Josh Harmony.

SAY THE NAME, "Joshua Harmony." Sounds nice, right? It's a name that brings things together somehow. Harmony. The word evokes music and nature, and makes you think about how everything fits together fine once humans leave it alone for a few seconds. Although he was born into the name without any control over having been given it, he seems to have grown into this essence we are speaking of. Joshua is the bringer of harmony wherever he goes. He brings harmony to the skate session, and harmony to the tour van on long drives. He brings it each time without trying to. It is his destiny. He is bringing harmony to Thrasher right now. Josh Harmony is a young man recently out on his own with the buffet of the world crashing into him like a wave. This information is washing through him, and the parts that fit are staying inside making the man out of the child. He is fearless on a skateboard. And although he may beg to differ, to my standards he is 100-percent pig-gnar when it comes to jumping onto something scary. All or nothing and no in-between. At this moment in time all you need to know about Josh can be found in this chapter of his life, the photos and words in this interview. The next chapter is already in production and just like a Lord of the Rings film, you have to wait for it.

Did you make a conscious effort to stop being the World's Loudest Am?

I don't know. Things were just really exciting to me for awhile.

So have things gotten less exciting?

In some areas, yeah.

Could there be another area where you could get that excited again and be, let's say, the world's loudest pastry chef?

Maybe. I don't know. I freak out at stuff sometimes still.

It wasn't like you were freaking out. It was just that you were very excited, but more importantly, just very, very loud. Did you grow out of it?

Maybe. I'm not sure. Why are you interrogating me about this?

I'm just worried that when I named you the World's Loudest Am maybe I embarrassed you and you clammed up. I don't want to have robbed you of your joy of being loud.

It wasn't you. I'm not exactly sure why I stopped being so loud, but it wasn't you.

How has your life changed since you got sponsored?

So many changes--I don't even know where to begin.

What are the most significant ones?

Probably that I live in Long Beach with Austin.

So you just graduated from high school and moved out of your parent's house and moved out on your own?

Yeah. There're a lot of big changes that happened all at once. I like where I am now, so I guess it's all working out.

Two years ago did you have different plans for what you thought you would do after high school?

I don't know if I really make long-term plans for myself. I knew I didn't want to be a businessman if skateboarding didn't work out. I wanted to dabble around in stuff a little more. I was mostly just planning to be done with school. I was really ready to get out of high school.

You know what that is?

What?

Senioritis.

Yeah right. Sounds like someone's got a bad case of Senioritis.

Describe your apartment with Austin.

It's a two bedroom in an apartment building with a bunch of crazy college students and other random people. We have a one-car garage and we trade off parking in it. Griffin lives on the couch. It's fun. We've got a lot of records and music's always going on. There're guitars lying around; it's a good scene.

What do you do to pass the time?

Play music. Maybe have a few beers.

Do you still have that trippy video you can play on the TV? Or was that a rental?

I'm trying to think ... what that was one called? Oh yeah, Head Candy.

Was that a rental or a purchase?

It was a purchase. It was from either a garage sale or in some discount bin at a video store. I don't even know, but it showed up at the house.

Exactly how many times did Head Candy get played?

It was on for comedy purposes at first. I don't want to say that we got into it, but it was on an awful lot.

Did anyone ever trip out?

No, but it could probably mess you up. It had a warning saying it could give you seizures. It said, "If you have epilepsy, don't watch this video." So at first we watched it in the dark.

What kind of freaky music would you listen to while watching the trip-out video in the dark?

Maybe that Nuggets CD, like psychedelic rock. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon might have been on a few times.

Weren't you guys watching The Wizard of Oz while listening to Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon?

Yeah. That's something you hear about all the time so you want to try it out for yourself.

Was it trippy?

Kind of, at first, but then the movie was way longer than the album so I got kind of bored and turned it off.

Besides the trip-out video, what's the dumbest thing you've bought for your apartment so far?

I don't usually buy dumb things. We had these bar stools; they were good bar stools. We were kind of in this weird creative phase. We had these paints and we just started painting these bar stools and they got ruined. They looked terrible. We had to throw them away.

How many spoons do you guys have?

Before we had about three, but I went to Target and bought a multi-pack with the little plastic thing so they all fit in there perfectly.

Do you have bath towels?

We have bath towels, l think Griffin has one, but I have a few. If a guest came over I'd have guest towels for them. It's not that much of a bachelor skate pad. It's pretty nice.

What's your budget like?

Usually I make sure I always have enough to pay the rent, and then whatever's left over after that gets spent on everything else. If I run out after paying rent, that's when I have to sell boards. Doing the amateur thing--selling boards.

What are some of the house rules?

I don' think there are any.

What if you came home and Grill-Dog was on the couch chugging the last of your milk? At first that was a problem, but then we kind of decided we should just put all the food together. There's no reason for me to stress out about it because I'm gone so much. If someone else doesn't eat it, it will probably just go bad. We just buy kind of as a family.

