Professional skateboarder Axel “CRUSHER” Cruysberghs took the time to have a little chat with El Gallito (host of the Curtains show) from his LA residence.  Being his first guest in the “CURTAINS guest series”, he asked him about the importance of music in his life and skateboarding.
Next to this interview there’s also a Curtains special with Axel with music from his favorite video parts and music from the skate vids he was featured in.
More info via this link. 

EG: Hey Axel, thanks for taking the time to be our guest in this “skateboard soundtrack” show on We Are Various.  How are things going at the moment in LA?

AC: “Things are going good actually.  Since everything got canceled due to the corona virus I finally have time to just be at home.  I’ve been skating but not with a lot of people…”

EG: Since this is a skateboard soundtrack show I would like to ask you… What are your favourite skate parts that shaped you as a kid and which ones did you grew up with.

AC: “I’ve always been super into skate videos. My first one was the DC VIDEO, I think it came out in 2005. The music was really good in it. I love Anthony Van Engelen’s part. He skates to a Ted Nugent song called “Stormtroopin”. 
For quite some time I could only watch skate videos on DVD and that was a bit challenging and then at some point I started watching videos on YouTube. That’s when I got acces to all the videos at any hour of the day.

One of my favorites is Toy Machine “Good and Evil”. It was my favorite board company growing up.
The skateboarding and the music in it is really good. I feel like I was really young when I discovered this video and I didn’t really understand the music till later.

Another video and skate part I watched over and over again was “Dylan” in the Gravis video. I think this video had the biggest impact on me.  Dylan Rieder’s skating was next level.  The style was next level and music wise I found it very special.

The video that finally kinda shaped my skating and music taste was Alien Worskshop “Mindfield”.  Greg Hunt made this video and it was also him who created the DC Video and “Dylan”… I love his work.  In Mindfield he uses a bunch of super8 footage which looks amazing.  Lots of good music in this one. There’s Elliott Smith, Battles, Animal Collective…” 

EG: Is music very important to you in a skate video?  Does a song complete a skate part / video or do you think that just the skating in the vid does the job?

AC: “Music is really important to me.  I listen to music all the time!  I think the music makes or breaks a video part. The skating can be amazing but if the music’s bad then you won’t enjoy watching it.”

EG: I really liked that song “Reactor” from Nots in your Programming Injection part. It really matched the way you skate. Did you choose that song yourself or was it something the company or Ed Templeton himself came up with?

AC: “I did not choose that song myself. Toy Machine filmer/editor Don Luong picked it. I really trusted him on this cause we spend so much time together skating and filming that he knows exactly what I want and how I skate. I think he did a good job on picking the song, also according to the little budget we had for music.”

EG: What are you up to nowadays?  Working on any new videoparts? 

AC: “I’m currently filming another Toy Machine part.  We have a Vans Europe video dropping next month and I’m sharing a part in that one.  Super excited for that one.  I skate to a Russian song in that one!”

EG: Thank you Axel.  Stay Safe!

Axel would like to thank:
Toy Machine,  Vans,  Volcom,  OJ Wheels, Independent, Bronson, Brostyle and Rampaffairz/SBQ

More info & updates on Axel Cruysberghs.

Photo credits:

  • Header: Switn
  • Photo middle: Daniel Cabral
  • Photo below: Ben Karpinski