Levi’s Skateboarding UK team riders Mikey Patrick, Shaun Witherup, Charlie Munro and Manny Lopez all hit up Copenhagen during this years Open. We interviewed all four of them about their CPH experiences. See below for a days worth of photos before the free beer took its toll.
Interviews: Heywood Ward
Photography: Reece Leung
Mikey Patrick
Heywood: Okay Mikey, so when in Copenhagen, what’s your booze of choice? What do you go for?
Mikey: I’ve been trying to stick to the Heineken’s but it’s too expensive! To start with it’s really expensive, so I’ll have like two at the start and then I get onto the Tuborg classics. Just fucking six packs of Tuborg, hit the supermarket, get the cheap six packs.
Heywood: That’s a good way to do it! Any other advice when in Copenhagen?
Mikey: Dude I wouldn’t even know! Every time I’ve been here I’ve come with all the intentions of just trying to skate as much as I can and it’s impossible to avoid the beer. You can’t just be that guy that’s like standing away and just like I’m gonna chill and not drink beer and it’s like, everyone is here, everyone is partying.
Heywood: It’s all just part of the experience I suppose?
Mikey: Yeah man! I don’t think it’s the same city without getting really fucking drunk at a skate event.
Heywood: Speaking of the skate event that’s currently happening, what’ve been some of your best experiences out here?
Mikey: Ah shit, so far, so I’ve been here twice and jumping in the river is possibly the best part for me. It’s sooo much fun, you wake up feeling hanging as shit and you’re like “I don’t even know how I’m going to get through the day”and then you jump in the river, you wake up and you’re just fully ready to hit the spots! As for CPH Open, dude, I mean just seeing everyone really. There’re so many people from the UK as well that are out here, so just hanging with everyone, we’re all in the same spot so it’s good!
Heywood: It’s amazing how many people you just bump into out here.
Mikey: Yeah we’re in Copenhagen and it’s surprising seeing so many people here, it gets you more hyped and then when you’re at an event like last night where theres so many UK people, it’s so fun. It’s really, really good.
Mikey Patrick – backside 180 amongst the pedestrians.
Heywood: What about any bad experiences out here?
Mikey: Cycling back to the apartment and slamming hard on the bike is pretty much as bad as it gets!
Heywood: And as a skateboarder you’re already pretty used to slamming right?
Mikey: Oh yeah, yeah but you’re not expecting the drunken bike slams dude. (Chuckles)
Heywood: What’s the gnarliest thing you’ve witnessed go down?
Mikey: The Fælledparken bowl was just nuts! Just when you witness Grant Taylor going in and Raven Tershy and all those dudes in person it’s way fucking better!
Heywood: Video cannot do that place justice!
Mikey: Nah, nah, like no way! Especially that bowl with the over-vert and seeing Rune Glifberg doing backsmiths around that every go, it’s just like ahhh, woah!
Mikey ollies over to a steamy back smith.
Heywood: Anything you can recommend to do in Copenhagen?
Mieky: Jump in the river as much as you can, it’s so good for you! Drink as much water as you can as well.
Heywood: When you’re not drinking free beers?
Mikey: Yeah! It’s so hard to drink water as well, like I’m trying so hard, I know I should be drinking water and then I end up drinking so much beer.
Heywood: Finally, why is the Palomino the best skate shop in the world?
Mikey: Because Nick is the best dude! he’s from Wolverhampton, he started it himself, he worked to get the shop, he puts the work in at the shop, he supports the brands that need supporting and he’s just all for skateboarding! It’s why I back it so hard, he’s so for skateboarding. Half the time he’s got brands I’ve never even heard of and I’m like fuck, where the hell is this from and he’s like, it’s from this small town, he saw the video and he’s got it in. He will contact brands before they get a distributor in the U.K. so he was getting them which costs more money but the money isn’t the point, it’s the point of supporting these brands!
Heywood: They’ve got a pretty rad team coming together now too?
Mikey: Yeah! he asked me to ride for it and I was immediately down for it. He was like, “I don’t know teams, I’ve never done a team, I don’t know what a team involves.” and stuff like that. Then he was like, “Dude, what do you think to these guys?” and it was Casey Foley from NZ and Brian Downey from New York, and the Croatian dude Zoe Miloš. It’s just so rad that a London online skate store can have riders internationally! Respect to Nick at Palomino!
Manny Lopez
Heywood: So Manny we are here in Copenhagen, at the Mikkeller brewery of all places. When in Copenhagen, what do you like to drink?
