Beyond Boards

Episode 126 with Zach Condon, skateboarder and musician, leader of the band Beirut.

Together we discussed his life and career, from growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he picked up his first board in the late 90’s; from the ages of 9 til 16 years old skating every day and obsessively watching skate videos; around the same time music becoming another very strong interest, so much so that it eventually became his main focus and skateboarding took a backseat; starting the band “Beirut” in the mid 2000’s as a tribute to the Lebanese capital where the east and west meet and cultures collide, a symbol of his very eclectic music inspirations; putting out numerous amazing albums throughout the last 20 years, gaining international and critical acclaim, some of their songs even appearing in skate videos, most famously in Mark Suciu’s masterpiece part “Verso” in 2019; to keeping an eye on everything skate related despite not really skating anymore since music became his profession.

(00:13) – Intro
(01:25) – Starting skateboarding
(05:44) – Baker 2G/Pixies
(08:00) – Developing an interest for music
(11:51) – Being introduced to new music via skate videos
(13:42) – When did music “surpass” skateboarding in your life?
(26:14) – Why do you think skateboarding “clicked” for you in your teen years?
(28:40) – Creating an album vs. a video part
(31:24) – Working on “A study of losses”
(42:59) – Scoring films
(47:32) – “Crunch time” wrapping up an album
(50:42) – Unusual instruments
(56:28) – The “window”
(01:02:46) – Favorite skater-musicians?
(01:07:04) – Favorite skater-song pairings
(01:12:18) – Getting to know Mark Suciu
(01:15:29) – Other skate videos his music is featured in
(01:17:00) – Skate media consumption these days
(01:21:50) – The “necessity” of having an Instagram account
(01:27:51) – Mental health issues while touring
(01:34:40) – Living between Berlin and Norway
(01:41:32) – Surprise questions from friends
(01:41:38) – Patrik Wallner
(01:53:31) – Casper Clausen from Efterklang
(02:00:50) – Rasmus Stolberg from Efterklang
(02:02:37) – Nicholas Petree
(02:09:10) – Mouse on Mars
(02:11:43) – Chris Stein from Blondie
(02:14:22) – Alma Har'El
(02:17:03) – Jan Pivoňka
(02:24:51) – Viktoria Dalborg
(02:33:19) – Conclusion

For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards

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Episode 125 with Silas Baxter-Neal, professional skateboarder from Eugene, Oregon.

Together we discussed his life and career, from growing up in Eugene where he started skating in the mid-90’s; getting flowed Powell boards through his local skateshop and in the early 2000’s at the age of 18 deciding to move to San Francisco to go all in on skateboarding; eventually getting on Habitat through his friend and long-time Habitat team manager Brennan Conroy; in the next few years moving around quite a bit between Denver, California and Chicago before he and his wife decided to settle down in Portland, Oregon to start a family together; being well known in the industry for his powerful and versatile skating, as well as his productivity, putting out several amazing video parts throughout the last 25 years; to nowadays in his early 40’s living his best life, skating better than ever, raising his kids and enjoying the many outdoor activities Portland has to offer whenever he isn't gone on a trip somewhere through surprise questions from friends of his.

(00:13) – Intro
(01:25) – Tucker Glasow
(03:20) – Caswell Berry
(09:53) – Javier Sarmiento
(15:25) – Adam Crew
(18:16) – Sean Holboke
(20:10) – Tristan Brillanceau-Lewis
(24:30) – Kaspar Van Lierop
(35:23) – Joe Castrucci
(46:12) – Brennan Conroy
(46:59) – Cairo Foster
(52:13) – Jeremy Tuffli
(01:02:49) – Marius Syvanen
(01:07:28) – Torsten Frank
(01:18:33) – Jascha Muller
(01:20:30) – Justin Albert
(01:27:30) – Mike Falco
(01:32:00) – Joe Brook
(01:37:40) – Mike O’Meally
(01:39:23) – Tony Manfre
(01:41:25) – Ken Goto
(01:47:23) – Laurence Keefe
(01:59:29) – Takahiro Morita
(02:05:05) – Joey Pepper
(02:09:47) – Brian Delatorre
(02:17:41) – Conclusion

For more information ans resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards

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Episode 124 with Ben Koppl, professional skateboarder from Morro Bay, California.

