[ JAPANESE / ENGLISH ]

Photo_Junpei Ishikawa, Special thanks_RVCA Japan

VHSMAG (V)：　Where are you from?

Curren Caples (C)：　I grew up in Ventura, California, and it's a beach town. They used to have a really sick indoor park until I was like nine years old, then it shut down. It's just got a cool vibe. It's definitely more surfy than skating, but I feel like it's kind of changing. We might get a new park soon, so it's cool.

V：　Who are some of the skaters that came out of there?

C：　I grew up skating with Jake Anderson. He's one of my best friends and his older brother is Mike Anderson.

V：　Your dad used to be a pro surfer right?

C：　Yeah, my dad was a pro surfer. He actually grew up in the valley, but then moved to Ventura pretty shortly after my mom had me. So, lived there pretty much ever since.
 

 

V：　You surf too and I can tell you put a lot of time in it. How do you approach surfing?

C：　I didn't really start surfing fully until I was I think 13. I started skating when I was four and then I learned how to surf around the same time. But, I didn't like surfing.

V：　Why?

C：　I don't know. I just didn't really like it. I don't know. And then I was always scared of it. But then, when I was around 13 I got a warm wet suit and surfed through the winter. And then after that I'd surf every day.

V：　You never thought about pursuing a career and follow your dad?

C：　No, because by the time I started to really get into surfing I already had somewhat of a career in skateboarding.

V：　Did your dad help you in any way? Because he's gone through a pro career in surfing.

C：　Yeah. My dad had a lot of influence in my skate career, for sure. He also owned a skate shop and then pretty much got me connected with sponsors. The same with Louie Lopez. He got Louis Lopez on Volcom and at the time éS.

V：　Your dad's skate shop is Momentum Ride Shop, right? Louie Lopez used to ride for them as well. You guys pretty much grew up together skating?

C：　Yeah. I've known Louis since I was seven years old.

V：　Where did your all-terrain skill come from?

C：　I think the reason I maybe skate the way I do is because of the park I grew up skating. It's called Skate Street. It was in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game and stuff. I just had a lot of big transitions. Actually, when that shut down I started to have to go to other skate parks that had street. I only knew how to skate bowls and stuff and then I kind of adapted to street. I was 10.

V：　Yuto Horigome started out skating vert first and then went to street. That seems like the right path.

C：　I don't know. It doesn't work for everyone because he's like an exception too. Usually, when you grow up skating tranny, you develop a lot of weird habits about skating. When I was a kid I had to figure out ... I don't know, you just don't have a proper ollie and stuff like that.

V：　Who were your influences?

C：　When I was really young I looked up to Bob Burnquist a lot. Then Geoff Rowley, Arto Saari... Mainly everyone on Flip.

V：　So you're in Japan with RVCA. How did you get hooked up with them?

C：　I used to ride for Hurley. And then that didn't really make sense for me to ride for them in a way, because they were all surfing. I think my contract was up with Hurley. And then yeah, it just worked. Been super stoked to be a part of an actual skate team. There's not too many clothing skate teams. I don't really know what else.

V：　It's a good team. Can you talk about this Japan tour? This is a huge one.

C：　Yeah. Lately, this is kind of in the vibe of all the tours we've been doing. It's been like bring everyone out a week of just activities and events. It's pretty cool because we did one last summer in New York, now we're here, Tokyo. So it's pretty epic. Definitely stoked to come back out here.

V：　Last time yo were here with RVCA was back in 2015.

C：　Yeah, I remember.
 

 

V：　You guys came up with THE BALANCE OF OPPOSITES video.

C：　Yeah, I think all the footage was filmed in probably like two years maybe? I went to a few pretty far away places for them. A lot of Morocco footage in the video. Actually, which is kind of strange because when we were going there, in the back of my head I was like, "Is there that much skating out here?" Then there was a lot. I know some of the guys went to Sicily. Where else? New York, there's a bunch of New York stuff. That's pretty cool. I was definitely psyched on the whole way it came out. In general it just flowed nice where some videos are a lot like a little bit of stop and go and that one just kind of kept flowing, which is cool.

V：　It was a nice video. Memorable project with RVCA?

C：　It might be this trip. It's not over yet, but ... Always, when we go to Hawaii it's always really fun. It's super laid back.

V：　RVCA does that kind of huge tour every year?

C：　Yeah. So, it's pretty fun. But here is like, if it wasn't so hot it would be epic.
 

 

V：　Yeah. This is like torture. Favorite RVCA item or collection? What do you like to rock?

C：　I have this one corduroy jacket that I've had... I got it from the first box that I got.

V：　You still have jacket from your first box?

C：　Yeah. I still wear it. It's getting a little short now.

V：　Because you've grown up?

C：　Yeah. The arms fit me, but the length is short. I wish I could recreate it. But I don't know. Pocket tees are my favorite. They're super lightweight and nice.

V：　What about the PTC collection? You had that in your Instagram.

C：　Oh, yeah. I just put it up pretty much... I don't know. I put a funny caption on my Instagram. It was "voted most likely to be stolen by your girlfriend," which is true. I've had friends take them and my sister will just take them out of my room.

V：　You have a great career in skating already at your age. Proudest moment in skateboarding?

C：　I'm not really sure. I think when I won kind of a street contest I was psyched on. It was a Red Bull Hart Lines contest in Detroit. I think I was stoked because I went into it looking at the list of people skating in it. And I was kind of like, "Oh why am I even doing this? I'm just going to get smoked by all these dudes." I ended up just doing really well and I won the contest. I don't know if that's my proudest moment... I don't want to say a contest thing is my proudest moment...

V：　You've put out video parts. Vans' Propeller part was sick.

C：　I don't think I've been too stoked on any of my parts. I think I'm yet to do the part that I'm proud of. Every other time I've done a video, I've had a super short deadline... It's been left up to somebody else's deadline instead of my own deadline.
 

 

V：　Anything lined up in the near future? Are you working on a video part?

C：　I'm actually working on Van's video part. I don't know exactly what the deal is with this yet. I don't know if it's going to be just my own part that I put out online or... I don't know how long until it'll be out. Maybe a year.

V：　That could be your proudest moment in skateboarding.

C：　Yeah, we'll see.

 

Curren Caples
@currencaples

Born in 1996 in Ventura, California. An all-terrain skater with refined trick selection and style. He's featured in the soon to be released video from RVCA, THE BALANCE OF OPPOSITES.