503. - Kevin "Spanky" Long

All right, this episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by Stateside with Kai and Carter, a new podcast from The Guardian. And they are using this podcast to slow down the news and wrestle with the questions that we all have about what's happening in the world. And they do it three times a week, Jason. Does that sound familiar to you? We don't really talk about, you know, a lot of international global news items and climates and cultures and sports and things like that. We do talk about fashion and wellness, but for everything else, Kai and Carter are a great place. All right, so who couldn't use more news? Listen wherever you get your podcast. or watch on YouTube. How long gone? Back in the motherfucking building. We're still getting back into the groove here. Thank God we have a guest today to kind of keep us on track. I'm always on track. Jason's been hitting the weight bench over there in Glendale. He said he's a little worn out. Is it just because you took so much time off that your body's not used to this sort of exertion? Yeah, it is. I think that's the main reason is I went two weeks without exercising one single bit and getting drunk and eating food. just eating bread for no reason, stuff like that. So, yeah, it's a little bit of a guilt pump, but also the best part of taking a break and having a life reset is getting excited and motivated to do whatever it is you want to do. Whatever that could be, fitness or diet or work or kids or play or whatever it is. So I'm coming at the gym like, you know what, maybe I need to bulk up and put on some, Some muscle, some mass, you know, if you do the same thing over and over again, you're insane. So I'm going to try to switch it up and just see if I can fill out this bird chest, turn it into more of a turkey breast.

chest instead of a, if I'm going to be bird chest, let's get a big one, you know what I mean? Okay, so you, okay, you're going from pigeon to turkey in the bird hierarchy. Okay, this is good. Okay, I like this. I've never heard of a turkey chest before. This might be a Vimgenes original. That's right off the dome. Usually turkey is used to describe something negative, but once again, Jason has flipped a word on his head, he's represented, he's repositioned it, and now it's a positive. I'm a culinary guy. It's a positive, it's a positive. Speaking of culinary, I went to yet another New York TikTok hotspot restaurant last night. Jesus, bro. I know. I've been living the exact opposite life. I've been like a full shut-in, like not even answering the phone for the last week as my fragile body is healing. And you're out there painting the town red. I like it. So you went to another TikTok place where they do... It was the Four Charles. Matcha Pokey? No, Four Charles, the prime rib. uh establishment that is okay um is uh it's like eight tables it's very small very charming um i wasn't look i was like yeah this will be good sure you know what i mean i'm sure all these places are fucking good you know um but this was uh very good i was like I was like, damn, okay. I see why people eat here at 11 o'clock at night because that's the only table they can get. Obviously, we have... This is like a steakhouse kind of spot? Yeah, it's a prime rib. It's a prime rib place, but they had a delicious salad. Obviously, all the raw bar and accoutrement. We had some delicious caviar with actual ruffles. And I thought I heard the guy say they were hand-picked potato chips. And then I tasted it. I'm like, bitch, this is a ruffle. And they're like, yeah, yeah, no, no, it's ruffles, it's ruffles. Yeah, you could blur the lines with hand-picked. We did use our hands to open the bag of ruffles. That's what I said. You hand-picked these from the fucking bodega. I don't think you hand-picked. But yeah, it was actually delicious. But I didn't have any of the... I was with the bear guys, Chris Cooper.

Josh and then Dylan from the Kenny Beats universe joined us as well. So it was me and all the guys. He was in town. So they all had like the crazy burger with the egg and the bacon and the French dip sandwich and all that stuff. It was just really good. I was really impressed. The service was amazing. And they do cut the burger table side. They chop up a pickle. They lay down four plates for the four guys. They chop up a pickle, put a single pickle chunk on each place. What? Then they pierce the yolk of the egg so it begins to run. Then put the bun on with the bleeding yolk. Then cut the burger into fours. Place a fourth on each plate. And then everyone digs in. They're all like, holy shit, this is fucked up. And I guess the thing is the burger is so deliciously rich that you only need a quarter. Like, finishing one would be gluttonous, would be insane if you had a whole burger. That's where my next question was going to go. What's up with only having a quarter? But if they really think so, I mean, I like that level of prescription, of portion prescription, I guess. Restraint. It's restraint. Well, it's not restraint. It's the chef being like, this is too powerful. They're not going to be able to handle it. You know, it's like, I'm not going to put all the fentanyl in this Coke. It's enough to make them feel it on me. We're going to split this fentanyl up into a whole eight ball. We're not going to put it into one bag. One gram doesn't need all the fent. Yeah, okay. So that sounds interesting. I mean, I'm glad that you liked it, and I'm glad you were able to go to a prime rib joint as a vegan person and still have yummy. Well, this is what I tell people all the time, though. I find that steakhouses are really good for pescatarian, vegetarian. I mean, it's like I had a piece of fish. All the sides are fucking amazing. Because these guys, their wives got to eat something. Their wives and Chris Black got to eat something when they go to these joints. Yeah, exactly. And also, I think the real reason why you seem to kind of swim in the steakhouse seas with ease, it's an American menu at the end of the day, right? Goddamn right. Yeah, that... Oh, baby. This ain't no communist-ass meal. No, this wasn't a commie feast. But there was a twist, Jason, that I wanted to talk about that I, like, Cooper...

saw it in my face where, like, my face dropped. Because this is, like, an impossible table to get. It's 730. We walk up. They're like, oh, yeah, of course. You guys are right this way. And they walk us to the shed. The outdoor dining shed? The outdoor dining shed. And I'm like, I thought you guys had juice. You know, the bear, the new season comes out. Like, what's going on? I'm literally looking at Cooper like, I thought you had juice, bitch. Like, what's the deal? You think you know a group of fellas. You think you know these guys. They'd be above a shed. These good-looking, successful Hollywood types, you know what I mean? Like, you know, Blackberry throwers. And then we get in there, and Jason, this was the nicest. This was an ADU-level dining facility. I was blown away. Like, I couldn't believe how well done it was. Wow. Like, it was, like, fully finished. They had AC, wallpaper, full booth banquettes in this thing. how visible from the street like can people is it closed air or is it open air can people spit on you no fully closed it was it was literally like being in an apartment like i was so impressed like they must have spent 250 000 on this like no kidding it was insane it was insane it was so nice so i sat down and i was like you know what i'm gonna give this a chance and then 10 minutes in i was like this might be the actual restaurant is so small this might actually be better This might actually – like it's that nice. It's that well done. So even though I want to say tear down all the shanties, for Charles, your shanty can stay. Well, it sounds like this shanty is nicer than most of our listeners' homes, so maybe calling it a shanty is the wrong word for it. No, it's disrespectful, but honestly, I was like, damn, okay, this really worked out. The meal was good, the company was good, and something that would normally upset me to no end was actually quite nice, spacious, comfortable, and the temperature was well-maintained. I mean, the last episode I said we take two weeks off and Christmas. goes Antifa and now I mean there's a lot of leafs that are being turned with you and it's I mean as the person who is sort of the the yin to your yang or the black to your white or whatever the white to your black I should say you know I can't help but start to feel like I've turned you a little soft or a little nicer or is it just you're hanging out with richer people and they're showing you that life isn't so bad

