Kyron Davis #nolongerawasteman Interview
Kyron Davis Ph. Nikwen
One of the most important, but often overlooked, aspects in skateboarding is the relationship between the skateboarder and their filmer. I almost think labelling someone ‘the filmer’ is sort of a derogatory term, because that person holding the camera is so much more than just that: not only does he point the camera for hours at you, he’s a great friend, he knows your ins and outs, your abilities, he motivates you, he picks you up when you’re down, he skates with you and he accompanies you around the globe. Skateboarders are eternally indebted to the people that spend time filming them. What would Tom Knox be without Jacob Harris? Or would everyone know who Leo Valls was without Yoan Taillandier?
For the past ten months Will Miles has joined Kyron Davis gallivanting around in various countries to film a new part for Ky. With his wasteman days behind him (maybe) Kyron has finally pulled his finger out and filmed a full section whilst knocking out some photos for this interview. We spoke to Kyron and Will about their journey along the way.
Interview by Will Harmon
Kyron, how did you and Will meet? Can you remember?
Kyron Davis: I can’t really remember the first time, but I know we had mutual friends who’d go out and skate so through that we kind of met each other and that’s when the relationship started. (Laughs)
Will Miles: It was probably some stinkin’ uni night in Dalston at The Nest or somewhere like that.
Will, you haven’t been filming for that long have you? When/how did you get into it and would you ever consider it as a full time job?
WM: Actually I started just because a load of us went on a trip to New York. I did digital media at university so I had learned how to use cameras and we borrowed the Parlour (Skate store) VX for that trip. And so I got really into it then and when I came back Ben Raemers was selling a VX, the whole thing, with a bag, lens and everything for like 250 quid. So I bought that off of him when I got back.
Backside flip in Lyon. Ph. Nikwen
And how long ago was this?
WM: This was about two and a half years ago. And then pretty much the first month of having that camera Ky got asked to do a Grey part and Ky asked me to film it and I did that. And now I’ve quit my job this month as I’m going to work on a thing with Grey and Nike.
This section to accompany this interview was initially supposed to be for Will’s video right? Can you tell us what’s going on with that and why this part ended up coming out separately?
KD: I think it was because after the Gypsy Life video, Jérémie (Daclin) wanted me to get a full part. He was like: ‘just take your finger out your arse! Get a full one out; that would be good.’ So that’s basically the main reason. And then Will is putting out his video as well so we thought I could just do two parts.
Two parts, sick! So most of the photos from this interview are from Lyon, but where else did you guys go to film this part?
WM: So we went to Paris, New York, Barcelona and Lyon.
Do you guys have a favourite location?
WM: I actually enjoyed Lyon the most because it’s a small city and it’s so easy to get around and there wasn’t too many people that we went out with. That was the most enjoyable for me.
KD: New York was amazing for me just because I’ve never been before. You hear so many fun stories out of there and skating there just seems really fun. But probably my favourite trip would have to be Barcelona. We went with the Skateboard Café dudes and they are just like the funniest people on earth. It was good to crend a little bit and skate, but be just as productive. Drink loads of mojitos and skate loads!
Any good stories from the missions abroad?
KD: New York was fun because of Jordan.
WM: Yeah each day we were in NYC we’d end up meeting up with Jordan Trahan and he’d show us around all day.
KD: He didn’t even need to, but he was just being the biggest help ever. He took us to the best, cheapest bars.
WM: Yeah he knew all the happy-hour spots and Ky and I would just end up being fucked by 9:30pm. I remember we were skating and going over the Williamsburg Bridge, from Manhattan to Brooklyn, and Ky had never done it before. So we were drunk as hell skating across it and I see Ky fly past me switch just taking the whole thing…
Aren’t there big cracks on that thing?
WM: Yeah there’s cracks all over it and he had no idea and I was just like ‘that’s it, there’s no way he’s making it!’ So he’s wobbling like hell and somehow he just came out the other end!
KD: You seen that Marius (Syvanen) crazy switch wobble thing?
Yeah, but 95% of the time when you get those wobbles you go down.
