J.Coops: alright, so, first off, how long you've been skating and how did you get started?
Ellis: i started skateboarding about 5 years ago, all my friends were doing it so naturally i picked it up, wanting a piece of the coolest new trend. skateboarding was the last "trend" i ever got into cause soon after almost everyone quit and moved on but me and a couple close bros didnt let go.
J.Coops: what made you stick with it while others quit?
Ellis: i dunno man, honestly, it just was really fun. like it was the first thing that i really ever got into. everyone quit but skateboarding grabbed me, everything about it, i was still having fun, why should i get off the board just cause everyone else did.....it was fun
J.Coops: exactly, skateboarding is fun
Ellis: But it turns into more
J.Coops: now, what made you want to skate more tranny than street?
Ellis: Haha i knew this would come up. Street is cool, and its all fine and dandy, i used to hit it all the time, going to ollie sets withe my friends, trying kickflips for endless hours. but after a while i just got bored of it, its too much trial and error for me. i can go skate a ramp or a bowl, or even a bank, and just ride it ang cruise or do grinds all day man. thats the real fun in skateboarding for me personaly. Now the only street skating i do is natural tranny or things like that, or just going out pushing super fast and cruising. i mean, when im frutrated or mad, i just hop on my board and go and i push, i dont even need to do tricks, i just push. and i guess thats lke street skating in a way.
J.Coops: true enough man. there are no rules to skateboarding. do what you will.
Ellis: yea
J.Coops: okay, favorite spots?
Ellis: haha well ill give you a favorite street spot from back in the day, this little bank to curb we skated all the time, we proped wood under the curb to make it level so we could grind it. other than that the falls park. thord south is fun once in a while. barn ramp in the winter. haha
J.Coops: what about the new welland spot? you know what I'm talking about
Ellis: oh yeah man, its fun. security sucks though, but for the record..me and my dads hammer made that spot alot better hahaha
J.Coops: anyways, getting back on track, whats the best natural tranny spot you've ever skated?
Ellis: the bank to curb, hahaha naw, probably christies dam, or some shit i skated in arizona a few years ago whill on vacation with my family, coulda used a broom for that dirty arizona ditch though.
J.Coops: You never told me that you skated Arizona man. Should have looked for some empty pools. There's a bunch out there apparently
Ellis: haha I was like 14 or 15 though, just getting my tranny legs man, i was scared to skate the park bowls back then. haha. Mabye even 13 I dont even know...it was a good while ago.
J.Coops: oh well, another time then. I promise more Christie's dam sessions this spring/summer though
Ellis: yeah, when the warm comes
J.Coops: yeah, speaking of which, how do you deal with the cold? Do you skate anyways and skate indoors or persue your other hobbies?
Ellis: well i try to skate at least once a week, indoor ramps or just pushing when it gets dry. but when i cant get to a ramp i have other things to keep me busy, i play in a punk band, or just play guitar, and try to stay busy writing and practicing with the band going to shows and stuff too. little art stuff here and there.
J.Coops: Speaking of punk and skateboarding, tell the readers about meeting Duane Peters in Buffalo, New York.
Ellis: oh man, i barely got to meet him. i asked for a pic, he said yea man, posed it up beside me, i thanked him he said no problem and went back the skateing the ramp. duane is old as fuck but can still skate, and rock pretty hard. other than that he was anti social, never around, skating on the smae ramp as duane was a killer expiriance though.
J.Coops: any other favorite skaters?
Ellis: A lot of old skaters and new. Jason Adams was always good. Trujillo is gnar. i dunno man...Cardiel, Anti Hero and Black Label, Lance Mountain, Steve Olson, Hosoi, haha any label or antihero dudes. you know.
J.Coops: oh yes, I know. Now, you've told me before that at parks and such, people have knocked on your skating. Does it bum you out?
Ellis: Hah...naw man, honestly, the only kids who do that are super young kids, who either have tight pants and shirts or baggy pants and big egos. like young shits, requesting "boneless'" and "laybacks". im only 18 and when i got to the welland park im one of the oldest skaters there. whatever, people who know where skating is at just have fun, and dont make it a popularity contest
J.Coops: yeah, it seems a lot of people are forgetting that skateboarding is suppost to be fun and not about "getting sponsored" or one upping everyone
Ellis: dont bang on other skaters ya know, doesnt matter a skaters a skater, i always got bummed when some skater tryed to fight me cause of something stupid, that happend to me a couple times when i was younger, and you know some older dudes, will try and cause shit for no reason big egos, i never caused shit unless it was warranted, people need to learn to not be fuckin goons.
J.Coops: haha, why did they try and fight you Ellis? Did they want to fight you because they had a problem with the way you skated?
Ellis: naw...just stupid shit one time i picked up some guys board who slammed hard and was like "you okay dude?" cause he wasnt getting up...he got pissed and wanted to fight. Or this other time i had "going against the grain" written on my grip and this dude was calling me a farmer and was up in my face and shit. both of these guys were "gangstas or g's " or whatever.
J.Coops: those dudes that cause trouble need to stay the hell out of skating and out of parks.
Ellis: not all dudes who listen to hip hop or rap are like that but one thing me and my friends learned from being skateboarders was those guys are the ones that cause trouble most often. like they gotta be tough and shit, i dunno. i hope this doenst bite me in the ass when some thug reads it hahaha
J.Coops: thugs won't read an independent skate zine website called "Filthy Dirtbag". They're reading hip hop mags.
Ellis: hahah true
J.Coops: unless I call this interview "Ellis's Mad Beef With Thugs YO!"
Ellis: hahaha
J.Coops: okay, favorite skateboarding manuvers if you please.
Ellis: slash, grind, carve. and...rock n rolls!!!
J.Coops: any new stuff you want to learn in '06?
Ellis: frontside grinds in the bowl, higher frontside airs thas it for now
J.Coops: okay, last question. Talk about the best skate sesh you've had so far.
Ellis: oh man...hold on.....fuck man...thats too tough......i'm gonna say theres been some gnarly ones whenever me and my good buddy burger skate the falls bowl...cant really narrow it down,...or back in the day when me and all the old friends used to go skate at the brand new welland skatepark befor we had cars, every day we would walk there and skate till we were so tired. but now most of those dudes quit skating so its always me and Bugrer skating ramps and it never gets old.
J.Coops: which reminds me, favorite bro's to skate with?
Ellis: haha Burger cause hes the only one out of the old crew. Other than that i dont really skate with anyone else except for you and Romano, and seriosly thasts the last of my skate friends, everyone else moved on, but me and Bugrer still skate and its just too fun to stop man, just skate and punk rock you know. nothing else really compares to those.