Daniel Johnson hardflips in the heat while birds fly, crackheads crack out, and girls wear bikinis.
Do you know who the fuck Daniel Johnston was? Do you know who the fuck Daniel Johnson is? Alrite so check it, there was a musician named Daniel Johnston who was pretty fucken smart (actually considered a genius). He worked at McDonalds and sold a fuckload of casette tapes of his music in which he drew custom artwork on each. He ran away from home and went on to join the circus at one point, ate acid at some show and went insane and found himself in a mental institution. Luckily there is a kid with a similar name who I am referring too who probably won’t end up a mental insitution because he’s got skateboarding to keep him grounded. So where the fuck am I going with this? Oh yea, the interview. Let’s get this shit started.
Switch variel heelflip at Bumfights (rip)
All Photos by Ethan Messina
Like past interviews I have a recording of my discussion with 17 year old Daniel Taylor Johnson who was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. You know this kid rips because he’s getting some props here on the wonderful site of SkateNC. When I first met Daniel a few months ago he had an afro the size of fucking king kong. My first question to Daniel was how his life changed after he cut that shit off. Everytime I’ve shaved my head I’ve somehow met a girl really quickly afterwords, is it the clean cut fresh shaven look? Or is it the fact that you can now feel the breeze and hear a little bit clearer while skating down the street? Who the fuck knows.
Daniel mentioned he digs Bob Dylan, Ladytron, and fuck, I can’t remember who else. Let me consult the recording. Fuck facebook man. God damnit. I’m sitting here all ADD and shit. Fuck ADD too. If you got that shit good job, it means your a hyped up motherfucker like me with too much energy for their own damn good. Your alive. Don’t take pills. Go bang on a drumset or scream or draw on a freight train, just don’t get run over or caught on that last suggestion.
Daniel mentioned he liked Techno music and that’s how Ladytron came in. I should have asked him if he liked Justice. Justice is pretty ill. They got a Christian thing going on but whatevers, they make hype ass shit.
Switch lipslide at Costco
So we talked about skating, I asked Daniel what he would be if he never found skating and he said he’d be haggard. Yep, skateboarding gives us lost souls something to focus on and really have a damn blast with. It’s the fountain of fucken youth for christ’s sake. I don’t understand the term christ’s sake. Who started that shit? And who was the first person to whistle? Were the cavemen whistling at the cave woman?
Surprisingly Daniel’s skate video cherry was popped by watching Carolina Love. I’ve never met anybody whose first skate video they saw was Carolina Love. I was kinda hyped on that. After that he watched a Darkstar video which probably introduced him to switch bigspin heelflips which I have some cell phone footage of down the 3 flat 3 at Wachovia in RTP but that shit’s janky, the footage, the trick was ill as fuck.
The width of this image is 420 pixels. Bob Dylan would be smiling too. Heelflip into speed.
Daniel skates with the Mad Clips crew and he wanted to give all them cats a shoutout. John Keiper, Big Mike, Kent Willard, Jimmy White, and all the Cary kids. Somehow nobody is hooking this kid up with product which is a shock cause he’s killng it, but in due time, in due time. He didn’t seem too concerned to run out and get sponsored which is good, this kid is skating for the fucking fun of it, which is what skating should be about. Go and just push around, no stressing except for when the camera comes out and your trying to get buck and perform for the masses in the future. The Mad Clips crew is working on a video, but it has no name. The way Daniel put it it kinda reminded me of how a Tilt Mode video would be, just going out and goofing off, no plans, just whatever.
Daniel’s only been skating for 3 or 4 years which is fucking amazing. I mean damn, the progression rate of kids is increasing. Is teenage birth rate increasing too? Are kids just getting gnarlier and gnarlier? I mean when are kids gonna get so influenced by the previous generation that a child pops outta the womb, looks at his or her mom and says, “Bitch, I want a face tat now!”.
Front shoves over the rail to grandmothers house we go
Daniel hasn’t traveled out of NC to shred yet but like that face tatting wanting baby I just mentioned, I’m sure he will break out of this womb sooner or later and escape the South. He did just go to Myrtle Beach and mentioned the abundance of curb cut kickers. He also said he found a 20 foot room with a mini ramp and some other shitty ramps. He only skated it for 10 minutes but legit skate spots at campgrounds are always awesome.
When he was 13 his friends and him ran from the cops while skating an old warehouse but they got surrounded by them and detained for a few hours in a small room at the police station. Luckily they were set free and allowed to continue to roam the streets in search of fulfillment and love. Love, what a thing. Be careful kids, that shit will get your heart, twist it up, spit it out, and rock your world.
Just please continue to keep loving that piece of wood with wheels that rides through some of the nastiest shit in the city, for even though it’s beaten, destroyed, and stepped on daily, it will always be a great tool to guide you on this path into the unknown.
Yeah Daniel is Rad I went to skool with him before i got the boot he use to let me and my freinds ditch school in his car but is funny that u said that shit about adhd i got that shit i dont take meds though i just skate and bang on drums…oh yeah and smoke herb!….but anyway Daniel is sick he should be sponsored anyday know good article Travis keep dat shit up!!!