Let's go with option two. Let's go with option two. Don't worry. I'm still mad, Jason. I mean, there's plenty of stuff that gets me worked up every day. I just think that a situation like this where things are flat. I just don't want you to lose your fastball, that's all. No, I would never lose my fastball. I mean, there's absolutely no way. I've got mouths to feed now, okay? I'm a married man. Yeah, no, I know. Don't worry. I'll never lose my fastball. If you want to bring up something that makes me mad, feel free. I'm happy to go off for a type five on whatever. we need to do i you know i'm open okay i have one i have one idea let's talk about let's talk about gift registry weddings baby showers things like that oh are you talking about what poor people do because they don't want to buy this stuff for themselves go ahead yeah well What is the difference between the GoFundMe and the registry? No, no, no, I'm kidding. Registries are, unfortunately, a necessary evil, and another thing that men are, of course, forced to do. Are they necessary, though, is the question. I think they're helpful to some people who really need things. They're not necessary. Like, I wouldn't give you a wedding gift. My gift was my presents. Yeah, I mean, I understand the practicality of it. You need to have certain things when you get married or have a kid, and I think it's also an antiquated thing when you get married at 21, and I need my blender, and I need knives and forks and bowls and stuff, but when people are kind of older... An interesting, I think, you know, Chris, your love language is gift-giving, and it's sort of, you know, it's taking the training wheels and putting them on the bicycle as you're riding the Tour de France. You're like, I don't like this. I can do it on my own. It's insulting to be like, here, I need you to buy me diapers. It's insulting, but it's also like, I think it's... The problem is, Jason, most people's love language is not gift-giving, and if you don't give them a link to click on with the plates you want, they're going to get you some garbage you don't want. So although I don't think most people – Yeah, but I've never – but if you don't ask for anything, then who cares? Well, most people – that is the thing. I think the registry came to prominence when people were getting married, like you said, at 22 and had never lived in a house alone and needed all the stuff that came with it. Now as we're older, like what do you – I mean unless you're giving me a handful of cash.

i'm i'm kind of all set yeah you know like i'm kind of all set and even then yeah but if don't you have a lot of cool interesting friends who are going to be like hey i really thought you would love this book or i got you this thingy or you know something beyond just the diptyque but you know a thoughtful gift is really special and interesting agreed and i think i think if you have a destination wedding the thoughtful gift once again is is kind of us making it there and kind of showing our love to you guys as a couple So are you fishing for a gift right now? No, I'm not fishing for a gift. It's just, you know, having, as you know, we did not have a registry. Yeah. Don't have enough, whatever it is, chutzpah, self-esteem to ask people for things. That's a little crazy. But we, no, it was just something that I was thinking about recently. Obviously, you know, registry is on the brain as I just got married. I was wondering, you know, there's like all these Curb Your Enthusiasm kind of Larry David moments where he'll take a stance on something and just be like, no, I just don't do that. Is it possible to be like, I'm never going to buy you anything from the registry? I'm just either going to get you nothing or I'm going to get you something that... Oh, definitely. Yeah, definitely. that you that should have is is it possible to just be like a straight up refuser yeah oh for sure for sure i mean i i probably i feel like i will buy stuff off the registry if it's like baby related because i obviously have no interest and don't care so it's like yeah whatever if you want to fucking okay sure there's only so many tiffany rattles you can get right yeah exactly exactly but if it's i mean i don't know i mean i think it's like i think it depends on the person like if you know your friend is a no taste having middle of the road ass bitch, then you've got to get them what's on the registry. If you know the friend has the registry because their chick made them do it and you know that you could do something a little better, then I think it's a risk worth taking, especially in this situation because the idea is you're getting so many gifts, it's overwhelming.

So maybe you're the one that breaks the mold by going off script. Look, like everything else, Jason, it's a calculated risk, and sometimes we've got to take them. Yeah, I mean, the problem is it's something I truly don't care about whatsoever, but it just bugs me. I don't know. There's something about the registry that bugs me. It just takes all the – it's fucking with the condom. Yeah, but you have to – But I think the registry is mostly for like your uncle. Yeah. You know, it's like for the rich. It's like for your rich aunt who would get you something you don't want, but the monetary value would be so high that it would upset you. So you have to give them some bumpers because it's like I want Baccarat champagne flutes because I know you got bread. If I put them on here, you will buy those. Otherwise, you might get me something I really don't want. Because the worst thing in the world is returning something. I don't return things. I take the L. I take the L half the time. I have a pair of pants right here I need to return. It's not going to happen. I know it's not going to happen. I'm going to give them to a friend because I know I'm not going to do it. I just know it's not going to happen. pretend to do it i get the i get the return label from essence i have it on my computer but i'm not going to go to fedex i'm not going to print out i'm not going to put in a box it's not it's just not going to happen so i'll give these pants to kobe he'll get them tailored and look great on him and that that's just what that you know it's a similar you know my my favorite it's a similar kind of thing chris black mode in that same realm is is just the throw it straight into the trash can thing instead of giving it to a friend or whatever because that can often take as much burn as many calories as it takes to... Yeah, effort, yeah. Return it to give it to a friend. I bought this great REM shirt online that I really wanted. The color was amazing. It was so cool. It got here and I was like, oh, it doesn't fit. It says it's an XL. It's not a fucking XL. They lied to me. The vintage t-shirt sellers lied to me. I give it to Kobe. Kobe takes it, gets it hemmed so it fits him perfectly. And then, you know, that's worth $100 to me. I want to see my friends happy. Yeah. That's totally fine. Yeah. You know, I would rather...

I'd rather do that than be like, oh, I've got to go on Grail and see if I can get $50 back. Don't live like that. Don't live like that. Don't live like that. We have a guest today. Legendary professional skateboarder from California, Kevin Spanky Long, who you guys have probably watched. He's been a professional for a very long time. From the Baker Days, America, all of the big sponsors over the years. I'm an artist, and I believe he works at Baker now as an art director. But he's kind of done it all. I watched him... growing up. And I think he's kind of an interesting case because he was like a lunatic party animal skateboarder that was really, really insanely good. And now he's like a dad Highland Park skateboarder who's just as good, but a lot older, a lot older, which I think is really tough because I mean, he's put his body through a lot. So I'm going to talk to him about his kind of rehab program and just see how the how the knees are feeling after all those, you know. board slides at Hollywood High. Yeah, the only question I had on my notes was, how are your knees as well? So we are sort of in sync. This is, unfortunately, an old guy's rule episode of How Long Gone. This is our kind of series, old guy's rule, that we dip into this from time to time. But yeah, and thank you to a friend of the show, Whitmer Thomas, for putting us together, because I didn't want to talk to Spanky for a while and him in. Spanky, It's kind of like a Make-A-Wish Foundation thing. He lets Whitmer skate with him. Because Whitmer is good for a civilian, but Whitmer gets to skate with all these pros because he's cool and funny. And I think that's a really nice thing for these guys to do. Yeah, man. It's a great little transaction. And also, quickly, before he hops on, we should not have put the flyer for our show at the Carlyle on Instagram and Twitter. We apologize for that. But if we have not written you back to the DMs of asking me,