WM: Yeah I have no idea how Ky made it. There were cracks too and he had to lift up each one.
Tre flip in Lyon. Ph. Nikwen
Incredible! So when discussing potential titles for this interview/video part, one of your team managers suggested: #nolongerawasteman. What do you think he is referring to? Missing flights? Excessive partying? Do you know who said that?
KD: I think whoever said that, they are definitely out of their minds. That’s not really me; I’m not a wasteman. I haven’t missed a flight for at least a year so…
WM: He’s not that much better. (Laughs) Weirdly last week I moved a chair in Lyon that apparently had been in the same place for the last eight months because there was an iPhone underneath it. No one else’s iPhone, nobody else was there. So I charged it up, guessed the password in 1-2-3-4, and Kyron was like: ‘There’s no way this is my iPhone. Not a chance.’ There was nothing on it at all apart from a photo of how to get to Luton airport to Harrow (where Kyron’s from).
(Everyone laughs)
WM: Which means, eight months ago he got it, lost it that same day…
You couldn’t even remember having that phone because you had it for such a short amount of time…
KD: Yeah exactly, I completely forgot about it. I was so stoked because I didn’t even have a phone and I do now. I got it in my pocket.
(Everyone laughs again)
From the outside it seems like you (Kyron) can skate just as well, if not better on a hangover. Is this actually the case or does your partying get in the way of skating? I want Will and Kyron’s answer to this…
WM: Weirdly enough he can skate better on a hangover, but actually stopping him from being awake until seven in the morning and him actually coming out is the harder part. So if you can get him drunk ‘til about two or three and then he goes to sleep, the next day he’s gonna be fantastic. If not, there’s no chance, because he’ll just be up all night. And the likeness that he or his girlfriend will have their phone on is zilch.
Okay Kyron what’s your story?
KD: I think I can definitely skate better when I’m not on a hangover.
How often is that?
KD: Nine times out of ten I’d say. But yeah it’s definitely a lot easier to skate when you’re not hungover. Well recently… All right so Lyon we all skated and none of us went out. And we all skated better.
So #nolongerawasteman?
KD: Yeah that’s almost perfect. Maybe we should call the video that. #nolongerawasteman2016
WM: New Year, new you.
KD: Yeah exactly.
Heelflip in Lyon. Ph. Nikwen
Kyron I feel like I’ve heard your dad used to skate… Didn’t he used to bring you down to Bay Sixty6 (London skatepark)?
KD: Yeah he used to work there for a bit. He didn’t want me skating at first because he was very protective and didn’t want me to get hurt. But he had two jobs, so when he went away I’d skate outside the house. And eventually he saw me skating, he caught me, and then he decided ‘ah I gotta take him skating now’. He couldn’t not take me skating.
And why did you start? Because you saw him do it?
KD: Yeah I saw him do it. He stopped for ages when I was born and when I was a kid and one day we were in a Teletubby Park in Ladbroke Grove, and then you know those super cars, those remote controlled cars?
Yes.
KD: So my dad and I were playing with that and there were a couple of skateboarders there as well. So we kind of like exchanged the remote controlled car for the a skateboard. And that’s how my dad started up again and that’s how I started to want to get into it.
So does this make your parents more supportive of your skateboarding now?
KD: Oh yes definitely… They’ve been the most supportive ever since I can remember. My mum would spend countless hours outside skateparks waiting for me and taking me places. They’ve always been really supportive, all of my family. So big up mum, big up dad by the way!
OK Kyron you gotta tell us what happened the other day… I heard you sacked on a handrail pretty bad?
KD: OK so we were skating this spot right by Big Ben, it was a war museum of some sorts. It was a flat handicap rail and everyone just got really excited skating it because it was so perfect. So I tried to do a back lip and I landed it kind of sketchy and then I was like: ‘fuck it, I’m gonna try it again. This is so fun!’ So I went for it again and I must have been a bit cocky, because I didn’t pop it high enough, and I sacked the rail super-hard. It basically hit everything at the same time: I fucked the side of my leg, my groin, my ball bag, my gooch and my arsehole all at the same time. And then instantly I turned around and I kinda smiled, because I knew Will had filmed it, but right then the pain started to get me. I started screaming, I was nearly in tears and I just completely fucked myself. It took me like 40 minutes to even do anything; I couldn’t walk, so I just had to get an Uber straight back home.
