Clyde Singleton - Pro Skateboarder, Journalist, Chef (Pt. 1)

Meet Clyde—pro skateboarder, writer, director, podcaster, and chef at Stardust Video & Coffee. From an early age, Clyde’s been driven by a thirst for knowledge and has always pushed himself to learn everything he can about skateboarding. This especially shows through his podcast, “WCRP on Skateboarding”, where he interviews iconic figures in the skateboarding world. Clyde also shares his approach to cooking, finding community and connection in Audubon Park, and how those things have made his move to Orlando, FL such a positive one.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wcrp-on-skateboarding/id1565922132

https://linktr.ee/helloapgdpod

Chapters

• 0:13 Intro
• 12:58 Skateboarding Podcast
• 20:07 Interviewing Personal Heroes
• 30:41 Skateboarding, Food, and Connections
• 37:21 Florida Skateboarding and Authenticity
• 46:20 Value of Time and Mental Game
• 54:27 Skating Journey
• 59:01 Golden Age of Skateboarding
• 1:03:06 Skateboarding Success and Moving On
• 1:06:09 Reflections on Jackass and Skateboarding Friends
• 1:12:30 Hazards of Celebrity and the Counterculture of Skateboarding
• 1:23:36 The Journey to Orlando

Transcript

Intro: 0:13

Hi friends, thank you for joining us for another episode of Hello APGD, a neighborhood podcast about the Audubon Park Garden District in Orlando, Florida. I'm your host, Michael Lothrop, and this is part one of two of my interview with Clyde Singleton, pro skateboarder, writer, director, podcaster and chef. Check out Cookin' with Clyde popups around Orlando and also check out his podcast "WCRP on Skateboarding" on Apple, Spotify and everywhere else you get your podcasts. If you'd like to be a guest on the show or if you'd like to be a sponsor, please feel free to message me on Instagram at helloapgdpod. Thank you for listening. This episode is brought to you in part by Trevor Brown of Fannie Hillman Associates. For listings, market trends, helpful home buyer and seller tips. Email directly to Trevor@fanniehillman.com or find him on Instagram at TrevorBrown407. Just a heads up there's some language and subject matter that may not be suitable for all audiences, so please take care when listening. 

Michael:

And with me today is Clyde Singleton, pro skateboarder, writer, director, podcaster and chef. Clyde welcome.

Clyde: 1:31

Thank you, sir.  How are you doing?

Michael: 1:33

Yeah, man. I'm doing well. I'm so stoked to have you on today. We met at Stardust, where you are now a chef, and you're doing Monday night popups at Gabby's Market, which is super cool.

Clyde: 1:46

Thank you very much.

Michael: 1:47

And I love your podcast. I'd love to talk about that first. There's many things to talk about, obviously, but such a cool thing. So you started this just around two years ago?

Clyde: 1:59

The podcast. Yes, it was kind of weird man. First off, I want to say thank you for having me on the show. I appreciate it, man.

Michael: 2:05

Of course.

Clyde: 2:07

We've been trying to do this for a while.

Michael: 2:09

Indeed yeah.

Clyde: 2:10

Podcasts are funny that way.

Michael: 2:12

Right, I know it can happen whenever.

Clyde: 2:16

I see you every day.

Michael: 2:18

Hey, I know. Yeah, this was bound to happen.

Clyde: 2:22

So I started the podcast, it's called WCRP on Skateboarding. I took a lot of hints off of just a lot of old things I was really into. I was a really big fan of Robert Townsend growing up and I liked that he would produce everything that he did. I always thought that was really cool to see Wayans brothers and all that kind of shit. Anyone that produces their own stuff. I've always been very intrigued with it. 

Michael:

Creative control and all that.

Clyde:

Creative control. I've just really been into creative control and so, with that said, I've just always been a fan of WKRP and I wanted to do something like an AM radio vibe. That's what I grew up on. I grew up on, like you know, I've got 70s AM talk radio and soul and all that kind of stuff and all kinds of music. But I've always wanted to do something like that and in my weird crazy mind I was like you know what? I think it'd be cool if it sounded like a semi radio. I just had all this stuff in my head and yeah, and so initially I was offered to do something. About three years ago, when I first quit drinking, that was obviously the pandemic and everyone wanted to start a podcast. Everything, so I was offered to do one and they were like, yeah, he'd be great to do it.

Michael: 3:52

Who's “they” who was?

Clyde: 3:54

Alphonzo Rawls is an ex professional skateboarder and he was the main guy really trying to get me to go at it. Like he would like. We would talk on the phone for hours. I would just constantly be like no dude, I don't want to do it. Like man, you have a lot of. You got a lot of following and I was at the time I was doing the history of black skateboarding a lot. I started doing that about 10 years ago on IG and then I mixed it up with black history too, so they both just really took off during during the pandemic, because a lot of people had a lot of time to read and argue on the internet.

Michael: 4:26

Yeah, with that said, especially if you were not drinking then yeah, I was just kind of watching everything and everything I was already doing.

Clyde: 4:34

I was just I stepped it up a bit. You know, I had more time to do it because I wasn't drinking and I had a very energy energy. I had a very clear head. So you know, like writing and everything was just bam bam bam. You know it was. It was easy to me almost. So, I was creating content. Like absurdly, you know, I was creating so much content just on the internet, like on my page, that my buddy's like dude, just you should start doing a podcast. And people would ask me here and there to go on, like The Nine Club, which was a skateboard podcast, things like that. And so I was like why would I go on there when? Why not just start my own thing and tell my own story? Yeah. So to answer your question like yeah, that's that's kind of what really drove me. I was just like dude, like I wanted to be like my life's more interesting than that, like I'm really into history, I'm really into reading, I'm really into cooking, like you know. If you know, we talk a lot, so you know things that I'm into. I'm really into old rock and I mean it's things people have no clue. So I would, you know people like you'd be perfect to do a podcast and yeah, and my main thing was I was like I don't want to be on camera. You know, since I was a kid I've been on camera. You know, like that's been my life, that's my entire life is being on camera or being on video camera and that's exhausting as hell man, you know it's. And also what I noticed about podcast that were on camera. Number one that's not a podcast, is a TV show.

Michael: 6:06

That's right. Let's separate those two things.

Clyde: 6:08

That's a television show that you can that you can now let people hear, but it's like dude, they were already doing that on like to AM radio.

Michael: 6:16

Exactly.

Clyde: 6:17

People are just like it's kind of talking to people that didn't know. So this is what's funny. Not only did I not want to be on camera at the time, my front teeth were like broken and just not been drinking a lot, you know, so I was like perfect to duck off of camera. I was like I'm not getting on camera and covering my teeth anymore, and so I just really I just put it together, man, you know I had no, actually when I was first going in this is a great story when I was first going in my first show. Great reminder to anyone that wants to start something don't start it on some bullshit, you know like. Don't start it on some petty shit that it up, because that's where you're going to stay in that pocket. I figured there's already someone doing that, you know, and and, but that's not interesting to me. So the guy, the first guy I was going to get, was this guy, Ricky Oyola, and yeah and so he was good friends with an old teammate of mine. It's a long story short. We were in SF 1993. And it was the day, Mark Gonzales, I went skateboarding with him. That day, holler, he kickflips the gonz, which is unheard of. This is and I'm in the background, straight up I am. And so after that Ricky was trying another trick and he fell and he started yelling the N word really loud. Oh, my God, mind you, this is San Francisco. Like like San Francisco is like a United colors of Benetton commercial. You know what I mean. Like it's just the last place you want to yell anything racist, homophobic. That's just where people started, like hey man, that’s bad.

Michael: 7:58

You know like back in the sixties, right? 

Clyde

Thank you, yeah, they've been trying to tell people for a long time. It's really bad to do this kind of shit. It's like really bad to hate people, and so he gets in a fight with this other big skateboarder, Javonte Turner. They all end up chasing him out. It looked like a scene out of gladiators or something. And I'm just sitting there. Mind you, I know him and I'm from the East coast, and this was just like and like. This is seconds after Mark Gonzales kicked like this, just this entire thing that happened. Like I'm just a kid. 

Michael: 8:29

Everyone was feeling good and then everyone was feeling real bad.

Clyde: 8:32

Everyone's oh boy, here we go. So everyone starts chasing him out. They chase him out with skateboards that he goes back to Philadelphia. And this is funny because he got kicked out of the skateboarding industry. He went back to Philadelphia, started this whole East Coast style skating, blah, blah, blah, blah. So I'm telling the story, doing black history. I didn't even say his name. I'm just like, and I'm showing pictures of Javonte and I'm you know, I'm just talking about Javonte. I'm like, yeah, and he also beat up one of your favorite pros. Didn't even say his name. Sure.

Michael: 9:01

Sure: Fun fact, right?  

Clyde: 9:03

Mind you, I’ve not seen or spoken to this guy since probably 1993. This guy comes screeching in my things and I'm just like, I usually don't pay attention to comments, and so me and this dude just started going. At first I'm kind of laughing at him. Then he's like in my DMs and I'm like I'm like dude like I was like, if you come to Florida, we can box. And I was like, honestly, we can box, we get the money to anyone, I swear to God. I was like, so at this point I knew I was starting the podcast and I wanted to start it with him because everyone settled that score dude and I just knew I was just like dude. This is like my foot is on the pulse of skateboarding right now. Like I started the page, the original page. I did had like 10,000 people in not only 24 hours like everyone's waiting for this. I had his picture up. I had like some other evidence.

Michael: 9:49

Yeah, yeah.

Clyde: 9:50

And so I was starting the podcast like this right.

Michael: 9:52

Yeah, and you were just a witness to this, and you, just you just mentioned it in passing. Didn't even try to call him out, but he called himself out, right? 

