#222 - Darren (Rudolph) Stapleton: Ho Ho's and Guitar Picks.

The one and only Darren (Rudolph) Stapleton joins myself, and this week's co-host, Ti Coleing for an in-depth exchange about his life so far. A trailblazer of the street skating scene from the late 80s, Darren unpacks his journey from Ho Ho's to guitar riffs, and what it was like to witness the cultural revolution that propelled street skating into the spotlight in the early 90s. Darren outlines his musical endeavours, the evolution of skate tricks, from Saran Wraps, to 360 Judo Airs over the island at Allawah bowl, and how these feats may (or may not have) shaped Australian skateboarding culture.

It's a heart-to-heart conversation that digs deep into Darren's upbringing, the familial challenges that shaped him, and the undeniable synergy between his twin loves: skateboarding and music.

As we wrap things up reflecting on the profound impacts of personal health scares, the push towards sobriety, and the transformation of lifestyles in our community. Ti's Coleing's recent brush with a life-threatening medical emergency steers the conversation towards the significance of health, prompting us to consider the long-term ramifications of our choices. Throughout the episode, we contemplate success, tackle the effects of bullying, and muse on the legacies we aspire to leave—whether it's through the legacy of skateboarding or the harmonious chords of a well-loved tune. With nods to skate legends and musical maestros, this episode is a tribute to the passions that drive us and the tales that bind us...

Enjoy,
Shan

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Transcript

Shannon: 0:23

Hey, it's Shan here. This week I speak with Darren Rudolph Stapleton. Darren was one of the OG Sydney kind of street skaters back in the late 80s At a time when Vert reigned supreme. Darren was kind of on the forefront of like the jump ramp era and skating in new skate parks like Allerwood Bowl for example, but he was in the streets and on mini ramps and other things like that. So he was a rare talent and it was very obvious and he picked up some pretty major sponsors direct from America. So he was on direct sponsorship with Venture Trucks, for example, and back in the day that was like a huge deal. So it's a good history lesson for any newer skaters that are not familiar with Darren.

Shannon: 1:07

Darren is also a musician and we talk about that journey and it was just a really great day, like we recorded at his apartment in Sydney but hanging out with him and his partner prior to the recording and then afterwards. It was just such a gift and so nice and I actually wish I could have recorded some of our conversations because we really did go deep on a few things, and that we're joined by Ty Colling this week past guest Bondi Legend. Mr Nice Guy sits in, adds his two cents. It's always a pleasure hanging out with Ty and after the episode we all went for a big walk into Sydney Park and watched the Birdhouse team do a demo and we got to see Tony Hawkskate who knows, might be the last time we see the Birdman do his thing at 55 years of age. It was pretty inspiring. So I hope you enjoy getting to know Mr Darren Stapleton, aka Rudolph. What did the name or nickname Rudolph come?

Shannon: 2:23

from that came from Ben Crawford at Kentfield.

Darren Stapleton: 2:34

They were Stoners and we were just skating and then they came out from having a session, I think, in the toilets, and then it was nose is red in the summer and it's Rudolph, and then it just started and that was it.

Shannon: 2:50

And then you were really good at ho-hos. I suppose it didn't come from that.

Darren Stapleton: 2:54

No, it wasn't. Actually Ty's laughing. What's so funny, ty? That's a good implication being upside down.

Shannon: 2:58

I'd go into your head. I guess I never thought about it. Tell me, James.

Ti Coleing: 3:00

How do you reflect on those days?

Shannon: 3:07

At Kentfield Alibol. That's where it started man, it was awesome.

Darren Stapleton: 3:15

I'll never forget those days. So met some great friends and learned a lot, and my introduction to skateboarding was future primitive video. I remember my brother bought it home from school and my brother and sister had watched it. And then I got home and they said you love skateboarding? And said you want to get a skateboard and stuff and you should see the way these guys train, because they showed how they train and they got their fingerboards out. I'm going oh really, oh well, I'd like to see this. I watched that and it just blew me away. And then got the first board, which was an Aussie skateboard. I'm waiting $60 off like a complete man, let's talk years.

Shannon: 4:00

Give me a year. We're talking 80, 86.

Darren Stapleton: 4:04

Yeah, probably 86, 86 because I would have been in year six, so going into high school, year seven. I think Kentfield maybe opened around maybe 87. Council bowl, so they just dig a hole and fill a kinks.

Shannon: 4:24

Had you ever seen anything like that?

Darren Stapleton: 4:27

No, my pleasure.

Shannon: 4:29

Describe your initial feeling when you see that's jock shot.

Darren Stapleton: 4:33

I remember skating down to when I was finally finished and someone skating in front of you to go to it, and I saw them from probably about 200 metres away and they got on and just zinged out and lead right out out and slammed hard and I was like, oh fuck. So then I got on there and then I did the same thing and it was covered in wax or oil or something because I needed to set the concrete or something we didn't know. There was nothing around it to stop people going on it. So it was like then people were there trying to dry it off and stuff and we just had to wait. But then once it opened it was just packed and people were coming from everywhere and that was our local.

Darren Stapleton: 5:09

So I used to probably me and spin Dave Bodner. We used to hang together all the time just skating there and skating the schools around there and the streets and that's yeah, that's where it all started. Where were you living? I was living around there, so Carlton, alliwa Herzfor. Mum and Dad didn't own a place so they were kind of renting and just living wherever we could at the time. So it was kind of in the vicinity, moved around a lot, yeah.

Shannon: 5:37

Yeah, like that suburb from my Memory. I used to catch the train up from Nara and then would skate from Herzvill Transition.

Darren Stapleton: 5:46

Yeah, or Alliwa.

Shannon: 5:47

Well, alliwa was closer, but most people sometimes get off at Herzvill, but I always remember feeling we were scared we're going to get beat up. Yeah right, did you have any experiences?

Darren Stapleton: 5:56

like that no, never there, I think, because I was local, so we were there with everyone and hanging out with the older guys. And you know, and that's how you progress, I think when you're younger and you're just skating with older guys all the time and you see what they do and you just don't think anything else thing, I can do that too, so your parents moved around a lot because they were renting was.

Shannon: 6:17

Was it difficult financially for them?

Darren Stapleton: 6:19

I think. So I didn't really know because I was a kid. So I kind of realised a bit more maybe when I went to high school because I'd see other kids, you know bigger houses and better cars and stuff, but I mean, never didn't matter. It was just kind of like we did our thing and that was it. Have you got good memories of your home wife as a kid? Kind of yeah, kind of I guess you know that was an alcoholic and not really much involved, but he did.

Darren Stapleton: 6:49

You know, I was before skating, I was into, I played footy. So I played footy for years and years and played raps and did all that kind of stuff and then so he would take me to all the footy games and training and stuff. And then after that I kind of I just like started getting a skateboard and he was like, yeah, I don't know if I want to play footy anymore, I think I just want to skate. And I was never big. So everyone just started growing getting bigger and I wasn't, and so it's good. And then I'd have like scape some of the knees and everything and I'd come off in the footy getting tackled and I was like, yeah, I think I just want to skate, so I stopped playing. How?

Shannon: 7:22

is this so many people? Yeah, did you play team sports? I don't think I ever actually that.

Ti Coleing: 7:27

Not, not probably as such, just at school and you know school sport or whatever, but I never really got into anything. I think I did a season of soccer when I was super young yeah, that was about it at Queens Park and did a team thing, but yeah, that didn't last for that long.

Darren Stapleton: 7:45

I'm not sure why. I did one season of cricket and hated it and mum said you got to finish. You've started, you got to finish like oh man, get me out of here.

Ti Coleing: 7:54

That's a good mentality to have though.

Shannon: 7:55

Yeah, start to try, and create some discipline. Yeah, correct. Wow, that's a good value.

Darren Stapleton: 8:00

Yeah, I try and do that to my daughter now. It's too interesting. Yeah, it's stuck with you. Yeah, just yeah, stick it out. Did you have a?

Shannon: 8:08

good relationship with your mum. Yeah, great relationship.

Darren Stapleton: 8:10

Still chat all the time, yeah and you with your dad a bit. Dad passed about nine years ago now, so never had a good relationship with him, never close, yeah.

Shannon: 8:19

I don't want to start too deep too early, but I'm going to. What was the knock-on effect of that in your adult wife? I never knew until now, until being with my current partner.

Darren Stapleton: 8:33

So, yeah, you just get on with life. I think, as we were talking about before, you don't realize you've got triggers and stuff and where they come from, until maybe people can point them out some sort of way.

Shannon: 8:50

Did you have a desire to have a strong relationship with him? I?

Darren Stapleton: 8:53

would like to. Yeah, like I remember seeing mates with their dads and seeing what they had was like I don't remember what dad gave me any advice on anything or I had just having a conversation with me about anything. Like it was just kind of he did his thing and we were kind of doing our thing, but you know he did, I suppose you know, he built me a lot of.

Darren Stapleton: 9:15

He built me just he was a carpenter so he built me a jump ramp and a fun box and a rail and stuff like that. So that was pretty cool, nice. But I remember kind of like getting home from school and then making something quickly. He'd be coming home probably like 4.30 from work and I'll be like I've got to get out of the house before he gets here and I'd just get my skateboard and go on, go jump the back fence into the school and just go.

Shannon: 9:39

Wow, could you and Ty mentioned this earlier. You were very much in the jump ramp era, yeah, so. So what would you say your go-to jump ramp trick was? Can you remember?

Darren Stapleton: 9:52

Well, I guess I used to progress. Like you know, you do something, then you want to do it 180, then you want to do a 360, and then it could be. You know I love body wraps and saran wraps and stuff, so then it would be like doing a body wrap, then it'd be okay.

Shannon: 10:07

Doing a body wrap 180, then it'd be like a saran, then a saran wrap 360 and I have memories of you doing saran wraps of a jump ramp in the car park of Kmart in Nara at a skate comp and I said this and you're the first person I seen do that and I was just like what? And also the whatever.

Ti Coleing: 10:28

It is a hail mary front side bone, like on the flat ground, like that was like being planted by that backside bone was the same friend, the needle of straight and jumping through your legs, like through your hand in your foot.

Darren Stapleton: 10:40

Yeah, yeah and that's the kind of stuff you take to ramps and stuff, mini ramps and all that, but that was groundbreaking back then, like in terms of context that's what's so cool about skating back then no internet, so you never knew what was going on. You could go from place to place and you see what they're doing and someone else. To see what someone else is doing.

Darren Stapleton: 11:01

It's like wow, look at this did you have a moment where you realize like hey, I'm pretty good at skating no, I really just did it just like I think, as we're the same before, I've always just thought of myself as a part-time skater. I love it, I love the sport. Still, yeah, I've totally, yeah, part-time, yeah. And even when you were sponsored, uh, when I was sponsored I was kind of doing it a lot more, but I still wasn't getting on the board as much as a lot of other people would be doing other stuff and still skating, obviously, but not as, not just not as much yeah, what other stuff were you doing?

