The Lurk Report

Tracy Stallworth is a high-level skater, soon-to-be father, and pillar in the Durham, NC skate community. This dread-headed assassin is known for swiftly shutting down any and all spots in the triangle with tricks most of us can only dream of, but his role in skateboarding goes much deeper than simply ripping. He helps manage Manifest Skate Shop and consistently puts effort into making Durham a flourishing place for skateboarding via community involvement. In this episode we talk Instagram handles, Durham courthouse, Manifest, community building, big ass shorts, and much, much more. During my time in Raleigh I came to deeply admire the scene in Durham and I couldn’t have asked for a better representative to talk about it. 

Matty MacNeil is a skater, builder, and musician living in Wilmington NC. He's been ripping for many decades now, and has gracefully transitioned into building his local scene in more ways than just skating. Matty and his crew are the ones who conceptualized and brought The Space to life, the sickest keyholder spot in the whole damn state. In addition to ruling The Space with an iron fist, he keeps the skate stoke aflame by playing bass for the legendary Wilmington-based skate rock band, Shr3d Crust. He's lived one hell of a life so far, and has tons of stories to tell about his scene, his band, and his crew to show for it. What is the difference between shred and crust? How did his boy scout canoeing partner influence the trajectory of his whole life? How do you kook yourself out of The Space? Take a listen and figure it out!

Durand Beasley is a high caliber ripper who has lots of love for his home turf, the Outer Banks. He's worked for Artisan Skateparks since the early days, and has had a hand in the construction of many of the finest parks in our state. He was part of the legendary Post 22 crew while they were dominating the scene, and still puts on his for his hometown crew Ruckus to this day. He speaks to what's going on with skateboarding on the OBX, and shares some rad stories from his colorful career and life. This one's a rip.

Welcome to the first ever VIDEO episode of the pod! This time around I sat down with some of the regulars at my local DIY to gather their thoughts and experiences regarding the spot. Eastland was set to be closed to the public soon after the time of recording this, so we were all treating this day as one of the final sessions. This was myself and Rae's way of sending the spot off on a high note and contributing to the memories made here. Eastland's importance in strengthening the fabric of the Charlotte skate scene over the last 7 years is undeniable, so respects simply had to be paid. As of now, it's past the demolition date but Eastland still stands loud and proud. Go out there and get it while you can! Huge thanks to my video department (AKA Rae Holmes) for handling the filming/editing on this one.

This episode features: Jake Clary, Robert Grauer, Noah Lee, Addam Myers, Mida Jane, Steven Barrett, and Isaiah Stines.

Video format is available on Spotify and Youtube, which you can find via my Instagram bio @the_lurk_report.

Georgia Martin is a highly skilled up-and-coming skater from Charlotte, NC. She came on my radar after I witnessed her casually crush the indoor park in Greensboro on a rainy weekend, and I've been a big fan ever since. Despite being a young buck in the game, she holds it down for Armada Skate Shop, Toy Machine, and Nike SB. We talked about her early years getting into skating, flyouts at Grayson skatepark, getting discovered and put on by Mike Sinclair, and much more. She has a great head on her shoulders and it was a blast to nerd out on skateboarding with her. She's working through a minor injury at the moment, but I have no doubt we'll be seeing some greatness from her in the near future. #GMshreds!

John Martin is a skater, filmer, ramp owner, and shop owner located in Greensboro, NC. In November of 2018 he brought his dreams to fruition and opened the triad area's only skater-owned shop, Stolen Skateshop in downtown Greensboro. I didn't know much about the shop before connecting with John for the interview, but we all know that a core shop is the backbone behind any healthy skate scene so I needed to learn more. We talked about John's origins as a Project 58 grom in Raleigh, how working at a shop informed his decision to later open his own, some GNARLY incidents with break-ins and robberies, and how he has propagated his local scene by hosting events, assembling a team, and more. Do yourself a favor and check out Stolen next time you're in the area. This dude's got it going on! 

AC Pearson is a Charlotte, NC ripper who is a phenomenal ambassador for women’s skateboarding in the city. She’s constantly down in the trenches with her crew putting in work on and off the board. Last year she and her partner Bruce put on an inclusivity focused skate jam/contest at Eastland with the intent of spotlighting all of our beloved “girls, gays, and theys” in the scene. I wholeheartedly believe that skateboarding should be equally as accessible to anyone regardless of their gender identity, so we broke it down podcast style and discussed her experiences as a non-male in the culture. We talked about her wholesome Eastland love story, predictions for how charlotte skateboarding will evolve post-Eastland, why mansplaining sucks, and much, much more. She’s a true people’s champ and I’m glad to call her my friend now. Enjoy!

JT Gleason is a skater and concrete enthusiast from Charleston, SC who has spent a good amount of time in Asheville helping out at the Foundation. JT got a big shout out from Alex Irvine in Episode 8 so I'm happy that I somehow wrangled him into doing an episode himself. I first came across JT at the Boone DIY when he was lending a hand with his concrete finishing expertise on a quarter pipe build for my crew at the time. He's had a nice stint as a sponsored skater for Coda skateboards and has traveled all over the world for skate trips and building projects alike. In this episode we talk about sacking handrails, working at a chocolate factory, building skateparks overseas, and much, much more. He's currently staying and working in Dugspur, VA at The Ranch Camp putting some finishing touches on the vast network of concrete stoke that's growing out there. All in all it was a blessing to meet up and have a conversation with someone who I had known about for a long time but never properly met. I hope you guys enjoy this one as much as I did.

Eby Ghafarian is a skater and photographer currently operating out of Charlotte, NC. As the mastermind behind Stoops Magazine, he has documented and exposed some of the deepest cuts of the skate culture far and wide. Successfully executing print media in the digital age is not a task for the faint of heart, so I knew there was a lot to get into with this one. With the help of some talented contributors he has published 10 issues so far, each one standing alone with its own unique unifying theme. We discussed building connections while living in New York, what his motivations were behind the individual issues, and some epic stories from his times on the road filming video parts with like-minded creatives in the game. Check out www.stoopsmag.com to purchase some copies for yourself and take your personal skate mag collection to the next level. As a passionate print enthusiast, Eby's in this game for the long haul and I'm excited to see Stoops live on for countless more issues.