Thrasher Magazine

Grant Taylor floats over Tinseltown

You know how it goes in the biz. A friend of a friend knew this guy J.G., BIG-time ’boarder, industry titan, too, if you follow that world. Practically the Sticker King of Costa Mesa! Believe me, if you’ve stuck a sticker, it probably came from Jimmy G. Good guy, too. Real sweetheart. So J.G., this guy knows EVERYONE. He’s staying at the hotel, up for the night? You know these extreme types. Who knows? Haha. I don’t judge! So I’m chatting with him about my crypto shit… whole other story… tell you later, and he asks me about the pool at Yamashiro’s, which my buddy actually OWNS. Do you know Freddy? HUGE in the biz. I gotta introduce you to him. INCREDIBLE story. They could make a movie just about him! 


The water's fine. Dive in

What’s more rare than a 600-year-old pagoda in LA? How about a 12-foot-deep pool and Hugo Boserup’s stale over the ladder?

Finn Pope, bonelessing through a Hollywood hangover





The Sticker King of Costa Mesa

So J.G. asks about the pool and I’m like, Little cold for a swim, innit? But this guy, he’s got other plans. This is BEFORE I knew he was a skateboard Hall of Famer. To be honest, he looked more like your classic game show host, your Chuck Woolery or Al Trebek back when he had that mustache. Ah, sorry, haha, you’re too young. Anyway, he’s got PRESENCE. This guy could sell some crypto. Remind me to give you the scoop on that. So he says he noticed the pool is EMPTY, which, for me or most guys, is about as exciting as saying that beautiful blond over there’s got no rack! Hahaha! Sorry. Was that wrong? I’m trying! Hahaha! I’m trying, they/them! Hahaha. But the empty pool, this shit is like HEAVEN to a guy like J.G. Because, as I soon learned, he rides his SKATEBOARDS in empty pools. Like Dogtown and the Z-Guys, you know? Steve Olson, REALLY close buddy of mine, spent a summer with him in Cher’s pool house, that’s a whole OTHER story! Hahaha. Let’s just say, she got him, babe! SHE GOT HIM, BABE!! Haha. Sorry. Had to be there! So J.G. asks me if, as long as the pool is EMPTY, he could invite some of his top ’boarders, we’re talking Thrasher-magazine-caliber professionals, Olympians and shit, INCREDIBLE athletes, and arrange a little skate showcase with cameras, lights, the whole deal. I’m thinking, Why the hell not?! The pool was going to be empty for at least a few more days, maybe even longer if Carlos and his crew get up to their old tricks, if you know what I mean. Jesus, Carlos! I mean, the guy’s KILLING ME. But yeah, next thing I know it’s practically a goddamned PARADE of skateboard types rolling into the pool area. LITERALLY rolling! Hahaha!! 

Kill Bill: Vol.1 was filmed here. Greyson Fletcher dies like a samurai into the shallow



Finn flares frontside, first rips

Lil’ cat 'n' mouse warm up

The pond, circa 1915

Sashimi me!

Sushi for the crew… complete with dry-ice effect!

Roman Pabich, eggplant ladder, hold the yolks

Ro-Ro, fastplant ladder

WHAT? You’ve never been to Yamashiro? Well, let me tell you, this ain’t no P.F. Chang’s, my friend, this is some genuine HOLLYWOOD HISTORY going on over here! You know where the Magic Castle is? Right? So, it’s ABOVE that place. It’s the best views in LA, bro. I can’t believe you’ve never been there. It’s on the National Register of Historic Restaurants! The Bernheimer brothers built it way back in 1914! Nah, I’m not THAT old, haha. Not that old! They were some German barons trying to create some sort of palace like one they heard about in Japan. STUFFED with Asian art and shit, they were like the… wait. Can I say Asian? Not trying to get canceled! Hahaha. That pagoda, look at it. That’s the OLDEST object in California. No shit! That thing’s 600 years old! Older than my ex-wife!! Needless to say, don’t be taking a leak behind that thing! Hahaha. Keep your cigs away, too. It’s PRICELESS! Anyways, this place has seen some SHIT over the years! They had a monkey house! Right?! Goddamn monkeys! It was a private A-list club in the ’20s, and then after Pearl Harbor, you had a racist mob clawing up the hill and ransacking the joint because they thought it was a secret Japanese spy lookout or some shit! Can you imagine? Japanese spies named Bernheimer? HAHAHA!