How do I get an invite? Why haven't I been invited? Can I get an invite? It's a small show that we're just kind of doing a little promo thing for friends and family. So if you did not get invited, don't feel too bad because it's very limited capacity. It's not really a thing that we're doing for money or anything like that. It's just like a cool opportunity to do the Carlisle. But we're going to be doing an actual proper show in New York later in the year. So don't worry. Don't be angry. A lot of people are angry. Are they? Yeah, I've gotten a lot of angry. Angry? What are you angry about? Like, what, we can't do something we want to do? Like, what's there to be angry about? No, well, people are mad that, like, you know, hey, how come, like, I can go see you in Toronto or Atlanta or Chicago and pay a ticket, but when you come to New York, I can't come see you. It has to, you know, it has to be some guest list only bullshit or whatever. So to those people. Yeah, we'll be doing a regular show later on this year. Don't worry. There's plenty of opportunities for you to give me money. Well, also, I just want to point out that welcome to the business and how this works, guys. This is just sometimes you do things and sometimes you do other things. So leave Jason alone. That's my final word on this. All right. Let's give Kevin a jingle. Okay. Oh, this is huge for me personally. This episode of How I'm Gone is brought to you by TaskRabbit. Oh, baby, let me tell you something. This is not a joke. I use TaskRabbit a lot because I can't do anything. You need some art hung? TaskRabbit. You need something put together? A cabinet? Got to reach that cheese grater on the top shelf? TaskRabbit. Anything you need, TaskRabbit can take care of it for you. How it works, TaskRabbit connects you with skilled taskers in your area. They can help you move. They can assemble furniture, repairs, yard work, mounting, and more. You can search for a tasker based on cost, skill set, availability, and past client reviews so you know exactly who's showing up and can have confidence that they know what they're doing because taskers have assembled over 3.4 million pieces of furniture, completed 700,000 home repairs.

handled 1.5 million moves, and the numbers are just going up, Jason. Yeah, throw a little money at the problem. It's not so expensive, and that job that you really don't want to do is something that another person out in the world is very good at doing and would gladly do it in exchange for a little bit of money. So when life happens, your to-do list grows. Get ahead of it now and get $15 off your first task at TaskRabbit.com or grab the TaskRabbit app. using promo code howlong. Taskers book up faster, especially for same-day tasks. So book trusted home help today. That is $15 off your first task using promo code howlong with the TaskRabbit app or at TaskRabbit.com. This episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by Squarespace. Obviously, Jason, you and I spend a lot of time on the World Wide Web. So do our peers, our listeners, our friends, our colleagues, maybe even your parents if they're freaky. And if you're doing anything in the world, writing, taking pictures. I do topless boxing. You need a website. Exactly. A website that works, that does what it's supposed to do, that allows you to be creative but also business-minded. Jason, there's one place to go for that, Squarespace. Yeah, Chris, I'm over here. I'm modifying calculators and putting Claude inside of them so you could cheat at school. And I just want a place where I could, you know, have everything all in one place. I can have the SEO tools so those future graduates can find me. And, you know, I'm able to accept, quote, unquote, donations for my services that might be gray area. You know what I mean? And then email campaigns. Hey, I got a new 2.3 version upgrade. Boom, boom, boom. Get the analytics going. Raise some money. Show your investor all of your cool analytics of what's going on. They're going to want to get in early. And we can use Blueprint AI to make your website look as professional as your competition, if not more. So, head to squarespace.com slash howlong for a free trial. When you're ready to launch, use offer code howlong to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or a domain. Kevin, what's up, bro? How are you? What's up, guys? Good to see you. Are you a Highland Park guy? I am a Highland Park guy. That's an interesting choice, Kevin. You want to explain yourself? What's going on? Why don't you have a pool in Studio City, bro? Come on.

Had to go basic on him. I don't know. No, it's not. I mean, Highland Park, Studio City is basic. Highland Park is more advanced, I would say. Highland Park's the new basic. Your words, not mine. Where are you at? I'm in Manhattan right now, but West Hollywood. But Jason's in Glendale. Yeah, Highland Park, I'm fitting in with all the young parents. Not that I'm young, but it's like, you know, people trying to keep the dream alive, but they have kids. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's actually a really good description of Highland Park residents. It's like keeping the dream alive, but still have kids. Yeah, like you want to be in the city, but you want to be like close to the Montessori school. Yeah, I forgot that that still happens because in Glendale, it's like where you want to go to have kids and give up. Yeah. Which is fine. There's nothing wrong with that, but I don't have kids. Everyone is still kind of holding on. The band still might get signed to Sub Pop. The book might get written. We practice once a week still. It could happen. It's not crazy. The new stuff is sounding really good. The new stuff is actually pretty sick. but i imagine you lived in hollywood for a long time you got your fill of that i assume dude yeah i was west hollywood for like fucking so long like 16 years or something how west are we talking kevin like i was i was walking distance from the fairfax like mayhem for most of my adult life. It's funny you say that, Kevin. I'm currently walking distance from the Fairfax mayhem, although the mayhem has turned into more of, I don't know if I would call it mayhem anymore. It's 13-year-olds and their moms. Yeah, it's 13-year-olds waiting for Dolls Kill to get in to buy a black skirt. It's not really quite the same. That's chaos. So, Kevin, back in the Hollywood days, this was when, this was like,

kind of mid 2000s when everyone was like we're we're kind of all around the same age and i was throwing parties back then yeah that was sort of like the peak of of everyone kind of raging i remember you you guys did you guys have a house that was kind of by like cafe 101 or there was like a skate house over there oh yeah the the hell rose house i never lived there but definitely okay we probably ended up at some smelly parties there i feel like you why why why does skateboarders insist on living tend to a house is that a financial decision or is that we just like each other that much i don't know i think I feel like it's got to be a little bit of both, right? Yeah. It feels like the van or something. They think maybe if there's ten of them, one will take out the trash. Sure, sure, sure. The house is just a big van that doesn't move. Yeah. If you're a skater. It's crazy. I don't have to change the oil on this house. It's so sick. Yeah. I mean, bands, obviously, it's a very similar situation. Bands are in a van. They're touring. It's the same idea. There's nothing bands want to do more than get away from each other when they get off tour. They all live separately. They might live in different states just for that reason. But I feel like for whatever reason, at least from my understanding, there's a point in every skater's life where he lives with 10 guys and there's somebody living on the couch for a five-year period minimum. Yeah. Part of that instinct to go away when you're done with tour is being a grown-up. They're either actual kids living together, like in my case, when I was living in skate houses, or they're just like, you know, suspended in that for a while. But yeah, I actually lived in some places in Hollywood, like a couple of places that were where like the shoe sponsor paid the rent, if not all of it, most of it. And then so that was just like. I'm not trying to brag because it was not cool. It wasn't sick. E-America dropped $13.50 a month, man. It was fucking lit. We did have kind of a rodent problem, but it was all paid for. It was good. It's fine. I think when you're in a band, you really need everyone. When you're a skater, you have your teams and your crews and your bros, but it's still a singular thing that you have to do by yourself.

