It would be a big lie to say that Myley hasn’t been on our radar for a while, we first met her via Wesley Banford’s video work. Still, Seeing her skate live in CPH was something way different! Una Farrar and Myley had this little pocket of their own during the CPH Open Womxn session, they where going back and forth skating this long rail. The fun, friendship and stoke was palpable, even though I couldn’t skate, it made me really want to. This in my opinion is the measure of a “good” skater, and Myley is just that. But she is way more! And that is what you get to read in the below interview, trust us you need to get to know Myley De Courcy.
Interview by Roland Hoogwater.
How did you like the city? How did you like Berlin?
I loved it. Berlin was amazing. I had the best time out there. I want to come back so badly.
What did you guys do? Did you guys, like, do any clubbing here?
Yeah, we partied. We went to Berghain one night. We went to a couple of bars. Fabi took us to some D.I.Y. or an underground rave in someone’s house, that was really sick. They had built it out like this dance space in the back of someone’s property, it was amazing.
Did you get that sick kickflip after all that?
Well, by that point in the day, I was drunk and then I was also really tired because it was our last day. Yeah, and I had been skating all day already. And I just, I couldn’t commit to it for the longest time. And then by the time I started committing, it still took me a minute to land it.
And then when I landed it one of our filmers just barely missed it. I was really bummed and we didn’t realize that it was usable. So then I ended up trying it for another hour. I tried that kickflip for hours.
So how was Copenhagen compared to Berlin? Like, how was that different?
A little stuffy, really white. But it was a really great time. And then, I don’t know, it was CPH Open. So it was a lot of, you know, bro-ey skater energy, but it was mostly really good. I think there were only a handful of times when we weren’t having as much fun.
I would definitely go back to Copenhagen. I loved skating there. Most of the time we just fucked off from the contest and went filming. But I definitely would go back. I think just outside of the Open. I don’t think the Open is our type of event.
So what have you been up to recently? What is going on in your life, besides your band?
Umm, let’s see. A lot…Yeah. Oh, God, that’s so funny. I’ve had so many people say something about that. It’s pretty funny to me. I’m in a band. We put out a record. We have practice every week and we’re writing new material like always working.
What instrument do you play?
I play guitar. And then my best friend from high school Dylan plays drums. We’re like a like two-piece instrumental. Actually, I won’t say who, but I think a pretty well-known skater is going to use one of our songs for his video part coming out.
That’s always a big compliment I feel like.
Yeah, I’m really honored. It’s someone I’m a huge fan of and I’m also friends with. So it’s amazing.
Has that been a goal with the music? If like somebody would skate to the music that you’ve been making?
Honestly, for me, no, I have no intention to gain anything from making music. I mean, it’s just that music is my other passion in life. And, you know, there’s no intention to like gain anything other than having a good time and maybe playing some shows. And it feels pretty crazy to me. But it’s funny because I think a lot of my friends and my family who I’ve shown my music to are like; Oh, it’d be sick to see your band. I think that would be cool. But it’s not something I’m aiming for, hoping that would happen.
I kind of keep that side of my life separate from everything else because it’s an escape from everything for me.
“Do you think you’ll go pro soon?”
Myles de Courcy
Sooo, you’re not going to skate to your own song?
No, I would never do that. That would feel weird. I’ve had some people tell me I should and I’m like, oh, no, I can’t. That’s weird.
If you see it as an extension of yourself then it would make sense to skate to your own music. But if you feel like it’s a relief from the skateboard side then it makes a lot of sense not to do it.
Exactly. I’ve made beats that I’ve skated to for an Instagram edit before. That’s kind of funny. There’s an edit on my Instagram right now that uses a beat that I made, which is kind of funny, but otherwise, it’s not really something I would do.
What about like making music for a video or something? Would you be into that?
That would be cool. I would love to do that. If someone asked me to make a song specifically for a video. Yeah, I think it would be a big undertaking because I don’t know, I’m a decent enough guitar player and I’m okay at making beats and stuff like that.
I would definitely take it super seriously because I feel music in a skate video is sometimes just as important as the skating. If you have a song that doesn’t match it’s kind of shitty.
