Frontside Blunt. SEQUENCE: Harry Bastard.

David hucks a lofty fronTside 360 ollie.
SEQUENCE: ARTO

Frontside Flip to hill bomber. SEQUENCE: RYAN ALLEN

Kickflip Front Bluntslide to Fakie. SEQUENCE; HARRY BASTARD.

Kickflip. PHOTO: RYAN ALLEN

Undoubtedly you have seen this long haired kid on Flip named David Gonzalez.

Over the course of 2007 David killed it in coverage. He appeared in every major magazine in the States, and even landed a cover of Thrasher. David seems to be a brightly lit rising star in the world of skateboarding. I could care less about all that shit though, its David’s life in Colombia that interests me. For all you geographically and historically challenged retards, Colombia is a country in South America that has been plagued by the effects of the drug trade, guerrilla insurgencies and paramilitary groups that are locked into a bloody internal armed conflict. How does a young am get so good at skateboarding when you are worried that you will be kidnapped and held for ransom? Or have your kidney stolen after you are dosed with a nightmarish drug that turns you into a zombie? It was my goal to interview David in person but it would turn out that I would have to penetrate several lines of security to get to him. What the fuck? Why is he so protected? Is this kid some kind of revolutionary leader with a secret identity akin to the Subcomandante Marcos (Google it)?

“Get me the questions, I will get them to Geoff Rowley, and Geoff will handle it.” I was told by the marketing dude at Blitz. I jotted a few quick questions down and emailed them to him. After a month passed I finally got the answers to my questions but David’s answers didn’t go as deeply into detail as I would have liked. When I interview someone in person I can usually tap into a topic during a conversation and follow it’s vain until it yields the goods. Just like a gold miner. I can only imagine how good this interview could have been if I actually gotten a chance to talk to David................

Tell us about what life was like growing up in Colombia?
It was the best! It’s the real world for sure. You can do whatever you want, the cops don’t give a fuck about anything even drinking if your 5 years old. The women are the best, too hot!

Are your parents well off financially?
No everybody is poor not a single person in my family owns a car.

Have you ever been kidnapped?
Yeah 2 times, once the cops thought I was a homeless guy and dragged me into the van and put me in jail for a whole day.

Do you know anyone who was kidnapped and held for ransom?
No.

Has anyone in your family ever had any affiliation with FARC?
No, that sort of stuff doesn’t happen in the city where we live, all of that kind of thing happens in the mountains.

You are from Medellin correct?
Yeah.

Any connections to Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel?
No but about 4 years ago I went to one of the Pablo Escobar mansions for a New Years party.

Have you ever seen any one gunned down?
Yeah, too many, maybe 50 people. As a kid I used to see it happen pretty much every day.

How has the violence in Colombia affected you?
It has not really affected me; I don’t care about that shit. It used to be worse than it is now but it’s chillin’ now.

I heard about this crazy drug in Colombia called Devils Breath that turns people into zombies. Have you ever had any experiences with this drug?
No way, but it’s fucking rock and roll, you should check out the video on www.vbs.tv SATANAS!

What is the skate scene like in Medellin?
It’s a good vibe. There is a strong scene; I have the Infierno crew that’s me and my homies. Libre skate shop does a lot for the scene. My best friends Mauricio and Barbas do a lot to keep the skate scene strong.

I heard for Christmas dinner your brothers caught a wild pig in a net, then the whole family feasted on it around the table, sounds pretty primal as fuck to me…
Yeah my family killed a pig in the street then we threw it on the fire and ate it wild style.