For those of you who only know Geoff from videogames let me clue you in. He has been a professional skateboarder for almost a decade. He has traveled the world amazing professionals wherever he goes. He has been named a skateboarder of the year by Thrasher magazine and still his video parts continue to push skateboarding. As a by-line Geoff is also a character in the THPS series. But in real life he is more than a character that skateboards and listens to Motorhead.
the interview is buy a guy called noe v
What are you up to? What are your current projects?
Geoff Rowley:
Editing the video that's about my only current project. It's taking a lot of time right now.
NV:
Is the filming for the Flip video complete?
GR:
No.
NV:
How long have you been working on it?
GR:
It varies, it's taken 21/2 years to film, 3 months to edit, something like that. It's quite the shite.
NV:
Who will have the standout part on the video?
GR:
Everybody will have to wait.
NV:
Who are your favorite people to skate with?
GR:
Arto Saari, Ed Templeton, my friend Fred from England, and every acquaintance I've ever had the pleasure of having skated with.
NV:
Do you find time to play Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3?
GR:
I played it once for about 5 minutes. Not at my house but my friends. I think videogames are idiots. I just give it away when I get them. Are you going to put that in? It's not nice me saying "videogames are idiots."
NV:
At least it's honest. You're giving me the truth, you're not saying it's a great game it's a wonderful game and I play it all the time...
GR:
Oh this is the most horrible thing!
NV:
What's going on?
During the interview Geoff describes what he just witnessed outside his house. A dog ran out into the street and got run over by a car. The dog was smashed by the front wheels and bounced around under the body before getting thrown out of the back. Amazingly the dog not only survived but also ran back to the arms of its owner without a scratch.
GR:
Don't ask me how the dog survived, it's a wonderful world when a dog can survive such a horrible thing.
NV:
That is amazing.
Geoff pauses for a moment and then gets back into the interview.
GR:
I did play the first one. The whole thing a hell of a lot. The first game from start to finish. I know the next two are more advanced but the first was what I played.
NV:
What responsibilities if any do companies like Activision or ESPN owe skateboarding?
GR:
Respect. They lack respect in a lot of senses. They've got to realize that they're coming from the outside to something that's very closed off. Skateboarding is very closed off. So they can't rape and pillage something they don't respect. A lot of times they give a hell but a lot of times they don't. ESPN especially.
NV:
Motorhead's "The Ace of Spades" was the title song for THPS3. What did you think of that?
GR:
I think that's great, it's the only music that real skaters will listen to.
NV:
So you don't like the pop punk bands and hip-hop in the game?
GR:
No.
NV:
What bands are you listening to now?
GR:
The Strokes... they're pretty gay. They were recommended by my friend. The first time I listened to them they're okay. Listen to it twice and you hear they're bad. I've got to tell my friend about that.
NV:
When my friend ever recommends bad music to me I just punch him in the arm. I don't even tell him why I just punch him.
GR:
Really? (laughs)
NV:
The PETA people have asked about you, what is going on with that?
GR:
They called me back, I think they want to do some promotions. But I don't think they know much about me. They heard my shoes are all synthetic. But that's because I like them all synthetic, for skateboarding.
NV:
So they don't really know about who you are as a skateboarder and what you represent?
GR:
No. They're compassionate, but that's about it. They're against wilderness preserves. They want to do away with preserves. But biologists stand behind the preserves for animal protection and endangered species. PETA isn't listening to the scientists. They're trying to turn nature back to the wild kingdom. They worry about ethical treatment and testing on the animals. They are anti-hunting. But those resources protect the environment and the animals. Without the hunting zones developers can build anywhere they want and destroy the environment...
NV:
So PETA is going to get a long e-mail from you.
GR:
Yeah. (laughs)
NV:
Do you think skateboarders should be more active on how they are represented in the media?
GR:
When you're dealing with ESPN or someone like that. They don't have a background on skateboarding. They just show up and talk with people who aren't skateboarders. They are against what you're all about. They pop in out of nowhere they've got all this control and no background.
NV:
So anything they show the public thinks it represents skateboarding?
GR:
Yeah. They'll interview with a professional skateboarder and people will watch the interview and think that's a skateboarder. They will use them in advertising and not give any credit to skateboarding.
NV:
Does anything worry you about the future of skateboarding?
GR:
Yeah, only one, overexposure.
NV:
Like what we might lose?
GR:
The History, culture. We're lucky today because younger kids get to see Tony Alva skating pools in the Dogtown videos.
NV:
And if it gets too big? If we become too comfortable seeing skateboarding everywhere?
GR:
It will collapse on itself. We'll lose everything.
NV:
So what would you do if it did collapse?
GR:
I'd go knocking on the door of every person that caused it to collapse. (laughs)
NV:
Aside from skateboarding what would you like to be doing? Own your own company? Become an actor?
GR:
The actor bit, I don't know. I'm trying to buy a ranch up in Montana with my friends. Buy an outfitters, a hunting guide. PETA will love to hear that. Maybe lease land off my ranch. But skateboarding motivates me. It always has motivated me.
NV:
What do you think of skateboarding's young guns? Such as the Baker Am's?
GR:
A lot of them are really, really good, there's also a lot of them that are shite. The good ones like Knox Godoy, Evan Hernandez, Raul Rodrigez, Rodrigo TX, Mark Appleyard and Arto Saari, they're all between 15 and 19 years old. Those are the future but there will always be ones that are shite.
NV:
And they will disappear.
GR:
That's the way it is.
NV:
Would you ever want to be on Jackass?
GR:
No, I don't really care for that. I know Bam really-really well. But if I want to smash shopping carts then I'll smash shopping carts on my own time. (laughs) If I want to jump from a building to a tree I'll do that on my own time. That is their deal.
NV:
Keeping the World Trade Center in perspective, what things have you learned this year?
GR:
To be happy, you never know what the hell is going to happen. I'm generally not an unhappy person. I have a lot of things that keep me going. Faith is good.
NV:
Any plans for Christmas?
GR:
Yeah I'm going to go to Death Valley with Arto. We're going to camp and countdown to Christmas under the sky. Just us and our sleeping bags.
NV:
That's cool.
GR:
On New Year I've rented a cabin. I'm going with about 20 of my friends to drown our life away. (Laughs)
NV:
Any shout-outs to people and sponsors you'd like to thank?
GR:
No, none whatsoever, I only care about me. (Laughs)