Together we discussed him growing up in Morro Bay where he started skating in the early 2000’s; at the age of 17 moving up to Seattle, Washington where he studied linguistics, literature and Spanish; in the following years traveling all around Europe and Japan among other exciting places; through these travels developing an amazingly creative and unique way of skating which makes him stand out strongly in an increasingly standardized global skateboarding landscape; after working for Seattle public schools for a few years, moving down to Oakland, California with his wife Zoe in 2024 for him to start grad school at Cal State East Bay for Speech and Language Pathology so he can become a speech therapist and much more through surprise questions from friends of his.

(00:13) – Intro
(01:25) – Starting skateboarding
(08:00) – Chris Koppl
(29:31) – Arno Wagner
(43:06) – Jake Alexander
(48:59) – Alex Cooper
(53:18) – Shinsaku Arakawa
(01:01:49) – Léo Valls
(01:12:56) – Charles Myatt
(01:27:20) – Rémi Luciani
(01:43:53) – Thomas Campbell
(01:49:01) – Bastien Regeste
(02:08:08) – Matthew Bromley
(02:13:01) – Liisa Chisholm
(02:16:38) – Cody Wilber
(02:21:38) – CSEF
(02:24:46) – Dane Ichimura
(02:28:37) – Zoe Kasperzyk
(02:37:49) – Conclusion

For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards

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Episode 123 with Matt Rodriguez, professional skateboarder and artist from Sacramento, California.

Together we discussed his life and career, from growing up in San José, California and moving to Sacramento at the age of 11 right as he was picking up his first skateboard; after getting flowed Chapter 7 boards for a little while, getting on Stereo Skateboards thanks to Tommy Guerrero who recommended him to Chris Pastras and Jason Lee; filming parts for their iconic videos “A visual sound” and “Tincan Folklore” in the mid-90’s in which his unique style and trick selection shined bright; along with Matt Pailes and Matt Field launching the iconic shoe brand IPath in 1999; to playing music for over 2 decades in the bands the Sacramento Storytellers as well as the Blktop project and much more through surprise questions from friends of his.

(00:13) – Intro
(01:25) – Tobin Yelland
(07:00) – Josh Lippi
(11:34) – Chris Pastras
(18:08) – Greg Hunt
(20:27) – Shawn Mandoli
(23:01) – Matt Pailes
(24:14) – Mike Rafter
(28:24) – Nate Jones and Fred Gall
(30:23) – Bigfoot
(31:09) – IPath reboot
(38:11) – Joe Brook
(41:05) – Birth of Blktop project
(42:40) – Chuck Treece
(43:35) – Ray Barbee
(51:19) – Mark Whiteley
(01:04:36) – Jeff Toland
(01:07:12) – John Cardiel
(01:22:17) – Thom Van Der Heijden
(01:26:29) – Casey Lindstrom
(01:27:11) – Tommy Guerrero
(01:30:25) – Mario Realegeno
(01:34:41) – Greg Carroll
(01:40:51) – Brian Delatorre
(01:45:57) – Conclusion

For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards

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Episode 122 with Denia Kopita, skateboarder from Athens, Greece.

Together we discussed her life and career, from growing up in Athens, Greece where she picked up her first board at the age of 18 in the mid-2010’s; since 2020 being involved among other things as a skate instructor and communications manager at Free Movement Skateboarding; working as the online manager for Skateism, a diversity skate magazine between 2020 and 2022; since 2024 working as a community specialist at Skateistan; in between travels to attend a skate conference somewhere, spending her time playing soccer for 2 different teams and organizing the Filika skate meets: a safe space for non-traditional skaters in Athens; and much more through surprise questions from friends of hers.

(00:13) – Intro
(01:13) – Danae Polycarpou
(04:46) – Denia Nicolas
(10:20) – Ruby Mateja
(15:56) – Rémi Luciani
(22:03) – Raisa Abal
(26:34) – Mina Kalogera
(28:56) – Oliver Percovich
(32:18) – Viktor Telegin
(34:11) – Will Ascott
(36:08) – Makke Bengtsson
(43:06) – Dave Morgan
(46:33) – Indigo Willing
(50:02) – Daniel Clarke
(55:14) – Harry Meadley
(59:24) – Oisin Tammas
(01:06:47) – Neftalie Williams
(01:12:02) – Natalie Mavrota
(01:21:29) – John Dahlquist
(01:26:17) – Conclusion

For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards

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Episode 121 with Harry Meadley, skateboarder and artist from Leeds, England.

