Mikey Taylor can't lose.

Growing up just north of Los Angeles, Mike Taylor and his friends knew all about the world of professional skateboarding. Groomed on flatbars and armed with a working knowledge of every skate spot north of the I-10 freeway, they hit the streets, played SKATE with the pros, and sent out their tapes filled with what would become the new standards. For a short time, it seemed like every company was looking for a Mikey Taylor. That's not saying success was easy for him, but compared to the kid skating a dirt road in Iowa or the foreign dude with the unpronounceable first and last name saving his money for three years to attend Tampa Am, it wasn't that difficult either. A few years have passed since Mike's generation ascended the throne, and while there have been some big successes, there have been just as many take-the-money--and-run disappearing acts. Happily, Mike Taylor's star is still on the rise. From an am in demand to a successful pro, he's doing pretty much what he's always been doing: having fun, skating hard with his friends, and living the dream.

When was the first time you realized, "Holy shit! All my dreams are coming true"?

I think the moment was when Joey Suriel called me into his office when I rode for City Stars. He called Paul and me into his office at the same time and told us we were going pro. I think that's the time in my life when I thought, "Yeah, maybe I can do this."

When was that?

Maybe four years ago? Yeah. Four years.

What are your fondest City Stars moments?

It's weird, because the most questions I get asked are always about City Stars. Even to this day people always ask me about City Stars. Maybe because it was five suburban white kids and the then City Stars image.

Lee Smith. Javier Nunez.

Fully. I think Caine and Kareem saw my footage. I went skating with them and Ryan Denman, and I was wearing a Santa Cruz shirt. I remember them telling me I had to turn my shirt inside out. I was all, "Why?" They said it was because I was going to ride for City Stars. I turned my shirt inside out and three months later I was riding for City Stars.

How did you go from City Stars to Workshop?

That was from Anthony Pappalardo. I met him on that first Italy trip and we became friends. I told him I wanted to ride for any of the Alien companies, and he's like, "Alright, let me see what I can do." He called me the next day, and said, "They want you to ride for Seek." I was stoked. So I rode for Seek and that kind of fell through, and luckily I got to go with Alien.

Who's more insane, Dyrdek or Dill?

It's weird because they're on two opposite sides of the crazy spectrum. I think it's most fun having them both together. You get the crazy Dill and Bobby D.

What's it like at Dydrek's MTV mansion?

I didn't get to go. I wasn't blessed.

You never made it aboard, huh? Getting back to your crew in The Valley, what happened to Justin Case?

This is a sad subject. I think it all came down to skateboarding being too easy for him. He didn't have to try. He just kind of stopped caring about it. Newberry Park, as good as you think it would be, it's like the heroin capital of California.

Of The Valley?

That's the thing; I'm not really a Valley guy. I'm from outside; I'm a Buckletown loc.

What's Buckletown?

When I used to go on tour with Javier, he used to call it Buckletown, or Buckleberry, so it kind of just stuck. But Justin started hanging out with the wrong people and doing drugs, and it just kind of became his life. It sucks, because he was my best friend. I looked up to him and wanted to skate like him, wanted to be him--everything. He was like a childhood role model to me. I thought we'd be doing it together. I thought we'd both be pro and do all this. Then it just turned from me looking up to him to him not doing it anymore. I realized I had to do it on my own. It sucks. Every time I see him I think, "You should be doing this with me. This could be yours." Especially since how good he was, and how much better he is than me. He has the whole package. It was just too easy for him. Whereas sometimes I wish it were that easy for me, like I wish I could do tricks every time without thinking, in a sense it might be better that I can't. It keeps my head straight. It still makes me feel good when I finally do something.

Hell yeah. So of all your crew growing up, you guys all went in different directions.

Yeah. When you're a kid you think that you'll be friends with people forever. You think you'll always be into the same things. I'm still friends with everybody, but we all went such crazy routes. Van went to San Francisco. Justin went that route. Spanky moved to Hollywood and New York. I think Paul is exactly where I thought he'd be. I didn't really see what happened to everybody else, but I figured Paul would be doing exactly what he's doing now. I would never have thought Spanky would be this superstar. Spanky, if you're reading this, call me sometime!

What's Torey Pudwill really like?

How do you explain Pudwill? He's Simi Valley. He's pretty amazing. Pretty hard to describe.

Was there really an effort to re-name the Pudster?

There've been several efforts to rename him. We tried to get him to cut his hair so many times. We tried a whole makeover kit with him. I think maybe Jereme was convinced that the name Pudwill had to change. He has a whole new name picked out for him and everything.

But Torey Pudwill is such a distinct name.

Yeah. No one forgets Pudwill. I think as soon as companies started putting his name in ads and everyone saw how much he ripped, they got used to it and the shock wore off.

Who's the baddest Valley skater of all time? Like worst?

Nah, like bad motherfucker!

Probably Jeron. Jeron Wilson. He gets the title of Baddest Dude in The Valley. Yeah. Definitely.

What's the worst experience you've had on your skateboard?

