Reese Forbes
Interview by: Pat One & Keir Johnson"My first memories of seeing Reese skate was at Pulaski Park in the mid 90's. Reese was wearing the most unskateable reeboks ever, with the inch high rubber sole jump offs. He also had the pockets of his pants pulled out for the rabbit ears effect. Also, I remember that all the boards he rode look like they were skated straight for 2 and half years no less. I mean wheels smaller than a quarter and decks that had chewed up nose and tail. No matter what he was always ripping. Tre flips over the white wall with ease and even back side 180 flip over the big white wall with the bobo reeboks on. Always saw him and his boy Dickie down there lurkin on the other side of the park handling buisness. Then me and my boy Jimmy became cool with reese and Dickie and the rest is history. Yo that rhymed son. Anyway he is a menace on a skateboard and always will be. Check him out in get familiar coming soon in 2008. Splatch... GET FAMILIAR DVD april 2006..." -Chris Hall
Pat One_Sup Reese, where did you grow up skating?
Reese_I grew up skating all around Gaithersburg, Maryland, pushing from G Burg to Rockville and everywhere in between. I really started to get better at skating when I started taking the train down to Washington D.C. and skating with better people.
Pat One_What were some of your training methods in the backwoods of Maryland?
I used to run cross-country when I was in junior high. I was also into recreation in my backwoods high school (Kingsley Wilderness Project) so I always have been into running, until as of late. Back in the days I used to run up hills in the snow no joke. I'd do things like run with ankle weights, or skate, and basically push far as shit to get to where I was going. Not having a license really made that a reality. Oh, and riding janky bikes, when I could get my hands on them. I'm kind of fanatical, so when I would do some kind of training thing one day I would have to do it again the next. I'd keep following my routine until something eventually broke the chain. Other things were using the jump rope, weights in hand calf raises on steps. I would do things like that all day long... You know the training techniques Pat! BASEMENT STYLE
Pat One_When you came downtown to D.C. to skate, who were some of the people who pumped you up and who gets you hype now?
Reese_I used to like to see Chris Hall skate. Pepe Marinez was obviously so gifted it was ridiculous! God rest his soul. I also liked Andy Stone and Hojin Chang. My whole crew, Patrick Gleason, Dickie and Paul McElroy.... At that time we were kind of a newer crew that popped on the D.C. scene with the exception of Dickie! OG. D.C. Localizer. But back further in the day when going downtown was a HUGE deal, I remember just getting pumped on seeing Brian Tucci, Ali Mills and some dude in overalls ripping it. Basically everyone got me hyped to skate. It was all I cared about, so anyone doing what I was doing was inspirational. Now everyone skates... I just saw someone's "new video part " at Best Buy! Shit is soooooo wack now... I wish skateboarding was like it used to be. When you would actually strike up conversation just because someone else had a board. Now its like, "are you sponsored?" What a piece of shit question... I really despise the root of that question. It means that a certain amount of the fun is gone, and these kids now will never know what its about. It makes me very sad.
Pat One_Back in 1988 or so when you saw the Natas Kaupas part in the SMA video, I remember how hard we, and everybody else, sweated his skating. Now, years later, you're on a team with him. What is it like being friends with him?
Reese_Natas was my idol. He was the first person I ever saw truly flowing on a board... That combined with just seeing the whole California skate lifestyle got me into this whole skateboarding thing. Last night we shared a bottle of wine with our wives and had dinner. It doesn't compute. I know him on a completely different level now, but when I walk out of his house and see the ollie to tail ledge, and street then all the kids skating down at the beach ledges. I'm like "whoa I'm hanging out with fucking Natas Kaupas!" And all the kids down there don't even know that the reason their skating up there is because of this fucker right here. It is truly amazing to see the generation gap...
Keir_For those that don't know, who is Dickie?
Reese_Dickie is an old school Gaithersburg local. I've been friends with him since I was about 13 years old. If you have never had the pleasure of meeting his acquaintance then I apologize! That's my boy! I think we're legal eagles, brothers officially.
Pat One_What is KWP (Kingsley Wilderness Project)?
Reese_KWP? That was my high school man, if you could call it that. Was it a continuation school or maybe an alternative program... I don't know what the hell you call it! It got me through the system though. We would get paid to go to school from the state of Maryland. We'd go to school for half the day and then work the other half, and this was mans work! We'd be doing things like picking up trash or chopping wood. We would do things like go on camping trips, go fishing, hiking and bird watching. That place was really unbelievable and I never would have graduated without it.
