News From Osiris

1. So I know your last video part you filmed for was the pig wood video. How was it different filming for the osiris video compared to that one?

   We actually went on some trips rather then budget ass tum yeto. Beagle was pimp though.

2. What’s up with OB? How was it growing up there, and do you still ever go to the skate park and roll around?

   OB’s illin. Melow little town. You got the beach right there. It’s just a nice place. I’ll always shred the obeezy park. It ain’t as smooth as other parks, but it’s fun. It gets the blood flowin.

3. You’ve just recently turned 21. Did you do anything on your 21st, and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages of being a grown ass man?

   21 shit. It’s goin by fast, but its chillin. The advantages are you can drink some brews and go to bars, but then you gotta snap back in to reality and pay bills and a bunch of bullshit. “Life’s a bitch and then u die.”

   

4. Just saw the new k.O.T.R. Thrasher. Couldn’t stop laughing. So do you always sing karaoke in full cowboy suits or what? What was the funniest part of that trip?

   Shit that’s the new trend these days fool. Shits on fire. It’s good stuff. That was probably funniest part other than that, gotta say the phelper. He’s the illest.

5. What are some of the videos from past and present you are feeling right now? Trilogy’s got to be up there right?

   Always trilogy. Let’s see what else uno was buttery, FTC vids r always sick, and all the girl and choco vids, habitat and alien vids, lakai vid on point, and the neiborhood vids.

6. The couch tour has finally ended for you. It seems like you have a lot of good friends that were looking out. How does it feel to have your own place, and what are your future plans in skating?

   Yeah wouldn’t be here without the homies. Good lookin fellas. I’ll never forget. Holla. But yeah im hyped. I got my own little spot. It’s been too long. I’ve got a couch if any of the homies need it. Future plans, I dont know. Go with the flow. Skate as much as possible. Learn some manuvours, and live life ta the fullest. Ya heard.

7. You’re a traveling man these days. How was going to amsterdam, and do you like traveling over seas?

   Yeah, I’ve been out and about. Im hyped. I get the opportunity to do such things like amsterdamn. If ur a stoner, that’s the spot just to kick it, smoke some herbs, drink some coffee were u get the goods, and then explore all the pimp architecture. Blazed holla, and I do like goin over the sea to see another country. Besides the long ass flights, it all worth it.

   

8. What’s the difference these days in skating for you compared to say 6 years ago when you weren’t sponsored? Has it changed a lot besides the checks and free product?

   Shit, skating then was a lot different. I never cared. I just skated, but now that skatings all big and the whole sponser shit, u gotta film and shoot photos and do a bunch of stuff. I never pictured it in a way that it has become, but im glad i’m involved. I’ve meet a lot of people skating that I probably would never have meet if I didn’t skate, so keep skating kids.

9. Do you like filming or shooting photos better?

   Filming and photos are both frustrating at times, but ur hyped if you get a good clip on film or a photo that looks all steezy. It’s just like an orgasm.

10. Now that you’re done filming for feed the need, what’s the next project that you’re filming for?

    Label son. Sometime next year.

11. Last question brotha. If you had to choose one, would you rather dress up as a cowboy and sing karaoke for a week straight every night, or have to cut your dreads off. Which one would it be?

    Shit, I’ll cowboy steez it all the way. The dreadies have come to far to get chopped up, and if they did get chopped they’d probably get u high. Holla I’m out.

Download

1. Yo Caswell. I know you’ve been in the game for quite a long time now. What was your first real sponsor brotha? Volcom since 1991 or something. I was a little rat that would fly around the skatepark with pads bigger than my limbs. Some of the Volcom guys came to the park and met me and my family, and they decided to give me clothes and have never stopped.

2. When you were younger what skate videos did you grow up watching? Did you have a favorite one? To get this straight, I started skating in 1990, so when I think of being younger and skating, I think of when I was 9 or 10. Back then all I had was some NSA Del Mar contest or Powell Peralta video. I usually opted for the Powell vids.

3. I read your recent Question Authority in the latest Skateboarder. It was a barrel of laughs. You’re talking about the 12-ounce lift and smoke in your lungs. Are you much of a partier, or do you only get loose when the time is right? Man, to tell you the truth, I rarely drink when at home. I like to relax. I mean, I’ll have an occasional drink at dinner or when skating a mini ramp. I smoke all the time though, like it is legal. You can do shit when you are feeling loose, which is to me the most important thing.

4. In Bag of Suck I noticed that you skate every type of terrain, but in the end of your part you smith grinded that beast of a rail. Do you skate big rails often? And what type of mind frame do you have before you try a move like that? Shoot, you gotta want it when doing some big rails. I used to think of an animal like a water buffalo and my favorite skater at the time. Another good thing to do is not think. If you can do that, you are the master of your domain!!!!

5. Enjoi is a lot of peoples favorite company. It looks like a tight group of homies having fun. How do you like skating for them thus far, and what’s the difference between skating for them compared to another board company? It’s pretty much the best thing for me. You have to know what you’re getting into you know? I think you have to mesh well with all of the dudes and like everyone genuinely. No disrespect to the other sponsors I’ve had, but I just didn’t feel close to them. You also gotta want to be a part of what’s going on as well. Like a well-oiled bearing is what kind of relationship you want with a sponsor. Does that even make sense? I’m kinda out of it!