Darren Stapleton: 11:34

so, yeah, I was into music, got right into music. So I was just doing love playing guitar at the time so then started bands and writing music and skating. And music is similar to me in terms of creativity and there's no rules, you know what I mean. You can write music and, uh, you can in any kind of way, you can skate in any kind of way and it's a bit of a social thing for me. Like, I love being together with mates and skating. I love being with mates writing music and jamming. So I didn't skate that much on my own, I just skated a little bit just out the front and whatever on my own or in the school when I lived, like behind me, um, but it was more about getting together with mates and skating and same thing with music getting together with mates and creating music. Nice, and to desire to progress. Yeah, I love progressing, of course.

Shannon: 12:26

Even Tim easy.

Darren Stapleton: 12:28

Yeah, yeah, anything. I guess it's just human nature. I think a lot of times. But later on, when I kind of probably like early to mid 90s, when I wasn't skating much at all, like it was kind of the era when small wheels came in and the baggy pants and wasn't skating much then at all, but then once the skate park started popping up, probably mid to late 90s, I got a board again, but obviously no sponsors or anything, and then just had to go and skate the parks because I was so good and I was kind of progression was coming naturally, but I wasn't trying to push myself because I was, as I said, still a part-time skater. So I'd love to get done there.

Ti Coleing: 13:10

Back to the progression thing and you were saying, how off a jump ramp. You were like, did it straight and then did it 180 or whatever. Like I don't think I was as intuitive as that when I was growing up. I was sort of a bit more monkey see, monkey do kind of thing. What do you reckon drove that mentality to do that? Was that because you'd seen other people do stuff and you wanted to progress things because of that? Or did you just do you feel that you had that within you to want to take it to 180 and then 360 and whatever? And as an extension of that, what other things did you do? 360 off jump ramps? Because I remember like the hippie twist was a pretty, it was a landmark move back then and I don't recall much beyond sort of the regular ones maybe a judo one or whatever that you did. What other ones did you do? But yeah, first, why?

Darren Stapleton: 14:09

I think it's a good question. I think it's. It was just. I just thought, okay, what else can I? I've done that, now what can I do next? And then it just naturally came, because, you know, I think it started from the Oli. You would Oli, then it'll be a front 180 Oli, then it's a backside 180 Oli. And I think it came from that. Once you've learned something, try and learn something else. So, yeah, hippie twist, yeah, or 360s. That started, then it was the judo 360s, then it was frigid 360s, saran wrap 360s. I never got a body wrap 360, but I could body wrap 180. I just couldn't spin 360 and throw the leg, the bod, through the, through the legs, and catch it and come all the way around. I just never got it.

Ti Coleing: 14:54

That's right. I never saw you try that, but that would have been like amazing back then. I get it now though. The frigid one's pretty amazing.

Darren Stapleton: 15:01

Yeah, because you're spinning the other one. You're spinning like backside but your legs coming off the other side, kind of thing. So yeah, and then there was other things like doing a hippie twist and then grabbing stuff, official something midway through, and then letting go and all that kind of stuff.

Ti Coleing: 15:20

Did you ever do front side?

Darren Stapleton: 15:22

Yeah, I did front side, but I started with front side boneless ones, so I'd do front side boneless and then it just came from that.

Ti Coleing: 15:29

So did you do front threes and just front different things at all the same as the backside?

Darren Stapleton: 15:35

I didn't get anything. That was all just front side 360s here and nothing to be flashed.

Ti Coleing: 15:41

That's sick, though I don't remember saying that either. It's different, I'm sure, particularly then.

Darren Stapleton: 15:45

It was, yeah, like it was a bit odd, it was a bit weird spinning that way. I started on flat ground. I just started like riding along and just grabbing like tuck me, just because I thought tuck me always looked better. Grabbing front side yeah, Because I used to start with like I used to always grab in between and then I can't grab it behind me. I grab it behind me. It looks so much better and I think it does. So I started, I just started to swim in my 80s on the flat ground and then took it to the jump ramp doing my 80s and then started to spin them harder. And how old do you think what? Age 13, 14.

Darren Stapleton: 16:16

Yeah 13, 14.

Shannon: 16:17

Yeah, um yeah, were you a good student at school? Not really. I was so rare that anyone says yeah, I was good at school and I'd never hear that.

Darren Stapleton: 16:27

Yeah and I was never like real naughty or anything. But, I always had respect and stuff. I just kind of didn't connect. I think like maybe if I was in today's world, it'll probably be like ADHD or something.

Shannon: 16:40

Like every single skateboarder.

Darren Stapleton: 16:43

Yeah, that's it. Mind's always racing and.

Shannon: 16:46

Is it? Yeah, even now A little bit, yeah, yeah, how do you manage that? Music and exercise Like any other exercise, yeah, any other modalities like meditation breath work.

Darren Stapleton: 16:58

No, I'm not good at any of that. I do try.

Shannon: 17:00

I'm good Because I've tried all this shit. I've tried everything like breath work, meditation, yoga, and I've just realized like really hard exercises like the only thing that works for. Yeah, take care of that, calming that monkey mind. Yeah, is that what?

Darren Stapleton: 17:15

you find, yeah, and I can listen to some full on heavy metal and it kind of calms me sometimes. Dude, totally, it's like that doesn't come in a game, it does, I love it.

Shannon: 17:26

Has it ever been to a point, though, where, like that racing mind has been debilitating for you?

Darren Stapleton: 17:31

Well it could be, but I don't really know. So, yeah, okay, yeah, well, cause you just exercise out there. Yeah, just exercise like we were talking before. I love boxing. I've been boxing on the same thing. You know the thing part time. Just love doing it. Yeah yeah, it takes it out of you and it's good kind of fun. It challenges you as well.

Shannon: 17:48

Yeah, in what way, like cause, there's a real mental aspect to the coordination right 100%, yeah, and it's like well, I guess people that don't understand it.

Darren Stapleton: 17:57

I don't have a lot of knowledge on it, obviously only from what I do, but you know it's like a chess game it is. You got to know what the other person, you got to anticipate what they're going to do, you got to try and coerce them to do something so you can do something. And it's a good challenge like that and I respect anyone who does it because it's the same thing day in, day out, kind of like a swimmer. Yeah, you know we're skating was different. We could skate and have fun. You could change it up Like it's, not like a. The discipline of other sports is just the same thing day in, day out. That would be hard to do constantly.

Shannon: 18:31

Yeah, there's much more of a creative aspect to it Skating. Yeah 100% Like. It seems like you're someone that craves a level of creativity in their life. Yeah, yeah, still pretty creative, like how does, how does music satisfy it? Obviously, writing songs.

Darren Stapleton: 18:47

Yeah, yeah, writing, playing, getting together with the boys and doing it like writing a month and then taking it to band practice or whatever, and seeing this, what I've got to work on this Well, can you describe the genre of music that you play?

Darren Stapleton: 19:02

So, guitar, the band is kind of like a 90s, detuned, kind of heavy groove rock kind of thing. Okay, bander play drums is just more punk rock, okay. And originals, yeah, originals. Yeah, we did cover band recently where we were taking old, like 80s pop songs and changing them into punk. You know, punk songs.

Darren Stapleton: 19:27

There's some stuff on YouTube and all that, but we did it. We kind of I mean I've did it for ourselves. We didn't really release. I mean we've got stuff, some stuff on Spotify, but I've got a lot of stuff that we recorded, but we never pushed ourselves to, you know, be the next big thing or to try and take over the world or just something that we love doing.

Darren Stapleton: 19:46

Do you ever get any paid gigs, though? Yeah, yeah, I just had all that and had like some awards with like independent Stray Music Awards and stuff like that, but that would usually come from other people pushing it for us, because we didn't push it and you know they could be fans or something. I would really like your band and you know I'm going to put you in for this or do this, or you'd be interested in this, and we go, yeah, you know that's cool, do whatever you want, but we kind of when you, when, like a record label or something owns you, then you're dictating you have to. You're dictated to their terms and we never wanted that. We're just like no, we just want to do our own thing. You know, just playing music, because we love it, do you ever get any paid DJ gigs?

Shannon: 20:26

Ty yeah, I've had a couple, Because my question to both of you is like how does it feel to be paid for something you love doing? It's, it's, it's awesome.

Ti Coleing: 20:37

I guess in a basically particularly in context of the world we live in, there's nothing better than getting paid things you love to do. And for sure because it you know like it. Just you're doing it because of the personal satisfaction it gives you. But then I guess to have that acknowledged outside of that and people want to essentially give you that, that currency, that barter for doing what you love is, is a really cool thing. Yeah, nice.

Darren Stapleton: 21:06

So we didn't see the money much because we'd put it back into the band account and pay for recordings, pay for like doing little tours or whatever, and just pay for stuff that way. So we were doing what we love but kind of didn't have to pay for it. So, yeah, we were happy with that. That's cool.

Shannon: 21:21

Oh, yeah, yeah Just satisfied, yeah, yeah, satisfied.

Darren Stapleton: 21:24

We're not paying for it and you know we'd go away to tour or whatever and everything's paid for.

Ti Coleing: 21:29

So, yeah, Name of the band Shinobi.

Darren Stapleton: 21:33

Shinobi yeah, and for guitar yeah, yeah. That one of the albums on Spotify it's called Against the Brave, okay. And the other band in drums is the Straw Dogs. Straw Dogs we haven't released anything. I mean, we've got CDs out, but we haven't done anything on Spotify. We're just too lazy. And then the other band of that, and that was drums. I played drums in that one and I played drums in a band called Cobra Kai and the Leg Sweeps, which was taken the old band Cobra.

Shannon: 22:01

Kai Leg Sweeps Cobra. Kai and the Leg Sweeps Like from Crotty King yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 22:07

So we just took old 80s pop songs, like George Michael's songs, and turned them into punk rock songs Sick yeah. Because I think at that stage I kind of had done music for so long and writing music like I just want to do something simple and I might just take a couple of songs and rehash them, and that kind of became fun and it was easy, and I got together with some mates I used to go to school with them and said let's just have fun and do this no way. Yeah, people love that we'd play and they'd be singing along and they'd how do I know this thing? Yeah, they've been singing along to it.

Ti Coleing: 22:38

Wow man, that's like you know, remixes in house and electronic music and stuff. Yeah, the same sort of thing, so it's called adapt.

Darren Stapleton: 22:46

Yeah, yeah, that's it.

Shannon: 22:49

As a teenager and you know finishing high school like what were you doing in those initial years, in your sort of late teens, early 20s you know to make your way in this world like, make a living and sustain yourself.

Darren Stapleton: 23:05

Not much, man. Well, it's kind of. Yeah, it's an interesting time.

