A Quick Six from Ray Barbee!

#1. Growing up, you were very fortunate in having awesome parents who were super supportive of your skateboarding. At one point, they even let us build a 10 ft high vert ramp...letting dudes from all over skate and take over their backyard. Tell me a little bit about those times and what they meant to you.

My parents must have been a little crazy but I cannot thank them enough for allowing that noise to go on for five years. Skateboarding at that time was everything to me and my friends and my parents knew this. They were happy to provide a place for us to push ourselves to get better and have fun. I still meet people that remember skating my ramp and it’s like no time has past at all. The friends I made during that time period are lifelong friends and you can’t put a price on that.

#2. Where did the name Club Griffin come from?

I think it was Joe Sib or Buddy Petersen that came up with it one day. It was a play on the Club Med commercials that were out at the time. My backyard was Club Griffin because there were other things to do besides skate there. We raged in the pool and hot tub, had bbqs and some fierce bumper pool tournaments. The locals will be members of Club G por vida.

#3. I'm thinking your ramp came down with most of the backyard ramps in the late 80's when skateboarding shifted more toward street skating. Did you skate much during that time? If not, how did you get back into it?

When there was no vert to skate Mat Arluck and I would go scurbing a lot. We had our spots and we’d hit them at night. When Mat moved to San Diego in ’92 I think, I didn’t skate much after that. Got busy with life, focused on a career got married and had my son Jack. Then in 2000 Vans built an indoor park ten minutes from my house and it was on again until it closed in 2004.

#4. When most skaters get married, have kids, a mortgage payment, and a nine to five - they throw in the towel and maybe skate once a month or just quit all together. But, you're ripping harder than ever. What is it about skateboarding that keeps you excited and pushing yourself?

I’ve found that if you can find a crew to keep the stoke alive it’s easy to skate three or more times a week. I’m lucky in that I have a great crew of vert riders and great spots to ride. Lake Cunningham Skate Park is eight minutes from my house, a great backyarder is 30 minutes away, indoor vert ramp an hour away, we mix it up enough to stay charged. You have to make time for skating and if you live to skate you will find the time to ride.

#5. People who see you skate, know you shred, but they probably don't know you rip on guitar also. You actually gave me my first guitar lesson. Do you get a chance to play much guitar these days? Are you currently in a band?

Wow Ray, I’m honored. There was a while there like skateboarding that I didn’t play then I realized how much I missed it. I’ve been playing in a garage punk band with Club G member Rich Clark and his brother Craig. We were playing shows locally a few years ago but now we just get together and jam once a week. I still love making that noise though I’m still not very good at it.

#6. When we got into skating, we missed the late 70's park era. They all got torn down and that's why your ramp was built. Experiencing this second wave of parks popping up everywhere, which one is your favorite?

Ah, so many great parks to ride and so little time. Being a vert guy I would have to say the Vans at the block is my favorite so far. I haven’t skated many parks outside of the bay area but I really want to skate all of the parks in the northwest. I’ve been fortunate enough to skate the best private backyarders in So-cal and those sessions are always mind blowers. The new spot in Malibu would be awesome to skate some day. Lets get a Club G session going there soon Ray.