WHO

Nate Newton. I live on the north shore of Massachusetts in the USA. I'm a musician, I play in the bands Converge, Old Man Gloom, Cave In, and Doomriders.

MEMORY LANE

How and when did you get involved with skateboarding?

I grew up in Virginia Beach which is a huge surf town. Skateboarding was just part of the local culture.  When kids in other towns grew up playing baseball and soccer, we were surfing and skateboarding.  My uncle gave me my first skateboard in 1980.

First trick you learned or struggled with the most?

I can't remember exactly what the first trick I learned was. Maybe something silly like a crab walk? Powerslides were another early one.  Ollies took me a while to learn. The boards were heavy and fat and short with big wheels and risers so learning to snap it took time.

Best/worst memory in your skateboarding history?

Best?  Road trips with my friends. First time I got to ride Orcas. Worst? Tearing my acl, breaking my hand.... the list of injuries is long but distinguished.

Ever been in a skategang? What is/was it called?

Crust Crew forever!

STYLE

How would you describe your skating? 

Mediocre. My knees are pretty beat up now so jumping down stuff isn't an option. I just like to go fast and do grinds.

What kind of spots do you prefer?

Weird flowy janky tight transition.

What kind of a skateboard setup do you have?

First board I ever owned was my uncle's G&S Stacy Peralta Warp Tail. It had Bennet Trucks and Sims Pure Juice Wheels.

First Pig shape I ever owned was a Variflex Concave High tail. Then I got a Powell Peralta Rat Bones with Indy stage 3's and Bones 3 wheels. Me and my dad primed and spray painted the trucks metallic blue. It looked awesome.

Nowadays my usual go to set up is a Transportation Unit "supertanker" shape. 9.125" wide, ace 55 trucks (with indy super soft bushings), spitfire f4 classic wide 99a 58mm with swiss ceramic bearings. I love riding weird boards though so I have a whole quiver or weird shapes and classic 80's style pig boards to ride.

Favorite trick?

Frontside grind. I love going fast, laying into it as hard as I can, and making the loudest noise possible.

PHILOSOPHY

How has skateboarding changed the way you perceive the world?

It taught me to constantly re-evaluate my surroundings, and to learn how to adapt to the environment. It taught me that just about anything is possible if you're willing to try. It taught me that I can get along with just about anyone if we can find something that we both relate to.

Has skateboarding affected the way you make music or other things?

Skateboarding is the reason I make the music I make. Skateboarding is what introduced me to punk. It was the very first step on the journey I'm still on today.  

How do you see skateboarding as a culture now or compared to when you started skating?

It's more widely accepted and accessible but ultimately it all just comes down to people wanting to have fun rolling around on a piece of wood. The biggest difference is the equipment and the terrain. When I was young the people designing that stuff were either skaters without much engineering expertise, or engineers without skateboarding expertise. Now people have grown up skateboarding and become professionals in their trades and have the ability to design and build parks using both their knowledge of skateboarding and their professional knowledge. It's amazing.