Shannon: 23:09

I always ask people about that, because I just find it such a weird developmental time yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 23:14

I went to TAFE and did some stuff. I wasn't into it Like I was kind of, you know, like cooking kind of stuff and waiting kind of stuff. So I had just to see what it was like, didn't like it. Worked in a gym for a while, did some personal training or a little bit. That was all right, I liked that, but I didn't like the hours.

Shannon: 23:31

Even back then I didn't like the training Exactly. It wasn't very pop like very common. It wasn't very it wasn't very common.

Darren Stapleton: 23:40

Yeah, I worked on the like the front desk of a gym, but then I was also the person like I did the course and then I was also the person that was running through programs and stuff. Yeah, cool, and I like I love that fitness side obviously, but I just didn't like the hours. So, yeah, so you do that for years or Nah, probably two or three years maybe. I worked at a shop. I opened up a shop for a while, like which was. That was later on.

Darren Stapleton: 24:11

Sort of shop Skate music shop, nice, yeah. And then which area? I was in Campbelltown, okay, yeah, did that for a while and had a couple of local guys that I'd sponsor, which was Simon, which was one of them? Simon Wills yeah, shout out, simon, simon, yeah and yeah. So we skated a bit together as well. I think they were skating all the time I was part time.

Shannon: 24:35

Part time, didn't feel compelled to try and keep up with anyone. Like you, were satisfied.

Darren Stapleton: 24:42

Yeah, I mean I had like the new parks were opening up. Man, I was like just keep going and have a go. Yeah right, you weren't showing like I've got to try and you know skate as good as everyone else now and didn't feel that I did feel that, sometimes disappointed in myself, because I was thinking, man, there's one of the things I could have done before I can't do now. Yeah, yeah, but you know, you're there for fun at the end of the day.

Shannon: 25:07

You don't strike me as someone that was really hanging their sense of identity on skateboarding. Were you.

Darren Stapleton: 25:13

No well, it was kind of it just snowballed Like when it started with the first sponsor and everything. It just kind of went from there and I didn't like, I didn't set out to do that at all. So what was the first sponsor? Again, first sponsor was Offshore. It was a skate shop. A skate shop, yeah. And then I was like okay, I reckon probably 13. No way.

Shannon: 25:34

Yeah, 13.

Darren Stapleton: 25:34

Maybe 12. 12 or 13.

Shannon: 25:36

And how'd it come about? They just heard about you.

Darren Stapleton: 25:39

That was because it came filled and then just from ripping out of the bowl. Yeah, skating there and then someone said, oh, Offshore was putting a team together and they want you on the team. And it's like what do you mean? A team? And straight away I thought, oh, Bonesburg gave, or something like that, like a team, you know. So what is this? What's going?

Ti Coleing: 25:57

on.

Darren Stapleton: 25:57

I said yeah, you've got to go up there. So I went up there and then the dude that was on, he was on the phone that's working there. And then I heard him say oh, he's just coming right now. He's here now I'll have a chat to him and I'll call you back. So he gets a phone and says, oh, we put a team together, we want you to skate for us, and blah, blah, blah. And there was a couple other guys and it's like okay. And then he goes oh, you've got to sign a contract. A contract, yeah. And I was like contract what?

Shannon: 26:24

was the contract? What did it say? But I've got to know what was in that contract. I don't even know, and then my mum read it.

Darren Stapleton: 26:29

So I went home and told my mum and she's like, what's going on here? Contract, Like maybe we're going to go up and see these people, what's happening here? And then so so they went up to the shop and spoke to the shop owner and and he's like, oh, look, it's not too serious and you know, if you want to get out of it you can, and basically skates for us and skates for anyone else. And then through that was kind of out of like I think it was sketchy street wear clothing label which and then that went on to another sponsor came through that which was stylized sunglasses, I think, yeah, Okay, and artists and a few others on in America, you were sponsored by it.

Darren Stapleton: 27:04

You got some of them. Yeah, so they go, and they were too big for my little head, so I just gave them to my brother and just doing that, and then through that, well, after that convention. So, yeah, that was.

Shannon: 27:20

Ty Ty mentioned that to me this morning. Yeah, I forgot, yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 27:25

So that was same thing, skating All the way, and Keith Cochran from venture, kevin Thatcher, a few other guys had come down to skate and then we were like stuck.

Shannon: 27:34

So they came from America.

Darren Stapleton: 27:35

Yeah, purely justice, can't feel just to see you skate. I don't know, I don't know, forget about Kevin Thatcher.

Shannon: 27:45

But I mean he was, he was the original thrasher editor. Yeah, but everyone's always like just refers to Jake Phillips yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 27:52

I mean he was obviously launched.

Shannon: 27:53

He got thrashed to where it is, but yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 27:56

So they came down and then they were skating. Well, pretty stuck to have the American guys there and skating and older guys and you know hearing the American, strong American accent in person, and, like you, used to look up to the American guys all the time. And then, yeah, then skating there and then not really chatting too much, just skating. And then when they were leaving, he pulled me aside and said, oh, here's my card. When I'm back in the States in a couple of weeks, give me a call, I'm going to send you some products and I'm going to think about putting you on the team.

Shannon: 28:31

So it was a direct sponsorship, it wasn't through an Australian distributor and stuff.

Darren Stapleton: 28:35

I don't know how truities, but some people said it was the first, because they sponsored me and a few others and we were the first to have the direct sponsors from America, like in Australia. I don't know how true, that is, I don't know Tie weigh in tie.

Ti Coleing: 28:48

Tie will probably know let's go, it's probably not too far off the mark, because there were guys sponsored by, like JHS who's been doing Power Forever, steve Tui and maybe some others, and they were definitely hooked up through the distro side of things. And then I guess you know Hardcore was doing Vision Streetwear and stuff and so, and you know Lux and Glenn Robinson were on there, but obviously that was essentially distro or licensed or something like that. So I don't, you know, I don't know of others who had direct sponsored, not that I would have known then because I was young and didn't know what was actually going on with that side of the industry.

Shannon: 29:32

Given the timeframe, I feel like it would be pretty legit, because very few Australian skateboarders have achieved that even in modern day. Yeah, excuse me a bit of a dry throat though. Wow. Going back to Oliver Bolday's, who was some like local heads or skaters that really influenced you or stood out back in the day Glenn Robinson was the one.

Darren Stapleton: 29:54

I knew you were going to say that.

Shannon: 29:55

Yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 29:55

He was the one we used to just think he was just go there and just was like a toy to him. I think because he was so good on vert he just had a natural ability as well. Like he, that was a guy that I would just be blown away watching skate there.

Shannon: 30:09

Yeah, yeah, would you venture? I mean, were you venturing out at Allawa?

Darren Stapleton: 30:13

to skate yeah.

Shannon: 30:14

Like what other places were you going to around Sydney? Well, that was Fairfield.

Darren Stapleton: 30:16

Obviously, yeah, I love Fairfield, that was my favorite, that ramp, that ramp is so good, yeah, so good. That ramp just used to love because it was so big and so wide and you could transfer and love the spine and yeah.

Shannon: 30:31

So me and Ty were talking about this morning too, on the way here. Who were you skating with in that era, like? Who was like the main skaters you were hanging with? For some reason the name Steve Bull came to mind. Yeah, steve Bull, yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 30:45

Quite a bit. Spin Me and Spin. Yeah, skate a bit. Skate with Jake a little bit from the comp. Jake Brown, all days. Yeah, not too much with Jake, because he was a chronologist, but we would still see each other at comps and stuff. And who do you reckon was pushing you, though? Probably the older guys, the older guys trying to get up there yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 31:04

Because, they had more power. Well, we were kids and we were young, so they had more power. So I was about kind of getting the power in our skating and skating faster and harder and kind of bigger.

Ti Coleing: 31:17

Who were the older guys then for you? Anyone that's kept going? Yeah, glenn.

Darren Stapleton: 31:20

Robinson, there was Paul Simpson who was in one of the mags with me. He was like he was doing handrails. Back then Like yeah, not jump on rails, like Ollie on handrails.

Shannon: 31:31

Because you never tried to be a vert guy really did you?

Darren Stapleton: 31:34

No, because there was no vert around.

Shannon: 31:36

That's interesting. Hey, because that year was so vert it was vert dominated Vert Oriented for shell vertices.

Darren Stapleton: 31:44

Well, that's Ty and I were saying before and I was saying I loved the evolution of skating, how back then we were taking vert tricks to the street and then obviously the bowls and whatever. But then skating progressed and street skating became so popular that we're taking the street tricks to the vert and I just love that about skating and the evolution of it.

Ti Coleing: 32:05

Did you ever hit between still 360, the island all over? Yeah, wow, that's rad.

Darren Stapleton: 32:11

Yeah, because that and you know it's funny. I've got the best photos I have. I don't have any more because I sent them to venture. Because you got sent some photos, you want to put them on our wall and put them for ads and all this kind of stuff. So me just being stupid kid, just sent the photos. I had never had any backups of them and one of them is a judo hippie twist over the island. No way.

Shannon: 32:35

Even by today's standards. Like was it early grab?

Darren Stapleton: 32:38

Early grab?

Ti Coleing: 32:39

yeah, of course, yeah, but still Did you ever Ollie, the island and the stuff as you get into that stuff.

Darren Stapleton: 32:45

Glenn Robinson was the first he started on that.

Ti Coleing: 32:47

And.

Darren Stapleton: 32:48

I was just blown away because he was not grabbing early. It was like it was kind of like just floating over it, yeah, and then so we started doing that too, like like grabbing over, but I never, never like grabbed 360 over anything.

Shannon: 33:02

That's insane, though For that a year.

Ti Coleing: 33:05

Was that the long way or the short way? No, the short way, the short, yeah right. Did anyone ever do the long way? I don't think so. Either or earlier.

Darren Stapleton: 33:14

It was more of the speed. You couldn't get the speed, but we used to get like timber planks and put them from one of the seats going down into the ball so you could kind of get more of a run up and more speed. But you would carve around the edge of the ball and then drop in to try and get the speed, but you still couldn't get that speed you needed, Like if we could get the speed. We'll give it a go, I reckon.

Ti Coleing: 33:35

Sure.

Shannon: 33:37

That era of skateboarding, the culture was synonymous with, you know, hard skating and hard partying. Did you get drawn into that aspect of it? No, I never.

Darren Stapleton: 33:50

We were just always clean living. Yeah, I remember having like going to parties. Like there was that era of when my parents moved out to out west and suburbs and that's kind of when skating kind of died off a little bit for me, like I was still skating, I was still doing the comps and stuff. But skating was different then. To like to the was with the city crew to the crew that were out west and there was a bowl out there that we used to skate and a couple of bowls and still straight skate. But I remember, you know, parties from school and stuff and everyone would be getting on and I would, I was, and I'd be like no, I'm getting up early to go for a skate.

