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00:00Aren't we trying to get, like, views and stuff?
00:02You know, if that happens, and it does happen, then so be it.
00:07Dude, this guy's got the most viewed video part on Thrasher's website.
00:12Oh, stop. No, it's true. And don't forget it.
00:16Welcome back to Skate Tales. We are in Spain.
00:20Beautiful Barcelona, the quiet neighborhood of Pueblo.
00:24And I'm about to meet the extraordinary skateboarder Richie Jackson.
00:31Let's see if we can invent some tricks.
01:10As you can see, it's raining. Unusual for Barcelona.
01:14As you can see, it's raining. Unusual for Barcelona.
01:15That's why we're gonna meet Richie at his home. In here.
01:31Hey, good morning. Greetings.
01:33Come on in. How are you? Nice to meet you.
01:36Nice to meet you. I've seen you around.
01:39Second time. Second time.
01:40Didn't you find Cracker El Toro?
01:45I tried that. I didn't get it. And about three years later, he did it.
01:49But I'm not mad. To the victor go the spoils.
01:53Now that we gotta work on.
01:56Welcome. Yeah, come on in. Come on in.
01:58Richie Jackson is skateboarding's last true outlaw.
02:02The Death Skateboards Pro broke the skateboarding mold
02:04and threw its unwritten rule book in the bin.
02:07With a wild imagination and inventive approach to what street skateboarding can be,
02:12the New Zealander has eclipsed most of his peers in terms of public awareness
02:16by using social media to leapfrog out of skateboarding's orthodoxy.
02:20Holder of the most watched video part in Thrasher's history
02:22and possessor of a unique personal style,
02:25it is no surprise that Richie has proven to be a controversial
02:28and polarizing figure with skaters loving or hating him.
02:32Truth is, this guy doesn't care.
02:34He's out there exploring skateboarding's psychedelic frontier, come what may,
02:38and that surely is something worth finding out more about.
02:43Barcelona, baby.
02:44Out of all places, you're from New Zealand,
02:47but you decided to come to Barcelona, not L.A. or Paris or...
02:51I did ten years in L.A.
02:53I got my American passport. Now I'm coming for the European.
02:57So how long have you been living here?
02:59Five years.
03:00Five years in this apartment?
03:02Pablo No?
03:03Yeah.
03:04Pablo No, dude.
03:05Welcome.
03:06And who's this?
03:07This is Gala Dog.
03:08Hello, nice to meet you.
03:11And how long would the mustache be if you roll it out?
03:14Would it be like...
03:15Well, let's find out, shall we?
03:20If it gets too long, they said it's annoying.
03:23Dude, having it is not annoying.
03:27One time we were on this tour and people were just coming up to me and just being like,
03:31can I touch it?
03:32And I was really just over the whole thing and I was like, I'm not a man.
03:36I'm a mustache.
03:38I don't want the mustache to define me.
03:40Do you know what I mean?
03:41It's just the thing that's there.
03:46Started skateboarding in Auckland, New Zealand in 1998.
03:52Why skateboarding?
03:53Because it's a young art form.
03:55Because there's room for extemporization.
03:58There's room to do things that haven't been done.
04:01There's potential for innovation in skateboarding.
04:04It's so obvious how much potential there is.
04:08There's very little meat in these gym mats, but we're going to take them downstairs.
04:12One by one?
04:13Yeah.
04:15How many do you have?
04:17Three bags full.
04:19Inspired by Skate Ninja?
04:20It was.
04:21We went to his pool and he set these up across it.
04:26So with his encouragement and his belief, I did it.
04:30And then I'm like, okay, I've got to skate into that.
04:34Richie has got this crazy idea of some Shaolin running across some water.
04:39Yeah, I'm interested in finding out how a skateboarder measures up to a Shaolin monk in terms of ability.
04:45Have you seen them kicking each other in the balls?
04:48Yeah, they're masters.
04:50All right.
04:51And there's not much run up.
04:52It's like a giant zipper.
04:55This might totally not work.
04:57Let's keep that in mind.
04:59This might be the worst idea anyone's ever had.
05:02Not possible.
05:03Or it'll be really fun.
05:09A conceptual trick can be anything.
05:11That's what's so great about it.
05:13There's no limits, you know, and yet you're going to get into coot territory.
05:17And for me, that's the point.
05:18I like to go there.
05:21I like to be right on the edge of, hey, this actually seems like it might be a terrible idea.
05:26You've got to go there.
05:28That's where the inspiration might be, is be right where you're starting to get worried that this is actually awful.
05:35Keep digging there.
05:36You might find a piece of gold.
05:38You might.
05:39Or you might uncover a turd, the likes of which no one has ever seen.
05:43Ah, perfect!
05:57It's possible.
05:58What?
05:59It's not easy, but it's possible.
06:00How cool was that?
06:01How cool was that?
