PART ONE.

I get it. I know how it is. When it comes to name dropping, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to drop a name that no one knows. Does it? It’s like you’re trying to brag about who’s who in your world and the person just looks blankly in your face thinking what an absolute boner you are, and the thing is, that’s the exact opposite reaction you where trying to get. You wanted the person to be thinking what an absolute genius you are and honestly, that’s what its all about. But here’s the next level thought on all that, friends. If I happen to drop a name you don’t know, but it turns out in the end of the conversation that wish you had known this name since cave man times, then THAT my friends is like a name dropping cherry bomb. It’s like a name dropping ice cream Sunday with mad cherries on top. It’s like…. Forget that.
Speaking of cave men. Check this out. Say this next sentence with a cave man accent.
ME WAN FOOD. ME HUNGRY. ME WAN FOOOOOOOOOD!
Now say that same sentence with a Chinese accent.
Why is one racist and the other one isn’t? It’s almost like you’re saying to me, that because you never see Cave people, their feelings don’t exist.
FUCK YOU
GEICO YOU RASIST FUCKERS!

So where was I? Right. Name dropping. You know, I met Jason Lee once. Kindof. Not really. But he skated by me. Him, Dune, and this guy named Greg Hunt.
Greg Hunt is the man. I did meet Greg Hunt once. More than once. I guess I relate with the underdogs of the world. If you’re on a skateboard team with Jason Lee, post video days, you’re already an underdog, but at that time Stereo was peaking out. The ideas were fresh. The art was fresh. The skating was fresh. Ethan Fowler was new and fresher than fresh. And there was Greg Hunt. In the mist of all that, he still had a style all his own, and on top of it all he did was a little thing called being himself, and progressed beyond skating by taking photos. Back then, much like say, Pat O’Dell, or Dan Drehobl, Greg was just kind of everywhere I was.
Greg has once again progressed onto the next level by diving into the filmmaking world of Skateboarding. Alien Workshop, Transworld skateboarding, and DC, to name a few, which of course involves this insane Danny Way video which might be the fuckin sickest fuckin skate video of all time, PERIOD!

Got Greg on skype right now. At least I hope it’s him and not this guy!

Ps. Jason Dill used to give me free drinks at the Hole when I lived in NYC. Just needed to drop that in there.

PART TWO. INTERVIEW.

ME:::

You there? It’s Beaver.

Time to make the doughnuts!

Greg Hunt:::::

Ha! Yeah. What up Beaver?!!

ME::::

WHAT UPPP?

Greg Hunt:::

Not much just sitting at home listening to the birds and the cars drive by..

ME:::

Birds drive by?

That’s some LA shit!

Greg Hunt:::

Funny I always say “time to make the doughnuts” on tour in the morning and I don’t think anyone gets it… they are all to young!!

ME:::

Shit man, Don’t remind me.

suddenly I’m the old weird guy at the skate spot having more fun than anyone else

but my rail slides are on fire!

Greg Hunt::::

nice! yeah I’ve been railsliding all over the place lately… it’s easy to balance!

ME::::

so there I am in aw of the great Danny Way not just jumping some massive mega gap, but grinding, and sliding some insane curved mega rail, and who’s name pops up at the end, but yours.

how did that happen?

Greg Hunt:::

I worked for DC. They hired me to make their video in 2001. We finished it in 2003. That was for the deluxe edition they released in 2004. That was amazing to witness and awesome to be a part of. The whole thing was kind of surreal.

ME:::

Did you have any say in anything with the shooting or where you just there as a cameraman? Either way, must have been fun to watch.

Greg Hunt::::

No I shot mostly everything and edited it as well. Rented the cameras, crane, etc. I had my own 80 foot crane for six weeks it was awesome.

ME:::

When did cranes become a standard in skate filming? the new videos are insanity.

Greg Hunt::::

The one I used what the kind with 4×4 wheels and the basket up top that you stand in… like they kind they use to fix power lines. I could drive the crane around while up in the basket with the camera. I don’t think anyone else uses those… it’s kind of expensive and sketchy! I’ve never used the smaller camera cranes, although they have become popular. Ty Evans sparked that off I think… I’d like to try one, but I’m limited in the amount of stuff I can transport around..

ME:::

when did you start filming? I remeber you always had a photo camera, but where you also filming around the first stereo film time?

