BS With TG: Joe Brook Part 1

BS With TG returns for a new series, kicking things off with an interview with long term skate photographer (and proprietor of Thrasher’s long running Fatback series) Joe Brook. Joe is the man behind much of Thrasher Magazine’s photographic output over the last few years and much of Slap Magazine’s before that, so there’s no questioning the fact that he has some stories to tell from life on the road.

Tommy and Joe sit down outside his van ‘Big Blue’ in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge to discuss the vans eye catching pain job and how it’s worked in his favour with patriotic police, how he got into skating, meeting Greg Hunt, moving to San Francisco, putting his back out, starting out at Slap Magazine and more.

This is only part one, so keep your eyes peeled for more dropping over the next couple of weeks!

Filmed and Edited by Jeremy McNamara.

“I just wanted to work shitty jobs and skateboard…I wasn’t trying to be am or pro, I just loved skateboarding.”

Joe’s entry into photography isn’t covered in too much detail here, but you can find out more about that in an insightful interview with Street Canoe via the blue text below…

I always liked looking at magazines. National Geo, skate mags, etc. I never really took photos…I met Daniel Harold Sturt skating with Ocean Howell. He was pure genius! I didn’t really know too much about him, but I knew he shot a photo of Matt Hensley on the cowboy hat. That photo was burned into my brain forever. I asked him about photography and he said, “you see that corner, go sit over there.” I was bummed, ha ha!…I went back to SF and hurt my back pretty bad at work. I got depressed because I couldn’t skate. My girlfriend told me to take a class at city college of SF. I did! I registered for Photo 101 and my roommate Dave Metty gave me a Ricoh KR5 35 mm camera. I took Sturt’s advice, thanks guys!