In Conversation with Casper Brooker

To tie in with the release of Nike SB’s latest feature length video ‘Trust Fall’, we caught up with London based team rider, Casper Brooker. Coming off the back of a heavy post premiere night out.

Flatspot: Hey Casper, how’s things? Where are you now and how’s the weather looking?

Casper: Good thanks, a little hungover from the premiere last night. Sat in a pub in Peckham having a spritz with Mike (Arnold), Jake (Harris) and The Gray (Ryan Gray). Weathers banging. 

 

"I mean I’m so grateful to be involved in it, big shout out to Colin [Kennedy] and Vaughan [Baker] for making it happen."

 

Flatspot: As I’m writing this the Nike SB ‘Trust Fall’ vid premier is pretty imminent. First up, how’s it been filming for a Nike video, with your own full part? It’s also the first full length since the SB Chronicles, right? I imagine there’s some pressure meeting deadlines for something that major?

Casper: I mean I’m so grateful to be involved in it, big shout out to Colin (Kennedy) and Vaughan (Baker) for making it happen. At the beginning I freaked out and was having a really hard time skating and dealing with the pressure because you know this opportunity doesn’t happen often then I got hurt and couldn’t skate for nearly 6 weeks. So it was a really weird start for me but then I stopped being an idiot and managed to land a few tricks. It was all I thought about in the last three months and was quite uptight.. my poor girlfriend. But it’s nice to have something to concentrate on.

 

 

Flatspot: So you’ve worked on a bunch of projects with Jake Harris. How is he to film with? He comes across like he’s got a precise vision for the aesthetic/flow of his videos? 

Casper: I think Jake is the person I spend the most amount of time with (laughs), I’ve known him for so long, lived with him twice and he’s one of my best mates so it’s very comfortable filming with him, we both know how each other work even though sometimes it clashes but that’s very normal. He’s got a vision and he’s the best at what he does in my opinion. There’s a handful of filmers in the skate industry who actually make amazing and interesting stuff and he’s the top in my books.  

 

"Well skateboarding for a living doesn’t really constitute a 'normal' lifestyle, essentially you’re just doing what you did on the weekend as a kid all the time."

 

Flatspot: Riding for Isle, filming for Nike and Atlantic Drift, you must have a pretty heavy schedule? How do you balance having to travel and film so much, while maintaining a ‘normal’ life without getting burnt out?

Casper: (laughs) Well skateboarding for a living doesn’t really constitute a 'normal' lifestyle, essentially you’re just doing what you did on the weekend as a kid all the time. It’s funny that it is possible to do it for a living. I love travelling all the time and am in a very, very lucky position and am forever grateful of it even though I’m a princess at times. 

 

 

Flatspot: Touching on Atlantic Drift, you guys always look like you’re having a blast. What’s the funniest story you’ve got from a trip? I bet there’s been some antics.

Casper: It’s always so much fun. There’s so many good stories so it’s pretty hard to single one out, also ones that are PG. We went to Hawaii for a trip and it was also tied in as Tom Knox’s stag, on the last day we hiked up to a waterfall, pretty much through a jungle. It was so beautiful and everyone was jumping off this 40 foot high drop. I didn’t because I’m constantly terrified of everything, but Mike backflipped off of it and that was so mental. That isn’t exactly an interesting story for anyone really but was insanely fun. On one of the first trips one of the boys went missing for a day and a half..then turned up out of nowhere and said “fucking hell I've basically been in a sex dungeon since I last saw you boys” that was maybe the hardest I’ve ever laughed... guess you had to be there. 

 

"I rarely wear anything other than black shoes. I love all black ones, if there was a black sole I’ll be really hyped to wear it. I like Janoskis, Blazers and Dunk Highs."

 

Flatspot: I’ve read that you’re pretty particular with the trousers your wear. How’re you with shoes? What Nike’s have you been riding recently? Anything you look for in particular with a silhouette?

Casper: (laughs) Yeah bit of a weirdo when it comes to trousers, but I only really wear black silvertabs or black karate pants anything else freaks me out. I’m not too funny about silhouettes it mainly the colour. I rarely wear anything other than black shoes. I love all black ones, if there was a black sole I’ll be really hyped to wear it. I like Janoskis, Blazers and Dunk Highs. 

 

Flatspot: Being a rider for Supreme, does it ever feel weird with how huge it's become? It definitely feels like it’s reached some wild heights for a skate brand?

Casper: I guess it’s always been pretty big though. Since the London shop opened all of my mates have worked there so I’ve kinda been around for a while when not skating for them. I worked at Size? and then at Slam so I’ve experienced people constantly asking about or being head to toe in the clothes. So it’s not really a shock. They make good clothing, they also treat their staff and people affiliated or who skate for them very well too which is cool. 

 

Flatspot: Now we've got some quick fire questions for you.

 

Flatspot: Fave skate trip?

Flatspot: Best non skate shoe?

Flatspot: Last song you listened to?

Flatspot: Last spot you skated?

Flatspot: Next project?

Flatspot: Any last words?

 

Flatspot: Nice one for this Casper, all the best mate.

 

Released worldwide on July 2nd, 2019 and featuring UK team riders Casper Brooker and Kyron Davis alongside their US counterparts Caleb Barnett, Cyrus Bennett, Sean Malto, Donovon Piscopo and Blake Carpenter - with Euro riders Karsten Kleppan and Daan Van Der Linden. Nike SB’s new full length video: Trust Fall is available online. Knocked out in less than a year, Trust Fall sees creative direction from Atlantic Drift’s Jake Harris, who offers his filming and editing style to the Swoosh gang’s flair. Oh, if you’re wondering what a Trust Fall is, Thrasher have written a nice article here.




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