When most people think of New York, they picture skating through big buildings, dodging traffic, pissing off pedestrians and skating “famous” cutty spots. Most skaters forget or might not even know that there’s a whole NY world outside of the 5 boroughs.

And if you’re really hankering for some “Noo Yawk” shit talking, read my Q+A with Mike about upstate v. downstate beef, and his willpower to avoid watching porn while editing.

Why’d you call your video PFP? Sounds like a medical term.
PFP is an acronym for “picture fucking perfect.” We were super young skating at Pyramid Ledges and Brandon had just landed his ender for PFP1 and I spit it out in kind of a strange voice. I was really in awe of the trick! [Laughs] Brandon can be super mischievous, so I think he may have recorded the audio off the camera without me realizing and made it a text ringer on his old enV3 or something. It just stuck.

It also speaks to my perfectionism/mild OCD. I’ll make you re-do your trick until you hate me, and check the stove five times before I leave the house. Maybe even double back.

While editing the video did you ever get distracted and go to Pornhub for some procrasturbating?
Na. I only got a smartphone two years ago so Instagram had never had the chance to conflict with my attention level while editing a full video before. That definitely tacked on some time.

If you were given the opportunity to film a porno would you consider?
Straight porno? Nope.

Do you consider where you are from in Westchester to be Upstate New York, or do you tell people you’re from NYC?
I have to be careful how I answer this. People take this topic way too seriously. Westchester is NOT upstate New York. To me, Upstate New York is Poughkeepsie and anything further north. When I Google my routing number they call it “downstate,” so as shitty as that sounds I’ll go with it.

There’s actually some pretty funny memes and maps that cover this too. When people ask where I’m from I try to get away with a simple “New York.” I live in Brooklyn now so it’s usually a five-minute drawn-out explanation. Sometimes I’ll just claim whatever I’m feeling that day.

As a filmer, have you ever been angry enough to snap someone’s board if they weren’t landing the trick?
I’m way too patient. Gift and a curse. We filmed for three years. Way too long, but there are 11 parts in the video including a travel section through Europe, and I did move back into the city and we all started working a lot more, so it makes sense.

Why didn’t you just make a bunch of IGTV videos or something? Do people watch full-lengths anymore?
I don’t know and I’m pretty sure they don’t. We’ll watch it.

What gets you in the mood to edit for long periods of time? Smoking, drinking, watching shitty tv?
I think I edit best when I’m stressed, actually. A looming deadline always gets my wheels turning or if something is going on in my life that’s messing with my emotions. I think the best art in the world originates from stress, whether it’s music, movies, literature or anything. I can’t use that tactically really, but historically I think that’s when I’m most productive. Dirts help too.

How many more full-lengths do you think you got in you? You must be over it by now, no?
I’m duzzed.

Intro & Interview: Larry Lanza
Video by: Mike Sassano
Photos by: Bryan Weis
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