I am professional skateboarder Richie Jackson - AMA!

I saw the interview with the Illusion. What made you interested in all deep philosophical stuff and how does it tie into skateboarding?

Edit: I drew you something and I applied the "hipster" filter to it http://i.imgur.com/eAw3DJO.jpg

Thanks for the inspiration. I'm a big fan

Wow, I fucking love it. Thanks so much... top notch piece of art my man, consider it instagrammed.

Skateboarding is probably about as deep as it is shallow... Thinking and talking about it is almost as fun as doing it.

I heard rumors that you were filming for a video that featured you and Wiilliam Spencer. Is that true?

Parkourskater would ask this! Yes, there's some substance to that rumor. I just spoke to William today. We were looking at doing a video together, something along the lines of "Richie Jackson vs William Spencer" with the ultimate goal of trying to out-weird one another. Unfortunately we got pulled in different directions and ended up working on different projects, so we haven't gotten around to that one yet. Will just wrapped up work on the second spiderman film. He's a busy man!

What has been your worst accident to date?

I once swallowed my keys and had to get an x-ray.

how did that happen?

I'm not sure man... the footage is in here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifEXvxX0W2o

What is your proudest skateboard accomplishment?

Also what's your favorite Christmas song?

I feel this is a weird enough one to start off with. I can say with absolute certainty that my favorite Christmas song is "Fuck Christmas" by American 1980's hardcore band "FEAR".

Damn man i hope i'm not too late. you are one of my all time favorite skaters. i showed your death parts to friends and that is what got them in to skating. i remember being in active shop and seeing your and now part and going straight out side to try wallies. skating with you is one of my dreams. so here are my questions:

1) your feelings on Ishod and SOTY?

2) all time favorite skater and video?

3) how old you are you?

1) Deserved for the DEATH song alone... sheer brilliance and a perfect fit. "Deserved" is such a crazy word to throw around, that or "Doesn't deserve"... shit is madness to me but for the purposes of the exercise I'll play along...

2) Right now, Gou Miyagi in Video Nasty.

3) Twenty-Eight... I think.

https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/599058_10151361016638380_1216845695_n.jpg Do you think something like this could ever happen? Not necessarily these guys or through Transworld but an entire professional video that is just creative skating? Maybe someone like Brett Novak could make it?

That could definitely happen, although I'd change the title to "The Best Skateboarders In The World"

Are there any trick ideas that you have written down in your trick book that are just to ridiculous to do? In a difficulty sense not a weird tricks sense. If so can you try to describe one?

Hahaha, yes absolutely. Sometimes I look back at the things I've written in there and laugh at how utterly stupid and impractical they are... the funniest ones are the ones where I've done a little illustration to go with it. "Hang Ten Nose Natas" comes to mind...

Is it true you have some connection with New Zealand?

Yes... I was born in Auckland, New Zealand and lived there until I was 12. My next door neighbor's yard was a paddock full of sheep.

Thanks for doing an AMA! I love your skating, you're one of my favorites, together with Shane O'neill, William Spencer, Rodney Mullen and Patrick Melcher. Your latest part was awesome, and I have some questions for you.

1. What will you do now that your part is done?

2. If I remember correctly you and Patrick were good buddies, what is he doing right now? Will he come with a new skate part soon?

3. What is your favorite trick on flat?

Thank you pal.

1) Film another part

2) Patrick is around, I'd love to skate with him again soon. Melch, if you're seeing this, call me.

3) Tre flip, without a doubt.

Hello Richie

• What does it mean to you, practically, to be a pro? Well, other than having a salary. Also, did you manage do live off it even before having a board model?

• Are you that kind of guy that almost always has his board with him?

• What exactly went down at the Sydney Grammer School?

• Are there any tricks you find really overrated?

Keep up your amazing skating, keep having fun!

Yes, I am the kind of guy that almost always has my board with me. Growing up there was the odd occasion where I had the option to take my board with me for the day but didn't, and those would almost always end up being some of the worst days, hahaha.

[deleted]

Don't do what you don't not want to don't do.

Richie Jackson! You are definitely one of the most creative skateboarders. I want to know how long it took you to learn to slide down that escalator?

Thanks man! As for the escalator... who cares... it's been totally one-upped.

Check out 3:12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9hTGdg7VfM&feature=c4-overview&list=UUT_4wC3Tp9jRp7ZBk7m4XZw

Hey Richie, you ever meet the pro snowboarder LNP?

I haven't... seems like a nice enough young man though! Where are you at LNP? Let's get drunk...

Hey Richie, thanks for doing this! I first saw you in And Now and thought it was one of the coolest parts I've ever seen. How was filming for a Transworld video and going on trips with dudes you might have never known before?

What's your favorite video part of someone else?

What's your favorite of your own video parts?

Who are your favorite skaters right now vs. all time?

