words and photos: jeff
bbm photos: tino
Tino Razo has always been an awesome skateboarder. Kind of in the same vein as say Dill or Erik Ellington or Spanky, Tino always looks cool on or off his skateboard. And in an era where so many skateboarders all look the same and do the same tricks, its important that these types of skaters are out there doing their own shit. Individuality has always shined in skateboarding, and it always will. Its proven over and over again. Pat O'Dell used to tell me stories about him, years before we met, and Me being a skate fan, was always stoked to hear 'em.
So recently I got to catch up with him when he was in LA for the "now i remember" art show, and got to shoot and hang with him. I wanted to do an interview too but he moves quick and I lost my window. Instead we ended up doing one over blackberry messenger. Which I think worked out ever better cause my fone and in person interview skills are terrible.
bbm key-
kotter = Jeff
E=mc hammered = Tino
kotter: So whats was the name of your print shop?
E = mc hammered: It was called Seshwan bro!
kotter: Who came up with that?
E = mc hammered: Manute went to Bams house when Slayer played, and Barker (Barrett) was skating the mini in the livingroom all stoked, and started screaming seshwan!!!! This sesh is so on! So of course me and Manute instantly used it every other word for years after. We loved that dude so much I made my own Barker krooked guest pro board with a sharpie. It was a drawing of him with a mercyful fate shirt screaming seshwan!!!
kotter: That story is awesome. I think Barker should have a guest board for sure. So who owned the print shop?
E = mc hammered: Me and my wife.
kotter: That's awesome. You printed all the Verte life tees there right?
E = mc hammered: Yup. And Autumn and KCDC. And I fuckin printed
E = mc hammered: Yup. And Autumn and KCDC. And I fuckin printed
Mayhem shirts on their last tour!
kotter: You printed Mayhem tees!!!!!!!!!!!!!??
E = mc hammered: file sent
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kotter: Sickkkkkkk! How was the show?
E = mc hammered: Didn't go to the show. But my wife brought em to the venue. And she said the line was all kids with corpse paint.
kotter: Wait why not?!
E = mc hammered: Had to work
kotter: Fuckkkkk! Work sucks balls
E = mc hammered: Print bar tend sleep print print print bar tend sleep print print print sleep print print print print bar tend sleep print print
kotter: So what's gonna happen to Verte? That stuff was awesome
E = mc hammered: Me and my brothers are working on some new shit. We’re hustling on getting a new line out.
kotter: Oh sick
E = mc hammered: file sent
kotter: Uh
E = mc hammered: Pretty funny
kotter: That's amazing
E = mc hammered: Think I'm going to take Verte out and just have it be a huge upside down cross. And have that be the label.
kotter: Keep Verte in! You guys made the best shirt ever. The King Diamond one? That one rips.
E = mc hammered: That dude can make anything the best. Straight no brainer
kotter: Did you know that dudes a full nascar nerd? Satanic nascar Norwegian redneck. How awesome is that?
E = mc hammered: Yeah. I wanted to do a where's Waldo shirt with him sitting in the stands at a nascar race. All lookin like a real nascar style shirt. I'm skating with the dill right now in BK.
E = mc hammered: file sent
E = mc hammered: Bout to bomb the bridge
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kotter: That's awesome. I'm jealous. I'm at work
E = mc hammered: I almost just died
kotter: Dude
E = mc hammered: A biker lady with no brakes slammed into me as I was going down the bridge. We both wobbled and I bear hugged her as we were still moving till we got our shit together. Just rode over a huge thing of bubble wrap. Today kinda rules
kotter: Ahahaha. Dude be careful. When you talk about King you summon evil powers.
E = mc hammered: The King was with me on that one!
kotter: Dude. I'm not kidding man. I totaled my truck on the freeway while the candle was playing. When I came to a stop, it was still playing.
E = mc hammered: Where you drinking then?
kotter: No! I totaled 2 other cars at the same time. I'm telling you. I summoned him.
E = mc hammered: I was going to say maybe the drinks and king combo had something to do with it
kotter: No. It was just pure black metal. I'm sure of it.
E = mc hammered: file sent
E = mc hammered: Can we use the photos in this?
kotter: Duh fool. I'm saving 'em all as we go
E = mc hammered: I will send you emails of em
kotter: Oh tight
E = mc hammered: They're way bigger that way
kotter: That's what she said!
