INTERVIEWS
Stretch Armstrong Breaks Down the Formula for His Original Show
The original Stretch & Bobbito show broke some of rap’s more iconic groups including: Nas, Jay-Z, and Wu-Tang Clan to name a few. For a full history, the Radio That Changed Lives [2015] documentary is still available on Netflix. Watch it if you haven’t already.
The show will also be forever connected with skateboarding through the soundtrack and b-roll footage in Zoo York’s Mixtape [1998], which we touched on in RB Umali’s Mission Statement episode.
Stretch Armstrong is the guest on the latest episode of the Premium Pete podcast. He talks about the golden era in the ‘90s, his NPR podcast with Bobbito, and everything in between.
At the 44:52 mark, Stretch breaks down the formula that made the original Stretch & Bob show so iconic.
We hit the ground running. We had great guests from day one. But that was largely because Bob [Bobbito Garcia] was in the industry, and I was in nightclubs. Early on we would do interviews with people. Within a few weeks we realized interviewing rappers is just so boring. Back then, the best thing a rapper would do is rap. [They would] not give great interviews. Nowadays, people are smarter, and more media savvy… So we quickly threw away the whole interview blueprint.
We were also trying to differentiate our show from other shows. If someone was going to give us their time, and stay up from 1:00 to 5:00 in the morning; we needed to give them a unique experience. And interviewing a rapper was just not going to cut it.
It was getting them to give a performance that was unique, exciting, and [would] keep the listeners awake. And let them walk to school or go to work the next day with a recording of something that didn’t happen anywhere else.
Watch the full interview above. And for a sonic trip down memory lane, revisit the Mixtape soundtrack sans skate sounds below.
Image Via Remezcla
INTERVIEWS
Kelly Bird Opens Up in Latest The Nine Club Episode
Nike SB Global Brand Manager Kelly Bird opens up about growing up in Houston, getting into skateboarding, becoming a pro, and eventually transitioning to the industry side of skateboarding.
Before he became the global brand manager of Nike SB, Kelly worked for DC Shoes and Lakai Footwear.
INTERVIEWS
Catch Up with Mariah Duran in the Latest Nine Club Episode
Pro skater Mariah Duran has always been into sports as a young kid, she revealed in the latest episode of The Nine Club.
The goofy-footed skater from Albuquerque, New Mexico got introduced to skateboarding when she was around 10. Initially, she would borrow his brother’s board, but her mom eventually bought her a board.
She was also into softball when she was younger and basketball when she was in high school. Later on, she shifted her focus to skateboarding.
Mariah won the USA Skateboarding National Championships Womens Street in 2019, and 2021. She placed 4th in the most recent competition.
She is also a two-time X Games gold medalist for Women’s Street Skateboarding.
INTERVIEWS
Nyjah Huston Talks About SOTY 2022
Nyjah Huston has only good things to say about his rivals for the 2022 SOTY.
In the ONSTIX Episode 108 streamed on Thrasher’s Twitch channel, Nyjah described the 2022 SOTY Tyshawn Jones as the “King of Pops” for “skating over anything and everything possible.”
He also said that Louie Lopez is just straight-up creative and had a good chance of getting SOTY for many years now.
He also commended TFunk’s latest video part.
Nyjah said in the interview that he watches almost every video that Thrasher posts, even those names he hadn’t heard of.
I love watching everyone’s skating because everyone skates differently and that’s what beautiful about what we do.
Nyjah huston
Tyshawn Jones eventually got the 2022 SOTY title. He is one of the three double-recipients of the title, the other two being Danny Way and Chris Cole. He earned his first SOTY in 2018.
Watch the full interview here.
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