State of Skate

From www.emericaskate.com

Braydon Szafranski has a reputation for being one of the coolest dudes in skateboarding and it turns out that he actually is. Coming off a banging last part in the Zero vid, Jamie Tancowny is still completely down to earth and just seems genuinely stoked on things. But rather than write a boring introduction about how hard we bro’d down, or how if you see them you should totally say what’s up, I’m going to write an introduction in Chinglish. In fact, that’s what I’m going to do for each of the Emerica team members I interview during the time they spend in Shenzhen, China filming for their upcoming video Stay Gold.

BRAYDON is recently come to Shenzhen. He play skateboard like a man , and his party is rock star. His skateboard is wonderful and power.  His face has tattoo, but don’t be scary! He very exciteing also , so never be boring!  Braydon come China with friend Jamie Tancowny. Jamie play SB for Zero and just make movie. He is movie star ! He also wear hat that is very Fashion ! I think BRAYDON and Jamie is just great ! They can skating very good ! Don’t you agree ?

SOS: What’s up with Shenzhen?

Braydon: There wasn’t that many skaters, and then in the last year its gotten better. And then they were saying that all the teams are starting to come out here and whatever, so… Like, I’ve heard this is the new spot to be, dude.

SOS: Well, that was one of my questions: Have you been out here before?

Braydon: No.

SOS: I think a year ago, two years ago, there weren’t as many Chinese kids skating.

Braydon: Oh, I could see that. But that’s also pretty much anywhere, but yeah.

SOS: Now they’ve got these things, they’re like not even skateboards, they’re these squiggly things…

Braydon: Yeah, last night there was grips of people rocking those things.

SOS: I think it’s a step towards skateboarding.

Braydon: You know what it is? Kids just need to see somebody do something on a skateboard, they’ve just never seen it. I remember when I first seen my first kickflip, I was like, oh my God, that’s the coolest shit I’ve ever seen, I have to do that. And like, last night we were at these big plazas, there was a bunch of kids running around on those things, we were thinking that, yeah, watching us skate and whatever, maybe that will inspire them to go get a skateboard.

SOS: I think a problem is that this is the only skateshop in Shenzhen.

Braydon: Yeah, that’s what they were saying. It doesn’t really have much.

SOS: I don’t know how the Chinese wood is.

Braydon: I mean, most wood comes from here though.

Braydon: (Asks Jamie Tancowny) Does Zero get their wood from China?

Jamie: Mexico.

Braydon: Deathwish it’s the same thing. Baker I think gets their wood from China. Pharmacy.

SOS: Dwindle.

Braydon: Dwindle.

SOS: What about Emerica shoes? You guys got a factory out here?

Braydon: Yup.

SOS: In Shenzhen?

Braydon: Hong Kong. I think.

SOS: So, Jamie, you just finished the Zero video and got last part, curtains. How do you feel about it?

Jamie: Ummm, Pretty stoked it’s over with.

Braydon: Killed it!

Jamie: Thanks buddy.

SOS: And you came out here last year sometime to film?

Jamie: Yeah, I think almost a year ago now. Last March I think.

SOS: What’s your favorite spot in the city?

Jamie: Probably the woop de woop spot. That’s like, the funnest spot.

SOS: That’s a one-of-a-kind spot, ya know?

Braydon: It was just a party when we were there last night. We got like, three twelve packs, kept on buying corn. There was all these people everywhere doing, whatever, whatever. That was like a cool party. We just hung around and skated all night. And then after everyone skated we just chilled for like, an hour and a half and just drank beers. It was so relaxing, and so many people watching, like whatever.  I love it out there, that was a cool spot.

SOS: It’s fully a night spot. I’ve tried to skate there a couple times during the day and it’s just too hectic.

Braydon: Last night it was hectic. There was people everywhere, a lot of little rollerblader kids.

SOS: Yeah dude, the rollerblades have taken off here.

Braydon: I didn’t even know that shit existed anymore.

Jamie: I saw this one dude rollerblading down the highway the other day.

SOS: When you came out here last year did you see as many rollerblades?

Jamie: I can’t really remember.

SOS: When are you guys getting out of here?

Braydon: I think the 25th, today’s the 20th.

SOS: You’ve skated all the spots that we know from videos?

Braydon: Hell no, ’cause there’s so many fucking spots out here, we get like half a block, and then, “Oh my God, there’s another one!”

Here is Jamie’s part from the recently released Zero Video, “Strange World”.