E = mc hammered: Yussssssss!!!!!!!!
kotter: Quick trivia question. Speaking of King.
E = mc hammered: What ya got? His names Kim
kotter: How many pro's skated to King Diamond in their video parts? And! Can u name the skaters. Preferably chronologically ordered.
E = mc hammered: Barker, Sam Hitz? And Alex Olson is all I can think of.
kotter: Dude i sent you one of the videos.
E = mc hammered: What's the real list?
kotter: You're blowing it
E = mc hammered: That's how I know about Barker
kotter: Gyeah! Ok 2 more
E = mc hammered: I didn't have a VCR when I was younger
kotter: Fair enough. Baker Barrett / Jason Adams "I was a teenage skateboarder"
kotter: Fair enough. Baker Barrett / Jason Adams "I was a teenage skateboarder"
E = mc hammered: I said Barker bro!
kotter: I know! But you didn't say Jason! And Alan Peterson in like the 2nd Consolidated video. So... 5.
E = mc hammered: Alan peterson is now one step cooler then I already thought. Actually fuck that! Dude nails no matter what.
E = mc hammered: Alan peterson is now one step cooler then I already thought. Actually fuck that! Dude nails no matter what.
kotter: How pumped were you that Carroll skated to Priest?
E = mc hammered: file sent
E = mc hammered: that much!
kotter: yes! Hell yeah. You made that one right?
E = mc hammered: Neck made it for a t shirt art show me, my brothers and Athena put together
kotter: Ah Sick
E = mc hammered: Duh
kotter: Who are your favorite fat skaters?
E = mc hammered: George Carr, Andrew Allen, Freddy Gall, Just found out George Carr is gay! Dill filled me in. That's tight
kotter: yeeuh. That is tight. Barker? Why do u keep leaving Barker out?
E = mc hammered: I don't wanna call him fat.
kotter: Hahahaa
E = mc hammered: But he's on the top of the list for sure.
kotter: He was never really fat, He's skinny now anyways!
E = mc hammered: What about that huge dude that slammed into the camera in the Alien video. I bet that dudes tight too.
kotter: Which one
E = mc hammered: Time code right after Freddy's part
kotter: Oh yeah! What about Jason Jessee? He was never fat, but i think He thought he was. So that counts.
E = mc hammered: Jason Jessee fucking rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kotter: And Drehobl?
E = mc hammered: Dude!
kotter: Didn't he pack on a few?
E = mc hammered: I'm fucking blowing it
kotter: Ahahaha
E = mc hammered: Dan is fat as fuck and rips so hard! Chubby lil bro
kotter: Ahahhaa
E = mc hammered: His bails are so funny. Its like watching a chubby lil bro slip on a banana peel
kotter: Eric Dressen! Tim gavin? This is the best pro list ever.
E = mc hammered: Dressen once sent me a myspace telling me I was one of his favorite skaters. My jaw hit the dang floor. Out of no where. Don't even know the dude
kotter: Dude! That's so awesome.
E = mc hammered: Mind blow!
kotter: You're one of my favorite skaters! Not as much of mind blow. I know.
E = mc hammered: Ha!
kotter: But Dressen and I agree.
E = mc hammered: If you only knew how bad I suck these days!
kotter: Bs man
E = mc hammered: But thanks hommie!
kotter: Ok so your favorite over weight skater list is done? Its pretty solid.
E = mc hammered: file sent
kotter: Yeuuh! Greg is the best
E = mc hammered: Dan, George Carr, Freddy, Andrew Allen, and Barker is what I'm going to stick with.
kotter: Hell yeah
E = mc hammered: I'm getting pretty fat as well. Gettin close to 180
kotter: Ahahahaha
E = mc hammered: I was always 150
kotter: 180!?
E = mc hammered: And winters comin
kotter: But you're tall though. Like 6ft?
E = mc hammered: Watch out!
kotter: ahahaa... So Tell me about young Tino and the Razo bro's growing up in Vermont. Skate-wise, who was the first to start?
E = mc hammered: Andre and Marc skated before me. My grandfather gave them 2 banana boards when we were young. That changed my whole life. My grandfather was awesome.
Kotter: So your brothers taught you how to skate?