Greg Hunt::::

Yeah I started shooting photos. I lived with Gabe Morford and we had a darkroom. Then during the first Stereo video, A Visual Sound, I shot a little super-8 and sat in on some of the edit. That was my introduction to that whole side of things. Then I got more into it and for the second Stereo video, Tincan Folklore, I shot a bunch of super-8 and edited my part. But I never really thought of it as something I’d pursue in the future. I just liked doing it. But then slowly after that I got into cinematography and the idea of shooting 16mm. So I hit up Transworld because they had a lot of 16mm in their videos. I figured they’d give me some film if I offered to shoot some of the skaters in SF. I’d never shot skating but they were down! Then, right away I got super into that, as well as working as an assistant on movies and documentaries and within a couple years I was in LA working for Transworld making their videos. A crash course kind of deal.

ME::::

Didn’t one of the Mcgraths shoot the first stereo video? Do you know a guy named Tony that hung out with the Mcgraths and Barker Barrett, and those guys? He gave me my super 8, I still have it.

Greg Hunt:::

Mat McGrath filmed a lot of the skating and super 8 in the second video. Tobin Yelland and Jason Lee shot a lot of the first one. Yeah that was probably Tony Cox! He skated with them all the time. He also shoots photos so it’s probably him.

ME:::

YEEEEEEES. Toni Cox! You’re doing all the Alien Workshop stuff?

Greg Hunt:::

I’m not doing as much Workshop stuff since the video was finished. Recently I’ve been working with Vans.

ME::::

cool, send me a pair of half cabs! Do you feel any pressure to “progress” considering it’s been almost 10 years since the first stereo video and even longer since the first Alien video introduced us to “Arty skate films?”

Greg Hunt::::::

16 years since the first Stereo video! Yeah I do feel pressure to progress. But I mostly put that on myself. But it’s not really a technical progression I’m working for, it’s more of an overall progression… like I just want to learn and do new things.

ME:::::

I’m learning animation, what’s your new thing?

Greg Hunt:::::

Lately I’ve just been getting up to speed technically on cameras and post production. Nothing too exciting… just trying to get everything dialed before I get deep into another project. Trying to shoot a lot and get a feel of how I want things to look. I also really want to make a book, so I’ve been starting on that.

ME:::::

My hero is The Gonz, not just because of his skating, but because of his guts to do whatever he feels like, whenever. Who’s your hero?

Greg Hunt::::

I don’t know if I have a hero. Maybe I need one. For sure when I was a kid Gonz was one of them. Different people inspire me in different ways… some are friends who are just themselves and some are creative people I don’t know or hardly know. Music, photos, film, welfare of the world… there’s a lot of people out there doing amazing work.

ME::::

Yeah, like the mega ramp video. Did you get to give the mega ramp a try?

Greg Hunt::::

I rolled down it and did a kickturn on the quarterpipe. It was 23 feet tall! Maybe 27 feet… can’t remember.

ME::::

but didn’t jump the gap?

Greg Hunt::::

No way!!

ME::::

I had a dream Danny Way offered me 1 million dollars if I could land 1st try over the gap. What are my odds?

Greg Hunt::::

SLIM!!!

But not impossible!

ME:::::

Is Danny Way and amazing athlete, a robot, or a spoiled little punk who hates to lose?

Greg Hunt:::

He is an amazing athlete. Definitely not spoiled or little! He’s by far the gnarliest human I’ve ever known. On a completely other level. He has total control over his biggest fears.

ME::::

What drives him to do that shit? Not money.

Greg Hunt::::

Yeah, not money. He needs to always push the limits. He also wants to take skateboarding to another level.

ME:::

I remember when Jason Lee quit skateboarding to become an actor. I felt like the skateboard world was like, YEAH RIGHT. What where you thinking?

Greg Hunt:::

I respected his decision at the time because he really loved acting and he didn’t want to milk skateboarding. He respected it too much, if that makes sense.

ME::::

Did you think he would find the success he found? You still talk to him?

Greg Hunt::::

Yeah I definitely thought he was gonna go big. He was super talented and funny. I don’t talk to him much. Every once and a while.

He shoots good photos.

ME:::::

He rocks a nice mustache as well. Ok, gotta get off to the studio. Still on my quest to get songs in skate videos. last question…..

In 6 words or less, what’s the meaning of life.

Greg Hunt::::

Be good to yourself and others.