September 20, 2010

Kill Fee: Angel Ramirez Interview

How apropos. Image yanked from Tumyeto.

The last time I looked at the following interview was July 13, 2009. I hadn't even realized that it had been so long. As things go, sometimes pro-type skateboarders can't scrape together enough photos to get an interview for a magazine going. All of a sudden, the couple of months that you usually expect to see your work in print turns into a couple couple of months, and then, all of a sudden its been 14 months, the whole thing is outdated, and there's nothing left to do but throw the interview on your local skate blog. Happy 600th post (on blogger--gotta be more like 3000).

If you ever run into Angel Ramirez, ask him about “The Utah Incident.” He’ll tell you about a road trip that he and his friends were taking from Denver to Arizona, and how they got pulled over in Moab, Utah. It being a proper skate trip and all, there may have been some controlled substances in the van, and or open containers of substances that become controlled when one is consuming them in a moving vehicle. Angel fell into/saw an opportunity to take the fall for the aforementioned substances to keep his friends out of jail, so he manned up and took the blame.

Angel was booked, kicked it for a while at the police station, put his laptop up for bail, and they were on their way for the skate trip in AZ. On the way back up to Colorado, they stopped in Moab for Angel’s court date, and, them being broke-ass skateboarders, no one had enough money to pay the amassed fines, and Angel was facing a 47 day lock up in Moab, Utah.

As Angel puts it, “[The judge] even slammed the hammer down…I was about to be stuck in fuckin’ Utah for a month and a half, that would have sucked.” He continues, “That was the only thing I was bummed on, because if I was to go to jail in Denver, I wouldn’t be that bummed, because I’d be at home.”

Luckily, Angel’s homies scraped together every last cent they had, and helped him narrowly escape the jail time.

That vignette pretty much sums up Angel Ramirez; he’s down for his friends, skating, having a good time, and the fine city of Denver, Colorado. Had Coors Light been featured more prominently in the story, well, it would have completely summed him up.

Where are you living these days?
I actually just moved to Long Beach with Abdias [Rivera], we got this two bedroom spot, it’s pretty tight.

Is it a pretty typical skatehouse?
No, no, this is the first [place] that I’ve lived in that isn’t a skatehouse. It’s just more me and him, just chilling; not trying to get it fucked up and lose our deposit like every other place.

How long have you been without a phone, what happened?
I don’t know, I broke it one night being all drunk, and I didn’t really want one after that. I was about to get it turned on tomorrow, but I don’t know, its been about three weeks or something, a month. I don’t really want one yet, but I have to get one, its kind of a must.

What are some of the nice things about not having one?
There are a lot of good things. I mean, I call everybody to see what’s going on with skate trips and whatnot, but its kind of cool when no one can get a hold of you because you can do what you want for at least a couple days. But, it definitely sucks too at the same time; my dad couldn’t get a hold of me and he was pretty pissed, stuff like that sucks. Otherwise, I love it.

So, is Denver pretty much one of the best places on Earth?
Oh, it is the best place on Earth! It’s the smallest, big city ever. It’s hard to explain, I love it. I wish I didn’t have to move from there, but you gotta do it, gotta do it.

What’s the deal with the Wet Boys?
Those are all my homies; shit, I’ve known them since before they were the Wet Boys or whatever. One year, some dudes migrated out to fuckin’ Arizona, and they’ve been doing their shit out there. My friend Micah [Hollinger] and some other dudes brought it up as some joke, that’s what it is.
It’s just a big crew of homies too, how every little crew has to have their own little thing, like the Pissdrunx or something dumb like that, everyone has to have their own little shit.

I’m just wondering, what makes them so wet and stuff?
I don’t know man. Everyone thinks they do all this gay shit but they don’t, I’ve heard so many stories, like I’ve heard that they just chill and make out with each other; no, that’s not at all what they do. The get mad bitches, so good for them. It’s a funny gimmick that girls go for; they’ve been running it for a couple years now, so it’s pretty funny. They’re all my homies, and people will talk shit on them, and I’ll say, “Chill out, those are my homies.”

