The Austin Paz Interview

Austin Paz is a skate magazine's dream. He is efficient, hard working and more than willing to do his fair share in order to get a result. To compose this entire interview, I simply emailed Austin twice. Once to get enough material for the article and again to remind him to email me the action shots he had gathered. I wish there were more skaters in our industry who took such a proffessional approach to their career.


For all you pro/ am skaters out there who bitch and whine that you don't get enough recognition yet don't want to make the sacrifices that it take to get exposure, athletes like Austin Paz are going to walk all over you suckers.

Straight Outta Staten - The Austin Paz Interview

Like an overnight music sensation, Austin Paz appeared on the skating scene with an impact that was both impressive and worrying. He seemed to come out of nowhere with a selection of high profile sponsors under his belt and a vast array of tricks at his disposal. Many questioned the potential longevity of his career because his rise to recognition appeared to be so instant and effortless. Unlike fickle one-hit wonders, Austin's foray into the limelight was not the result of a record company's expensive advertising campaign. It is the culmination of meticulous networking and self-created exposure that Austin has managed to create a buzz around his name. Find out how it all began and why the world will see a lot more from the Staten Island ninja known as PZA.

It will come as a shock to many people that Austin has actually been skating for a considerable amount of time. His first venture into the world of rollerblading took place almost 12 years ago after being inspired by his older brother.

"I remember seeing my brother and a few of his friends fly down the block going mad fast on their skates and it took off from there. My parents got me a pair of skates for my birthday and I began tagging along with my brother and his boys."

Austin surprised himself by discovering that he had a natural talent on skates and from then onwards the only thing he could think about was progression.

"The first memories I have of me on skates is when I first got those skates for my birthday. I was just learning how to skate straight without busting my ass. I think I was pretty good for my first day on skates. After that I remember someone showing me how to soul grind on the curb in front of my house and it was all uphill from there."

From the Slums of Shaolin

Raised on Staten Island, Austin hails from the home of rap's most influential act and one of his favourite groups, Wu Tang Clan. It is also the birthplace of a young man who has become recognised as an icon for his generation in the skating world, close friend and mentor Billy O'Neill. Austin's childhood friend has played a pivotal role in ensuring he was able to secure that important initial exposure so he could project himself on an international level, backed by the vital necessity in any rollerblader's career: Sponsorship. Soon enough, Austin was showing up at skate spots with Billy O'Neill and displaying his undeniable ability on skates. Needless to say, it didn't take long before companies started seeing what all the hype was about.

"I usually stay in Staten Island with my boys Fish and Franco Cammayo. Fish was riding for Eulogy and he got a chance to put a couple of skaters on flow, so he chose Thomas Lipani, Alex Nunez and me. As for B Unique, I'm not exactly sure how I started riding for them. When Fish started skating for B Unique again I was always with him so they got to see me skate. I guess it came from that. I started riding for Valo almost two years ago after USD stopped sending me skates, I messaged Jon online and he was was 100% down with me representing Valo."

It's not difficult to see how Austin has become a poster boy for companies such as Eulogy with his uncanny resemblance to Colin Farrell and that New York charm that is a trademark of local legends such as Mike Johnson. His confidence is addictive, and clearly visible when he discusses what skating means to him.

"Skating is raw ass shit. There are no limits to skating and kids continuously push the envelope to shit you would never think of. My skating has that rough, in your face, New York City attitude, but with that 'smooth operator' feel to it. Haha!"

In the past two years, Austin has been impossible to ignore. He has featured on every major skating website with online edits, pictures and interviews. His name is a regular feature on Be-Mag, Empire and Valo's infamous C.O.W. This persistent self-promotion has created a minor phenomenon around his name that is not unjustified considering the high level of talent he possesses. When asked if he believed such measures were necessary in creating a sustainable skating career, Austin had this to say:

"If you're not going to expose yourself, how is anyone going to know you exist? You have to keep people interested and I think online edits are a good way to promote that. So when I'm not at work I'm skating, travelling, filming, shooting pics, editing or fucking around with photoshop. You got to get on your grind."

Austin is not conceded enough to believe that he can make a living from skating, or that any money he does generate will survive the duration of his adult life. As a result, he has made sure that his financial situation is stable while he pursues his passion in life: Skating.

"I work at an accountant's office, so from January to April I work 60+ hours a week because it's tax season. During this time, I don't have many chances to skate. The rest of the year I only work 2-3 days a week. All I do is work and skate. I have more time for travelling and skating so I'm going to focus on that because my body won't allow me to do this for the rest of my life. I'm going to take advantage of all the fun times I could be having on my skates while I can."