Worst time? The only time I've ever felt like I was sick of being sponsored, like on the industry side, was when we were on a DVS tour. Somebody was up on the message boards--and I never go on the message boards--but I saw it for whatever reason, and I think it's such a shock to find out for the first time that people hate you. They hate how you skate. I know there are always dudes who are going to hate, but to really find out that someone hates me because--I don't know--I don't push how he wants me to push, that's rough. That was the only time I felt like I was sick of it and I didn't want to be sponsored anymore. But you get over it, and I made a decision that I was going to do what I could to skate every day. If kids are hating on you because you're in the limelight, it's worth it because you get to skate all day. You get to do what you love to do.

What's the best experience on the board?

You have a good trip here and there, but what it comes down to is that you get to skate all day, every day, and get paid to do it. I think that's the best experience, and it's still going.

Do you ever look at Tim Gavin today sitting at his desk at DVS, and think, "That's one of the best skaters that ever stepped on a board"?

It trips me out that Tim Gavin ever even knew how to skate. I can't even believe it. Just hanging out with him I always try and get him to. "Hey, Tim. Kickflip." He always does it first try. He's a character. I would have never thought. When I was growing up watching skate videos was when he was getting out of it, so I never really got to catch him in his prime.

You ever seen any ghosts or Bigfoots or UFO shit?

Dude, the only time I thought I saw some UFO craze was when I was driving home from San Francisco and saw a flash in the sky. As far as Newberry Park, there's this railroad track where you stop and park on it, and it's totally flat. You put your car in neutral and it will move across the track on its own. They say that a school bus broke down on the track and got hit by a train and killed all the kids, so now if you stop on the tracks all the kids' ghosts will push you across. Apparently if you put baby powder on the back of your car you can see their handprints.

Did you try it?

Yeah.

And did you see the handprints?

Yeah, but they were probably already there. I got scared shitless, too. I hate scary stuff. I hate scary movies. If I see a scary movie, I'll get nightmares. A grown man having nightmares! I can't watch scary movies. The problem is my roommate loves them so I'll come home and he's laughing. I'll think he's watching a comedy and look, and there's a chopped off head or something. He loves it. It freaks me out, and he's laughing.

Is it true you didn't have to go to Europe with DVS because you watched Hostel and were too scared to go?

Did I tell you I psyched myself up for two weeks to watch Hostel? I watched it--and it freaked me out. I had to cover up my eyes with my fingers to kind of blur it out just so I could handle it. But, no. I didn't go to Europe because I had to film for the Alien video.

But if you didn't have to film?

I'm never staying in a hostel! I'll tell you that. I'm never staying in a hostel. I'll be too freaked out. That's why I don't watch scary movies, because my mind is too crazy.

How many lights and flashes have you broken during a temper tantrum?

I think just you and Greg Hunt have felt my wrath. Sorry, Greg. That was bad.

What happened?

I made an unexpected left turn into his light and broke it. I've caused some problems throwing my board in anger.

Like the car accident?

Yeah, the car accident. Before I was sponsored I was skating a sidewalk bump in downtown LA. I was skating it with Scuba and Spanky and some friends. I tried a trick and landed it, and I think Spanky was filming but he messed it up so I had to do it again. I was like a psychopath. Two hours go by of me trying it and I can't do it, so I freaked out and threw my board in the middle of the street. I wasn't looking when I threw it, and it lands in front of a car. The car slams on its brakes. The car behind it doesn't see that they stopped, and rear-ends them. I'm screwed. I told everyone, "Pack it up! Get out of here. I'll handle this and meet up with you later." I didn't want the cops to come, and for everyone to have to deal with it. So I'm talking to the people. When I was younger I looked really young, so I told them I was 15, even though I think I was 18. I told them that I skated there and my board slipped out on accident.

What did they say to you?

At first they were like, "You have to pay for this!"

I was all, "I don't have any money. How am I going to pay for it?" They're arguing with me, and then I decide to be an instigator. I say, "Well, he was tailgating you!"

Finally they said, "Just get out of here!" But after that I decided I was never throwing my board again. That lasted a week. Maybe two.

What else do you do when you get angry?

Sometimes I Hulk Hogan my shirt off. Like in Italy.

And what was the problem that time?

I was too Call for the spots. I couldn't handle the roughness. So I went home without a shirt.

Here's a question from Burnett. What would you do if you got as hairy as Reda?

I think I'd have to get a membership to a wax place. I'm not sure how I'd handle that. At least you're warm.

Yes. I am. I'm warm and very confident. Have you ever been treated differently by a girl because you're a pro skateboarder?

If any girl ever asks what I do, I don't even tell them I'm a pro skater.

What do you say?

I tell them I'm in the money market. I buy low and sell high. Something like that, because people will treat you differently. If I'm around someone and they're treating me differently because I'm a pro skater, it weirds me out and I stop hanging out with them. All my friends treat me normally. We just hang out. There's nothing special about being a pro skater; we're not cooler because we can kickflip down something. Being pro doesn't make you a better person. It doesn't really mean anything. This is what I love to do so that's why I do it. That's it.