Clyde: 9:56

And he got super mad at me and it's like seriously seeing like a Martin Luther King thing and someone's like you didn't see that I'll fight you. That's pretty much what happened with that dude. And so I was going to start. I was going to start my first part. I was like, hey man, come on the show, that it. And so I did it publicly. I was just like it was like a chess move. I was like I'll box you and you can come on podcast, we can talk about this. And he never talked to me again, obviously, and I ended up getting, um well, this guy, Ron Allen and Ron Allen, like was one of the first black professional skateboarders. He was the first street skaters to go pro. And then from there, man, I just started kicking out these really awesome guests. It kind of snowballed. I just kind of remembered who I knew. I remember watching some skateboard podcast, you know some, and just being like these guys ask the worst questions. You know, I like like, and so I had this. I had this whole think box of things that that, like I knew I didn't want to do and I didn't want to see that was. It was very important to me to not do things that annoy me. Yeah, and so, and also, if there's no camera, this is more of a genuine conversation. You know, I like, I like. So that was my idea of doing. The podcast is like after the first one, um, first episode. We did it on zoom and I was just I wanted to use the audio. Three hours sat on some weird beach, um, and Gloucester, my ex-girlfriend's house somewhere went out there, so happy about it, got done the interview. It did not record, yeah, yeah, dude. So luckily he ran it back with me and um, and so that was. You know that that was just my first learning thing. You know, like, just don't go into it, agro, or like don't be that guy. You know, like it's just not worth it to me. You know, what I mean. Like, I think, I think and I'm glad I did just getting good, pure content and being able to just talk to people like a peer. That was super, that was so important to me. Um, you know, because once you get these guys and they're relaxed and they're talking, they're going to talk, you know like, and they don't have an outlet to talk and they're watching all their friends on these TV shows you know, and so when they, they it's, it's like they're normal, you know they're, they're right back in that, that, that pocket, and that's where that's. it's such an organic thing because it's a mutual respect for one another, which is very important, you know to, to be able to have respect for someone like and trust to trust you know, and it's like, because some of the stuff that people have talked to me about it's pretty deep man, you know it's um, and but to me it's very important to hear that kind of stuff, especially coming from these guys, cause a lot of people are. They're so caught up in their ego that they don't you know that they forget what kind of what built them and they don't know who they are.

Michael: 12:53

You know like, Well, and those are the really interesting stories too, right, it's like what? What brought you to skateboarding? But more than that kind of obsession with it, something that you love doing, it's something that it gives you, that freedom, it puts you in that headspace. I'm super familiar just with playing music. It's like, you know, I'm playing with a, with a group of guys again, and you know, haven't been in a band in a while, but I mean it sitting. You know, I always play the drums and just sitting behind that kit playing, like hearing the guitars and the bass and having it all come together. I'm 16 again. You know, like there is, there's something that happens when you're wired for something and you've been doing it as far back as you can remember, and you started skating when you were like?

Clyde: 13:42

Between seventh and eighth grade, when I was 17, I went pro. Yeah, so yeah, we have within a couple of years. I was you know, I got sponsored pretty quick. I won my first contest probably a year after I was skating, a little after a year. You know, it was just. It was something I picked up really quickly, but to me it was, it was also something that I knew that I loved doing, but it was something like also knew that wasn't easy. And so to me that I love a challenge. You know, since I've been a kid I love a challenge. I always challenged myself. You know, like even school, like math and science, were just to me. I'm like this is easy, you know like seriously, like honestly, to check this out, when I was a kid I'd say between fourth and fifth mainly I would go to the library after school and read a book on every president. Like I would just read, like because I liked to read, and I'm like, oh, this is easy. I would go to Radio Shack and, like, read through instructions and just be like, learn how to wire radio. You know what? I mean, I'm like nine years old. Because I just like to read. You know like my mom bought me a computer thick ass book and, like I just did, the program overnight.

Michael: 15:01

And you were hungry for that information, right? 

Clyde: 15:06

I was just hungry for that information, so I think that really folded over with skateboarding. I found something like that that I really love. That was challenging and it was a never ending challenge. I think that was the you know. I think that's the beauty of skateboarding is the era that I grew up in. It was a never ending challenge. You had so much cool stuff you had. You know you're just seeing people skate pools and then ramp backyard ramps. These ramps are just too. These ramps have like milk crate platforms Like you're, just like dude. This is great.

Michael: 15:36

Yeah.

Clyde: 15:36

I mean like it's a challenge, like I'm getting up to that milk crate today and so, and then from there it went to street and it was just really cool, like that particular era is so special and important, not only to myself, to a lot of people. And you know, going back to the podcast, I think that's what generally grabs everyone about that. And I know my demographic. You can kind of see it in things that you know the post and things. Like like those people generally know they're just like oh, hell, yeah, you know, like they remember that stuff, just like you know, like you're a kid, like whoever got you into playing drums, you know, you know, and it's the same thing with skating, you know it. Just it's a familiar, it's a very familiar thing. And being able to tap into that demographic is very important to me and I think it's important for those guys to know that that it's a special. It's just a special to me. You know a fan like, oh, like you're spending like no dude. I think this is special. You know, like, like that, like forget about me Like this is what's cool to me, like, and that's the beauty of doing a podcast, man Is being able to lock into things that you love to do and you know I've loved skating since I was a kid and that and that era of skating, that ‘88 to ‘92, ‘93, is just man. You know like it's. I can't explain it to the average person because it doesn't make sense you know it's like, 

Michael: 17:08

Well, that was a transformational time too, right?

Clyde: 17:10

It was like, yeah, Not only just.

I mean just so many cultures were clashing. You know what I mean?

It's like because I mean you got to think like I'm 48, you know. So in that, in that mid ‘80s, you know that like MTV and BET were completely separate, you know there was no like, oh, you kept some waves, they were night and day, dude, like you know what I mean. And so there was like American culture and there was like black culture. You know what I mean and say it was, it was those were really hitting head on. You know, with like Errol Smith and Run DMC, the Beastie Boys, and you're starting to see all this stuff, and like you're a kid you know, and so everyone rode a skate, everyone rode a bike, everyone had a Mongoose. You know it's like everyone. You know what I mean Everyone had a goose neck, you know, like, like everyone remembers that that time and era, because of so many cool cultures clashing, and it wasn't forced, you know, it was like things were really cool and people had no idea, they weren't like trying to be cool. Like they just had. People had no idea. You know Guns n Roses were a bunch of junkies, you know what I mean.

Michael: 18:19

Yeah, it was authentic, right, it was so authentic.

Clyde: 18:24

You know, from the music to skateboarding, to there wasn't a thing back then you were into everything you know, like I remember growing up my mother would listen to. She'd go from .38 Special to Patty LaBelle. I knew the words to higher love, like I knew Phil Collins was before I knew Rick James was.

Michael: 18:44

Yeah.

Clyde: 18:47

You were slowly starting to see that. So if you grew up in that era you were blessed man, you know, and to remember that and be able to talk about it and bring it to people. It's really great to be able to do that and to remember things and be able to give something back to skating. You know that's given so much to me. I think it's the least I could do, you know. Honestly, in the grand scheme of things, it's the least I could do.

Michael: 19:14

And that's so cool and to have this shorthand. It's like you're interviewing a lot of people that you knew from back in the day and you're getting to meet some of your heroes in which case you haven't really like talked to or spent much time talking to and get to really know who they are. Right, it's like these are people that you watched skate and you aspired to be like, so they made you better, so they were like. They were basically mentoring you from afar even if you

Clyde:

Yes, 100%, 

Michael:

That's so cool and so you're able to give them a platform to really kind of reveal who they are and what makes them and what they're doing now. All of that stuff is so interesting to hear.

Clyde: 19:58

Yes.

Michael: 19:59

And there's not really other places that are doing that. It's like these are untold stories of pro skateboarding.

Clyde: 20:07

And a lot of people do have these guys on. But like my buddy Talking Schmidt, he does a great, he is great, like honestly, to me, it's on. To me he is Johnny Carson and I don't know if you know this little known fact Arsenio Hall loves Johnny Carson.

Michael: 20:26

Wow, I didn't know that 

Clyde:

I've always loved Arsenio Hall. So it's like I have found my Johnny Carson. 

Michael:

That makes sense.

Clyde: 20:32

Like, it's like, like and he doesn't. You know it's funny. He doesn't really think about it, but to me he gets everyone. You know he gets a super. The old guys who were just way too cool, you know what I mean. Like like the old dudes who were still pissed, like probably I'm a street skater and I went pro you know what I mean. And I understand it's cool. You know what I mean. Some people probably thought Fender would never make a better guitar in 1978. Things move on.

Michael: 20:58

Sure.

Clyde: 20:58

You know what I mean so like, but I know, like he gets those guys, man, he gets the Salbas and like the guys who I'm like dude, I want to talk to the Salba you know what I mean, Like I don't know what I talked to him about, but I just think it'd be cool to and he has that, so that to me is like he's someone I really look. I'll kind of look up to you from afar, you know. And there's some other guys, these guys that do this Bones Brigade one. They're really awesome, they what they do. They kind of dissect the old Bones Brigade videos and they find all these Easter eggs. But then they get all these dudes who like worked on them and cause those things are made like movies, yeah, and I stay super old to, was it. So they get all these dudes like like oh, we have the gaffer and I'm like where did you find this? You know what I mean. Like they have like some weird piece of paper and I'm like, oh, you remember this thing from like police academy and I'm like dude. So that kind of stuff. You know I feel like that's really awesome. But interview wise and content wise, you know I'm very proud of what I've stacked up so far. It's only going to keep getting better. You know it's gotten better every season. You know, sounds gotten better. The guest I wouldn't say the guest, or better, I think. You know I look at them all, not all equally. You know there's been some guys I'm like dude. I can't believe I got this guy, you know like Ray Barbee