E = mc hammered: yeah, but they wouldn't let me skate with them cause I was real little.
kotter: Big bros can be dicks when you're young
E = mc hammered: I'm the youngest so I got it pretty bad. Its the typical lil bro syndrome. Later on in life though we became a tight skate crew. I get so hyped every time I get to skate with those dudes
kotter: That's awesome
E = mc hammered: Actually... Now that I think about Andre was kinda always cool with skating with me but Marc was a mark!
kotter: Haha
E = mc hammered: We all super close now though
kotter: That's dope. Me and bro always skated together too. Its the best.
E = mc hammered: it is! My brother Marc was fucking so good. He could have been one of the top pros. He just kept on hurting himself and got shook. He's still one of my favs.
kotter: But all you guys rip right? Its known. Razo family rips.
E = mc hammered: In our times we all got our licks in for sure
kotter: So you started getting hooked up while you lived vermont?
E = mc hammered: Yeah
kotter: From who?
E = mc hammered: Blaize Blouin was the first dude to ever hook me up with boards n stuff. He used to come to the park in my home town. He bent that place over and fucked it in the butt. The company was called Subliminal.
kotter: He was a G&S dude right ?
E = mc hammered: Hell yeah. The fuckin Charleston hanger dude! He ripped.
kotter: Yeah man. So then what?
E = mc hammered: Brooklyn boards with Dan Zimmer
kotter: Panama Dan?!
E = mc hammered: No different dude. I think their name's where slightly different.
kotter: oh yeah. Panama Dan was Dan Zimmerman.
E = mc hammered: I remember at the time there where a couple dudes out here that ripped with super similar names and every one confused them all the time.
kotter: So brooklyn boards. Had you moved to NY by then?
E = mc hammered: Yeah. I was in VT still when I got on, but both my brothers moved to NY and I can't be to far from those dudes. So then NY. I think I moved out here in '95
kotter: Was rookie next?
E = mc hammered: Yeah. That shit was real tight.
kotter: You turned pro for them right?
E = mc hammered: That's actually a really funny story. I was riding for them and was hommies with Espo. So I asked the hommie to make a graphic for the company. He calls me when he's all done and it was a painting with my name on it. I had to bring the painting in and be like.... DUDE!!! He put my name on there. And that's how that happened. Espo turned me pro.
kotter: That's actually amazing.
E = mc hammered: Yeah pretty funny
kotter: I love that dudes stuff too. He's really good.
E = mc hammered: That dude is so tight. I love him man! He's funny as fuck and just has it all figured out. And my man just cranks out the sickest shit!
E = mc hammered: file sent
E = mc hammered: Loki and Keefe
kotter: Oh shit
E = mc hammered: One of my brothers just showed up. Andre. I will cop a photo of him in a bit.
kotter: Oh hell yeah. Aight so. We're still on rookie.
E = mc hammered: Yeah. I was on, and I was stoked. I was hyped to be on them. Katherine and Elska owned it. They were super cool and helped me out a bunch.
E = mc hammered: file sent
E = mc hammered: But them doing ads with me and shit, helped other people to know who I was and led to some road trips and some of the best times of my life. And when I traveled I was on the road with all girls it was sick!
kotter: That's how I knew who you were. I always thought Rookie was sick
E = mc hammered: Tight. Hell yeah!
kotter: I used to have a crush on Lauren Mollica
E = mc hammered: Me too. She's so rad!!!!! I always loved the graphics and the hommies behind it!
kotter: Dude I remember one of your Rookie ads. It was you with some old supreme hat and handle bar.
And the first time I met Dill, he gave me the same hat and I was all psyched.
E = mc hammered: The volcano? That's a funny one
kotter: Fan out fool!
E = mc hammered: Haha! I liked that hat. Aaron and Pookie used to look me out on some supreme gear. It was kinda like when I was a kid and some gave me a indy sticker or something. I would get so hstoked!
kotter: Hstoked! The rise and fall of Jerry Hsu!
E = mc hammered: I came up with that. And my roommate wrote it! (Chris Shonting) We were rolling as it came about. I never used photoshop and like paint brushed over key parts so we could change the type.
kotter: I still have that thrasher. I'm fuckin a skate nerd! Jesus
E = mc hammered: I am a huge skate nerd fan out type myself. You would think we would grow out of it by now. Fuck it! I love the fuck out of it.
kotter: Dude ill never grow out of it. That's my shit.