Ti Coleing: 34:25

So so I just you know, which is pretty unique for that era, right, pretty much, but I mean, I guess it's sort of depending on what ages you're talking about here, because that would have been pretty young.

Darren Stapleton: 34:35

Yeah, that was like just in context of our old days and stuff that was after the Alli Day, so that would have been like 14, 15.

Shannon: 34:43

I mean it was really all through the 90s as well, early 2000s. It's only, I feel like, in more recent modern times that there's more of a clean culture.

Ti Coleing: 34:54

Well, sure, everyone's training now right, as opposed to just skating, and there's more of that mentality. But I hear that you know. You know, people generally just aren't drinking as much these days in general.

Shannon: 35:10

Yeah, I was talking to my last episode with Chad Caruso. We were talking about that. How like it's almost cliche to talk about sobriety journeys because, like everyone's getting sober, you know, it's like. I feel like, yeah, the culture of alcohol drinking has just changed in our society, right?

Ti Coleing: 35:26

It seems to have. I hear that, but I definitely know people who still drink and stuff.

Shannon: 35:31

But nowhere near as predominant as it was in the 80s, 90s, no way.

Ti Coleing: 35:36

Sure, and I mean one would assume that that's somewhat social media based, because everyone's out there clean living, whereas back then there wasn't that, and so everyone was just at the bar catching up drinking, and I guess that was your more social group right. As opposed to social media, and so everyone had to link up and it was about that, and it was.

Shannon: 36:00

I didn't think of that perspective.

Ti Coleing: 36:02

Old school Australia just people drinking. I mean not that people didn't drink in.

Shannon: 36:06

America, in England or anywhere else. So maybe it's a negative byproduct of us being less social. I didn't think of all that.

Ti Coleing: 36:12

I need to do that Good one man.

Shannon: 36:16

you're smart, but I was. I was also more thinking about how like this is like movement of consciousness amongst people. People are becoming more conscious, like and talking about it openly.

Ti Coleing: 36:26

For sure.

Shannon: 36:26

Like you know, and then the extreme version of that is this woke culture which is just. You know, it's a spectrum, obviously.

Ti Coleing: 36:36

So debatable spectrum.

Shannon: 36:40

We do. We don't want to go there.

Ti Coleing: 36:43

Good, I will add on to that. I find it and this may sound really bad to say, but it's almost refreshing seeing people smoking cigarettes these days, because it's so not out there which is good it's so much better for, but obviously people are vaping all the time. But it's like it's like, oh my goodness, that person smoking because you just never see it.

Shannon: 37:05

I see someone smoke down. Oh yeah, Like I want to get some of that second hand smoke. It's just doesn't smell like pineapples or bananas.

Ti Coleing: 37:15

Exactly Brings back, triggers memories of like, totally Well, the pub, when you used to go to the pub and everyone's smoking, then they, you know you had to smoke three feet or six feet from the bar, and then they and then they dropped it all together and and then it was like all right, I don't smell like a cigarette when I get home now the smoking section and non smoking section are just petitioned off like the plant or something.

Darren Stapleton: 37:39

Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh man, I must have been.

Shannon: 37:43

I'm glad there's no smoking in bars anymore. 100%, You'd have asthma.

Ti Coleing: 37:49

It was disgusting.

Darren Stapleton: 37:51

I remember, going on, we did a demo in Bathurst and it was me, danny Van, who else was there? A few other guys, I can't remember now actually, and then and we caught the train down there and we had the birth that we had was like a closed door and they were all smoking I was like oh man, he's killing me.

Shannon: 38:11

Like, oh, he's smoking, oh yeah, and you close a room. Yeah, wash him. But going back to the vaping man, I heard a conspiracy theory about vaping the other day. It's pretty funny. I don't know if you've heard it, not sure. Well, please tell me, you know how vapes are technically illegal and they're unregulated. Did you know that?

Ti Coleing: 38:31

Basically yeah.

Shannon: 38:32

And no one actually really knows what's in them. Yeah, and they're all made in China.

Ti Coleing: 38:36

Yeah.

Shannon: 38:36

And this dude was trying to tell me that it's a form of chemical warfare. They're trying to kill us off with vapes. Wow, no, I haven't not heard that way, I'm happy to put that out there, because I can't imagine that she's healthy in any way, anything plausible.

Ti Coleing: 38:51

I'm just saying, I'm just saying I'm just putting it out there. Well, no any. If it's like that, maybe they're all bugged or something. Rather, because they're all electronic.

Shannon: 39:00

Who knows man. It's the strangest time in I can ever imagine, like I've been tripping out on all that stuff and just the advent of AI, like I use AI, you know, and just going like this is just getting too weird.

Ti Coleing: 39:17

Yeah, it's definitely weird, as we briefly discussed the other day. As a teacher yourself, you can, to the most part, tell when a student has done an assignment using, you know, AI chat whatever it happens to be and I was saying, with the writing I've been doing, I enjoy the process of the writing.

Ti Coleing: 39:38

I don't need something to do it for me, because that sort of defeats the creative purposes of talking about and going back to skating or music or whatever it may happen to be. The creative part of it is cool and that's where you get kind of similar to skating, but not as extreme the adrenaline from it. You get that feeling from you're like that actually works. You know, with whatever you come out with, as opposed to, this is the best thing because I plugged it in and got this outcome because of my spark of idea. It's actually your whole follow through.

Shannon: 40:16

Hmm, good point, yeah, I mean. My question to you, then, is like is it progressing us or is it hindering us? That's what I can't get my head around. I don't know if it is actually progressing, helping us to progress and go to new levels.

Ti Coleing: 40:32

So I guess that's it. It at best, it's a facilitator to progress you know, at worst it's cheating.

Shannon: 40:43

True, and again, I just can't understand why you'd want to inhale flavoured air. Still can't work it out.

Darren Stapleton: 40:52

We did it, I get it. Yeah, I want to get high, yeah and even nicotine.

Shannon: 40:56

My, I mean, I've never been a smoker, but apparently that's a good hit. I don't know, I don't know. Anyway, I want to go back to your journey a little bit. You, you know, you said that you know, you're a personal trainer for a while and then you happen to shop. Where did your life take you from there? What did the shop succeed?

Darren Stapleton: 41:15

I saw the shop after three years had it. Yeah, difficult.

Ti Coleing: 41:18

What was it?

Darren Stapleton: 41:19

called sector 7g. Yeah right which was from the Simpsons, was it? It was? It was the Sector 7g.

Ti Coleing: 41:29

It's amazing Everything comes back to the Simpsons.

Darren Stapleton: 41:34

Yes, it does. Yeah, so Look it was. It was difficult. I suppose it was hard for me to try and Run a business that had done it before it was. I mean, we had a lot of fans playing out the front as well. Yeah, we're doing stuff, you're trying to nurture the scene.

Darren Stapleton: 41:49

Yeah, we were seeing as pretty the scene was pretty good man back then for music out west, like we're pretty busy playing and and trying to help other bands and putting on shows and sell some stuff at shows as well, some merch and all that from the shop and yeah. So it was fun, it was good, but it was kind of difficult. So that then I got what years were they at this point? That was probably 96, maybe 96, 97, yeah. Then after that I got offered to work do the skate section at MacArthur General Pants and I was like no big cooperation, no, I'm against it. Not doing it.

Shannon: 42:33

I was just like so you're a little bit on the anti-establishment side. Oh yeah, a little bit.

Darren Stapleton: 42:37

I was just kind of there because I had a small business. They were a big business and I was like they're in it for the wrong reasons. I'm here for the right reasons, but I mean, we're all there to make money, aren't we? So you know, I think it was just my way of thinking then and then but that's how.

Ti Coleing: 42:51

Switched on you were like, and like I say, with the innovative skating, you thought that and I don't think I quite. I had a bit of that mentality when I was younger. But that's cool that you thought that way and you wanted to keep it real.

Darren Stapleton: 43:07

It may be more detrimental to me, I don't know. But thanks Well to some side.

Ti Coleing: 43:11

But that's sort of what we were talking about before like progressing as a person, I guess spiritually as opposed to materially.

Darren Stapleton: 43:19

Yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah. So I did that. I worked at General Pants for probably 12 to 18 months or something, like I remember saying the lady who was asking me to work there I said, oh look, I don't really like the music that you're playing there. And I was just like, oh, I don't know she goes. Oh, you can play your own kind of music as well, and all this I'm thinking, oh, so that I and I was selling the business at the time and I thought, all right, I've got nowhere else to go at the moment, I'll just go and do that for now. And then so I went there and like it wasn't too bad, it was pretty cool, like I was doing all the skate stuff and I was meeting other skaters as well. And I was still skating a bit then, but not much. I was just more because I had a role in the Park at Campbelltown the design.

Shannon: 44:01

The first one like the doughnut. No, no, no, no, oh no, the one that was Bradbury Bowl. Ok, Bradbury Bowl, yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 44:09

Yeah, that was where we used to skate. Obviously that was back in the late 80s early 90s.

Shannon: 44:13

I mean that thing, was hard to skate too right.

Darren Stapleton: 44:15

Yeah, there was a big wall on it which wasn't too bad, and you could kind of launch it out of it, I suppose.

Shannon: 44:20

Which one are you?

Darren Stapleton: 44:20

talking about the one at Lumiere. Yeah, lumiere, yeah, yeah. So we're on that for the committee, for that, getting that put in. And then the council put me and Simon through a skate coaches clinic.

Shannon: 44:34

Shout out to Elsie. I'll do it every time. I love him. So we had a really good chat with Simon the other day. Can I keep going? Yeah, we've had plenty of good chats.

Darren Stapleton: 44:42

Yeah, yeah, so we brought. So they put us through a skate coaching clinic and Lux was doing it.

Shannon: 44:49

So so you became an accredited skate coach?

Darren Stapleton: 44:51

Yeah, I became a skate coach. I did a little bit of work with that the parks, yeah so that was pretty cool. But look, it's one thing, I'd rather listen to the Ties podcast and a lot of the kids just want to run up the ramp, and some of the kids didn't really want to skate, they were just there because their parents were wanting to. Parents want to teach them something for a bit.

Darren Stapleton: 45:08

Yeah, and with skating you can kind of guide and tell people what to do. You know, keep your shoulders above the board, feet on top of the deck, bolts type of thing, and you know faster, slower, whatever. But you've got to do it Like you can't really learn much without You've got to want it yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 45:24

You've got to want it. Yeah and yeah. So we did that. Yeah, lux did the. Adam Luxford yeah, and I've known Lux for years as well, obviously through that old era of skating. I loved his skating as well, so yeah, so he took the course and then he did that. So did a little bit of work with that.

Shannon: 45:45

Wow, dude, a credited skate coach. Yeah, I think Ty's hiring actually Flow skate. Shout out, flow Skate.

