The Bryan Herman Interview
- Ben Hatcliffe
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
Original interview by Tom Bailey via Supereight. View the post here.
Who is Bryan Herman?
Bryan Herman has had a career most skateboarders can only dream of. Not only that, the mark he has left on street skateboarding is something that will be looked back upon for decades. If you come from a similar era and started skating in the early to mid-2000s, Bryan Herman was a permanent source of stoke and inspiration. Consistently churning out mind-blowing parts seen in iconic videos such as Baker 3, Stay Gold and Chicken Bone Nowison, Bryan solidified himself as an outright legend in skateboarding. This skateboarding over the past 20 or so years has truly helped Baker, Emerica, and Shake Junt become the brands they are today.Nowadays, Bryan has many other projects running alongside his unbelievable skateboarding career, one of which we are particularly interested in: his new skate shoe company, Hours is Yours. So, when we had the opportunity to ask him some questions about everything just mentioned (and more), it’s no surprise that we jumped at the chance. Check it out!
Table Of Contents
Introduction
How often do you skate at the moment?
As much as possible but not enough.
Do you still skate with Matt Allen at all?
I haven’t skated with Matt in a long time, down to skate with my bud anytime.
You carpet skated your first ever board a lot because you didn’t have trucks or wheels to go with it. Do you think that helped you later down the line with flips out of tail/noseslides etc? Getting that flick when skating a board on carpet is definitely a skill in itself…
It most likely helped out even though they’re much different from each other it does help with the flip control imo.
I read in an old Thrasher interview that your first board hook-up was Equal skateboards, with the widest board they produced at the time being 6.5”. How was it skating such a tiny board?
I was a little kid at the time so it wasn’t that bad but they didn’t hold up very well because they had less ply’s than a normal board.
“…It’s the culture. Skater owned companies are all that existed in my days. And that culture created some of the best companies in our industry.”
You spent 90 days locked up for skating a church in Orange County when you were a kid. I’ve never heard of anyone being incarcerated for that long because they were skating a spot, do you know if anyone has beaten that record?
Not sure. I would say it started with skating the church and the case just got worse as they added things on.
Everyone has a skate video that they rinsed when they were a kid, what was yours?
Can’t think of any, videos in my early days of skateboarding (1997) everything was bad ass to me.
Favourite song used out of all your parts?
UGK international players anthem. Shake Junt CHICKEN BONE NOWISON!
I know that you have been very sensible with your money throughout your career, who or what inspired you to invest your into things like Saint Archer etc?
I’ve always been interested in investing. Scraping by as I was growing up made it easier to invest. I loved my childhood, we did so much in the world without money, so when I started making some fiat currency it only made sense to invest it into assets we didn’t have growing up. And the sayin’ goes “scared money don’t make money”.
You own quite a few companies, which is harder, running a skate shop or a shoe company?
They both have separate challenges but I enjoy them equally.
Which skaters are you most hyped on at the moment?
John DiLorenzoJamie FoyBlake CarpenterJacopo CarozziTiago Lemos
Other Passions
What does life outside of skateboarding consist of?
My family, farming, investing, building classic cars, horses, golfing, Friday nights.
“…Do what you love and make it fun“
When did your passions outside of skating come around? Your interest in cars for example…
Lots of pictures of my dad building cars when I was young, and I always wanted to do what my dad was doing. RIP Dad.
LS swaps get a bit of a bad rep with a lot of classic car purists. Why do you opt for LS motors and have you personally ever got any heat for using them?
I agree. I would never LS swap a car with a rare vin tag. But a base model is a perfect candidate for a resto mod. People give heat all the time seeing a LS swap but when I first started doing them we were blowing peoples minds.
What cars are you working on at the moment?
I got Braydon Szafranski a 1971 Chevelle, we just did a nice LS swap on. And I have a 1970 Camaro I’m doing the same with. I don’t need any more projects.
Are there any similarities between working on cars and creating a skate part?
I would say they are similar because a lot of thought goes into building a car and you need creativity along the way. Same goes for filming a skate part. There is no set of guidelines, it’s all on you.
You’re a massive fan of music, who are you listening to nowadays?
