Barry John Mansfield Interview

Who do you think you are?

I�m Barry John Mansfield the homosapien.

How old are you?

I am 21 years of age. Born on the 2nd of October 1986.

When did you start skating?

I had my first board when I was probably about seven or eight. I�d watch all the old Santa Cruz vid and stuff, wheels of fire and all that. But skating didn�t stick to me so much back then cause I was young, I didn�t know what I wanted. So I got into rollerblading and bike ride all that stuff but in the end I just thought skating was more me. So I just stopped all that for skating. I got fully into it like heavily like when I was 12 or 13 and ever since then I just haven�t left it alone. Probably like nine years skating I guess.

I guess we should mention your sponsors?

Yeah uhm. Folklore, Emerica, Beyond skate shop.

What do you do all day?

Usually half the week I work at Beyond skate shop then for the rest of the week it�s usually just skate with Hawk, Yow and the other Gees. Maybe some art during the day also.

How did you manage to get fired from Work experience at a skate shop?

ohhh ahhaah that ones a bit of a long story .probably too long for this little interview hehe. lets just say me and my manager clashed. haha


kickflip krooked grind - sickquence: thompson Do you think you do a good job working at Beyond?

Yeah I reckon I do a pretty good job there. I please all the customers. They usually all walk away with a smile. So that�s good enough.

Is skateboarding more about doing tricks or the kit?

Well I reckon sometimes the kit. I dunno, it�s all about having a pretty fee kit. I reckon probably half and half. Because, I can�t skate if I�m wearing a heinous kit. It needs to be something I feel comfortable in.

So if you get some new jeans that you�re stoked on you will skate better?

Yeah, definitely. For sure.

Who would you most like to punch in the face?

Well I don�t know ey. I don�t think I�d really want to hit anyone.

Really? Nobody in the whole world?

Oh well is it just one person or can it be a few?

It can be a few if you want.

I�d just make all those Bali bombers piss. I�d chip all of them until they where bleeding out there nose. I don�t like violence but I sure think those idiots need a severe beating.

What was your last dream about?

The one I had last night. It was pretty rank actually. My ex girlfriend came over to my house. She was just being so Hein. Being so rude. Just eating everything in sight and having no manners. My whole family was like �I can�t handle this girl.� Just the biggest awkward moment. It was the most awkward ream I ever had. Then it just turned into something else. I think you where in it. You�re in a lot of my dreams actually.

What? Are you serious?

Yeah I had one about you the other night.

What happened?

It was pretty strange man. We were just skating and chilling like usual. Then it just went so strange. I was looking into this room with beds and you where standing there just wearing green, like all retro. Just looking so retro like the Brady Bunch or something. You weren�t even talking you where just standing there looking at the beds. There was curtains over the beds with brown and green flowers.

Dude that�s messed up.

Well you asked me.


bs flip - photo: thompson

Where�s home Mansfield?

I moved out of the Leederville house the same time you did. I just couldn�t bare living in that house another week. I know you couldn�t either. Then when I finally got it out was probably the best day of my life. Apparently now Jim tells me it�s even worse. So I just moved back home with my parents in Singleton. Just down south where it�s more chill, cleaner and nicer.

What�s the last thing you stole?

I used to steal a lot when I was a kid. Which was pretty bad. But now that I�m all 21, I don�t really believe in stealing anymore. I can�t remember. It�s just been so long.

What�s the best thing to do with $50?

Well if it was my last $50, probably for five days straight I�d just buy yummy noodle box. It would be my breakfast lunch and dinner. It�s yummy, I like it.

Where will you be when your 50 years old?

I might not even be here. I might be dead. Hopefully by then I haven�t retired from skating. I probably would of though. I�ll probably be married and shit, have a kid and name him Hawk.

What�s the dumbest thing you ever did?

I remember when I was about 14 or 15. I was with a few mates skating the cinema area. Out the back there was this door that for some reason had been left open. We went in and stole a fire extinguisher. We ran out the back and just started spraying random cars in the car park. I think it fucks with the paint and stuff. So we were out there just messing around spraying each other. This random dude seen me do it and he actually tackled me to the ground and held me there. He did a citizen�s arrest, his other friends came out and called the cops on me. Cops came and then put me in the back of the cop car and drove me home. I got in a bit of shit for that.

Was your Mum pissed off?

She was pretty devo. It was pretty heavy. I think I might have gotten grounded for about 2 weeks or something. That was probably the stupidest thing ever.

So we all know you won the es game of skate last year. But who where you most worried about having to beat in the Perth qualifier?

Probably Harry, Mitch and Quayde. But Harry was in Queensland. Then it came down to me and Mitch in the end, Mitch is really good.

Then after you won here you had to vs Harry in Melbourne anyway.

Yeah it was strange cause if Harry was at the Perth one I would have been dreading versing him cause we all ways have games and sometimes he wins and sometimes I win. Once I called my parents and told them I won they were over the moon. Then a few weeks later they decided that they were going to fly Yow over to stay with me for the ten days that I was there.