Yeah and then when you got back home you thought you’d just ride it out and heal up slowly right?
KD: I thought it’d be chill; my dick was just a bit swollen. I thought it would just get better on its own. So I ended up waiting for about a week and then Arthur (Derrien) heard what had happened to me, and I think the same thing had happened to him, he basically had a hard-on for a week. (Laughs) So he got in touch with me and Will and all my mates pleaded for me to go to the hospital. They were like: ‘You have to go to the hospital tonight!’
Frontside bluntslide to fakie in Almeria. Ph. Marcel Veldman
And did you?
KD: It took a lot of convincing, but I finally went in at like ten o’clock that night and they kept me overnight because they thought it was an emergency. It’s called high flow priapism. So the doctor had a little look at it; he was squeezing it and flicking it…
What your dick?!
KD: Yeah! He just kept feeling it up! So they said it was pretty urgent and I ended up staying in the hospital for three nights. So when I was in there I went for a scan and they had to put a needle through the side of my dick!
Oooof!
KD: Yeah it went in and they contracted some blood. It was the most fucked up thing because I could see it all happening.
What they didn’t give you anaesthesia or anything?
KD: No they just did it raw man!
Did it hurt?
KD: It fucking killed! It was the worse thing ever. My girlfriend was next to me and I was squeezing her hand like I was giving birth. I was just screaming!
No way!
KD: Basically there was loads of blood, because the arteries pumped right to it, but it was malfunctioning so they didn’t know what to do. So they had to make sure that the blood getting pumped wasn’t toxic blood. But then they found out it wasn’t toxic, so they let me go. But I might have to go back and get an operation soon.
Really?
KD: Yeah I go back for an appointment on Wednesday to see. But the hard-on has gone down; it’s not erect anymore.
Switch crooks popping in straight in Lyon. Ph. Nikwen
So basically Arthur saved your dick?
KD: Yeah. The swelling has gone down loads, but it’s still a little bit thick. But it’s all good you know.
So can you skate again now?
KD: Yeah I’m actually going to go skate around now. The doctor told me it would be good to be more active. I’m trying not to do any nollie heels though ‘cause I always balls myself a lot on this trick. Any trick that there’s any possibility that I can hit my balls again then I’m not going to do it. And also I’m getting a cup! You know what cricket players wear?
Yeah! You are going to wear one of those?
KD: Yeah I’m going to look into it man. It’s been the scariest week I think I’ve ever had ever.
So what will this mean after this? No more handrails? No more back lips?
KD: Maybe not do back lips ever again yeah. That’s the plan of action.
Wow what a gnarly ordeal. OK so Arthur said he remembered you saying you wanted to start a course to have a backup plan after skating? Is this true?
KD: I was in a plumbing apprenticeship in college. That’s when the Nike deal came along and they said they wanted to support me, so I decided to stop with the plumbing midway through the course.
WM: But you got the framing business now…
KD: Yeah me and my mum and dad bought loads of framing equipment from a friend who was retiring. So basically at my mum’s house we got loads of framing equipment for picture framing so I’m trying to get into that. I’m trying to learn… Well I haven’t started any of it yet, because I’ve been super-busy with everything, but as soon as I’m a little bit free that’s what I’m trying to look into doing. Let’s say tomorrow if I break my leg, I’ve got nothing… No grades…
Have the Cliché guys ever talked about turning you pro? Has there been any talk of that?
KD: Not really. The only talk has been Al (Boglio) telling me to pull my finger out my arse, but that’s about it. No pro talk.
Well coming out with these two video parts, an interview in Free, stuff in Grey, it’s a step in the right direction…
WM: It’s a start.
KD: Yeah it’s a start, a very small start.
Frontside wallride in Lyon. Ph. Nikwen