What’s your favorite Colorado Kool-Aid?
There’s only one Colorado Kool-Aid, and it’s Coors Light. But I like them both man, the original, all that stuff. We got to go to the fuckin’, big, place where they make it in Golden, [Colorado], it’s pretty tight, you get a couple of fresh beers at the end of it. I love it.

Does it weird you out that Coors and Miller Brewing are now the same company?
Coors and Miller!?

Yeah, they teamed up and its one big company now.
I didn’t even know that, I like them both. I like Miller High Life; we used to buy those things by the 30 pack, like a couple of them everyday when I lived in this house in Colorado. That’s all we had to drink for a while because it was the cheapest and it was good.
But, I don’t know, this is ’09, this is Coors Light time.

How do you feel about being called “The Lucky Lazy Latino?”
The what?

It’s something that Ernie [Torres] told me about.
He’s always giving me shit, I’ll wake up and I’ll be chilling or whatever, and he’ll be like, “You’re so fucking lazy!” And I’ll be like, “Dude, I just woke up.” He always calls me lazy for no reason, its pretty funny because I do more shit than he does when we’re at home, in Denver at least.

What’s your favorite condiment?
Probably A-1.

A-1? What about Taco Bell mild sauce?
(Laughs) Those dudes are fuckin’ dumb! We were all drunk and went to Taco Bell one night after the bar, and I was like, “Hey I want some mild sauce. That’s the only kind I like, the other kinds taste like shit.” And ever since then they’ve made it this big inside joke.
My friend Trevor [Uriona] is in on it, and he’s always bringing it up. We’ll be at Burger King or something, and he’s like, “Damn fool, they ain’t got no mild sauce here for you,” talking all fake-Mexican, its so funny. He’s been running that shit for a little bit now.

How long have you been on Foundation?
Got on when I was 16? Nah, I got on when I was 15, and then they put me on the actual team when I turned 16. I remember we were in Denver, just at the hotel, and everybody came into the room, it was pretty tight, and they were like, “Well, you’re on the team now.” That was sick though, that was the most psyched I’ve ever been.

Did you feel like you had little kid status on Foundation for a little bit?
Yeah, definitely, I know Gareth [Stehr] didn’t like me all that much in the beginning because he was like, “This is just some little rat,” or whatever. But he kind of got over that shit.

Who’s your favorite guy on Foundation?
I don’t know, because as the oldest, I think the only OG dudes on now are just me, Gareth, and Cory [Duffel]. They’re all my really good homies, we’re trying to put on the homies, so I’d say everybody, they’re all my friends, I’ve known them for years.

Are you pretty much Foundation for life?
Shit man, yeah, I fuckin’ love them. As long as they’ve got my back, I’ve got theirs. I’ve gotten offers, but I just couldn’t do it because they’re too much of the homies.

How long ago was it that you turned pro?
I turned pro…shit, like a year ago, damn, that went fast! Right before my last birthday, like May 31st, a couple weeks before that.

Did you know it was coming or was it a surprise?
It was more of a surprise. They let me know before it actually happened; I got an email and it was my board graphic, and I was like, “No fucking way!” It was the coolest board graphic, like I didn’t know what to think of, and they just came up with it somehow, and it came out perfect, I couldn’t have been more psyched on it.

Do you ever floss your pro status to your amateur friends?
Oh, I’ll talk shit on them, but its not like I’m serious. I’ll talk shit on Abdias all day even though he’s better than me.

Do you feel like anything has changed since you went pro, or is it pretty much just the same deal?
Yeah dude, same deal, just skating and having fun with my friends. It’s always been the same for me; I’ve never tried to take advantage of it like a lot of other kids do. Like quitting companies to get paid more money; that’s not what skating is about. Nothing’s really changed beside I can’t really skate the crazy ass shit these kids skate nowadays, that’s about it. And that’s not even my fault, that’s what skateboarding is coming to I guess, thanks to the Lakai video.

Get some combos man.
Those things suck.

