Words & Photography by Robin Pailler | Skate Photography by Kurt Hodge
This interview was originally published in Volume XIV, July 2024.
Born and raised in Mission Viejo, Orange County, Brandon Burleigh is the epitome of blue collar Americana.
From the classic comb back hair to well worn denim and plain tees, ‘All American’ isn’t just an aesthetic; it’s a lifestyle choice. With a working class ethic and a full time job at Trader Joe’s, it’s quite the feat that Brandon is able to skate as much as he does, considering he only has two free days a week. But with a fearless approach to rails and gaps and an addiction to pushing the limits on how long he can grind and slide any number of skate obstacles, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a household name.
What have you been up to?
Dude, kinda the same old, same old. Just skating and working. Staying consistent with that.
Are you on deadline for this Zero part?
I guess I will say deadline. Jamie isn’t really pushing it too hard. But I feel like it’s one more month of good filming. Trying to get those last little clips.
How are you feeling about it?
I’m feeling really good. I got all the kinda crazier stuff out of the way, so now I’m just trying to find the unique little pieces that’ll make it more well-rounded, more than anything. But that’s kind of hard to do at the same time, you know? Because you’ve got to find the right spot.
Especially when you’re working full time. I don’t know how you balance that.
I don’t know. I just try to use every single moment I have free to skateboard. I’m always searching. I’m always like, ‘Alright, let’s go down this road. I haven’t been down here. Hopefully I run across something or if not, then whatever.’ And we’re just consistently making spots too, so that’s exciting.
Yeah when we were hanging out you sawed off that gate to create a spot…
Oh yeah! Like a guardrail or something that I transplanted to make a fun little spot out of. That’s the battle—it’s just about being creative with skateboarding.
What I took away from hanging out with you, is that you’re so fucking committed to it. If you’re not working, you’re skating. And if you’re not skating, you’re thinking about skating.
Yeah totally. Like last night I spent $300 on this mini chainsaw. And I was like, ‘All these overgrown bushes are gonna get cut down just to make a spot. I’m just down to invest money in the tools to make things happen, you know? Building that tool collection.
Jumping back…how did you get into skating in the first place?
Ah man, that all started when I was about three years old; I can recall it too. We bought my Dad a skateboard for his birthday or something. It was a Tony Hawk skateboard from probably Target or Walmart. And my Dad ate shit on it a couple of times and was like, “It’s your board now.” So pretty much, on and off since I was three, I’ve kinda skated. But it wasn’t until about middle school where I really found that group of friends and we started to actually skate every day and just got obsessed with it, you know?
Yeah, right. I think we all have that first skate video too. Or first favourite skater. Which vid or skater was yours?
I don’t know how I even got it, but I got a DVD and it was a Real Skateboards video. And I can’t recall which one it was. I just remember I watched it a handful of times. And I was stoked on Dennis Busenitz. He definitely stood out to me. And then I didn’t really branch out very far on skate videos. I mean, I watched a Deathwish one. I was just more stoked to just be out skating, and I just had so much fun with it. And then you have a couple of local dudes that kinda made a name for themselves. I remember my friends were like, ‘You don’t even know what this trick is called.’ I was like, ‘I don’t really care.’ I just wanted to skate, you know?
I guess most people associate your skating with gnarly grinds etc. But when we were hanging out, you were also killing it in transition. How did your skateboarding style develop over the years?
I think naturally…back in the day, there was more transition than there was street, in a sense. So I guess I gravitated towards transition and then slowly but surely my group of friends were more into street. And then my best friend at the time was the one that got me into grinding rails and stuff. And I just remember from that point on, it was just like, “Oh dude, rails are the sickest.” I just remember learning how to lock in properly on grinds and it was this whole other level. It just kinda opened up from there.
Which friend? Does he still skate?
Yeah his name is Evan Dineen. He skates for Blood Wizard right now. He was my best buddy from junior high and we just always pushed each other. Constantly trying to grind the bigger and better rail and we just kept going from there.
Do you think growing up in California had a massive impact on you skating as well?
Yeah. I would say it definitely had an impact on me skating. I was very lucky, I think I was seven when Etnies skatepark opened up. That was built through Ryan Sheckler I think. He came up with all the dimensions and whatnot. They just had this awesome tranny section. Everything was just extremely big, you know? Like, I’d go there and and be like, ‘I don’t want to skate a ledge, or a five, flat, five stair, or a hubba.’ I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem fun to go skate almost, you know? It’s just out of the comfort level to have fun and progress tricks on but that’s what we grew up skating.
It probably gave you a solid foundation looking back now. How do you overcome the fear when it comes to throwing yourself down big rails?
I just feel like I’ve always kind of had that in me. But without doubt I have just as much fear as anybody else. But I’ve grinded so many rails, I kind of know what to expect. And I feel like, once you really know what to expect, you almost start overthinking it, because you’re like, ‘Well, if I do this, this is going to happen or if I do that, that could happen.’ But I just don’t want to let the team I skate with or anyone else around me down. I just want to do my best and not let any of those thoughts overcome my skating. Like if I go out skating with the team, I’m gonna make it 100% worth it. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. I don’t want to roll 20 times. I don’t want to be that dude, you know? I just want to look at it a couple of times. Feel it out. Maybe jump on it and then just start going for it.