maybe you don't necessarily need as much alone time and you kind of need to be around other people so you can they can be like hey you you should do this and you should do that and motivate this shirt is stupid and no just just to have a group of peers that can be like hey this trick is dumb now we don't do it this shirt you know you gotta you gotta and you guys gotta like bullshit and gossip with each other about all the latest yeah skate tea Exactly, exactly. Do you have any skate tee for us? No, I mean, that is true, though. I guess that's the thing. Because I equate – I mean, skateboarding is kind of like tennis or golf or something where it's like you're with other people, but it's kind of like – I'm sure it gets competitive even though people don't want to talk about it getting competitive. Yeah, I'm sure. I mean, it just depends. Different pockets of skating, you know, it's different. But to your point, like for such an individualist – activity like everyone is is just like relying on everyone around them for fucking what pants they wear what trips they do whatever everything you know yeah yeah yeah it's a trend bait i mean you know yeah like anything else it's like a little bit of like a trend thing even among like friend groups you know it's like all right we're all wearing these pants right now yeah for whatever reason that's the look yeah especially in skating because you can like It's much more inclusive now, obviously, but out of all the things that I'm aware of, you can be written off for the most arbitrary seeming things. That's what I love about skateboarding. It's like, this guy's a fucking clown. It's like, why? It's like, oh, look at those pants, dude. Look at this fucking guy's haircut. Look at his arms. Look at the way his arms are. Look at the way God made his arms or the way he uses his arms when he's doing a cool trick. Yeah, if you don't skate, you're like, what? His arms? Yeah, look at his arms. His arms are all disgusting. Look at Bob Bernquist's arms. This is an atrocity. He's got good arms. Bob, for the record, does have good arms. Let me be clear.

I think there is truth to that, because that's how it is with tennis, for sure. You'll see somebody, and to me, they look like a fucking monster. And then I talked to some expert, and he's like, oh, man. I mean, his feet, he wasn't moving. It was just all wrong. I'm like, really? But he won the fucking point. What does it matter? It's like, yeah, but you got to, you know. And it's very similar. I'm sure landing the trick isn't good enough all the time. Yeah. For sure. You got to put the sauce on it. Got to put the sauce on it. I'm sitting here thinking we're exceptional, but most of these tennis players are probably doing the same thing. Except for in skating, you can be like, what's great about it, too, is you can be kind of penalized for being too good. Because if you do SLS and wear Nike shorts, it's not cool, but you're killing it. Yeah, or just certain... I'm just saying certain... uh, pockets will just kind of write you off because what you're doing is, um, not relatable. Yeah. Yeah. You're too good. Fuck this guy, which is great for my career. Like it's worked out really well for me. I've been doing this a long time. Yeah. But I know what you mean. It's like, it's, it's almost like, but I mean, I think that's, what's so interesting about any, any sport, but skateboarding particularly as like a bystander. Even as someone who did it for fun when I was a kid was never good, but follow it and have friends that do it. The trends are very real, even as far as like tricks go and like style goes. Like when we were, I'm 40, you're growing up, everybody's wearing big pants and doing like, you know, big, big stuff. It's all big. It's like the biggest rail. It's the biggest drop in. And now it's like. guys with fucking their hair parted down the middle in dickies doing like stuff on curbs yeah you know and that's like that it's completely and it's they're both cool but it's funny that that to me those couldn't be more opposite really but like that's how far it's gone in my lifetime yeah i think part of that though is is that that it's gone it's now it's gone so big and technical and far and um it's like a pushback to that

the olympics all that shit oh it's like a it's like a rejection of that basically it's like we're gonna we're gonna go sit in a parking lot like we're 14 yeah yeah but then there's all these like now there's just all these there's a place for everyone there's different different pockets forever yeah did you skate too jason no i did not skate i was more of a bmx bro but i grew up um like a block away from beagle so i used to like film film beagle instead of the other way around but like yeah when we were like 13 we would like skate curbs together but but that's about it in huntington yeah in huntington no yeah i went to huntington high school like during during the time when they had the skate park there and every day at lunch it was just jeff rowley and ed and all those people just like selling decks out of their car and It was a great moment. My brother would, like, cat sit for Ed all the time. Sick. We were very involved in the HB skate world without ever skating. I went to Golden View, Mesa View, and Huntington High School. That's sick. It makes me laugh that Huntington Beach was such, like, the fucking mecca. to be at in that time. You go there right now, no offense to you, but... What are you about to say? I don't know what you're talking about, Kevin. It's a crazy place. No, we talk about it all the time. Don't do that. I mean, like half the schools I went to are like levels on Tony Hawk and now half the schools I went to are like... fox news locations you know what i mean yeah places change i but i always found it i think that's so interesting too because huntington beach is like a suburb that's like an hour away from la too it's like it's you it's kind of like it's not close to anything so i guess it's kind of just its own thing and maybe that's why it became that like people live there right yeah yeah like hundreds of thousands of people live there it's a pretty big city no no i don't mean i don't i don't mean like residents i mean like

If I'm a 25-year-old professional skateboarder in that era, am I living in Huntington Beach because it's like that hot? Yeah. That's crazy. I mean, there's still chillers there, but there's a lot of non-chillers there too. Yeah, you're moving from like Florida or Brazil or wherever, and you're going straight to an apartment with carpet. in huntington oh yeah you're on you're on golden west which is a great i mean look that's a great place for a lot of people but it's a funny place to just end up you know it's very it's very like that's what i mean to be like i'm the best I'm the best kid from Florida. I'm the best skateboarder. I'm getting sponsored. I'm moving to Huntington Beach. I guess it's better than Florida for career purposes. Meanwhile, every single day I looked at the calendar and asked God, Jesus himself, when will I be taken away from this place and brought to a place where... They know who Blonde Redhead is and I can hang out with indie chicks. But during that same time when I was growing up and skating was so huge in early 2000s, late 90s, that was also when UFC was blasting off and Huntington Beach was the mecca for every ultimate fighter. Because there was all the Tank Abbott street fighting bros who looked like... Bradley from Sublime, but were like brawlers. And then every Brazilian jiu-jitsu guy set up their fucking studios in Huntington Beach. Wow. I have no idea why. So Huntington Beach was the hotbed for all kinds of alternative sports is what you're saying. Yeah, that's right. I didn't know that. I had no idea. As well as Nazis. Sure. But I feel like that came later. The weather's so nice. What are you going to do? Kevin, Jason and I were really interested in talking about your body, if you don't mind. Let's talk about it. Just, just, I, I, I, I guess that I've seen. You got knees that don't quit, Kevin. You got a knee. No, I just, I think that like for a while during COVID, I was going to the undefeated gym that's in Silver Lake and there would be, there was a group of skaters that would be there like doing rehab and like working out and like taking care of their body, which I'm sure you were not doing until five years ago, 10 years ago. Like, when did you start to realize like, I can't keep doing this without some maintenance?

