The Jetski Interview

Jetski might just be the Edmonton skate scene's largest living legend. The living he's done off and on the board are crazy. His personality looms large over Edmonton. Enjoy.

So first question Jet is, before the pub, where had you just come from?
Umm, I came from doing a beer survey actually. I got paid 35 bucks to look at new Budweiser packaging, which is pretty much free money I'd say. The only thing better would be to get free beer, but that's not going to happen.

They don't pay you in beer?
No they don't.

How did Budweiser hear about you and decide you were their target market? Did you send them a "sponsor me" tape or something?
No, it's not from Budweiser. It's through my friend Lisa. She runs surveys and that kind of thing. So she just gives me calls whenever she comes up with new surveys. Like, I've done a bunch on cigars, ones on smoking. I've even filmed a survey where I got paid 150 bucks for it.

You were saying it was some sort of Clockwork Orange type thing earlier. They were tracking your eyeballs and shit.
Yeah, they did some sort of visual test first where they have a bunch of numbers on the screen. They make you look at all the numbers a bunch of times in a row, then they show you a liquor store cabinet or freezer and they can tell which way you look first.

So what beer were you looking at first?
Budweiser. Always.

So are you really into waterskiing or something?
No, I've never done it. I've always dreamt of doing it, but I don't think it'll happen for quite some time.

That was my stupid way of bringing up your nickname. Where the hell did the name Jetski come from?
It came from this guy Taylor Furnace who was on FS a long time ago. He was just a little too stoned and kept saying my name wrong, which is understandable, because when you're stoned you say some weird things I guess.

A while ago I shot some photo for Color or something and they emailed me back and said, "We need his real name". I knew what your name was, but I couldn't for the life of me remember it right then for some reason. So I had to call Mastrovito because they needed it right away and I couldn't get a hold of you. I was, "Fuck, I can't remember what his real name is."

How do you feel about that Emerica guy having your nickname?
Actually, I'm pretty stoked on that! Because he got the nickname from me pretty much. So it's kinda cool, I think.

Above: Noseslide shove-it noseslide

I remember reading that old Emerica in Paris tour article where they talk about "Jetski" being the team manager. I read it and I was in shock, totally thinking you were somehow the new Emerica team manager.
How funny would that be though?

I think regardless of how famous that dude is, to everyone in Canada you are the "Jetski". How did you find out there was another?
Well, I've actually heard there are three Jetskis now. Two in the states and one here. But I found out from Jamie, obviously. He told me they were talking about the video and everything and someone said his name wrong too.

But he got his name after you? You're the original Jetski?
Oh, I'm the original for sure. It's been my nickname for over 13 years now I think. It's pretty much my real name now. I don't go by anything else any more.

Who doesn't call you Jetski?
My sister sometimes, which I hate, and I yell at her for it. And, I guess my Mom does it a bit too, but I don't agree with that either.

Above: Kickflip footplant

Did you really come into a big inheritance when you were young?
Yeah, I got $78,000 when I turned 18. I gave my Mom at least $30,000 of it and my sister $3,000 maybe. She was definitely not happy with that. I guess that's why she calls me Jesse still. I spent the majority of the rest over probably three months in Victoria. As Harvey Foster would say, "It was the summer of Jetski," but it was a fun time.

What did you do?
Drank a lot of Budweiser beer. I bought a lot of clothes that I don't have any more. Pretty much just had a blast the whole time. I didn't do much, I just partied and skated the whole time in Victoria. It was fun.

If you had it to do over, would you do anything different?
No, I'd do the same thing over again, for sure.

Where did the inheritance come from?
I got it from my Dad who passed away when I was about three and a half.

And it was held for you until you were 18?
Yeah. It started at $50,000 when he passed away and then it would just grow every year or whatever. I did buy my VX camera, which is the only big purchase I made with the money. I still have that to this day. So that's good.

This next one wasn't my question, but it was one of the few suggested ones I received that I actually liked. How is your life different than five years ago?
Holy. Five years ago what was I, 19? I was living in B.C. then, I think. I've been skating probably the same, but now I've been doing a lot of other stuff too. Started playing hockey and baseball every summer. Other than that I still do the same things; skateboard, work, and just have fun pretty much.

