Introduction & Interview by Guy Jones
Ah yeah! The box of fucking toys! Faro Phiri and Calvin Ligono are the fucking duo to be reckoned with! Absolute adoration for these two as the first 2 sentences attempt to say, because they’re so close we thought we’d take the concept of the 90’s ‘How well do you know your partner’ for the basis of their joint interview. In conclusion they like each other possibly more than they even acknowledge, and so do we. Get your head around that one!
Calvin + Faro. ~ Photo: Reece Leung
FARO on CALVIN
What’s their favourite film?
Faro: Something emotional for when he’s with a girl, so she’s
already disappointed when he shows her his lil mamba.
Calvin: Training Day.
Where were they born and where did they grow up?
Faro: Born in Washington, D.C. and then Rotherham.
Calvin: Born in Kenya, grew up in Washington, D.C. and Sheffield.
Who’s the most Yorkshire?
Faro: He’d say me cos of the accent.
Calvin: Faro.
Calvin Ligono – nollie. ~ Photo: Reece Leung
Outside of skateboarding what are they good at?
Faro: Gym innit and chats a lot about killing it on Tinder but who actually knows eyyyy?
Calvin: I’m into calisthenics and fitness in general. Used to play basketball when I was younger as well.
What’s their karaoke song?
Faro: Definitely SahhBabii – Geronimo.
Calvin: I don’t do karaoke.
Which celebrity were they super stoked on meeting?
Faro: I’m gonna go with Lucien Clarke as well (laughs) both gassed on him.
Calvin: Met Obama when he was campaigning which was pretty hype.
Calvin Ligono – frontside smith grind. ~ Photo: Leo Sharp
What’s their pet hate?
Faro: When Matlok’s cousin Eden was talking to him on a night out, mistaking him for me and left him hanging when he told her who he was (laughs) shouldn’t have ever told me that Cal.
Calvin: Bad weather.
Who’s more Wayward?
Faro: He’s gonna say himself as well.
Calvin: Faro’s got the slight edge on this.
Who’s more likely to get kicked out of a club?
Faro: He’ll say me cos I get a too drunk all the time.
Calvin: Probably me to be honest. Faro would be getting dragged out by a bouncer and would start chatting nonsense, the bouncer would feel sorry for him and let him stay. I don’t think I could chat that much breeze.
Who’s got more secrets?
Faro: Deffo Calvin.
Calvin: I got nothing to hide.
Calvin + Faro. ~ Photo: Reece Leung
What’s their game of S.K.A.T.E speciality and weakness?
Faro: Speciality = nollie/switch hards, weakness = back threes.
Calvin: Switch/nollie hardflips specialty. Sex change is my weakness.
What’s their favourite colour?
Faro: I honestly do not know that one.
Calvin: Purple.
What’s their favourite food?
Faro: Something Jamaican.
Calvin: Salmon.
What’s their favourite TV show?
Faro: Something like Power, if you don’t already watch it Cal you
could learn a thing or 2 (laughs).
Calvin: Man don’t watch TV.
What’s their favourite flavour of ice cream?
Faro: I’ve never seen him eat ice cream either (laughs)…chocolate?
Calvin: Chocolate.
Faro Phiri – frontside nosegrind. ~ Photo: James Griffiths
CALVIN on FARO
What’s their favourite film?
Calvin: Street Dreams (laughs).
Faro: Lucky Number Slevin and Fight Club.
Where were they born and where did they grow up?
Calvin: Born in Zimbabwe, raised on the driveway at Thornes skatepark, Wakefield.
Faro: Zimbabwe till I was 9 and then in Wakefield.
Who’s the most Yorkshire?
Calvin: Definitley Faro. It’s not up for debate. Just ask him to say No (laughs) “NoOoOoOooOOo”.
Faro: Most probably me.
Outside of skateboarding what are they good at?
Calvin: The deep motivational chats he has with you when he’s drunk out of his mind at 4 in the morning. Dishing out life advice whilst slumped against a light post with one eye shut and the other one not even looking at you. Not to mention the beer spilt down his hoodie. He’ll then finish the epic rant on how to sort your life out with “Oh noo0o0o I’ve lost mi’ bag and passport again. Gonna have to borrow some money off my sister”. Oh and raising Kennelly’s blood pressure.
Faro: Probably chatting shit (laughs) or playing Xbox, used to be good but can still beat anyone on COD or Fifa (Matlok and Joe Mcalone got lucky).
Calvin Ligono – nollie hardflip. ~ Photo: Reece Leung
What’s their karaoke song?
Calvin: Britney Spears – Paradise or the Lion King intro.
Faro: At the minute its SahhBabii – Army or Unknown T.
Which celebrity were they super stoked on meeting?
Calvin: Ishod Wair. Instagrammed it and made the longest life story caption of how he was watching him and finally built the courage to talk to him the little schoolgirl (laughs).
Faro: Ishod, duh! And Lucien Clarke, he’s a celeb right? Are skaters celebrities? When I met Ishod, we had just got to Copenhagen and while trying to pick up a deck, the first spot we went to (that big but little bowl with ledges surrounding) Spole Jefferson had skated off in front and skated back with a super big grin on his face and was like “You’ll never guess who’s there”. 100% I didn’t think it was gonna be Ishod and when I got there, literally gasped out so loud and I just sat and watched him the whole time he was there (laughs). I took a good half an hour to build up the courage to ask him for a selfie, so I just sat there with my phone on camera for ages (laughs). Outside of skating I’d say deffo D Double E. I was stood in the middle of the street with 2 other people and I couldn’t contain it! He was walking by himself looking for weed, never been so gutted that I didn’t have a dealers number for weed…we got a selfie though (laughs). Chris Kamara was also jokes, sound guy. I saw him walking and was like, “Who’s that Lionel Richie looking guy?” then I clocked his Sky Sports jacket and it hit me who he was (laughs).
What’s their pet hate?
Calvin: Keeping Kennelly happy (laughs).
Faro: Having small feet, not easy finding good shoes
Who’s got more secrets?
Calvin: Buy Faro a pint or 2 and watch his whole life story start pouring out. Kennelly never used to send him his footage through WhatsApp. One Saturday night comes around, he’ll start showing everyone all the footage he’s been stacking for months. He ain’t keeping shit to himself.
Faro: Calvin does fo sho.
What’s their game of S.K.A.T.E speciality and weakness?
Calvin: His specialty is losing. Weakness is flip tricks.
Faro: Speciality = front shuv late flip, weakness = frontside tricks.
What’s their favourite colour?
Calvin: Red.
Faro: Black or Purple.
Faro Phiri – thin to thin frontside shuv-it. ~ Photo: Reece Leung
What’s their favourite food?
Calvin: Tesco bakery bread and hummus…or ass.
Faro: Don’t think he knows but my lil sister makes a banging lasagne.
What’s their favourite TV show?
Calvin: Northern birds, Babestation.
Faro: If it’s on Netflix but probably Brooklyn 99 at the mo.
What’s their favourite flavour of ice cream?
Calvin: Strawberry.
Faro: (Laughs) Don’t really eat ice cream to be honest.
Faro Phiri. ~ Photo: Reece Leung
Faro Phiri – heelflip. ~ Photo: Reece Leung
Watch Calvin Ligono’s new part for Wayward below
Filmed and Edited by: Forde Brookfield
Additional filming: James Cruickshank + Martin Kennelly
