COLOMBIA'S DAVID GONZALEZ DISCUSSES THE COUNTRY'S VIOLENT CLIMATE WITH ROUTE ONE

UK’s Route One has become a respected outlet among skateboarding’s biggest names. If you’re hopping across the pond for a demo or contest, you’re most definitely gonna sit down for an interview with Route One if asked.

One major reason for the channel’s stellar reputation is a willingness to cut through the BS; they don’t ask your run-of-the-mill “what’s your favorite go-to trick?” nonsense. Last week, they asked Jamie Foy about his non-traditional skateboarder physique, which led to some incredibly insightful comments about how interaction with his fans; the week before, they basically called Mark Suciu out for dropping out of the limelight (which Suciu answered with aplomb).

Today’s interview, with Medellin madman David Gonzalez, broaches an equally sensitive topic: the history of violence in his homeland, Colombia. According to Gonzalez, this dangerous climate isn’t going away anytime soon. At 2:22, he recounts a recent trip to the dentist which involved gunplay:

Last time I went home, four months ago, I went to the dentist to get a tooth fixed. Right when I was going in with my mom—around 6:30 am—I heard some gunshots. It was BOOM, BOOM, BOOM… Apparently somebody got killed right there outside the store because he was trying to steal a car! We just went into the dentist’s, and it only took like 30 minutes, an hour, and when I came out the body was still there!

If only Bam Margera had consulted the homie before his flight: