Brian Anderson Takes it Off! | “I’ve never been tempted to throw a purse over my shoulder,… “
Brian Anderson is one of the deepest and most introspective pro skateboarders there is. Coincidently or not he is also one of the only gay pro skateboarders there is. Any interview with him is a good read. Here’s one from an outsiders perspective, meaning a more mainstream non-skateboard look. They get into some pretty deep issues like depression, circumcision (or lack there of), sexuality, suicide, and much more. We also get to see where the inspiration for his new Nike SB line came from.
JA: Given the outsized role that skateboarding plays in your life, how would you have reacted if their response had been more critical?
BA: I’m happy I didn’t have to deal with that kind of response. It would have really bummed me out. But I know the people that I’ve surrounded myself with, and I know they wouldn’t have betrayed me that way. You know, I may be a skater, but for the most part I’m a pretty conventional guy. I love to cooperate! I try to get along in life. I really dig society and rules and laws, even though as a skateboarder, you get to make up your own rules in a lot of ways. You don’t really get to do that in a lot of sports. We—skaters—have always hated the terms “athlete” and “sport.” And I don’t mean to discredit any organized sport when I say that. But being a skateboarder is like having your own religion. You get to decide the rules as you go with your friends.
Click over to FourTwoNine for another great full feature interview with Brian Anderson
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