Singleton: "I'm taking gym and lunch"
March, 18, 2012
MAR 18
03:00
AM ET
Courtesy of Clyde SingletonClyde Singleton in Asheville, N.C.
Former pro skater Clyde Singleton, is without a doubt the funniest guy I've ever had the pleasure of befriending. I've always said that Clyde's sharp wit and colorful language warranted his own television show. Why it never happened, I'll never understand. Clyde came up in an era when skateboarding was known for small checks and strictly core sponsorships. The money that is tossed around today in skateboarding was not there. So when his professional days were done, Clyde did what any man does -- he got a job. He's currently working and going to college in North Carolina but Blind Skateboards, with their continued Brotherhood Series efforts to support the great skaters that paved the way, recently released a bro model for Clyde. Don't call it a comeback but please do relish in the brief return of a personality that is very much missed in this modern, homogenized age of skateboarding.
ESPN.com: When would you say your pro career finally come to an end?
Singleton: When I wasn't trying to skate for any companies anymore. I don't think it ever ended, I just didn't want skateboarding to be my job and it turned into my job when I rode for Zoo York. I didn't like it. I like skateboarding and I don't like it being my job. So I stepped away and did some other stuff.
Singleton: When I wasn't trying to skate for any companies anymore. I don't think it ever ended, I just didn't want skateboarding to be my job and it turned into my job when I rode for Zoo York. I didn't like it. I like skateboarding and I don't like it being my job. So I stepped away and did some other stuff.
What have you been doing since then?
A lot of video projects and hosting contests; the same stuff I was doing when I was skating as a pro except now I'm not skating for a company. I just moved up to Asheville, North Carolina for college. I like it up here.
A lot of video projects and hosting contests; the same stuff I was doing when I was skating as a pro except now I'm not skating for a company. I just moved up to Asheville, North Carolina for college. I like it up here.
What are you going to school for?
I'm going to AV Tech and I'm taking gym and lunch.
I'm going to AV Tech and I'm taking gym and lunch.
What?
Ha! I'm kidding. I'm taking Digital Media because I have a nice resume from "Minority Report" and doing a bunch of stuff for TransWorld. I figured I'd have a nice little cherry to put on top of my resume with a nice degree. Plus, I'm older and there's all kinds of grants and money for me. It's great being an older, you get free stuff. It's cool. And there's a lot of girls in school...
Ha! I'm kidding. I'm taking Digital Media because I have a nice resume from "Minority Report" and doing a bunch of stuff for TransWorld. I figured I'd have a nice little cherry to put on top of my resume with a nice degree. Plus, I'm older and there's all kinds of grants and money for me. It's great being an older, you get free stuff. It's cool. And there's a lot of girls in school...
Weren't you a taxi cab driver for a second?
Yeah, in Jacksonville. That's a whole other story. That was actually going to be a book. I read this book about this cab driver and I thought that would be really cool to put a bunch of stories together of my cab driving experiences. I've seen some stuff in my cab that a lot of people don't want to talk about.
Yeah, in Jacksonville. That's a whole other story. That was actually going to be a book. I read this book about this cab driver and I thought that would be really cool to put a bunch of stories together of my cab driving experiences. I've seen some stuff in my cab that a lot of people don't want to talk about.
You took the job as a cab driver just to write the book?
Yeah. It was great. I'd just drive around playing classic rock. Old eople would be like, "You don't have to play this because we're in the car." I'm like, "I'm in my mid-30s. Do you think I was listening to Soulja Boy when I was a kid? Everybody likes Journey! Even my mom listens to Phil Collins!"
Yeah. It was great. I'd just drive around playing classic rock. Old eople would be like, "You don't have to play this because we're in the car." I'm like, "I'm in my mid-30s. Do you think I was listening to Soulja Boy when I was a kid? Everybody likes Journey! Even my mom listens to Phil Collins!"
How long did you live back in Jacksonville?
About three years too long. That was a rough, rough patch in my life.