Manny: Anything that’s given to me I guess yeah, but mostly beer!
Group: (Chuckles)
Heywood: Any particular beer?
Manny: Umm I like the IPA.
Heywood: The Mikkeller IPA?
Manny: Yeah!
Heywood: It’s a good shout, really hydrating after a long sesh.
Manny: It’s what you need.
Heywood: So what’s been your best experience of Copenhagen so far?
Manny: I guess just seeing friends that I haven’t seen in a long time, since basically the last Copenhagen event. So it’s just nice to see everybody and meet some new people and get a chance to meet the Levi’s guys for the first time, I’m enjoying myself!
Manny Lopez – frontside hurricanes at the Levi’s skateboarding event.
Heywood: Ah good, good to hear! What about worst experiences, have you ever had any bad times out here?
Manny: Erm, no actually! (Chuckles) No, like even last year I had a really good time and ended up getting lucky with a place to stay and everything but I don’t have any bad Copenhagen experiences, except maybe pushing my bike along the motorway with zooming traffic!
Heywood: Ahhh, yeah! How did that happen?
Manny: I put the maps on ‘car mode’ and ended up taking the motorway and I had some cars going by honking their horns, screaming at me, one dude stopped and actually cared about me, at first he was like “What the fuck are you doing you shouldn’t be out here, you shouldn’t be here you’re gonna get killed or arrested. This is completely illegal you shouldn’t be doing that!” And I’m like “I’ve gone too far now, so I have to continue” but it eventually got too gnarly and I had to just get off my bike and push and just walk with it but yeah, I made it home alive.
Heywood: Besides cycling yourself onto a motorway, what’s been the gnarliest thing you’ve seen go down out here?
Manny: Last year, Evan Smith. I have no idea how he skates on whatever he’s on!
Group: (Chuckles)
Manny: I have no idea but he’s an incredible skateboarder, a very nice person and yeah, he was by far the most impressive person to watch in real life!
Heywood: You’re not wrong, the guy is pretty incredible to witness!
Heywood: Is there anything you can recommend to anyone coming out to Copenhagen as a city?
Manny: Whatever you do get a bike and have a good time!
Heywood: Sound advice! Who have you been most hyped on to see skate this year?
Manny: Hmm, I’m not gonna lie, but when I went on a trip with Charlie Munro to Budapest I couldn’t believe how talented he was but my god, that guy skates every single spot. It doesn’t even matter if it suits the way his style portrays or anything like that. He will skate everything and he will at least try and he will end up getting something insane! Harry Lintell of course! Like, that guys had a full part for the last half a year or something haha and he’s still going, so yeah I guess my friends! I get more hyped from seeing my friends and I guess the people I hang out with.
Heywood: Yeah, the homies.
Manny: Absolutely, and I guess it’s same with everybody, the homies!
Charlie Munro
Heywood: When in Copenhagen what’s your booze of choice?
Charlie: My booze of choice? Whatever the cheapest beer is to be honest. I mean, Heineken is always a good one and Heineken funnily enough is actually one of the cheapest beers here which is always a decent one really.
Heywood: Always a good shout, or Mikkeller?
Charlie: What’s Mikkeller?
Heywood: It’s the beer from the brewery, which we are drinking right now.
Charlie: Yep, I knew that! I had no idea that’s what it was, is that what this is? I’ve been drinking it for about 5 hours and had no idea what it was. It is a good beer though right!
Group: (Chuckles)
Heywood: Yeah, it’s regarded as one of the best in the world, this place.
Charlie Munro with a beautifully pinched Spanish grind.
Heywood: What’s been your best experiences of Copenhagen so far?
Charlie: Erm, chilling with you boys. I’ve had a great day today man, today’s been sick! Even though there’s been rain I’ve had a sick time, obviously all the comps and stuff are sick but I have a better time just with everyone from England basically, you know? The best times are just with the homies innit, just out doing this stuff with the boys.
Charlie Munro doesn’t let the beers get to him with this precise kickflip.
Heywood: Some of your worst experiences out here, ever had any?
Charlie: Last night! Biking home at 3-4 in the morning in the pissing rain is probably the worst experience I’ve had here, but it could be worse! That’s life at the end of the day innit.
Heywood: Yeah, I mean if that’s the worst thing, British weather abroad then you’re okay.
Charlie: Yeah that’s the thing, we’re used to it so like I kind of expected it and if that’s the worst thing then I haven’t got much to complain about!