Tales from the City

Growing up and skating within the confines of the world renowned New York skate scene, there was never a dull moment for Austin. Each weekend he would take to the streets of New York City and nothing short of total mayhem would take place. Austin reflects on the times he shared with his friends on skates and remembers all the chaos they caused in their callous youth.

"Back in the day when everyone was little, people skated through the city in groups of 30 or more kids causing mad ruckus in the streets. Kids would throw open garbage bags into shop doors, dump sodas onto cabbies who had their windows open, rob news stands on the sidewalks and a whole bunch of other crazy shit. We would get on trains packed with skaters smelling like feet. There were so many skaters that no one could really do anything about it. It's all different now that everyone has grown up though. Cruising down the sidewalks of midtown and downtown during the week when the sidewalks are packed with people is the best. To skate with your boys, going as fast as you can, weaving in and out of people is amazing. Also, if security guards are kicking you out of a spot and you don't listen to them and they say they're calling the cops, that means you've got another hour or so to skate the spot because cops in NYC have got a lot more shit to worry about than a couple of kids skating. We were skating this spot the other day and got kicked out. We ignored the security guards and they were trying to flag down cop cars but they just ignored the security guards too. The guards ended up watching us skate for about an hour."

Just Getting Started

Anyone who is foolish to believe that Austin is going to simply disappear from the spotlight like many gifted skaters before him is dearly mistaken. Staten Island's finest is mastering his craft with every new day and pushing the envelope in terms of promotion that has cast a shadow over other more established professionals. Austin Paz is a skate company's dream. He takes the time and effort to promote himself without the help of team videos or advertising campaigns. His reputation has been created, to a greater extent, by his own hard work. There are no signs of this phenomenon slowing down any time soon as Austin gives us a brief insight into what we can expect from him in the near future.

"I have some footage in the new B Unique video. I don't know if it is a split section or profile because I haven't seen it yet but the people who saw a sneak preview in Europe gave it really good reviews, and that wasn't even the whole video. Apart from that, I will be travelling as much as possible to entertain and impress as many people as I can. I've got some other things in the works but I've got to keep that on the low for now."

There is no doubt in my mind that the world will soon see what Valo, B Unique, Eulogy and Able have known for some time: Austin Paz is the future. He has already built the foundations for what promises to be a lengthy career as a professional skater and if his predecessors are anything to go by, we should start saving our money now for the endless list of pro models that he will no doubt receive in the foreseeable future. Just like Wu Tang Clan, Austin Paz ain't nothin' to fuck with.

J.C. Rowe is hard work

Last year, Be-mag asked me to interview J.C. Rowe for an online feature. I was accustomed with interviewing pro skaters through my own efforts of numerous emails, phone calls and instant message chats. When Be-mag provided me with his details I was excited because I enjoy watching J.C.'s skating. More importantly, I was looking forward to doing less work because I had already completed the first hurdle, I had his contact details and I knew he was willing to do the interview. Hard part over... or so I thought.


It turns out J.C. Rowe is one of the most difficult people I have ever had to interview. You have to prize answers out of him with a crow bar. Everything I asked was either met with a one-word answer of one that did not have any reference to the question. It quickly became very frustrating and I soon regretted agreeing to the assignment.


Don't get me wrong. He is a nice guy. I'm just not very certain that his attention span is very long. In fact, that could be the most understated thing I have ever said about another human being in my life...

Speaking in Riddles- The J.C. Rowe Interview

J.C. Rowe is a self-aware enigma. Getting a straight answer out of him is like trying to get a sensible sentence out of a child plagued with a Ritalin addiction: It just doesn’t happen. Maybe it’s the copious amounts of Mountain Dew he consumes at an alarming rate. Maybe it’s that he just doesn’t want to give away the secrets locked away in his mind. Either way, the replies he provided proved to be interesting to say the least. One thing became painfully obvious: J.C. likes to go off on a tangent and say whatever it is that he feels is necessary. The Detroit native failed to clear up many of the mysteries that seem to surround him concerning spontaneous sponsor changes and his sudden rise to international recognition since his appearance in Dave Paine’s Videogroove 22. Could it be that the rapidly progressing urban wizard is a cunning composer of riddles? Only those close to him can truly know. All that is certain is that J.C. Rowe is an incredibly gifted athlete, and a very strange individual.

Several years ago, J.C. Rowe made the decision to move from his home state of Michigan and relocate half way across America to Wesminster, California. Like many skaters before him and many more that are sure to follow, he chose to follow his dreams and base himself closer to the heart of the industry in San Diego. However, he soon came to understand the grim realities that faced him as an aspiring pro skater.