Ti Coleing: 45:51

Definitely blowing up.

Shannon: 45:53

How is that going?

Ti Coleing: 45:55

Yeah, it's been building and. I've been working with some amazing kids and it's really cool to be involved with them and engaged with them and seeing the outcomes of little bits of input that you give them. I mean, I've mostly been working with crew who are well on their journey as such and then so it's like finding the angles as to what you can offer them in that stage and then seeing that come off is great, either be it in tricks or putting runs together, putting lines together and stuff.

Shannon: 46:36

Yeah, and I also love how you're educating them about the culture and like you're doing it through your blogs and stuff like that, giving them a history lesson or access to a history lesson if they want it, which I think is very unique to other skate coaches Not to say that. Yeah, I think that's a really good angle you bring, because your history in skateboarding is so deep in this country.

Ti Coleing: 46:58

Sure, and I think now is a good time to do that, because skateboarding is a fairly young thing overall and it's gotten now historical figures, such as Tony and many others for sure, and so it's starting to get that depth of time to be able to tell those stories and it's not just kind of like necessarily talking about yesterday or just reminiscing for the sake of ah, it was better or whatever.

Ti Coleing: 47:27

But there's actually sort of a point to it now because the new generations have absolutely no idea, necessarily, unless they're specifically looking for that and so to be able to put that out there and I guess, case in point with my blog now and whoever else is doing, whatever they're doing, like all these podcasts and stuff, they're there as now, as they're in the vernacular, they're in the realm of searchable stuff, and so you can come across all these things and really learn and then what it?

Ti Coleing: 48:00

You know that there is that history there and how it's evolved, and the people who can keep, who are stuck with it, either by skating, such as Tony and Cobb and others, many others, and then the ones who are just industry based and keeping the dream alive. You know what I mean, and the same goes through music and everything else, and I was going to say and Luxford doing his thing, going back to Luxford and he's historical now and him coaching, and he's had a big part of everything as well and he's a bit more behind the scenes, and that's what I was going to say with his coaching he also.

Ti Coleing: 48:49

I've known that he also imparts historical stuff and tries to teach that to the kids coming through as well, and that's the big thing with the advent of like.

Shannon: 49:00

I mean, you can't deny it. You go to all these beautiful skate parks now and there's just lots of skate coaches doing it privately or in groups, and I'm sorry, like I know there's good ones and they're necessary, but there's very few that are able to bring what you and Luxford bring in. My opinion so, but it wasn't for you necessarily. What do you mean? Like the skate coaching being a skate coach.

Darren Stapleton: 49:22

I didn't do it much. It's the same thing, like they've got to want to do it, but if they don't want to do it, I don't want to push them to do it. It's like I teach guitar as well. I was teaching guitar for a while, and sometimes the parents are bringing their kids to play, but they're not going home learning what I'm teaching them. They'd come back for their next lesson and then they haven't done anything. So what's almost what's the point? If they want to do it, I'm happy to teach them and guide them and do whatever, but if they don't want to, I don't want to push them, you know so Was it your sole income, though, when you were doing that stuff like the skate coaching?

Shannon: 49:51

No, no, that's not. You were doing other jobs.

Darren Stapleton: 49:53

Yeah, I was doing the skate coaching when I had my shop but I didn't do much of it. Like it was the council that would run, like you know, kind of school holiday sessions and seminars and stuff and get us to go down and do a little bit. And I had, like I did. You know that if there was comps on or something I would sometimes judge with comp or whatever.

Shannon: 50:14

And you were working at General.

Darren Stapleton: 50:15

Pants? Yeah, yeah, wow, how long did you work there? For Not long 12 to 18 months, or something, wow. And then where did life take you from there? I went into disability work after that, did you? Yeah? And then so I became like a social educator what's that mean? So I was just kind of helping kids with disabilities in the home and then from there, I went into work for department human services, doing like community kind of work. And then that's put me into where I am today, which is with NDIS, doing disability. You're still doing that, yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 50:50

So doing planning, doing all the funding for people with disabilities and stuff. Do you enjoy it? Yeah, I do. It's pretty good, yeah, and it gives you a reality on your own life and what you know. You kind of we kind of dwell on things and then I think, wow, look at these people. You know I'm doing plans with these people and some of the adults that are still living with their parents and the parents have to look after them, and you just realise what you've got and how lucky we are. Wow, yeah, so it's giving you like gratitude, definitely Wow.

Shannon: 51:22

Do you feel like you're contributing to society?

Darren Stapleton: 51:24

as well. Absolutely yeah, Making their life so much better, and yeah, and it's just what's the reality on my life. It makes me appreciate things, Empathetic.

Shannon: 51:34

Yeah, absolutely. Have you always felt like an empathetic?

Darren Stapleton: 51:37

person.

Shannon: 51:37

Yeah, pretty much. Yeah, have you. Yeah, I think so Even as a young person.

Darren Stapleton: 51:41

Like you? Oh, I think, probably young. I didn't realise as much, but it's more about just what you're doing and all that. But as I've got an older yeah.

Shannon: 51:50

Yeah, that's what I'm noticing. As I get older. I feel like I'm softening in a good way, like I just feel like I just want to be as kind as I can be. I don't know, like it's just inside me. I just want to be kind and gentle.

Darren Stapleton: 52:06

We're approaching 50, and I think our life changes, man.

Shannon: 52:08

Yeah, like it's like. It's like chemistry changes.

Darren Stapleton: 52:12

I've seen mates that have passed from different illnesses and suicide and all different stuff. So you realise, like man, life's short and we're lucky, we've got our health. Like health is wealth, man, you know. So if we've got our health and we're the richest ever and if we're happy, then that's all we need.

Shannon: 52:33

I thought you said that we're so delicate, hey, Ty.

Ti Coleing: 52:37

Most definitely. We're so strong but yet so delicate, like I'm all be over in a second you know, realistically.

Shannon: 52:47

Can we talk about your recent experience? How do you feel about that?

Ti Coleing: 52:51

Talking about it, all the experience.

Shannon: 52:53

Well, did it? Did it because you had a very unexpected issue medically, medical issue.

Ti Coleing: 53:00

Subdual hematoma ie bleed on the brain.

Shannon: 53:03

Bleed on the brain? Yeah, caused by nothing in particular.

Ti Coleing: 53:06

Apparently not.

Shannon: 53:07

I mean, did I mean, was it sobering Like?

Ti Coleing: 53:12

sure, definitely, but I think I'd already, I've already been on a self-developmental sort of life path the recent years anyway, but it was definitely shocking to discover that and then having it taken care of, like in a sense it hasn't I wouldn't say it's changed me that much, because I believe that I've already had a sense of self-awareness and stuff, but it was definitely an experience to to deal with. I mean, apparently they said the surgeon said it could happen much easier than one would anticipate because you know, basically 93 to 99% of them due to a direct head trauma of some sort. So that means is 1 to 7%, which apparently spontaneous. The only thing I could put it down to like physically is just this bike hanging from the roof in my garage and getting out of my car too quickly and not thinking about it and hitting my head on the on the bar of the bike.

Ti Coleing: 54:19

That's the only actual physical thing I could put it down to no, it wasn't skate related, or because they said it would only happen within two to four weeks of the bleed happening. It can't be, wouldn't be a long term thing. The only other time I'd fallen on my head previously to that was like two and a half years before, and I had a helmet on and it didn't hurt. I didn't get concussed or anything. But I slid on my head in sitting park bowl but I was like, oh that, and they're like, no, no, no, it would be. It's in recent history for sure.

Shannon: 54:46

Wow, and how are you feeling?

Ti Coleing: 54:48

I feel fine, yeah, yeah, all my faculties are good and it's all working, thankfully, as good as they were before and such Because it was pretty gnarly like they had to cut your head open, Correct?

Shannon: 55:01

What did that look like? They actually cut your skull open.

Ti Coleing: 55:04

Yeah, they cut my skull open. They opened it up and cut a plate out about five centimetres in circumference or so and had to scrape out and drain out the blood and congealed blood that was in there, after it had been in there for a couple of weeks, basically. And then, yeah, they put the plate back in and, with a couple of rivets, I got a couple of titanium rivets in my head like rat nuts and then they sew it back up again.

Darren Stapleton: 55:37

So how did you know? How did this come about? Were you feeling anything?

Ti Coleing: 55:41

I had headaches for basically six days straight and I've got a history of minor headaches over time, but this was like six days straight, no sleeping, just pain. And I finally took myself to emergency and asked for the scan. Basically and a long story short asked for the scan and they came back a long after and said you've got a bleed on your brain, have you hit your head?

Shannon: 56:03

lately.

Ti Coleing: 56:04

I went no, that's really weird then.

Shannon: 56:06

And what? Straight into surgery.

Ti Coleing: 56:08

No, they kept me for observation partially because I'd been on aspirin which thins your blood, so they couldn't tell how much it had been bleeding, because the aspirin contravenes that. Having blood thinners will observe you. And then so on the fourth day after that, the 10th day of having the headaches I don't remember that day Basically I vomited on myself. I don't remember the scan, I was getting the gear wrong and then I just woke up with a tube sticking out of my head and going. I guess they did the surgery.

Darren Stapleton: 56:41

So what would have happened if they say what would happen if you didn't go to Salem?

Ti Coleing: 56:46

I guess the main thing it probably would have evolved into, developed into was a was a stroke, pretty much because of pressure on the brain. It was like by the time they did the surgery it was 11mm deep in a fairly big surface area of the front sort of right quadrant of my head and, yeah, it just would have developed into a stroke and then that would have messed up all things neurologically and motor, motor neurologically as well. So but thankfully I got it before that happened.

Shannon: 57:20

Early detection yeah.

Ti Coleing: 57:21

Yeah, early detection, but the headaches were wrong. I just people were like, oh, you're lucky, you went and I was like man, those headaches. There was no way I was dealing with that. You're like this is not how you do it. This is not right, yeah, yeah At all.

Shannon: 57:32

Dude, serious Dude, you seem like you're really on top of your game. Health wise man. So in the course of your life you never had any scares of any time.

Darren Stapleton: 57:42

No, just the back injuries and shoulder injuries, Just really when that kind of back injury started from skating.

Shannon: 57:49

Yeah, okay.

Darren Stapleton: 57:49

Doing stairs and stuff, all the other things, and then it's kind of, yeah, it just happened with boxing a lot and shoulder, oh yeah, the back as well, yeah, so and just getting older man, yeah, yeah.

Ti Coleing: 58:03

Sorry guys, did you see therapists for that?

Darren Stapleton: 58:05

Yeah, I've had heaps of physio and I've seen chiro's. Yeah, done it all Nice.

