the meattortillas: September 2013

Andy on a recent trip to China

Now I have been doin this here blog for about 8 years. I go thru streaks with posting. Hot runs and cold ones. I obviously still enjoy it or it wouldn't be active. Every so often i get really excited about a post because i'm pretty sure the content is goin to make more than a few of you happy when you click on the page and find a new post. That being said, I'm really excited about this interview. I'm pretty sure Andy doesn't need much of a introduction. The guy has been killing it on and off board for years, was documenting the scene in the greater Seattle area long before everyone else was and well shit. Dude's just a genuinely radical human being which i have no doubt is a unanimous feeling felt by many. He has the uncanny ability to kill it behind whatever type of lens he's holding as well as on his board. He recently took his years of documentation and started a website, poach this.com, that highlights the scene up here in the northwest, showcasing the skateboarders and a select few filmers/photographers whos talents Andy finds essential to the scene. So without any further jargon, i give you the Andy Froberg interview. Enjoy!

Ok, first things first. How old are you, where is your hometown and what is your current residence?

I'm 26, originally from Snohomish, WA, but I've been living in Seattle for about five years.

Classic question. Growing up in Washington how did you get involved with skateboarding?

I used to ride BMX when I was pretty young, and a couple friends that I would ride with had skateboards. I just started messing around on their boards and got pretty hyped on it and got my own board when I was 12 I think.

Ethan Fitzpatrick, frontside bluntslide

Alex Johnson, frontside ollie

Living in Bellingham i first heard of you as a really good filmer, long before the days of "everyones a filmer". How did you get involved with that? Who were you primarily filming with? Didn't you make a video? Tell me a little about that.

Haha thanks, I don't think it was that I was good at it, I think it was the fact that there weren't too many people that filmed skating in WA back then. (Jordan)Sanchez and I were skating together a lot back then, and we would just go skate spots and film each other. It was obvious that he was amazing at skating, so I just decided to make a video. I asked him if he was down to film a part, and he said he was, so we just started filming quite a bit for my video. I was also filming with David Perry and Ethan Fitzpatrick at the time. The homie Scott Quintavalle hooked me up with a bunch of really good footage of Dave from Florida, and we were starting to wrap up the video. It didn't have a name yet, I kind if just wanted to leave it Untitled, but Jordan thought it would be funny if we called it "Shoot Your Friends," and we both got a good laugh out of that one, so we decided to call it that.

SHOOT YOUR FRIENDS

I had seen a lot of your footage throughout the years and then started to notice your cross over into photography. You obviously trasformed over just perfectly. Creepy Kyle Camarillo esque. What prompted the change? Do you prefer one over the other?

I was really over filming, I just wanted to skate and I found myself pretty much just getting my camera out whenever I went to a spot just out of habit. So I decided to just skate for a little while, which was really refreshing. I always had film cameras and stuff, and gradually started getting more into it. I definitely prefer shooting photos to filming though. It's nice to be able to shoot a couple tries, get a decent photo (hopefully) and be able to skate around and be the peanut gallery so to speak. It's fun to be able to watch the trick go down without looking through the viewfinder of a camera.

I know for me personally, as someone who films and shoots photos the gratification of shooting a photograph is leaps and bounds over filming a handful of rad tricks. What is your opinion on that?

I would agree with that for sure. With filming, you can usually know that you're going to film it good, but there are so many factors with shooting photos. You don't know if your flash batteries are dying, or sometimes if they'll even pop at all. Obviously watching cool skate footage is rad, but there is something about looking at a dope skate photo that is visually stimulating in a way that is hard to match with watching footage.

Hector, backside lipslide

Travis Usselman, frontside flip

What, for you is the hardest part of photography? Mechanical, mental. What can get the blood boiling?

There's definitely nothing more irritating than when your equipment isn't working properly. It can be pretty heart-breaking when you set everything up exactly how you want it and time the shot perfectly and then your key light doesn't fire.

Shooting photos can most certainly require a bit of chemistry i feel, often sometimes more so than filming i feel. Who would be 3 people you find it easy and often successful shooting photos with?

I'm not sure, I think both require a lot of chemistry and trust from the skater. It's a little different shooting photos though, you feel like a dick asking your friend to huck themselves down a ten stair rail again because the way they held their arm cast a shadow on their face. Luckily for me, almost everyone I shoot with is super cool. If I had to pick 3, I'd have to go with: Jordan Sanchez, because I've been skating with him for 10 years, and he's one of my favorite dudes to watch skate. He also really appreciates a good photo and he is always trying to put the best stuff out that he possibly can, which means he is down to try the craziest tricks over and over until we get something good. Also Johnny Matarazzo, because he is super fun to skate with (and amazing at skating obviously) and Brandon Taylor just because of the sheer bust factor. And he is also completely hilarious.

Jordan Sanchez, 50-50

Off the top of your head can you tell a good story from a day in the streets documenting life, skateboard or not?

When Jordan and I first started coming to Seattle to skate we would always meet up with Marshall Stacks and those were some of the best times I've had skating. Just driving around in his old ass Chevy Astro van listening to the funniest stories ever and skating rad spots we'd never seen before. Good times.

Kind of a cliche question, but im gonna throw it in there. If you could spend a day shooting with any big timer, who would you it be and why? Top 3.

As nerve-racking as that would be, I would definitely say Mark Appleyard is my #1. He's pretty much been my favorite skater since I was like 15, and he seems like he's a pretty chill dude. Arto is for sure on the list too. He is a rad photographer, and obviously one of the best skateboarders of this generation. Third is probably a tie between Leo Romero and Brandon Westgate, for obvious reasons.

Joe Andrews, crooked grind

Where are your favorite places you have traveled, skateboard related or not?

I haven't really done too much traveling, aside from a recent trip to China. The spots there are unreal though, marble everywhere and no caps in sight.

Where would you like to get to that you haven't and what is it about that destination that appeals to you?

Australia. I've heard it's "an English speaking Barcelona."

Andy's part from the Trickwood video "Three" from maybe 6 or more years ago

Whats on heavy circulation on your audio playlist currently?

I've been listening to a lot of Radical Face lately. Also Dead Meadow, The Back Angels, and Brian Jonestown Massacre is always a staple.

Nice. Good tunes right there. What was the last skateboard clip you saw that got you hyped to go out and shred?

Any Westgate footage. That dude is raw as fuck.

Michael Patterson, kickflip

As kids i remember we would wait up to 3 years for new videos to come out. Once they did, and you or one of your friends acquired a copy it was on non-stop rotation for daze. What was that video for you and what are you feelings on the internet and its influence on skateboarding these days?

That was pretty much every video for me as a kid. If I had to name one, it would be Sorry. The Internet has for sure changed the skate video game. It's great because it gives everyone the ability to put their shit out there and be seen. But I do miss the days when pros would bust their ass for like 5 years and put all of their footage toward one single video part. It doesn't seem that way anymore.

As we bring this to a close, who would you like to thank Andy? No list is to long or to short, so say what you will.

All my good homies that I've met through skating over the years. And you of course, for asking me to do this interview. Thanks bud.

I'd like to extend a huge thanks to Andy for taking the time to do this interview. Check out more from Andy over at poach this.
-interview by jared smith, all photography by andy froberg.

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