Yeah, probably about 10 years ago. But the maintenance has kind of changed over that time. But I was, let's see, at like 27 or about 10 years ago, I was like, I'm done. Like I was like retired. I was checking. And I was like, it's been going downhill for a really long time. I've done it. I'm good. I'm done here. Yeah. You threw in the hat. Yeah. And then with it, without like making this an AA meeting, like I've had to make a lot of fucking changes and then it just, and then, and, and doing all that stuff. Yeah. Like it like changed my relationship to my body when I stopped. raging every single day of my life i mean no that happened that happened to me too i'm sober too and the same thing happened like as soon as you're like well i've got a lot of time i need to feel something for the love of god i don't want to play poker what am i gonna do yeah yeah i don't want to play if i have to play poker with nate walton i'd rather go to the gym so i think i'm just gonna i'm just gonna do that but but no i think that it really is like a but i it must be a lot different for you when you're somebody who's like you have a different relationship to your body because you've been like an athlete, basically. So it's a very different thing. Yeah, but even like in that period, I was so used to for so long treating my body or like in a way trying to just ignore my body because even as a kid, it was just a punk. constantly in pain so i had to like so like i was like ignoring my body for that and then also just like dumping everything in that i could find for 10 years straight every day and then so like once i kind of had a reset i had to i can look back on it now but but at the time i wasn't really aware of this but i was like trying to figure out how to like used my body again yeah and but anyway i just started to see it i just started skating like crazy like you're saying you had all this energy and yeah put it into skating and then it like recovered pretty quickly because it was just like

atrophy like it was all fucked up because I wasn't using it I was so out of shape so like if your body's all fucked up and then you get in shape you can kind of use it again so you're saying you basically you got sober and you were like fuck it I'm gonna go absolutely crazy and you just started skating all the time but it felt different because you're like able to recover yeah and like even though skateboarding It's really abrasive on your body, but it also can be a pretty intense workout. It's great cardio. If you're transferring full-blown drug addiction, new stuff straight into your skating and you feel like a kid again, you're going to get in crazy shape. I felt so much better. I had muscles again in my legs. I love the idea. You acted like you were walking around, like you couldn't walk. You had lost all muscle in your legs. Dude, I was so like a tin man, but like a little grandma. I mean, but why do you think, I mean, I think it's similar with the music business a little bit and our age group where we live through the thing where like, Partying was part of the deal. Like it was like, that was what was cool. It's like, if you are into music, you're in, you're in a band, whatever you do. Coke, you drink vodka sodas, you stay out late. That's like what you do. You know, you gotta be a bad boy. You gotta be a bad boy. And obviously you were part of that with skating. It was very similar, but I just, I don't think that that is not the case anymore. It's like completely shifted where that's like not cool, at least from what I'm seeing, which is, I never thought bullshit, bro. I never thought I would see the day where like a musician's like, talking about taking... They can't go on tour because of their mental health. It's like, do some coke and get out there, bro. What's the problem? But... This is where we're at, and I think society has completely changed. I didn't think I would see the day, I guess is what I'm trying to say. Has the space gotten too safe? Yeah. I mean, once there's any bit of mental health check-in, maybe you just need one little bit of information to not blast into oblivion for all of your 20s. Yeah, sure, sure.

I just think that I glorify it. I can relate it to music because it was like everyone I ever liked, they pushed it. That was the whole thing. It was like I'm a lunatic. Yeah, I'm a fucking lunatic. That's why I'm so good. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. And I think, I guess it was... harder for me to understand with skateboarding because it's so physical so i was like i guess it's but what you're saying is it's partly to like numb the pain because your body feels so bad yeah and just turning yourself into a cockroach you're just like you're just like all around resilience you know what i mean yeah yeah yeah if you can like like roll your body downstairs over and over with not much reward to anyone else in the outside world you're also likely gonna be able to stay up for three nights. I never thought about the cockroach AB comparison, but it makes a lot of sense. I mean, you really have to set up your body mentally and physically to just truly take a beating, like be stepped on by fucking God every day and do it all over again because that's the only way it's going to happen. Yeah, and do the same thing over and over that's really detrimental to your whole life. I know, but that's just always what's cool about it, man. Sacrificing your body part has always been what's, you know, I guess admiral might not be the perfect word for it, but that's just what's always been like when you're a kid watching somebody do it and fall down a set of stairs 50 times. You're like, this person's an idiot. I don't care if they're making money from this or not. But there's something there that you don't see in any other sport, really. And there's still people who are cockroaches, I guess. But if you love it so much, there's easy ways to find that. That's not very sustainable. You can do that. That's why most of us back then were like, oh, wow, you peak at 19 and you're done at 25. Now everyone's... All your 45-year-old friends are still posting every day on Instagram of them skating. Because it's just like...

We talk about this fairly often. Instagram, to me, changed food culture, tattooing, and skateboarding maybe the most. My understanding is back in the day, it's like, all right, yeah, I'm going to skate for basically a year or more to get this part for my sponsor. It's going to go in the video that comes out, and then that's kind of what I do. That's kind of like the whole thing. And now is there sort of like an understanding that to stay relevant, you've got to be putting clips up pretty often? Yeah. I mean, there's just like so many different lanes and approaches you can take. But for the most part, it's pretty known that you got you that like putting something out once every year or even three years like it used to be. That was normal. And like you said, it was like that was just like you're doing your job right. If you have like a Thrasher interview and a video part every three years and fucking do whatever else. Spill your time however you want. Maybe go to like two things throughout the year of like a, you know. events but but anyway yeah it's you gotta do a lot more now like you got your instagram your instagram is like funny and you like have fun with it and it's cool and i think that like it's it's um i don't know i think the approach is like fun and i think that that's it's kind of refreshing because i think it can get like super serious you know like i think it's like you can get like look at me and i think having a little fun with it is is kind of nice and i i i wonder i feel like maybe your perspective allowed you to come to that whereas young people probably can't think about it that way they think about it as like part of their job maybe you know yeah yeah i mean it's definitely it's definitely hard um for a bunch of different age people to get i mean everyone struggles with it right like it's weird to fucking get into that mindset of self-promotion i try i guess i started doing stuff of a different tone tone kind of for that reasons because it felt so soul-sucking to put out stuff of myself all the time but i really like am out there all the time skating and i love it i'm like addicted to it so i'm like okay maybe if i'm like offering something else that's that's like i'm i'm like

putting my back into it a little bit more than just like, here I am. Well, you found a way to tolerate a necessary evil for a lot of people. Shameless self-promotion and posting videos of yourself doing a cool thing every day is something that most... people would consider to be kind of psychopathic behavior. It's like, oh, I'm not some fucking weirdo influencer, but you are at the end of the day, and we are too. It's just with a different packaging. I'm glad that you had the brain power or just whatever it took to be like, I have to do this. It's good for my career. And instead of just whining and complaining about it and being like, oh, tick tock, blah, blah, blah. You know, you found a way that you're like, oh, I have fun doing this the way that I've always lived my life. And it's also good that a lot of people can't do that because then you would be out of a job. Yeah. It's good that everyone is making all these boring ass regular videos and you're not. All right. This episode of How Long Gone has brought you back. Quince. Jason, the temps are warming up. It's getting hot out there. Summer always changes how I get dressed. I need pieces that feel lighter, more breathable, and they're just easy but still put together. I don't want to look like a slob. That's why I keep coming back to Quince. They focus on high-quality essentials that feel and look amazing. Breathable linen and soft organic cottons. Well-made basics but without the luxury markups. That rare balance where everything feels elevated. but still effortless. Yeah, Chris, linen season is here. I wore a linen blazer to dinner a few nights ago in the warm California sun. But, you know, you got that Italy trip coming up this summer and quality European linen pants and shirts. Upgrade that look starting at just $34. You know, if you get a nice linen suit, a little t-shirt underneath it, some chill shoes, you're looking good, but you're staying cool. The inside of your special areas are nice and dry as you turn up with your besties. So elevate that summer wardrobe. Go to quince.com slash how long for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns, even on a nice holiday now available in Canada.