Yeah, hundred percent. I guess people choose music a little bit too lightly almost.
Yeah, I think so. I think that’s a big problem in a lot of skate videos recently. People are just using copyright-free instrumental tracks that are kind of trash so they can monetize their videos, which is totally valid but then it takes a lot of meaning out of stuff.
I fully agree with that. I’ve also seen a lot because I have to watch skate videos sometimes for work. Let’s say somebody uses a Cocteau Twins song and it’s a hit. Then you see like ten videos with Cocteau Twins songs as well. Would you say skate videos can give you a lot of music, but also ruin a lot of music I feel like that sometimes.
You know, it’s such a problem. I feel like we’re having that problem with Smashing Pumpkins too. You can’t use Smashing Pumpkins in videos anymore.
It’s true. Dean Blunt’s music is getting there as well.
Oh, yeah, and King Krule. So many cool artists that are off-limits now (laughs).
Let’s talk skating, I feel like a lot of people just skate but I feel like you’re really trying to get to the next level every time I see you skate.
Thank you. I just love skating, man. It’s interesting because I hear people say that and I think my perspective is a little different. I definitely have progressed a lot in the last year or so and I’m really happy with that. But it’s not necessarily intentional, to be honest. I’m obviously going out of my way to learn new tricks and push myself. But that’s just because I feel like that’s how I have the most fun. I’m not really, aiming to, you know. I’ve had some people ask me “Do you think you’ll go pro soon?”
I don’t know. It’s not a goal, at the end of the day. Obviously, I would love that. That is my childhood dream to have a pro skateboard, but it’s more that I really just enjoy seeing how far I can push myself and how good I can get. I just love learning new things.
I feel like there are different types of skateboarding in that sense. Sometimes I go skate to do something almost like therapy just to not think of shit, you know? Other times I go skate to kind of see, what can I do today? It’s kind of like music, sometimes you play a slow-tempo song, and sometimes you play an up-tempo song for a little bit.
But you know, I also love filming. I love the process of, like, I don’t know, trying to do a trick and landing and feeling rewarded. I also love video parts. I just think that’s the most important thing. I just want to be able to put out video parts as often as I can because it’s fun for me, you know? I love having a project. It’s a good way to, to keep my brain occupied.
It feels like that’s going to give you longevity in skating in a sense, like keeping the fun for yourself. People have goals like, I want the pro board or whatever. But then you reach those goals, but then what is left?
It’s more like I’m going to where I’m going for me. And if that happens, then it happens. Everything that I do is for me! It’s something that I’ve been living by for the last couple of years, living for myself because for a long time I didn’t do so. I have a big family, I have two younger siblings, and I was in a five-year relationship up until this year. I did a lot of living for other people and my biggest goal in life has been to live for myself for the last couple of years. And that’s what I’ve been doing and it’s been awesome.
Living for other people, I guess in a way is rewarding, but only if you don’t forget yourself, you know. And it was like that for me at times.
I genuinely feel like I did kind of for a minute, you know, I wasn’t skating for a long time and I don’t know, I had so many other people in my life that I needed things for me or just needed my own energy or my own time or whatever. I have plenty of friends and family too, you know, people who need things from me. But when it comes to what I’m doing in my personal life I’m only doing things to live for myself. I haven’t had a job for the last year and it’s been a bit of a struggle, but I’m making it work and I’m having the best time of my life!
Do you feel like you noticed a big change when you made that mental switch to live for yourself?
Yeah, definitely. I started skating more, I started progressing faster. I was more confident in a lot of things outside of skating. I feel like once I really made that decision consciously, I’ve been living better and happier than I’ve been living in a long time.
When I saw you in Copenhagen, that’s one of the things that really kind of struck me. The shine that you had, like the confidence but not in an arrogant way.
I appreciate that. I’m glad it rubs off. You know, it does.
I feel like it does. I was doing social media work and I remember thinking like, damn that’s cool. And Una (Farrar) has the same thing. Like, she’s also shining, you know.
That’s one of the things that drew me to Una too. I love her, we’re great friends and talk all the time.
