Jeremy Wray Interview

Hi Jeremy, how are you doing?

 

Doing good. And you?

 

 

Where have you been the last couple of years?

 

I've been here in Placentia California skating local spots with my friends.

 

 

How old are you now?

 

37.

 

 

 

Frontside noseslide, Monument Valley, Utah, USA. Foto af Jody Morris.

 

 

When did you get your first pro board?

 

My first board came out in 1993 I believe, with Blockhead Skateboards.

 

 

Which board companies have you skated for?

 

Blockhead, Color, Plan B, Element, and now Wray Bros brand.

 

 

Can you tell us the short version of what happened between you and Element?

 

They pretty much just moved on and shifted focus onto their next generation of riders. All of my opportunities with them just dried up and faded away over the years until they really just stopped involving me in any projects they were working on, any ads, or any trips. It happened very gradually. 

 

 

Følgende trick var ikke godt nok til en Element-reklame:

 

 

 

You are starting a new skate company, right?

 

Yes. My brother and I made the decision to start our own company. We chose the name Wray Bros brand because we want to take pride in our products and designs and by putting our family name on them we are guarantying quality.

 

 

What´s the role of the company in the skateboard world?

 

Our role will be to protect what is sacred in skateboarding and not let the corporations and businessmen reign supreme. Take control back into the skateboarders hands and do it our way.

 

 

Who is going to ride for you?

 

Right now it's me, Jonas Wray, Paul Luna, and Pat Channita. Kris Markovich has expressed interest in working with us too.

 

 

Are you going to do a Ben Schroeder board?

 

We want to do a fundraiser deck for Ben to help with his hospital bills for his broken leg. He's one of the skateboarders we respect that really needs some support right now and we want to help out in any way we can. 

 

 

I´m not doubting that the 30+ crowd are going to buy your boards, but what about the younger skaters?

 

We will have something for everybody to ride. I'm not worried about relating to the kids. Most of our designs will be family friendly, so the dads and kids will both be able to dig them.

 

 

 

 

Frontside Ollie, Arizona USA. Foto af Jody Morris

 

 

Are you making a video?

 

We are working on a promo right now with a full length video to follow.

 

 

Have you ever been too scared of a spot to skate it?

 

I'm pretty good at putting fears aside if there is something I really want to get, but I'm also a good judge of when to take risks and when to walk away.

 

 

Have you tried the mega ramp?

 

Never have. I've never actually seen one in person.

 

 

Have you ever been to Denmark?

 

I have been to Denmark. Back in the 90's for some skate tours.

 

 

Could you please come and skate at Copenhagen Pro 2013?

 

That would be awesome. If one of my sponsors would send me out there it would be a lot of fun.

 

 

When you ollied the water towers, did you ever think about the consequences if the shit went wrong?

 

You have to think of the consequences before doing anything like that. Then you have to overcome any fear or doubt and focus all of your attention on doing exactly what needs to be done to accomplish what you are setting out to do. Nothing else matters.

 

 

 

 

Did you sweep the towers before ollieing them?

 

Just with my feet.

 

 

Do you have a holy grail spot that you haven´t skated/ollied yet?

 

A few actually. Some are just really far gaps that no one has done yet. I would like to start crossing them off one at a time in the near future.

 

 

 

 

Hip Ollie. Cabazon, California, USA. Foto af Jody Morris

 

 

Do you have what it takes to keep up with the young guns?

 

At this point I'm really not going to try to compete with the young bucks. I've been there and I was one of them. I just want to be the best I can be and not worry about what anybody else is doing. I can still do some things that few other skateboarders, even the youngest and most gifted, are not capable of. Of course, they can do some things I can't do either. Everybody has their place in skateboarding and I know mine.

 

 

What´s the secret about great pop?

 

Timing and control. Years of skateboarding definitely help. The more you skate, the higher you can pop your tricks. If you start to lag and not skate as much, your pop is the first thing to go.

 

 

Do you have any drug habits?

 

None whatsoever. I'll have a drink with my friends and family every now and then, but that's it for me.

 

 

Compared to some of the other mid-nineties rippers you seemed to mostly let your skating do the talking. Was that intentional?

 

Always. I didn't want to be a cartoon character or TV personality. I wanted to be known for my skateboarding first and foremost.

 

 

Who is your favourite skater? 

 

I've had many favorites over the years. Too many to list. I tend to gravitate toward the more artistic skaters though. Some of my favorites are Mark Gonzales, Natas Kaupas, Lance Mountain, Ed Templeton and many many more. On skateboard skills alone, probably Guy Mariano, Eric Koston, Mike Carroll and early Jovante Turner.

 

 

 

 

Ollie over begge rails, Texas USA. Foto af Daniel Covarrubias

 

 

Which trick are you the most proud of having done?

 

I felt a real sense of accomplishment when I ollied the Sports Arena Triple set in San Diego. And of course the Water Tower gap. I had been looking at both of those spots for years and waiting for the right time to do them.

 

 

It´s hard to understand the size of Hubba Hideout without having been there in person. Can you please explain?

 

Hubba was really tall to get onto. It really separated the men from the boys. Once you got used to it though, you realized that anything was possible with enough speed and enough pop.

 

 

How many trips to the Hideout did it take to film your tricks in Second Hand Smoke?

 

I'm not exactly sure, maybe 3 trips to SF? We used to skate it every time we went up there. Super fun and challenging spot.

 

 

 

 

 

The line at Carlsbad went down after a few tries. It was actually the 4th try making it to the gap that I landed the frontside flip. It was Danny Way's idea. I was filming lines from the stairs then making a right to the legde at first. Then Danny said, you should just do a line to the gap. I said ok, and gave it a shot. That is Rodney Mullen doing the freestyling in the background. Classic. 

 

 

Any advice for the kids?

 

Just to keep skateboarding if you love it, no matter what friends and family have to say about it. The more you do it, the easier and funner it gets. Nothing else will do more for you in your life than that little piece of wood beneath your feet.

 

 

Anything else?

 

Look out for the Wray Bros brand and help us bring skateboarding back to what it should be. Fun with your friends. That's it.

 

 

 

 

Venstre mod højre: Jeremy Wray, Jonas Wray, Paul Luna. Powerslides, Monument Valley, Utah, USA. Foto af Jody Morris.

 

 

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