Shoe GOO Spotlight: Jordan Brandt

Shoe GOO skate would like to thank Jordan Brandt, 21, for his help in making this summer’s campaign a success. His insights into skating and his connections in the skate community were paramount to the 2011 summer campaign. Born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, Jordan is a student at the University of Oregon studying public relations and photography.

Jordan has been not only our Shoe GOO skater, but he has been our photographer, consultant and liaison to the skate community in Eugene. He has captured many eye-catching and spectacular photos for the Shoe GOO website this summer. He’s also helped raise awareness of the Shoe GOO brand among the skate community in Eugene at a number of skate park tours, skate competitions and backyard skate sessions.

To thank Jordan for his hard work, we sat to talk with him about skateboarding, photography, skaters in the Pacific Northwest and, of course, Shoe GOO. Below is the transcript of our conversation with Jordan.

What’s it like to grow up in Eugene?
Well, I wouldn’t know exactly, because I grew up out in the country outside of Eugene. There’s a lot of fun skateboarding, because we have a lot of parks. It’s also taught me to be independent due to the lazy attitude of this town.

How did you start skateboarding?
My Dad and I went surfing a lot and we used to ride longboards. He actually used to own an actual skate shop in the 70s and he was like, “Why don’t we get you a real skateboard.” So, for Christmas one year I got a real skateboard, like an actual skateboard. He got me that and we started skating together.

So your family has always supported you skateboarding?
My parents support me in everything that I do. My mom likes to say I’m obsessed, but then I just come right back at her with, “Obsession is what the lazy use to call dedicated.”

When did you get interested in photography?
Photography started to interest me in 7^th grade. I went to Australia and it was the first time I went on a trip without my parents. I went a group called People to People. I had to take all the photos, so I probably took 500 photos. I would get them developed and look at them and I’d see that in sun I needed to turn off the flash or something. So I got really into it while I was there. I would use my sunglasses as filter so I could get really cool shots in the sun with like shadows and everything. In high school, I would always rent cameras. Fast-forward through graduation and my parents bought me a camera, finally. I guess they got tired of me bitching about always having to rent one. I always wanted to be a photographer and journalist.

So you always wanted to do photojournalism?
Not a photojournalist, more like a photographer who also writes. I did both in high school, but now in college I’m definitely more a photographer than a writer. I mean I write, but nothing important enough to read.

How does skateboarding and photography overlap for you?
Skateboarding was basically all I shot when I first got into it because I was like, well, I like to skate and I like to shoot photos. So all I’m going to is shoot photos of skateboarders and all my friends. I also started trying more scenic and abstract photography and experimenting with different things. Then about two years ago, my friend saw some model photography I had done at an art show I put on. She told me, “You need to quit screwing around with all this other crap and do fashion/model photography.” I was like, oh, alright. So for the last two years I’ve been mainly working on that. But I still shoot photos of everything else. I still shoot photos of skateboarding.

Do you have a photography philosophy?
I don’t have anything insightful or mind blowing to say. I just like to take photos. I have a hard time talking to people about photography because I don’t really have a system. I couldn’t tell you what I’m doing half of the time. I just feel it, which I guess is nice. Photography is very improvisational and you have to be reading your surroundings. I can give you a quote from Terry Richardson that I live by.

“A photographer doesn’t sit around waiting for the phone to ring, they just go out and shoot photos.” –Terry Richardson

What’s your style of skating?
I guess I’m not the average skateboarder according to all my friends, because I like to smell good and I shower, wash my hair and brush my teeth everyday. Just kidding, skaters are actually clean people. I skate a lot of tranny, but I also like to skate street, even though I’m not very good at it at all. It’s pretty fun to go out and skate stairs and not skate the same lines at the parks. I’m just a normal skateboarder who’s stoaked on it all.

How would you describe the skate culture in the Northwest?
I’d definitely say people in the Northwest skate a lot harder and go for it way more than other regions, because we only get so many months out of the year where we get sun. Then on top of that we have the sickest parks in the world, hands down. You can’t convince me otherwise of that. You don’t see a lot of videos being made anywhere else with skate parks, do you? I guess the Northwest has that mentality of “Go for it! Don’t cry about it. Nut up or shut up.”

How did you become involved with Shoe GOO?
I was in an early morning journalism class and one of the professors, Kelli Matthews, was talking about Shoe GOO. When I first started skateboarding, her younger brother, Josh Matthews, was one of the skateboarders in the area that everybody looked up to. So I thought that was really funny and as Kelli was talking about Shoe GOO, I sent her an email seeing if I could do anything for them this summer. I told her I take photos and can supply all types of media. I have some experience filming and I’ve been involved in the skate community in Eugene for almost eight years now.

What all have you done for Shoe GOO this summer?
Shoot photos, go out and supply skate news to keep you guys posted on everything that happenings. I was a wore my Shoe GOO skate t-shirt in the Summer in the City skate competitions in Eugene. I got third at the competition at Churchill Skate Park the other weekend.

When did you start using Shoe GOO?
Ah, I started using Shoe GOO when I first started skateboarding. I’ve always used it and I still use it. Some people claim when they get older, “Oh, I’ll just go buy new shoes.” You could buy new shoes or you could go get a tube of Shoe GOO, patch the side up really quick and make your shoes last three times as long. I always get a hole in the same spot every time because I have such wide feet. So I just Shoe GOO that spot and then keep going until the soles wear out, at least.

Interviewed by Nic Corpora.