If you are a 100% skateboarder you will emulate the tricks that you have done in the past to a greater degree of your ability - replicating your favorite skaters' style, attitude and even how they live. Once in our lifetime, we try to find and cultivate our favorite skater's true authenticity. Sexy Jay is one of the rad skateboarders in the Philippines that is true to himself while skateboarding trends have been around - he never changed his dress code ever since we met him.
Please enjoy this Q and A
You've been going outside the country lately, can you please tell us more about your journey? is it about work?
I was just visiting one of my siblings, I was also looking for a part-time job there for additional income. Then I skated as well and unfortunately, I wasn't able to shred too much because it was really cold [laughs].
How do you manage work and skateboarding because when you're younger you have all the time right?
It was really difficult to work and skate at the same time but before I usually skate every day and everywhere whenever we see some spots. What I do now is after I groom clients at work I skate in Mendiola because it's near my workplace, so yeah there's still a skate spot whenever I can skate. And on my rest day, I skate the streets with the Novaliches homies.
How did you get into skateboarding?
There was a skate contest in X Games that I've watched but I'm not sure then I saw someone holding a skateboard in my neighborhood and I was like that's cool, after that I looked for a board.
"COREY DUFFEL AND I WERE VERY CLOSE AS IN SUPER HE IS LIKE MY FRIEND AND WE USED TO CHAT A LOT ON INSTAGRAM."
How long have you been skating and is Corey Duffel your first idol when you were starting to skate? Did you already wear the same outfit?
I guess I've been skating now for 16 years. Well before Duffel was not my idol yet when I was starting to shred and I didn't have someone that I looked up to, then when I watched the "That's life" skate video of Foundation and saw Duffel that's the time I started to skate and dressed like him.
What was the 1st skate video that you have watched? Was it already Foundation?
Yeah, that was the first skate video I have watched.
How did you feel when your hero left Foundation?
I was still happy for him when he left and I know that he made the right decision.
You are very close with the Duffman, did you already know that he quit his primary sponsor before he posted it on social media?
Corey Duffel and I were very close as in super he is like my friend and we used to chat a lot on Instagram. The only time I knew about it is when he posted it on social media.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1WjMfVAb0K/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
When did you realize that you wanted to be like him?
After I watched his part on "That's life" 2006.
Let's talk about non-skateboarding, how long have you been a barber?
I've been a barber for 3 years now.
"IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO CUT HAIR I WILL BE THE ONE WHO WILL TEACH YOU FOR FREE. HIGH FIVE!"
How long is the training before you cut a client's hair?
It actually depends on the shop you want to work for coz there's training, some owners if they see that you have potential or realize that you know how to groom clients hair like 3 days then you can start as a regular barber, but there are other barbershops that hire an apprentice with 0 knowledge, that's a long process though.
Did Heavyhands ask you to be their barber?
Umm well, the owner just saw me on Instagram. I actually follow their account and sometimes I put comments about their cut on their page, then all of a sudden I got a message from Kuya Mak Azores who is the owner of Heavyhands and said that I should be an apprentice for their shop. After that, I was cutting hair.
As a skateboarder is it easy to get along with your clients because skateboarding makes you meet a lot of people.
Yeah
Do you have any advice to the younger generation about skateboarding and if they have a passion for barbering as a career what would it be?
To all the younger skaters, just skate all the time if you have a free time but never neglect school and study hard, and if you want to know how to cut hair I will be the one who will teach you for free. High five!
What kind of music do you like because Correy Duffel is more into punk rock?
Punkrock, new-wave, post-punk, rockabilly
"JERWIN "SPANKY" SANTOS' PART IS MY FAVORITE, HE IS REALLY CREATIVE, THE STYLE, AND HIS SOUNDTRACK IS FUNNY AND AWESOME."
How about your own music, can you please explain more on how you manage to work on it and who produced it?
Umm the first song I composed is the "Bolero lang sila" Eyedress and I are on that track, he produced all of it, and the "Mahirap magisa" it's on Soundcloud, he also produced it which is also our own project, now I composed my own songs using my phone DIY style. The work that I put out is "Sunog" and "Zombie" you can listen to it on Youtube.
Is Thank you Clothing your own brand?
Yeah it started in 2014
Let's go back to skateboarding, what is the meaning of Extra Gravy in your own words?
For me, it's like a strange trick in a good way that someone can do and think of if you skate.
What is your favorite part of the video and why?
Jerwin "Spanky" Santos' part is my favorite, he is really creative, the style, and his soundtrack is funny and awesome.
How about your part, rate it 1 - 10 and why?
Probably 5 because I wasn't able to fully forced the tricks that I wanted but the excitement is still there [laughs].
Any shout outs?
Thank you for this interview this is fun, I would like to give a shout out to all the skaters in the Philippines. Highfive to everyone and always good vibes wherever or whenever we see each other, peace! Highfive to all of you and Mabuhay!