"Appreciate the achievements of others even though their skill may not be as high as your, 'cause remember, at one time, you too were once a beginner! Support the sport by supporting each other."

STEVE CABALLERO

Frontside rock with style. Photo: J. Grant Brittain

A native son of San Jose, Steve Caballero has left his mark on three decades of skateboarding. He began as a young grommet ripping skateparks in the late seventies, rose to the top of the vert heap in the eighties, and is quite an accomplished street skater in the nineties. Now at 33, Steve is happily married to his wife Sue, and is the proud poppa of a baby girl named Kayla Leslie. Meanwhile, style, power and longevity remain hallmarks of the house of Cab.

How long have you been skating?
I've been skating since 1977, I believe I was about 12 years old when I first hopped on a skateboard. It was a red flat skinny piece of wood with metal wheels and trucks, the kind that old rollerskates were made of.

What made you start skating? 
I think it was the thrill of moving fast and the balance it took to stand on one that made a challenge for me. When I was a kid, I was a young daredevil. Evel Knievel was my idol. I used to love to jump over obstacles, whether it was on a bike, rollerskates or my skateboard. I built lots of jumps in my front yard Skateboarder Magazine also had a lot to do with really getting me into the sport. I studied that mag from cover to cover. I really looked up to the pros back in the day, and I wanted to fly just like they did but never thought I would become one someday. I just skated because it was fun and it made me happy. In 1978, Winchester and Campbell skateparks opened in San Jose. That was great because now I could skate on cement that I only read about in magazines. It was a dream come true, and from that day on, skateboarding was my life.

What's your favorite place to ride right now?
Well, I just moved to Scotts Valley, but I still drive 20 minutes to San Jose everyday to skate. There's a few places that have good blocks and some schools with handrails on the weekends. I don't really have a favorite spot, it just depends on my mood that day where I decide where I'd like to skate at. All I know is I wish we had a vert ramp, then I wouldn't feel so rusty every time I skated one. Demos or contests are really the only places to practice my vert skills.
 

Major gap action at Derby in Santa Cruz.

How's the Ultraman collection? 
It's going great! I love toys. I go to toy shows all the time, I also subscribe to a lot of toy magazines. Collecting things has always been a hobby for me. I think it's the thrill of the search. Ultraman has a special place in my heart. Back in the early 70s, it was a TV show I'd watch after school every day. The only drawback was you had to go to Japan to find any of his toys. So now that I'm older and able to travel to Japan with skateboarding, I bring home as many toys as I can fit in my skate bags. I also collect Godzilla, Spawn, Star Wars, Evel Knievel, X-Men, Mego Super Heroes, Nightmare Before Christmas, pro skater's shoes, and much more.

How's the Coca Cola collection?
I have a nice display in my new home, but I'm basically done with that collection. Plus I don't drink it anymore. I love raspberry Snapple and Arizona Tea with ginseng and honey, that stuff rules! Do you think it's possible to have kids and still find time to skate? It can be done with the support and understanding that your wife or girlfriend gives you. It's definitely harder to just get up and go, but that's the give and take of being a father. It's different for me, 'cause skating is not just a pastime or a hobby, it's my job and it supports this family. So my Sue understands when I say, "Honey, I'll be back later, I'm going skating."

Have you been riding any pools?
Actually, I haven't. Pools just don't interest me anymore. Back in the 70s and early 80s, that type of skating was fun to me. Today, just street skating is what excites me. I just don't like sneaking into people's backyards anymore, plus ramps are so much smoother.

Any vert? 
Not in S.J. there isn't. This summer I went on the Vans Warped Tour for five weeks straight, which had a really awesome demo ramp that was 11 feet high and 32 feet wide all made of aluminum. Salman, Frazier, Hendrix and Boyle traveled with me on a huge tour bus. That tour definitely goes off! There was a lot of great bands on the tour, I also got to play bass with my favorite band, Millencolin (from Sweden) for one song on about 15 tour dates. It was so much fun meeting those guys, they're actually really good skaters too.

What's your secret to learning tricks?
The secret is called perseverance, which means to keep trying and don't give up. Patience and a positive attitude also helps. Just remember that skating is supposed to be fun. Don't be so quick to criticize other skaters' ability or accomplishment. Appreciate the achievements of others even though their skill may not be as high as your, 'cause remember, at one time, you too were once a beginner! Support the sport by supporting each other.

What's your latest trick?
The latest trick on mini-ramp is ollie to k-grind to fakie. On street I'm trying to get a lot of flip tricks wired and do them down bigger gaps. Backside Smithgrinds on blocks is what I'm working on now. On vert, just trying to relearn a lot of my tricks back. Backside ollie reverts and someday 540šs again.

What music are you listening to?
Millencolin (fast, melodic punk), Tommy Guerrero's new solo instrumental CD (groovy and blues), and on the radio, this old 70s station. Man, I just love the 70s, the music, the television shows, and the toys.

Are you playing in a band right now?
No, not at the moment. The last band, Soda, left a bad taste in my mouth. I quit about a year ago because of the singer. Her personality really bugged me. Being in a band is like having four different relationships. To work, they rely on trust, 

Strummin' the Les Paul with Soda.

and for some reason, she had no trust in my ideas or opinions. Also, as the band grew in popularity, so did her head. Music has always been just a hobby for me and that's how I kept it fun. The bassist and the singer were getting too serious about the whole music thing, not trusting the label we were on, hiring a dumb ass shark of a lawyerŠ All while I was away on the Warp Tour 96. And for those reasons I quit! I love playing music, so it will always be a part of my life somehow.

What other stuff are you doing? 
Besides a lot of skating, touring and contests, designing ads for the magazines, learning how to be a dad, collecting toys, writing music, playing chess, drawing, working on learning computer skills, designing shoes for Vans, playing with my Great Danes Harley and ParisŠ Not that much more.

Back in the day, you were a little kid who was ripping pretty hard and had to deal with all the older guys. Now that you're a bigger kid, how have things changed?
Now that I'm older I don't have to deal with them because they don't skate anymore. (Just kidding!) I see a reflection of my self in the younger kids today. The drive and the determination they have. It's great to see the resurgence in skating and those younger kids give me that drive. They are always pushing me to progress and that keeps me excited about skating. The thing I've learned about skating is that it's easier to become the best than stay the best. It's hard to keep that drive, but because of them, I still have it.

A lot of people see things as old school or new school, where do you think you fit in? 
People are so quick to put labels on things. New school, old schoolŠ To me it's all just skateboarding. You see, I never quit so I don't know where that transition started. I've been skating for 20 years now and the only school I've ever been a part of had classrooms and teachers.

Who are you riding for?
Powell Skateboards, Vans Shoes Company, Standard Trucks and Sessions Clothing. I wear Droors Clothing, but I'm not on the team. Kelly Bird just flows me product.

What's your worst downhill beef story?
When I was 11, I was skateboarding down my driveway and the ball bearings fell out of my wheels, (back then we didn't have seal cased bearings yet), as I reached the bottom I flew off and got major road rash. Then I spent an hour trying to pick them all off the ground. After that I was through with downhill.

Any advice to the young up-and-comers?
First, I'd like to say thanks to Evidence Magazine for letting me express myself in this interview. Also, everyone who has helped me in my whole career in skateboarding, like my father (R.I.P.), and my mother who were really supportive when I was first starting out, and Stacy Peralta for showing me what it takes to be a well-respected professional skateboarder. As for advice: Be positive in anything that you do, 'cause negativity is a fault; Stay away from drugs, that includes cigarettes and beer, they will eventually ruin your life; Good things come to those who are patient and considerate to others. Thanx again, and I'll see you on the road!