About three years too long. That was a rough, rough patch in my life.
You were driving a cab, you're going back to school now. What advice do you have for young kids coming up in skateboarding in terms of dealing with finances?
Don't put it like that. What am I supposed to be doing? Am I not supposed to have a job or go to school? What? Just because I decided to do something else in my life in that's not skateboarding?
Don't put it like that. What am I supposed to be doing? Am I not supposed to have a job or go to school? What? Just because I decided to do something else in my life in that's not skateboarding?
No. I'm saying there wasn't the same money as there was now and you and a lot of guys of your era didn't really save their money.
Oh. I think plenty of them did but I know a lot who just skate and don't want to be involved in skateboarding. That's what's cool to be in Asheville. It's humbling and it's cool to be around normal people that just like skateboarding and aren't trying to be part of the industry and all that corniness. Any advice I'd give a kid is to stay in school. Secondly, you might want to have an alternate plan to skateboarding. If I could have done anything differently I would have stayed in school while skateboarding.
Oh. I think plenty of them did but I know a lot who just skate and don't want to be involved in skateboarding. That's what's cool to be in Asheville. It's humbling and it's cool to be around normal people that just like skateboarding and aren't trying to be part of the industry and all that corniness. Any advice I'd give a kid is to stay in school. Secondly, you might want to have an alternate plan to skateboarding. If I could have done anything differently I would have stayed in school while skateboarding.
It's humbling and it's cool to be around normal people that just like skateboarding and aren't trying to be part of the industry and all that corniness. 
--Clyde Singleton
Moreso than you being pro, what I miss most is your writing in skate mags. Why don't you do that anymore?
Oh, it was a big drama. I was doing stuff for The Skateboard Mag and they got mad when I was going to write something for AOL. So I stuck with them and didn't take the AOL job and I missed out on a lot of money. My life would have been different if I took that job. Then TransWorld wanted me to do something for their website and The Skateboard Mag wasn't having it and they hit me up crying. So that ended. I was doing stuff for TransWorld for a while but when Eric Stricker passed away things really started changing over there.
Oh, it was a big drama. I was doing stuff for The Skateboard Mag and they got mad when I was going to write something for AOL. So I stuck with them and didn't take the AOL job and I missed out on a lot of money. My life would have been different if I took that job. Then TransWorld wanted me to do something for their website and The Skateboard Mag wasn't having it and they hit me up crying. So that ended. I was doing stuff for TransWorld for a while but when Eric Stricker passed away things really started changing over there.
The first time I met you you were fist fighting your then roommate Bill Weiss. Now Bill Weiss is giving you this Bro Model on Blind. How did that come about?
I don't know how the board came about. That was random. They hit me up about two years ago. The funny part is that I didn't even see my graphic -- some kid hit me up on Facebook about it like, "Nice board." I literally had no idea what it looked like. But Weiss hooked it up because he's one of my good friends. I'm stoked on the board, a lot of people seem to be into it.
I don't know how the board came about. That was random. They hit me up about two years ago. The funny part is that I didn't even see my graphic -- some kid hit me up on Facebook about it like, "Nice board." I literally had no idea what it looked like. But Weiss hooked it up because he's one of my good friends. I'm stoked on the board, a lot of people seem to be into it.
But your comeback is short lived, what happened to your shoulder?
First off, there was never any comeback. I've been skating the whole time. If you know me and been hanging out, I've been skating the whole time I just didn't feel the need to put out any footage out. But my shoulder, I was skating a bowl and slammed on it and destroyed the AC joint. It'll be alright. I've already been filming with these kids out here.
First off, there was never any comeback. I've been skating the whole time. If you know me and been hanging out, I've been skating the whole time I just didn't feel the need to put out any footage out. But my shoulder, I was skating a bowl and slammed on it and destroyed the AC joint. It'll be alright. I've already been filming with these kids out here.
What's next?
School, women and chicken -- what else is there?
School, women and chicken -- what else is there?
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