Charlie with a classic shapes switch ollie.
Heywood: What’s the gnarliest thing you’ve seen go down?
Charlie: Uhm, Ryan savaging his bike down a 3 set last night probably.
Heywood: Ryan Gray?
Charlie: Ryan Gray! Savaging himself down a 3 set was fucking horrible last night, and he got up like it was nothing and just cycled on. His bike was alright too somehow! Actually no, no, that’s a lie. Richard Clarke trying to roll into the roll in at Christiania butt naked was the most horrible thing I’ve seen in probably my whole life!
Heywood: What happened?
Charlie: He knocked himself out. He’s had brain surgery within the past few years.
Heywood: Hes okay now though right?
Charlie: He’s fine now but he knocked himself for 10 minutes and it was a fucking horrible, 10 minutes! Until he woke up, everyone in the whole place was quiet and no one knew what to say or how to react. That was fucking gnarly.
Heywood: That sounds fucking gnarly
Charlie: It was horrible yeah, it wasn’t good. Glad he’s okay though!
Charlie backtails some Danish steel.
Heywood: Is there anything you can recommend about Copenhagen?
Charlie: The bikes! And the girls! Actually, the weed, the hash, the girls, the bikes and the vibes! Everything about Copenhagen is fucking amazing. Great vibes all round!
Group: (Chuckles)
Shaun Witherup + fellow rider of the Zol: Justin Biddle
Heywood: When you’re in Copenhagen what’s your drink of choice?
Shaun: Hmm shit, drink of choice, Tuborg so far. THE FREE ONES!
Group: (Lots of chuckles from the boys)
Heywood: Okay, so any beer as long as it’s free?
Shaun: Yeah, yeah why not hey, got a few tokens hey!
Heywood: What’s been your best experience of Copenhagen so far?
Shaun: Errr, seeing this guy (Justin) use the cash machine!
Heywood: So what happened at the cash machine?
Shaun: Dude you wanna see it? You gotta see it to believe it dog!
Justin: Yeah you gotta see it to understand it.
Heywood: What is it?
Shaun: Ah it’s just this cash machine next to the generator (hostel).
Justin: For some weird reason it’s like 3 metres tall and was the only place I could draw money that morning and was like yeah. Shaun showed me an alternative way to approach it.
Shaun: Yeah I was like come, this is how you use the cash machine here (Shaun shows the group a photo of Jason stood on his skateboard primo so he can reach the cash machine).
Justin’s approach to the tall cash machine. Photo: Shaun Witherup
Group: (Chuckles galore)
Heywood: So what’s been your worst experience of Copenhagen open?
Shaun: Ah worst experience, fuck, I don’t think there’s any so far.
Heywood: It’s all been really chill?
Shaun: Yeah yeah it’s been good man, yeah. Maybe the rain today, that’s it . Yeah I guess the rain, fuck, it’s the only bummer so far. And drinking too much! (Shaun + Justin both broke their arms / wrists a day or so after. So this might class as their worst experience of CPH but they’re both okay! They have matching casts on their arms. Heal up soon boys!)
Shaun + Justin at the Levi’s Skateboarding event.
Heywood: What’s been the gnarliest thing you’ve seen go down out here, on or off a skateboard?
Shaun: Ah fuck, gnarliest thing…shit, we haven’t really watched much skating though.
Justin: Yeah, we’ve made it halfway there.
Justin: Ah fuck, our friends bro! The bike theft!?
Shaun: Yeah there’s a load of South African guys over here, they’ve all come over just for the Open so pretty much just hanging with them so far, they’re fucking wild so, you know.
Heywood: What’ve the SA boys been getting up to then?
Shaun: Ah, what haven’t they done! The crime rate in our area has spiked by like fucking 200% dude! Lidl’s not safe, 7/11.
Justin: Nowhere is safe dog!
Shaun: If you’re missing a bike, we can talk!
Heywood: You’ll probably know where it is?
Shaun: We’ve got connections! We can be the middle man ya know.
Group: (Chuckles)
Heywood: Anything you’d recommend in Copenhagen, bike locks maybe?
Shaun: Ah jeez, come that’s it. Come, come here and check it, it’s something special isn’t it.
CPH ghetto cam edit
Featuring the likes of Charlie Munro, Daryl Dominguez, Tim Tam, Mike Arnold, Faris Hassan, Toby Gozzett and Mikey Patrick.
