Jandy, as some call him, is one of the sickest dudes to walk mother Earth. I got to his place to do this interview and he said he’d be back home soon. He walks back with a box full of Bourbon and asks if I’ll get something from his trunk. The trunk is full of skate decks and artwork (he wants the decks). We walk inside only to see the same all over his house. He’s got everything from Dyrdek AWS boards to old McGill and Cab Powell boards on the walls. He takes the decks from his trunk and finishes the building of a coffee table, made of the boards, sitting in the same room as a Thrasher poster of the mag covers from the first 25 years. After this and before the interview he makes me a cocktail, a true class act. He’s such a skater it hurts.


BH: What’s your favorite beer hands down?
SJ: Shit I’m allergic to beer. It fucks me up dude. My sinuses. That’s why I’m always drinkin’ bourbon. Dude it’s like, I’ll pound some PBR and just go with it or I’ll get down on any sort of stout, that doesn’t mess up my sinuses so bad.

BH: When and where did you grow up skateboarding?
SJ: I grew up in Brighton, MI. On my sixth birthday, it was 1985, and I got my first skateboard and I had that. I got it because the neighbor kids were all older than me and into skating. I was like, I wanna do that. I just got it and couldn’t put it down. Shit I’m gonna be thirty in a couple weeks.



BH: Skating in the eighties, what drove you to keep skating in a time where skateboarding wasn’t thought of as “cool” like it is today?
SJ: Besides the fact that I just loved the feeling of skating, regardless just pushing down the street, I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I skated and it was different, it was. It definitely stood out, it was creative, I was always kind of against the grain so to speak. There is a certain freedom to it where you don’t have to go out and practice, just go out and skate. I don’t know, it’s just freedom.

BH: Tell us a story of you just getting shit or being made fun of for being a skater?
SJ: Oh man, so many. I just got tormented growing up being from a farm community anyways. I was probably 11 or 12 years old at this parade and I was skating down the street. This kid, Bill Baker that was two grades above me, this football Johnny football hero whatever. He ran up behind me as I was cruising down the street and jumped on the tail of my board, basically catapulted me into the air. Did a flip and basically landed on my back and knocked the wind out of me. So I look over and see all these divas from my class just looking over at me and laughing at me.



BH: Not only do you shred, but you’re also a painter. When did you first start getting into painting and mixed media? And which came first, skating or painting?
SJ: I think they kind of came hand in hand. I remember being in kinder garden, so right when I started skating I was super into drawing and winning this drawing contest. (I wish I still had that trophy) I think it’s always kind of gone hand in hand with me. For the most part, skateboarding has been the biggest influence in my art.



BH: I won’t hint before you answer, but I see some similarities between your style and styles of other skate artists. Who are your inspirations for your work?
SJ: I’m so hyped on the art that has come out of skateboarding. I mean hands down, Jamie Lynn, who skates and snowboards, has done a ton of work for lib tech snowboards. Lance Mountain obviously, Sean Cliver, Neil blender, big time I mean, the first time I ever saw coffee break I was like… are you serious? That’s like, the sickest shit ever and I was like 9 years old then.

BH: Other than people, did skating as a whole develop your style and type of paintings that you do?
SJ: As far as a discipline, I’d say so. I’m really meticulous about it, like I’m not happy. When I was younger and was kinda really going for it with skating, I wasn’t happy unless it was like clean over the bolts always. That’s the way I am with my painting. I just get real frustrated. I had the same mentality on my board that I have with my painting now.

BH: Some shout outs, blah blah blah type shit. Got any? Any Hollers?
SJ: (laughing) Dude, it’s all thanks. I’m super blessed to have all the people in my life that have inspired me as far as living day to day. Woelkers, Plus skateboarding, and the whole shop family in Brighton, Melody, she’s my best friend, my family, Brian James Romanelli.