Clyde: 22:16

A guy I'm like God can not Like dude. I met Ray Barbee last, last September. Last September they all flew us to Tupelo Mississippi for a thing and my buddy called me. I was doing a working for a nonprofit called Super Skate Posse. They fly me out to be their chef. You know I've been doing that for the last couple of years. Shout out to them and my buddy, Chris, calls me. He's like I got the best birthday gift for you in the world. He's like you and Ray Barbee are going to be rooming together in Tupelo, Mississippi. Dude, I almost passed out. I've never, like we've never, been in common spaces, like maybe in passing, you know, Munster Contest and thing, but we've never, like you know, like, been in the same area. Yeah, and so he released a board with StrangeLove, because Sean Cliver, who he's one of the owners of them, he's one of the greatest graphic artist ever. He did some of the most classic powerboards and all the old World Industry stuff. Like he is basically Stan Lee of skateboards, no shit. And so he redid Ray Barbee. So he redid Ray Barbee’s first board for his company and and we were there was like a huge festival out there Ray Barbee had, they had a couple of boards to shop. So I used my per diem bottom, right on the spot, like that in dude, like couple hundred bucks, dude, it was like almost four hundred bucks. I'm like you give me both signing both. I had him and Cliver signing both and I was just like a kid dude, you know what I mean. And so, and so we had a manager there with me at the time and we were dropping them off there Everyone's getting dropped off the airport and we were like and Ray's getting out and she's like go ask him right now. And like I was like it's like, dude, she's like if you don't ask him right now, you're not ready to know. She's like this is your chance right now and just open the door. And it's like hey, man, first I just want to say this is great to meet you, and I was like I couldn't even ask him. You know, I was like a kid dude and like, like, he's like two feet away from me. I'm just like I was like, hey, man, I do this piece, I do love to come on the podcast. I was like, did I like hug him? But I couldn't call him side. My manager call him and set it up. But she set it up, man, and that was very special to me. Like to me that and it happened around Christmas time last year and that was that was very special to me. I I used to dress like him as a kid. I wore my hat like him and like I just emulated this guy. You know, it was like I can't explain it, like it it wasn't like a Kobe/Jordan thing, like I like looked like Ray Barbee as a kid, like you know, like I had the jeans and I was Ray Barbee. You know what I mean. And so I haven't just talking to this guy, man, and in like it was like I can't explain it, like my father was never around. So it was like talking to my dad, you know, or just like talking to a grandfather, I know, you know, it's just so awesome and just like every word, like I remember every word and just like we were just on the phone, man, and I'm just staring at the phone the whole time In disbelief. I can't believe Ray Barbee’s on the phone. You know, it was like a three hour thing. He's like we going too long. I'm like you need six hours. You can talk me to sleep, dude. So that was special. Marty Grimes. Marty Grimes is very special. He's the first African American pro skateboard, excuse me. And he just told me his whole story. Told me about how his, his mother, grew up with Martin Luther King and so that's where his name came from. Martin Luther King's come to his house hang out when he's a kid and lives in Atlanta, and did he just tell me all these crazy? And I was just like and you know, these guys don't really interview with a lot of people Ray Barbee, that was you know. No, he doesn't do podcasts. He doesn't do skateboard podcasts. He hasn't done the nine club them guys, probably. How did you get this guy? You know what I mean. And so there's a lot of guys that like that. That that's great, all the mother guys do that, but they don't do this, you know. So, like I take a lot of pride in that, you know I take a lot of pride in the people that I have and I got some guys coming on this season and you know the guys are like like man. You know, I just thought I was kind of a flash in the pan and I'm always telling these guys look, dude, like you inspired me and you guys have no idea. Back then, you know, say, say 19,. Take 1989, 1990, six months was three years. Yeah, you know, as far as anyone's concerned, if you were alive back then, six months was three years of anyone's life, like six months with a long time. You know. So a lot of those guys, you know they were around for year, year and a half, maybe two years, and kind of went into the early nineties, but not as strong. And to me I'm just like man, you were around when it mattered, though you know it's like almost like being a group on sub pop back then. You know, like, check this out, my buddies from Jacksonville were one of the first groups on Sub Pop. Their name was Rein Sanction. Look him up,

Michael:

I remember them. They were great.

Clyde: 27:19

Remember Rein Sanction? Yeah, that's insane. So that's I know those guys. Dude, the one dude, Brandon, he's chased me at 7-Eleven, when I was 10 years old and poured a big gulp on my bike and I hated him forever. Like I'm not even joking. They were like the oldest skate park dudes. They were like them dudes in like on the Simpsons, you know, the dudes were the that was the dudes.

Michael: 27:39

The bullies.

Clyde: 27:41

Brandon's brother. I forgot his brother's name, but they were on Rein Sanction before it. Man, they were like 88, 89. This is before Nirvana. Yeah, you know so you know a lot of this, like that's what I'm saying, like you're like. So I have a lot of guys like that, you know, like a lot of guys from the G&S video. You know, I don't know if you remember G&S skateboards.

Michael: 28:01

Totally yeah.

Clyde: 28:03

Or late 80s.

Michael: 28:05

Gordon and Smith, right?

Clyde: 28:06

Yes, Gordon and Smith was a part of vision, vision skateboards. A lot of people don't know this. So G&S, when they broke up, G&S in 1990 was unstoppable. They were. There was probably eight street and G&S that ran skateboard. Powell was out of the way, Like Powell was. Powell was still around. They were just like. They were like vanilla ice around, you know what I'm saying. Like they were around but they didn't really matter. So G&S and eight street were like that too was on top of the street, you know, until New Deal. And like mid 1991, if you're a skater, everyone remembers this. So G&S broke up and started alien workshop.

Michael: 28:40

Uh huh.

Clyde: 28:41

So a lot of people don't know this. You know what I mean.

Michael: 28:43

So, like.

Clyde: 28:44

So I got a lot of guys from the G&S video. They did two or three videos Got here from here. Actually, Shannon May, I don't know if you know who Shannon May is that name?

Michael: 28:52

sounds familiar.

Clyde: 28:54

He's from here in Orlando Florida.

Michael: 28:56

Wow.

Clyde: 28:56

But he moved. Uh, he lives in Louisiana now, one of the great skateboarders, super great skateboarder from back then, and grew up skating around here, Fashion Square, all that, I mean Levitt's curbs like I grew up skating that kind of stuff too. Yeah, back in the day, so, so, like I got a couple of guys from the G&S video and one of the guys like man, you know, I was a flash in the pan and I'm like, look, look, dude, like, trust me, like people are going to trip out. When I'm like, dude, look who I found you know, like, because it's not like, you found them because they pop up in my comments, dude, and I'm like, oh, you're here, oh, my God, it's like seeing someone in the audience. I'm like, oh, you're here, oh, you're coming on. So I just DM them on Daewon Song’s coming on and and I, you know me and Daewon were teammates back in mid nineties. You know it's you imagine me Daewon and Rodney Mullen, like in a van, like no one could. You know what I mean. It's like like that was like us, and like a little bar, like little kid is all these random people on tour, and so you know, I'm known Daewon forever. And you know, I asked him to come on. He's like, yeah, you know. So a lot of people are like how do you get these guys? And I'm like never want to know them. Yeah, you know, like they're my friends and number two, I think it's. I think it's. It took a while to make people really Not notice it. But but be like, whoa, this is this, this is kind of here to you know, like he's like not, this isn't like a fly by night thing, because a lot of people have tried to do Podcasts. A lot of skateboarders are trying to do them. Yeah and it's. It's easy to get like 10 or 12 on your belt, you know, especially if you have some people and Like, but it's just me, man. Yeah you know, it's literally just me, dude, it's, it's I do all the social media stuff. I do all that. I do edit all those videos on there. I do all the editing for for the podcast, I, I do everything. Yeah, you know, and I tell you, a lot of pride at it, man. It's sort of like cooking and, you know, doing the market. You know, I love, I love, mister, the last two weeks. I love doing the market. It's. I take pride and it's my thing. You know, touch on that really quick. This happened today. I think it's really cool to to make food and see people's eyes light up. You know, like that is. It's a genuine thing. You know it's like you don't know what's going on with people, you don't know anything, but if that can bring them a little sense of joy, like that, that does, it does me so well. You know, it's like, like it take it, it makes me know everything's not alright but Everything's gonna be okay. Yeah, you know like it really does. It's like, and if something simple as food can really, you know, just open a genuine smile from someone, and you know, and that that that's a really warming thing and the food is a great communicator and that's why I take a lot of pride in it and you know, it's just like podcast or communicating with people, and I used to do it drunk a lot, you know, and so I don't think I took a lot of pride and and that, but I clearly was on autopilot, you know, because I don't remember these things.

Michael: 32:05

Yeah, there's something, something too, connecting with people and being present in the moment and, yes, legitimately there. Yeah, it's. So it's so cool to see those things are Becoming bigger parts of your life and and really important in ways of ways of sharing and ways of connecting. And, yeah, man Like and your food's great too, so it's, it's cool to have you in Audubon Park especially, just like, of all places I know, Tito lives in the neighborhood, Tito Poratta, and I've known Tito since high school.

Clyde: 32:38

Oh, wow.

Michael: 32:39

Yeah, he was in my brother's grade and so they skated together. And so Tito is building skate parks around Florida and other places, flying all over, which is such a cool thing, and that was how you two connected, is that right?

Clyde: 32:52

Yeah, I was probably one of the two or three black people in Jacksonville that rode a skateboard, you know, and most of the guys when I was growing up, you know ‘86, and you know ramps and stuff are really big. So I say that to say that my mom couldn't afford a ramps, couldn't afford that kind of stuff. But I didn't live near people that had that kind of stuff and yeah, and so there was a lot of people that look like me or people that were Not rich or didn't know rich people that they had ramps and that in parents that would let them people you know. So. So when streets came around, I started kind of traveling around a bit, going to contest, and I forgot where I met Dwayne at. Dwayne Robinson was from here, he lived in Winter Park and we became really good friends Because we were kind of the two black guys just skated and you know he was sponsored, I was sponsored, you know he was on Santa Cruz at the time and he was a little, he was a little ahead of me at the time, but you know we he also looked like Ray Barbee, you know, but he was, you know, always looked up to Dwayne and I would always come down here and skate and skate out to Mountain stuff, and I think that's where Tito came around, was around Dwayne, you know, you know I knew him mainly from Dwayne. You know, to say that, to say that I knew another guy. I don't know if you knew Simon.

