Eastern Influenced
Checking in with the new pro before his Zoo part drops.
Zoo York State of Mind Trailer
When I think of Brandon Westgate, I have a hard time not thinking about Donny Barley in Welcome to Hell. It's not like they skate exactly the same, but Brandon's got the same power Barley had in that era. It's that same ability that makes Brandon a skater prized for his skating and his skating only—no gimmicks—and makes him ripe for turning pro. It's much deserved.
Where you at man?
Back home out East.
You still live with your parents?
Yep.
Wareham
, right? What's that like?
It's a small town. It's kind of woodsy and we're right near the ocean, too.
It's kind of on the edge of the
Cape [Cape Cod], right?
Yeah, we're the town right before the Cape.
You're pro now. How's that feel?
Ah man, it's pretty cool. It's really exciting.
Sounds rad. When did you hear about it?
Um, just a few weeks ago. Seamus [Deegan, Zoo York
TM] just threw it out there.
So he said it was all set to go and if you'd be down to do it?
Pretty much. He just showed me a photo of an ad they made—a going pro ad they were going to run in a magazine.
You started skating in, what, 2000?
Um, yeah, about 2000.
That's fast. Good turn around.
Yeah, yeah, it's pretty crazy. I wasn't expecting any of this when I started.
I wouldn't expect that. I mean, anyone skating just to turn pro is kind of blowing it. You skate to have fun, but when it happens, it's rad.
Yeah, definitely, it's crazy to me.
What was your crew like in Wareham, growing up?
Well, we had this skatepark—this little, tiny skate park—that was called the Skate Shack and we pretty much just went there every day. Then, when that closed down, we started taking the train to, like, Boston. It was just a few people. When I first started skating a lot of kids were skating and then a lot of kids just quit and there were, like, four people—that was the crew.
So you guys would just take day trips—you and your homies?
Yeah, just take the train up and cruise around the city. We used to go out to Skater's Island quite a bit, too.
That's the one that was in Rhode Island?
Yeah, I think it was in Middletown, RI.
That was a big one, right? I was just reading that interview with Eli Reed
and I think he used to go there.
Yeah, he used to go there a lot. So that was a big spot to go.
How about skating the city [Boston]? Where'd you go?
Where'd I go in the city? Pretty much we'd go out by South Station. There're those window ledges that PJ skated in PJ's Wonderful Horrible Life. I don't know, just a bunch of basic spots.
Kyle CamarilloBrandon finds a line and utilizes his mega pops to weave his way through the SF avenues.Did you grow up lurking around as the little kid with PJ and all those guys?
No, I don't think I ever even met PJ.
That's crazy. I guess in the big cities scenes can just miss one another. Crews don't really hang out at the same spots.
Yeah, well, mainly when I was filming, I'd mainly just go to New York, because I started skating with that company 5Boro.
How did that happen? Because you were on 5Boro for a bit and then you went over to Birdhouse
for a really short amount of time, right?
Yeah.
Then, you came back and started for...5Boro again or Zoo?
Ah, Zoo.
Okay. So you live in Wareham, still. Do you come out West a lot?
Yeah, because I skate for Emerica, I just go out there and stay with those guys and film for however long—just try to film and shoot photos.
When you come out here do you like to skate spots that are more like East Coast spots?
No, I pretty much skate whatever.
I always wonder about that; like, when guys from the East Coast come out here, do they look for spots that are similar to back home? Like, "Damn it...another long steep rail."
Nah. I'll skate whatever.
So, you bounced companies with Suski
and Shetler, right?
Yeah, it started at 5Boro and then to Birdhouse and then to Zoo, with all those guys.
You've really grown up around those guys. How much have they helped you out with advice and stuff like that?
Yeah, well, Shetler's just got a good head on his shoulders and he'd always look out for me—same with Suski pretty much. I pretty much grew up with those guys.
You're kind of a skater's skater—like you're prized for the way you skate more than the stuff outside of skating, so it seems like you would get advice from Suski, who's a lot like that.
Yeah, I guess—both of those guys.
Obviously, you know Welcome to Hell—that was kind of like the video for my generation—so, I have to say it's hard not to look at you skate and think of you as a new generation Donny Barley
. It's not that you skate exactly the same or anything, but you just remind me of him. Do you get that comparison a lot?
Ah, yeah. Sometimes, here and there. A lot of people just say I look like him a lot.
Yeah, it's kind of just the Dickies and the tee look, huh?
Yeah. I guess.
Did you watch him in videos or ever skate out East with him growing up?
Um, just watching Eastern Exposure
. Um, I never really skated with him growing up. I mean, I met him here or there, but I never skated with him until I got on Zoo.
Kyle CamarilloBrandon manhandles a serious front blunt while on a visit to San Jose.No, just trying to finish up the Emerica video Stay Gold.
You going out to the Back to the Banks contest
?
Yeah, actually, the Zoo video should be premiering the day before that.
You have any other trips planned or anything like that?
Well, I just got back from Atlanta—a filming trip with Emerica.
We were out there with Marquis and Jerry Hsu .
That's cool. It seems like a lot of people are staying around the US with the economy. They're slowing down on the International trips, huh?
Yeah, it's just 'cause the economy sucks. S**t's real tight.
It's cool, though. People are rediscovering the spots in the US.
Yeah, yeah, I like it. I like skating New York and the States more anyway, so it's fun.
I guess one of my last questions is, from when you started skating to now, what were some of your most favorite memories on the road to going pro?
Pretty much just all the traveling.
Anything in particular?
Well, we did one trip before I left Birdhouse and we skated a bunch of amazing ditches and—I don't know—I had such a good time.
It's pretty crazy to think you started skating in 2000 and nine years later, you have all those experiences from traveling and now you're going pro.
Yeah, there're seriously so many memories, it's insane.
It's kind of a tough question, because when people ask you, "What were some of your best memories?" you're like, "If I had to list off all the good times from skating, it would take me hours."
Yeah, once we get off the phone, I'll probably think of a memory and be like, "Oh man, I probably should have said that." That always happens.
No worries man, I'm sure you'll have a bunch more interviews to remember that stuff, now that you're pro.
Yeah, I guess so.
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