That is Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash how long. That'll get you free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince punto com slash how long. This episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by a new podcast from The Guardian stateside with Kai and Carter. This is covering a lot of our bases, Jason. It's trying to slow down. The news and wrestle with the questions we all have about what's happening in the world. And I know you particularly have quite a lot of questions. A lot of questions. But how often? Because we do this podcast three times a week and that's a sweet spot. How many times do they do? Three times a week. And I have a feeling just based on the platform and these talking points that they're maybe going to be covering different stuff than we do. That's just a guess. The Guardian is not some billionaire owned. They're not afraid to say what they want to say, brother. Yeah, Rupert ain't sniffing around in what journalists Kai Wright and Carter Sherman are up to over there at Stateside. But yeah, listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can watch it on YouTube. It's three times a week. And who couldn't use more news? You know, especially when it's not, you know, from here, let's say. Give it a listen. Give it a listen. Yeah, well, I mean, I appreciate that. But, yeah, you know, it's just everyone who posts their bullshit knows that it's just like a constant struggle. You're like every time. I don't know. I try not to overthink it too much these days. But is the payoff that we have to work a lot harder as skaters on Instagram, is the payoff that we make a lot more money? No. Absolutely not. Let me be very clear. Let me be clear. No. No. There are avenues to where you can make it work as an old aging skater. All of a sudden, you're still in there, and that's where I love it.

But as far as like a one-to-one of how much you're putting in and how much you're getting back, not at all. So I guess then the question is in 2023, that's the year we're in, I guess. Yeah, right? Okay. What does a sponsor actually want from you? Like what are you giving them in return for your monetary gain? Yeah. I don't know yet. You're probably, you're probably like. Like philosophically, do you mean? Or you're talking about literally? No, I guess, I guess what I'm saying is like, obviously they want the connection to you because of your career and what you've done. But it's also like the videos don't work the same. And that used, that felt like the, that used to feel like the job is what it sounds like to me. Right now, right now, no one actually knows. You ask 10 people, you get 10 different answers. But like for what, for the realm we're kind of in, I would say if I was like. If I, if I was like looking for a kid who's doing it right to me, it would be like somebody's putting out a video part once a year, but they're also doing Instagram, but they're doing it very carefully in a way where they don't come off corny and they're not like talking in the camera all the time. They're just like posting videos and sort of like, no offense to anyone talking into the camera. I'm just saying. No offense to corny people. No offense to them. It's okay. Like I said before, it's a good thing that a lot of people are corny at this because you need the one person like you for all the weirdo kids out there who are doodling on their homework and thinking like, oh, I'm not like all these other skater loser jock bros or whatever. It's good that you exist out there. Does the skate industry make less money than it did, you know, like back in your heyday, like when you were 20, when you were 19, at the peak of your body? Is the industry at a whole better or worse? It's tough to say. The industry got like a crazy boom.

during covid like everything just fucking like quadrupled overnight damn i thought i okay so i wasn't the only guy just wearing palace head to toe for three years sick good to know so everyone everyone started a podcast and everyone got a complete in covid is what you're saying yeah yeah they hit cc they hit ccs for the complete during covid and much like some of those dusty ass podcasts that were like two and done there's a bunch of boards in closets somewhere And so it didn't sustain. Yeah, definitely. Thank God. It's like buying a gift card to a restaurant, you know? Yeah, exactly. Just keeping us afloat. So it boomed, but it's like anything else. I feel like snowboarding is a good example, and snowboarding got so big. And now it's like kind of fucked from what I understand. Like it just can't. Like skiing became cool again. Luckily for skateboarding, rollerblading will never become cool. So you guys are kind of safe as far as that goes. Rollerblading's having a comeback. I unfortunately have seen it. And I think that those guys need to get made fun of like they did. A comeback to what though? You know what I mean? Yeah. But you work at Baker, right? Like beyond skating, like you're like an art director or like a designer. Yeah. So you see both sides, you like know the ins and outs from both sides. Like you're in, like you understand like from a financial perspective, how things are going. Yeah. And it's good. And, and so, so with all of that, like it spiked and then it plateaued and, but there's so many companies right now and there's so, so, so many like pro skaters because every, like, You can find out. Everyone's got a following. You know what I mean? There's just so many people out there. For a kid just getting into it, it's so hard to find a lane to make it a living right now. It's super competitive, and there's only so much. There's like 500 13-year-old Korean girls who are better at skating than you are right now. 100%. Countless. And then there's like...

This get this like huge gap of like people who are making a bunch of money, but it's like three people. And then the rest is just like. So just a metaphor for just life in general, just humans on the world in general. The skater middle class has been destroyed. You just have the one percenters out there with the Nike SB deals. I would love to hear who the one percenters are, but I won't put you in the spot like that. But that's who I'm interested in linking with. It's me, baby. You're talking to him in the flesh. You're like, welcome to hell, bitch. It's me. I mean, I, I guess that I, I guess I see it a lot on Instagram, but also in New York, I feel like it's, it's yeah. You know, there's like this new, this new skate shop just opened in the East village. You know, the guy that's, he's like making jeans and it's this whole thing. I saw it everywhere for a little while. And it's just like, damn, like a guy can open a store in the East village to sell jeans and beanies in 2023 because skating is that popular. You know, it's like, it's that, that's where we're at, you know, but do you. The fashion aspect of it has been co-opted so much by the real industry that I feel like it's like the shoes that come out that look like fucking Osiris and they're $1,000 shoes. They were ugly the first time. I think it's nice to kind of... B, have the perspective of, like, damn, it's crazy to see this ugly-ass shoe is now back, but it's Dior, and it's $1,100. And it's just, I can't believe, I can't believe watching young people fall for it, because I did too, I'm sure, in some respect, you know? It's just all, it's all a circle, it really is. Yeah, it is, and there's no, like, on my end, there's no complaints, because I'm... At this point, we've seen it happen a bunch of times. It just goes through these phases. Well, actually, that makes me want to ask you this question. As somebody who's grown up in the industry for a long time, and now you're sort of on the back-end business side of it, creating designs and clothes and shoes and decks and stuff like that, what have you learned over the years? What's one thing that just never works?