Michael: 34:10

Yeah, yeah.

Clyde: 34:11

So Simon, I lived in when I lived in Gainesville. I kick up with Simon to in like ‘95. Oh yeah, so we probably know a lot of the same people.

Michael: 34:18

Yeah, my brother was in Gainesville too, 

Clyde: 34:23

Bobby Sinclair is from here. Yeah, awesome, damn. There's a lot of people. Man, there's an indoor skateboard park here back in the day. Rampage, and then we'd also come down and skate Badlands. I was standing those guys, so that was early ‘90s. I was just looking at some photos of Badlands. I got a photo Um, I think I got on my phone somewhere of me skating Badlands, the little spine ramp in the middle. Um, yeah man, I had a lot of friends down here and that's where I knew Tito from. He would always be the contest to FASL contest back in the day and we come here and skate downtown. And Didn't Charles Barkley throw some guy through a window downtown here?

Michael: 35:11

Yeah, totally.

Clyde: 35:19

See, I remember this stuff, dude. See, I remember this stuff. That's so crazy, huh. That was downtown, right. I gotta have like some super, some quantum leap flashback in like 20 minutes right, yeah, we're going.

Michael: 35:27

These are deep, deep cuts, right?

Clyde: 35:29

These are super deep, right. This is like late '80s, huh yeah.

Michael: 35:32

Wow, yeah, wow, 

Clyde: 35:38

It's wild, dang Levits curves. I remember we skate Levits curves. Um, I never got a skate Fashion Square when it came down. What was that pizza place, Fazoli’s or something like that. They had a breadsticks and stuff like that, yeah unlimited breadsticks.

Michael: 35:50

Yeah, actually it's coming back, there's gonna be, one like right near Audubon Park on Colonial and Bennett, where Boston Market used to be so Fazoli’s is coming back.

Clyde: 36:03

Remember Boston Market was unstoppable and like it was great.

Michael: 36:09

Yeah, it's so crazy, yeah, it's like that like place in time where these, these specific things, just like if you weren't there, you don't really have the appreciation for it necessarily. But a lot of us were and a lot of us are like connected by it and it's so cool to uncover those things. It's like, oh yeah, we like hung out at some of the same spots. Yeah we probably, we probably ran into each other and just didn't realize it.

Clyde: 36:34

Yeah, I'm sure we do. I'm sure I probably have on some big, loud yellow jacket or something. You're probably like who's that loud skate dude. Yeah, yeah, you probably ran it like I got always. You know, I was always a Florida guy. You know, growing up I didn't really like go to Cali until like we won, I went the first one to Cali, came back like '92, '93 and you know I filmed a lot of my first video parts in Jacksonville and in Florida. Good buddy of mine, John Montesi, he, he turned pro 1990, 1991 and he he filmed a lot of his parts back in back here in Florida and so always you know, these are guys. I looked up to. You know, guys I grew up with, there's still some my good friends of this day. You know, good out hanging out with John's family, get on there and cook for him and owns a couple shops down there. You know, and it's you know I've always thought that was important to, to have Florida be part of whatever I'm doing. You know I'm very proud of where I'm from. You know a lot of people didn't come up from where I'm from. You know a lot of my friends did. You know a couple guys came out of there, Jacksonville Buck Smith is an older guy, you know, but at one time there was this is crazy, I just thought about this the other day Caine Gayle went pro first I think he went pro '92 '93 and then I went pro around late '93, '94 and then, and then Neil Mims went for I want to say around '96, '97 and then Mike Peterson, then Caine, myself and Neil, all back to back to back, all out of Jacksonville. We all, we all Got our first pro model through companies with Rodney Mullen. Wow, yeah, yeah, and we're just talking about this because we were our interview and I was just like dude, that's crazy. I think that like, like, we were kind of like 

Michael:
It's that Florida connection right?

Clyde:
But he didn't know us. He didn't know that we all knew each other, or anything. It was just that we all ended up like getting both of which is insane. You know, like you see, all these guys now, yeah, I just got my board shape by Paul Schmitt, which is cool, you know, but it's like picture, got my board shape. I'm writing more I don't care like I want my shit shaped by the dude that rides it. I'm saying, like you do that the dude that can ride this shit like I can ride it. I don't want it shaped by some dude that knows how to shape skateboards and that is doesn't take anything away from, yeah, I trust the guy. Would you trust the guy that drives the car that sells you a tire? Or the guy that sells you a tire? Right, it's like some weird cool little things you know out of Florida and and Jacksonville and itself and Just skateboarding man. You know, that's why I do the podcast, man. I think it's cool to uncover a lot of things and and also share information.

Michael: 39:15

You know.

Clyde: 39:16

This information is important.

Michael: 39:18

Yes, yeah, especially when you were coming up like skate shops, like that was. That was a place to learn and watching, watching skate videos and just how important that was and skate magazines and your journalism background contributes greatly to the just the podcast format and and people understanding and kind of trusting your voice as far as what you're gonna capture that information. Like you, you have this background and this, this hunger for information.

Clyde: 39:47

That's always been there, right it's like that's such a key yeah being able to Um verbally describe something is very important to me. Yeah, you know, but I also wanted to keep it to a point to where I didn't have to rely on these you know, youtube and things like that to you know like I was very stubborn. I'm just like dude. There's a way you can do this. And everyone's like dude. So many people told me All right, dude, all right dude, like literally just brush me off. All right, man, yeah, and I'm like dude. I'm telling you you know how much, you know how much advice I took? None of it, because all them dudes are, probably, which of they are, will do it when I'm doing now.

Michael: 40:26

You know what I mean.

Clyde: 40:27

Like here. I am 50 something deep and it's just being stubborn and knowing what I wanted and not just, you know, not sacrificing for mediocrity, just to be there. You know, I thought that was to me that's very important, and also to not sell myself short. I haven't made any money from it and I'm trying to figure out ways to do the Patreon and things like that, but I'm just one of those people I don't. I hate suckers. You know what I mean. There's already so many people like capitalizing off skateboarding and making money off skateboarding that haven't really done shit for it. You know what I mean they're not really got nothing to give back. They're not really, you know, they're not out there getting their hands. It's like I'm not a who you know type guy. You know, if that was the case, this thing could have been everywhere by now. I don't want a corporate sponsor. You know. It's like everyone loved this guy Jeff Grosso he was. He was kept it real. I'm like dude. He worked for Vans. Vans is owned by Vanity Fair. There's nothing keeping it fucking real about working, you know what I'm saying. Like he had you guys figured out. Well, you guys are man, he's that's our guy, that's our guy. The meantime, it's guys cash to check from Vanity Fair. Now, if you point that out, you're a hater.

Michael: 41:44

You know what I mean.

Clyde: 41:45

So give what I mean. So it's like but let me do something like that. Oh man, he's just getting money from Vans. It's like I don't even want to do that and then also I didn't want to. I've gotten so many opportunities to Spotify. You know you can sell ads and show you how much money I make. I'm sure I can be making tons of money by now.

Michael: 42:00

Yeah, I think.

Clyde: 42:01

I'm over a hundred thousand Probably. I haven't even checked it in a while, and so it's not about that, right, it's not about that dude, it's. And then if I was going to do it, it would at least be with something I'm proud of you know, Like it's not just a check, you know it's helping both of us. It's something like I use, it's something that I believe in and it's something that I would talk to people about, whether it was an advertiser or not, you know. So I've thought about the Mushroom King guy. I like his product.

Michael: 42:30

Andrew, yeah. He's amazing. I love his product. I think he's Just so even keeled, Just like the nicest Just a.

Clyde: 42:36

Just a Florida dude.

Michael: 42:37

Just a Florida dude. Like, yeah, he's the guy, you know what I mean? 

Clyde: 42:42

Just a Florida dude. Like you can't even explain it. He's just like someone I grew up with, or seventh and eighth grade. That was like we were buddies on the bus.

Michael: 42:48

Yeah.

Clyde: 42:48

Like I'm sure we were buddies in some past life.

Michael: 42:50

Right.

Clyde: 42:51

I really like his product, you know, so I've. He's one of the first guys I talked to Like. I don't want Manscape dude Like-.

Michael: 42:59

If we could just barter for everything. I would love that. Like, money changes things so much and it's nice to have the ability to do something like this and not seek anything in exchange for it, because it is. It does change things when money gets involved and there's a purity to just having a labor of love. It's like I do this because I believe in it. I do this because I want to elevate the people that are on it.

Clyde: 43:29

Yes.

Michael: 43:30

Like those stories are important to me. Capturing this I know you have kind of an intention maybe at some point doing like a book and taking some of what has been talked about in the podcasts and putting that and now with like there's like AI platforms that can transcribe and do like an amazing job.

Clyde: 43:50

That's crazy.

Michael: 43:50

Transcribing. Yeah, and I'm so glad because I was feeling very daunted by the idea of like going back and transcribing podcasts, like typing it out. I'm like this is gonna make me hate podcasting.

Clyde: 44:03

I can't do that so.

Michael: 44:04

I've transcribed the 40 episodes that I've put out.  I did it that quick yeah. In a month's time, because I took basically a month off of you know, after season two and I took that time to transcribe and it was a lot. I mean even just like fine tuning, because it's like 90 something percent correct. Though.

Clyde: 44:29

So it does so much of the work for you.

Michael: 44:31

So like yeah, so that sort of thing is what's going to help along. Something like that it's like you can just copy and paste and you've got a book, you know. So that's. We live in a very exciting time, the fact that we have this technology and these developments, and you know, and these people are still around. 

Clyde: 44:56

Because it's like you know we're like approaching middle age and it's important to get people their flowers while they are alive. It's very important, like there's nothing more disgusting than people coming out and giving people all these flowers when they passed away. It's like bitch they were right here whole time. Now you want to bring them up Because they passed away. You know like that's sad. That's very, very sad. That's society we live in. You know what I mean. That's how we are. You know it's people don't generally know how to. It's cool to be mediocre at anything. It's cool to be a mediocre friend. It's cool to be a mediocre husband. You know it's cool to be a mediocre worker.

