Catching up with Manuel Lopez

Kicker backside smith. Photo Reece Leung

Hey Manny what have you been up to lately?

Hey Tim I've been good, just working a little bit and skating as much as I can. I'm on the coach at the moment, to Sheffield to stay with Mark Baines to film for Fabric.

You’ve moved around quite a bit but currently residing in London, does it feel like home?

Yeah I've lived in a few places, but London is really starting to feel like home. I really want to continue living here as long as I'm travelling.

London can be pretty expensive at times do you have a job on the side or are you able to support yourself through skating?

Yeah I'm a freelance runner and I help out on sets of photo shoots and commercials. I also get some shifts at the Volcom office to sort out the show room and do whatever needs to be done. I only work a couple times a week the running is pretty good money sometimes. I share a room with my girlfriend so rent is good. I've been getting into cooking at home a lot too so that helps haha.

What are your usual hotspots for skating? Are you a ‘street rat’ or do you try and throw some parks into the mix? Street skating in London can get pretty hectic and stressful.

I don't really have a certain hotspot. I'm down to skate wherever anyone wants to go. It's always nice to find a new spot. I try to stay away from skate parks, but sometimes I'm just having too much fun or stuck on learning a new trick. I try and stay as productive as possible. London is pretty hectic, but I love it. I hate being comfortable for too long I like to move around and explore. The spots are amazing and I'm glad that they're hard to skate because it pushes you to do something challenging. 

Boardslide through the kink. Photo Reece Leung

You’ve been a part of Fabric Skateboards for quite a while now, it must be sick to see how far it’s come. Any talk of a full-length?

Yeah they're my family. David and Bish have had my back this whole time. The promo was good, I'm glad people liked the skating. As a company it's going through some positive changes. Mark Baines has gotten more involved and is like our team manager and has great plans for the future of the company. Mark and Douwe have full parts right now and I think they're going to be released soon along with some tricks from the rest of the team. I think right now we are just trying go get more product out and do more boards and clothing launches through out the year. The whole media and feel of the company is going to change so that we stand out as team and company. We discuss everything as a team and contributions and new ideas are always welcome. I've got a lot of respect for Mark and what he's is doing along with putting it down in skateboarding. He just keeps getting better and better. Everyone on the team kills it. A full length will be in the works once all that falls into place. 

How’s filming for Will Miles’ Tallboy going? Are you working towards a full part?

Yeah it's been going great, I've got a full part and for the first time ever I feel happy about it for the most part haha. To be honest I haven't really been out with Will Miles that much in the past year , but the deadline is coming up and we went to Lyon a couple of weeks ago so I'm out skating with him and the rest of the boys as much as I can. Wait for Matt Hay to blow people's minds because he's got a full part and that dude has so much style. Daryl's part is going to be really gnarly and different to his other parts so I'm really excited to see it. Josh Cox is amazing and it's going to be his 3rd video part in the space of a couple of months. His love for skateboarding.is awesome even though he hates everything haha. Let's just say everyone smashes it and it's a video not to be missed. Look out for the official premiere date because the premiere is going to be wild!

Have you been travelling quite a bit for it?

I've been travelling quite a bit for several things, but the Tallboy trips are always the best. I will never forget that trip to Athens in 2014 . It was more of a holiday because there was about 15 of us and only 4 of us were working towards video parts so the rest of the guys were boozing and enjoying the sun. It was a fun group of people and we actually managed to get shit done. We went to Portugal last winter and that was sick too, the spots there are amazing. It was a tight crew so it was more productive, but with Will Miles in the group you know there's going to be some shenanigans. I love travelling so much and it's even better when you've got that piece of wood and wheels under your feet. 

Fakie Nosegrind 180. Photo Reece Leung

Shooting photos, filming and travelling can be pretty overwhelming, do you get up to much outside of skating to kind of balance it all out?

I try to do other things and I'm starting university soon to do sports science so that will keep me grounded for a bit. I try to be healthy and educate myself with what's going on around the world. My girlfriend is my balance and we have a home together so if anything that makes me more productive because I know I have somewhat of a schedule and she believes in me so much. I like being productive because it stops my mind from racing and thinking too much about bullshit and the mistakes I've made in the past. I started surrounding myself with positive and well rounded people. I've experienced a lot of shady people in my life, some were best friends and now I know better and that lesson itself has been pretty rewarding. I just can't be around people who just take and take then fuck you over in times of need. It drives me crazy because I'm a happy person that believes there's always more room for growth. 

How’s the rest of 2016 looking any comps or trip etc lined up?

So far it's looking good and I'm going to be travelling quite a bit. Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen and hopefully Geneva and Lyon again if I can. That might all change, but I'm pretty set on those locations to film for this Fabric part I just started working on. 

Cheers Manny, any last words?

Trust me when I say it's better to get toxic people out of your life while you're young. Don't waste your time on 'friends' that don't value you and hold you back and get the fuck out of there and surround yourself with people who make help you grow. Be true and forget about the mistakes you've made in the past and learn from them and become a better person. When you're feeling good, good things come to you.

Quick chat with Daniel Espinoza

Hey Daniel what have you been up to lately?

I've just been trying to skate and film as much as possible lately.

What’s a regular day for you at home in California like?
Go skate, get home, go hang out and do car stuffs with friends.

The rumours of a new Lakai video appear to be true, do you feel there’s a lot of pressure for it to live up to Fully Flared?
It wont be anything like Fully Flared.

Does the video have a deadline yet, can imagine that only adds to the pressure.I suspect you’re working towards a full part. Do you have a process for filming like making a list or do you prefer to take a more spontaneous route?
Yes we have a deadline it's sometime in August or September I can't remember the exact date. I just wing it, I don't make a list of tricks I want to do, I don't work that way unfortunately.

Have you been or plan to travel much for the video?
I haven't really traveled anywhere to be honest. We did a few trips last year but I was suffering from an ankle injury that kept me from enjoying, or going on most the trips.

A lot of skaters have been using snapchat to showcase their lives and skating do you think social media is becoming an essential part of skateboarding?
Yeah as much as most of us would hate to say it. It's probably the only thing that can keep us relevant these days.

Switch Backside Flip. Photo Yoon Sul

You ride for Cliche skateboards, so I’m guessing you've spent a fair bit of time in Europe, how do places like France or Spain compare to America?
Just different vibes, mostly because I never know if i'll ever go back so I try to just take it all in. If that makes sense.

Aside from the Lakai video are you working on anything else?
Not much I can speak about at the moment.

What are your plans for the future?
As in after skating? I'd like to settle down and be a pro race car driver, Haha Hey, I dreamed of being a pro skater and that came true so why stop there?
There is a lot of things I plan on doing in the future I just hope it works in my favor.

Any last words?
No.