Yo Steve ! I shoulda mentioned showing up to your apt after driving from Ohio to gamble with u and koston and you guys making fun of and laughing at my Georgetown starter jacket hahaha. Hope u good brotha ! Nice to hear from you .
John, I don't know if you remember me, but I was a Grayson Skatepark and Atmosphere Skateshop local back in the day. I just wanted to say thank you for everything, and for always being cool to us kids. That was a formative time, and having a place to hang out and take a break from the skatepark was a better thing than I realized at the time. The shop was subjected to misfortune that it did not deserve. That shop added to, and improved the area where it was located, and the city's skate scene took a loss when it closed. I hope you're doing well though, man. You made a great contribution which I hope is paid back to you in some way. I feel like the world of skateboarding is very different now than it used to be, and sadly not always in the best of ways. I am thankful that I came in before the social media age. I am still skating also, just more cautiously. I moved to Raleigh in 2010 to go to college and haven't been to Grayson since then, though I still visit Charlotte regularly to see family. But again, and I can't say this enough, thanks. On behalf of the local crew from the time as well, I'm sure you may remember some of them. I subbed to the channel. Big Ups from North Carolina!
Yeah brotha I definitely remember you. I’m glad the shop provided an open place to hang for all the people in that area. I’m proud of the brief but fun time we had and the connections I made with everyone that came through and I still hear from a lot of people - it makes me stoked. That’s dope you’re still skating and enjoying life in Raleigh. Skateboarding always changes and I was blessed to have my run in the 90s before social media but my love for it is solid even though things can seem lame at times. Thanks for the kind words my G! Hope life treats you well big up big up!
That board is one of my all time Favorites. I skated it when alien workshop rereleased it in like 2015 or something. It was such a good slick. I wish they’d make more.
So sick John. Love the backstory of you, Rob, Hill and Sarge. Even Don drawing a graphic for you before he even joined the workshop?! Alien to the core brotha, love it.
Hey what’s up don’t know if u remember me my nickname was benji aka (spriggs) from cross lanes. Used to skate for balzout with Josh ctitenton and Ben barley, Jamie Conor and all the others from cross lanes.Used to come skate at iguana all the time with andy(Elvis ) king and joey Serrato and a bunch of others.so many good memories man. I remember seeing u at a contest behind the Dunbar elementary school doing backside totally tweaked out mute grabs 4 foot over the coping. I always wondered what happened to you and your career skating. Man you were definitely our hero back then
Hell yeah! That’s rad….great times back then. I randomly ran into joe serrato at the skatepark in Charlotte NC one day when I was living there.ive seen benji a few times over the last decade or so…saw Jamie once, Andy a cpl times. I ended up skating for Alien Workshop all through the 90s until I hurt my knee but yeah still skating a little when I’m not injured. Great to hear from you!
I think I had a couple of your boards. I remember you and Rob always skating at Serra high in SD always liked your skating. Super sick style. Learned backside 180 fakie 5-0’s from you.
Getting second place to tony hawk ain't all bad, is it. As my father used to say whenever I came runner up in something, "it's better than a kick in the teeth."😂
@@SOLESERFER luckily for him, I was forced into retirement at age fourteen after breaking my pinky toe. Ol' tony didn't want this smoke, let me tell you.😝
Did you have a slick deck in 95 that was a hummingbird with honeycomb in the background? Not sure if it was yours or another aws pro but that was my first new deck from a Skatesgoo, fakeye in Madison. Good memories and when the slick got wore out I peeled it off and it was like a new blank deck then haha. The shit we do at 14.
I think that’s my graphic I didn’t pay too much attention to the slicks after the first couple. I think I have that deck still if not I prob sold it but I think I have it somewhere.
this IS John Drake. Hey John! So good to see you. - sb
Yo Steve ! I shoulda mentioned showing up to your apt after driving from Ohio to gamble with u and koston and you guys making fun of and laughing at my Georgetown starter jacket hahaha. Hope u good brotha ! Nice to hear from you .
John, I don't know if you remember me, but I was a Grayson Skatepark and Atmosphere Skateshop local back in the day. I just wanted to say thank you for everything, and for always being cool to us kids. That was a formative time, and having a place to hang out and take a break from the skatepark was a better thing than I realized at the time. The shop was subjected to misfortune that it did not deserve. That shop added to, and improved the area where it was located, and the city's skate scene took a loss when it closed. I hope you're doing well though, man. You made a great contribution which I hope is paid back to you in some way.
I feel like the world of skateboarding is very different now than it used to be, and sadly not always in the best of ways. I am thankful that I came in before the social media age. I am still skating also, just more cautiously. I moved to Raleigh in 2010 to go to college and haven't been to Grayson since then, though I still visit Charlotte regularly to see family.