I listen to literally everything, mostly classic rock and country lately though.
Being on Baker & Emerica
Who was the most welcoming when you first got on Baker?
Andrew Reynolds and Beagle
Do people still get you confused with Spanky?
Haha no.
What happened to The Bakers band?
Honestly, I’m not sure. Good question.
Who’s the best pool player on Baker?
Probably Nuge but ill challenge in a game any day.
Was your first Baker trip the most special to you due to it being your first ever trip, or was there something else about it that made it so special?
Yeah, it was most definitely my favourite trip, everything about it made it special.
Have you ever had offers to skate for any other deck companies during your time on Baker?
Baker for life!!
I know you skated a lot of picnic tables in Stay Gold due to you coming back from a gnarly leg break before you started filming for the part. What made you skate the tables rather than ledges?
It helped working out my leg muscles; the higher the obstacle the more I needed to build back my leg strength.
How did you and Emerica end up parting ways?
We agreed that moving forward wasn’t a good idea for either of us.
Obviously you brought back to G-Code through Hours, did you get any issues with Emerica doing that?
The G-Code is my design and I got the chance to share it with Emerica, I appreciate them doing that.
Now you’re a dad, what would you say if your kid got an offer to move into something like the Emerica Mansion?
I would say go for it, make your dreams come true.
Have you got any favourite memories from the Emerica mansion?
Constantly skating everyday, getting to hang out with pro skaters and skate the stairs in the house. Watching skate videos all day. Yeah it was like a dream come true being there.
Hours Is Yours
How did you and Dennis link up for Hours is Yours?
Ive known Dennis for over 20 years, we worked on a digital video part together the first time we met. Then went on multiple tours together after that. He’s got a lot of knowledge when it comes to our industry because he’s been in the game for a long time now. Our passion for shoe design and quality is what really got us sparked up.
What was the motivation behind starting Hours Is Yours?
I loved working with people like Trevor Hill and August Benzo when I was with Emerica, they are both very good shoe designers and awesome people. Dennis worked with Supra and Krew. We just wanted to keep the passion going and keep doing what we were already doing. Contributing something back to our industry was also a huge motivation for us.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think you’ve ever skated for a non skater-owned brand, is that a deliberate choice? What’s your opinion on skater-owned brands vs sportswear companies in skateboarding?
It’s the culture. Skater owned companies are all that existed in my days. And that culture created some of the best companies in our industry. I think the sportswear brands are just that. I have nothing against them at all it’s just not my style or what I think of when I imagine skateboarding.
Can you explain the meaning behind the name, Hours Is Yours?
Your time spent belongs to you.
Is there any connection to Ellington’s HRS shoe company at all?
No connection but we all support each other on our journey.
Do you take as much inspiration from the high-fashion shoe market as you do with the skate shoe market when designing shoes?
I look at all shoes in the market, and look for potential opportunities to create something new or different that works for skating. But everything I see is looked at through a skating perspective.
What’s more important to you when it comes to skate shoes, fashion or function?
Functional before fashionable then mix the two together.
What are the key ingredients needed for a perfect skate shoe in your opinion?
A good cup sole with good grip, one solid panel on the wear points for Ollie’s and flip tricks “toe piece” a slim tongue on a low top. The G-Code is a good example of what I like to skate in.
Biggest lessons you’ve learnt after starting Hours?
Not to give up on something you’re passionate about. Do what you love and make it fun.
I know you’ve had both vulc and cupsole pro-models in the past, what made you decide to focus on vulc with Hours at the beginning?
I like vulc a lot but it’s really bad on my feet for impact. I figured most people these days like skating in vulc so I started there.
How did John Dilo get on the team? How was it being able to give him a pro-shoe?
He’s out there killing the streets on his board. When putting together a team you think about the energy and skating you wanna be around, Dilo was the guy with both and all the rest on our team riders. Being able to present him with a pro shoe that was well deserved felt incredible. I remember when I first got a pro shoe and the feeling. And seeing Dilo experience the same thing is bad ass.
What’s next for Hours Is Yours?
Continue to grow our team and keep making shoes for skaters. Get all the team together soon and get on the road for a tour like old times.
Thanks Bryan!
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