Ben Krahn: "hanging out with drunk people.".

When did you first pick up a skateboard?

Very, very first time? I was five, and my brother had gotten one as a gift. It was a yellow plastic banana board with orange wheels.

Where were you living?

Four Lakes Washington. It's a suburb Southeast of Seattle.

Was there much concrete around?

There was a road. The only thing we had paved was a little path. We had a gravel driveway.

At what point did you realize skateboarding was an obsession?

Ha ha! An obsession? I guess it was with the ollie--right around when I first learned to ollie. When I got more control over the board. Wait--the exact moment was when my parents were helping my aunt move. Next door to her was an apartment complex with a driveway going into a parking garage. I would go down the driveway and around the parking garage. That was when I realized it. So now you live in Portland.

That's true.

Where do you usually skate?

I usually go to the parks. The most often is Burnside, West Linn, Newberg, and Donald. Those are the places I go to the most.

What's something nice about living here in Portland?

The great parks. That's one nice thing, of course. The surrounding nature. And it's kind of a big city, but it's still kind of small ... Oh, I could go on and on. Good restaurants.

How do you make it though the Portland winter?

You just go through it. It's not so bad. You can do other things you need to get done. You can get caught up on work.

Do you make enough money as a professional skateboarder?

Me? You mean like right now? I'm a taxi driver.

A lot of skateboarders in Portland drive cabs. Any idea why?

Because first of all, skaters are pretty independent. They don't want to work for a boss. Another thing skaters know really well is cruising the streets. And they don't like to wake up early in the morning. The schedule is flexible. Hanging out with drunk people.

Do you ever find skatespots while driving the cabs?

All the time I find skatespots. Just last night I was looking at some crazy rail; really dangerous. Some rail master could do it for sure.

Any good taxi-cab confessions?

Oh man, there's a bunch of 'em. I gave this one guy a ride who said the Fonz was based on him. Henry Winkler was sent here to do a character study. Then he told me he just got out of jail for stabbing somebody. I work with a cabbie guy named Hammerhead because some guy attacked him with a hammer. Almost every night there's something that goes down. This one is pretty crazy: Sometimes you wait in a cab line, like after a sporting event. I'm there in the fine and this guy comes around, knocks on the window and hands me this Christian cartoon pamphlet and says, "Hope tn see you in Heaven." Then another guy knocks on the window, and it's the cab driver parked behind me. He has one of these pamphlets in his hand. He gives me the pamphlet saying, "I don't want to go to Heaven! I want to go to Hell and party with Marilyn Monroe!" The majority of the people are nice, but the exceptions stick out in my mind.

When do you usually drive your cab?

Night shift. I drive from 4pm-4am.

You used to live in Philiy. Burnside or FDR?

I can't really compare them. Each has its advantages; I love them both.

Top five places to skate?

San Francisco streets, NYC streets, Newberg, Burnside is mandatory, pools and ditches.

When do you decide it's time to end your run?

When I either wreck, get tired, or am over it. I think.

How do you manage to skate for so long without falling off or wearing yourself out?

Well I guess it has gotten to that point. I give Newberg credit for that. You can skate forever.

Favorite trick?

Definitely an ollie, because it's amazing to be able to jump the board off the ground.

What trick consistantly gives you the most trouble?

Well, for me I'd have to say the infamous 360 flip.

What gets you hyped to skate?

It doesn't take very much. Just the skating itself. Other than that, going to new places with friends. Any influences?

For skating there are too many. I would say everybody in skating is an influence. The first pro model I had was a Steve Caballero. Outside of skating, my influences would be Hendrix, Jackie Chan, the Dali Lama, and my parents.

Who helps you out?

Shiva Tech skateboards, Emerita shoes, Volcom clothing, Spitfire wheels, and Thunder trucks. Future plans?

I'm kind of going with the flow. I'm going to school to study natural pathic medicine and healing.

Any advice for the readers out there?

Enjoy skating and don't smoke cigarettes.