Robert Brink interview
It's pretty funny how I even got this interview with Robert. It began with us roasting on motivational speakers and their ways of stating the obvious while herding dumbfucks like if they were cattle. And somehow, I managed to get this amazing interview out of him. Thanks Robert<3!
I don't even know where to start for this.... Did you ever watch that Disney Movie called Brink?
No. But I hear about it almost daily for the last 20 years.
You're originally from NJ right? What's it like out there?
It’s awesome. You got the seasons, great pizza and bagels, close proximity to NYC. The people are a little more genuine. So many beautiful places there most people don’t know about because they only see Newark airport or The Jersey Shore on TV.
I like it a lot more now that I don’t live there. I will always be deeply connected because it was my home until I was 28. I visit quite often and spend weeks at a time there. It just wasn’t the place for me to stay. Things just never felt right growing up there as a skater and a little bit of a weirdo. I felt misplaced. I had to get away from all the jock and Guido assholes like you see on TV. It’s a real thing. They are the worst. And back in the 80s and 90s before “alternative” music and hip hop and skating became more “cool”, they, and that mentality, were everywhere.
(Not to get dark all of a sudden) 384 days (when I wrote this question) have passed since Dylan passed away and it still seems to be affecting everyone to this day, even those who didn't know him. What was your initial reaction to the news?
When one of your heroes, idols, inspirations dies … or someone who is a dear friend or relative to so many of your friends … it’s terrible. I wasn’t personally close to Dylan. But seeing him go through the cancer battle broke my heart not only because of his suffering and passing, but because I watched my dad wither away from cancer for 10 months when I was 24. It stirred up a lot of painful memories and times for me. And it was so sad seeing so many people I know heartbroken over the loss of Dylan. He was truly special.
Is it safe to say Dylan Rieder is your favorite skater?
Dylan and Gino win it. Throw Daewon, Dennis and Ocean Howell in there too.
Who is officially on Team Handsome? And can Forrest Edwards be an honorable mention?
Haha. I think it’s just Dylan, Alex and Austyn forever. And I say that because eventually Dylan said that in an interview. He confirmed it! But it’s not for me to say. Everyone can have their own Team Handsome, so if you want Forrest on yours, go for it dude!
I feel like it makes sense why I looked up to you as a journalist/interviewer considering your favorite writer is [Dave] Carnie. What got you hooked on his work? Was it when he shit himself for the Big Brother video?
First of all, thanks. I just remember reading Big Brother from the very first issue … cover to cover … multiple times until the next issue came. The writing was not only hilarious and irreverent and original compared to the other mags, but it was very well done. Whether it was Rocco or Cliver or McKee writing in the early days … it was always well written. No mag ever made me laugh out loud before. No magazine was ever a visceral experience before Big Brother. No mag ever covered the peripherals of a life in skateboarding, which to me are just as important as the skating. Not to mention the skating was amazing and it had all the best dudes in it at the time because it was Rocco’s mag and they all rode for his brands. Fast Forward to Carnie coming on board … I feel like he took the writing I just mentioned to the next level. And he became a more consistent voice in the mag. I don’t think, prior to Dave, I ever thought of skate content as “Oh, I love that guy’s work” you know? Maybe I liked a skater or a brand or a photographer kinda, but never a writer. No disrespect to others before him I may be missing, but from what I saw during my personal timeline, I think Dave was one of the first dudes to make a name for himself as “the writer” in skateboarding, and, I think because I enjoyed his work so much, that was very inspirational to me as far as the notion of “maybe I could be a skate writer when I grow up too!”
Is Big Brother really one of the reasons you started writing?
100%. Big Brother. And a writer friend of mine named Cintra Wilson and her book, “A Massive Swelling”. And the fact that I failed out of my first three semesters of being an Environmental Science major in college and needed to pick a new one fast. I will also say that back in NJ when we were younger skating around, Ryan Gee would sometimes be with us shooting photos. Until that time there weren’t a lot of East Coast skate photographers and certainly not a lot of East Coast writers. When I saw Ryan starting to make a name for himself and getting in the mags, it really hit me that maybe I could do it just like he was able to, but as a writer. I never told him that back then, but kinda realized it not too long ago that it was a critical realization for me. He made it seem possible.
Where can I find some of those ABD articles? For those who don't know, explain what ABD was?
AlreadyBeenDone.ComThey are all still there. ABD was an online and mobile app skate mag that me and my friend Josh Friedberg conceived and built. He was the guy who created 411. I was an owner but in charge of the editorial side of it and wanted to assemble a cast of all my favorite writers and make content that the mags and other sites weren’t doing. Basically editorial based on current events. But not just a news blip … real stories. Because, believe it or not, at the time, the print mags and their websites were only making content the old way, monthly, with major lead times, so no one was really able to hit up say, Spanky, after Neckface set him on fire and do a good interview right away. Back then you would more hear about that incident later on, if and when Spanky had an interview in a mag, and it would likely be a brief mention in a long-form interview, not an in-depth piece in itself. So that was what I was trying to accomplish there. It seems super normal now, but back then, content based on what was going on currently in the industry and lives of the skaters, wasn’t being created like that.
