Tampa Pro 2010: An Interview With John Rattray

You already know John Rattray—Scottish gentleman, physics degree, all-terrain ripper... So a lengthy introduction here seems like a waste of breath. Suffice it to say that over the span of a piece of carrot cake, we discussed contest strategies for Tampa Pro, acting, petro-chemicals, skating vert, and worms. It was a big piece of cake. —Adam Sullivan

Okay. So. You’re on your way to the Black Box park to film a ten tricks?
Yeah, I’m gonna go do that after this.

Do you have a plan? Tricks in mind?
Nah, I’m gonna feel it out. Film whatever seems right.

I did really poor due diligence in preparing for this interview, but I watched your first ten tricks i n the Black Box park—it was all in one line on the mini ramp.
Yeah, that was the first one. Then I did ten separate tricks. And now we’re doing ten high-definition tricks.

So, after this, you’ll have thirty tricks.
At least. That’s thirty tricks that we filmed—ones we know of for sure.

Have you been hitting the park a lot lately?
A little bit.

Do you try to turn it up in the skateparks when you know you have a contest coming up?
No, not really. I just pretty much go with my instincts. Like, if I slam really hard trying some dumb trick, because I forget that you have to have the ultimate respect for skateboarding at all times. As soon as you relax, it will take you down. And if I slam really hard, I’ll maybe avoid skating for a week.

360 flip. PHOTO: COULTHARD

Do you get stuck on something, when you’re trying a trick and you can’t make it but you’re coming close?
I get obsessive over things. Completely stuck. It can be counterproductive.

Okay, when you go to a contest, do you have a game plan? Like, “Okay, I’ll put together a safety run, that’ll get me into the finals.”
Well, not really. I’ll definitely sort of loosely plan a line around the park. Like, I’ll want to go to this section, and then move to this section, and then over here. Try and hit most of the park. Sometimes I’ll just decide on tricks in the middle of the run. That can be counterproductive, too.

Some spontaneity’s good, though.
It’s more exciting.

Yeah, for you.
I think it’s more exciting for everyone involved. So, as far as the game plan goes, maybe I will try to not…drink so many beers, or something.

Do you tend to take it easy when you make it to the finals and you have to skate the next day?
Yeah, because skating with a hangover is no fun. Especially skating and knowing that you could be having a better time and doing better if you just chilled the night before. So that keeps me in check, but it’s difficult, given that I…you know…

You trailed off there, John.
Yeah, I’m trying to come up with something better than “borderline alcoholic,” In sort of a kid-friendly way.

Okay, you’ve been in the top ten a couple times.
Yeah, at Tampa.

Have you ever won a pro contest?
No. I don’t like to be in the spotlight that much.

That’s big of you. Let Lutzka have his day. So you don’t like being in the spotlight, but you like the shadow of the spotlight that still comes with a check.
Yeah. That’s fine. I’ll take the spotlight, though. Given the opportunity. Get my 15 minutes.

So tell me about making Machotaildrop. Did you do any acting?
Yeah, I was the arch-villain, Victor LeBonte. A European superstar, with the most stylish stalefish.

John Rattray as Victor LaBonte

Was that a difficult role to prepare for?
Mmmm, I wouldn’t say it was difficult, no.

Was that your acting debut?
And probably the end of my acting career, too.

Well, you’re in the Skate video game too.
Yeah, there’s voice acting in it.

I played it recently. You told me that variety is the spice of life.
That’s right. It is. So yeah, it was fun, we shot the feature in Budapest. I think they just wanted to shoot out there because they were fans of a couple of Eastern European directors. They were influenced by them, sort of. It was sort of a surreal, comic look at the skateboard industry.

It looked a bit like Alice In Wonderland.
Yeah, I suppose so. Somebody described it as “Eraserhead meets Alice In Wonderland,” I believe.

Is Eraserhead an old horror movie?
It’s David Lynch’s first film, I’ve never seen it.

Nosebluntslide. PHOTO: COULTHARD

So where have you been skating lately?
Been getting kicked out of spots, looking at skate stoppers, doing 200 mile round trips just to get kicked out of spots. But I’ve been skating the Black Box park a lot, to the point of actually feeling warmed up. I’ve been skating at the School Of The Future a lot, trying to film a line. Div keeps trying to get me to go skate vert, which I will do at some point.

In Encinitas?
Or the new DC one, maybe, if they’ve got it going. I still have to go up to the eS training facility they have up there at Sole Tech.

You haven’t been yet?
No, because I could drive the extra half-hour to go there, or just turn at Palomar Airport Road and go to Black Box, which I generally do. I’ve been reading a lot about Peak oil, resource depletion, and the idea of driving when I don’t have to has become a little worrisome.

Ah, but to circle back again, what is the spice of life?
Well, petro-chemicals.

It’s the new spice?
It really is. Petro-chemicals are the spice of our developed-world existence. I did a course on permaculture at the Quail Gardens. There’s a little kids’ garden where the other morning we went and planted a garden patch based on permaculture principles.

Summarize “Permaculture Principles” for the kids out there.
It’s basically the principles of organic farming, I suppose. Trying to replicate what nature does to grow things, instead of adding fertilizers that are produced from natural gas. All that monocropping stuff we try. “Think about how a forest works, and do things that way” is the easiest way to describe it, I think.

Do you have a compost at home?
A wormery. Hundreds of baby worms in there right now. I’ll harvest some worm castings in a couple of months, add them to the planter boxes…it’s gonna be great.

Do you think the kids will make it to the end of this interview?
They should. Hey kids—worms are cool.