06:06How cool was that?
06:07Oh, no!
06:10I'm carrying around a lot of extra weight, and you can really feel it every time you try to run.
06:37It was cold.
06:39We tried for three hours in this cold water.
06:42This is certainly not a new concept to people that you don't make things on your first
06:46attempt at the spot, right?
06:48That can't be any new information.
06:51The Shaolin guys, they do it for years to practice this craft.
06:55And we're just trying to come here and buy some floaters and try.
07:01I think it's going down.
07:02I think we just need to check out another fountain that has run up.
07:04But here's the thing.
07:05We both ran across it.
07:07So is it really a failure?
07:09No.
07:10Hell no.
07:12That was a failure.
07:21It's only the concept that's different.
07:23The actual process of getting it is the same as what you would call a conventional trick.
07:31It's just doing it again and again and again and not losing your mind in the process.
07:35And sometimes losing it.
07:37This is a thing all skaters have.
07:39The amount of just self-doubt, self-loathing in skateboarding is shocking.
07:44I think that's what's making us do things.
07:50I do remember somebody saying like, oh yeah, you need five years for a video part.
07:54Hey, take all the time you want.
07:56It's, what, who's making these rules here?
07:59I'll take as long as I frickin' want, man.
08:03My entire life is a DIY.
08:05You do it yourself?
08:06Yeah.
08:07100% of my spots are fake.
08:09It's all engineered.
08:10No way.
08:11Yeah, dude.
08:12You didn't think so?
08:13So when you skated El Toro, did you wax the stairs or no?
08:16I actually didn't.
08:18But it looks so black.
08:20I don't know what wax is.
08:22Never heard of it.
08:23It's in your mustache, that stuff?
08:26Again, don't know.
08:27No, but I did fake a lot of stuff.
08:30Like the spiral slide with the yellow barrier.
08:33Oh, that's my favorite clip.
08:35I made that barrier.
08:36Yeah, no, I built that thing out of old street signs.
08:43Here's the thing.
08:45I figured out over time, like, when they're like, this isn't skateboarding.
08:50This is so far from what we're supposed to be doing.
08:53I'm like, yeah, that's the point.
08:56I think these people might have missed the point.
08:58When they're like, that's not, that's not like what I like.
09:01I'm like, yeah, I know.
09:03That's why I'm doing it.
09:05Like, William Spencer said it best.
09:06He was like, people are so good at what skateboarding is.
09:10I wanted to become good at what skateboarding is not.
09:20So you're not worried about the dualistic world of love and hate?
09:25And the people that have treated me the worst have been other skateboarders.
09:32Like, I've never been treated even by a cop.
09:37Like, police are nicer to me than other skaters are.
09:40You know what I mean?
09:41I'm like, this is fun.
09:42Why are we attacking ourselves?
09:44The truth must be told, but also the fun must be had.
09:47I'm just here to have the fun.
09:50Hey, muchas gracias.
09:52Gracias, amigo.
09:54Gracias.
09:55Take this, for example.
09:57Rodney Mullen, inventor of the kickflip.
09:59When he first did that, everybody said, this is the worst shit that has ever happened.
10:05This is terrible.
10:05What are you doing flipping?
10:07He was like excommunicated for inventing that.
10:11Now it's the foundation of modern street skating.
10:13Things that are bizarre become less bizarre over time.
10:29So what do you think about my outfit?
10:31I think it's terrible.
10:33You dress like a human pigeon.
10:34It's just gray upon gray upon burgundy.
10:39It's frankly terrible.
10:40Will you help me?
10:42Help me change my style.
10:44Make me more appealing to the audiences.
10:47You know what?
10:48I'm going to take pity on this kid.
10:49Let's do it.
10:50I'll take it to a joint down here.
10:52We can get everything you need.
10:59That's as good as sold, I think.
11:01We need a shirt for underneath, but that one's going down.
11:04Got a little shirt.
11:06Ooh.
11:09I just, I'm looking for, you know, Madars-sized things.
11:16I got to get you some pants, man.
11:18That's women's, right?
11:19It doesn't matter.
11:20You got to let go of that.
11:23Hey, Madars, we're good.
11:25We're getting somewhere.
11:28I can't believe you have this hair and you don't do this.
11:31What do you think?
11:33I think I'm feeling good.
11:36I think my pop is going to be higher today.
11:40You've got pop problems?
11:41I think I'm just Soohs.
11:41Yeah.
11:53Yeah.
11:56Yeah.
12:03Yeah.
12:16It's going to be fun having legs like that.
12:25What happened there?
12:26Can I put my regular clothes back on?
12:35This is like the Bronx, from New York.
12:38In the Bronx of Barcelona.
12:56I had, at the expense of all other things, a singular focus on skateboarding only.
13:02Man, it's so nice to see you.
13:04Hey, thank you, brother.