What was the best thing about America?

Probably the five night free accommodation we had when we first got there.

What was the worst thing?

Some days the heat was really radical, like really intense and some days I couldn�t skate. Yow was getting deevs cause I wasn�t filming enough stuff. I just can�t handle the heat. Man I can�t skate in heat I�ll pass out. Also not being booked in to our hotel when we got there at the double tree resort. We got there and we just tried my name at reception and nothing came up. Then we tried every possible name we could think of and there was just nothing booked for us. So finally we had to go over to Street Machine the local skate shop and call Mark Waters from es. �Dude, like, how come where not on the computer system at the double tree. Where are we going to stay tonight?� Mark says.�Oh sorry man, I thought you were coming tomorrow.� Yow and I thought that was pretty fucked up. But he was really apologetic and stuff, he was really cool and let me and Yow stay together in the hotel for five nights.

You stayed in San Diego which is pretty close to Mexico. Did you think about taking a trip over the border to get a burrito?

Mum said she would send Yow to the states with me. The first thing Mum said to Yow was �Yow, you cannot let my son go to Mexico!� Me and Yow we just laughed so much picturing us in Tijuana. My Mum just did not want me to go there cause she knows herself just how sketchy it is.

What�s the most fun thing to do on a skateboard?

Probably a nice long bs smith or a back tail.


flip nosepick - sickquence: thompson Who�s got the best style on a skateboard?

I reckon Mike Barker has a really dope style. Yow does too. Yeah just Mike Barker and Yow have the dopest style.

What do you think about white people dropping the N bomb?

Well I�ve done that myself. I�ve dropped it a few times when they are around. Like I�ll say like Oh hey Niggs to my friends then there just happens to be a black person behind me. But I never seem to really say it when there not there. It�s like it�s just in my mind not to say it then I just say it without realizing. It�s pretty bad. I mean if I was black and I heard a white dude say it I wouldn�t be too impressed.

Hypothetically speaking, if you saw a perfect marble ledge but then when you got closer you noticed it was a gravestone. Would you skate it?

Awww. Maybe if it was like part of my family like my granddads or something. He probably wouldn�t mind. But I wouldn�t if I didn�t know them.

How about if it was a dog�s grave?

If it was my dog I would. But not if it wasn�t my dog.

How about if it was a pet birds grave?

Hmmn. Probably it�s only a bird.

How about a pet goldfish?

I didn�t know goldfish had graves. I�d probably still skate it.

How about if it was a person�s grave that you didn�t know but Yow told you to do it to film a line?

We�d have to sort something out. I don�t know, I probably, oh, yeah , yeah if it was going in his new video I would. Yeah. Actually I don�t think I would. Skating a grave would be pretty scary man. You just don�t know what�s going to happen afterwards. It could be all good though, you never know. I�ve never actually skated a gravestone so I don�t know if there are any consequences. Haha.

Do you drive a car?

No I don�t. I just haven�t really been bothered getting my license. With all this new public transport, it�s pretty easy to get around these days in Perth.

How would things be different if you drove a car?

I don�t know if I would save more money cause of fuel and registration and that. I�d probably rather drive. I�m kinda scared thought that if I get my license like some drunk dude will just pull out in front of me or something. I�ve always been pretty scared of that.

Who�s the first person you would give a lift?

Man these questions are insane. But they are coming from you I guess. Probably my Mum, I mean she drives me everywhere.

Is skating hard or easy?

Well it has its hard and easy moments.

Do you have a dog?

Yeah! Buddy, that�s its name.


backsmith - photo: thompson

What�s the worst thing it�s ever done?

It�s just not an obedient dog at all. That�s the worst thing about it. I can tell you the funniest thing it�s ever done though. Dude I remember once Jewie (Yuta) stayed over. He just slept on the living room lounge. He was just messing around with Bud, like just playing with him and then my dog (Bud) just started committing his face, like just fully humping his face. It was so funny man. Like that�s probably the funniest thing I�ve seen bud do. I couldn�t believe my eyes.

Is there any advice that you wish you had of listened to when you where younger?

I wish I listened to my parents when they said don�t do drugs. I mean it never got to me, but it was just so bad. Like I used to smoke and that affected me, so I had to quit. I guess just keep skating and stay true to yourself and the people around you.

Why don�t you tell me some of the people you�d like to thank?

My Mum, Dad, Grandma, Ruth, Paul, Yow, Schnapps, Jarrah, Vincent, Bonnie, Shane at Beyond, all my work buddy�s, jesus, uhh who else. Geld, Harry, Nucca (Justin), Brass and just all the C O P skaters.

What�s Hudend?

Hudend is like, well, why don�t you tell me what it is?

I don�t know?

Well it�s just hud man. It�s just Hudson. It�s just like being rank. You know like it�s just cool to make hud pictures. It�s just a good word like expressing how something is so fucked up. If like something is so rank, then your just like �maan, that is sooo hudend." ahaha we know hudend hawk.

text and photos courtesy of Luke Thompson