 Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash
If you've been following me for a while or have listened to the podcast you know that I am a big fan of Brandon Biebel. For one, the guy was one the best to ever do it. He has such raw talent to him and his confidence in his ability also showed whenever he stepped onto a skateboard -- or pretty much anything he put his mind and energy towards. And two, his positive attitude and outlook on life is contagious. And I never even met the guy. But I always feel inspired whenever I hear him talk. It's hard to describe, but if you are a fan of his you know what I mean. Nevertheless, Brandon Biebel apparently walked away from skateboarding sometime in the past year or two and has never looked back. There was no goodbye or social media post. Nobody knows why. And it's not like he vanished from existence. He has been putting in work bodybuilding and pushing his limits over there. He's always on Instagram. Always. Now, if you are like me you are probably wondering what happened. What made him step away? Is it for good? I started thinking about this more and more and finally decided to DM him on Instagram requesting an interview. Sure, it was a long shot as he has no idea who the hell I am, but I figured I'd give it a shot. I sent the message on a Thursday evening. He was ACTIVE NOW and read it immediately as I saw the message go from SENT to SEEN. However, I did not see the words TYPING appear. I didn't think I would. Honestly, I figured he was busy pushing weights or getting those 20K steps in. I went to bed that night telling myself that I will see a message from him in the morning stating that he was willing to do the interview. This was going to be great. I would finally get some answers to so many questions we all have! I was wrong. Nothing. Crickets. So, I just went on with my day/week and eventually reached back out to him on Saturday night. I said that I'm pretty sure now is not a good time for him, but that that offer will always be on the table. He read it and quickly replied with "No Thank U Bro". Honestly, I can't say I was shocked, but I was really glad he didn't just leave me hanging. I told him something like, "Keep killing it, man. You are an inspiration to many." carried on with my night. Not gonna lie, I was really hoping that I could get Biebel on for one last chat about skateboarding. And that it would be on my show, the No Mongo Podcast. I was able to dig up what appears to be his last appearance on a podcast talking about skateboarding. It was episode 44 of the Kill Cliff Podcast and he was interviewed by a host that never skated in his life. So that was kind of a bummer. There's that old saying in sales that a "No" only means "Not now" so I figured I would post the questions I had ready for him on this site. That way when/if it does happen I can just fill in the blanks. Below are the questions I had all locked and ready for my BRANDON BIEBEL INTERVIEW.: What's up Brandon? Actually I've been a fan and have been following you for years. I know exactly what has been up. You've been getting your fitness on, man. Very inspiring I might add. How much time do you spend at the Dogpound these days? I've always noticed that you had this thing about you in that you are always 100% committed to something. Meaning that you don't half-ass anything. You are either all in our out. With that being said, what's your thought on having natural born talent versus grinding it out to get results? Another thing I've noticed and admired about you is your attitude. Or, positive outlook on life. Where did that come from and how has it impacted where you are at today? How much has skateboarding influenced your life and did it help you create the success you are having today? Back in the day, would you say that you found skateboarding or did skateboarding find you? Skateboarding is a very personal experience. It's basically you versus your mind or your board. Nothing better in my opinion. Seems like bodybuilding is very similar like that, right? I can barely throw down consistent pushups. Can you even describe what it feels like to push 500 lbs just once? Are we going to see you as a fitness coach in the future? Or is that already happening? I can see you totally crushing that job. In fact, I'm 44 years old and have been slowly working on getting more in shape. What's the best piece of advice you can give me that won't kill me in the gym? I need a slow and gentle plan! I've never been to India, but have heard lots of great things about it. How transformative was that trip you took there last year? ***HERES WHERE I WAS GOING TO JUST GO ALL IN*** The last skateboarding clip you posted was way back in October, 2018. Is it safe to say that the world has seen the last of Brandon Biebel on 4 wheels? Your departure seemed to go out very casual and unnoticed. Almost like an Irish goodbye. Is there anything you'd like to say to all your skateboarding fans? ***I would have come up with some questions on the fly depending on the answer*** While I still got you. Do you have anything you'd like to plug? Or give a shout out to? Wrap up. Give thanks. Appreciate the time, etc. ***THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF THE INTERVIEW***
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 I've been on a crazy buying trend as of late.
In the past year I have purchased two physical copies of skate videos. Yep, that's right TWO!! This is huge as my last skateboarding video purchase was Pretty Sweet way back in 2012 -- right around the time my boy/girl twins were born. And it's not like I really planned this break, but obviously having children (yet alone two at once) takes priority. You parents out there are nodding your heads right know. You know. However, I'm on a mission to slowly get back into the game so-to-speak. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not that now my kids are 7 years old they are cheaper to raise/provide for. Quite the opposite actually as my son is now hardcore into soccer and my daughter loves to draw/make art. It won't get any cheaper until they are well into their adult lives. Nevertheless, I'm getting extra funds by selling stuff on eBay or using credit card rewards points, etc. I really missed buying skate videos. There's just something about having a physical copy near by. My only DVD player is in my Playstation 3 so until that thing dies I won't have to worry about that. I do own some classic skate videos on VHS and sold my VCR long ago. I've been hunting for a new on online and every time I stop by a local Goodwill store. I wish I would have saved that PANASONIC VCR I had back in the day. Oh well. I have been keeping an eye on eBay for VHS gems as well. Some are still really expensive!!! What about you? Do you only stream these days? Do you do a combination of both? What are some videos you are proud to own? Or embarrassed about? One of these days I'm going to challenge myself to only consume physical media for a month. I wonder if I would last a full 30 days. That would not be easy by no means. I won't commit to that just yet as I need to build up my collection again. In the meantime, I will continue to keep an eye on the interwebs and at discount stores. I'll be sure to let you know of anything I find worthy of mentioning. Curious to hear how you consume your skate videos on the regular. Cheers, Rick |
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February 2022
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