K: What’s your philosophy with your companies? What does the future hold for Foundation and Tod Swank?
Swank: Well we are building it up and working towards our exit strategy. You know this business is all about the exit strategy. I think we are going public next year. Is it beer o’clock yet? Fuck I better start relaxing or something. I get all antsy when I am sitting around. Always have to do something. I have a couple ideas for projects. A punk rock greasy spoon diner. And this cooler and lake accessory deal for when we go to the river. My nickname is captain kickback.
K: Has the face of the industry changed much since you started out. There are tons of smaller board companies out there but in reality, don’t most of them have ties through backing or distribution to bigwigs behind the scene?
Swank: You are correct in your presumption. It’s not easy running a skateboard company. But It’s all good. The best part is that most all of the top companies are run or owned by guys I used to skate with in the eighties before any of us had an idea where it would lead to.
K: Why are all decks the same shape now? I don’t know if you saw this, but Vision just re-released 5 old decks with their original graphics and shapes. I believe they’ve been selling really well, which says to me that people are sick of popsicle sticks.
Swank: I don’t know. Skating is so funny. It’s supposed to be all about being different (but not for different’s sake) and being creative and original, but in actuality it’s a bunch of soldier’s in their little uniforms marching around and doing their little marching chants. Ok maybe that is a little extreme. I think today’s progressive skating commands the subtle differences in shapes and concaves that top rider are sensitive to. Wait until you see the signature series from Deathbox. It’s crazy yet functional shapes. Check www.Deathbox.com.
N: What’s the deal with Deathbox? Did you have to get permission from Jeremy Fox to use the name? You should have used the old Deathbox teapot logo. That was rad. Who’s involved? Pete Dossett was a rad skater for Deathbox. ( Deathbox was an English company in the late 80’s)
Swank: It’s pretty cool. I went for a small session with Pineapple, Hackett, Ruml, and Inouye last week at Coronado then we went to dinner. It’s all about having a good time. It’s kinda surreal hanging out with that crew. The D-Boyz came up with it. Hackett had the domain name and is doing a book by the same name. I just checked for trademark availability and it was clear. With original one being lapsed or something. No disrespect. The Deathbox crew didn’t even know there (already) was a Deathbox company. Pete Dossett was rad. I just re-met Alex Moul at Mark Water’s Orange Crush Ramp Jam www.Skatepunk.net awhile back. I forgot that he rode for the OG DB.
N: Foundation is one of the few companies (or was) that continued to make wide decks and longboards when they weren’t fashionable. Well done, seriously. Not a question, just a comment.
Swank: “Foundation is so anti fashion,” a statement, not an answer.
N: Do you do the graphics for the Foundation decks? If not who does?
Swank: Not really. We work with different artists and the team riders. I do art direction. I am working to quit the business side of my job so I can lolli-gag in the art department coming up with stupid ideas. I love stupid ideas but not stupid-stupid ones. Just the tricky stupid ones. Like I want to call the tour this summer, “Dude, where’s my board?” but I don’t think that is going to fly.
K: Any post 9-11 hassles over the star and moon graphics. I recall the hubub (or read about it) when the graphics originally came out during the Gulf war, was it? Or was it the Iran Hostage situation?
Swank: Not really. I expected more but maybe people are not complaining to us and just not buying our shit with the star and moon on it. Maybe Jewish people just don’t like it and the arab nations dig it. I don’t know. To me it’s all about the universe and how awesome it is that we are here on earth which is a paradise. This is my heaven. I am living it. We all are, eh?
K: Do you have a copy of every deck, wheel, sticker that you’ve ever manufactured?
Swank: Hell no. I wish. I would have to have a warehouse just for that. I have a bunch of old boards and I try and grab a couple of every new deck we do. That is the extent of my archiving.
K: What was the worst thing you ever sold?
Swank: Well there are handful of really terrible graphics we have done. I can’t think of anything else. We did make girls hot pants which were awesome. Talk about sexy. That’s probably the best thing we ever made.
N: I assume you’ve been all over the world with your company. Where else would you like to live if not in the U.S.? Did you ever skate Rom and Meanwhile II in London?
Swank: France maybe. El Cajon, Ca. Maybe Lake Havasu. I skated both ROM and Meanwhile II. We looked at that gap like whoa gnarly. I don’t know if anyone had done it yet. That was like 1983. Now people are doing like frontside lefty pooh bear reverts and shit over it.
K: What’s your take on the X-Games phenomenon? Have you figured out how to cash in?
Swank: It brought skateboarding to a wider audience, we sell more stuff, we can afford to treat people well. That’s all good. Personally I could care less if it is all big and mainstream because I know there would be a under ground out there doing it’s own thing. There is one right now. They don’t give a fuck, they just skate. No media, no politics, no industry. The upside is that you can actually earn a living. Pro skateboarders are getting paid what they deserve finally.
K: What’s your favorite skateboarding toy?
Swank: I have a few remote control skateboarders that are really cool and I chase my dogs with them. If you have any of these please send them to me pronto.
K: Here’s where I really expose my ignorance. Did you ever have anything to do with Toy Machine?
Swank: Hell no. Fuck that company and Ed “Fag” Templeton. I am just kidding. Toy Machine is killer. They have such a rad team right now. I hooked up with Ed when he was doing TM with Brad Dorfman. It sucked for him. We hijacked it and Foundation backed it up. We are partners in the destruction the young minds.
0 comments.