Sometimes you see something special, or even someone special, I always wonder if we all see the same people as special if we would be able to meet them in person. Would you be able to tell that Napoleon would become what he did, or Micheal Jackson? Or are they just people at the right time and the right place? I don’t know but from our point of view, this video by Gerrit Brocks contains some special things. And because we felt we had identified that “thing”, which we would call Paul Ehrenbergs skating, we decided to have him and Gerrit interviewed by Zoe Friedmann a close friend of Paul & Gerrit with a curious mind. Enjoy the results!

Intro by Roland Hoogwater.

Interview by Zoe Friedmann.

Video by Gerrit Brocks.

Zoe: You know I have no idea about skating. So I thought we’d start with something from my field: how do you feel about horses?

Gerrit: In elementary school, I went to a pony farm once where you could ride a little horse with someone else. That was super cool and a lot of fun.

Paul: Is “pony” the word for a young horse? No, right?

Those are called foals.

P: But if it’s a small horse, can you still call it a pony? No matter the breed?

Exactly. Ponies and horses only differ in size. Anything over 151cm in height is a horse; anything below is a pony.

P: Wow

G: I think the Ferrari logo is cool.

P: And betting on horses is also pretty good. Do you think horse racing is cool as a horse lover?

Z: Actually, I’m not a fan of horse racing, but when I was a kid, I bet 50 cents once and won 8 euros, that was sick.

P & G: Whoa!

G: The girlfriend of a friend raises and trains horses and then sells them.

P: That’s like restoring mopeds.

Perfect segue—Paul, why do you always move on wheels? Don’t you like walking?

P: I don’t know. Wheels and rolling are fun.

You have a car, you’re doing an apprenticeship in a classic car workshop, you have a skateboard—you both do. You both have bikes, Gerrit even had a car, and even a classic car. Both car-guys. And then you also have a Simson (moped) Paul.

P: Next week, I’ll probably get my bigger motorcycle license.

Sick. Are there bigger skateboards too? Not longboards, but regular boards with some dope off-road wheels?

P: They exist. I think it’s fun when boards look a bit off-road. Raised trucks, big wheels, and a big board.

G: Paul rides really fat wheels too.

Is that your signature style with the bigger wheels then?

P: No, lots of people do that now. I rode a lot of shaped boards, like oddly cut boards, and they’re usually bigger. A bit old-school style.

Ah! So they look like a surfboard?

G: Sometimes they look a bit like a surfboard. Or like those rubber boards you run into the water with.

P: Skimboards!!

Do you like jumping up and down things, and stairs and stuff?

P: I used to be really into gaps – I was like a gap king.

But you’re also such a **Haudegen**. Finding a good translation for that, phew.

G: “German slang word” **Haudegen**.

Paul, you’re already out and about a lot. Do you think you’ll ever be the kind of person who lives in a cabin in the woods instead of an apartment?

P thinks: Ideally, I’d live in a totally run-down garage.

G: Where it smells like motor oil and gasoline, mmm. With the moped’s gas tank as his pillow.

P: I already googled that, and unfortunately, it’s not allowed due to fire safety regulations… very unfortunate.

Tell us about your love for camping.

P: Camping is fun. You’re automatically on your phone less and do things you wouldn’t do in the city. Like reading, for example.

What do you read?

P: Uh…

G: Busted!

Placemag!

P: Tony Hawk’s *Skatelife*—I read that!

Everyone laughs.

What is your favorite thing to ride? What do you dig the most?

Everyone laughs.

P: When it comes to the park, it’s the flat bar.

Do you prefer riding in the park? Or what do you call it? Offroad? Street? Ghetto?

Everyone laughs.

P: Let’s please go with offroad.

G: “Out offroading again today.”

P: I’m really more of an enduro type, so more offroad. But that doesn’t always happen, because more people need to be hyped for it. I don’t go offroading alone, that’s super dangerous.

You know, I study art history and everything is round with you – the curls, the wheels, the screws… somehow. There’s definitely a common thread there. Tell me about your many hobbies.

P: Yeah, in the end, it’s almost all the same. Once it’s mopeds, once it’s cars – then it’s the concept of wheels, and then the concept of fixing. But wheels and fixing are also one and the same – with wheels and stuff – omg.

G: Full circle.

P: Somehow, I get really irritated quickly if I’m not doing something, so I like having lots of small projects that I can dive into. There’s so much that would be fun for me.

What else are you excited about, like your next side project? 

P: First, sell the moped, then buy a new one. And then, for the next project… man, on eBay Classifieds, I find things every day that I’d love to buy right away. But I think I would get lost in stuff and end up having no time at all.

How do you navigate eBay Classifieds? Do you search for specific things or have a sexy “for you” page?

P: Sexy “for you” page with saved search terms.

My search terms are lamps, horse shares, designer chairs, armchairs, and sofas. What are yours?

P: Mine are “125cc up to 1985” and “53cc up to 1985.” And recently, coffee machines. Some people who don’t get it offer espresso machines as regular coffee makers. That’s the jackpot because they don’t ask for much, even if they’re broken. I haven’t checked it out yet, but it can’t be too hard to fix them. It heats water and pushes it through coffee with a few bars of pressure.

Everyone laughs.

P: Another project is sewing. I just sewed a bag to fit in my van.

By hand?

P: With a sewing machine. I gave my girlfriend Rebecca a scratch card, and she won 20 euros. The next day, we bought a sewing machine.

When you’re in Italy with Rebecca’s (Girlfriend) family, do you skate a lot there?

P: Yeah, a lot. She has many friends who skate there. I’d say I skate at least as much, if not more, there than here. In Italy, the weather’s always good.

It’s crazy that skating in Germany is kind of a half-year hobby.

P: Yeah, totally. Winter is a real breakdown.

Do you want to become a pro skater or a pro mechanic?

P: I don’t know. My dream is definitely to have my own garage, but more as a hobby. I don’t want to work as a regular mechanic.

Fair! Favorite car? I’ll count down.

P: Whoa, man, I don’t know if I can.

Sure you can.

P: Oh, uh—

3, 2, 1…

P: VW Beetle.

G: BMW E30.

Mine is a Volvo 240. Ok, now your favorite beer. 3, 2, 1…

P: Budweiser. *the czech one*

G: Hasseröder.

Ok, mine is also a Budweiser.

G: One more question! This is fun!

Favorite flower.

G: Easy.

Easy? 3, 2, 1…

P: Sunflower.

G: Tulip.

Damn same again, I also have Tulips as my favorite.

Gerrit and Zoe shout and laugh in unison and that ends the interview.