Just like a brown shirt or whatever it could be. What's one thing that everyone has just tried to do forever and it just never works? It just never sells? Like a specific thing that never sells? I mean, just like maybe in your personal history, perhaps. I mean, what first came to mind was the one thing that doesn't work is when you figure out the formula and then you don't. keep skating and be out in the streets because you just lose touch of whatever's going on instantly. But as far as specific things, let me think about it. So you mean when people take off, they do really well, and then the only thing they're posting is like, I bought this new car, suck my dick kind of thing, and then everyone's like, well, you're not really the people's champ anymore. Yeah, I mean, it's more, I guess, just like... If someone in the company, if it's a skate company and someone in there isn't on the street skating, then it's just going to, it's going to fall away so quick. I mean, Jason, the beauty of skateboarding is it all works. I mean, people were wearing a shirt with a cartoon flame on it, you know, for like, for the happily wearing a cartoon flame on, you know, people wear wild shit. Like some of the graphics over the years were really insane. Yeah, but Chris, you bring this up all the time. Not all the time, but sometimes where you say, like, I just know that this won't work. I just know that this won't sell. Yeah. So I'm just wondering. Kevin, we had an argument on this show, Jason and I, because he thought we should make like a baby doll women's style T-shirt. And I was like. A T-shirt for a female audience. It's 60-40 demographic, just to let you know, Kevin. And I was like, that just won't sell, I'm telling you right now. And we got into a public argument about it. It was all in good fun, of course. And then I received an overwhelming response from the female listenership that agreed with me. They're like, yeah, we'll just buy a men's small. I don't need something specifically made for me. And I think Jason still believes that he was right. Well, that's the thing is there's no way we'll know.

If it's right or wrong. Unless we take a financial risk, you're right. Yeah, you got to just risk it. That's right. I'm not saying I want to do that, but there's no way of knowing. We get told all the time stuff not to make from sales and that, and this doesn't sell, and it's just always a crapshoot. And if you put something out and you hear a bunch of people like, uh voicing their demand for like you need to make nine inch boards now and then you make nine inch boards nobody buys them they're just like you can't listen to anyone no that's 100 you cannot listen what is the what is the new now what is the cool size board now is it is it a regular you know seven and a half with small wheels are we on big wheels what are we what's the what's the move most people are on like about eight and a half actually not it's like wider wow so it's so it's pretty wide okay okay bigger wheels But it's all over the place. Eight to eight and a half. And then, yeah, like 52 to 56. eight wheels or something. This is good data for when I get my new setup because I want to make sure I look cool. There's like a whole group of people listening to this right now who are like, what the fuck are they talking about? And then there's an equally similarly sized group who are just like, this is the best episode of How Long Gone of all time. They're fucking talking about skate dick wits. This is my Coachella. Or the half of them are like, what's going on? The other half are like, he doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about. There could be part of that. What the fuck do you know, old man? Yeah, what do I know? I'm old. Do you still go on trips and shit, or do you keep it pretty local now that you're like the dad? I still go on trips, but there's just been a lot less traveling lately. It's been nice. I like traveling, but there's just overall been a lot less this year. But yeah, I'll go on a couple big trips a year. But before pandemic, it was like...

Is that what we're calling it? A pandemic? Sure. Before the fucking all that shit. It was like a lot. I was traveling like most of the year. Really? So how does it make you feel to go to the office and shit? This was a decision you obviously made, but was that a hard adjustment to make after being kind of a wild boy who never had to do anything you didn't want to do for so long? It's weird as hell. It's also like a decision I didn't try to make. I was like, kind of tricked into it and then and then i'm like such a accidentally i still don't want to do it yeah i'm like but i'm like a um i'm fucking like like a do-gooder or something like deep down and i'm like not like you know like i'm like a rule follower or something you're a people pleaser teacher's pet yeah i am a teacher i'm a people pleaser in a way yeah okay i don't know or i'm like just trying to i'm trying to work hard or something like if so yeah so i'm accidentally in there and to answer your question it feels weird as fuck like i'm like how often are you going to an office like how often do you go in um it depends on where we're at in the season but and like these days it's just becoming more and more frequent but sometimes it's four four days a week and part of the season bro you got a job you used to be cool you got a job No, I know. I mean, we got a skate park at the thing. Don't make excuses. You're not going to fool me. We have kombucha on tap. It's actually pretty sick. Super strong Wi-Fi. Exactly. I don't like this because I'm actually in denial, so I don't want to talk about this. This is all fun and games, but it is hitting close to home, actually. No, I mean, I think you're able. I mean, obviously, they knew you going into it when they forced you into this indentured servitude. So they kind of knew what they were getting, and they wanted what you got. And, you know, you're going to make this role exactly however you want it to be. And, you know, you're working for Baker. You're not working for J.P. Morgan. You can kind of get a little loosey-goosey with it, right? Yeah, I mean, I actually love it.

doodle shit and put it on boards. We have nobody to answer to. I've been pro for Baker for [redacted address] to land. Also, if I've got to go skate, no one's going to be... All these fucking hats are due. It's chill. How much longer until AI takes your doodling job? Until AI takes it? Yeah. Or have you already started using AI with your illustrations and artwork? No, I mean, I'm sure they have already done this, but they're going to have to teach AI how to draw shitty. You're like, my certain brand of shittiness is very dialed and it's going to take a lot of machine learning to kind of iron that out. Job security for how shitty your artwork is, is what you're saying? Yeah. Did this start because you obviously were like designing your own boards and then it just turned into like, let me do, I'm doing more and more and more? Yeah, it was kind of like, yeah, exactly. I was just designing boards and then... Andrew Reynolds was like, he's the owner of Baker and he just asked me if I could, somebody left and then he was like, could you come in and just like once every, like when the season's coming around, like just make sure stuff doesn't suck, like offer your sort of. And then I just had an office job the next day. That's how they get you. They gave you a little thing with your name on it on the door. They're like, all right, here's your office. We got you a laptop. Like, here's the password. Here's a coffee mug. So the dental plan, the PPO on that one is you're going to need to sign here. I mean, that's pretty. We've talked about this with Jerry when Jerry was on the show, but I think the other thing about skateboarding that's so impressive to me is that a lot of the most popular brands are owned by the skaters themselves, and I can't think of any other industry that has that set up. Literally, your boss is Andrew Reynolds. That's really what's going on. You guys don't have a board of...

trustees like supreme does yeah there's no vf no yeah nobody is it there's no corporate structure or anything it's not it's pretty it's pretty loose right it's fun i mean once you scale too far you lose the sauce yeah you lose the sauce but no i love that you've i love that you've figured out i love the that that this responsibility you're in denial but you go every day and you love it that sounds That would happen to me, too, I think. I think I could see myself and be like, wait a second. I also have a three-year-old kid, and I've been such a loser for my whole life that I just forget. I go to a restaurant and see somebody, and I'm like, oh, sorry, sir. And that kid's like... 10 years younger than me i just like haven't figured out and i'm like so you're calling teenagers sir still yeah and i and i'm like i attend to all of my responsibilities with my child and my job and stuff i just have not figured i haven't like done the switch over in my in my uh the way i look at myself yeah i think that's something that you you think about when you get older and you have a vision of what adults are you know when they're in their 40s or 50s or whatever and then when you're you know in your 40s and you're like oh everyone is at least now is still just like a giant grown-up baby you know everyone is it has having a child like are you is it expanded your your kind of friend group are you forced to hang out with like guys you would never meet yeah shittier people because they have a kid too and your kids get along yeah Next question. I'm kind of into it, though. Yeah, I like because you're expanding your horizons. You're like, oh, this guy's cool. He's a movie producer. He seems cool. A lot of that. Yeah. So you're just I feel like you're just going to keep going. And I'm sort of experiencing some things in my life, the way that you've been talking about him of like, you know, kind of growing up. Not a loser, but, you know.

