So Hot Right Now: James Gardner
October 26, 2007
James Gardner has been everywhere lately, video parts, constant mag and internet coverage, as well as producing short films and winning film making awards. Next week, James and James "Grot" Holman will be embarking on a around the world skate trip, documenting the journey as they go then making it viewable via several means announced in the near future. With just over a week to go, we spoke to James to see how he was feeling on the eve of his trip...
When, where and how did this plan to do this around the world trip come from?
I'm not sure if it is because I grew up in a small city or skateboarding itself that fuels my desire to travel and see new places. Maybe it's both? Either way, in the years I have been skateboarding I have pretty much been everywhere I've ever wanted to visit in the UK and I guess now I've done so and finished education the obvious and logical progression was to follow my metaphorical "nose" to terrain overseas.
How did you go about getting funding for the trip? Have you got any obligations to your funders?
I think the hardest part about doing a trip like this and most probably the thing that puts people off the most is the cost and actually making a start at saving for it. Personally, my belief is that money is for spending and that in large part is probably something to do with why it's often in short supply! However, on this occasion I was lucky, well not so lucky, to have a generous sum left to me by my late Nan who left me and my two sisters £3,000 each. This was last year and obviously with such a large amount of money, that weirdly enough had sentimental value, the last thing I wanted to do was piss it up the wall. Therefore it was placed immediately in an ISA and left there until I finished my degree and had time to start planning the trip and booking my ticket.
As for further financial investors, yes, there has been some which i will discuss further later but all the other money which had to be saved for insurance and all the other things like that were done so through work I have undertaken over the summer.
Which places are you visiting?
The route is as follows:
November 3rd we depart London Heathrow to New York, 7 weeks later we fly out of L.A to Wellington in New Zealand. After a further 7 weeks here we fly from Auckland over to Cairns where we plan to travel down the Gold coast hitting up most of the skateparks along the way down to Melbourne. We have years working visas for Australia and have therefore only booked our tickets as far as Cairns as we don't know how long we will end up staying here for yet. When we do decide to undertake the last leg of the trip home we will be doing so up through Asia, funds permitting!
James catches a switch pop-shuvit next his local river that he won't be seeing again for at least 12 months. Photo: Leo
What spots are you hoping to skate and who are you planning on meeting up with on the way?
To be honest, I don't really care what or where i get to skate, as long as I get to roll somewhere, I'll be happy. Hook-up wise we have a few people lined up along the way that we're planning on taking advantage of. Grot has some hook ups in New York and I have a few over on the west coast. We'll be staying with the legend that is Dom Henry in New Zealand which I'm greatly looking forward to!
What are the three main reasons you are looking forward to leaving?
1) I have never been to any of the places I'm going to and new things excite me.
2) I'm fucking sick of being back in Hereford.
3) I dislike not being able to skate enough during the harsh temperatures of the British Winter time.