Pedro Delfino, FSI

Ronnie got some quick rips in, then back to Pedro

This thing was just another halfpipe to Mr. Pabich

Sweeper, not to grind, by E Hutch

Thought Niels didn’t hit the pits? Nah, he just does it different—slider to fakie style

Lance tests the lip… approved

The pool, this wasn’t even a pool at first, it was a goddamned pond with imported black swans and turtles and all kinds of world-class fish! SUPER classy. Anyway, J.G. shows up with these kids, and these kids are COOL. Like, REALLY COOL. They look the part. If you’d ever read my screenplay, these guys would be PERFECT as the futuristic motorcycle gang. They wouldn’t even need wardrobe! Hahaha. We gotta talk more about that later. I’ve added in an A.I. subplot that I think could really breathe new life into it! Remind me! So these kids start FLYING around this thing. They’re scratching the top—don’t tell the boss! Haha. They’re catching air, the redhead, he’s walking on his hands on top of the freakin’ ladder! They’re incredible. So OF COURSE we hook ’em up with a large sushi boat. But GET THIS… we send it down to ’em ON A SKATEBOARD, dry ice, the WORKS! These guys never had it so good! You wouldn’t believe how fast they climbed outta that pool! We made some friends for life, tell you that much!!

Deck-side angle of Hugo’s huge-ol’ stale

Tait Roelofs, edging out

Greyson, crailwise ladder

Ruby Lilley, flinging finger flip

Janet Jackson, the Island Boys, Bieber… they’ve ALL dined here. The Rock, GREAT friend of mine. Zendaya… a total sweetheart. And an INCREDIBLE ARTIST! Wined and dined. ALL the big names! The skateboarders, they kept coming back. They were lucky Carlos and his boys are so unreliable! They lucked out there. Damn it, Carlos!!! We were hoping for the goddamned Birdman, the Hawk, but even J.G. doesn’t have THAT kind of pull, I guess. We DID get the Bones Brigade’s Lance Mountain and some bonafide OLYMPIC ATHLETES. Amazing ’boarders! Tom Schaar, that kid LOOKS like a star! Some Bruce Jenner vibes, before the… Hahahah! I told you, I’m TRYING over here! Hahaha.

Greyson gets one more just before the hose drops





Please don’t look Miss Lilley in the eyes

Where champions are made! Tom Schaar gets the gold in stale fish!

I’m just saying, forget the earrings and torn Levi’s, this kid is a STAR! Ruby Lilley, too! CLOSE friend of mine! You didn’t think they had ladies on these boards?! You sound as old as me! Hahaha! She was in the Olympics, representing the Stars and Stripes!! Amazing gal! Super talented! We treated ’em all to the dinner of their lives… they got the ZENDAYA TREATMENT! And they LOVED IT! Gotta say, I was sad to see the pool being filled back up with water. Sad to see ’em go. Athletes of TODAY! It’s not baseball anymore! Hell, it’s not even MOVIES anymore if these TikToks get their way. We gotta look towards the future, like these amazing skaters. A swimming pool? That’s not how the kids of the future see it! Nah, we PIVOT! We gotta get RADICAL! Which is why I’m glad we have some time to talk about my screenplay… or the crypto. Yeah, let’s talk about the crypto first! Order us a few drinks and some of that edamame! I’m about to BLOW YOUR FREAKIN’ MIND!!!!

Eric Hutchinson grinds into another Hollywood dream

Big thanks to our friends at Yamashiro. This was a once-in-a-lifetime ride. Dōmo arigatōgozaimasu!