Thursday 8 October 2015

Keep on Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'...

A Moment of Madness With...Matt King: Super Skater on all things flips, tricks & speaking to his cat in a French accent. 

#MattForMayor

I mean, he even played the 'real' baby-blader in that Evian advert. 

                  A Cat, A Matt & Me

You remember... the one with the babies. 

Now if that's not a sign of success, I don't know what is.

Once World Champion - and many times titled Best in Britain - Matt King has made himself at home in more thrones than I have Burrito Bars. 

And that's saying something...


From running his own chain of skate shops for 10 years, to acing his role as Trax in the acclaimed musical Starlight Express, it seems there's no braking-the-pace for this man of king-size ambition.


Let's steal him a sec, shall we...


Yo Matt! What's happening brother?! Tell us about the time long, long ago when you first got into skating...

I've always had an interest in doing stupid things as a kid. From sliding down the stairs in a cardboard box, to climbing trees to see just how high I could get!

It's crazy, really! 

My parents had an interest, too, which definitely sparked it for me. 
Even though she's four years older than me, growing up alongside my handicapped sister - who can't talk, but loved to skate - I used to practice outside with her all the time.

I gradually got better.

Awesome!

Really, I just like the freedom of it. Walking around is boring, but when you skating it feels like gliding.

It was also dangerous. That's what excited me about it... the danger.
And of course, gliding around is much more fun!

What is the name of your famous flip for those that don't know?

I call it 'The King Flip.' 

Skaters gonna skate
Back in around 2001 or 2002, I was practicing a trick called the 'Clock Flip.' It was at a place called Play Station Skate Park in West London, that's still there today actually.

Accidently, I 180'd and landed backwards on the trick, which made it something entirely different. 
My friend Joey Egan was quick to name it. Little did I know, I had created a new flip!

That's so cool! It must have felt incredible, right?

It had all happened by total accident; I was really amazed and excited! 
I wanted to show everyone, and it became my thing. 

Everywhere I went; competitions, skate parks... it was all about " the King Flip, the King Flip!" It was an exciting time.

For any newbie skaters out there, have you got any wise words? Personally, I feel elbow pads go far...speaking from experience.

My advice for beginner skaters would be to keep your knees bent and always lean forward.

For those that really want to make it and go places, it would be to never give up, dream big and don't settle for less.

Keep trying to think about things no one has done before!

I would always say that if you get injured doing a trick, do it again as soon as possible. Once I missed the 'King Flip' and knocked out a front tooth. All the skaters around me were hunting on the ground for it. As soon as they found it, I put it in my pocket and got back to doing the trick again! Even though I was terrified, I had to do it.
You can risk getting a mental block and a real fear of a trick if you don't get back up and try again.
"Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity!"
But most of all, find those tricks you love doing and do it because you love them. Make them your own, you know.

Aspire to lead the pack, not follow. 

Do you have a favorite catch phrase or saying?

'BOOM!' is something I like to say a lot at the moment! (Laughs). I like to say a lot of things.

I mean, "Yumarama five thousand" is something I like to say when I eat something amazing or new.

If this is confession time, I like to speak to my kitten Pepper in a French accent...

As one does!  

(Laughs) She's 15 weeks old and a fan of tin-foil football!

Henry David also has a quote that I really like come to think of it — 'Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.'

Pepper missed her audition for The Lion King, and is a bit peeved to say the least...

Sweet, man! So, do you have any appearances coming up in the future?
Under contract, I can't talk too much about it. But there's a lot of exciting things in the pipeline. It's all pretty hush, hush for now.
There's a possible involvement with a primetime TV show and even a tour in the Caribbean next year. 
And just a week ago, I finished filming for ITV's Friday night prank show 'Off Their Rockers.'

Check it out.

"BOOM!"


Recently ranked in the Top 100 All-Time Skaters, Matt King is no stranger to success. 


Personally, I think it's the Evian advert that got things rolling...





Professional scribbler and wearer of scarves, Caitlin is a freelance, comedy blogger and aspiring great lesbian novelist. *So she likes to think. 
When Caitlin is not picking her brain for a half-decent poem, or tip-toeing around potentially hazardous social situations, she is ordering raspberry daiquiris and re-watching the L Word. Again. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_maggs and Instagram Caitlin.M.Maggs. You may be sorry.


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