6. Have you ever been to a San Jose Sharks game? Hell Yeah, I took my cousin to see one for a gift. It was ill as fuck! An energy was radiating from the crowd that I can’t even explain.

7. I know you’re filming for a couple of videos right now including our video Feed the Needand The Tilt Mode Vid. Looks like people are going to see a lot of you this year. When you film stuff do you usually plan tricks you’re going to do, or do you just go with the flow? When I plan things, they only turn out about half of the time. I like to just roll with the punches and see what happens.

8. Are you a Coca-Cola dude or a Pepsi guy? Fuck Pepsi!

9. Hypothetically speaking. If you were riding for Osiris during the Storm days and had to room with one of the riders from back then which one would it be? Jerry for sure.

10. I noticed you have a San Jose tattoo. Obviously you have San Jose pride. If you had to relocate to another city and could choose from any city in the world, which would it be and why? Australia seems to come to mind. Somewhere there maybe. They speak English and folks seem to be laid back.

11. If you had to choose one. Would you rather late shuv-it El Toro or go to the dentist for a week? Hahaha, I already done the week at the dentist. I went to the dentist last year something like 12 times. The first time I went in they laid down the law about flossing. I am now addicted to floss! I also used all of my insurance up. Luckily it wasn’t to late for my choppers.

1. You were in Scotland for a bit and now your back in sunny San Diego again. How was it back home, and are you hyped to be back? It’s deffenetly good tay be back mate that’s fur sure, it’s just a whole deffrent way of living back there yay know. The skating over theres so good man theres alota shit tay get intay, but it aint SD mang!!!

2. I see that you got a wheel for Spitfire. Damn that’s sick! Tell us a little bit about your wheel and how that came about? Mate am so stoked on the wheel. It looks great. Those lads at deluxe aint fucking around. Just let me tell yay that much. I like the way av got a black eye that’s SICK. Am fucking hyped on that fur sure!!!!

3. Since I met you 4 years ago skating at the Poway park, how has your life changed since being here in the states? Coung, that session was sick man !!!!!!!!! Wont be forgotten, but mate shits sick now. Av got it some what sorted now. I was sleepn on couches fur way to long dude, but check it, lets go tay Poway this coming week!!!! Hell yeah.

4. I saw the new Creature vid. Pretty epic! I noticed that everyone got some runs in at your local park, Livi. How was it growing up skating Livi? Has skating there helped how you skate today? FUCK YEAH. Its made me exactly wat I am tday. I’m a SLAVE tay the crete, and I fucking love it.

5. Fatherhood. How’s that treating you? Pretty damn good so far mate. It’s a hard day in the Graham crib like that’s sayin the least, but it’s so RAD ad never change it fur the world.

6. I’ve noticed that you listen to a very wide range of music. If you still had your Ipod, and you were about to shred the bridge, what song would you put on first to get you hyped up for the session? That’s way hard tay answer, but am fucking blasting Sabbath right now through these sick ass ear phones a got, Sabbath bloody Sabbath fuckers…

7. Now that you’ve lived here for a bit, what do you think are the differences in growing up in the UK skating opposed to the kids growing up skating down here in sunny California? Yays kin go skate wen ever yay want. Ya jammi cunts. Yays seriously have no idea how lucky yays are!!! Tay wake up Christmas morning fresh Santa setup knowing its like fucking 70 fucking degrees yay shitting me!!!! GOD.

8. You were telling me that you use to skate street quite a bit when you were younger, how often do you street skate these days? Absalutely never. Am way tay big fur that shit man. Ad just die straight off the bat. A get stoked as fuck though wen we aw get in the van and go skate mish. Yay never know man a might hit a rail in AZ cumin up dog DONT TRIP.

9. Are you ever going to go back and conquer the mega ramp launch again? Dude you had it. Seeing that first hand is knar buckles. Its the biggest ramp av ever seen in my life mate, nay shit. The shits MEGA. Danny, Peirre, Jake and T Mag, yays are aw MENTAL !! But ad like tay try again maybe someday It doesn’t scare me. Coung man yay know, it’s aw about knowing yiv got it!!!

10. That story you told me about the dude back home calling you Troy is pretty classic. You got quite a few tats brotha. What was your first one, and how psyched were you when it was finished? Man the first tattoo a got was the Blind reapor guy wen a was 16 , but the troy shits gotta stop man it says SKATE AND DESTROY. Fucking troy yay kiddin me !!!

11. One last question. Name 5 skaters that you’re hyped on from present or past that are influential in your skating. Recently am gettin more hyped on David Gravette AKA baby lamb. Shuriken Shannon of course, the fool so much fun tay cruize wit. Jeff Grosso fur damn sure wen i got tay go on that trip tay Oregan I couldn’t believe a was in the same crew it was TIGHT. I really fucking like Nick Dompiere, that dude shreds. Shit its sick, naver met the guy yet though but al shake that fuckers hand one day. Ok last one MMMM wee BENSON fay Livi skate park Scotland, he’ll be out here soon !!!!! BEWARE HE’S COMING FUCKERS HE’S COMING WITH RATH!!!!!!! peace oot peeps.

