Skateboarding with Andrew Reynolds

CHRIS GROSSO: Hi.
My name is Chris Grosso.
I'm a producer here at Vice.com and the first show I
ever got to work on was Epicly Later'd.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CHRIS GROSSO: So this episode of Epicly Later'd is centered
around Andrew Reynolds' madness.
Andrew Reynolds is obviously one of the best skaters in the
world and has been for a long time.
This episode focuses on him trying to film a trick for
what was then his upcoming video Stay Gold.
We actually have a doctor from Columbia University in this
episode and he explains what the actual breakdown is for
OCD, in particular, OCD for a skateboarder.
Vice presents Epicly Later'd Andrew Reynolds' Madness.


MALE SPEAKER: Neckface was telling me he saw you try a
trick and it was hat nine times.
ANDREW REYNOLDS: Nine, yeah.
Like before I go to bed at night I go to the door and I
lock it nine times but like 3,3,3.
3,3,3.
3,3,3.
And I do that three times.
And then sometimes I'm laying down and I'm
like, did I do it?
And I go back.
And then it's like once I did that, then it has to be the
nine, the whole thing, 3,3,3.
3,3,3.
3,3,3.
Three times, and then if I messed up and did it, then I
have to do that whole thing three times.
You know what I mean?
PATRICK O'DELL: All right.
Welcome back to the show.
This episode is about Andrew Reynolds.
I've said this about every guest so far but Andrew really
is the best skater.
There's no one that can skate big stuff like him as stylish
as he does.
He'll do an ollie inward heelflip down all these stairs
and it looks like flat-ground.
This episode I went on a little trip to San Francisco
and I filmed him trying to trick down
the Wallenberg Four.
Kind of what I wanted to focus on was what he calls "madness"
where he has to do all these little rituals.
It means a lot to me to have a skater like Andrew talk to me
and talk about these weird tics he has.
And that's what this episode's about, it's
just the madness episode.

I'm going to ask you just what madness is?
ANDREW REYNOLDS: All right.
Well, it's basically obsessive compulsive disorder.
And it comes on really strong when I'm doing tricks and I'm
skating and I'm kind of scared.
I think it has something to do with being scared or having
some anxiety from having to try the trick.
Wherever you skate there's cracks in the ground and
there's signs and there's people around.
And pretty much it ends up being this thing where I have
to do three things three times.

I do like three taps a lot of times.
It could start with just like, [TAPPING], and then by the end
it could be [TAPPING]
that, and then like [TAPPING]
that and then it could be three taps and then it could
be, Patrick, you ready?
Tepa, ready?
So and so, you ready?
Back.
Tepa, you ready?
And then make sure the coast is clear, there's no people,
and then go.

[CHEERING]
ANDREW REYNOLDS: I don't know what it does.
I don't even know why I do it but for me, I think, why I do
it is because I get all this little bullshit stuff out of
the way and then it's like I'm clear to just go forward and
jump down the thing.

MICHAEL MAHER: I know in executing tricks and try like
repeating them over and over there's a certain amount of
repetition that's even necessary
to be good at skating.
I don't think anyone could make an assessment based on
watching someone's, say, pre-trick ritual or behavior,
whether they have a disorder or not.
Oh sure, it's interesting because I grew up skating in a
half-pipe in a friend's backyard and stuff like that
and even the way you hold the board or start something or
kick the board up like what we're talking about, get's
associated with pulling off a trick right.
I think they may even sort of cue motor systems to sort of
be on target and paying attention to things that we're
not so aware of.
It may actually fine-tune our ability to pull off some
difficult tricks or difficult maneuvers.
KEVIN "SPANKY" LONG: I've had this theory that with
skateboarding, with the madness, it's so hard to clear
your mind when you're about to try a trick and if you're
focusing on little stupid things like tapping or walking
up the stairs a certain way, it kind of clears your mind.
And you're like, OK, I did that right.
I got it.
ANDREW REYNOLDS: I mean, it's like I know people where OCD
has came and pretty much fucked up their whole life and
they can't do anything.
They can but they need meds and it's all fucked up.
And I realized it at one point, I have this and I do it
and I know I do it.
And I just thought to myself, well, it's worked this long I
might as well keep doing it.
PATRICK O'DELL: Yeah.
ANDREW REYNOLDS: I can't stop it.

MALE SPEAKER: Fuck!
He fucked it up!
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
ANDREW REYNOLDS: Thank you, man.
MALE SPEAKER: It's crazy.
That was awesome.

PATRICK O'DELL: Andrew, can I film your back one more time?

Did you have madness that time?
ANDREW REYNOLDS: You saw it.
It was a lot of variations, though.
PATRICK O'DELL: Yeah.
ANDREW REYNOLDS: Tail drop, tap three, tail drop, tap
three, tail drop, tap three.
PATRICK O'DELL: Yeah.
ANDREW REYNOLDS: It works though.
PATRICK O'DELL: Hell yeah!
ANDREW REYNOLDS: I have no complaints about it because I
got my trick.
PATRICK O'DELL: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
BRYAN HERMAN: You see what it does if you tap
the wall three times?
He gets a chance to backstep at Wallenberg.
Like that.

ANDREW REYNOLDS: There's a 19 in Victorville that I really
want to do.
MALE SPEAKER: It's like that.
BEAGLE: He's not even happy.
He's not even happy.
Monumental.
JAKE PHELPS: He's like a Spiderman.
His legs.
All in the legs until he can't get up.
He'll be doing it forever.
He's better than all the whole fucking team.
So you can park that and put that in your
pipe and smoke it.
All you little fags on the team, you
can think about that.
Who's the boss?
The boss.
Who's driving the van?
The boss.
Who's frontside flicking the big shit?
The boss.
To the rest of you guys, who cares.
PATRICK O'DELL: What about Terry Kennedy?
JAKE PHELPS: Who?
PATRICK O'DELL: Terry.
JAKE PHELPS: I don't know him.
PATRICK O'DELL: How would you describe Jason Dill?
JAKE PHELPS: Jesse's a great Brit skater.
PATRICK O'DELL: How about Jason Dill?
JAKE PHELPS: I don't know him.
PATRICK O'DELL: What about Braydon Szafranski?
JAKE PHELPS: Bust or Bail, that's what I call it.
PATRICK O'DELL: Yeah.