Michael: 45:32

It does seem to be celebrated a lot,

Clyde: 45:35

It is. You know what I mean. It's literally, it's like, it's like dude it's cool to be a bare minimum boy. You know what I'm saying. Like it really is and it's kind of sad man. It really, it's really sad, it's but.

Michael: 45:45

And it's kind of uncool to go the extra mile and really open up and connect with people. And that's what I'm hoping we get to change in doing stuff like this too.

Clyde: 45:54

But when you do find, when you do find those people, you know, like I feel, I feel like you guys are people who I can generally talk to and, like you know, you guys are straight shooting people. You know you got and it's cool, it's like you don't have to weed through all the shit. You know what I mean? It's like yo they're cool, that's they're cool. You know what I'm saying. Like no reservations. They're cool, you know, and with the other shit you don't have time for a lot of that shit, man. You know, we're getting older man. I was like time is valuable at this point. Time has always been valuable, but at this point, this is like you know, this is the fucking eighth or ninth inning. You know what I'm saying and so I'm not trying to go out stressing out or figuring out or do these mental gymnastics on who is and who isn't my. I don't have time for that, dude. I don't have time for that. No, no, I've spent a lot of time fooling myself. You know. I can honestly say that now I'm just like that's. I went to a show the other night and I was surrounded by people who I've known for a long time and I was just irritated, you know, everyone's just wasted and I'm just like damn, this is the only thing I know of these people. You know what I mean. Like it was kind of sad. It was really it was a sad like Realization. You know, being 48 and just looking and just being like I've known these people since I was like 18. Like we have nothing in common right now because I'm not drunk- you know, what I mean. Like literally like nothing in common, like if you take me out of the equation, it really doesn't matter, you know, because everyone here is in some fucking lala world.

Michael: 47:33

Yeah, they're not there to connect, they're there to disconnect, right, and that's sort of the distinction?

Clyde: 47:40

And so to me, I'm just like I don't got time for disconnecting bullshit, you know what I'm saying Like I'd rather just be sitting in the house, man, and reading a good book or finding a you know, I was found some good cartoons last night and I forgot about the inspector on Pink Panther. Like I was watching that for hours, so you know there's other stuff now. Man, it's not getting old, it's just getting wiser and knowing how to use your time, because your time is very valuable. You know you can take a lot of that stress from what you think is. You know you take a lot of shit home. You ain't sleeping good. You know you just got to keep that shit going, man. And so you know, I really value my time now, man, I do, I value my sleep. Yeah, I value my time at home. I'm just chilling. You know what I mean. I don't got to explain that shit to nobody. I'm chilling.

Michael: 48:33

And I think like also just being young and trying to figure out who it is that you are, it's like you're out in it always, you know, and you're connecting with people. But music has kind of always been my scene. That's like really been my thing. Like I loved skateboarding culture and the art, like the skate decks, and like you know, I skateboarded a bit when I was a kid but I was so risk-averse you know it's like. I watch skateboard videos and I want them to land every trick. You know what I mean? I'm just like when they don't I'm like, oh my God, and just like I would turn this off. Like I'm such an empath that like it hurts me to see somebody get hurt on a skateboard. And I realized you can't have that fear. You got to, you got to turn that off. It's like that adrenaline is going to go and it's going to carry you through whatever injury and it's that fight or flight, right?

Clyde: 49:29

I mean, sometimes, man, you just black out.

Michael: 49:34

Sure, Like you, just that's your response, your body, that it saves you from it.

Clyde: 49:38

Yeah, it saves you from it you know, because a lot of times you just and I don't think it's more or less adrenaline. You know, because adrenaline, adrenaline can put you in some stupid situations. Oh yeah, and skateboarders, like they know they ain't stupid, you know, some of them are. You know you can see some guys like break their ankle jumping off stuff and da, da, da. And that's the guy that doesn't know. You know, like he's just he's going purely off adrenaline, so he's not using this brain.

Michael: 50:05

Going off adrenaline.

Clyde: 50:07

Skateboarding is 90% using your brain, you know. The other 10% is physical ability.

Michael: 50:13

And there's a looseness too, right? 

Clyde: 50:19

Very looseness, but it's literally like, it's a mental game. It is a mental game like, like, because you can see some people learn to kickflip really quickly. You know what I mean. Because they can mentally see themselves doing the kickflip and some people, just their mind, their brain is in there. You know what I mean.

Michael: 50:33

They can't wrap their head around the physics of it.

Clyde: 50:34

They can't wrap their head around it, but they know what they want it to look like. You know what I mean. So it's like that's what I say between adrenaline and using your brain, like some people. You know, some people probably think they look cool riding skateboard and da, da, da and they look awkward. You know, like it's a mental game. You know. So, once you get to the mental aspect of number one, if you know, if the first thing when you start skating, if you already know how to fall, you are 20 steps ahead of everyone. So that means if you've been a tumbler since you were a kid and so a lot of these guys they're not like that. You know a lot of. They haven't been jumping out of trees since they were kids. You know what I mean. Like they're risk averted. So they're like, oh, I'm not jumping off that tree at six foot tall, like some of us have been, like some jumping off the roof, you know, and so you know how to tuck and roll off the roof and things like that. So if you take that to skateboarding, when you first start and you know what it feels like to roll your ankle, so you're like, oh, I'm not trying that, oh, that's you know. But some people straight go for it because I mean, they got the adrenaline and they only got the brain. You know, what I'm saying. So skateboarding is literally, it's a mental game. It's all. It's like golf. I say it to everyone it's literally like golf. It's a mental game that, no matter how good you get at it, you're never going to be super good because you're never going to have the same day twice. It's just like golf. You can go to the same course 20 years in a row. You can go to the same golf. You can go to the same skate course 20 years in a row. You're not going to do that same thing during the same, during the same, every single time.

Michael: 52:04

Too many variables.

Clyde: 52:05

Too many variables, you know like you could have new wheels. You could. You could get a little looser in your left foot sometime. You know, like you, it's always changing, so it's a mental game. You know it's a. That's why when you get a little older, some guys have just chipped out of it mentally a long time ago. You know, like literally you can see it in a lot of guys. You know, like the guys that collect skateboards, have you seen a guy that's got more than one skateboard? Yeah, he don't skate that much. You know what I'm saying. Like he's mentally out of the game, but he's like in his brain he's still a skater. He's yeah, I got skateboards. No, no, no, no. The guy that skates a lot, he does. He mentally knows like, I just need this. That's all I need, and show me a skate spot.

Michael: 52:49

That's it, yeah.

Clyde: 52:50

So that's what I'm saying. It's a mental game and once you get a little older, you you know, you know, it's like I go skating now and people are like, man, I can't believe you can still skate. And it's like like, do you think I forgot?

Michael: 53:05

It never leaves, right?

Clyde: 53:06

It never leaves. You know foot placement, you know all that stuff. But then you also know you're smart. You know like, like I'm not riding up that thing, this isn't 1996, dude. Like I'm not doing a heel flip to fake you on a vert ramp right now. You know like, but if I did, if I wanted to, it would be on a day where it's like all right, you know

Michael: 53:25

Today's the day. 

Clyde: 53:28

Like you know, like you know. So it's just a bit, it's, it's more of a mental thing. Man, it's just like golf. You'd never have the same day twice. You're never perfected, ever.

Michael: 53:36

Yeah.

Clyde: 53:36

You never perfected, and so it's like a sentence and never ending challenge. It always is so, even when I go skating. Now, man, it's, it's a challenge. You know, to me it's like I like challenging myself. It's it, it, it makes my heart go crazy. You know cause? I'm just like hell. Yeah, you know. I just. But then I forget sometimes because dude check it out. I go to the park and like I'm thinking I'm just pulling up and like I forget. You know, like, and I'm just like, no dude, you're a 48 year old black dude at the skate park. You know what I mean. Like kids are staring at you. Like what's this old black dude coming up with a skateboard for? And like I'm not thinking I'm just like because you grab a skateboard and like, come on, man, I'm a kid again. Yeah, so I'm walking up, I'm thinking I look like Ali Drummond and instead I look like like some super old black guy. You got gray hair and, like I'm, not thinking of this, but then when I start skating, people are like what the hell but to me. I'm just, it just makes sense to me. You know, it's like like if I go to Orlando park, the first thing I do is drop in the big bowl and like walking over to it. People are like looking at me, like just like old guys with pads and shit, and I'm just like this is how I warm up, dude, you know what I mean. Like even just to drop in and go side to side and catch a couple grinds, like that is cool to me. You know I don't feel like I'm a vet dude, you know what I mean.

Michael: 55:00

Like you've pushed yourself enough where now you can just do it and enjoy it and not try to be, like get those tricks that you've never done before and just get better and better.

Clyde: 55:11

I don't want to be that I don't want to be that old dude on Instagram or like or YouTube Like you know, you're trying to play off. You know, I see a lot of that and and I'm just like what are you guys trying to prove? Yeah, you know what I mean. Like I get it, but but that's the thing they they're, they're trying to prove it it's.

Michael: 55:25

It's a fascinating mentality when you, when you reach a point where you're like I don't really have anything to prove, like I, I still want to share in this experience, yes, but like I'm not going to make it about me. You know I, yes, I'm here and and I know who I am and I contribute to the scene, but like I'm not here to steal the show. You know, like that's that sort of the difference from that, that youthful kind of ego mentality where you're like all eyes on me, on the best. Like that you know there's a time and a place for that and it's not now.

