Interviews

Boo Johnson & Dee Ostrander SUPRA Chino Interview

We recently spent a bit of time over in Barcelona for the SUPRA Chino tour, during our time there we got the chance to catch up with the recipients of the new pro colourway – DGK and Baker rippers Boo Johnson and Dee Ostrander. Here’s what they had to say about favourite European destinations, sharing mango chilli edibles with Tom Penny, skating with the SUPRA legends and more… You can find Oscar Candon’s Interview here.

Interview: Matt Broadley | Portraits: Horse

Let’s start by talking about the shoe, how did it all come together?

Boo: I think the Chino came about from the SUPRA Pistol, it was a really rad shoe, very similar. But we had some complaints about it being a bit too thin, so SUPRA designed the Chino and it’s a souped up version of the Pistol. It’s a rad shoe, and to present it they picked me, Dee and Oscar to have our own colourways – we picked our colours and went from there.

Dee: It came together pretty good: my first colourway, got my name on it, and I got the black one so I’m hyped on that. They’re all vulcanized and I love that.

You’ve been on a few trips to promote the shoe?

Boo: To present the SUPRA Chino we’ve been doing a few tours, we hit like five different U.S cities it was real cool, like Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Arizona. Real quick, real fun, real simple – and now coming to the end in Barcelona.

Where in Europe did you guys go?

Boo: Paris, Avenue?… Avignon, Marseille – most of the time when I’m on trips I’m just in the van. I do know where I’m at but most of the time I can’t even pronounce the places.

Dee: We came from LA to Paris, and then we went to Marseille and Avignon and then here.

You come to Europe quite a lot with SUPRA, do you have a favorite city?

Dee: Barcelona, it’s my first time here, it’s super sick I love it so far. I’ve only been here for two days and I can’t wait to start skating, I’ve only seen and heard good things. I love going around and seeing everything. When we were in Avignon they had big walls up around the city – I guess because a long time ago they had to protect the city. It’s all gnarly and you can just tell it’s so old and it looks sick, it’s fun getting pictures of all that.

Boo: I don’t know man, I think Barcelona as a place to come and skate but Europe’s huge man, I love going everywhere. Amsterdam, I’d love to go back to London.

Get Lucien to show you around!

Boo: Yeah man, he’s actually in Barcelona right now, jumped on the trip real quick.

Got any good Lucien stories?

Boo: Lucien? He’s funny dude! I swear to God he’s a character, he could have his own show, he’s hilarious. But nah I don’t really have any too good stories… we had some good times in New York City a few months ago. Other than that it’s just good times.

“I’m a big fan of Nassim Guammaz, since day one he’s the homie”

Which European skaters are on your radar?

Boo: I’m a big fan of Nassim Guammaz, since day one he’s the homie and I can look up to the kid, he kills it he has mad style. Madars Apse, super sick. Both those dudes I used to travel the world with when I was skating for Element so those dudes are so sick.

What’s it like skating with Muska and Tom Penny?

Dee: Legendary! It’s awesome I love skating with those dudes.

Boo: It’s insane dude, I got on the team when I was like 16 years old and I’ve been going on trips with Erik Ellington, Greco, Lizard King, Muska since day one. It’s insane, I learnt from the good and bad as I was always the young’un in the van. It’s something I never expected when I first started skateboarding, that I’d be living my dream with these dudes who’ve been doing it for years.

Do you think it’s important having the older generation to bring you up?

Dee: Kinda, they’ve definitely seen and done it all so they’ve got some wisdom. It’s fun hearing them tell stories.

Boo: Yeah, you gotta respect the whole industry. You can’t just jump in thinking you’re hot shit. These dudes been doing it, they’re the ones who brought SUPRA up. If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be rocking the shoes, we wouldn’t be in Paris or Barcelona, so yeah it’s very important making sure they’re in the van and we know why they’re in the van. It’s a blessing to be traveling with those dudes.

“When I get home I’m like ‘yo I was kicking it with Penny!’”

It’s crazy man, I’ve roomed with Penny a few times and it’s just natural, everything happens for reason, but still when I get home I’m like ‘yo I was kicking it with Penny’, we were smoking, I gave him edibles for the first time it was hilarious! I gave him mango edibles and he was like (Penny impression) ‘woah mango chili?’, they were these chili ones and he was so hyped! He wouldn’t stop bugging me like ‘yo Boo you got any mango chilli?’ So yeah it’s really cool to be able to do all this rad stuff and travel the world with these legends.

Where’s the best weed you’ve found in Europe?

Boo: So far Barcelona for sure, everywhere else it’s a bit like… we got some from some homie which was home grown and it’s cool but I’m from Cali dude where it’s always good! End of the trip and we’re ending it good.

Dee, when we saw you last in London you were injured, how’re you feeling now?

Dee: I’d dislocated my shoulder, it’s feeling better now. My knees fucked up now though, I had surgery on my knee four months ago as I’d torn my meniscus. It’s usually a quick recovery time, the meniscus is the padding between your knee – usually they just cut it out and it takes about 6 weeks to heal. But since I’m young they said they were going to repair it, so they sewed it back together, and since it’s in between your knee it doesn’t get much blood flow so they told me about four months. It’s been about three and half months, it’s feeling alright, a little weak still but getting there.

What have you got coming up?

Dee: Trying to skate as much as I can, get my knee better so I can feel good on my skateboard again. That’s my main goal, getting better.

Boo: I’m working on a part for DGK so hopefully I can wrap that up by the end of the year. It’s just hard nowadays putting out parts man.

Hard to make it memorable?

Boo: Yeah, there’s so many skaters in the skate industry and the industry is so small so everyone sees everything. Footage just gets laid on top of each other. I’m not the gnarliest skateboarder or the best skateboarder but I just try to maintain and keep it going, let people know I’m still out here doing it. I’m just chilling right now, but definitely going to drop a new part for DGK. SUPRA are always popping up with something cool.