What's the gayest thing that goes on at your pad?

What do you mean by "gay?"

Well, homosexual,

I don't know if there's any homosexual activity over there. The gayest thing we do is listen to The Smiths and Morrissey from time to time.

What are some of the hot house trends now? I heard book reading was hot.

Yeah, book reading is popular. Movies are pretty hot. Skate videos before we go skate. There's so much stuff. Drawing. We go through phases. Sometimes we'll get in a drawing phase. We share books with each other, it's a good scene.

Sounds more like an arts collective than a skate crash pad.

Yeah. But I like it better like that.

Do you miss living with your family?

Yes, 'cause I find myself driving out there almost every weekend.

Are you guys pretty close?

Yeah. My parents are really mellow about everything. We're all about communication so we have a good functional family. That's why I miss it so much now. My mom's a sweetheart so I always have to go out to see her.

Do you ever have to help your younger brother as he goes through the trials and tribulations of being a child giant?

I don't know how to help him in that area. He's like 6'2" and be just turned 14. He has a baby face, but he's big. He's in the 99th percentile of height for kids his age. He's one of the biggest for his age in the whole country.

Does he have a hard time with being so big?

I don't really know. I'm sure he does sometimes. He's kind of a quiet person so he doesn't really talk about it that much. If he were having problems I'd try and help him the best I could.

I don't want to ruin Christmas for the Harmony family or anything, but why'd you start smoking?

Oh, I don't know. That's a good question. I guess you always wonder why people do things. Then you try it yourself, and if you enjoy it you keep on going.

Are you hooked?

I think I was. I was smoking a pack a day at one time and I felt terrible. My stamina was gone. Now l keep it mellow, like one or two a day.

Are there any other adult bad habits you've gotten into? Are you cussing now?

No, not now.

Remember when you didn't cuss?

Yeah. I went through a cussy phase, but I've grown out of it.

Why don't you want to cuss?

There're just so many more intelligent words you can use. Plus, if you listen to people who have a swear word in every other thing they say, they start to sound stupid.

Fuckin' A.

Yeah.

Is it fun to be bad after all those years of being a good kid?

I don't know how bad I've been.

Wild hair, Beards. Cigarettes,

I guess I've been kind of bad. I enjoy the freedom, but I know my parents aren't bummed at me or anything. They know I'm not an idiot.

What are some videos you guys have in steady rotation?

Waiting for the World, the Blueprint video; it's in a lot. The soundtrack to that video and the way they put it together is amazing. Also, I really enjoy that new Habitat video. Whoever did that has really good taste in music. Music's really important, I think. Also, the skating in those two videos is really good. Other than those, I like any video that comes out of Tumyeto--Foundation and Toy videos Those are always good.

Do you follow the mags closely?

I usually see pretty much every magazine that comes around because they all come to Ed's house. I get excited if I see someone's name I like on the cover.

Do you read them or just look at the pictures?

I read the whole thing.

What was the first video you saw?

Probably either' Questionable or Second Hand Smoke. That was way before I knew anything about skateboarding. I didn't know it was even like that.

Did you ever try and copy a pro skater when you were younger?

Definitely went through an Ed phase. I think a lot of kids my age probably did that, with the Dickies and the tight shirts and all that. I also went through a Hensley phase.

Really? I thought he was before your time.

Yeah, well a Hensley-Rowley phase with cargo shorts and tube socks.

What about skating-wise?

It bounces all over the place for me. I'd probably go with Ed and Jamie--all the people from Toy Machine--Mike Maldonado. I really liked Welcome to Hell and Heavy Metal, all that stuff.

Toy Machine has a long and rich history. I'm going to give you a Toy Machine quiz and we'll see how worthy you are.

Oh, man. I'm probably going to flunk it.

Question 1. Who was not a Toy Machine rider? A. Pete Lehman, B. Thom Hornung, C. Charlie Coatney, D. Josh Kalis.

Probably one of the first two. Wait. Can I phone a friend?

No.

OK, I'll go with A.

Incorrect. Pete Lehman, the power from

Wisconsin, was once a Toy Machine rider. The correct answer is Thom Hornung. Question 2. Which Fowler did Deanna hate?

Ethan?

Wrong. She hated Jerry.

Why'd she hate Jerry?

I think he told too many Mexican jokes. Question 3. Define androgyny.

Androgyny? I don't know. I forget what that word means.

Incorrect. Androgyny means to look both masculine and feminine.

You can't tell if they're a boy or a girl?

Correct. Question 4. Name the only African American Toy Machine rider,

Oh, I know this one. He's in Live. He does a 360 flip off a sidewalk bump. Is it Jahmal Williams?

Correct. Last question: In which Toy Machine video does Ed show his balls?

Live Yeah, and Welcome to Hell.

Very good! You got two out of five correct. Who's your favorite ex-Toy Machine rider?

BA, He's awesome.

What would you like your Toy Machine legacy to be?

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by that I guess to have a good video part, 'cause I've never really had a full video part before. I look forward to that.