That’s probably why Jamie (Thomas) took you on board right? How was it the first time you met him?
First time I met him? I remember Santa Cruz wasn’t going to do anything with me. So I had a connection through Zero and sent out a ‘sponsor me’ tape. And Jamie was super stoked, because at the time I did that crazy, 90-degree boardslide that blew up. And that was the first conversation I had with him. And for a couple of years I was nervous. I didn’t want to go skate with the team or make friends. I just was like, ’Oh my God, these guys are way bigger and better than me’, you know? And then I kinda overcame that. I was just holding other people up higher than maybe I should have. I mean we all just want to skate and have fun right? But yeah, Jamie’s super open, he’s transparent. You just ask him a question and he’ll be straight up with you.
I think he’s always come across like that.
And that’s what I love about him. He’s gonna tell you what he means. And I think that’s great. Because some people don’t want to be straight up.
That’s funny, I didn’t even know you were on Santa Cruz before. Was that just flow?
Yeah I was on flow for them for maybe four or five years. I don’t know really know what happened with that team. They got a new team manager and he was like, ‘Hey, we’re not going to do anything with you. We’ll keep giving you boards if you want, but I could help you find another company.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s super respectable, you know?’ So I think that was my time to find someone that was actually willing to be proactive and give me some pointers in the line of skateboarding. Because I was just a little kid just trying to figure out how to do this thing.
I mean it’s such a difficult industry to break into. And there’s so many weird little things about it. It’s all kind of who you know, your social media presence and all that bullshit. But I think you’re getting the accolades for the right reasons. People are obviously hyped on you because of your skating. And you’ve still got a full time job…that blows my mind.
Yeah, well, I kinda want that to be a motivation for other kids out there. Just because you have to work full time, doesn’t mean you can’t live out that dream of yours. If I look back, I don’t want to let the little kid dream disappear just because of a 45 hour work week at Trader Joe’s, you know? I just want to be like, ‘Yeah I just worked 45 hours and I’m still out here trying to have fun.’ I think everything comes down to perspective and just talking to yourself in the right manner. And then having the right dudes to surround yourself with. Like you said, it’s all about who you know. Maybe having a good filmer to help motivate you when you’re not feeling the best, or when you’re tired. If you have the right circle of friends, things seem to work out for the best.
Who is your average crew on a weekend? Obviously you film with Stone quite a lot.
Yes, Stone is number one, for sure. It’s always him and I and then it’s just like, kind of random…like for that short moment, it was Dakota and Leo. A couple of my other friends. But I feel like all my really close friends just kind of stopped skating. So it’s more just me and my filmer keeping that fire alive. And luckily, I get out with the team every so often as well and I get to just hang out with all those cool dudes.
I just want to touch upon your style a little bit. You’ve got quite the ‘greaser’ look some would say and now you’ve got the the Uppercut Deluxe plug too which seems fitting. Where did that whole vibe come from?
That’s a great question. Because my style probably eight years ago was the complete opposite. I was like, all baggy clothes. I loved Shake Junt. I loved rap music. And all of a sudden, my group of friends started wearing clothes that fit and I started looking at other people and analysing what I thought was actually cool. I guess I always liked the classic American feel of just denim and basic tees and everything. I always liked the greaser look and whatnot, and I think one time I just kinda started trying it and it just sorta organically came into play. I wasn’t really trying to, like, have this persona. It just worked out for the best, you know? I think that’s the cool thing with growing up though. You’re figuring things out and figuring out your identity and then at some point, it just makes complete sense to you.
What else is in the pipeline? I get the impression you’re the type of person who takes every day as it comes. You don’t try and overthink too much.
Yeah I definitely don’t try to. With me working five days a week, 45 hours, I try not to take any time off until I have to. Because I want to be able to do all these fun trips and whatnot when they come up, you know? We got a trip to Florida coming up. I’d like to make Copenhagen Open this year. But yeah, I try not to overcomplicate things, because usually it’s not as complicated as people think.
Is your boss cool with you taking time off because you’re a manager yourself right?
Yeah, though he’s about to retire and he thinks it’s crazy. And he’s always thinking I’m gonna get hurt. But luckily, knock on wood, I’ve been pretty healthy. But you know, you try to tell an older person what you’re trying to do and they just think it’s just absolutely crazy. They’re like, ‘You’re not gonna walk when you’re older.’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t care. I just want to skate.’
I know you’re on your lunch break right now so I’ll wrap this up. But just quickly, how’s the car, the Chevrolet Camaro?
It’s good. Believe it or not, since I saw you I bought a Harley. I’ve been riding the Harley way more than the car. But I get that thing out every once in a while, just because I want to keep things moving.
Fuck, you’re riding around on a Harley now? You got the board on the back?
Dude! Board on the back. It’s so fun, dude. I’m just trying to have fun, you know? All I want to do is ride my Harley and go skate.