great week. For a lot of the kids, I think its’ now the highlight of their summer. It’s really cool to see some 13 year old skate with Mikey Taylor. It’s kind of a big deal for them, and it’s cool of these guys to give up their time to come out. Obviously summer is a busy time, so, for them to help out, it takes the camp to another level.

And this year Etnies was really cool. They had heard about us from the guys and they really supported the idea. They knew these guys wanted to come out so, Etnies stepped up and helped sponsor the camp.

BW: How is skating with the kids?

Mikey: Fun. It’s cool. It’s crazy ‘cuz the same kids show up from years past and they’ve been getting really good.

Chris: You can definitely see the progress.

Mikey: They just go for it, yeah. Shit, like the kid ollieing the 8 today! It’s just fun.

Genico: It’s really cool to see the friendships the kids forge with these guys. When they ask about skate camp it’s ‘Oh, is Mikey coming back’ or ‘Is Chris coming’, so I’m really happy to have the same guys back every year to build on that.

BW: Funniest thing a kid has asked or said?

Mikey: Right when I came in, I was setting up a board, and one of the kids came up to me and asked what kind of board I had. I was like, “Alien Workshop”. He went “Pfffft. Ugh.”-all bummed. So I asked: “You don't like Alien?”, and he said no. When I asked what he did like, he’s like: “GIRL!” It’s kinda like, oh sorry dude.

Malto: The first time I came to Winnipeg, I flew in and all these guys hadn’t arrived yet. I didn't even have my board because they lost my luggage. So, I’m just walking around the park and I hear some kid yelling at me and I’m like “WTF”. When I get closer to him, I realize he’s yelling: “GOOO HOME, GIRL SUCKS! GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA!” I just put my head down and walked out of the park.

Chris: I remember that too.

Malto: Yeah, you were like “I’mma beat him up!” [laughs]

Mikey: We we’re telling him how awesome and how fun it was here, and within ten seconds someone’s yelling at him to go home. What about the hundred kids who ask why you’re not skating, on the daily?

Malto: Yeah, every single kid at the camp will ask me every single day, why I’m not skating. I’ll tell them I dislocated my elbow and they’re like, ‘Oh, really? Okay’. Sure enough, the next day: “hey Sean, uh, why aren’t you skating?” I’m like, “Uh, The same reason I gave you yesterday”. [laughs]

BW: Best trick from the kids?

Mikey: Some kid switch big spin heeled the three.

Torgeson: No, no--that was regular.

Mikey: That was regular? Like, he’s goofy? Naah.

Torgeson: He threw it down perfectly- I swear it was regular! I swear!

Mikey: [laughing now] Either way, it was sick.

BW: Have you skated any street since you’ve been here?

Mikey: Pfft. [laughs] Of the four years we’ve been out here, we’ve maybe skated an hour of street.

Malto: Hey- last summer when I was here, I had 2 photos.

Mikey: But that wasn't during skate camp.

Malto : Well…during the 4star demo, yeah.

Genico: ‘cuz our ground is too rough for you. It’s not California out here.

Mikey: Nah, city hall is good. It’s marble. We’ve just never skated it.

BW: So the Etnies skate and create; so good! What was that like?

Malto: Well, I mean, we could all say it was super fun but—I don’t know, it was weird. You have to spend every day, all day, inside a warehouse for eight days straight.

Torgeson: You’re not exactly in the middle of nowhere but it’s in a suburban town. You’re staying in some hotel, right down the street from some industrial park, where the warehouse is. There’s no where to go.

BW: So what do you do?

Malto: Not a lot.

Mikey: And there’s a lot of down time.

Torgerson: Just sit there.

Malto: But, I mean, there were unlimited beers so that was super cool, but harsh at the same time.

BW: Did you have a lot of input on the project?

Malto: Yeah, they asked us what we wanted to skate. I mean, we all kinda helped build it---there were a lot of people who worked hard.

[The Waitress comes bearing beer] So, what are you guys doing here?

Mikey: Like, right now?

Waitress: Well, like why are you in Canada?

Mikey: Well we’re in a band …

[Laughs all around]

Waitress: A band? Like a rock band?

Mikey: Yeeeah, it’s more like half ‘n half.

Waitress: Oh, okay.

Mikey: This is our front man.[He points to Chris]. He raps.

[More laughing]

Waitress: Are you guys making this up?