1. What is your full name? Mr John R. A. Rattray

2. I know you’re from Scotland. What part of Scotland are you from, and how was it growing up skating there? I grew up in Aberdeen, in the north east of Scotland. Skating there is a fairly harsh affair. Plenty rain, cold and buckled paving slabs. There was an indoor park for a short time in Aberdeen when I fist started and a renegade indoor park or two an hour south in Dundee. At that point Dundee had abandoned buildings that the locals there were motivated enough to take advantage of. The north east of Scotland is reasonably remote. It was a pretty amazing scene.

3. Recently you got 8th in the Tampa Pro Contest. Did you enter a lot of contests in the UK when you were growing up? Not that many.

4. How do you feel about this day and age of skateboarding? It’s pretty wild. Generally I think it’s fantastic or I wouldn’t be bothering.

5. Now that you’re residing in sunny Southern California, what are the pros and cons of living down here? Do you feel like it benefits you as a skater more or less then living in the UK? Well, to a certain extent weather is a matter of the clothes you’re wearing. Skating is globalizing like any other business. The only way up is what the number crunchers are forced into instinctively believing. Fight to survive, dog eats dog in a never ending struggle of handshakes and marketing strategies. Whether geographical location makes any difference to the average skater, possibly. Best thing to do- learn a new move or improve on an old one and enjoy it like you always did. I think that regardless of past choices we are constrained to make the best of the situation we find ourselves in at any given moment. All I know is that I’m having a great time doing what I’m doing with the people I’m doing it with- most of the time.

6. You’ve always have had such a diverse bag of tricks from tech ledge lines to 540’s on Vert. Do you think it matters in this day in age to be Versatile and able to skate everything, or do you think the straight “going for it” method is the way to get it done? I think everyone should just live. Just live. Skate what you want how you want to. That’s the reason we skate isn’t it?

7. Did you grow up skating a local park around your house in Scotland? If so, which one was it and has it helped to make the skater that you are today? Westburn park had a fiberglass mini ramp and a really bad undercover kerb which curved the wrong way. That’s the spot.

8. I remember watching your part in the Blueprint Video “Waiting for the World” and thinking that you were a part of a company that was crossing the European and American boundaries. Are you good friends all of those guys still, and what’s the difference between skating for an American company compared to Blueprint? Still friends. The difference is in the accents and the TV programs people remember from their childhoods. Aside from that people are more or less the same.

9. Who do you think would win in a fight, Sir William Wallace from Brave Heart or Stu Graham? That situation couldn’t happen what with Stewart’s commitment to pacifism. If it did, Stewart might win by blowing Wallace a little kiss thus incapacitating the great man with uncontrollable laughter. That’s my best guess.

10. If you had to choose one quote from a movie, what would it be? We’re all in this together kid.

Mear One Interview

All Photos by Ari Michelson

How did you come up with the name MEAR ONE? The name MEAR ONE represents my state of mind through an acronym “manifest energy and radiate” and the ONE signifies the first to come with this style and message. I see myself as a messenger and a transcriber of psychic imagery.

Where are you from? I was born in Santa Cruz, California and was raised in Los Angeles since age 4.

How did you get into doing your artwork? I was raised by my mother, an artist who taught me how to paint and draw at the young age of 2, which was as soon as I could pick up a pencil and scribe.

How did your collaboration with Osiris Shoes come about? For many years I have stayed focused in my purpose with painting, and it was only recent that a want to work with other people became an importance. I like to work with the best and the level of respect that Osiris showed me was what bridged the collaboration. As an artist, it is hard to step away from the work I have invested in and work on other projects, but when a company like Osiris likes and appreciates what I do, it makes it a true pleasure to work together under these circumstances.

Who are some of your favorite artists who inspire you? My favorite artists are Maxfield Parrish, M.C. Esher, Heronimus Bosch, Frida Kalho, Diego Rivera, David Sequerros, Rick Griffen, and I could go on and on.

What are some of your career highlights as an artist? Traveling to Japan, hanging out on rooftops painting all night, finishing my works every time. Its hard to say what my most memorable moments are, but I am just thankful to be painting and moving through this life with conviction.

Is there a particular influence behind the design of your shoe for Osiris? The art was inspired by the expansion of intelligence and consciousness, basically manifesting the image in the mind.

What is your artistic background? Were you formally trained as an artist? I am basically self-taught and spend every living moment learning from the greatest teacher, mother nature and the great universe that I live within that lives within me.

Do you have a particular style of art that you do? If so, do you have a name for it? I guess you can call me a symbolist, a graff writer, or a conceptualist as I like to define the term, or you may call me a surrealist, but some call me a neo-political-urban-expressionist, ha! I guess for now I call my self the indefinable.

How can people find out more about you and your artwork? You can also check my site.