Clyde: 56:07

I mean I mean at the time, at the time all that was going on. Yeah it was just happening, you know. So I never really thought that. You know, I didn't really think about any of that at the time, you know, and you know, thinking back now, obviously it's a huge blessing. You know what I mean. Like, like, not as kind. Like Rodney Mullen calls me at my mom's, you know, and I have Kareem wants to come out and I'd already went pro for this company called Acme in '93, but they didn't pay me or nothing and luckily they flew me to Munster where I met Kareem Campbell through a mutual friend and I'm Kareem, sure enough, had Rodney call me. I sit in Jacksonville and Rodney calls my mom's like hey, want to fly you out. I'm just like hell, yeah, you know I grew up like World Industries. I'm like this is the greatest day of my life, at first, like my cousin's, like some man named Rodney on the phone. The funniest thing ever, there's a man named Rodney on the phone. And so I get on the phone and Rodney, Rodney, you know, Kareem told me you see a good skater who love to check you out. And I get on the plane, I fly to LA, I take a bus from, take a bus from LAX to Venice and they drop me off into some hood and I'm just skating around with the bag like looking for this contest in Venice and these guys are like off the foot. And like it's like dropping Master P off in like a Colors video. It's like the craziest thing ever. Like everyone's just looking to be like what the hell is this country ass? I'm like I'm just walking around, hey man, we're just skateboard parking. And so I find this thing and and then I forgot like we lost. We lost contact for a bit and I ended up going to Orange County and Stan and this is where Muska first started coming around, so him and I were skating a little bit and and then they ended up dropping me off and right on I think it was right in front of X-Large, the old Beastie Boy store clothing company and it was somewhere in LA dropped me off on a bus bench and I met all those guys and then I skated and started hanging out with Dyrdek and those guys a bit, which was really cool. So Karim would keep me at his place, they'd buy me all, take care of me, man, and at that time I was pretty much kind of sponsorless. But I was like these guys are like shuffling me around, like all right, who's going to take him? And I'm just like I ain't got with all of you, I don't even shit. I'm not going home and I'm hanging out with Karim and just skating man, and they were really digging my skating and I was meeting all these people and Karim and I went to Vegas and that's where I met Ken Block (Rest in Peace.) And he asked me like he caught me at some red man show. And he's like hey, man, I want to talk to you about riding for this clothing company called Dub. And he's like, yeah, I'm starting a shoe company too. I remember he was talking to him for a while and I was like yeah, man, I get back to you. And I saw Karim. I was like yo, there's like some weird white dude with a gold tooth trying to talk. He's like, oh, that's my man, Ken. I was like you know this dude. Like I thought Ken was kind of corny at first, like I didn't know him. I'm just like you know some white dude with a gold tooth. He's trying to talk to me Like he looked like the dude from Third Base. I'm not even trying to. He looked like MC Search and I was just like what. And so Ken and I became good friends. He put me on Droors shoes at the time, which became DC, and they put me on Dub, and then I got a car. I was standing at Dyrdek's house and one night I got a car from fucking Natas Kaupas and he wanted me to ride for one and one. I never forget that day, dude, and we were playing Sega Hockey. Remember that?

Michael: 1:00:01

Uh-huh, sega Genesis is like 94. 94, 95. It's a golden age of video games. 

Clyde: 1:00:15

Yes, golden age of video games. So it was like there's just like a room full of like room temperature 40s, bunch of sweaty skaters, this one, Dyrdek, this one. Everyone was living like. This is when everyone thought it was cool to live like six roommates together.

Michael: 1:00:19

Right, and it was kind of cool.

Clyde: 1:00:21

It was kind of cool it was you know, like now, I would not recommend that.

Michael: 1:00:25

No.

Clyde: 1:00:25

Because people don't. Six people can't even get along.

Michael: 1:00:27

It's just gross. 

Clyde: 1:00:36

Yeah, six people can't get along here on Facebook, so so he calls one night and I was like. I was like this is Natas, meet me tomorrow at Pacific Drive. He's all right and it's just goofy Natas. And it's so funny I'm talking about it like because I know him. It's fucking weird. You know what I mean. He's a guy that we idolized growing up. And so next morning Dyrdek wakes me up like 8:30. He's like you ready to go? And I'm just really Fuck it, let's go. Skate around the corner. And I remember we parked the Burger King. He's like, let me get something to eat. He's like, go ahead and skate over there, skate around the corner. And I was like, oh this shit, dude, like it's fucking Natas Kaupas, you know what I mean? I was just like I seriously almost started crying, dude. I was just like introduce himself. I'm introduced to Scott, Gino, Jason Dill wasn't there at the time. And yeah, Dave Swift and actually it's Dave Swift, and it was both the editor and the head photographer from Transworld. So this shit was a big deal. You know what I mean. Let's go skate. Now. I'm just like pfft. I've waited my whole life for this moment. You know what I mean. Went to this one spot and I tore that shit down. I never. I was ready for it, man. And after that he was like I got to check for you tomorrow, man. I went home, got fucking cried. That shit was. I'd never forget that day, dude, ever, ever for the rest of my life. Dude, that shit, that day changed my life. And I was ready. Dude, I was 

Michael:

How old were you? 

Clyde: 
I was seven-- No, it was 20. Because I turned. I turned 20. Yeah, I turned 21. I wasn't even 21, dude, So like so much had happened between. Like I said, I went pro when I was 17. And you know I was already traveling around going to contests and sponsoring I was like 15. You know what I mean. So it's crazy man to think back on. You know, it's just all these places I was going and you know, just sometimes have no money and you know, I just know some people and just go there and stay and stay out there for a while and sleep on some floors and you know, that's kind of where I learned how to cook. You know, just go buy potatoes that's all I could really afford is potatoes, and I just kind of rummage through the spices and you know, we're making Moroccan potatoes.

Michael: 1:02:45

Uh huh.

Clyde: 1:02:46

So you know, like you know I really fucking, I really did all the shit that people don't want to do to get on. You know what I mean. Like I and and it doesn't make me any better than anyone, but that's something you know, that's something to be proud of. Man Like I fucking put in actual work and got hooked up by an actual skateboarding legend. And you know, and to think back, you know I had the first part in 20 Shot, which is a, you know, skateboarding classic. You know I don't think about these things. You know what I mean. The video comes on, it's fucking me and it's like. Then they made another video and that video did even better and I'm the first person in that video and I'm just, I don't think about this stuff. You know what I mean. It's just you know, it's not that it didn't matter, I don't know, I just would just you can't, you can't like focus on it too much, Right, it's like keep working. You know like I, I just it was sort of like being at work. You know it's just like just keep it moving, man. Like cool, you got something cool, you got a special cool, like do some other shit. You know it's like that's just kind of always been. You know that's that's. You know I've been grateful enough to be around a lot of very talented people and you know they they helped a lot with my development of skateboarding and how I looked at skateboarding and and how I looked at the business side of skateboarding and you know it was it was really cool, like to know all these guys and a lot of these guys. You know like great, they're doing huge now but that isn't part of their success, isn't part of my success. You know, like I don't see Deidrick it can think like he's fucking living in this house. You know me and him lived in a place like this. You know, like he was one of the guys I wouldn't expect him to call me. Like we're so far Disattached at this point and like you know I've spent so much time getting drunk and partying and shit that you know it's like like I'm sure if we saw each other we're cool you know, but I'm I'm not, I don't want to lean on that to be, you know, like that's kind of embarrassing. You know, you see these guys my age and like what do you guys are still at like skate parties and shit. Like you know what I'm saying. Like you're still like trying to schmooze out with these. You guys think you look fucking cool. You can see it from the other side now and you're like, oh, that's, that's maybe not the thing, yeah, you know I've always said when I was younger I was like dude, I don't want to be that old guy in the club you know what I mean With the track suit Like well, and I think, like I think too there's there's a component that's like the nostalgia of it, the celebration of of what was, and then also not kind of moving on from there too, right.

Michael: 1:05:19

It's like you know you've got your own things now, Like you continue to have your own things and it isn't all skateboarding but it includes skateboarding and includes other aspects of skateboarding. Yes, so like that's what's fulfilling to you. So you're not seeking that externally, You're not having to kind of, you're not trying to climb that social ladder or anything like that or get get the kind of attention that others are still kind of seeking, because it is. It's one of those things when, when you're a pro skater, like their eyes are on you, right? And like you said like you've had cameras on you since you were, since you were young and so so you're used to that kind of attention, but you don't crave it in the same way that maybe some other people do. So, that's like, that's kind of where you land on it. I'd love to talk about the Jackass days too. Just because that's that's fascinating. You were in two of the movies and some of the episodes what, how was it, you know, linking up with with those guys and and they go.

Clyde: 1:06:22

I've known, I told you I knew Ken Block, I met Ken a long time ago, Ken and Jeff Tremaine and all those guys have Jeff Tremaine is the, the director, or you know the guy behind Jackass him and Sean Cliver I think I just spoke to you about Sean Cliver, the Stan Lee of skateboarding.

Michael: 1:06:40

Yeah, so, and he did one of your boards too, right? 

Clyde: 1:06:44

Yes, he did one of my boards Calvin, Calvin & Hobbes. I've done three Sean Cliver boards. I'm like everyone to know that oh yeah, three. I'm on a whole difference. I'm different.

Michael: 1:06:54

And one, one from just a few years ago, right? Like very recent.

Clyde: 1:06:57

He did the Clyde & Hobbes, which is awesome.

Michael: 1:07:00

I love that.

Clyde: 1:07:02

You know he. I love that guy. He actually, really quick. I want to say this about Sean. I've always thought it was very important to for skateboarders. I don't know if you remember back in the day skateboarders had they had something that you could reference them to. Steve Caballero had the dragon. You know everyone had like that graphic or something. Steve Steadham had his, and so I just noticed a lot in the nineties and everything went to, you know, around the artist wise. It wasn't like, it was like series and but skateboarders never really had their own graphic, they never had nothing to identify themselves with. A lot of skaters didn't, which where they fucked up at nineties. You know, it's just like that's always easy to take these guys and spit them out and use them as guinea pigs. It's, you know, literally it was.

Michael: 1:07:45

Yeah.

