Steve Berra of The Berrics, recently paid tribute to the late Chris Casey, a skateboarding icon and the lively co-host of The Captain and Casey Show. Berra’s tribute beautifully captures their early days, long before they both became prominent figures in the skateboarding world.
Berra Posted:
I met Chris Casey ( @notcaseyagain ) when I was 13 years old. He was in the back parking lot of skate shop in St. Louis Missouri doing streetplants with a guy named Jimmy Coleman (@jcnomadic). I remember it had just rained and the ground was wet and I was there with my best friend, Steve, both of us brand new to skateboarding. Chris and Jimmy, man, they looked they part, they acted the part, they could do all the things the part required like these incredibly cool street plants. I remember Jim’s cheek was slightly bloody from a pimple he was scratching at and Chris was really wiry and skinny and loud and funny. Steve and I sat there in awe in the back of this skate shop called California Dreams which couldn’t have been more apropos considering where all of us ended up. Jimmy Coleman became an announcer for the XGames. Chris came to California, made friends with pretty much everyone who was important to skating the last 40 years with his magnetic personality. He was instrumental in building the shop, Hot Rod, who Jonah Hill basically modeled his skate shop after in his film Mid 90s. He even went on to have his own show on Fuel TV called The Captain and Casey Show. Chris is from my hometown. We grew up alongside one another and I’m very sad to hear of his passing. There will be a summer I will never forget staying at his house when I went back to St Louis to visit after I had moved away. I was a nobody and to me, he was a real skateboarder and was kind enough to let me hang with him. I know he will be missed as all kind, funny and magnetic people are.
As we think about Casey, we can't help but feel his absence deeply. His laughter and positivity will be truly missed, and there will always be a void in our hearts where his spirit used to be.
Casey's legacy will live on in every trick, every laugh, and every ride with friends. Rest in peace, Chris. Your spirit will always be a part of our skateboarding family.