But again, and I can't say this enough, thanks. On behalf of the local crew from the time as well, I'm sure you may remember some of them. I subbed to the channel. Big Ups from North Carolina!
Yeah brotha I definitely remember you. I’m glad the shop provided an open place to hang for all the people in that area. I’m proud of the brief but fun time we had and the connections I made with everyone that came through and I still hear from a lot of people - it makes me stoked. That’s dope you’re still skating and enjoying life in Raleigh. Skateboarding always changes and I was blessed to have my run in the 90s before social media but my love for it is solid even though things can seem lame at times. Thanks for the kind words my G! Hope life treats you well big up big up!
LOL - I remember you me, Cory, and Jimmy at Interskate 91 at camp. That was a fun time.
Yo Chris what’s up brotha! Good times were had!
@@SOLESERFER I sent the link to Cory
👊🏼🙏🏼
That board is one of my all time
Favorites. I skated it when alien workshop rereleased it in like 2015 or something. It was such a good slick. I wish they’d make more.
🙏🏼✌🏼
So sick John. Love the backstory of you, Rob, Hill and Sarge. Even Don drawing a graphic for you before he even joined the workshop?! Alien to the core brotha, love it.
Thanks ! Yeah Don used to draw stuff for us I’d have him draw logos on my grip tape and whatnot was dope to have artist friends. Glad u enjoyed 🙏🏼
I saw you in a demo in like 92 with Dyrdek and Heintman. You fuckin killed! Ups Squared!
👊🏼thanks brotha
Hey what’s up don’t know if u remember me my nickname was benji aka (spriggs) from cross lanes. Used to skate for balzout with Josh ctitenton and Ben barley, Jamie Conor and all the others from cross lanes.Used to come skate at iguana all the time with andy(Elvis ) king and joey Serrato and a bunch of others.so many good memories man. I remember seeing u at a contest behind the Dunbar elementary school doing backside totally tweaked out mute grabs 4 foot over the coping. I always wondered what happened to you and your career skating. Man you were definitely our hero back then
Hell yeah! That’s rad….great times back then. I randomly ran into joe serrato at the skatepark in Charlotte NC one day when I was living there.ive seen benji a few times over the last decade or so…saw Jamie once, Andy a cpl times. I ended up skating for Alien Workshop all through the 90s until I hurt my knee but yeah still skating a little when I’m not injured. Great to hear from you!
❤
That first Ollie had SO much power. Haven’t actually seen one that striking. 0:28
Young legs! Thanks brotha!
DOPE
Thanks brotha appreciate that 🙏🏼
I think I had a couple of your boards. I remember you and Rob always skating at Serra high in SD always liked your skating. Super sick style. Learned backside 180 fakie 5-0’s from you.
Hell yeah many days spent at Serra. Thank you appreciate that….one of my fave tricks back in the day!
Colonel white was dope!
Definitely a fun spot back in the day!✌🏼
Getting second place to tony hawk ain't all bad, is it.
As my father used to say whenever I came runner up in something, "it's better than a kick in the teeth."😂
Yeah was fun. It was a mixed course street and transition. Tony did a McTwist on the vert wall - pretty much sealed it.
@@SOLESERFER That boy was just too darn good, lol.
I wonder whatever happened to him.🤔😂
🤣 Funny thing is he was already a legend by thus time too!
@@SOLESERFER luckily for him, I was forced into retirement at age fourteen after breaking my pinky toe. Ol' tony didn't want this smoke, let me tell you.😝
Did you have a slick deck in 95 that was a hummingbird with honeycomb in the background? Not sure if it was yours or another aws pro but that was my first new deck from a Skatesgoo, fakeye in Madison. Good memories and when the slick got wore out I peeled it off and it was like a new blank deck then haha. The shit we do at 14.
I think that’s my graphic I didn’t pay too much attention to the slicks after the first couple. I think I have that deck still if not I prob sold it but I think I have it somewhere.
I love it dude. Had a couple. Also had lots of your moth deck. What's the story behind that one.
Love the Luna Moth graphic but I don’t know much about it other than Mike hill designed it and I did love riding it.
Thang you place above Eric Koston,Brandon Novack, and Willy Santos that’s sick 🤙🏿
Was a fun contest Eric’s first as well.
Who is he?
I’m nobody. Just an old skateboarder.
John Drake. The guy's a fucking legend!
That dam ketchup board was so sick.. what a crew to skate with.. shoutout to mike hayes aka mr lazer... ahhh those were the days...
Hayes, the Gies bros, the Goebbel twins etc etc a great scene ✌🏼