Clyde: 1:07:46

Because once they're gone, they have nothing to identify with. They can't use their old sponsors logo. They can't. So, Sean, when he did the Clyde & Hobbes thing, he, he also drew me a new, a new graphic on the top of the board, and it was a Clyde, it was like a Clyde-Calvin character, except it was dressed like the Dalai Lama, and so he drew me a Ollie Lama logo. Nice, yeah, and so that kind of stuff is so valuable. You know, it's like, oh, 10, 15 years from now, if I want to put out a skateboard, it's a Sean Cliver thing. Yeah, you know and it's like and he gave that to me he doesn't, he's not going to put it back out. You know it's like and so those kind of things To me. You know I don't care about having a lot of money and like I don't need a bunch of stuff like that. That kind of stuff to me is priceless, because that's that's one thing I'm very happy about that I was able to take away from skateboarding, along with friendships like Sean Cliver and Jeff Tremaine and the Jackass guys, because I've known those guys since they all worked within world industries, which was, I told you, Rodney Mullen called, and once I got in that network, big Brother magazine came out of that, that thing, that whole thing. So once I was in that, see, I don't even think about this kind of stuff. So, I was all over Big Brother and that's where I started my writing thing. That's where I started writing for 1996. My first thing was like 95, when I first got on world. They took a liking to me. They took me on tour and you know I'd always been friends with them. And so when MTV came to the Flint offices they got sold to Larry Flynt around late 90s that's when I moved to LA and I was still working for them at the time. MTV came to them about doing the show and I was like nope, I'm not doing the show. I was like I'm not doing the show. I was like Big Brother and shit like that's cool. I was like once we get on that stage I'm not trying to let my mom or anyone know why you guys are like sticking cars and shit up your ass- you know what I'm saying, like. I was like to us, that's funny you know what I mean. I was like, but to me like I'm like that's going to get back to my family.

I just, I just kept it skateboarding, you know but, I, always would do stuff with them, and so I did some stuff with the show and they, you know, they hit me up, asked me I want to be part of the movie, and so I said yeah, and then we did part two and 2.5, I guess I was in. And there's something else that just came out. They, they were like someone kept tagging me and something I just, you know, I thought it'd be a better idea if they went with someone like Bam, who's already doing CKY and stuff like that. And it worked out perfectly. And you know I hate to use this as a joke, but looking back now, that was a best decision I ever made. You know what I mean, because I'm like there's only a couple of people that came out of that clean and one of them is Tremaine and the other one is Cliver because they didn't have to do none of that shit, you know. And so a lot of that pressure of trying to be, you know, everyone wanted to be the star. You know, like it wasn't just good enough for Knoxville to be the star. You know what I'm saying. Like you can, you started seeing that stuff very early on, you know, you really did, but I already had my. I was skating, you know, and I was getting paid well from writing in the horrible ebonics and I was, I was cool, you know. So I was very comfortable on what I was doing, that that Knoxville or anyone else, I don't. You know, you just started seeing that with a lot of those guys, they just couldn't play their position.

Michael: 1:11:31

Yeah, and it's a it's a weird arena to be competitive in, too right? Because you're trying to one up one another and like doing kind of some dangerous stuff and like where does it end?

Clyde: 1:11:44

And you're sort of like could have been good at it. They could have been, just you know. But yeah, just do their own thing.

Michael: 1:11:50

They, they're entertainers. 

Clyde: 1:11:57

Exactly yeah, you hit it on the nose. You hit it on the nose, do your own thing. You can't be a better Johnny Knoxville than Johnny Knoxville. You know, even on his worst day, because he is Johnny Knoxville, he's a star of the show, you know. So it's like it was just one of those things, man, we're like you could really see it. You know, like a lot of those guys were co stars and then they had their own ideas of things they wanted to do. And it's just like dude.

Michael: 1:12:19

Yeah, yeah, and they were getting money kind of thrown at them too, right? 

Clyde: 1:12:26

No, it's not that much.

Michael: 1:12:27

Not that much money? So a little bit of money.

Clyde: 1:12:30

If you think people make money in LA.

Michael: 1:12:35

That is a misconception?

Clyde: 1:12:36

That's the biggest misconception in the world is that people are making money in LA. Them dudes are hurting, just like the dude that lives in Lakeland is hurting. Everyone is hurting. You know it's like they're just better at bullshitting everyone with it. But you know it might look like they're doing a little better, they're going to better parties or like they might have got a. It's expensive to live there and it's expensive to bullshit people.

Michael: 1:13:00

It's kinda pay to play Right? It's like you've got to be there and experience it.

Clyde: 1:13:04

Yeah, and it's like, it's just a bunch of bullshit. You see people around here going broke for less yeah. So, imagine doing that shit twice out there and like even guys like you know, like Knoxville, and those guys they make good money but they were smart enough to, they already bought the house and shit like that you know what I mean. They got financial people and they got people in place. So everyone that's trying to play catch up with them dudes are like trying to show Good luck man. Yeah, you know it's, and you know, I think, Steve-O's doing like comedy tours now or something like that.

Michael: 1:13:35

Yeah, I think I saw that yeah.

Clyde: 1:13:37

So he's doing. He's doing stuff with Bam still. There's some shit with Bam man. I just say this two years ago I did an interview with someone from Florida and I knew that he was in some shit and he some people in Florida wanted to kick his ass. I say that much like he. He slipped up and woke up at a buddy's house and was hitting on the buddy's wife and then fought another this old pro skater guy and broke his hip and fucking no one knows the story. No one knows the story. And so everyone was looking for him, want to come up, real bad and and I interviewed one of the guys, the guy's house he was at and he was saying some choice things and and, and this is right. When I started the podcast and so I go I sat on it for a while and I was like you know what, dude, just for the sake of you and I people are going to stick up for him and so you're doing really well right now. You know, life is like you're not there, I'm not going to add this shit to your life and I don't think this is going to do nothing, but just bring a lot of negativity to the pot. You know, I was just like run it back some time and luckily we did. But sure fucking enough two years later, look at Bam. I posted a video of him rapping a couple months ago. I just ran a video, Didn't even say anything. I was just like, oh, the room looks dirty. People are fucking wanting to crucify me. And so I dropped a little hints and I'm just like dude, these people are fucking corny. Are you going calm down? Somebody's trying to get their shit together. And I'm just like, oh, and one of my buddies chimed in and I was just like these guys have no fucking idea. You know, what I mean? No fucking idea. And then a couple weeks later he fucking threatened to kill his brother. There's some shit, right, Then he ended up back in rehab and I'm just like I'm just calling my buddies, I'm like dude, if I were to let that fucking interview out like yeah, no telling you know what I mean. One thing I know is I was fucking right the whole fucking time. You know what I mean. I was like because a minute, like people want to baby those guys man, and that's what's very dangerous about it. It's like they look at those. They look at those people like they're not people.

Michael: 1:15:44

Mm-hmm, they're idols right? They just like this celebrity level they're, like you can't touch. Yeah my perception of them is more important than the reality of them, and if you mess with my perception, which is so wild. I mean, that's a cult.

Clyde: 1:16:07

Dude. A cult will not hold their leader accountable right and he has a cult. Yeah, that's a good cult. There's a lot of skateboarders that do that. You know it's like there's a lot of point and and it's funny, because when you say that kind of stuff, you know it's like I come off as a hater or saying it's like I don't really care what you think of me. You know I just I'd probably say something that's honest about people that you look up to and and people probably say things about me. You know that's absolutely fine. Are they true? I'll let you know. But other than that, it's like that doesn't take away from these things being true about people that you clearly don't know much about. You know, and, and it's impossible to have kind of honest conversations about those kind of things and those kinds of people without hurting people's feelings.

Michael: 1:16:55

There's no reality in it, though, right? And there's no, like repercussions and that's like always been sort of the hazard of celebrity. People feeling like they can just get away with whatever. Or it's gonna just it's gonna make a good story later, so I'm just gonna go ahead and be the worst version of me, and you know it's so weird. It's just like this, this disconnect of like. You know I don't have to follow any of these rules, these rules don't apply to me anymore. And nobody's gonna come after me for breaking these rules. So, like, how far can I take it?

Clyde: 1:17:29

Yes, there's a lot of that in skateboarding. You know and that's just being honest. That's one of the dangers of skateboarding. You know that. You know a lot of kids should know.

Michael: 1:17:39

Yeah, like it's always been a very like counterculture, rebellious Scene, right? Like that's been a part of it forever.

Clyde: 1:17:47

But it's also been very conscious-heavy the whole being conscious, and the whole I, I wouldn't say the roots of skateboarding, but it kind of is, you know, it kind of is on the edgy, the counterculture of things. You know it's the counterculture of, of pop culture, of surf culture, you know, of Suburban culture, it's, it's a counter opposite of it. You know. So, when you see those things mesh and like, people will overlook the reality of like a lot of skaters dying from drugs. You know what I mean. It's like they don't want to just like talking about drugs taboo, you know. I mean it's like no, it's not, there's people dying. And you guys are like RIP, da da da. And it's like dude, let's talk about a fucking problem. Yeah, I mean like talk, like why don't you talk about people not doing drugs? Why don't you guys like quit showing people fucked up at parties and contests and shit, like that's probably a good start. You know me, because kids are sitting in fucking Iowa and they just say, man, I'll be fucked up. Like, oh my, go skate the bowl with a beer in my hand. It's like, dude you'll fucking die like that. Yeah, I literally yeah. I mean like you can smack your fucking head drunk and like you do it sober too, but it's like, why even put yourself at the risk of it? Yeah, you know what I mean, because you see it and and it's like no one's accountable for that kind of shit. You know I'm saying like and that's not, and that, to me, is more damaging than anything you know, like, like the visualization of, of seeing like shit no one's held accountable for. You know like it's just like yo like this, is it? There's no one. Like yo, that shit ain't cool, you know, I mean like yo, man, that shit ain't cool at all. Like like yeah, there's room for it, but why?

Michael: 1:19:35

Yeah, well, and, like you said, there's nobody telling them that it's not cool, right? And it is sort of that, that making a spectacle of yourself that people are drawn to. Sometimes as well, they're just kind of like, well, we'll just see how deep this gets. You know, there's no guidance, there's no like, yeah, and I think that that's, that's a big part of kind of what the skateboarding community is like. So you have to kind of figure out how to self-regulate a bit right, because nobody else is gonna do that for you. Nobody's gonna say, hey, man, like you got to chill out on this. This isn't, you know, got to focus on what's important. And then somebody does lose their life because of drugs or an accident or something, and it's like that's. Those are kind of the only guideposts that you have at that point, right, I mean and it's, and that's what you know.