Above: Pole jam

How did the Street-Demon hockey team come about?
Well it started off when I was on a Valentine's trip with my girlfriend at Radium hot-springs and I just thought to myself, "Whoa, it would be kinda fun to start a hockey team." And it pretty much just happened from there. I wrote down a list of people, called them up, they were interested, made the jersey's up, and it pretty much went from there I guess.

Who's hockey gear smells the worst on the team?
Umm, I'm going to say Stu Young right now, because of his double minor high-sticking penalty.

What are your duties as the Captain of the Street Demons hockey team?
My duties are pretty to much make people show up to games, and if anyone complains they can take a bench for a while.

You have the power to bench people?
(Laughing) I can do whatever I want. I started the team.

What would someone have to do to get benched?
Umm, not be able to drink a beer in the locker room. Nathan, you're going to get benched now if you don't drink next time. Who ever tried to change when we were short handed on the penalty kill last time, you're getting benched, I think. That's not allowed any more.

Do you have any hockey superstitions?
I pretty much just go there and drink beers, and be like "OK, let's do this". Monday was my first game playing hockey, so I'm pretty sure I'll come up with some of those. I think just going there chugging beers and getting stoked is the best way to do it.

How did you guys do in your first game?
We pretty much destroyed. It was 13 to 2, I think. Mitch Phillips got 7 points.

To what do you guys attribute your success?
Umm, probably just getting down, and getting buck wild, pretty much.

What's your favorite hockey movie?
The Mighty Duck's for sure. All three of them.

Are you serious? (laughing) You're going to take Mighty Ducks? Why?
Because I've always loved the Ducks. Even the actual NHL team I'm pretty stoked on.

I'm shocked. And it totally destroys the potential for any follow up questions on who's better: Rob Lowe in Youngbloods or Slap Shot's Hanson brothers. Do you handle your Plush team captain duties any different than your hockey coaching duties?
They're pretty much the exact same. I pretty much just drink and have fun. I don't really have to do much, except I actually have to organize people to come to these hockey games. Which isn't too difficult.

What do you have to do for Plush?
Just ... nothing really.

Above: Jetski receives a skateboarding ticket moments after the above pole jam photo.

So if some little kid is reading this should they be sending you their "sponsor me" tapes?
Yeah, maybe that'd be cool. Or they could send it to Glenn (Suggitt) or just leave them at Plush and whoever's working there could watch them, and do the same thing as me pretty much.

Who's not on the team that you're stoked on?
That's a good one. Let me think.

You guys just added Mitch and Shane.
Yeah, we just got Mitch and Shane because (the Mill Woods) Rumor unfortunately shut down. There could be a couple other guys, but I don't know if they have the balls enough to get on. But we'll see, I guess.

Why are you involved in the Edmonton Skateboard Association?
I just think it's a really good thing for the skate community. We've already done a bunch of good stuff for the city. We raised 13 grand, or something, last year for cancer research and now we're trying to get that spot built in McKernan. We kind of helped on the Capilano park design. I don't know. I just think it's a really good thing that helps skateboarding.

Do you still have a coyote scar burned into your back?
Oh, the fox scar? No, unfortunately that's all disappeared pretty much. I got an AC/DC tattoo that covers over most of it. That was definitely a very entertaining birthday. Hopefully that doesn't happen again.

What happened?
Well, it was my 21st birthday and we were on a skate trip in Saskatoon. It was the night before my birthday, I'd only drank like maybe 12 or so beers. I was just sitting on (the edge) of a barrel where there was a fire going on before. It was Billy Gallagher's house and his dog had killed a fox and they decided to burn it (in the barrel). As the night goes on the coals are still burning and I fell inside the barrel. Scott Mark had to push me out of it because I was stuck for almost a minute or so. Yeah, so I got third degree burns on my whole back. I still managed to skate the next day and get a trick, so that wasn't too bad obviously. But it could have been a lot worse, I guess.

