Anthony Van Engelen. AVE. The dude needs no introduction. He’s one of the most influential skateboarders of all time and has inspired countless generations. He’s always let his skating do the talking, which also means he’s always been a little mysterious, you know? No gimmicks. No nonsense. Just skateboarding.
But in the latest episode of the Beyond Boards podcast, AVE cracks that shell just a little—actually, quite a bit—and gives us such an awesome look into his life, career, family and everything in between. Say what you want, but skateboarding would not be the same without dudes like Anthony. And for that, we’re thankful. Press play:
The interview is rad for a million reasons—I mean, just hearing AVE talk this much is an absolute treat—but the list of radical humans that sent in questions for him is really the icing on the cake.
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Related: Vans Drops the AVE 2.0 in Gold – A Fresh Take on Their ‘Most Advanced Skate Shoe Ever’
Here are some of the legends and industry big dawgs who sent in questions: Gonz, Rowley, Jaime Owens, Miki Vuckovich, Lance Dawes, Aaron Meza, Fred Gall, Ray Barbee, Grant Taylor, Jacob Rosenberg and seriously so many more. Including his daughter, who opens the interview, his step-dad, and again, plenty more.
I don’t want to spoil too much, but they talk about him growing up in Southern California and getting his first board in the late ‘80s, to living in Russia for a few months in the mid-’90s (which not a lot of people knew about), to eventually riding for Alien Workshop for 15 years. And then of course they talk FA, being a dad, injuries, sobriety—it’s stacked.
Related: Anthony Van Engelen and Jason Dill | Feedback
It’s also such a treat to see how genuinely stoked AVE is to not only answer some of these questions, but hear from friends past and present who have been along on this crazy ride with him all these years. Okay, I’m done, though. You really just have to listen to it.
And since you’re here, you pretty much have to revisit his and Dill’s classic part from the iconic TWS video Feedback (tap the post above) because, well, why wouldn’t you? AVE is one of a kind, and interviews like this just make you appreciate the dude even more.
Thanks for everything, AVE—and thanks for still keeping it raw and real after all these years.
