Adam Grandmaison, aka Adam22 of The Come Up, has an interview up on ESPN.  This is the first interview in a week long series with brands.  Adam talks about his new parts company OSS.  Their first video will be out this fall and it features parts by Garrett Reeves, Rory Ellis, Jake Seeley, Mike Mastroni, Alex Platt, Craig Passero and Charlie Crumlish and some footy of Chris Zeppieri and Devin Feil.  Check out the full interview here

Is there a conflict of interest between running The Come Up and now owning your own bike company?
I wouldn’t say there is a conflict of interest; just a lot of opportunity for it to become a conflict. All it means for me is working more closely with the brands who advertise on The Come Up so that they understand I’m not trying to use TCU to promote OSS more than I would any other brand. And that way if they think I am doing something inappropriate, they can talk to me and let me know and we can work it out. I’m trying to err on the side of caution by letting the other dudes who update the site author those posts. Most of the companies who advertise have been really outwardly supportive of me. As much as gossip goes on in BMX, much of it aimed at me, a lot of rider owned companies are just happy to see someone like me who really cares about BMX doing well.

I just got my interview back from Jimmy Levan, owner of Metal Bikes and some may say Bmx legend. It’s my first interview, hope you guys like it, enjoy…

Where do u currently live?

Seattle, WA

What’s the best local spots to ride?

Great skateparks, but I have a few schools and college campuses I ride the most. That’s where you find the most rails, ledges, etc.etc.

Any weird qualities you have?

well, I feel normal but according to Dr.s I have a Frontal Lobe Brain Contusion from here on out due to my head injury which puts me on volume 11. This means when I’m happy, maybe I’m happier than I should be, when I’m pissed, I’m pissed as fuck etc.etc. I don’t see this happening, but when I look months back into my past I have a few moments where I say, ooops.

What pumps you up to ride and why?

I started riding bmx in 1982 and have yet to quit. My only pauses are due to injuries. I’m sure a psychologist would say something about it being my way to rid myself of mental anguish mixed with mental and physical artisan ship.

What can be found on your mp3 player?

The Saints, Wire, The Stooges, Jimi Hendrix, Gary Numan, The Jam, Broken Spurs, Rolling Stones, AC/DC, David Bowie, Shellac, Slint, this list would go on for days.

How’s everything going with Metal, is it still everything you’ve wanted out of a bike company?

Changing manufactures and our main Euro Distro was the best thing ever. Thanks a million to Harry and the dudes at wethepeople.

I know your going to get asked this for probably the next year but was Sean Burns leaving personal or was there some miscommunication, and are you guys still cool?

Communication for the most part I think. I wish he would have told me when I was sucking to wake the fuck up and slap me in the face. As for the site, he told me he was down to do it and he and Jeff blasted it great! I was so stoked on it that I didn’t want to jump in and fuck it up. apparently this is when I was doing nothing sitting on my ass. Think for a second about when you get an injury that just takes you out for maybe 1 or 2 months, It sucks. You sit around and watch videos or whatever and get stoked to ride. After awhile, they start to bum you out because you can’t ride. Now put yourself in my shoes. A head injury that takes you out for 7 1/2 months, then back to riding for 3 months. After 3 months you get plowed over by a car and loose your left Femur bone and blow your knee out. This takes you out for another year and 3 months. I gets hard to pay attention to our sport because it just pisses you off. I had my favorite rider in the world next to Mat Hoffman running the show, so why get in front of him. Let him steer the boat right?…. However, I didn’t realize the new captain was bummed because he was not only steering the boat, he was busy filming these amazing sections breaking himself off as well. We are still friends and I will hang with him in a week, but our only communication since the split has been over friendly texting. He says he doesn’t really feel like talking about it to me yet. Bummer, but he’s a friend before a work partner so what eves. Thanks a million for the decade Sean, you’re like a brother.

When can we expect a new video from Metal?

Just starting so who knows really. The dudes and myself have been getting some stuff over the past couple months. I’m just stoked that besides being back to rails and what not I’ve done a few things at a decent height to flat and my fake ass leg has held together. I’m back to being stoked to ride rather than sitting on my ass.

Now you said that parts will be available in June what can we be expected to see, new designs, new pro models ect?

Three frames, bars, sprockets, seats, seat posts, pegs,T-shirts etc.etc.

How’s the riding going, are you still feeling the injury or are you back to normal?

I’m feeling way more on it since even a few months ago. The trip to Australia to ride with Alex Liiv and Jamie Mauri really helped. I think I was holding back do to the fear on stomping down too hard, but now I’m feeling pretty healed and doing decent sized stuff and not having problems really, so this is opening the door up for me a lot.

What are your main goals this year?

Just to take back the position as Captain of the ship and keep steering Metal into better  waters. Besides the loss of Sean, the team is at it’s best! The dudes are what motivate me to push the ball a bit faster. My team kicks ass!

Lastly do u have any words of encouragement to the new and up and coming riders?

Ride when you want to, not because you feel you’re supposed to. Give time to let your injuries heal, when you jump back early, you re injure yourself which takes up even more time. Don’t shoot for the tricks that are hip today, ride to your style. Don’t waste time xerox copying other peoples tricks. Have fun.

éS has done a nice job of updating their website. Check out a Behind the Ad interview with Mike Anderson and a nice two minute vid of papa Manderson below.

Thanks to Steve Staffan and The Berrics, the world knows about skateboarder Nick Mullins’ who defied all odds after being given a 1% chance to live. Here is his latest update.

Yoon Sul has a new website up and an interview with the one and only Lizard King.

via The Skateboard Mag

SF fixture Shawn Connolly has an interview and video part at Typical Culture.

In what’s becoming a must have for today’s top-level professional skater, Brandon Biebel, Guy Mariano, Marc Johnson, Anthony Van Engelen and Dylan Rieder are the latest key-holders to their own private 15,000 square foot utopia. Good job gentlemen, can’t wait to see the progress.

Check out an excerpt from Dan Murphy’s interview in The Mag #73 and a remix of his Yougottagetthat! part.

via The Skateboard Mag

Dan Murphy is on a roll. He changed his longtime board and truck sponsors, moved back East, dropped a new video part in Yougottagetthat!, and just had an interview published in The Skateboard Mag #73. We caught up with Dan to talk about all this change.

Brandon Biebel provides the best recap of Girl’s Outbackwards Tour so far over on Crailtap.

A couple more unofficial updates via @BBiebel

“I didn’t give a fuck, all I wanted to do was skate.” -Josh Kalis

Kalis takes you back to where it all began, Grand Rapids, Michigan on the DC 7ZINE site.