You are one of the toughest critics of style in our industry, and for good reasons; what do you think led to the way that blading as a whole has changed from the FP days to how we know it today?

Skating changes, like anything else that progresses or is new. Skating has changed due to many things over the years… it’s hard to pinpoint, but in my head, as I’m thinking about it, the word ‘trends’ keeps comming to mind. Tricks that are in, fashions, prominent pros; all things that have changed in skating. I guess if you’re trying to compare how the “FP Days” were compared to how skating is today, it’s the attitude that FP brought and the way we portrayed skating and the way we felt we should skate. Maybe it’s because FP was in the spotlight and our general delivery of skating was very raw, uncut, hard. So to me I feel like I related these things to skating more-so then, than I do now. The more personality, and origionality you have as an individual, the more it’s going to rub off in your skating. It’s not that we don’t have that with pros nowadays, I just think with FP being at the forfront at the time, and with that being the first representation of rollerblading being portrayed like that, that maybe it felt different? But that wasn’t really the first, ’cause weren’t Brian Smith, Arlo and Brooke pulling knives, wearing halos, and baking cookies and all that?

In past interviews you’ve spoken of how legendary pros are—in one way or another continuously being pushed out of the spotlight, in an inherently competitive sport where it’s every man for himself, shouldn’t the ability to stay in the limelight be the mark of a true professional? Like, I see what you’re saying and agree for the most part but do you think that once someone is considered “pro” that they should just be allowed to coast by as opposed to using their pro-status to push our sport and themselves even further?

If you want to skate on a professional level, you gotta hold it down, plain and simple. I think everyone who has put in work and made their mark as a pioneering professional in our sport should be honored and recognized for their accomplishments. So that means not getting pushed out of the industry or forgotten. It just sucks to sometimes see the roots of our culture dissapear.

What can you tell us about the USD team and what is your involvement?

I’ve been with USD for a long time now. 10+ years. I think the only person who’s been around longer with USD is Kevin Gillan. For the team for 2010, we are firing up the All-Star team, which right now is KG, Feinberg, and Rach. So going back to the last question about keeping our pioneering pros involved, it’s good to see the USD camp taking this route. I know there’s gonna be some changes for next year, but I can’t really give you any inside info as far as that goes. 🙂 But with Korte back heading up things in the US, there will definently be some resurgance and similarities to the impact USD had six years ago.

Name three things that you and Josh Petty once did that resulted in intense vomiting, bodily harm or extreme humiliation?

Fuck, um… tough to call. Intense vomiting — At 4 am when we were out of alcohol in a hotel room and drank old beers with cigarette butts in it. Bodily harm — The classic exchange of punches to the face — again, in another drunken state. Extreme humiliation — I think I was next to shameless during that era, so no humiliation.

Your “Sell Your Soul To Roll” section was one of the video profiles that solidified my love for rollerblading back in my grommy t-dawg days. What was the driving inspiring force that made you decide you wanted to (excuse the lame pun but) “sell your soul to roll?”

Still a grommy T-Dog during the 2R video era?! That makes me feel old in rollerblade years if you were still t-doggin and I was doing video parts. It’s the same driving force that backs anyone who has the passion to pursue whatever it is they decide to pursue. It’s just always been an outlet for me on many levels, and I see a way to express myself through the act and execution of proper, inventive, progressive skating.

Aside from skating, it is also widely known that you’re quite the DJ. To be completely honest, last time I went to LA, as we were cruising around Venice beach, one of its many inhabitants gave me a flyer for a show and when I was getting ready to throw it on the ground I flipped it over and saw that you were going to be one of the DJ’s spinning that night. Fill us in on your musical situation right now, how are things going?

To sum it up, my music is a passion I love just as much as skating. The music industry is probably one of the most competitive industries out there. I play local shows or parties regularly (sometimes international ones if I coincide bookings with skate related tour dates — two birds with one stone sort of thing) and have a couple drum and bass releases out you can purchase. But that is about the extent of it as far as my music being on any professional level is concerned. I really consider it more of a love and hobby, because I don’t make any money from it. My view on it probably won’t change until I become serious enough about it to make a living from it. You can check some of my beats at: WWW.MYSPACE.COM/BLE3KAUDIO

While on the subject of music, what was the last thing you listened to before answering these questions?

Ha, ha. Fourward & Body ‘n Soul — Carnage

Picture this, you’re 40 years old and at a court-ordered AA meeting; the leader scratches his protruding stomach and asks if you have any real regrets of the previous 40 years; what would you say?

Why am I at an AA meeting? LOL. I mean, I could say “oh, I regret this….” “or that…” but, we learn something from all of our experiences. So even if I did regret or didn’t experience something, I would probably learn the same hard lesson somewhere down the road if I hadn’t learned the lesson I was regretting in the first place. So it’s kind of a catch-22. That, and I’m not 40 — still a lot of things I could possibly regret! 😉

Wow, thanks so much for doing this interview, I think the only real way we can wrap this up is with one simple question, who knows what state the rollerblading industry will be in 10 years from now, will Dominic Sagona be a part of it, whatever that situation may be?

Who knows. I want to believe and say that we’ll follow history, and basically, follow in the footsteps of similar “action sports” before ours, and go through our highs and lows, our dips and our dives, and at some point come out successful enough to make the people who make our industry happen to be happy. I want to say I’ll be apart of rollerblading in a major way and have strong, rooted, reputible brands that support our sport. All these things sound great to me, but realisticly, who knows. Only time will tell. Thanks again to USD, BHC, CASUALTY, SDSF SKATESHOP and ONE MAGAZINE for everything. — Dominic Sagona

Questions © 2009 Ben Karris

Photos © 2009 Adam Kola