Clyde: 1:20:28

 I take a lot of pride in how the podcast and everything has been building because I haven't had to rely on any of that bullshit. You know what I mean. I haven't had to rely on like parties and you know what I mean like stupid ass collabs or you're like why would you do that?

Michael: 1:20:50

Because that's what some people think of, that skateboarding is all that right? It's like like that's the scene that they're drawn to and it's like there's just these are real people like these are people with real lives, and you know, some of them are parents now and it's like, yes, it's cool hearing about that stuff too, and how they've evolved right like I love that stuff. It's such a like we're all human and we're all figuring it out, and it the things that we realize and the things that we're able to share because we are still here. Yep you know that's what's important, like what's what's gonna keep this going? What's gonna be helpful to somebody else that I should share, right?

Clyde: 1:21:32

Yes, and thank you and that is you know. It is really important. You know, because, like I said, time is time is valuable, you know. So if you have the time and someone can listen to you and you're talking, it's you know. You know, it's don't? You don't want to preach. No you know, but it's, I think, being a objective and and open and honest about Just things in general, and also having the experience to know, is very important. You know it's. Yeah, you can't really know unless you're in the stick of things, you know what I mean and a lot of people have not been in the thick of things, and that is a I think that is very, very important due to be in the thick of things and be able to talk about it. You know there wasn't a lot of people in my space and the spaces I'd been in for, you know, from 90, 93 to 2012 you know it's a pretty long ass time, you know, and I did a lot of things and was around a lot of people and you Know, you see, and learn a lot of stuff. You know you don't walk away bitter. I'm not. I would never be bitter man. I had the greatest time of my life, dude. I got a travel world. I got two. You kidding me? Yeah, like the first doing what you love, being celebrated people I love and like you know, and just like, and and to you know, it's really cool now to you know, to to see that people were fans and you know I mean like it's, it's, it's awesome, because I don't think I appreciated it when it was there. I just it was just seemed like another day to me, you know, and I just had so much, so much hidden. I just had so much fucking childhood trauma that I was just drinking and partying and just shutting things off like that. Yeah and and so, yeah, man, it's cool to like now to be able to to fully grasp things and see them and and appreciate it. You know like to be doing this now. You know to be doing podcast and Living. I didn't never think I'd be in Orlando, you know, um, I just I'd randomly kind of ended up here.

Michael: 1:23:43

Yeah, tell me about that. How'd that work out? I?

Clyde: 1:23:46

Was living in Tupelo Mississippi first and foremost.

Michael: 1:23:51

I've driven through there. I'm glad you kept going yeah.

Clyde: 1:23:54

Yeah, I you know, there's some good people that live there.

Michael: 1:23:58

I was there.

Clyde: 1:23:58

Some great people live there. But man, I'm telling you, I don't not know if they know if segregation is the thing I like. It's just, it is just. I'm just very glad I'm not there. You know I was. I was getting very, very comfortable with with a very minimum, very minimum ways job and just like Fucking. I'm better than that.

Michael: 1:24:22

Yeah, yeah, 100%. I'm better than that, you know, I mean I don't care.

Clyde: 1:24:26

Yeah, I'm better than that. I'm better than living there and fucking making like 12 bucks now. Fuck that shit.

Michael: 1:24:30

Yeah, I mean.

Clyde: 1:24:31

I like I, from what I know and the people I know and shit like that, and I just know better man, I was raised, better you know, and like I don't want to be around that kind of shit. I don't want to be around where, like like a lot of people that look like me are just mentally beaten down. You know, what I mean. And I'm just like, and I'm just like I remember working with this one guy dude and he was like dish washer at this place and they told me oh yeah, man, would bump you up a sous chef. They had me fucking working in kitchen like 12, 13 bucks an hour and I was at the time I moved I had like couple grand saves and so I'm just like yeah, man, I'm about to get bumped up. That never happened. And so I was working a dishwasher. I was just like hey, man, how much money you work. He's like I think he said like 850. I was like I was like my dude, that's like six something dollars after fuck, he's a year, an hour, two jobs. I was like yo Hmm. I was like dude I don't know if you know this, but, um, I will put you in my fucking van and drive you to the next state over and the minimum wage there's like 14 bucks an hour and I'm sure they would love to have some good work. Like he was there every fucking day you were working. I'm just like, look at, I'm just like dude, someone would die to have someone like you know what I mean Like just a good solid dude man. You know I mean like good solid dude, all you want to do is come to work and feed his kids and shit like that, and like here it is fucking taking it, you're taking advantage of them and you're okay with it. You know, like they know and they they know man. And so I got out of there. I called an old chef. I worked with them, virginia. I was a sous chef for the country club in Virginia and I met my buddy chef Mike. He lives here and um and I was like yo man, I was like what's up with them? jobs at Disney? Because he's always like dude, you can get a job at Disney, it pays. Start at 20s, I get here, get your feet off, you get another job. So around Christmas, do you? I started like get yourself on. Indeed, I got on, indeed, wrote up my little resume and, and so I got here and my car broke down. Dude, I was staying downtown and so I had an interview lined up, but it was starting like 55, like I had the job and Missed that interview and then I was pretty much homeless. I was sleeping in my van at skate park. Some nights I would go to my buddies, but I'd stay in his house too much. Some nights I just go sleep in my van. Man and I was still doing the pop-up, I was still raising money for the skate park. No one knew I was fucking homeless dude. I was sleeping in my fucking van the whole time and my buddy in Tampa called me. He's like dude, come down here, I got you a job.

Michael: 1:27:02

This forgot the hotel.

Clyde: 1:27:03

He's like you guys start you right now. He's like Gears salary gig. And I went and I was sleeping on the side of Galactic G in my car. I swear to God, yeah, but not even make this up. Sleeping in my car and Tito calls me. I was like, hey man, I'm leaving for Tampa tomorrow. Actually I was like I might leave tonight. I was like you want to get up, get some lunch? He's like, yeah, we went to stardust and I I'd ordered a sandwich. I forgot what it was. It might have been a grinderman.

Michael: 1:27:29

Such a good sandwich? Yeah, dude. So I like a grinder man.

Clyde: 1:27:31

It was like man, it's pretty good sandwich. I remember it took fucking forever. Yeah, just yeah dude, it took forever, that was a stardust style. Yeah, dude, and I was like this is bullshit, oh this is good. And then I was leaving I saw sign and I was like I was like you know this guy.

Michael: 1:27:46

He's like yeah, I was like hit him up, dude.

Clyde: 1:27:48

I was like tell my work.

Michael: 1:27:49

He's like you should want to work here I was like dude, I do great in places like this. Yeah.

Clyde: 1:27:53

I was like honestly, this is where I sell at like, it's like.

Michael: 1:27:57

You know it's for self starters, right? It's like it's not really managed, so you're just kind of Like I was so sick of the corporate bullshit.

Clyde: 1:28:05

I don't know. I just always do well in those kind of places and when I first got there I was, it was, it was very, it was difficult Because I'm not part of, like, the crew. You know what I mean, which is fine. Yeah but I'll also, from growing up man, I knew what it's like to be the new person in a school or, like you know, in skating, the other new person to be in the crew in different states, and so it's like, yeah, I fucking new guy me.

Michael: 1:28:33

You know and.

Clyde: 1:28:33

I'd been worked in so many restaurants. Oh yeah, I got a new guy me up. Yeah, fuck, y'all think this is so after a while, I guess they, they fucking got it. Um, everything started coming even and out. You know, I started doing some Specials and met you guys and this, the market, so everything I got my place. You know, everything just started happening, man, and you know it just seemed like life was coming together, dude, and I was super stoked. You know, I was just super stoked like out of nowhere, just, man, I'm fucking stoked to be in. I didn't even care where it was dude. Yeah, you know I'm saying like, but I knew I was close to my mom and I just lived some years and I was like I'm not gonna be a part of this anymore. I just lived so many places in the last couple years that it was just important to I don't know man. It was just. I just really felt like this was the place. You know, I finally had my own place. I didn't have a roommate or girlfriend or none of that shit, and it took me a while to even Dude, it took me a while to even like To recognize it was my place, dude, like I'd come home after work and I hang out sitting my van dude, because you know, I just wasn't I. I was fucking mentally just.

Michael: 1:29:47

You know, I mean, I was just like.

Clyde: 1:29:49

I was ready to go to the 7-Eleven and eat again, you know, because, um, it's not that I've given up, but I, I just found, I just found a way to survive. You know and, um, and I was used to being in that survival mode and and it was the first time in a long time, that a very long time that, um, I, I didn't have to, I didn't have to fight, I didn't feel like I had to bring my sword to the fight. You know, I was just like man, like it's a cool job and got a place and skate park up the road and I'm just like Something bad's gonna happen. Yeah, I'm just like not like that, you know. I mean I'm just like like, like I don't know man, it just all started making sense that I met you guys and started doing the uh market and I was like, all right, man, I'm locked in. This is fucking great.

Michael: 1:30:41

You know what I mean.

Clyde: 1:30:42

I was just like man and I did the first market and I did second market and I was just like I don't know man, I've been calling my friends. I'm just like dude. I just can't explain it like. This is this is where I'm at, this is this is it. You know, I was like. I was like I've tried so many places that when I just let everything go, this work.

Michael: 1:31:11

This episode is brought to you in part by the Audubon Park community market. Join us every monday from 5 to 8 pm, rain or shine, in the parking lot of stardust video and coffee. Located at 1842 east winter park road, this weekly gathering of makers, farmers, gardeners, fishmongers, ranchers, craftsmen, artisans, entrepreneurs, neighbors and friends brings the very best of central florida to you every week. We do hope you enjoyed this episode. If so, please click subscribe and leave a review if you'd like. We'll see you next time you.