CAN I JUST MENTION THAT I AM REALLY ENJOYING THIS THING, GUYS! All these questions are great... if people are asking multiples I'm just gonna go with any that I think I can answer. Larry Cripples... My all time favorite from days gone by is the Santa Cruz Natas section that opens with the Hydrant spin. There's a vibe in there which is hard to beat... the fact that this man obviously lived in Santa Monica and was simply exploring his immediate surroundings seals it for me. The trick-on-every-continent approach to video parts which came later is also super awesome in it's own way, but Natas exploring his neighborhood and using a localized template for infinite possibility really stokes me out. That part was a massive inspiration for "Promotional Film". Since I moved to the Venice / Santa Monica area I decided I wanted to do the same thing... just head out on my board and interpret the little things I found.

I haven't watched a skateboard vid in years but that darkslide looking spin was really nice.

Do you not fancy doing rails or is that something you just didn't do in this vid? Just wondering because I quite like this flatland stuff more than rails or vert.

Hey man... the way I feel about it is that human beings have the handrail skating game fucking covered, don't they? I feel it'd be pointless for me to jump into that world... Rodney and Daewon showed me that you didn't have to do it if you didn't want to, and I didn't want to. Hahaha.

First off, love watching your skating. It's great to see your style in an industry being smothered in giant hand rail skating. I was wondering, what got you into skating in the first place? Like the first video you saw, or the first skater to influence you if any has.

The first skate video I ever saw was Rodney vs Daewon Round 1... followed in close succession by Shorty's Fulfill The Dream and Birdhouse The End. My buddy Alex lived up the street and his parents were rich so they'd bought him every single video. I sat in his living room taking it all in, without a fucking clue what I was witnessing... I couldn't name 99% of the tricks but knew I was seeing something that I immediately loved.

In hindsight... total douche move. Sorry, dude.

http://rstnpiss.tumblr.com/post/19158899773

All good man, it probably happened in one of our drunken stupors.

Richie, you have an amazing and creative style, that being said, what is a trick that you can't do?

Thanks man, much appreciated!

The answer to your question is...None. I can do everything.

How do you feel about Forrest Edwards giving Rob Brink shit and calling him gay on weekend buzz in reaction to you two having a quick smooch? I felt bad that Rob Brink was getting such ridicule considering he seems like such a great dude.

My favorite part was when Forrest finally gave up the act, fell silent and stared deep into Brink's eyes, before sweeping him off his feet into a tender embrace + extended makeout. At that moment I was proud of what I had set into motion. Of course there's always a slim chance that none of that actually happened... I tend to make up my own video when I get bored.

So... why skateboarding?

I wonder the same thing often. The best answer I can give is that we seem to have stumbled into the closest approximation of freedom available to us. If freedom is the lack of external structure, we have access to something like that here... skateboarding is not so much a structure as a body of knowledge. I like that you can build on it, but you aren't bound by it.

Dean Palmer, Cameron Sparkes, Schooner. Fuck one, marry one, kill one. Go.

Fuck Dean, Marry Schooner, Kill Sparkes.

Noticed your FB photos were taken in Seattle but, didn't notice any footage in your part. Did I miss it or, if not, why were you up here? Definitely lots of interesting stuff to skate here I'd think you'd be into.

Hey man. That was in 2008, I was up there on a filming trip for And Now. I stayed at David Gravette's place. I liked Seattle... reminded me a bit of my hometown of Auckland in a weird way.

What's your opinion on the way that skateboarding is being presented to the mainstream(Street League, energy drink sponsors etc)?

I have absolutely no problem with it at all. I hear people proclaim the imminent death of skateboarding is upon us, but as all of that shit keeps charging onward it almost seems to open up a creativity vacuum for freaks like myself, William Spencer and Gou Miyagi to fill. I think that model of left-brained skateboarding actually exacerbates what happens on the other side.

i would like to thankyou for the amazing video part, and i would like to ask you how long it took you to learn darkslide natas spins ?

Thanks buddy, I really do appreciate it. I'm calling that one the Satan Spin, and the first one I landed was actually about 7 years ago. I've always wanted to get a decent one on film and release it but things would always get in the way. It was freaking me out a tiny bit.. it seemed cursed. Every time I would do one, there would be something shitty about it... the tape would glitch or I'd roll away too slow. I finally had enough of the developing superstitious vibe and made sure I finally got it and released it for this section.

You wear hippie gear and seem to specialize in hippie jump/flip tricks. Please comment on that.

It seems to be some kind of unfortunate accident.

What company first turned you pro? Was it your first sponsor?

And

When you first started skating, were you trying the basics? Ollieing gaps, learning grinds on boxes/rails, rock to fakie on tranny etc.

Or did you go straight to firecrackers and trees flipping in ans out of them?

Death Skateboards, and yes, they were my first sponsor.

Definitely studied the basics as a hopeless grom for many, many years.

Richie you don't seem focused on material goods nearly as much as 90% of the skateboarding industry. Does this ever cause you to feel any alienation in the skateboarding world? or are there still plenty of skaters who are ideologically strong with things to talk about other than money and skating? also Your view on hallucinogens makes me a happy camper, Its amazing to see lsd used for art and creation.

For sure. I never admitted this before at the risk of appearing out of touch, but... fuck it... I don't know what Diamond Supply Co, or "The Hundreds" is... possibly some types of cake?

Mind giving some feedback on my drawings right here? By the way, you fuckin inspired me when I saw you skate down that escalator.

Excellent... the depressed basketballer could move about undetected in the Sickanimation.com universe.