Willow’s 2nd Kingpin interview

November 18, 2008 @ 2:24 PM

Don't worry, I have questions for hours. Let's stick with the sponsors for a minute. Having been in the game for a few years, do you, by now, feel “at home”?

Yeah, I think so. I've been with Etnies for years, and they're great, Flip is an amazing team with supercool guys, they welcomed me nicely, and made me feel at home instantly...

Joining such a team, were you starstruck a little, even though you've known them before?

Yes, partly. I mean, with Arto, when I was in the States last year, I went to Arto's place with Gentsch—they've known each other for a good while. So I met Arto not as the famous skateboarder that he is, but as a buddy—the way it's actually supposed to be. Arto was cool, we got along from the start. Appleyard...Well, of course, my legs were a little shaky. But once you get to know them, I mean, they're just normal people, you know? They're not big-headed at all, they're supercool.

Okay, let's flip this, then. You're Willow, one of Europe's finest skateboarders, one of the few German skateboarders with a worldwide reputation. Do you ever think about that?

No. Well, sometimes. Sometimes, when I look at my financial situation. I'm really not that well off, and I have to think twice before I spend a penny. I'm actually at a point where I consider getting a regular job, but I don't want that, it's just too early. I'm not too young for a regular job, but I'm not done with skateboarding yet, there's still a lot of stuff that I can, and want to do. That bugs me a little. It's like this, too: people hear I'm on Flip, so they automatically think that I'll be a millionaire soon, but this couldn't be further from the truth. It's not as easy as people think it is, especially in Europe it's really hard to make a living as a skateboarder. Rent, phone, insurance—and there go three quarters of my monthly money. Also, I have two cats, some fish, and a really sweet girlfriend. Going to the movies with my girl is something I'd really love to do every once in a while, but most of the time, I can't really afford it. Certainly, I could sell boards, shoes, and clothing, but I don't want to, and it's not supposed to be like that either. It's... stumpfed.

Shhh... You hear that?

What?

The breaking of a million skateboarder hearts.

Haha, yeah... Well, all I can say is—and I've been told this as well—if you want to make some money, you have to go to the USA. But that's a decision you have to make. Living in Europe is easier, at least for me it is. Europe is great for skateboarding, and you can make a little money here as well, but you can't build a real future based on professional skateboarding. You can ask for a raise, but it's not in the hands of your team manager, because he's not the one controlling the budget. And in the end, you don't know where to go. I mean, I know where I'm at, and where I want to go, but right about now, I can't make a living. It's just not working out.

Okay, let's talk about nicer things. You just got your first tattoos, what's up with those?

Well, I met Nicole, and we're pretty much the same person. She's my girlfriend, my best friend, my chap, everything. So we figured we get the same tat. Faith, love, hope, worked into a crest. So, whenever I look at my arm now, I think of Nicole—the woman I want to stay with for the rest of my life.

Did you ever appear in Nicole's magazine?

Noo (laughs)...How do you know about that??

Well, the first issue somehow made its way onto my desk, and I enjoyed a healthy laugh about Maxim Rosenbauer stating how great it is to have a huge penis.

I don't know if that's true, though. Okay, well, yes, I was featured there. I was on the backcover, but it was only my naked ass with a t-shirt. That was the first issue, to be exact. No shlong though, none of that. Just my ass. Can't recognize me there. I did it because I'm her friend, and I wanted to help her out. They were missing a backcover. Nicole got an email from some lady afterwards, who was all “I could imagine the boy on the backcover is a skateboarder, his ass is all scratched up... And he's getting ready for a shower,” and stuff like that. Nicole read that one to me. Damn, that lady was soo right!

Does it bother you that your girlfriend publishes a magazine which features naked guys?

Not at all. I mean, I'm interested in what she does, but the magazine itself...I don't really care about that. I'm really happy that she realises herself. She and a friend of hers had an idea, they did it, and I admire her for that, but I don't really read the magazine, even though their articles are really good. Nicole doesn't shoot the photos, she doesn't have any contact with the featured guys...

...that helps a lot I guess...

Yes. The magazine was just her idea. She's got nothing to do with the guys in there, it's all safe. I know what she wants: that's me.

Everyone wants Willow.

People expect a lot.

Is that so?

Yeah, I think so. Aw man, I don't know. I can't read people's minds. I don't know what folks in Germany think about me. I hear this and that, but I don't know how serious people are with their opinions. No one has told me off yet.

Most of the people that see your footage have never met you in person, so they can't help but judge you by your skating. And I guess it's safe to say that they admire you.

But why? I don't understand it, really. I don't think the stuff I do is that gnarly or whatever, I'm just living in my own little world. Everyone could do what I do, if they put a little effort towards it. I don't see myself as a great skateboarder. Okay, sometimes I raise my eyebrows, when I see footage of myself, and go “damn, that is kind of high”, but apart from that, I don't picture myself that good.

What kind of world is that, your own little world?

Dude... How can I explain that one? As I said, I like to haul ass and fly. It's crazy, the faster I go, the better the inebriation is. I feel like... He-Man. Nothing can harm me. The velocity does that to me, it creates some kind of armour. Within the first ten tries of a trick, I don't feel any pain. Well, the next day, obviously yes, but not while I'm going fast. Adrenaline does it's part there I guess, but it's really like this: the faster I go, the better I feel—and that's my world right there. Nothing but the spot matters. The spot, and the feeling. I'm actually waiting for it. Sometimes it ends up being work, but then again, it's still my world. What else? I'm a really positive human being. I'm an open person. Maybe a bit too childish, but I like it that way—can't be too serious about life. You know what? I could go on for ages without actually answering that question, because that's a really complex topic.

It was a mean question, too.

I think a lot of skaters have their very own world, and I wouldn't be too surprised if theirs looked just like mine. Or not? Are they skating just to be cool? There are some of those for sure. But I don't think about that.

Is Cologne your place to grow old at? Or would you rather plant your old bones on the seaside somewhere?

I'd rather be in the mountains, to be honest. Mountain pasture, that's where it's at. Cologne is great, and so is Berlin, but right now, Cologne is my hometown, where I know my neighbours and all that. But at some point, I will move out to the countryside. Enjoy the silence with my pets.

What do your parents think of their son’s career? What do they do?

My mother is a social pedagogist, she works with handicapped and difficult kids.

Perfect.

Isn't it? (laughs) That's why I'm so nice! My father was a very active sportsman until he got hurt, and now he's working with insurances. He used to be a basketball coach, too. He's a hard working man, and I'm really proud of him. They're proud of me, even though they see me struggling with money and all that. I reckon that they don't think it's fair that I wreck myself without getting paid properly, but then again, I skateboard mainly for myself.

That was a long one. Shall we go for a drink?

Sounds good. But I'd like to see the Trap video first.

Okay, but not before you give me your best belch.

Aw, you should have asked for that earlier...Ask me again in an hour.

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