Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Exclusive Interview with Braydon Szafranski



















What is Dirty Business?
Dirty Business is absolutely nothing. These dudes around Vegas are kinda crazy. When I was fifteen or sixteen me and my homey were really fucked up ya know, drinking and doing whatever and talking about how shady things were. Half of us were drug dealers, the other half were doing some other crazy shit and we just came up with the name Dirty Business because that's the type of life we were living. So me and my homey were like fuck it, let's get the tattoo. Then a few other people saw it and wanted in too. Now every time I come out to visit Vegas people are saying ah Dirty Business this, Dirty Business that. It was some shit that never meant to be but somehow ended up becoming something.
Why wasn't there a Dirty Business logo on your shoe?
I've been in California for the past six years reppin' Piss Drunx everyday and I hang out with Dirty Business dudes like... never. They're never coming out to LA and I don't go back to Vegas that often.
Have you banged any chicks while wearing your pro model shoes?
Not really. I've been doing nothing but skating these last few months, trying to focus on this Emerica vid.
When's the Emerica vid gonna drop?
I don't think there is a definite date, but I'm pretty sure they want it to come out in November or some time around the Holidays.
Word. We're all looking forward to it.You're a self-professed gambler. When you're headed to the casinos, what tables are you hittin' up?
Right now I'm actually an hour outside of Vegas. I'm headed in just for the night to take care of a couple things. But, I'm headed to the Hard Rock or the Palms tonight without a doubt and I'll be posted up at the Craps table for a couple hours.
What's the story with the naked chicks at Burnside?
Hahahaha! I forgot all about that! We were up in Portland and we were partying at that strip club/bar called Magic Gardens and Fred (Street Corner sales rep) just happened to be there. We ended up partying all night and somebody brought up the idea of going to Burnside and the chicks getting naked. So we headed over to Burnside and kept drinking over there and doing carves over the chicks while they were stripping.


How many chicks fell prey to the Shaggin' Wagon?
Uhhhh. That's for me to know and nobody else to. Hahaha!
What were some of the Wagon's features? Did you customize it?
Oh yeah. I went completely off on it. I installed shaggy blue carpet and put a bunch of faux diamonds into the walls. There was a 17" TV screen that folded out of the wall when you hit the button. And the backseat was super comfortable, but when you hit the switch it folded out into a bed. There was navigation in the front too. It was pretty much the sketchiest thing, but every girl that rode in the van thought it was the best thing ever. But that was only after they kicked it in the Wagon. Their first reaction was always like "You're fucking creepy. What is this thing?"'
So at first they think you're a total perv, but once they give it a chance they're big fans?
Yeah. I would have to put in some serious talking to seal the deal.
So you live in an apartment complex that pretty much complete inhabited by skaters. What's the deal with that place?
We call it Ogden's place. It's our version of Melrose Place. Curtis and this dude Brian that works at Supreme, they've lived there for like 5 or 6 years and there's about 9 apartments in the whole building. When a spot opened up about a year ago Spanky and Patrick O'Dell moved into this 2-bedroom unit. Since then more units have opened up and I moved in as well as some more skaters. The landlord is this cool ass chick and she told us that she wanted to rent to skaters because she likes out attitude.
Wow. You aren't gonna find many landlords like that. She sounds dope. Are you able to lay down hammers when you're super wasted? Like Dustin Dollin status?
No, no. That is a special gift. Those dudes are a rare breed. Lizard, Antwuan, and Dollin, Marc Johnson, those guys can skate when they're wasted and kill it. I've seen them do it. I can drink a 40oz and go shred a bowl or skate some tranny, but if you think I'm gonna jump down a rail you're trippin'. Alcohol and jumping don't mix.
What's the most important thing you've learned from the OG's like Ellington and Drew?
The best thing? I don't know. Those dudes are like my Godfathers and they've taught me so much. They're always looking out for you and the team. They're motivating guys and they're always positive. They're not like some teams that tell you that you can't drink and can't party. They don't tell us what to do really. They just say do what you want, just don't let it effect your skating.
What does Shake Junt mean to you?
Family, friends, big fat asses. Hahaha! It means the Goat.... it pretty much just means good times. Whenever I think Shake Junt I can't help but laugh.
What are 3 requirements for a G-Code lifestyle?
1) You gotta be down with Herman and Antwuan.2) You gotta be down with Victorville.3) You gotta be a stoner.A G-Code lifestyle is pretty much Shake Junt.
Who's the best Wingman?
That's a good one because I've got a lot of good homies I go out with, but I'd have to say the best Wingman is Brandon Biebel.
Ass or titties?
Definitely ass.
Blond or brunette?
Don't give a fuck. If you look good I ain't gonna complain.
You've got some guidelines when it comes to slayin' babes. Can you lace the public with some of your game?
It's not necessarily that you can't blaze the same girl three times. I'm just so obsessed with skateboarding and I like to do whatever I want at any time. If you end up blazing a girl a few times you're gonna end up catching feelings and it becomes a lot harder to look at somebody and not give a fuck. I feel like I'm such a kid still and I've got lots of traveling and things I need to do. I'm not ready to get tied down. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with having a girlfriend, but I see some homeys dealing with arguments and drama while they're on the road cause their girl is pissed they're out of town all the time. At this point in my life I need to be skateboarding, traveling, hanging with the homeys and partying. I don't see how I could have feelings for or take care of somebody else when I can hardly take care of myself.
So you grew up in Vegas and your dad was a pornstar. What was it like growing up?
Personally, I have no idea what a typical childhood is. My friends and I all thought that we were living this normal childhood and upbringing. It wasn't until I left Vegas that I realized we were growing up on a whole 'nother level. I had to travel and live in LA until I could understand that our lifestyle in Vegas wasn't normal. Drugs, alcohol, gambling and staying up all night was totally normal to us. In Vegas you live this whole lifestyle if excess and we thought that was reality. A lot of my friends from Vegas who grew up there and haven't left still think that. I think I'm privileged to come from a place where everything is so fast-paced and its all about having a smile on your face. Don't get me wrong though, it can be a death-trap city. I don't really talk to anybody about that personal stuff with my pops. Thats pretty much just for the really close homeys to know about. But I will say that he's pretty much the coolest dude on the face of the earth. He's pretty much been dad to a whole bunch of my friends. He's my dad, but he's more like a 50 year old homey. He's the first one to bust out the sack of weed. He's the first one with a beer in his hand. He's like a skater, he just doesn't know how to skate. He's a unique dude and yes, he was involved in some wild shit when I was younger but that shit I don't really discuss in interviews