She’s one of my favorites, I have to say.
Me, too. She’s so fucking sick. She’s just got the best style, clothes, board, everything, and her energy. Definitely, she’s one of my best friends at this point and I’m so thankful to be friends with her. She’s awesome.
I remember that day when you were filming us I thought that was nice, going for something together! And it was a really good time. It’s funny because she tends to skate stuff frontside more and I tend to skate backside more so you kind of got to see what a session looks like for the two of us when we are hanging out.
It really felt like I was in a mini pocket of a bigger session. You both were kind of doing your own thing during this big CPH Open session, you know? That’s what’s kind of drew me in.
That was really fun but yeah. I’m, I’m not the biggest fan of industry events. I’ve been to so many this summer and some of the been good, and really fun, but others have been really strange for sure.
Sometimes it kind of makes me feel like this Skate Mental T-shirt; “Love Skateboarding, Hate Skateboarders” (laughs).
Yeah, I love that shirt. That shirt is genius. Skate Metal’s an interesting company. I like them a lot. Some of the stuff they do is funny but they’re yeah, I don’t know, they’re interesting. They have Giorgi I’d love to meet him one day. I’m such a fan.
Myles is the kind of girl that will hype me up more than anyone to land a trick, but also be there to listen to my nonsense, crying, and smoke a spliff after a big battle. She is quite special, her skating is creative, and she is progressing at a stupid rate. Nonstop energy mixed with a beautiful smile.
Una Farrar
What’s the importance of THERE and UNITY for you? What’s what is the importance of being those two companies to you?
I think it’s just important, and it’s amazing that we’re even able to be in this space of skateboarding and be visible and present for other people. It never feels like an undertaking because I think we’re all always just doing what we want and having a good time.
But I think it’s amazing for us to be able to, like, skate on this level, you know, sponsored pro or whatever. The same level that people that skate for traditional skate brands and shit that you would normally see. It’s cool that we have the opportunity to do that and to share it with you know, more queer people and young people and be able to show people; hey you can do this too. I feel so blessed and honored to have the opportunities that I have and like sponsors and all of that.
I’m forever grateful for all that. And it’s so important for me to be able to show someone else that it’s possible for them. Because there are so many queer people that are fucking sick at skating. I’d love more companies to be putting on queer people and more queer companies to exist. A lot of my friends skate for Glue and are friends with, you know, Leo and Steven and it’s amazing.
There are two board brands that are owned and run by queer people with mostly queer teams it’s fucking sick. And I hope that more of it comes about. We should be able to take up space anywhere. And the fact that we’re doing it in skateboarding now is mindblowing to me.
Four years ago this probably couldn’t have even been a thing in the States, you know. And it’s, it’s really fucking cool. And I think everyone always says it in an interview, but the most thanks to Jeff ever, none of this would be possible without him. And it’s, it’s really amazing. He is really like a one-of-a-kind.
He is! So, what are you working on after this video drops?
I’m. I’m working on a few different things I’m filming a part for Thunder right now for myself. And then I’m out with some people from Vans working on a video with them. Also, there are a few friends that want me to have some clips for some of their projects, and then Wesley (Banford) is going to start working on a full-length pretty soon.
Alright, I think that is it for my questions, I just want to thank you for keeping skateboarding interesting. I really love what all of you over at THERE are doing but after seeing you live I have to say I am a fan.
Thank you! And as far as styles go, that’s huge for me too. I love seeing people that don’t look like me, who skate. I think that it’s so inspiring. Everyone has the ability to do this silly little thing we do. It’s cool that there’s a place for people like us to be visible.
It truly is! Sometimes you wonder why it has taken so long tho.
I think that so often too, you know, I think we have so many problems that still need to be solved. The world is changing. And I think that the things that we’re doing are a big sign of that… that the world really is changing. It gives me a lot of hope, to be honest. It’s one of the reasons I keep going to being a part of this brand and this world, and being able to skate now is proof that the world is changing. And, you know, if there’s some small way that I can add to that I want to do it for as long as I can.
You are doing it.
Thank you.