“I first made plans to move out to California 5 years ago, although I had no idea what I was getting myself into. At that time there was still a good number of people making their living from skating. After a few years the industry was becoming smaller and less capable of providing a living for many pros. As people started doing other things and skating less, I began skating more and started showing up in magazines and videos. I knew how things were money-wise at this point, but it didn't matter. I was getting to do what I had always wanted to. I was living my dream. However, the pro skater life ended about 2 years ago when I realized I needed to get a job”

Despite the fact that J.C. Rowe has risen to international notoriety thanks to a memorable performance in Carl Sturgess’ epic Killerboots, there are still bills to pay and responsibilities to fulfill. Luckily, unlike many of his peers, J.C. was not naïve enough to believe he could simply survive on his endorsements alone and set out to find himself a stable form of income. However, he does hold a slight grudge against the fact that it does intrude on his cherished time spent on skates.

“At the moment I work in the office of a window tinting company. They do cars, buildings and houses. I run the automotive department. I work every Saturday, which is probably the only thing I don’t like. On a Saturday when everyone goes out skating, I'm busy talking to people about their cars. I have a full time job and a sold out pro wheel. Not bad, eh?”

Not bad indeed. J.C. is currently skating for Eulogy wheels, Fifty-50 frames, Sixwonsix clothing, Night hardware, Octona skateshop and Crap bearings: An impressive list of sponsors that not many of his fellow professionals can boast. The more observant of you will notice that there are two notable absences from that list of endorsements: Senate and Remz. J.C. became the topic of many debates among rollerblading fans everywhere when Eulogy suddenly released a pro wheel with his name on it. This came as a shock to many enthusiasts within the industry, as J.C. was widely regarded as the new face of Senate, under the guidance of veteran pro skater Kevin Gillan. It is unclear to this day if Senate has simply ceased trading or if the relationship between the two simply ceased to function. When asked what happened with Senate to prompt such a move, J.C. seemed reluctant to go into specifics. He simply said, “I guess I realized after a few months of intercepting and stealing Eulogy wheels that were supposed to be sent to my house for Rob G that I should make the switch myself, and tell Rob I owe him some wheels.”

This seemed like an extremely odd response considering in the short period of time J.C. has skated for the brand he has received two pro model wheels and previous interviews suggested that his relationship with team manager Kevin Gillan was really good. For the past six months J.C. has also been seen riding on Xsjados, which came as a surprise to many as he was a well known member of the Remz team and until recently featured heavily on their website with regular online edits. The fact that J.C. left Remz without any motive to ride for another company poses many questions. When asked what prompted the departure from a team that he seemed so suited to, J.C. replied, “Apparently there are no more Xsjados in my size anywhere. I wish didn't start liking a skate so much right before they became extinct.”

Eager to know if there had been a dispute with owner Kato or conflict with other members of the Remz team, I pushed J.C. for an answer but he seemed unwilling to provide one. Instead of saying why he left the team, he simply declared what weren’t the reasons for his departure. It is evident that J.C. prefers to keep certain aspects of his career as a pro skater private.

”I think everyone expects me to say ‘because I didn't get a pro skate’, which is stupid. Skating for Remz gave me the opportunity to do a lot of skating and travelling, which is more than I could have asked for. It didn't matter if I was going to ever get a pro model skate or even another paycheck for my skating, and it still doesn't. The reason I skate is for fun. That's why I started and that's why tomorrow on my day off I just want to go skating with my friends.”

If you have ever wondered what a normal day is like for J.C. Rowe then I am afraid you are going to have to continue wondering. When asked what J.C. usually does to keep his conscious hours occupied, he was more interested in detailing what he likes to fill his stomach with. However, he was gracious enough to give us the briefest insight into his life once he was done listing his favourite junk food indulgences.

”I have donuts and vitamin water for breakfast, hamburger or pizza for lunch, and usually pizza again for dinner. I drive an old Bimmer a few miles to work. I spend my spare time with my friends, or drawing and listening to music. Oh and I usually beat Chris in a couple games of pool, haha!”

J.C. Rowe tends to go off on tangents when faced with basic questions. It is difficult to assert whether or not this is due to the fact that he didn’t want to give out certain details or that his mind simply wandered off track at certain points during the interview. It doesn’t really matter either way. His skating ability is undeniable. Anyone who has witnessed J.C. in the flesh or viewed his astounding performances in Videogroove or Killerboots cannot deny that he is at the forefront of modern rollerblading. This is reflected by the fact that he has a sponsor list that many of his fellow professionals would envy. Look out for J.C. Rowe in the new Sixwonsix team video that is set for release very soon. If his last performances are anything to go by, it will certainly be a profile to be admired time and time again.