So we jumped into this project and in my head for whatever reason I thought I’d be making the Dead video. This is what I do. I drive around the country and film people and make the video. I was really excited to work with David because he has a fantastic eye and he’s a great editor and I thought we’d make a great video together. We got about halfway through filming and David expressed his interest in making the video himself. At this point he had already made the Nashville edit. I have tremendous respect for David’s editing and everything he brought to that video. It was just sad to not make a skate video I was fully invested in. Part of it was cathartic not having to have the vision or implement any of it and just deferring to David, but there was a part of me that missed being able to carry out my vision.

So we ended up with Champagne, which was David’s first full length video. It turned out great, but my name is on the video and I feel like I really didn’t do anything. I joke about it and when people say “aw man, you did great”, honestly, I drove and executed David’s vision as the second camera. I did do a little more than that, but that's how it will forever feel to me. At a certain point I just turned my brain off and let David use me as a tool instead of bring any kind of active idea to a shoot or being the guy jumping out of the car with the camera rolling. Champagne is 110% David’s vision.

Part of me regrets being part of such a big project and not being proactive enough or being vocal enough to put my own stamp on it. At the same time, part of me feels like that’s how it needed to be for it to work well. I can see a completely different vision for the video based on the footage we had and maybe someday I’ll do a Champagne driver’s cut for youtube.

(T) Its interesting to me because there was something about Champagne I couldn’t put my finger on for the longest time. I think it's what you were saying about using yourself as a vessel versus having creative input into it. There is something special that comes along with your videos. I’ve noticed this from all the way back with the first NRD and KFC videos to the most recent VODs you dropped. There is a distinct way you film and a structure that comes along with your videos, and that just didn’t exist in Champagne. I love David’s work, his eye for composition and editing are great, but there was just something off about the whole video. I feel like your persona shined through really well in the book you guys made. Shawn Engler did an amazing job behind the lens, but the captions are more of what I expected from the video. I don’t wanna clown on David at all with any of this, but I feel like Champagne could of been even better with you more involved.

(A) Thank you. Just to be clear, Shawn wrote all those captions. He was sitting at his fiance’s bar drinking when he sent us off the first caption and said “hey, this is what I’m thinking for the captions, is that fine?” We have a very structured brand identity, the way we caption things fits our brand voice, the lowercase, etc, but Shawn has been a sweet angel baby to us. He comes out and shoots things for free and all he ever asks in return is that we print the photos he shoots. Giving Shawn the chance to write the captions and take part in the design for the book with Nick was the least we could do.

Those captions are reflective of what our tours were. Not all the stories are true, but the book is what it was like whenever Shawn was in the car and those captions embody the insanity that Shawn brings with him. Whenever Shawn was in Champagne, it took things from a skate trip to another level of fun. He is the wildcard that made being on tour extra enjoyable. Even if we didn’t accomplish anything in an entire day, just having Shawn there to crack wise about how we're not getting shit done or to make everyone feel better about not having a great day was a blessing. To have him express his voice and take on the tour was very interesting. The book is all Shawn, the video is all David, and...I got nothin’.

(T) You were the car. Haha

(A) I was the car, I was camera two, and I was the guy who made sure the book and the video came together in the end which is fine, there’s just that little nagging sensation in the back of my head of “what if” that will forever be there unless I make another project.