So I had all these article ideas but I knew I couldn’t pull them off the way Dave could. So I would pitch them to him and explain what I kinda was thinking and he would just run with it. It was amazing to work with him in that capacity, not only because I am such a fan, but it was sort of collaborative in the beginning with my concept and then his execution and end result was brilliant.
We had articles, interviews, exclusive video parts and features. We never recycled anyone’s content to fill a feed. It was all our own. We had Carnie, Chrome Ball, Stoya, Fabian Alomar and Paul Chan doing “Frank Hurts.” We had unseen 90s/early 00s footy from Joe Krolick and more. It was pretty awesome. We funded it for over a year by ourselves but it was tricky to get companies to buy ads to fund it. Most brands at the time were still spending hundreds of thousands per year advertising in print mags and weren’t sold on digital advertising yet. And the ones that were, their money was going to Berrics.
I may be biased but there is some really great content on there. Anyone who has time should definitely go check it out, especially Carnie and Chrome Ball’s stuff.
Where are you working at now?
I am working on The Hundredth Acre. Doing some writing. Working on a second master’s degree. I have clients in the skate industry helping them with their digital marketing. And my main “day job” as most would say is that I am the Director of Content and Social Marketing for a nutrition brand called Orgain. We make nutritional shakes and powders and bars and stuff. A lot of plant based / vegan stuff.
I wanted to step outside of skate a bit and see what’s out there and learn new things … not only to diversify for the future of my career but to hopefully bring what I learn back to the skate industry and help people if they do hire me. It’s been really awesome actually and I never would have expected that.
I‘d like to start a new show soon. I miss Weekend Buzz so much. That was a fun 5 years.
I know you've probably been asked this 100 times but how did Hundredth Acre come about?
It sounds random as hell, I know. But this should put it into perspective. I wanted to start a brand. But the skate world doesn’t need another hardware or griptape or hat or tee shirt brand or even another blog or magazine, you know? Plus I’m the old guy now. Rocco said this recently and I fully agree … Skate brands should be started by the kids or the pros… like Hardies or Dads or WKND or Numbers or FA/Hockey. That shit is sick! I wanted to start something that was a reflection of me. And the other half of me, the non-skate half, is the writer. So the idea was to create a lifestyle brand for writers and bookworms and people like that. A brand I could tie into skating when possible. “Things for Thinkers” is kinda the mantra. The Hundredth Acre is not just a candle brand. I have pens, tees, stickers. I am working on journals and tea as well. Just all the things that accompany my journey as a writer, with the aesthetic of libraries and children’s stories and great literature and legendary authors and typewriters and a “writer’s cabin in the woods” vibe.
But the candles were the first thing and the main thing because they are wildly popular. A growing industry. And I figured out how to make them myself pretty easy. And they are a vehicle to tell stories with through every single scent. And when people pick them up and say to me “Oh my God this reminds me of my grandfather I need to have this.” And they start telling me about their grandfather’s pipe smoking and how this pipe tobacco candle smells just like him … I have done so much more than made and sold a product. I have told a story to someone else who has a similar story. We share a story. I brought back amazing memories for them, transported them back in time, whatever … it’s so much more than just a product and it ties back to my job as a storyteller.
My other goal was to be as eco-friendly and socially responsible as possible. I use all natural soy wax grown in the USA. My jars are partially recycled and recyclable. My boxes are recycled and recyclable. The bag it comes in is reusable. My oils are phthalate-free and not tested on animals. I hire my friends to make my supplies whenever I can. Skaters make my tees and stickers and shoot my product photography and design my logos. I want to make sure I am supporting the industry I came from. I also donate portions of sales whenever I can to what’s going on in the world, from Standing Rock to World AIDS Day to Hurricane Harvey to the Charlottesville NAACP to multiple LGBTQ charities.
Do you encourage motherfuckers to use your candles as wax?
“In case of a wax emergency, break glass” is what I always tell the skaters about my candles.
What happened to the 360 flip a day thing you were doing?
That wasn’t me; that was Josh. I was just support and the filmer and would sometimes join in when we skated. But he broke his leg halfway in so that all went to shit. He’s recovered but not well enough to skate yet. I posted his slam on the ‘gram, bro.
I don’t know. I don’t even remember. Did he say he was gay on the show? He’s been married to his wife for a while I think and posts photos of her all the time. There are a shocking number of really gullible people out there on the Internet, and an especially large amount of people who certainly have no problem saying something without knowing what the hell they are talking about, so probably a lot?
I know you've been waiting for an openly gay pro, did you already know Brian was gay?
Yes.
I feel like a lot of people still think you're gay...are you? (btw I'm not trying to be homophobic or anything)
That question is not homophobic in my opinion. And no, I’m not. But I have been bullied my whole life because people think I am. Since maybe the fourth grade. It was really hard on me for a long time. Not only because I was being bullied, but bullied for something that wasn’t true and then also questioning my own sexuality as a result. Like “Am I gay? Why is everyone saying this?” And it certainly wasn’t something I talked to anyone about. Not my parents or anyone. At that young age it’s hard to communicate something that heavy. So I just battled it myself.
