Mike Franklin

There are two main schools in skateboarding: the tech and the gnar. Most try to achieve a balanced game by learning both sides, but only a select few excel in both. Mike “Owen” Franklin has developed an amazing flick and catch. His tech side is completely overshadowed by his ton of skate confidence and a very high tolerance for fear. With the added skill of being the life (or death) of a party, he’s simply a good guy to have in your corner. I rounded up a bunch of his friends to help with this interview. Please jump right in, this is Franklin’s interview.

ALRIGHT MIKE, WHAT ARE YOU ALL ABOUT?
I am all about skateboarding, beer, and greens.

DO YOU KNOW ANY BLACK PEOPLE BESIDES ME?
Ha! Yeah man. A lot of my friends I skate with are black, and a lot of the white kids I skate with think they are black. That question sucked!

WHO’S THE BEST BLACK SKATER?
Definitely Stevie Williams. He always has been one of my favorite skaters!

SO YOU USED TO LIVE WITH GARRETT HILL AND HIS BROTHER GANTRY. HOW RETARDED WAS THAT?
Fuck, those days were great. Garrett, Gantry, my friend Pat and I lived there. I was definitely the biggest piece of shit in the house though. I spent so much money on stupid shit in those couple of months! Living there was the best, except when we forgot to pay bills and had no electricity or hot water for weeks, but other than that it was the best times of my life.

HOW DID YOU HAVE SO MUCH MONEY IN THE FIRST PLACE? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH ALL THAT MONEY?
I did some whack Chevy commercial and made a bunch of money. I spent 40 grand in 6 months. A little bit went to paying off my truck and some bills and the rest went to alcohol, gas to get to Chino Skate Park, and of course, strip clubs.

IS THIS DURING THE PERIOD YOU HOOKED UP WITH THAT STRIPPER WITH THE FUCKING DRAWN ON EYEBROWS?
Damn, you had to bring that shit up! Yeah that was sketchy. I really wish I didn’t! Good times. Ha, ha.

WHAT’S YOUR WORST STRIP CLUB STORY?
Oh shit. There are some bad ones. The worst definitely had to be the time I went to a strip club with Dan B and some other friends. We went to the store to get some beer for the ride down and Dan, who was already wasted, bought some lunchmeat. I thought his drunk ass was gonna eat it so I didn’t think anything of it. We were just kickin it up front in the club when all of a sudden Dan pulls the lunch meat out of his pocket and starts throwing it at the strippers. We both were picked up and thrown out by our shirts. Afterward, I asked him after why he did that and he said that he saw it in a Poison music video. It was greatest thing I have ever seen!

IT’S OBVIOUS THAT YOU SKATE CRAZY SHIT AND ARE ALWAYS ALMOST KILLING YOURSELF TRYING TO FILM, BUT ONE THING I’VE NOTICED ABOUT YOU IS THAT YOU GET JUST AS GNARLY WITH OUT A CAMERA PRESENT.
I am always trying to do some stupid shit. I don’t know. I just like to skate everything and if I see something I want to skate I’m gonna skate it. If there is a camera there, than that’s great but if not, I’m still going to skate it. I just want to have fun. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.

FROM THE STUPID SHIT I HAVE SEEN YOU DO AND FROM THE SHIT I SEE YOU SKATE IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU HAVE A TOTAL DISREGARD FOR YOUR OWN LIFE. TRUE?
Na, it’s not that. I’m just trying to have fun. I just try to live every day like it’s my last. I have lost a lot of close friends in the past couple of years. They had no idea that their time was going to be up. I’m just trying to live it up and have good times. But when I do go out I’m going out with a bang!

HAVE YOU EVER WIPED TOO HIGH AFTER TAKING A SHIT?
What? You mean brown backing? That’s so nasty. You’re sick!

I HAVE SEEN YOU PUNCH YOURSELF IN THE FACE HARDER THAN I PROBABLY COULD, EVEN IF I HAD A RUNNING START. WHY THE HELL WOULD DO THAT?
Fuck, there are a lot of stupid things I have done that I can’t explain. I don’t really have a good reason. Sometimes me and my friends would just try to give ourselves black eyes when we drank to much. I remember coming home from some Vegas trip with two big ass black eyes that I gave my self. I don’t remember too much of it but when I looked back at it I realized that I probably looked like some fucking idiot that night and haven’t punched myself since.

WHY DID YOU QUIT FOUNDATION FOR WORLD?
I just felt it was time to change things up a bit. Getting flo from Foundation was great, but I guess I was just looking for something different. I skated a little bit with the Foundation guys but I never really got to hang out with them, and didn’t really feel like a part of the crew. When I got on World it was exactly what I wanted. I get to skate with the sickest dudes ever, like Kurtis, Dustin, Cody, Ronson, and Malcolm. It’s awesome skating with guys that I have looked up to for years. Everybody at World is awesome. I’m really happy to be a part of the crew!

THERE ARE SO MANY AMAZING SKATERS THESE DAYS. WHO ARE YOUR TOP 5 FAVORITE SKATERS?
Oh man, I have a lot of favorite skaters. If I had to pick a top 5 I would pick: John Cardiel, Julien Stranger, Ellington, Tom Penny, and The Gonz.

WHAT ABOUT THE NEW JACKS? WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE AMS RIGHT NOW?
Shit, there are so many good kids coming up now a days. I really like the way Wes Kremer skates. Marius, David Clark, Torey Pudwill, Lamar Hemmings, David Gravette, Mike Anderson, those guys kill it. There are way too many good skaters to name.

HERE IS WHERE YOU TELL US WHO YOU RIDE FOR.
I’m riding for World Industries, The Hundreds, Active, Skatelab, and Select Wheels.

HERE IS WHERE YOU THANK PEOPLE.
Much thanks to my Family, friends, God, Dan B,
Craig Glover, Chex, all of my sponsors, Shane Wallace, Kimathi, Sage, Sean Apgar, and anybody else that has helped me in life.

HERE IS WHERE YOU SAY YOUR LAST WORDS.
Never let the fun stop. Skate and destroy!