Together we discussed his life and career, from growing up in Leeds where he picked up his first board in his early teen years; quickly becoming very embedded in the Leeds skate scene through starting his website “Don’t mess with Yorkshire”, and writing for Sidewalk magazine; going to art school as a young adult and for quite some time keeping his skate and art life separate, with skateboarding eventually taking a step back; in the late 2010’s reconnecting with skateboarding, even filming his first full video part at 35 years old for Joe Allen’s “Pétanque”; finally bringing his two worlds together, in 2023, by developing Civic Skateboarding, a skateboarding arts festival in Leeds that focused on making street skating more inclusive for marginalized skaters; to successfully completing a PhD in socially engaged skateboarding in 2025 and much more through surprise questions from friends of his.

(00:13) – Intro
(01:25) – Rachel Meadley
(06:23) – Lucy Evans
(13:14) – Tom Brown
(21:28) – Ben Powell
(25:08) – Farran Golding
(34:24) – Joe Allen
(44:21) – Indigo Willing
(49:11) – Lee Dubin
(52:05) – Laura Long
(01:03:14) – Chris Lawton
(01:13:54) – Sarah Oglesby
(01:21:46) – Jack Lovell
(01:25:48) – Gerard Roberts
(01:32:17) – Ruby McMullen
(01:34:24) – James Kelly
(01:35:34) – Tom Meadley
(01:40:41) – Natalie Porter
(01:46:05) – Brian Glenney
(02:04:53) – Esther Sayers
(02:09:37) – Paul O’Connor
(02:12:35) – Sean Ashton
(02:17:01) – Izzy Almond
(02:18:43) – Conclusion

For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards

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Episode 120 with Leo Baker, professional skateboarder and musician from Covina, California.

Together we discussed his life and career, from growing up in Covina, California where he first stepped on a board at only 2 years old; since his early teens making a strong and lasting impression on the skateboarding industry and landscape thanks to his unique style and trick selection, as well as a very solid competition track record; in the late 2010’s deciding not to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics anymore and coming out as a trans man, a brave and inspiring journey which was captured in the 2022 Netflix documentary “Stay on board: the Leo Baker story” by Nicola Marsh and Giovanni Reda; to living his best life in New York City, skating better than ever, running his board brand Tacky Joy Factory and making music under the pseudonym “Leo Popstar” and much more through surprise questions from friends of his.

(00:13) – Intro
(01:25) – Nora Baker
(03:36) – Anthony Piscopo
(05:04) – Lisa Whitaker
(12:43) – Ryan Miller
(17:23) – Mimi Knoop
(21:16) – Alex White
(35:28) – Gardia Fox
(50:20) – Chandler Burton
(01:02:16) – Tiffany Huet
(01:08:03) – Amy Caron
(01:10:22) – Jaime Reyes
(01:14:29) – Dylan Jones
(01:17:59) – Amy Ellington
(01:20:18) – Brian Anderson
(01:22:54) – Kaspar Van Lierop
(01:33:25) – Nicola Marsh
(01:38:52) – Kelly Bird
(01:41:15) – Kristin Ebeling
(01:48:16) – Richard Quintero
(01:55:58) – Vitoria Bortolo
(02:06:01) – Felix Graham
(02:10:58) – Rocco Marsh
(02:12:28) – Conclusion

For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 119 with Gabriel Summers, professional skateboarder from Penguin, Tasmania.

Together we discussed his life and career, from growing up in Penguin where he started skating at the age of 12; moving to Melbourne, Australia at the age of 19 after graduating from culinary school; traveling and skating all around the world for the last 15 years and being celebrated in the skateboarding industry for his gnarliness and relentlessness particularly when it comes to skating handrails; to embarking on a new chapter in his skate career in 2025 by joining his friend and Adidas teammate Blondey on his board brand Thames and much more through surprise questions from friends of his.

