So Alex, what was going on in your life at the time you shot this cover?
– Not a lot really, as usual, (laughing). We’d gone to Lance Mountain’s house to skate his pool and then Horse asked Geoff if there were any spots nearby for some sunset vibage. Geoff knew of this ditch up the road so we drove there and luckily I landed a kickflip to fakie, (laughs)… He shot this on some little point and shoot Olympus camera too – pretty impressive Horse. I do remember Geoff asked me if I wanted to film it and I said, “Nah…”

Weirdly, despite you being pretty much the most OG of all the OG’s featured in this issue – this was your first Sidewalk cover – were you stoked? Or are you past that kind of thing now?
– F*cking hell, was I stoked! Crikey. I remember when you and Andy turned up with the little poster of it, which is still framed and on my wall right now by the way. I’d never had a Sidewalk cover and I’d always wanted one because you guys are the best so yeah, I was amped as f*ck!

I’ve asked everyone else about their first printed skate photos, but as we’ve discussed this before – let’s take a slightly different route: what was your first ever cover of a skate mag? How many have you had over the years, which has been your favourite and why?
– Wow. Well obviously the Sidewalk one is my favourite because I didn’t think I’d ever be able to a cover again in my life. First ever cover…I’m not sure. Probably RAD magazine, or maybe SK8Action but I can’t even remember what it was. I had quite a few covers of RAD, SK8Action and Skateboard! over the years.

What was your last printed photo before you disappeared from the media eye in the early 90’s? What about your first printed photo after you’d come back to the fold, so to speak?
– Oh my God! Ben, you maniac! (Laughing), I think the last photo I had before going on hiatus was a nosegrind photo in System mag. The first photo I had once I’d kind of ‘reappeared’ was a nosegrind photo too, on the back of a metal bench in Cherwell School, Oxford.

You’ve pretty much done everything that a skateboarder can do – had pro boards, won major contests, filmed video parts, had covers, travelled the globe, been present at some of the most significant moments in modern skateboard history etc, etc – so, with that in mind: what does skateboarding mean to you at this precise moment?
-Lies…thank you though. (Laughing). It means the same as it has – it’s the best thing on the planet isn’t it? You travel the word, you make amazing friends… it’s brilliant. At this precise moment it’s all about the ‘Backyard Bandits’, rather than street skating and trying to kill myself anymore. It’s more about fun now, rather than backlipping a twenty stair with a rusty spoon embedded in your neck.

Every time we spend any time in Cali with you, people still come up to you on the street because they recognise you – even now after you’ve kinda ducked out of the mags over there: what’s it been like being ‘skate-famous’ for so long?
– Bloody good questions these mate…let me think of a good situation that’s come about because of it. I remember being on a flight once and asking the stewardess for a beer and she brought me four at once. I said thanks and she leaned over and says, “You’re Alex Moul aren’t you?” I assumed she knew my name just from looking at the passenger list or something at first but then she said,
“Here’s four beers so you don’t have to keep asking. I used to watch skate videos of you with my little brother – 411s and all that: I totally know who you are”. (Laughing),
that was a weird one. It’s strange. I was out the other night and some guy wanted to have his photo taken with me, I don’t really get it, but if people are stoked on what I’ve done in my life then I’m stoked too. Thank you very much.