WHY IS IT THAT ANYONE WHO’S NOT FROM TEXAS THINKS WE TEXANS ARE A BUNCH OF DRUNKEN-SHOTGUN-WIELDING-COWBOYS OR WEALTHY OIL BARRONS? IN THIS DAY AND AGE YOU WOULD THINK WE WOULD BE PAST ALL THAT “WHO SHOT J.R.?” BULLSHIT. RECENTLY AUTOMATIC ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO DO A STORY ON CODY MCENTIRE AND I QUICKLY REPLIED “FUCK YEAH!” THEY WANTED ME TO FOCUS CODY’S FEATURE ON THE FACT HE’S FROM TEXAS. “WHY?” I WONDERED. I GUESS SINCE I AM IN AUSTIN TEXAS THEY FIGURED THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO WRANGLE SOME GOOD WORDS OUT OF THIS FELLOW TEXAN. THIS FIRST INTERVIEW TURNED OUT TO BE THE LITERARY EQUALIVENT OF A TEXAS SIZED TURD. I SCRAPPED IT ALL TOGETHER AND WROTE THIS INSTEAD.
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I’LL JUST GO AND WATCH DANNY SKATE. YOU KNOW SOMEONE IS GOOD WHEN PEOPLE TAKE TIME OUT OF THEIR DAY TO JUST WATCH A PERSON SKATE. SUCH IS DANNY WALLACE. ALWAYS A GOOD ATTITUDE, ALWAYS ON POINT WHEN SKATING, HE’S GOT A BANGER FOR ANY SPOT AND SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY FROM BEING A LITTLE-KID LOC AT SERRA HIGH TO THE WORLD-TRAVELING SKATE AMBASSADOR HE IS NOW, HE BECAME A ONE-PUNCH-KNOCKOUT BEAST. I’VE SEEN HIM SWING ON HUGE JOCKS TWICE HIS SIZE, KNOCK DUDES OUT WITH ONE PUNCH, AND HE EVEN ONCE TRIED TO RUN OVER A GANGSTER THAT WAS TALKING SHIT TO US AT A SPOT IN HIS EXPLORER. A TRUE CHAMP IN HIS CREW. AND IT SHOULD BE NOTED THREE OF THE FOUR TRICKS IN THIS INTERVIEW WERE SHOT IN ONE DAY. YES, DANNY’S BEEN ONE OF SAN DIEGO’S FINEST SINCE HE WAS A SQUIRT, HE’S BEEN FLOWED BY THE BEST COMPANIES IN THE BIZ, AND HE’S STILL RIPPING WITH THE SAME CLEAN, EFFORTLESS POP THAT MAKES PEOPLE TAKE NOTICE EVERY TIME HE SKATES. LET’S KEEP THIS INTRO SHORT, BECAUSE, LIKE HIS SKATING, DANNY’S ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN HIS WORDS.
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IN AN EFFORT TO EXPLORE A MORE POSITIVE EDITORIAL PATH, WE DECIDED WE SHOULD ASK SOME OF SKATEBOARDING’S GREAT THINKERS ABOUT THE EMOTION OF LOVE. WHAT COULD BE MORE POSITIVE THAN LOVE? WE ASKED THE QUESTION, IS THERE SUCH A THING AS TRUE LOVE? READ ON:
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THE JOB OF TEAM MANAGER IS NOT GLAMOROUS, AS MANY MIGHT BELIEVE. ED DOMINICK HELD THE POST OF TM OVER AT MAPLE DURING ITS HEYDAY IN THE MID NINETIES. THIS ISSUE ED SHARES A STORY ABOUT MANAGING MARC JOHNSON AND PROVES ONCE AGAIN IF YOU WANT TO BE A TM YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE THE PATIENCE OF A SAINT. 
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SALT LAKE CITY IS HITLER’S WET DREAM COME TRUE. THE ETHNIC DIVERSITY THAT IS THE NORM OF OTHER AMERICAN CITIES DOESN’T EXIST HERE. RADICAL FUNDAMENTALIST MORMONS STILL HAVE A DEATH GRIP ON THE CITY. IT IS WHERE CONFORMITY BREEDS CONFORMITY. MORMONS LOVE TO HAVE BABIES. WELL MAYBE THAT IS A LITTLE HARSH, I HAVE PLENTY OF MORMON FRIENDS THAT ARE ALL GOOD PEOPLE. FROM STATE RUN LIQUOR STORES AND THE 3.2 BEER, THEY LEGISLATE CONFORMITY.
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THIS ISSUE OUR SHIT TALKER IS MIKE YORK. THE RULES OF SHIT TALK CORNER ARE: THE SHIT TALKER MUST NOT SAY ANYTHING POSITIVE AT ALL ABOUT THE 5 RANDOM TOPICS CHOSEN FOR THEM.  I’M KIND OF FEELING LIKE MIKE BENT THE RULES A LITTLE BECAUSE SOME OF HIS RESPONSES HAVE AN AIR OF POSITIVITY ABOUT THEM. WE’RE GOING TO OVERLOOK THIS BLATANT DISREGARD FOR OUR RULES BECAUSE EVEN WITH HIS SLIGHTLY ENCOURAGING ENDINGS, HE GETS SOME GOOD HATING IN. 
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SO WHY DOES EVERYONE CALL YOU OWEN?
My name’s Mike but for some reason when I was eleven I was a little shithead.  I caused all sorts of trouble and I totally looked like a douchebag. For some reason everyone told me I looked like an Owen.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AT ACTIVE?
I’ve been riding for them for a couple of years but I’ve been working for the shop for 8 months.

HOW MUCH DO YOU MAKE AN HOUR AT ACTIVE?

IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW BETTER YOU’D THINK THAT I HATE SKATEBOARDING.  I RARELY HAVE ANYTHING POSITIVE TO SAY ABOUT IT.  BUT, I REALLY, REALLY LOVE IT, AND I THINK THERE ARE A MILLION GREAT THINGS ABOUT IT.  SO, LET’S START 2007 ON A POSITIVE NOTE.  HERE’S WHAT’S RIGHT WITH SKATING THESE DAYS. 
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