Shannon: 58:11

Yeah, yeah, health is wealth, man it's worth investing in. It's funny I went and bought a whole bunch of supplements the other day, you know it was expensive and my friend's like, why spend so much money on supplements? I'm like because it's cheaper than being sick. Yeah, you know, people forget Prevention is better than cure. It's just like. And yeah, I'll invest in going on an austere.

Darren Stapleton: 58:30

You know what, even if it's a placebo, if it's working, you feel good.

Ti Coleing: 58:33

Great People say people say that a lot of people say that chiro is just placebo and stuff. I've got a great chiro I've been seeing for 30 years. Linda power yeah, I'll plug her for sure, but I've bonded 100. Bono junction, yeah, and also sunshine coast. I rate chiro big time and I believe it's helped me. But she's not a cracker, it's some SOT sacrooccipital technique. What's that mean?

Ti Coleing: 59:02

It's like joining up the nerve lines, more so opening up nerve lines. She's cracked me about three times in the 30 years that I've seen her but otherwise you get blocked, put blocks under your hips and it sort of realigns and like lets things sit back into place.

Shannon: 59:18

Get the blood flowing. Yeah, okay, blood flow all of that.

Ti Coleing: 59:21

So was there something similar to that with you, Darren?

Darren Stapleton: 59:25

I had the crack. I did the cracking like my pelvis. My pelvis was out and it felt better, like I was always seeing physio and I was always seeing different physios and I was doing all the exercises and we're still playing up. And then I had someone who said you need to maybe see a chiro. I know everyone knows someone who's so good. You know it's like I have had these stories before. And then I went and saw him and he goes yeah, I know what's wrong with you, I can get you fixed. I was like, all right, well, still, it's a scene once a week and he was helping me out. Look, I still do have recurring back issues and I haven't seen the chiro Physio because I kind of know now what it is and I know how to fix it. So it's resting and it's doing core exercises and doing that and saving my shoulder. So same thing, I know what to do and what not to do. And I had to surf yesterday. I was hurting a bit, like paddling a bit, but you know it wasn't too bad.

Shannon: 1:00:14

So just do you drink much? You drink at all. Interesting.

Darren Stapleton: 1:00:19

I mean I have maybe a couple of cocktail. I've never had a beer in my whole life.

Shannon: 1:00:24

Wow, no, you've tried it.

Darren Stapleton: 1:00:26

I've had a sip. Didn't like it. Never had it again. Wow.

Shannon: 1:00:30

Yeah, I never liked to be the first time I tried. It Is that everyone said are you going?

Darren Stapleton: 1:00:33

to go to a choir in Tastewa.

Shannon: 1:00:34

I just because everyone else was doing it.

Darren Stapleton: 1:00:36

I was like I better learn to like it, and I never liked it. I was like, yeah, everyone's doing it, but I don't like it. I'm like I'm not. People are pretty good, like you know the whole peer pressure thing. Yeah, I would just try for a while and I was just like, yeah, I don't want to do it. And they just gave up. Yeah, they gave up trying to get me to drink.

Shannon: 1:00:51

Then you all was going to. No, it's good man. I think I think you're better for it, that's for sure. I know I feel much better for not drinking too.

Darren Stapleton: 1:01:00

So the first time I drank I was like in my 40s. So no, are you serious yeah? So you're telling me you got through like your teens in your 20s, without experimenting and getting to play like I was playing in punk bands and hardcore bands back then and I'm like, oh, you're straight edge and I go. No, I'm not straight edge, I don't drink, Dude that's amazing. Yeah, that's so, that's really admirable, yeah, especially that scene to the music scene. You're always playing in pubs and stuff.

Shannon: 1:01:29

Yeah, I was like yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 1:01:31

Wow. I think I used to see what we used to do when I was drinking. It was a good laugh a lot of times. But also, you know, people get aggressive or they get emotional or they just you know, they don't know what they're saying and make bad decisions Make bad decisions totally.

Shannon: 1:01:49

Wow, dude, so interesting.

Ti Coleing: 1:01:51

You were saying earlier when we were talking, that you, you know, don't consider yourself a spiritual or so self aware. But I think that's as Mary pointed out, she thinks you definitely hear a lot more than you are. And I was going to say, going to the NDIS work like, obviously that's that's helping other people and doing that sort of thing, which would have that kind of those sorts of connotations about it being, you know, potentially being a spiritual kind of path in some senses of wanting to help other people. And so why did you get into the NDIS stuff to start with?

Darren Stapleton: 1:02:31

Yeah, good question, and I think it's like you're saying just helping others, like I do like it. So I like to see, especially if people are less fortunate than us, I like to see them get a leg up, always go for the underdog thing, you know.

Ti Coleing: 1:02:44

So yeah, Do you, do you know, do you have an idea of where the you know came from?

Darren Stapleton: 1:02:51

I think maybe in primary school like I got bullied in primary school so and from then I've just hated bullies. Man Like it's they just like. And I think maybe could have come from something like that that makes some sense.

Ti Coleing: 1:03:03

That's a respectable way of thinking about it.

Darren Stapleton: 1:03:07

So, yeah, it could have been that and, just like you know, we want to stick up for anyone who's less fortunate and needs help.

Ti Coleing: 1:03:14

That's awesome Dude.

Shannon: 1:03:16

So, yeah, still doing that disability stuff, hey, that's, that's really cool. I mean, I guess like where you are now in life and we mentioned our age or your age range. Are you, are you feeling a lot more content, say, compared to you know, I think so. Yeah. Feeling content with where you're at and what's important.

Darren Stapleton: 1:03:39

Yeah, health is important. Now that we know, we know that's what we're saying. We know that we've become sick and ties have that happened to him and we all probably know someone who has had something and at this age, and mental health as well. So it's important health, if you know. And there was so much drive for success. But what is success? How do you gauge success?

Shannon: 1:04:03

Do you get another question, yeah like.

Darren Stapleton: 1:04:05

To me, success is happiness. So if health is wealth, success is happiness. If, if you're happy, you're successful, it doesn't matter you materialistic thing. It's funny because you know people say what are they worth? Or what are you worth, or if you've got all your belongings and you sold them, or how much money you can, it's just monetary value.

Shannon: 1:04:26

Like it's, it comes back and it goes real, it can go to totally yeah.

Ti Coleing: 1:04:31

Well, it's literally superficial, right to the body. It doesn't really. And so the internals of what matters, and I would I guess I could attribute my doing not so badly with such an affliction. You would think you know something in your brain, that touch in your brain and all that I would attribute my success of coming out of that relatively speaking unscathed, except for not being able to drive for three months, is a level of health that I like to keep.

Shannon: 1:05:05

You know what I?

Ti Coleing: 1:05:05

mean For sure.

Shannon: 1:05:06

Would you regard being on home and away as successful?

Darren Stapleton: 1:05:12

No, not at all. That was just something. Can we talk about that?

Shannon: 1:05:17

How did you end up on home and away man? So that was that came through skating as well, so me you're a good looking kid, Still a good looking kid.

Ti Coleing: 1:05:27

But what happened? Well, as you almost had the McSqueed guy on the blonde McSqueed, what's the McSqueed? Tony the brush over long hair.

Darren Stapleton: 1:05:35

I think we all had kind of something like a gutter on point Tony or do.

Shannon: 1:05:39

So what happened? You were just you know.

Darren Stapleton: 1:05:41

Well, I would start with when we, when I skated for the shop offshore and then the ABC asked they wanted some skaters for, and it was me, josh Lovell and, I think, paul Simpson.

Ti Coleing: 1:05:53

Wow.

Darren Stapleton: 1:05:54

Yeah, and we. So we skated this halfpipe and Josh had to put on a chicken suit. I can't remember what I was for now. I was some show and some kids join ABC, I think. And then to do that we had to join actors. The lines like there's equity or something like that. And then it's like, okay, no worries. So that was.

Darren Stapleton: 1:06:12

And then later on in life someone had said to me I'm on the way looking for skaters and surfers. Would you be interested? You have to like. And then I said, oh yeah, I'd join actors, I had to rejoin. And well, I kind of said, yeah, I'll do it, I'll do it. And then there's some like credits at the end of some of the shows where I'm just surfing in the background and did some skating. I don't think they put that on there. I was in like a school and all that. And then I don't think that went to air. And then then they offered me a couple of I do want to just do, and I didn't have a job at the time. I was like I'll do some extra work. And then, and then it just got onto then a speaking part where I played a drug addict.

Shannon: 1:06:57

And then so. So you got extra work on home and away. Yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 1:07:00

And then that actually led to a few other things as well. So like a couple of little. And I wasn't speaking part yeah. I wasn't in that industry for long. I was probably there for maybe not even a year, man, probably nine months or something. I'd really didn't like. It Didn't like the industry. It was really good to see how they do things and how things work. But the industry, the people, I don't know. I just didn't feel it was me. It wasn't comfortable.

Shannon: 1:07:27

It didn't inspire you to want to pursue it. No, not at all.

Darren Stapleton: 1:07:29

Yeah, it totally like it. Like I thought, okay, maybe this is something like an avenue I could go down and see what it's like. But it was good to try it and then kind of get out of it and not have to worry about doing that again.

Shannon: 1:07:41

Really Okay, there it is. There's the perspective. What do you want to TV show once? Does that Bondi reality show? No, no, no TV show Okay.

Ti Coleing: 1:07:54

I mean on a couple of ads and stuff. Which ones? The main one, I remember, is kind of funny. It's around the time of World Expo 88. And obviously they're trying to spruke Australia and it was for a brand of chips called Boomeroo's. They were like, shaped like little kangaroos, and the tagline was Boomeroo's get you hopping. And then it's. I'm doing an Oli like on the screen and, as they're singing, hopping or whatever, I'm doing, an Oli for it.

Darren Stapleton: 1:08:28

Yeah, I had everything on Kodak film as well, did you? I was on a billboard and they had a conica, conica film, I think it was.

Darren Stapleton: 1:08:36

And then so there was a conica in the middle of the picture. There was a conica film box and they had people walking into the box and like with the black and white, like look to be boring, and then coming out of the box was all these color and people coming and I was coming out on the skateboard like pushing. She paid. Yeah, I got paid. I think I was literally there for 45 minutes. Wow. And they pay about eight or 900 bucks or something. Yeah.

Shannon: 1:09:06

Cause I was on an ad once.

Shannon: 1:09:07

I was on a buttercup bread ad with Cameron Guzeff and they came to our high school and said we need skateboarders for this, for our ad, come to these auditions and it was like the audition was at this terrible skate park and now they just had jump ramps and they just wanted just to go off the jump ramp. So we did and they picked me and Cam. Then they built us a jump ramp and it was in front of this silo, like a big silo, like a I don't know cause, it was a bread ad. We just had to go off it a bunch of times and they had the full production crew and it took us like half the day. We got paid 500 bucks each, which is like wow, you're stoked, pardon me. And then the ad went to theaters and I'll never forget, like like a year later I got a royalty check. Sorry, excuse me. So anyway it's good.