Keir_Who was your very first sponsor ever?
Reese_Wheel pro skate shop in Germantown, Maryland.
Keir_ Talk about your first photo in a magazine (B/S Flip at Pulaski in SLAP by Dave Shubert with old school Reebok's, Hojin Chang's board, landing into a crowd, etc)?
Reese_Man, that photo is so old in the archives it kind of gives me anxiety!!! Damn. That's how long I've been doing this? The shoes are what I had to skate in at the time, borrowing someone's board is probably cause I broke mine. The crowd? It is still like that to this day for me. Anything that can take you out of your locked in bailing zone always helps you to land what you're trying. If there is a random person that gets in my way, then the pressure is on and I have to land what I'm trying.
Keir_Tell me about the making of the Goodtimes video?
Reese_Goodtimes? Wow, making that video was easy. Basically I just skated Pulaski for a couple of days. Paul McElroy and Andrew Foote filmed it. I quit Goodtimes right after it came out. Jordan Richter got my number and was insinuating that I was a sell out and I wanted to kill him for quite a while.
Keir_How did you meet Dan Wolfe?
Reese_I met Dan for the first time in D.C. He came up to me one day at Pulaski and asked me if I wanted to film a line I said sure. That was Eastern Exposure 2, then after that it just continued and turned into filming for a part for EE3. After that we've been in a partnership that's lasted up until today. Right now we are filming for the Nike movie...
Pat One_In all of your travels due to skateboarding, what can you say has been your craziest experience?
Reese_I've got way too many to get into haha. Take a backwoods Maryland boy and throw him into some unfamiliar nations, sit back and watch the show... I'll give you one disgusting thing for the masses. One time Tim O'Connor and I were walking down the street in Prague, Germany. We see a horrible excuse for a lady that looks crazy as hell so we start pointing and laughing! She just looked really outrageous. That was funny in itself just because we (Tim & I) were so wrong together, we had no boundaries. So we're laughing and she turns around, squats down and has no underwear on! She looks right at Tim and I with Satan eyes and starts giving us the tongue between the fingers move for what seemed like an eternity! Oh my god! We karate kicked the air for two days! That is the most appalling, wrong and inhumane thing I've ever seen. So unlady like, we actually staring into hell for a moment. I never want to go. Whew! Brings tears to my eyes.
Keir_Why did you quit Element?
Reese_I rode for element for 10 years, some of them good and some of them not so good. We parted ways because of fundamental differences that finally came to a head. I feel like I was a part of something great, and I was a key part of making the whole thing become a successful "skateboard brand" at least on the team front. In the end I feel like I was treated like a back alley hookerÉ I was a grandfather on that team and everyone knows what my role was. Its not a secret to anyone who knows me that I bring more to the table then just skate, do my job and then go home. Everything comes home with me, and I bend over backwards for the people who treat me with respect. This is true for any of my friends, in business or personal. It all came down to the money, and a really insignificant amount at that. It was a truly pathetic example of what not having good business ethics will lower you to do. Now I don't really let the word Element enter my vocabulary. Its like I will see the corniest guy walking down the street with his "Element" shirt tucked in, and I just laugh inside because that was always the dream. They wanted to get their logo on everyone out there. Mission accomplished.
Pat One_What advice do you have for younger skaters from the D.C. area?
Reese_The skateboarding industry has changed in the last ten or so years. I would just say that I never looked at skateboarding as reaching a means to an end. My love for skating has always come first. If I could take it all back, rewind the tape and re record. I would wish never to have known about the "industry" or "politics" The two have absolutely nothing in common whatsoever. I would just say to always keep skating for the right reasons, never sell yourself short and watch out for wolves dressed in sheep's clothing. The scum come out when there is money to be had. In the end how do you define success? If there is a dollar amount attached to your definition then you will never be truly happy. Money does not bring you peace and happiness. Money will smooth out some bumps in the road, but your peace with yourself in what you do, and how you do it will always reign supreme.
Keir_What kind of music have you been listening to lately, Dr. Octagon, The Police?
Reese_Ha, well I have been listening to a lot of classical and a little Paul Wall. Sometimes the music I listen to even embarrasses me, I don't want to share anymore than that ha.
Keir_You're a busy dude, what have you been doing lately when not skating?
Reese_I have been getting into golf again, home renovation and spending time with my friends when I get the time.
Keir & Pat One_All right man, take it away.
Reese_Well I just moved to LA, so been dealing with that. Right now the main thing I'm doing is traveling around the world filming for the Nike movie, which is going to be off its own ass! Peace.