Chris Dobstaff the thrasher interview.

Coming from semi-underground status, Chris Dobstaff survived the flip-in, flip-out doldrums of San Diego's recent years to emerge a true tech-gnar superstar. With his trusty D3's beneath him, he bombs the big stuff, skates rails like they were curbs, and does it all with a unique SD style. Looks like 2004 might just be the break-out year for Mr. Dobalina.

How old are you Mr Dobslahff?

I am 22.

So what kind of name is Dobslahff?

It's from Germany. Then when it came over here, it was Americanized and became Dobstaff.

What's your ethnic composition?

Ethnic what?

Your ethnicity.

Well, my mom is full Filipino, and my dad is German and Polish. I guess I'm mainly Filipino.

Are you down for SD?

Of course; I was raised here.

What part?

Originally I was from Imperial Beach, but then we moved out to El Cajon. Now I live in Poway.

Is it true that you moved to East County so you could skate Santee park more?

No. It wasn't my choice, but Santee just fell into my lap.

Then you became infatuated with the skatepark?

At the time, yeah, but now I wouldn't be caught dead there.

Why?

I guess I grew out of it. Time to move on.

Have you ever had to defend the East County physically?

No. I'm a local, so no one bothered me.

What happened to the other two of the East County Three, Louder and Davis?

I don't know. They just don't skate as much anymore. I still talk to Louder, but Davis, I don't talk to him no more. I don't know what kind of mischief he's getting into.

Who do you usually skate with now?

Photographers and filmers. Mostly just locals like James Brockman. I like to skate with people who are positive and want to go out and see what they can make of the day. Sometimes I still skate with Louder, but he's super busy, working all the time now, I'm always at the skatepark, skating with all the kids.

What park?

Poway park. I hook the kids up with boards and stuff, but they have to be decent. I'm not going to hook some crappy-ass kid up with product. They have to show me that they love skating.

So you're over the kids that suck?

No. I give them time, but I'm not going to give them product so it just goes to waste. Is that bad?

Just funny. How is it different riding for Darkstar rather than Enjoi?

Oh my God, I should have done that in the first place. With Enjoi I was down for everyone on the team, but we didn't really mesh. I guess it was sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing. I didn't really click with people on the team.

So how is Darkstar different?

Riding for Darkstar is good. Everyone on the team is out there busting their ass, and I'm down for that. I like to skate with people that are motivated and working hard.

What about Osiris and all the changes they have gone through?

Changes, well everyone goes through changes. I don't mind them at all. I'm just happy they're supporting me and I'm supporting them. I don't care who comes on with what kind of style--they're still human beings and I treat them all the same. I think it is kind of cool that Osiris has all these different styles and images.

Are you the last Osiris team member who wears the Mayhews?

Mayhews?

Yeah, the D3s.

Yes. I am definitely the last member to wear the D3s. I'm still sportin' them. They stopped making them, so I told them to give me all of them.

Do you hope if you get a pro shoe it can be the Dobstaff 4 or D4? So you can carry on the legacy?

No, I'm going to try and stay away from that. It's just not unique anymore.

It's been a hectic past year, filming for the Darkstar video and the Osiris video at the same time.

It was crazy. When I first got on Darkstar, Chet said he was dropping a video in a couple months, so I wrapped up what I could. Then Chet sent me out to Barcelona with you and Kenreich and Guy, so that really helped out a lot. That trip was amazing.

I would say interesting. What's up with you and Kenreich walking into the middle of the gay nude beach?

In Barcelona they have this nude beach, right? We started talking to this guy and he pointed us down the beach. We were talking about chicks. So we walk down the beach and get there and there was just a bunch of dudes. Naked dudes! It was pretty embarrassing. Kenreich wanted to keep walking; he thought maybe all the way down there would be some chicks. I was like, "No!" I made him bust a U-turn.

So Barcelona was parties every night?

Beers every night. I guess you could call those parties.

That apartment will permanently smell like hash after you guys were in there.

Hash and Barcelona just go together. We tried to find weed, but we were forced to settle for the hash. I was very sick of hash after that.

You like skating in Barcelona?

Barcelona is definitely one of the best places I've been to skate. Skating ledges with Sven--man, he hypes it up. We would skate all day and all night.

I remember the day we left at like nine in the morning, and got hack at six the next morning. Fourteen-stair hubba in the morning, then MACBA four later that day, then ledges all night long.

That was the gnarliest day I have ever skated. I guess I was training for that. Usually I would have been broke off, but somehow I just kept going. That was amazing.

Maybe we got to skate so much because of the transportation system in Barcelona?

Yeah, the train system is crazy, We would take the train everywhere, and we never paid. We never paid once. I remember you throwing all your camera shit over the walls, then jumping them real fast, like doing it in front of the train people. I think I even got caught, and then they just let me go because I was American. That is what's so sick about being American, they just wave you off.

Still no Dobstaff boards yet?

Yeah, you know how that goes. You have to be stable with your sponsors so people know who you're riding for and whom you're representing. I was hopping around, but now I'm stable. Things have been going smooth.

What are your three favorite board companies besides Darkstar?