E = mc hammered: Atta boy. Grown ass man fans
kotter: Ahhahahaa
E = mc hammered: Fuck it I guess!
kotter: So what happened to Rookie?
E = mc hammered: I got hurt, shit sucked, slowed down on skating and was like... Guess that's done. Get a job and just be a normal dude I guess.
kotter: So you went with out board sponsor for a second. But you'd still turn up in skate mags. Still repping. Then Shut got started again.
E = mc hammered: Yeah. Man, Rodney hit me up and asked me to ride for them. I was like hold on and hung up skated over there and was like hell mother fucking yes! Dudes gave me a board n shit. I got hyped. Real hyped! I mean its fucking Shut. Being from the east coast that shit was like gold when I was a kid. When I was still in grade school my aunt live in LA and me and my brothers went to LA and skated the venice walls. Where Tim Jackson did all those wallie board slide high five moves 'n shit. I was standing on the side, in full fan out mode, watching Ducky and Hartsel skate, and Hartsel saw me standing there with a Shut board, and ran up to me and grabbed my board and was all like "this lil dude has a Shut board!”. And asked me if I was from the east coast. I was shook and stoked. Its fucking Hartsel and Ducky. Me and my brothers skated all over looking for a skate shop on that trip and finally found one. We ended up getting the first H-Street on that trip.
kotter: Which board
E = mc hammered: The street posse. He (Hartsel) seriously held it up and screamed that shit. And those dudes where all looking at me like..... So!
kotter: Ahaha. That's insane!
E = mc hammered: Yeah
kotter: Hartsel!
E = mc hammered: Triple A skate shop was around the corner from there. I skated that double sided curb he skated in the world video and was so hyped to be there
kotter: How old were you
E = mc hammered: I was a pup man. My board probably went to my chin. Anywho. I was asked to ride for Shut and that's what I thought about. I'm fuckin in! Actually I think the shop was called circle a. Is that right?
kotter: I think circle a was san jose. Fuck that's incredible. So basically. You ended up getting a board on your favorite company. Which was also Hartsel’s favorite company.
E = mc hammered: Yes!!!! So I rode for shut. I will roll with that.
kotter: Fuck yeah
E = mc hammered: So I got on and was so over the hstoked to ride for them. My ankle was still shit so I went and got an ortho on my ankle to prep for what I wanted to do, to be as much of a Shut guy as I remember those dudes being. Got that done and jumped the gun while still doing physical therapy and broke the other one. I was just way hyped to be apart of something I been stoked on since I was a kid. Then straight dropped the ball. At the end of the day I had to dip, cause I was coming off like a real kook. Not skating, bummed on myself. Not what I needed in my life. That's when I started the shop. Down and out. Did the shop (Seshwan print shop) and was instantly bummed. All's I did was think about skating in a room with a press and hated my life for not skating. Did it for 5 years and sold it to my hommie this year and now my life rules.
kotter: Every time I see you, you have your board in your hand
E = mc hammered: I skate all the time and suck at it but love it more then ever.
kotter: Dude
E = mc hammered: I miss being able to skate like how I used to. But its like being a kid again. Learning and wanting more and more. That's all I want!!!!!!!!
kotter: That's awesome
E = mc hammered: Duh
kotter: I read a Jim Gagne interview once a long time ago. And he said his favorite time in skating was when he first started. When he was learning everything and tripping out, trick after trick.
E = mc hammered: I'm sure that's everyone's. That dude used to skate the park with me in my home town. Him and Upson. First pros I every really hung with.
kotter: Both those guys are awesome.
E = mc hammered: Upson has the best style in skateboarding
kotter: Yes!
E = mc hammered: Its like Grant Taylor. That's what you're supposed to do.
kotter: What rip like Upson and Grant Taylor?
E = mc hammered: Its like.... Hey!!!!!! Every one!!!! Your blowing it cause these dudes have it all figured out and you wish you had it like that. SORRYBOUTCHA!
kotter: This is true
E = mc hammered: I filmed my first trick in 5 years last night. So Hstoked!
kotter: What!!! What was it?
E = mc hammered: It's a secret. My wife just got here. I got's put in some wife time. You think you got enough? Bros?
kotter: Dude hell yeah.
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lance mountain/ baby ray/ suicidal set-up
the sesh is on