Not a full, complete person. And then later on in life, some things switch over. You get married. You have a kid or whatever. And then you're like, oh, I need to start making up for lost time maybe or like going into turbo turbo mode. And when you're doing that, you're not stopping to say no to some things. And maybe you don't have work boundaries set just quite yet. So get those boundaries set up or just don't. And then you'll be like president in 20 years or something if you keep going is what it sounds like. Yeah, I feel like you're just going to keep falling. You're like, I met this guy at the playground. I don't know. It's crazy. Yeah, you're going to live to an annoying age, I feel like. You're not going to be skating at 109, but you're still going to be filming maybe. Do a lot of your homies, have your peers that you grew up skating with, have they all kind of gotten it together for the most part? Or did you lose a few along the way to just kind of like, these guys are never going to... never going to grow up. I got to kind of drop the weight. No, most of them were sober when I met them. Really? Yeah, I don't know. Because you were like 16 and they were like 25. Yeah. But a little of both. But I can't think of many homies that I've lost. I don't mean lost. I don't mean lost like they died. I mean lost like... i lost a lot of homies you know but uh yeah i know you gotta cut them off like it just you know we're like this is just not gonna work for me you know like as as we get older it's like i think we've just there's not much commonality here most people like who kind of were in our friend group either yeah they've kind of just got sober because they either they either got sober or died yeah yeah it really like it does it sounds like something dumb shit that like some some fucking um sunset strip documentary but but it is kind of like you got sober you died or you know it's figured something out

Not a lot of people exercising a whole lot of moderation. That's very true. I feel like most people have made it in my life too. I think most people kind of figure it out. I do think that there's a... There's such a possibility to be like a Peter Pan in today's world, especially. I feel like more so in New York than L.A. for some reason, but you can kind of get away with it late into your life. Especially if you're making any sort of money, people don't care. It's totally normal to be like, I'm 45, I have a 22-year-old girlfriend, I'm drunk every night. It's all good. People let you get away with that. It does seem a little harder in L.A. though because you have to be so deliberate and drive and do all these things. It's easy for that all to be right there and just go. Did you ever live here? No. I dated girls who lived there. So I would be there for months on an end and never. I always had a place here. But I was there more than I was here for a while. You were a fly-in. Yeah, I was a fly-in. We've all been there, brother. But I was there like... I would stay the whole winter. I'd be like, oh, this is great. You can't skate? You can just go to the bar all day. It's snowy. Damn, I could go. Okay, so... That's when you know it's bad. It's like my job is to skate. I moved to New York during the winter, so I didn't have to skate. It's so sick I don't have to skate. It's like, sorry, it's snowing. There's nothing I can do, bro. It's just what it is. The only thing I can do is probably just Coke at Max Fish. I don't know. I don't have anything to do. I think that, I mean, New York in the winter by choice is pretty amazing. That says a lot about your state of mind at the time. Yeah. I like to party. Last question. We asked some people this, depending on if they have a partying past. Top three prescription pills of all time. Oh, okay. I mean, I wasn't like a super pain pill head because I knew that would just go. I would say probably...

Adderall was pretty cool because I'm full blown like I'm one of those adult with ADD people so I just like get quiet and like get stuff done Which is also kind of lame, so I don't know. I never understood when people were using Adderall in place of Coke. I was always like, what? Adderall, I don't know. I know it's supposed to be the same, but there's no way it's the same. It just depends on how your brain works. Sure. It makes some people quiet and focused, and then you do so much work that you're not cool anymore. Yeah. And then some people are like, wow, I feel so fucking sick. Yeah. Okay, Addis. Okay, we're in upper zone. Okay. and then yeah probably Xanax and then don't sound so disappointed everyone sounds disappointed when they say Xanax because everyone knows that's not that cool either I mean no shade no shade to Xanax because I'm thinking about the things that were like stabilizing me accidentally and that's not fun I was like about oblivion. Oh, I see. Hey, I want chaos. Okay. I, yeah, that part of it, I didn't under, I mean, that never appealed to me. Like that is not, I want to take 10 Oxycontin and sit on the couch and feel amazing. I don't want to be like, I don't want like a guy like. I read about you. I remember you getting lit on fire. I'm like, I don't want that happening to me. Like, that's just not what I'm, that's not really my vibe. You know what I mean? Well, I guess that's why I didn't see you at the same parties. I like the idea that you're low-key calling me a pussy for not getting lit on fire. One of your boys never lit you on fire? All right, dude, whatever. Yeah, that's a... I mean, Xanax and Adderall are two of the... I mean, those are probably the... I feel like those might be the number ones of all time. Chocolate and vanilla pills. Okay, number three. We got a curveball? What's the sleep one that makes you kind of hallucinate if you don't go to sleep? Ambien. Ambien. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I wasn't good at procuring pills or drugs in general. I was like a drinker, but I wasn't saying no either, but I was like...

Yeah, so I'm not going to put these logos on my NASCAR whip. I like drinking. It's old school. Yeah, it was old school. It's kind of refreshing to just belly up to the bar and stay there until they close. Bars were always a little too dirty for me. Sounds like you wanted to lay on the floor. Oh, yeah. Real dirty. Big floor guy. How often were you taking your shirt off in public after hours? I don't know. Yeah, it was happening. Okay. It wasn't not happening. I do have friends who still get into full frat mode, but I wasn't really doing that. Yeah, that was always something that was so strange to me. I was like, I'm good. We're in public. Everybody relax. Let's take it down a notch. No, I was sophisticated. I'd just try and say something witty. Someone wouldn't understand me, and then I'd fall on the floor and fall asleep in the bottom of it, underneath the bar. That's not being hyperbolic. I just would fall asleep. Like you were a floor guy. I was a floor guy. I was a booze sponge. All right, Kevin. Thank you for joining us. Kevin Spanky Booz Sponge Long, thank you for joining us. No, it was a pleasure, and we've been watching you skate for a long time, so I'm glad that you're still able to do it. Thanks, guys. Thanks for having me. I gave Whitmer a shout-out in the intro, but it's nice that you let... kind of i said it was like a make a wish foundation thing you know where you let kind of like a non-professional kind of hang out with you guys but is it because he brings he brings like comic relief to the table so it's worth it or is there something or is he more of a filmer he drives No, it's just my buddy. I don't know. He's just like, you know. We love Whitmer. That's my buddy. Whit's one of the best of all time. I can't get enough. I totally get it. But I just, I thought that was funny because I see him out there with you guys doing his little tricks, you know. Chris, you're very jealous of me. Yeah. He listens to all my stories. Thank you, Kevin. We'll talk to you soon, bro. Yeah, thanks, guys. All right, man. We'll talk to you later. Later. See you in Glendale. Hell yeah, bro.