Mikey: Nooooo.

Waitress: Do you guys think I’m some gullible Canadian here?

Mikey: Everybody seems to have that impression, so we just expect jokes.

Waitress: Oh okay.

Mikey: So, we’re in this band and its rap, but we play music too--

[The Waitress cuts in] - I don't believe you.

Mikey: What! Why?

Waitress: Because they're all laughing.

Mikey: Because it’s a funny idea.

Genico: We’re laughing because it’s the worst band we’ve ever heard, that’s why.

Waitress: Okay, you guys are probably just hunting or something…

[everyone is laughing now]

Genico: Yeah, we’re hunting…we've got the plaid shirts on.

Mikey: No, check it out--he’s the drummer (Bledsoe), and he’s the bassist (Torgeson).

[Laughs]

Waitress: Are you snapping pictures of me?

Seburn: No… [he was snapping pictures of her]

Mikey: What do you think he is (points to Malto)?

Waitress: Maybe the tambourine guy?

[More laughs]

Genico: - Yeah, and I’m their manager.

Waitress: You guys are such bullshitters.

Mikey: Look what we’re doing right now! We’re doing an interview. For a magazine.

Waitress: There’s no way that’s true..

[more laughs]

Mikey: Okay. Do you wanna know for real? For real…bowling.

Waitress: Bowling. I can see that.

Mikey: Bowling.

Genico: Bowling champs right here.

Waitress: That’s more like it [laughs and leaves].

[more laughs]

Mikey: You like that?

Bledsoe: Bowling?

Mikey: Okay. Where were we…skate and create. I was a mental case unfortunately. Just staying in a warehouse for eight days straight gets a little irritating, you know? But, it was super fun and a great idea.

BW: Other than your own, what was your favorite video?

Malto: I like Circa's a lot.

Torgeson: Yeah dude.

Bledsoe: Circa’s was pretty good.

Mikey: What! Three for Circa?! I like the DVS one the best---out in the woods? That dude Colin [Kennedy], who does their stuff is so good.

BW: Between Malto and Taylor, whose gonna win the bet for the hair? [ check out Aug26th ‘Wednesdays with Reda’ for the reference on that]

Mikey: I already won dude!

Malto: Um, you cut yours last week!

[Entire table laughs]

Mikey: You always trim your shit though!

Malto: You did more than trim it!

Mikey: I know, but you always cut it here and there.

Malto: NO! I just do little trims. I cut the split ends.

Mikey: No, you go into a hair salon—that’s cheating right?

[Table agrees]

Malto: What!

Mikey: Okay, fine. Let’s establish the bet right now; what do you want, for the record?

Malto: No touching of the hair from here on out, until next time we hit Winnipeg.

Mikey: Next Winnipeg?

Genico: What! It’ll be down to your backs!

Seburn: They just come back as two Ritchie Jacksons…

[Laughs]

Mikey: No. This is what we’re gonna do: I’ll cut my hair the same length as yours and then the bet begins…and I’m gonna win.

Malto: Okay.

Genico: I’ve got a question: What’s the best part about coming to Winnipeg?

Mikey: Icebergs. [pause] No, there’s a lot of tight stuff. We’ve gotten to go swimming--bridge jumping was tight in Kenora. Kenora was the bomb. Want a little glimpse of our week real quick?

Justin: Sure.

Mikey: [pulls out his iPhone to show us some videos]

Alright, so the trip started with Chris drinking a super intense energy bullet…

Justin: Seriously? The 7-11 special?

Mikey: Just wait---watch his face, watch his face!

[HUGE LAUGHS]

Chris: Face looks FOUL!

Chris: Man, that was rough. That was rough.

MIkey: So, we jump off this bridge…that was Zac--he was the first to do it. Do you know that bridge? It’s on the way to Kenora, and it’s at least 65 feet high.

[He shows us a video of all the boys jumping off the bridge. I swear they were suspended in the air forever…that bridge was HIGH.]

Mikey: He and I weren’t even gonna jump-- [points to Chris]

Chris: Yeah, and the swim back to shore was the worst. Like, you’d almost drown on the way back--it was rough.

Mikey: but the whole way home I was so happy, it was so fun

Mikey - Could you imagine if we lived there? We would just get drunk and be like, “LET’S JUMP OFF THE BRIDGE”.

And as the night went on, rowdiness ensued.