(00:13) – Intro
(01:13) – Morgan Campbell
(06:46) – Jason Morey
(23:02) – Lisa Summers
(24:51) – Tom Snape
(26:38) – Chani Summers
(31:34) – Mason Summers
(32:37) – Ludvig Håkansson
(36:27) – Dustin Dollin
(41:11) – Adam Davies
(43:34) – Nathan Jackson
(54:21) – Casey Foley
(59:51) – Patrik Wallner
(01:06:52) – Stu Morton
(01:11:05) – Sammy Winter
(01:12:54) – Billy Lukins
(01:15:21) – Liam Johnstone aka Pee Wee
(01:19:05) – Matt Bublitz
(01:21:28) – Michael Burnett
(01:24:28) – Geoff Campbell
(01:26:38) – Ryan Reyes
(01:28:53) – Sarah Meurle
(01:31:08) – Kalem Beange
(01:31:32) – Cole Mathews
(01:34:45) – Jarryd Rees
(01:41:15) – Dougie George
(01:44:50) – Anthony Mapstone
(01:46:02) – Conclusion

For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards

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Episode 118 with Danny Garcia, former professional skateboarder turned musician from Anaheim, California.

Together we discussed his life and career, from him growing up in Anaheim where he picked up his first board in the mid-90’s in his teen years; putting out multiple iconic video parts for Habitat Skateboards among others throughout the 2000’s and early 2010’s; slowly transitioning into another passion of his, music, under the name “Reverend Baron”; to releasing his own EPs and albums and touring all around the globe while also engineering and producing music for other musicians for the last 15 years and much more through surprise questions from friends of his.

(00:13) – Intro
(01:25) – Aaron Brown
(02:50) – Abdul Hamid
(04:53) – Seu Trinh
(05:21) – Tyrone Coronado
(07:31) – Joe Castrucci
(08:40) – Brian Wenning
(11:23) – Austyn Gillette
(13:31) – Brennan Conroy
(15:47) – Calvin Love
(18:56) – Johnny Franck
(24:40) – Kelly Bird
(29:05) – Rodney Cox Jr.
(32:42) – Evan Schiefelbine
(34:35) – Justin Michael Brooks
(35:13) – Abdon Valdez
(36:48) – Hayden Brosnan
(38:23) – Andrew Gabbard
(39:37) – Oscar Ruvalcaba
(42:15) – Stefan Janoski
(42:58) – Toby Adkins
(49:27) – Colin Kennedy
(51:10) – Working with Colemine Records
(54:38) – Greg Hunt
(01:01:42) – Ray Barbee
(01:03:44) – Cornelia Murr
(01:04:12) – Mike O’Meally
(01:05:26) – Christian Maalouf
(01:06:08) – Ry Welch
(01:07:30) – Ryan Pollie
(01:10:02) – Matthew Aveiro
(01:13:42) – Conclusion

For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 117 with Sophie Friedel, skateboarder and Gestalt therapist from Freiburg, Germany.

Together we discussed her picking up skateboarding as a young adult in Cornwall, England; in the early 2010’s traveling to Kabul, Afghanistan three times to volunteer among other things as an English teacher, skateboard instructor and program coordinator at Skateistan; in 2015 publishing her first book “The Art of Living Sideways: Skateboarding, Peace and Elicitive Conflict Transformation” based on her MA thesis; since 2018 pioneering the use of skateboarding in mental health care with a Scholarship in Germany; becoming a qualified Gestalt therapist and running her project “Drop In Ride Out” which combines skateboarding and Gestalt therapy…

(00:13) – Intro
(01:25) – Starting skateboarding
(09:22) – Studies
(19:35) – First trip to Afghanistan
(28:21) – Writing “The art of living sideways”
(38:09) – Transition from peace work to therapeutic work
(45:26) – Gestalt therapy
(49:46) – Chapter in “Skate/Worlds – New pedagogies for skateboarding”
(52:28) – Starting “Drop in ride out”
(57:49) – Skateboarding as a therapeutic tool
(01:28:43) – Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding
(01:10:47) – Friends questions
(01:10:53) – Rhianon Bader
(01:12:31) – Oliver Percovich
(01:18:42) – Adelina Ong
(01:20:44) – Ben Büscher
(01:26:10) – Iain Borden
(01:29:28) – Paul O’Connor
(01:32:30) – Brian Glenney
(01:38:36) – Rosalie Kubny
(01:42:12) – Conclusion

For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards

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