Paul Shier
August 08, 2006 @ 9:21 AM
Paul Shier is a busy man and not an easy one to pin down. The world is his and he’s not holding back. He might also be in a cross roads in his life, shuttling between London and LA after a three year stint in Barcelona. Time will tell. To top it off, it’s summer time with summer wine and a thousand miles of open road to keep Mr. Shier’s quick feet occupied. We caught him briefly in Edinburgh on the eve of the Blueprint UK tour to ask a couple of questions about here and now.
How’s the Blueprint tour going?
Well, me and Vaughan just flew up today to Edinburgh instead of taking the choice of the long haul van ride, There has been no skating yet unfortunately, we both met Colin’s baby Evie Rose for the first time, which was amazing. We followed that with a game of golf pitch and putt at Bruntsfield links, so as far as I can see, if the tour carries on this good, I will have no complaints.
Are you getting more Blueprint or Streetbeers footage?
Neither yet.
Is Palace Waywards going to take over skateboarding?
My man Tanju seems to know exactly what he is doing. I don’t know whether he is trying to take over skating, he is just keeping people informed of what’s going on in the tight London scene.
If we keep this web friendly, how much time do you spend on MySpace on a daily basis?
As long as it takes to read the couple of messages I have got. On and off as quick as possible.
What’s the best thing about being a “veteran”? As in, being in the game for a long time.
Hopefully not being classed as a veteran.
The worst?
Not being able to touch my toes.
Are you keeping up with your trick-a-day regime for the Blueprint video?
Unfortunately not right now, mainly I have been skating and not worrying about the filming side of it at all. Also I have been travelling for a while now with different companies so I have not even really had a chance to think about it.
Do you have a deadline for it?
There is always a deadline, who knows when it is but it will come sooner than you want.
I’ve seen you out filming with Josh Stewart lately as well. Are you working on a part for Static3?
I am not working on a part, I just was in Miami with him and got some stuff, so when he came to London, it was just good to carry on getting stuff. Josh is a really good dude to film with, and his videos are always good. He can go a bit barmy at times but he knows what he is doing.
I keep hearing rumours of you moving to LA. What’s up with that?
My girlfriend is from Hollywood and I met her in spain 14 months ago. She was moving back to LA in february and I was ready to move out of Barcelona after being there almost 3 years, and it just seemed like the right thing to do. Currently I am floating between there and london, 3 months in LA and 3 in the big smoke. I like it out there. I have a nice apartment and I’m still chasing the endless summer.
What’s in the pipeline for you in LA?
Well I am going back there after the blueprint tour for 3 months. Hopefully Magee is coming out in September so we can film for the video. L.A is not as hard to skate as people say it is. It is just like any major city, except for Barcelona, but even that will be shut down one day I assume. I may go on an east coast tour with Earth clothing and also on a trip to Azerbaijan with Colin, Vaughan and Chez to teach some kids to skate. I hope that works out.
Any visa problems? US I mean, I dread to even think about Azerbaijan.
No problems for now, but I am sure they will try and give me problems soon. I am doing nothing illegal so there is nothing really they can say or do. American authority can be tough though.
You spent quite a while in Barcelona. When did you first move out there?
I think I lived there from the end of 2003 and just moved out early this year.
How did that happen? Was it a case of a short trip that turned into a few years?
Me and Kenny [Reed] lived out there for a couple of months back in 2000. It was a completely different place then compared to now. Not many skaters, pesetas, Black Sheep bar, Macba all day everyday. After that trip we both went back to our mother lands, I think Kenny split with his girlfriend and moved back out there with Jerry Hsu. I visited a couple of times, and then decided “fuck it” packed my bags and moved out of London. I stayed with them for a while in a mouldy old shitty apartment until we got kicked out. Me and Kenny just went on a mission to find a place, which, being foreign and speaking no Spanish was a nightmare. We ended up finding a five bedroom place even though there were two of us. I never realized our house would turn into such a skate palace. We had some good years in that house, some nice guests and some pisstakers, no regrets at all.
What are the pros and cons of being a pro skater living in Barcelona?
Pros: Endless skate spots, sunshine, Manolo, street beers, cheap wine, amazing architecture, skaters passing through.
Cons: The sunshine, Manolo, street beers and cheap wine!
What’s going to happen to the New Year’s parties you used to have at your flat in Barcelona? Can Kenny be trusted to carry on the torch?
I don’t really know, the house is not the same as it was. I was just there recently. The guest influx seems to be controlled now. I honestly don’t think that Kenny will carry the torch. If Hughes is there he will carry it as far as he can with 36 bottles of Champagne. I just hope they can get it together for another fancy dress party as I will for sure be there if it happens again. Best new years I have ever had were in that house.
Paul Shier rides for Blueprint Skateboards, DVS shoes, Earth clothing, Diamond hardware and Story skate shop
Get the latest Skateboarding Videos on Mpora.com