And you got this crazy scar from the fox?
Yeah.

Above: Pop shove-it circa Sept. 2003. Crappy 35mm slide scan.

The question everyone keeps asking me to ask is, what's your best party story? But screw that. What's your best 310 story?
Best 810 story?

Yeah. Sorry, best 810 story? (Notorious Edmonton skate apartment)
Ok well, there's two possible ones. One that I wasn't there for, but I wish I kinda of would have been. Jess Atmore and his girlfriend were sitting in their bedroom and from out of nowhere they see this shadow of a girl through the window. Then they're like, "What's going on?" So they look out the window and some lady fell out of an 11th story window, landed in the shrubs and only broke an arm or something. Cory (Forester) saw her get pulled out of the bush. Thank God she lived. I don't know how that's possible, after falling 11 stories.

Corey Forster: She was paralyzed.

No. Was she?

Corey: Matt said he heard on the radio she was paralyzed.

Oh, well apparently she might have been paralyzed, but still, leaving with your life, that's pretty good.

The other one might be when me and Jamie were walking up the road to the Mac's. On the way there's this big set of stairs, it's probably 100 or some steps. So, we see this couple underneath the stairs, completely naked, having sex. We just stopped there for a minute and were like, "Is this really going on?" And yes, you could see their bare bums going up and down, up and down. We just had a good laugh about it and left.

Since we're skipping over your best party story, what's you're best hangover cure?
Well, that all depends. If you want to get rid of it fast, you just drink a lot of beer or whatever you have in the house. But if not, I usually just chug a bunch of milk, because that's one of my favorite drinks other than booze. That actually helps my hangover.

That reminds me. I use to hear stories about people always putting you up to food challenges.
Corey: Yeah! The donut challenge!
Oh, the Boston Creme challenge.

What's the Boston Creme challenge?
Well, Nathan Matthews pretty much invented this challenge. It's called the Boston Creme Challenge and you have to eat 12 Boston Creme donuts in 20 minutes. Many people have tried; Nathan Roline, Travis Stuve, no one could really come close. I think Stuve was the closest. But yeah, I did do it and it took me three tries, I believe. First I did seven in 20. Then I think 9, and then the final attempt in the back of Plush, with Corey watching me and timing me, I ate 12 Boston Cremes in 20 minutes. And I did not feel too good after that.

Above: Nollie 180 circa July 2003. Crappy 35mm slide scan.

What's the secret?
I had two donuts left with like a minute or less and I just shoved them both in my mouth and managed to swallow them somehow. But, I could not do that again if I tried. I guarantee you.

Have you ever seen theses competitive eaters on television and thought, "I could do that"?
I used to think that when I was little actually. But now that I've aged a bit, I don't think it's possible any more.

Josh Green walks back into the room.

You got any good questions for him Josh?
Josh Green: That he wants to answer?
I'll answer anything, man.

Josh Green: I don't know. You already ask him what his best party story was?

OK fine. What's your best party story?
(Burps loudly) Umm...
Corey: Right now. Wooo. (laughs)

When me and Josh were at a Halloween party in Vancouver. We went to this random girl's house before the party and drank a two-six to ourselves and by the time we got to the party we didn't really know what was going on, cause that's what that does to you. Then I smoke a bunch of weed for some reason. Then Josh wants to go out for a smoke, because that's all he really thinks about when he's drinking. So, we go on the top of the back of the roof of Pender House and for some reason when I try to stand up, I just fall straight off the roof on to my head. I leaked spinal fluid out of my ear for like two weeks. After that I really didn't drink as much.

Since you brought it up, I think I ran into you the first day after you left the hospital. I remember trying to not look shocked when I saw you. I thought you looked like you'd been ... hit in the head with a sledge hammer.
That was like two weeks after I got back from Vancouver. I left the Vancouver hospital and they said I was fine to leave. I went to the hospital in Edmonton two weeks later and they told me I had a fractured skull and permanent hearing loss.

That's more of a "scared straight" story for the kids, than a best party story.
Pretty much. Yeah. Kids shouldn't read this any way. They'd be too stupid to.