Eddie Cleveland Interview

Eddie Cleveland

You can’t imagine what it was like seeing Eddie ride for the first time. Even more amusing was the whole process of telling friends about him, and then bringing those friends along for a session with him and watching their reactions. It’s so funny… Then you get the pleasure of hearing those friends talk about nothing but Eddie for the next week.

When you hear about a kid who can do anything on a bike, you’re probably imagining some sort of trick ferret who’s maybe a little bit socially challenged (what BMXer isn’t?) and therefore spends all his time practicing because he thinks a podium at the next Dew Contest is going to catapult him to BMX stardom (totally reluctant stardom, of course). Or maybe you just think of the new young urban kid who can do all the different grinds. But with Eddie it’s not that; it’s casual and absolute control of the bike in any situation. You don’t so much notice the trick as you notice the completely nonchalant manner in which it’s done. He doesn’t call it out, he doesn’t sit and stress, he doesn’t take the methodical building-block approach; he just does the trick. If the trick goes wrong the first time, he just steps off the bike and lands lightly on his feet. It’s hard for him to look awkward on the bike, even when he’s falling off of it.

This kid’s talent has finally been coming to light for the last few months, so it’s not like I have to sell that to you. I just have to tell you my favourite things about him – Eddie’s a smart kid and a good friend who can take the simplest things, like a bare-bones bike and a mediocre spot, and turn them into something that will stick in your mind for days. Even better, he lives and breathes BMX without making a production of it. He just shuts his mouth and puts his work in. And it’s effortless work.

Eddie Cleveland

RIDE: Where are you originally from?

EDDIE: Petaluma, California…

R.How long did you live around there?

E.The first 12 years of my life.

R.Your parents moved after that?

E.Me and my mom moved, my dad stayed. We had to split, we were broke and she had to go find a job, so for some reason we moved to Montana.

R.How was it there?

E. it was alright, I met some cool dudes and had a lot of fun, but that shit was too cold so we moved like eight months after we got there.

R.To Oregon?

E.Yeah, to the coast.

R.I know you were one of the few people that actually had permission to ride the Lincoln City Park, how’d that work?

E.When I first moved there the park was a piece of shit, it was like a bowl made of crap, and a spine with a parking bar on top. Then they made the new one and I was always there and just rode and skated, so it worked out and I kick it with all the skaters, they’re all right if you don’t have pegs – don’t forget to roll up with that green too, but f—k most of ’em, they hate ’cause they can’t go as high as us.

R.You skate too though right?

E.I used to, but it’s boring now, and I get hurt every time I try.

R.You ever get kicked out of Burnside?

E. No skateboarders ever tried, but this twin-fin dude did once…

R. How’d you get into riding?

E. These dudes lived next door to me when I was little, they used to set up this f—ked up kicker ramp over this little stream, every time they hit it they got wrecked, it looked like fun so I got into it.

R.Were they hessians?

E. Nah, they were Gs, they listened to Easy-E and Brotha Lynch, they just smoked trees all day too, they were like big brothers to me.

R.Who were some of the people you looked up when you were young?

E. I never really saw too many videos or mags, but from what I saw I liked the way the Gonz got down, he was doin’ all the crazy shit when I was younger, and Dave Young too.

R. What was the first video you ever saw?

E. American Muscle.

R. What was your favourite part?

E. Joey Garcia, ’cause he was from my area and he always was doing shit that was fun to watch.

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