How many T-shirts do you own?
I’ve got this Coors Light t-shirt…I’ve got like four t-shirts that I actually own, the other ones I just kind of lose them and throw them away on skate trips. I’ve got my Shane [Cross] shirt, my Vans shirt, I’ve got a couple of them, my Super Weed T. I’ve got shirts that are kept, just coming up in thrift stores and stuff.

Is it kind of rough being a Denver Nuggets fan living in LA, especially in light of the Western Conference Finals [The LA Lakers beat Denver]?
That was bullshit! I don’t even care right now, I hope they get better next year, but nobody has really talked shit on me yet. I’ve been rockin’ the Nuggets gear all day out here, my girlfriend got me this hat with the OG Nuggets logo. It’s pretty tight, so I try to throw it on these fags in LA.

Carmelo Anthony or Birdman?
‘Melo for sure, I like them both.

What’s your favorite trip that you’ve been on?
I had a good span of trips last year, I started in Israel for a couple of weeks with Vans homies. That place is amazing, we went to The Med[iterranean], The Red, and the Dead Seas. The first time I got to float, I was chilling in the Red Sea, and I guess the only reason I could float was because of all the salt and shit in there. That place is tight. After that, I went to see Iron Maiden in New Mexico, me and my friends did a camping trip up that way.
After that, I flew out to meet up with all the Thrasher dudes to go on that Skate Rock trip, and that trip was so fucking insane, just five vans following each other, just meeting up where the bands were going to play. Pretty much, we went from Vegas to fuckin’ Oregon.
I’d have to say that that whole month and a half was one big trip because I never really went home. That was pretty much one of the funnest trips I’ve ever been on; I count all those as one.

That should be enough, what are you going to do today now that the interview is over?
Me and Abdias are going to go skate, I got to jump in the shower, then we’re going to cruise out. After that? I don’t know, probably just go get drunk somewhere.

12 comments:

Wylie Tueting said...

"I don't know, probably just go get drunk somewhere." Wow, Angel's daily duties bear a striking resemblance to many of the great intellects of skateboarding. Neat guy!

Anonymous said...

I wish Angel would skate for Big Fish!
http://bigfishwheelco.wordpress.com/

Anonymous said...

Angel you bitch! Colorado's wack! Always has been, always will be. You are by far one of the weakest guys to call pro in the biz today. When's the last time you filmed for anything? Quit skating; start snowboarding.

Some Dude said...

I agree with Wylie. Thanks for posting the interview but, c'mon, could this kid be any less interesting?

Anonymous said...

stop hating Angel has been in the bizz just watch his thats life foundation part because youll never be able to do any of those tricks in your whole life


Foundatioooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!

Anonymous said...

ANGEL FO LIFE SUCKAZ . PERIOD, END O STORY

Anonymous said...

The beauty of these blogging engines and CMS platforms is the lack of limitations and ease of manipulation that allows developers to implement rich content and 'skin' the site in such a way that with very little effort one would never notice what it is making the site tick all without limiting content and effectiveness.

lilsenez said...

No one cares about you scrub ass haters. Angel is sick, Denver is the sickest, and snowboarding is for the gay's. Quit talking all intelligent an shit, go grab ur twin tipped shred stick an shred down loveland pass... biggest shit hawks in the league. Rather see a fast back smith than any combo trick. get fucked

Anonymous said...

Considerably, this post is really the sweetest on this notable topic. I harmonise with your conclusions and will thirstily look forward to your incoming updates. Saying thanks will not just be sufficient, for the phenomenal clarity in your writing. I will directly grab your rss feed to stay informed of any updates. Admirable work and much success in your business dealings!  Please excuse my poor English as it is not my first tongue.
vimax scam

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing the link, but argg it seems to be down... Does anybody have a mirror or another source? Please answer to my message if you do!

I would appreciate if a staff member here at www.blogger.com could post it.

Thanks,
James

Anonymous said...

This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. this is very nice one and gives indepth information. thanks for this nice article qqbhxc4412
vigrx plus | vimax

jaya said...

Here we introduce our courier services to your. Have a look at-

International courier in Mumbai

Courier services Mumbai

Courier for chemical

DHL International courier

Fedex Courier