Zero, Almost and Blind.

What stuff are you working on?

Well, Osiris is making another video in like a year So I'm definitely working on that. And the Darkstar DVD will be dropping soon.

Isn't that video already out on DVD?

Well Chet said he's making a DVD for the wheel team, plus I think I'm going to be in this montage part; well, I'm not really sure how it works. But I have been shooting with you, Nick, so it should all be out soon enough. But yeah, I have practically a whole new part, upgraded tricks.

Speaking of tricks, I've noticed you have quite a different selection of tricks and obstacles nowadays.

Yeah, I'm trying to stay away from skatepark footage.

You mean no more 360 flip tailgrabs?

No more grabs. I totally got called out on grabs.

By who?

Photographers and filmers. There is nothing more embarrassing than that. I mean, I like doing it but you don't know what it looks like. They do, and they said, "No, don't do that anymore." So I was over it.

Also, I haven't seen a tailslide shove-it tailslide bigspin lately.

Not yet. But I'm going to resurrect that trick!

Is that a promise?

You'll see some in the Osiris video. I just like tallslides. I always did them when I was growing up. When I was a kid I would tallslide everything. It was a trick that I could progress with, so I was hyped on doing them. But yeah, you will see more. If you don't like it, oh well.

The San Diego specials?

Yeah, the San Diego specialty.

Do you think skateboarding is all about stunts nowadays?

I do. When you're trying something down a double set, or a set of stairs, you're actually throwing yourself to death. It's just like a stunt guy. If we didn't know how to get away from these tricks we wouldn't be skateboarding. Even if you chicken out and run down the rail or something, that's still a stunt.

If you could only do one trick for the rest of your life what would it be?

Tailslides.

What do you do to kill your pain from skating all day long?

I take Artican pills. I don't know if they work, but I take them because they make me feel better.

What are they?

I don't know, something that helps the blood flow. It says for traumas, bruises and muscle soreness. I take like five of them. They're like little candies. That's probably the reason why I got them.

Do you slash the tubes anymore?

You mean surf? No, I don't surf anymore. I used to back in the day. My dad was a Navy Seal Instructor down at Gator Beach down in Coronado, so I would go down to the beach everyday at four in the morning 'til four in the afternoon, just surfing everyday for the whole summer. No more of that, though.

Why?

I almost drown; I can't swim that well. Fuck, dying in the ocean? You're dead and no one knows you're dead. They don't even find your body. That's a nightmare.

No more dirt bikes either?

Yeah, I don't ride my dirt bike anymore either. My dad made me choose one, so I chose skateboarding. That stuff is painful, too. One time I ate shit; I was trying this double and I deck-checked the second part. The suspension threw me over the front handlebars and then my bike ran over me. Even though I had pads on, it still knocked the wind out of me. I couldn't breath. That's when I sold my bike. I sold it and got a car.

What did you do with the car you bought?

I grinded the clutch and my friend puked in the car. I just drove it into the ground. I paid $4,500 for it. Then, only three years later, I got a thousand bucks for it. I used that for a down-payment on my truck.

Who's your favorite vert skater?

I don't know. I guess the guy innovating vert right now would be PLG.

Would you rather try Bob's loop or get a root canal?

I would try the loop.

Would you rather ollie the Leap of Faith or try the loop?

Loop.

Describe a time when you first met a pro skater that you really looked up to.

I met Steve Olson back in the day when I was about 11, at the Missile Park am contest. I just went up to him and said "Hi." He was sitting there smoking a bowl. He was real nice. Gershon was sitting there also. He was nice too. That was about 10 years ago.

What Pissdrunk do you most identify with?

Ali Boulala.

Do you think Bam Margera does a good job representing skating?

Yeah, for sure. Like his new show, he just has fun being a nuisance. I guess that's cool.

If you were to design your own TV show, what would you have on it?

It would have to be a day in the life. Like a day in the life of a skateboarder traveling the world. Do a road trip like the Real World; you know, with all the drama and stuff. Oh yeah, and the party scene.

What would you say to someone who said, "That Dobstaff, that guy's got a big head"?

It takes one to know one.

What's something you're good at besides skateboarding?

I'm good at surfing, snowboarding--anything that has to do with my feet. Any kind of physical sport.

Have you ever taken acid? Been to a rave? Taken a bath on a skate tour?

Taking a bath on a skate tour, I think that's against the rules. There shouldn't be any baths on tour because it's all males. Come on, give me a break. No, I have never taken any acid; I've never taken anything unnatural. And I haven't been to a rave.

Describe an incident with San Diego legend Oscar Jordan.

One day I was trying to tailslide this 15, and he just came out and feeble grinded it. That was pretty inspiring. I know what you're looking for; you are not going to find it here!

What member of the Wu-Tang Clan do you most identify with?

I don't know any of them. I guess Method Man.

What do you think of all these fools bitin' Smolik's shit?

It's done and over with, move onto the next.

Are you in the SkateMafia?

No. I was asking for some shirts, but they fell through. I guess they just didn't take it very seriously.

If you could put one dude back on the Osiris team, who would it be?

Fernandez, most definitely. That dude is still out there busting his ass.