The Lurk Report

Alex Greenberg is a community leader in the Charlotte NC hardcore punk community. He’s the fastest drummer I’ve ever seen and he plays in more bands than you can count. His primary band Mutant Strain has conquered vast reaches of the planet via self-sustained international tours, cementing their status as one of the greats in the DIY punk scene. We discuss his ethos of DIY culture, building commun...

Jonathan Robbins is a Graveside local and legendary North Carolina DIY disciple, voyaging far and wide to scrub concrete wherever duty calls. Over the years he has shown unwavering valor to the DIY scene, thus becoming a wealth of knowledge in janky building techniques, scene history, and current events. We discuss blowing it as a clueless newbie in a small town skate scene, grinding it out for 4...

Aaron Collins is a Raleigh, NC based builder, skater, and supervillain. He is a blue collar force of willpower and determination who stops at nothing to complete whatever task he sets his mind to. He is largely responsible for the construction of the most controversial skate obstacle in the entire southeast; the infamous Graveside loop. I wanted to get him on the podcast to speak publicly about hi...

Robert Thomas is an NC born-and-bred skater who recently defected to Richmond VA. He's bounced all over NC carving his life path and has made immeasurable contributions to skateboarding along the way. When we were at App State together he filmed/compiled iPhone Blues, which is my favorite full-length video of all time. We talked about building at the Boone DIY, bringing his brainchild Crabtree San...

This episode features Patrick Peck and Tyler Hall of the SC hardcore band Riot Stares. Riot Stares recently released their debut LP ‘Sounds of Acceleration’ after being dormant for several years. We discussed their backgrounds and introductions to heavy music, the why and how behind their creative process, and their perspective on the tragic loss of their bandmate and friend Issy Varoumas. These g...

Caleb Hogue is a skater and musician currently living in Greensboro, NC. He plays drums in a handful of ripping local bands such as A Knife in the Dark, Holy Figures, and Dull Mourning. We share a deep passion around the same the same things and have been friends for quite a few years now, so this episode was both a blast and a breeze. We spoke about the cultural influence of the Tony Hawk games o...

Bryce McCluskey AKA DaGroundskeeper69 is a local at Graveside DIY, a builder, a musician, and now a verified Lurk Report pinch hitter. He stepped in and saved the day by jumping on the mic with me when a different podcast guest had to bail last minute. We chopped it up over a few beers and talked about Graveside, Sk8 Cary, no handed sweepers, and much more. This is a laid-back burner episode with...

JP Pardy is the owner of Recess Skate and Snow in Boone, NC. He is quite possibly the most influential advocate for skateboarding that the town of Boone has ever seen. His notable efforts include but are not limited to legalizing skateboarding for transportation on Appalachian State university, providing funding for the late and great Boone DIY, navigating a ton of bullshit bureaucracy to receive...

Eric Bywaters AKA E-Trade is one of those low key legends that every scene needs. He has weathered the ups and downs of the Hickory NC scene over the years, and has consistently put effort into making skateboarding happen in his small town. He was the manager of Board Paradise skatepark during its glory years, and can now be found frequenting the beloved shit hole DIY. This episode goes out to all...

This episode is a light kick back with my recently acquired homie and fan of the pod, Brett Woodward. We kept it cool and casual as we discussed his background skateboarding with some industry big shots in Phoenix AZ, his current work as a carpenter in Greensboro NC, moving around and trying out new places, and how to be mindful of your mental health and check in with yourself when life get bumpy....

Tracy Stallworth is a high-level skater, soon-to-be father, and pillar in the Durham, NC skate community. This dread-headed assassin is known for swiftly shutting down any and all spots in the triangle with tricks most of us can only dream of, but his role in skateboarding goes much deeper than simply ripping. He helps manage Manifest Skate Shop and consistently puts effort into making Durham a fl...

Matty MacNeil is a skater, builder, and musician living in Wilmington NC. He's been ripping for many decades now, and has gracefully transitioned into building his local scene in more ways than just skating. Matty and his crew are the ones who conceptualized and brought The Space to life, the sickest keyholder spot in the whole damn state. In addition to ruling The Space with an iron fist, he keep...

WILMINGTON IN THE HOUSE!!! Matt Miller is a skater, photographer, and filmer from Wilmington, NC. He’s a well-traveled, well-connected dude who’s immersed himself in several different NC skate scenes over the years. After graduating from the photography program at App State he utilized his talent behind the lens and his network of rippers to create his very own NC skate zine, the infamous Skatebon...