Darren Stapleton: 1:10:00

If all the gigs will, I'd better be alright. But you know it's. It's not like that. You've got to get a castings and do all that kind of. You didn't like that side.

Shannon: 1:10:07

Nah, it was just I didn't want to try and hook up with any of the home and away actresses. Come on, man, I don't think they want anything to do with me, so funny. Sorry, I'm going to have to get a drink of water. Ty, take it away.

Ti Coleing: 1:10:20

Keep asking him questions, let's go, I'm just on that, not being into things, I remember shooting something, for it was a, it was a TV show, I don't think it was home and away, but it was something along there and it was a Bondi pavilion and it was raining. They wanted to shoot outside because it was raining. They couldn't and so we were undercover there and they're like do something. And I remember like just sort of side sliding and just the wheels doing that and I think cause I was kind of like this is sort of similar to you in this, I was like this is a bit pretentious and I was a bit weirded out by the whole thing. So it's doing these slides and I reckon that was just doing the sound directors head in or whatever. And I don't think I never got like asked to do cause I did a few castings and stuff and I never got asked to do any of that after that time as well, cause I was like ah, whatever, yeah, and you sit around doing nothing like all day.

Darren Stapleton: 1:11:22

And I just like oh, this is boring man Like this is, I want to be doing something.

Ti Coleing: 1:11:26

So yeah, for sure. You kind of was about wanting to be more proactive in the whole process.

Darren Stapleton: 1:11:32

Waste the time a lot of times. Like I said, you never job at the time, so it kept me going just while I wasn't working. And you know, yeah, good to see the scene, see how they do things, as I said, but not my thing.

Ti Coleing: 1:11:44

No, I'm fair enough, but I mean, pretty cool that you got to be on home and away, which is such an iconic show for. Australia For many generations of people. So that's, that's something.

Darren Stapleton: 1:11:55

And those parts did kept me going cause I paid okay. So you know, I guess if it was more gigs like that it was just easy perhaps could have kept going. But yeah, it wasn't up for all the castings and doing all that stuff.

Ti Coleing: 1:12:09

Chasing it, yeah, chasing it Sure.

Darren Stapleton: 1:12:11

I've never really chased anything the same with skate. Skate it just fell into skating like with sponsors and all that, and then music was kind of the same, never chased anything. We had a few offers here and there like labels and stuff, but you're dictated by their terms and so we were just like no one want to do it our way and didn't care about any other stuff. But you're kind of once in with the music thing. If you're not in the scene you don't get the good international supports and you don't get to. They don't push you and promote you through the labels and stuff. So that was hard as well, so you just do it yourself.

Ti Coleing: 1:12:44

So sure, but that's good. That comes back to the whole reason of so many things, and I guess you could split it to creatives and not creatives or whatever. Passion, passion driving things, you know, and you really and you're wanting to stick to your guns, not working for a corporate and stuff, and passion which makes a lot of things happen. Basically, passion and imagination.

Darren Stapleton: 1:13:10

It does. And I think I know meeting a lot of musicians and some and it's you know, when we're playing around and stuff and some that had record labels and they were kind of once again, what's success? But successful Maybe in their eyes or other people's eyes, but they kind of got jaded by the whole music industry and they don't touch any instruments anymore. They hate music and it's kind of and I never wanted that to happen. I love music. I want to do it for the rest of my life. So I'm not jaded by it because we just did it our own way. I mean, you're in Australia. To make a living out of music in Australia is so hard and we kind of always knew that. So I always had a job and did music on the side because I love it. So I just thought if we do it our own way, we'll go keep doing it. I might be jaded by it pragmatic approach?

Ti Coleing: 1:13:59

Yeah, maybe I think it is somewhat keep keeping things separate like little boundaries and stuff, and to not get confused, because I got a bit confused with sponsorship in my skating years, you know, and it was conflicting. It's like doing things because I felt I had to do it as opposed to doing things like because I wanted to do it, it was a hard thing to deal with. Yeah, for sure.

Darren Stapleton: 1:14:23

Yeah, doing demos and stuff as well. I suppose skating I didn't mind doing demos, but there was a couple I think it was my 14th birthday and offshore had flown me to Alice Springs. They were opening a store there and they wanted me to do a demo in the bowl there and it's going to be able to skate, and then I was down on my own so I had to do the demo on my own in the bowl there and it was just, it was just.

Darren Stapleton: 1:14:50

it was like oh man, this is quite hard. I've got to skate on my own every once in a while and like on the guy on the dude that they've sent over to do the demo. And it was. You know, it was difficult, man. I felt like there was like a lot of pressure, you know.

Ti Coleing: 1:15:04

The distinction of work and play and stuff.

Darren Stapleton: 1:15:06

Yeah, yeah yeah, I mean it was pretty cool that they flew me over and all that kind of stuff, but it was quite odd when I was doing it on my own. Yeah, no doubt, no doubt.

Ti Coleing: 1:15:19

Speaking of just sponsors, we drifted away from that as you do so. Offshore was the first sponsor. Did they have affiliation with Skullskates? And I remember there was a couple of sister companies like that all fitted together. What happened there?

Darren Stapleton: 1:15:34

Yeah, offshore had a sketchy street. I think Danny Van was skating for sketchy as well, I'm not sure who else was, but Skullskates came through. Skateboarders only distribution. So that was Skullskates and Dogtown. So, it was on Skullskates for a while through them and then and Alva and so that was Colin Brown, right.

Darren Stapleton: 1:16:00

I think Not too sure, but I think Blake was on there for a Blake Convy as well yeah Was on there, and Danny was on there and a few others. So that was kind of through that. The only direct like USA one was Venture. Yeah, so from offshore went. Obviously I had offshore and Venture together and then, like I said, stylized Sonny's and then sketchy streetwear, which is a little brand from them, and then it went on to skateboarders. Only, I don't even know how that came about, but they just started flowering me stuff Sweet yeah through. And then it was like I remember reading in a magazine, as I'd read off his now on Alva or something like that. I didn't even know.

Shannon: 1:16:41

Yes, I'm on Alva.

Darren Stapleton: 1:16:42

Okay, on Alva now. So there's those send me stuff and I think, just because it's the distribution, they've obviously taking on, probably Skullskates, alva and Dr, and I could be wrong here, I don't know, but that's what I was just assuming. I didn't ask too many questions, I was just like skating and they'll fly me stuff and I was pretty stuck. Hmm, poor family can't afford stuff, so yeah, man, it's amazing, amazing memories, right, yeah, it's great, I'll have that forever yeah absolutely.

Shannon: 1:17:11

You know, I think a lot about legacy as I get older. Like what am I leaving in the world? You know a bit of a deep question for you, but what would you like your legacy to be in this world? Oh, I don't know. What do you want to be remembered for most?

Darren Stapleton: 1:17:25

Probably just being kind to people, man, I suppose Good answer Pass. Yeah, like anything else, I don't. I don't like a legacy man. Like skateboarding was just a thing. Like I said, part-time skater probably had that like short time in history where, you know, had the sponsors and stuff, I guess, but after that it was, you know, not doing too much with it, I was just on and off.

Shannon: 1:17:54

But your music too. Like this is recorded published music. Yeah, Like that's going to be around long after you've passed. Yeah, that's true. How cool is that.

Darren Stapleton: 1:18:02

Yeah, stuff like YouTube, stuff on Spotify albums and that, yeah, that's pretty cool, I guess.

Shannon: 1:18:09

Anyway, if it's good, Even if it's bad, though, it's still documented who you were in that time in history. You know, yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 1:18:17

I guess. So yeah, and that makes it good. There's a couple.

Shannon: 1:18:19

And also it sounds like it's authentic because you know these are original songs, like if there's thought and effort gone into.

Darren Stapleton: 1:18:27

Yeah, one of the film clips we recorded. We're on tour, so there's some skating in that because we're skate world, have our boards with us and one of the other guys in the band skated as well. The band up like it's on her in, and then so we'll just stop off at skate parks on the way and have a bit of a skate and see it and then. So some of that was in some of the film clips and just us hanging out, nice yeah.

Ti Coleing: 1:18:48

How did how did this? Just on that, how did the sponsorship stuff? And because I didn't really know that you kept skating basically forever, you know what I mean. It was like you weren't sponsored and you weren't prominent, and then, because we hung out a little bit, you know, come and stay to your place a couple times and we spent a bit of time together like that, but then, yeah, you weren't there anymore as such, and so what happened there?

Darren Stapleton: 1:19:15

I think moving out West did it a lot and we, you know, no internet, no mobile phones, you lose contact with people. And then I noticed everyone was just like like stopping skating. And skating to me was kind of like I'll say before with music, like it's a social thing. I love getting together with people, skating people, so I'd skate in my end for a little bit but I would just lose motivation and then, unless I had like a mini ramp or something fun to skate like, I would just I'd skated all the same spots in the streets and the schools and done everything and I like wanted somewhere new to go and skate and I didn't have numbers of people. And then it was kind of everyone I knew and some of the older guys that were skating were kind of stopping and not skating and I'd be ringing people you want to go for skating? They're like no, I'm just slowly just dwindled off man and just yeah, kind of just stopped.

Darren Stapleton: 1:20:03

I was just like skating again, you know, far and few between, like you know, a few weeks off here and there, and then skate another week, then not skate, then skate, and then didn't have the sponsors, so then my board would be trashed and I didn't didn't have the sponsors.

Darren Stapleton: 1:20:18

So yeah, then I thought I'd have to buy board and stuff, Buy stuff. So I was like, and there wasn't any skate shops around and then I actually met a. I met a girl when I was probably about 21 maybe, and then she bought me a board because she said like she didn't know anything about the skate history and stuff and then someone had told her and said some stuff, and then she goes.

Darren Stapleton: 1:20:48

I didn't know that about you and skateboarding and that. And so she goes why don't you skate? Now I said I don't have a board. She's like, okay, I'm going to buy one, so all right. So she bought me board and then I was back on again and here you go, yeah.

Ti Coleing: 1:21:00

That's cool. Speaking of mini ramps, just quickly Did that pink mini ramp you took me to once and there was half of it was built, or the flat bottom and one wall and it was about six foot or something. You took me there when we were out there, do you remember?

Darren Stapleton: 1:21:15

that and did that ever get finished? Never got finished. Damn, it looked like it was going to be amazing. Yeah, yeah, it's going to be good. Oh, mini ramps are my favorite thing to skate. That's what I love the best. So I love Fairfield and, you know, have a good mini ramp is around, especially if it's wood, for sure. I can skate wood anymore. So Especially these days yeah exactly, yeah, I love it so a bit softer too. Exactly that, yeah, but the big trophy up there is from Fairfield.

Shannon: 1:21:45

Right.

Darren Stapleton: 1:21:46

That was one of the Fairfield comps.

