Bryan Herman FUEL.TV Interview

Most of the time when kids grow up out in the middle of nowhere, in a place like Victorville, CA they can't wait to get out and be closer to the action. This is even more true of skateboarders, especially those who have the skills to make it in the skateboarding game. Bryan Herman seems to be the exception. He grew up in Victorville and even though he has definitely "made it" as a professional skateboarder, he chooses to stay out in the high desert. I recently met Bryan on a quick RV trip down to Vegas, and from first meeting him it's obvious that he is here to have fun and is clearly enjoying his ride.

Celebrating a massive C-Lo win. (Photo: Tal Roberts)

FUEL.TV: What do you guys have in store from Baker?
BH: The next thing that will be coming will probably be the Baker 4 video. We’ll be working on it soon, but right now the Emerica video is what I’m working on.

FUEL.TV: How far along are you on your part in Emerica’s “Stay Gold?”
BH: I think my video part is going good, I’ve been skating. The whole video is going good, it really coming along. But a lot of people have been getting hurt.

FUEL.TV: At Altamont how much input do you have into what the clothing looks like?
BH: I’ve got a lot of input. They’re always asking us “hey, you got any new ideas?” They takes as much of our input as they can.

Nollie Inward Heelflip. (Photo courtesy of Altamont)

FUEL.TV: What are you into outside of skateboarding?
BH: I just recently had some downtime so I put some money into this old truck I’ve been working on. I’ve got this old 1970’s Chevy pick-up, it’s real fun to drive. I’ve been rebuilding the engine, making it a little faster. If I don’t work on my truck I’ll take a motorcycle ride, whether it’s a dirt bike or a Harley. But I’m mainly focused on just skating.

FUEL.TV: Do you guy’s have another Wild Ride planned with Emerica?
BH: We had another Wild Ride planned, but since the video has been such a high demand we’re trying to get a lot of it finished. So, I think this year instead of doing the Wild Ride, we did Wild in the Streets for Go Skateboarding Day in Vancouver.



FUEL.TV: What do you have that you’d like to accomplish or create in skateboarding?
BH: The only thing I would really like to have is my own skatepark. Skateparks don’t really make money though, it’d just be a place for the kids go skate. An opportunity, you know. Where I come from, Victorville, there’s no good public parks, the ones that there are you get ticketed or your board taken away for not wearing wrist guards. I would love to open up my own skatepark in Victorville where I could skate whenever I would like to. Not a lot of people come out of Victorville, but a lot of people have potential to be really good skaters, there’s just not a lot for them to get out and do.

FUEL.TV: If you win the Maloof Money Cup what’s the best way you can think to blow the $100,000 check?
BH: If I were to blow all the money, I could think of many easy ways. I know of a lot of $100,000 cars out there, a lot of $100,000 things would be easy to spend it on. But I would probably use it as an incentive in life you never really come across. I’ve never seen $100,000 ever in my life.

FUEL.TV: What’s going on with Shake Junt and what’s it all about?
BH: There’s a lot going on behind it. A lot of hijinx, we all go out and meet crazy girls, meet crazy people, do crazy things, it’s just like, how much can the skateboard world really handle? You put that behind a brand and it might end up being too crazy for some people. As far as Shake Junt goes, it’s just all out, what you do is what you see, there’s no hiding behind it. If these are the people you’re really fuckin’ with why don’t you show what they’re really all about, cause these people are really pretty crazy. These guys are out there making dope videos and doin’ what they wanna do and there’s a lot of hijinx and out of control things that come out of it that are fun and entertaining other than skateboarding.

FUEL.TV:  You guys are doing a video right?
BH: Yeah, we’ve got a full skate video coming out, it’s gonna be off the chain. We just put out the promo. As far as Shake Junt goes, it’s a very entertaining production. It’s from the homies for the homies. Pretty much just what we’re into. We also got some products coming out, some shades, lighters, lawn chairs, beer mugs, we might even have a beer bong coming out. A lot of little accessories. Why I say lawn chairs is because I really wouldn’t mind some Shake Junt lawn chairs. I’m like, “Yo Shane, let me get some Shake Junt lawn chairs” and he’s all “Shake Junt comin’ to you soon!” If you like it you like it, if you’re with it you’re with it.

Watch the Hermanator this weekend during FUEL.TV's live HD webcast of the Maloof Money Cup!