Have you ever kissed Patrick Melcher on the lips?

He's kissed me on the lips!

Does sponsorship look different from the inside as opposed to how it once looked from the outside for you?

I guess, as far as how certain people really are compared to how you thought they would be.

So you were excited to meet someone and then they turned out to be a dick?

Yeah, I've had some, but I'd rather not talk about it. I'd like to stay positive.

Was it painful for you?

Not really ... kind of. I guess this kind of goes back to your first question. I guess I got kind of vibed by someone I was excited to meet and it made me realize that some people live negative lives. When they see someone who's happier and enjoying life they tend to react by trying to tear that person down.

Were there any other surprises?

Something that was really different was that people didn't go skating as much as I wanted to.

You thought you'd be skating a lot more as a sponsored am?

Yeah, but it's cool. I have to skate every day. It's the only thing I do that I spend physical energy on. I have to skate or I can't sleep at night. What makes you jump on the big handrails?

I guess it's just if you know you can do something ... For me, if there's something there and I think it might be possible for me to do, then I can push myself in that direction and overcome my fear. I guess I do it to make myself feel good.

Is it more like jumping off a cliff or more like extreme confidence?

It depends. I'm the kind of skateboarder where I have on-days and I have off-days. I rarely have in-between days. Sometimes I can get in a real big rut and not be able to kickflip or skate. Period. If I'm at a rail and my bead's on straight, I can pretty much do it.

I notice that you barely ever miss the rail.

Yeah. If Fm getting psyched to skate something that's kind of dangerous my mind really focuses, After that, it's not that hard to get on it every time. If you really go for it and keep what you know you're supposed to do and how you're supposed to bail in the back of your mind, that's the best way to stay in control.

Do the Masons wield control beyond the bounds of a normal civic organization?

I think they do, From what I've read, yes, they do. That's kind of a gnarly subject to get into.

Do conspiracy theories freak you out sometimes?

Definitely. My brother's really into it. He's super into getting rare tapes and weird science-religion debates, and crazy theories on everything.

I'll give you a phenomenon and you tell me if they're true or false.

What if I don't know?

You can say, "I'm agnostic on that topic."

OK

All right: extraterrestrials.

I'm agnostic on that topic. But I do believe that they exist,

Well, then you're not agnostic!

OK, true. I guess so. I've got a lot of weird ideas about that. In the Book of Genesis in the Bible it says that fallen angels of God had sex with mortal women and they had offspring called Nephilim. I think that maybe aliens could be them.

Yeah?

Well, maybe. Who knows?

OK. Hormones in American food are making girls reach puberty quicker.

True. And boys, too] You've seen my brother! He's grown up on McDonald's, you know?

The American political system is controlled by big business.

I'd say true. Business people decide who's going to be president so they can benefit. They control the politicians so they can keep making money.

Crack was created by the CIA to wipe out the black community.

I'm agnostic on that topic.

OK, that's enough of that. Does Jesus have a plan for you still?

Yeah. Jesus has a plan for everybody--even you--through all stages of our lives.

If Jesus came down and spoke to Ed, what do you think he'd say to him?

I don't know. If Jesus came down to talk to any of us what would he say? That's an interesting question.

Are you still going to church?

Yeah, usually when I go out to visit my parents. Also, my girlfriend goes to chapel on Mondays so I'll go with her sometimes.

Have you ever been mistaken for someone?

Yeah. Sometimes Austin, even though we look nothing alike. We maybe have had similar haircuts, but that's all. I think people don't really pay that much attention sometimes. And then there's some band out there.

Yeah. I saw it on TV. You look just like the singer from The Used.

Yeah, that's it. I went to the ice cream shop on Second Street and some dude was like, "Hey, you're him, man!" I told him I wasn't, but he thought I was lying. Griffin was egging him on, telling him "It's him, man. He's just trying to stay undercover!"

Talk about your life with the beard.

It's a good life having a beard. It makes you realize a lot of things; like people treat you weird. Some businessperson will give you a dirty look like, "What's he doing with that beard?" And then other people will give you the what's up like, "Ah yes, I know what he's doing--he's going through the beard phase." Everyone goes through the beard phase. You've got to go through it.

What are some of the beard pros and cons?

The pros are no shaving, no stinging face from sweat. My face stays really clean under there. That's good.

Anti-beard?

Sometimes when I'm sleeping at night it feels weird pressed against the pillow.

How fast did that thing grow?

I guess it was showing the first couple days. It didn't get its full body until a couple weeks in.

What are you most proud of in the interview?

I like the 50-50 on that ledge-rail thing, just because I really didn't know if it was possible to grind down it and dodge the wall at the bottom. Also, there was a little dirt at the bottom.

Yeah, 'cause the corner of the wall was like 10-feet past the landing.

Yeah. It was cool. I'm glad it all worked out.

All right, then. What's your advice to all the loud kids out there?

Stay loud. Stay loud and don't ever let anyone get you down.