Durand Beasley is a high caliber ripper who has lots of love for his home turf, the Outer Banks. He's worked for Artisan Skateparks since the early days, and has had a hand in the construction of many of the finest parks in our state. He was part of the legendary Post 22 crew while they were dominating the scene, and still puts on his for his hometown crew Ruckus to this day. He speaks to what's g...

Welcome to the first ever VIDEO episode of the pod! This time around I sat down with some of the regulars at my local DIY to gather their thoughts and experiences regarding the spot. Eastland was set to be closed to the public soon after the time of recording this, so we were all treating this day as one of the final sessions. This was myself and Rae's way of sending the spot off on a high note an...

Georgia Martin is a highly skilled up-and-coming skater from Charlotte, NC. She came on my radar after I witnessed her casually crush the indoor park in Greensboro on a rainy weekend, and I've been a big fan ever since. Despite being a young buck in the game, she holds it down for Armada Skate Shop, Toy Machine, and Nike SB. We talked about her early years getting into skating, flyouts at Grayson...

John Martin is a skater, filmer, ramp owner, and shop owner located in Greensboro, NC. In November of 2018 he brought his dreams to fruition and opened the triad area's only skater-owned shop, Stolen Skateshop in downtown Greensboro. I didn't know much about the shop before connecting with John for the interview, but we all know that a core shop is the backbone behind any healthy skate scene so I...

AC Pearson is a Charlotte, NC ripper who is a phenomenal ambassador for women’s skateboarding in the city. She’s constantly down in the trenches with her crew putting in work on and off the board. Last year she and her partner Bruce put on an inclusivity focused skate jam/contest at Eastland with the intent of spotlighting all of our beloved “girls, gays, and theys” in the scene. I wholeheartedly...

JT Gleason is a skater and concrete enthusiast from Charleston, SC who has spent a good amount of time in Asheville helping out at the Foundation. JT got a big shout out from Alex Irvine in Episode 8 so I'm happy that I somehow wrangled him into doing an episode himself. I first came across JT at the Boone DIY when he was lending a hand with his concrete finishing expertise on a quarter pipe build...

Eby Ghafarian is a skater and photographer currently operating out of Charlotte, NC. As the mastermind behind Stoops Magazine, he has documented and exposed some of the deepest cuts of the skate culture far and wide. Successfully executing print media in the digital age is not a task for the faint of heart, so I knew there was a lot to get into with this one. With the help of some talented contrib...

John Evans is an independent skate filmmaker from Greensboro, NC. He’s put some of the heaviest rippers in our region on the map through his deep portfolio of full-length videos. His latest release “Cinco” turned some serious heads in the skate industry, receiving the award for Best Local Vid in Thrasher’s 2021 T-Eddy awards. He’s a skate video traditionalist, preserving the filmmaking spirit of t...

Jared Lee is a high-level skater from Waynesville, NC. He’s been in the game for decades at this point and has made a name for himself by ripping countless contests, video parts, and backyard sessions far and wide. In this interview we covered growing up riding for Christian companies, adapting to life after chasing the dream of the professional ranks, how to get a park built in your town, and sta...

Alex Irvine is an Asheville, NC based skater, builder, and artist who has played a huge part in the creation and expansion of the Asheville Foundation DIY spot. His meticulous craftsmanship, creativity, and work ethic are all to credit for Foundation being the unique and organic spot that it is. We spent a lot of time discussing his remarkable accomplishments as a commissioned ceramics artist, and...

Sturgill Horn is a skater currently living in Winston-Salem, NC. Widely renowned as the mouth of the south, he has a deep and illustrious history in NC skateboarding that deserves the highest respect from the wider community. His involvement in skateboarding has spanned many generations and multiple scenes within the state, so he was a natural fit for the podcast. In this episode he speaks on his...

Dyshon Whidbee is a skater, photographer, and filmmaker operating within the Charlotte NC scene. His video portfolio includes three full-length videos titled Rhythm and Blues (2015), Equality (2016), and The Art of a Hiatus (2018) along with many other shorts and web edits. I met Dyshon over ten years ago so we had a lot of fond memories to dig up from our younger days skating around Lenoir and Hi...