1 How many cans of caffeinated beverages do you think your editor for the latest Empire BMX DVD has consumed thus far? And is there a deadline in site?
- I really have put a lot of time into thinking about this very subject, and I’ve concluded that he has probably consumed roughly 6,500 cans of DP since production actually began. I don’t count the time between our team meeting to get everyone on board and the first filming mission. Needless to say, dude loves Dr Pepper. I’m not sure who sleeps less, me or Dave, but it’s gotta be a close race.
2. After Chill Bro! became a hit did you realize that some of your team was going to be known on a larger level in the BMX community? it played different than any scene or shop video I have ever seen. Were you happy with the final product?
- I think by the time Chill Bro! dropped, all the guys in the video were pretty well known. However, it seemed to cement the shop as a legitimate presence, as we were pretty small-time up to that point. The first video came together really fast, with no hype, and with mostly our small crew of friends, though there were a few cameos from some heavy hitters. Also, we were running the business out of a tiny building. That place was 1,100 sq feet, with one metered parking spot, in between our landlord’s house and an auto repair shop / homeless shelter / brothel. We had some notoriety due to leaving Trend and all that, but we were small fish in a big bowl. Between the first video and Chill Bro!, we added some guys to the team that were outside of our small comfort box; i.e. Morgan Wade, Bob Scerbo, Tony Cardona. KP was getting more heavily involved with Empire, and he was and is a bona fide conglomerate unto himself. Chase and Aaron were already on their way to being big stars, and Neil, Dylan, Danny, and the rest of the crew were household names (in BMX households) Joe Rich is of course Joe Fucking Rich, and we will always be honored and thankful for his loyalty and friendship over the years. Being able to get all of those people involved in Chill Bro! made it inevitable that the video would be popular. Joel is very talented and he was the glue that made all the individual parts stick together so well. He went above and beyond the call of duty, and busted his ass for sure to make the video great. We were 100% happy and proud, both with the video and with Joel and the team for their hard work.
3. Tank tops, or Tye Dyes?
- No and no. As I get older and crustier, all I want is an American Apparel Summer T with no logo or anything on it. I don’t know why, but I always feel like a douchebag wearing an Empire shirt. I can get down with a T1 shirt once in a while. No hippy tie dye stuff for this child of Quail Creek. Parkfield Drive has no love for flower children.
4. Wahoo's, The Screaming Goat, or Chuy's?
- Those are all great in their own special ways, but since the move to the new shop, we’ve discovered El Caribe, next to Dan’s Hamburgers at N. Lamar/2222. The place is incredible, and I will never eat food from anywhere else ever again, period. Well, maybe Veggie Heaven, but only if someone else goes to collect it. Dragon Lady has a crush on me, I think. I don’t need any more drama with the ladies at this point in my life.
5. Favorite non riding spot in Austin?
- It’s a little outside of town, but we discovered an amazing rental lakehouse compound not far away. Water slide, three separate houses, sick courtyard chill spot, diving platform/sunbathing structure, and diving board. I think after Dave finishes the video, we’ll get the crew out there for a weekend and celebrate. It’s close enough to be convenient, but far enough away to feel like a vacation. As far as regular haunts, I like Lala’s. Tiny bar, Christmas décor never comes down, and the bartender ladies seem to have an average age of 112. Some weird shit always goes down there, and you always have a 50/50 chance of spotting The Parrick lurking around. A friend and I had to help some dude with short arms out of a spot there years ago, using multiple wire closehangers to secure his car’s exhaust system to the bottom of the car. I was certain that he was either going to sexually abuse my crotch or cut off my legs while I was vulnerable down there on the asphalt.
6. Favorite riding spot in Austin?
- Funny you should send me these questions today, because Corrigan showed us his plan for the ramp rebuild for the new shop. Having not ridden it yet, or even knowing if what he showed us will be the final setup, that is my favorite place to ride. Having a crazy kid and a crazy shop means I don’t get to spend whole days looking for and/or riding spots anymore, so I generally stay close to home. When the ramp is rebuilt, that’ll be my go-to spot for sure. Right now, if I have to narrow it down to one place that I’d ride if I had a few hours off from work and the boy, it would probably be 5 Hip. A lot of people probably find that place boring, but I like it a lot. You can jump, you can grind, you can dance on the sub box, or you can hit the wall ride upstream at the bridge. The new concrete park is rad too, but I haven’t been able to get down there as much as I’d like yet. Austin OG shit: 5 Hip was originally “Whiteout Ditch”, because some dummy from the high school sniffed too much typing correction fluid fumes during lunch in the ditch and died.
7. Ever think of exploring the option of two locations after the new store spreads its wings?
- We’ve considered opening a satellite store, or maybe even a mobile store, close to the new park. We really dreaded moving out of downtown, but it was the best move for the growth of the shop. If we can get a small storefront or mobile shop up and running, we’ll be able to service people riding the park and 9th Street. The new shop isn’t all too far, it’s about a 10 minute drive, but it’s not convenient if you get a flat or bust a chain at 9th or House Park.
8. What records/bands have you been listening to as of late?
- I have a bad habit of putting on the blinders and just listening to what I know. So, Scarface, Immortal, and Interpol are pretty much the only things I regularly have on tap. Mix in some Sisters of Mercy and EBTG when I’m feeling some angst or sentimental When I do want to wander, I usually just go to the T1 Vimeo page and poke around Joe’s musical choices, letting him do the thinking for me!
9. Do you think that the "BMX Board" frame will be a reality? Or the "ETRNL"? Its been up for Pre-Order for quite some time.
- Oh, it’s happening. Moeller is MIA, but once he turns up, we’re gonna dial this shit in once and for all. It seemed like a good idea to make something tangible to honor all the years that the Board has been pissing people off. If I can get get 50 rough ass frames together and get people stoked, I sure as shit am gonna do it.
10. Since Mr. Tom Dugan has became a member of the helmet club, has the sales of helmets began to skyrocket?
- Well, that canoe or sail boating helmet or whatever he wears is impossible to keep in stock for some reason. It can’t be a coincidence that he hits the scene wearing one and all of the sudden every motherfucker wants to protect their ears. Whatever, I’ll roll with it A big part of knowing what to sell these days is watching the trends and being able to forecast what will last and what won’t. I’m pretty sure we could order 10,000 of those helmets and it would be a wise investment. There are some other items that I knew no one would care about two months after they were hot, and we sometimes get it right and only order two month’s worth. I can think of a lot of other things that are worse ideas than helmets, so it’s actually pretty cool that people are buying ‘em up.
Empire BMX
1114 W. 5th Street # A
Austin, TX 78703
ph (512) 474-4269
fx (512) 474-4304
www.empirebmx.com
sick guy
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