JASON DILL — 032c Profile
Jason Dill has never been one to shy away from interviews. His latest with Germany’s 032c is particularly poignant. It covers Jason’s history, time in New York, battles with addiction, and more. It also goes into detail on Fucking Awesome from Dill’s perspective. We’ve pulled a few choice quotes below.
On starting the brand:
In 2013, it was all just a bit stale. And me being older. And not wanting to die with a company. And Alien Workshop turning into the Titanic. I realized I needed to leave otherwise I’d rust. It was super emotional and gnarly to leave something that you’ve been a part of for that long. But I had to go and do my own thing. In my eyes, there was a lack of something in the skateboard world in 2013. Skateboarding in 2013 felt like it was at the mall. You just put your stuff on an ageing pro skateboarder who has some sort of lineage. It was so squuuaaaare. So accepted. It was a mixture of knowing that it needed to get beat up a bit for being a kook.
On where the image comes from:
When you’re making shit, no one gets it. No one understands. I don’t just sit there at a computer moving shit around. I go out in the world, whether it’s Paris or Pittsburgh, or a fucking shop in Stoke Newington that sells old books. I’ll stand there for three hours and look through all that shit. And I might not find anything. But all of this is accumulated and shot out through my system. It’s how the whole operation works as far as making this company.
On running a company:
I never wanted my own company. A skateboard company. The government is still taking half of my paycheck because I fucked up my taxes for so long. I can’t even take care of myself, or my own company of myself. I thought having your own company would be nothing but a pain in the ass. And guess what? I was right. It’s constantly a pain in the ass. I’ll be out for dinner with my old lady, and I’ll be trying to concentrate on what she’s saying, but at the back of my mind I’m thinking: ‘Oh my god, how many of that did we make? Is it going to sell?’ All these little fucking catastrophes in your brain, and you hang out with anyone, and they just think you’re a weirdo. I’m not complaining about it. It is what it is.
On the next generation:
I don’t know if I enjoy the responsibility, but I enjoy the response. It’s different now. The kids are older. The oldest is Na-kel [Smith] who is 22. Tyshawn [Jones] is 17. He’s the youngest and tallest. It is what it is. They’re flying around the planet now. If it wasn’t for my kids on the team, this wouldn’t be what it is. It would just be me, this old white fuck, and no one gives a fuck about me. I’ve been doing the company since 2001, but now it’s a whole different deal. And now I don’t know what it is anymore. I still love it and I’m really proud. But if it ends tomorrow, I’ll be sad because I need money still. We cut the head off skateboarding, and it’s been really great.
For more, visit 032c’s website to read the entire interview.
Jason Dill | Mind Field [2009]
