The Lurk Report

John Evans is an independent skate filmmaker from Greensboro, NC. He’s put some of the heaviest rippers in our region on the map through his deep portfolio of full-length videos. His latest release “Cinco” turned some serious heads in the skate industry, receiving the award for Best Local Vid in Thrasher’s 2021 T-Eddy awards. He’s a skate video traditionalist, preserving the filmmaking spirit of the early 2000s golden era of skate videos by featuring fast-paced high-intensity hammers with no filler in sight. We talked about what sparked him on filming in the first place, how his style developed into what it is, and his take on maintaining tradition vs. changing with the times. Anyone who keeps up with the scene in NC knows Jevan’s work, so I figured it was about time for us to know the personality behind the lens. He’s held it down for the NC skate culture as hard as any other filmer in recent history, so it was an absolute honor doing an episode with him.

Jared Lee is a high-level skater from Waynesville, NC. He’s been in the game for decades at this point and has made a name for himself by ripping countless contests, video parts, and backyard sessions far and wide. In this interview we covered growing up riding for Christian companies, adapting to life after chasing the dream of the professional ranks, how to get a park built in your town, and starting up his summer skate camp Big Brother Boards. Jared ages like fine wine and continues to ruthlessly slaughter defenseless skateparks around western NC like it’s his job. He’s a role model to me on many levels, so it’s an honor to bring his some of his stories and experiences to the public. Enjoy!

Alex Irvine is an Asheville, NC based skater, builder, and artist who has played a huge part in the creation and expansion of the Asheville Foundation DIY spot. His meticulous craftsmanship, creativity, and work ethic are all to credit for Foundation being the unique and organic spot that it is. We spent a lot of time discussing his remarkable accomplishments as a commissioned ceramics artist, and how he has spilled his learnings and experience from his work life over into the skateboarding world. Check out www.alexirvineceramics.com for a primer on some of the wildly impressive pieces he's produced for some big-time clients. He has also assumed the role of designer for the upcoming renovations to Asheville's Food Lion skatepark, acting as a link between the city and the skate community. There's a lot to digest in this one, and I hope his story inspires you all to get busy bringing your own visions into reality.

Dyshon Whidbee is a skater, photographer, and filmmaker operating within the Charlotte NC scene. His video portfolio includes three full-length videos titled Rhythm and Blues (2015), Equality (2016), and The Art of a Hiatus (2018) along with many other shorts and web edits. I met Dyshon over ten years ago so we had a lot of fond memories to dig up from our younger days skating around Lenoir and Hickory. We talked about growing up skating in a small town with crusty spots, getting into filming and photography, filming the last video part in the 5301 Central video, and much much more. He's the undisputed people's champ of Charlotte and my personal choice for NC SOTY. I've always been drawn to his mellow demeanor and humility despite being one of the most skilled skaters in the region. It was a blast learning about his creative process and discussing his outlook on skateboarding as a whole. You're a national treasure Dyshon, don't ever change!

Rae Holmes is a skater currently residing in Charlotte NC. I invited them on the podcast to speak publicly about some of their experiences being a trans, non-binary person in the Charlotte skateboarding scene. Upon meeting Rae I was impressed not only by their high level of technical prowess on the board, but by their confidence and energy in largely male-dominated skate sessions. Rae graciously shared some personal details regarding their own story, as well as some general information about the trans skateboarding culture that people like me tend to overlook. Rae has a golden personality and is teeming with valuable perspective and wisdom, so this one goes out to all us lowly cis male goons. Take a listen and learn a thing or two!

Trevor Biggs is a Mooresville, NC based hoss who puts critical levels of passion into whatever he does. Not only does he boast an impressive resume of high caliber video parts from years past, he also put in years of work as an employee for Artisan skateparks. He had his hand in the construction of some of the raddest skateparks in the region, and has carried his technical knowledge of the craft over into many community-based DIY projects as well. As my man Benjamin Franklin once said: "It is the working man who is the happy man." Enjoy!

Ashley Galleher is a skater located in Zionville, NC. She has deemed herself worthy of the podcast tenfold by providing a welcoming and encouraging environment for women and beginners to get into skateboarding. Her home features a beautiful beginner-oriented skate compound complete with a mini ramp, concrete skate path, and carport with interchangeable obstacles. She hosts regularly scheduled sessions where those who are too intimidated to learn at public skateparks are encouraged and guided along the early steps in their skate journeys. She recently grew her passion for ramp construction into a business called Zionville Ramp Co. in which she seeks to provide the highest quality skate obstacles for skaters of any skill level. NC needs more Ashleys out there!

Danny Devlin is the owner and operator of Stardust Skate Shop in Mooresville NC. He's a lean, mean, sober machine and his chops on the board are sharper than ever despite his classy head of increasingly gray hairs. Starting and running a small business in skateboarding is a challenging and admirable process so I sat down with him to pick his brain about how and why his vision of owning a skate shop became a reality. Go Danny!