Ti Coleing: 1:21:48

What place for it? First, second. That's awesome. I don't recall that.

Darren Stapleton: 1:21:54

Yeah, that was 1990.

Ti Coleing: 1:21:56

I think, wow, could you spin the spine?

Darren Stapleton: 1:21:58

You would have beat all the 180.

Ti Coleing: 1:22:01

I'll do lean 180s over it.

Darren Stapleton: 1:22:03

That was sick.

Shannon: 1:22:04

That's a sick one Dude, because you would have beat all the heavy hitters at the time. Yeah, maybe you were one of the head getters. Yeah, because like that era there was. Who do you be up against Like? Probably even like people like Glenn Scott or yeah, Chad Um. Vichang.

Ti Coleing: 1:22:23

Vichang. Yeah Was Skunk there.

Darren Stapleton: 1:22:27

Skunk tells me he was there and around, but he was not. I don't know if he was in the comp or companion. He was still kind of up coming then. Because, he tells me we've had a chat and he said, yeah, I remember man, he's like, I found out and I go what do you mean?

Shannon: 1:22:42

So he's still maybe a little. He hadn't turned into the complete animal that he's eating.

Darren Stapleton: 1:22:47

He's probably my favourite Aw.

Shannon: 1:22:50

In terms of like all round. Skater he's the goat man like he could just do everything and then like he's like the Dany way to me. For sure, but he's like you know he's a vert, he can skate vert, but then like you see him on street, like not just his difficulty of tricks but like he had steez on street as well.

Darren Stapleton: 1:23:08

He wasn't afraid man you know what I mean.

Shannon: 1:23:11

Like he just looks so good, like some of those juice videos, you know which is, and the tech?

Ti Coleing: 1:23:17

obviously the steez on tech.

Darren Stapleton: 1:23:19

I love the skater. That skating life I think it's skating life picture of him on the cover doing the Melon de Faque that fairfield thing that would have been.

Speaker 1: 1:23:30

Ooh is that slam or ASM? Yeah, it might have been slam.

Darren Stapleton: 1:23:33

I think it might have been slam. I think it was tweaked. Melon de Faque. Yeah, I think it was slam. You're right. Yeah, that was so good.

Ti Coleing: 1:23:39

Yeah, I see, I forgot about that.

Shannon: 1:23:42

Anyway how you feeling? Man, Good, we did wrap it up. I'm curious. So what's next for you? You think, oh mate, I don't know, Just keep happy with what you're writing life.

Darren Stapleton: 1:23:51

Yeah, I've got a six year old daughter, so oh, congrats. Hanging out with her all the time and just living life with her, Still doing music. So I had a jam on Wednesday with some of the boys here. Yep, Not doing music as much, I'm doing more acoustic stuff the moment just Just solo. Yeah well, yeah, no, not playing gigs, just writing stuff. I mean, yeah, again, read through a chord, that's it man, just living life, nice, keeping fit Nice.

Shannon: 1:24:18

Yeah, do you feel like you've just and that's how I'm feeling I've just found the things that work for me, you know, and that's what I'm sticking to? Yeah, I don't want it to sound too. I'm still open to learning, but I know this works. I know that works. Yep, it's good.

Ti Coleing: 1:24:33

I think is the acoustic thing an adaptation of age, like getting softer and stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 1:24:39

And I think it's just easy. I'm not plugging in, they're just there and they'll just grab them and you can just grab them and noodle off and play stuff and I'm not having to plug in and do all that. But yeah, I think as you get older, yeah, definitely.

Ti Coleing: 1:24:50

Well, considering punk hardcore, kind of slight of things, you know there's a change.

Darren Stapleton: 1:24:55

Even a lot of punk hardcore stuff. I would write on the acoustic as well.

Shannon: 1:24:58

So oh right, yeah, there we go. Good Well, Ty's got a demo. We might go to a demo in which Tony Hawk skate. Yeah, I might be the last time I ever get to see that guy skate live, really.

Ti Coleing: 1:25:10

That's kind of possible. I mean, he still loves getting around obviously.

Shannon: 1:25:13

He likes doing spoken word events at theaters in front of people, doesn't he, apparently?

Ti Coleing: 1:25:18

he does now, yeah, how was it it?

Shannon: 1:25:20

was good. Well, we're talking about. Do you want me to take this question? Sure, I was very curious to see because I really think the concept of a spoken word's awesome. I think we need more people telling their stories, and I mean, tony Hawk's history is so rich, not just in skateboarding but business and everything. And. I love Tony Hawk. I do Same, and I want to sound disrespectful, but I was underwhelmed by the event, oh really yeah, well, I feel like he was.

Shannon: 1:25:51

I think he misjudged the crowd that was going to turn up. I think he was catering for more of a mainstream crowd and maybe a crowd that liked Tony Hawk because of his video game. So I don't think he maybe expected as many core skaters to be there and I just feel like I knew a lot of what he was already talking about and for me personally I can't speak for everyone, obviously, but me personally I want to hear him get into the down and dirty of what's kept him going and some of the anguish that he's experienced, that we all experience as humans. I want to hear that shit.

Ti Coleing: 1:26:31

But he didn't go there.

Shannon: 1:26:32

I think he kept a quite vanilla.

Ti Coleing: 1:26:34

Cookie Carter. As I said and it was story to story as opposed to getting into the depths- as you say of the story.

Darren Stapleton: 1:26:43

Did he talk about the early days, of when he was hassled and spat on by Dwayne Peters?

Shannon: 1:26:48

and his name no.

Darren Stapleton: 1:26:49

No, none of that.

Ti Coleing: 1:26:50

No, he talked about learning, it was just times, moments in time, and it just went from moment in time to moment in time basically.

Shannon: 1:26:57

I was kind of surprised at what he considered to be pivotal moments for him. You know, like I mean, he played that clip of him being on Captain Kangaroo which would have been in the 80s, and then he played that clip of the Levi's commercial which I thought was funny and interesting, but anything would be so pivotal for him, and then, like the Doritos ad, like he said, that was quite a pivotal step in terms of his mainstream notoriety.

Ti Coleing: 1:27:21

Yeah, but the but the Levi's thing. I guess that if you break that down, that would be a pivotal moment between going oh right, no, we need to put across the real angle of skating, because this is just so abstract it's ridiculous, you know and then really having that as a as a moment. I get that. That's understandable.

Shannon: 1:27:43

Well, I think that's what he said. That's when he felt this sense of responsibility to present the culture to the mainstream correctly. And that was the big wake up cause. Oh shit, like if I don't, if I take these gigs and I don't do it, something about it and speak up, they're going to just ruin skateboarding.

Ti Coleing: 1:28:01

Cause that was pretty wacky, that ad was pretty wacky, but the conundrum of like he had no other profession he had.

Shannon: 1:28:07

It was like there's no money in skating at the time. He's desperate, he's trying to pay his mortgage and whatever. So how do you turn down like Levi's commercial money, you know?

Ti Coleing: 1:28:17

but he learned from that and he and he went on to adapt it out there and and and then lead the charge and put it to the directors and stuff and be like no, no, no, no, no, we got to do this properly.

Darren Stapleton: 1:28:29

And he was there when the vert died and he had to adapt to street.

Shannon: 1:28:33

Yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 1:28:33

From any good street.

Shannon: 1:28:35

He ripped to on street. He had that really shit style.

Ti Coleing: 1:28:38

He did some good stuff he did some amazing stuff in those early birdhouse videos. I was like wow, for sure.

Shannon: 1:28:43

I agree and use his ability to identify talent when he built the birdhouse team, I mean, and even the modern day team is the end video as well.

Darren Stapleton: 1:28:52

Oh yeah.

Ti Coleing: 1:28:53

That was landmark yeah.

Darren Stapleton: 1:28:54

Like production time. Just money to production.

Shannon: 1:28:58

Yeah, yeah, I mean he picked up Andrew Reynolds and Heath Kerchart. I mean, yeah, game changing skateboarders and even though they both deny it because they're so humble, yeah, but they're doing a demo in Sydney Park today and with all their new team writers and should be interested in.

Ti Coleing: 1:29:17

Yeah.

Shannon: 1:29:18

Ties, Ties going to put up.

Darren Stapleton: 1:29:20

No, it's. No, it would be good.

Ti Coleing: 1:29:25

I could probably skate, sure, but that ain't happening. I don't want to be I mean it's going to be Tom. Shaw Tate Karoo oh my God. You know that'll be amazing. See Elliott Sloan, all those guys smashing the ball will be epic, I think.

Shannon: 1:29:39

Ash Wilkins, australian kid will be there skating too, and some of those street guys like Clint Walker, I mean.

Ti Coleing: 1:29:45

Jaws.

Darren Stapleton: 1:29:45

Is this a well known event? Is there going to be a lot of people, you reckon?

Shannon: 1:29:48

Well, I think they've promoted it that much, he like last night he said. I think this is the first time I've announced it. Ok, you know, and I only heard about it because Ty had some inside knowledge yesterday. You because you told me about it before he mentioned it. And he says yeah, About what. The demo.

Ti Coleing: 1:30:05

When did I tell you about it?

Shannon: 1:30:06

He texts me and said he's doing a demo.

Ti Coleing: 1:30:08

Was that someone else? No, that was someone else. I didn't know. I only found out last night when he said it.

Shannon: 1:30:12

I think it was chat, gpt told me, because I don't know. Anyway, but still, yeah, it'll be big. The bird man seems to bring out the crowds right For sure.

Ti Coleing: 1:30:25

And I like, I like that he. You know, it was like the long lines of the Secret Skate Park tour, that he keeps it low key but then tells it and it's like people who can make it. You know, it's just a bit more organic, like that.

Shannon: 1:30:36

He's got such a star quality, though, and he's such a nice guy Damn it, so talented those dudes and then like, and then at the end. How's this down? The band? There was a band like a Tony Hawk tribute band called Birdman and like they played all covers from from like the Tony Hawk PlayStation game. So a lot of it's like you know. There was the Ramones. I was raging against the machine or something else. I keep it Primus.

Shannon: 1:31:01

Primus, like they did all those. And then at the end they asked Tony to sing a couple of songs and then, like Tony's OK, and just like songs from the game, like which ones were they? And they were, no, I can't remember. I can't remember, but anyway, and then he sung. I mean, it was like he was good and he was in time, like he didn't miss it, like he was in time.

Shannon: 1:31:19

He's seen him sing some songs before. Just like fuck, is there anything you can't do? God damn it. Anyway, I'm not bitter, but I am All right. Let him know today when you sing. All right, well, that's been absolute pleasure. Thank you, ty Colley.

Ti Coleing: 1:31:33

Pleasure. Thanks for having me.

Shannon: 1:31:35

Flow Skate and Mr Darren Stapleton, everybody. Thanks guys, rudolph, appreciate it.