13:05What was your name?
13:05Arthur.
13:06Arthur, pleasure.
13:07Nice to see you.
13:08Richie Jackson.
13:10Richie fucking Jackson.
13:12Because I feel like back then, in 1998, it was like we had a secret society.
13:16It was nowhere near as big as it is now, so the tricks that at the time were conventional
13:22were unconventional, because it was our thing.
13:25Nobody in our entire school knew what a kickflipback tale was.
13:28That was for us.
13:29That was our little secret society.
13:32And now, obviously, with it expanding to where it is now, you've got to come up with more secret stuff.
13:39Stuff that nobody else is into yet.
13:43When I was growing up, my dad's major criticism of skateboarding was, you're limiting yourself.
13:49This is tunnel vision.
13:50You're focused on one thing and one thing only.
13:53There's so much going by you that you're missing.
13:55I was like, shut up, dad!
13:57But as I've gotten older, he was right.
13:59There is so much going on culturally, artistically, poetically.
14:04Talk to people.
14:04Talk to people that are involved in other things that aren't skateboarding.
14:08The amount of stuff I've learned from people in other disciplines, whether it be music or some other form of
14:15extreme sport.
14:16The BMXers and people like Danny McCaskill, they didn't seem to have that.
14:20They seemed like conceptual tricks was what they were trying to do.
14:24You know, that was where they were going.
14:26So maybe it didn't matter what we were riding.
14:28It was more about being along the same conceptual path.
14:33Creativity and inspiration aren't somewhere you can go, oh, I know where that is.
14:37I'll just go to it.
14:38No, it's in the ether.
14:40It's running around.
14:40It's trying to get away from you all the time.
14:42Hello.
14:44There's my inspiration.
14:47How are you?
14:57Yeah.
15:05Chris Pullman, I believe, invented that.
15:08I've always called it an edger.
15:11Oh, here he comes.
15:16Yeah, buddy.
15:17See how easy it is to invent tricks?
15:36What is this?
15:38Tray flip double foot climb, brother.
15:40Let's try.
15:41No.
15:50Yes.
15:52He can do anything.
16:02My guy.
16:03I did a hiccup, dog.
16:04So sick, though.
16:06I didn't want to be.
16:06Yeah, but you literally just learned it.
16:10Thank you, Richie.
16:11Hey, thank you, man.
16:12That's what it's all about.
16:35So easy for that guy.
16:36So easy for that guy.
16:50We're going to do a firecracker right now.
16:54From the tram, it looked like it was maybe 17 stairs, something like that.
16:58I think it's a little more than that.
16:59I think it's a little more than 17, no?
17:00All right.
17:0020 something.
17:0120.
17:02What's your record again?
17:0325.
17:0425.
17:04Okay, I think it's probably under 25.
17:07What is your record on firecrackers?
17:08That would be 79.
17:1079 stairs.
17:15So you have the record for regular firecracker?
17:18Yeah, but I wouldn't say that.
17:19But yeah, I do.
17:20But I don't.
17:20Well, don't you think that record holding is kind of kooky business to get into?
17:26It looks doable.
17:28Yeah?
17:28It's better than the escalator thing.
17:30It does.
17:3310, 8, 9, 10, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
17:3926.
17:40One above your record.
17:42One above my record.
17:44That's right.
17:45All right.
17:58The cops are coming to talk to us.
18:00Ready?
18:01Yep.
18:11Thanks, Mom.
18:22I think we're going skating soon.
18:26So, round number two.
18:29We're going to try again.
18:31I got really interested in the water features for the floatation devices.
18:35It sort of expands your parameters of what could be a spot.
18:39This is standard operating procedure for a conceptual trick.
18:44We're going to tighten these things down so they don't separate.
18:49Well, we were out and about yesterday.
18:52I believed this one to be empty.
18:55Lo and behold, it's full of the dirtiest water I've ever seen.
18:59Perfect.
19:00We're not even going to touch the water.
19:02So, today we shall see if we're shaolin worthy.
19:05Mmm.
19:16So, it's not easy still.
19:19It's still kind of hard.
19:20But it's doable.
19:21No problem.
19:33Come on, hold on, go away.
19:35Come home.
19:48Probably line one more is coming home.
19:48You're out,
19:48You're out, come on.
19:50Success!
19:53That was awesome, man.
19:57Skateboarding, to me, is...
20:03That's impossible.
20:04That can't be...
20:05Can that be answered?
20:08No, no, no.
20:09Let's have a crack at this.
20:10Let's have a strategy.
20:11How are we going to answer an unanswerable question?
20:15It's a useless wooden toy.
20:17I don't know.
20:18Nobody really cares.
20:19We're the ones that care.
20:21Skateboarding is what we make it.
20:23Yeah.
20:24Alright, that's what it is.
20:25The answer was inside us all along.
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