Eventually I just owned it as a way to empower myself and maybe like freshman year of high school I learned the power of a solid “Go fuck yourself”. Like, “You think I’m gay? Cool. Not sure why that’s a bad thing to you but it isn’t to me, so go ahead and think that.”
And it gave me an amazing perspective from a very young age on what it’s like to be gay in America. It’s terribly difficult, closeted or not. And I think it gave me the ability to always publicly stand up for a friend who might be the underdog or the victim of something when I know he or she is being treated unfairly. Marc Johnson after the Lakai ordeal, for example. The way people reacted to that made me ashamed to be a skater.
What was it like kissing Ritchie Jackson? And can you provide some good description for our readers?
First off, it was so sick that Ritchie did that. I’d actually never kissed a man before that so it was new. My favorite part is if you look closely I lick my lips before the kiss. I think I was scared to get stuck. There’s not much to explain. I kissed a dude. It was fun. And I think it got our point across about homophobia. At least I hope it did. One funny thing is that I had to come home to my girlfriend at the time and be like “Hey, so I kissed a dude on the show today.”
Because sometimes I wouldn’t tell her what happened on the show after we taped or I would forget and she’d watch it on a Friday morning while I was sleeping and I’d get in trouble for random shit I did or said. My phone would be blowing up with angry texts from her.
Are you down to kiss any other skaters?
Guys? Sure, why not? It’s not pleasurable to me but I don’t see what the big deal is.
What was it like writing for Playboy? Did you get to go to the Mansion?
A dream come true. Especially interviewing Dill and BA about his coming out. But no mansion invite yet. Frowny face.
Since you are super active on Instagram, What's the cringiest thing you've witnessed on there?
Just people who follow the script. Like watching people post about being at Coachella and their In n Out Burger and their La Croix and their tap dancey no complies or their “Pray for this” and whatever other hot shit people feel obligated to post because everyone else is posting or reposting. That overall mentality is what’s cringy to me. “Me too, me too! I have a funny fidget spinner post! Look! I have one too! Do you like me?” I still love all those people, like friends or strangers, it’s not something that makes me disrespect anyone personally. I will just simply never understand the appeal of racing to be like everyone else.
Trends that need to die in hell?
Oh man, where do I begin? All of them? The trend of trends being celebrated more than originality is a huge problem.
And excessive irony. Everyone’s a god damn court jester these days. Social media is dictating how people live their lives rather than simply being a documentation of it. Life imitates social media now. It’s wild.
“Recognize the trend, then do the opposite” is a favorite quote of mine.
Favorite current video?
Just watched Hockey III today. Pretty rad. Caleb’s part is nuts and Andrew Allen had me laughing. I watch all the stuff that comes out if it seems interesting to me. They all come and go so fast. I loved the recent “Pendleton Zoo” clip from Primitive. All the Numbers stuff. The Birdhouse video is Bonkers! I loved that one. That part where the dudes are all sessioning that massive hubba together … man, that was the absolute essence of skateboarding to me. I had chills.
Honestly I still just watch older shit when I am craving good skating that gets me hyped. I’m also a huge fan of Strobeck’s stuff. Cherry was awesome. The AWS part that Benny did for The Cinematographer Project too. Dylan’s Gravis part, Mind Field, old World/Blind/101/Plan B, old H-Street and New Deal. That’s the stuff I love. Early-to-mid 90s.
Who do you think is gunna win soty this year?
P-Stone should get it.
A "fan" of mine wanted to ask why you are so sexy? This chick is like 15 or some shit.
I guess I have to chalk that one up to my parents and genetics. And maybe my incurable resting bitch face. Tell her thanks!
Any advice to young writers who are trying to make living at it?
Be yourself. Don’t look at the other content and think that’s the template you need to follow. That’s the biggest thing I see. A kid who’s like, “Okay so if I’m writing a contest article this is how it’s always been done I guess.” Or, ok so “I’m gonna interview Josh Kalis and people always ask him about leaving Toy Machine or leaving Alien so I guess I should too.” Fuck that. That’s the last thing you should ask in my opinion.
Do your homework. Research. The person you are talking to wants to enjoy themselves too. Not be bored to death by answering the same shit for the millionth time. I don’t think a lot of interviewers consider this.
Also persistence and consistency is key. You have to keep going. Doing a few articles or podcasts and stopping because you think it’s not growing fast enough is a huge mistake. You don’t give the audience enough of a chance to discover or connect to the material and cast, you don’t give yourself a chance to learn and evolve your skills. Why is Howard Stern the absolute best in the world? He’s spent 30 years doing the same show, mastering every microscopic detail of he and his team’s craft. Doing a handful of episodes or articles on a new blog and disappearing is just gonna look bad, like you failed or something. Gotta commit!
