JOJO DUCROS- Interview

Photos by Adrien Motte, David Kendlbacher & Nahuel Martinez

Interview by Jonathan Hay

Hey Jojo, where are you at right now?

I’m in Budapest right now, traveling around eastern europe, backpacking by myself, skating new places, sharing sessions with new faces and discovering new culture.

How old are you and where are you from?

I’m 33 years old, and I’m from Grenoble in the french alps.

How did you first get interested in skateboarding? And please don’t tell me Tony Hawk Pro skaters or Bart Simpson, haha.

Haha, well the answer is in the question, sorry to disappoint. But yes when you finished Tony Hawk games you unlock those skate video parts. And since I’ve seen that, things have never been the same, so thanks to Tony, haha.

How was that world tour you did about ten years ago, how did that come about, where did you go, and what did you learn about yourself, other people, and the world?

Woah, I could write you a book to answer this question, haha, there’s too much to say here, but I’ll try to sum up it up:

Well, I have always loved adventure since I was a kid. And growing up I was fascinated by the books of Marco Polo, John Muir, the story of Fernand Fournier Aubry, the Indiana Jones stuff, this was my kick. Then skateboarding came along and the combo was wonderful. Finding a passion that thrives, as well by seeing and experiencing new places, of course, I signed up for life, haha.

I was feeling I was wasting my youth just sitting around at university, so me and my friend Laurent Vivaudou aka Chosept, went for a year to Australia when I was 20. We bought a van and skated around OZ as much as we could, but it only opened my thirst for what’s around the corner even more.

So I came back and worked for two years as a postman to save up for a two year trip around the american continent, the Amazonia, the Atacama desert, the Patagonia, las Cordillera de los Andes… I wanted to see all those things I had read about.

So I found an opportunity on a sailing boat to cross the Atlantic ocean from la Rochelle, France to Annapolis, Maryland. I was 24 and sailing out to the new world…  just writing about it still gives me goosebumps.

And after I made it across the ocean there I was, with my skateboard and my backpack going around the US. From FDR in Philly to New York to skating a pool in Colorado, hitting all those wonderful national parks as well, then I made it up to Seattle, Portland, then San Francisco and San Diego. Skateboarding is a connecting tool and language that goes beyond borders.

So I found another opportunity on a sailing boat to get out of the US and sailed to Puerto Rico, then I flew to Manaus in Amazonia and the trip went to another level – the one I was looking for. New language, culture gap… I fell in love with South America. Muita saudade. And from then on I stayed on land and went down to Brasil, then Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, Cuba. I fast-forwarded the tape because I could really write you a book about all that.

So that was it, already two years and three months on the road, because I forgot to say that I chose to travel a third year while I was on the road for two. I felt great out there and travelling was my life by then so I had to make the most of that opportunity. I flew to Nepal, then from there took a train to India,  then to the Maldives, then flew to Ethiopia, Morocco where I bought a bicycle at the Agadir Souk to cycle back to my hometown after three years on the road. I wanted to have a slow rhythm to get back to europe after three years, that’s why I chose the bike. The aim was to make it there on the 5th of April to surprise all my family for my middle sister’s birthday, and I did!

For the rest of your question  about what I learned about myself, the world, other people… I could go on for days and a book wouldn’t be enough.

But you gotta get out there to find out for sure. Everyone has their own way of traveling, experiencing things, learning, you just gotta do it if it’s what you wanna do – the answer is out there.

I definitely want to thank everyone that hosted me, that helped me along the way, the trip wouldn’t be the same without them, you can travel by yourself but you can travel through people. And the learning comes from them, it’s a  healthy relationship that society tends to bend. I chose to travel by myself and the plans I had in mind were up to change – like composing music, you take notes from the outside, which will be this person I met here, this opportunity I had there, and you make you own symphony with it. You have to be comfortable with the feeling of letting go. For composing with fate to happen, this magic has to take place.

You have quite the original style of skating and trick selection, certainly you have invented some tricks yourself, are there any you would like to mention?

Haha, I don’t know if I invented anything. In contrast to what we might think, not everything is documented in this world and there may be a random guy from Uganda or Peru doing those tricks before me maybe… but last summer that nose-grind hang-ten I did went around the world. And it’s funny because I’ve been doing this tricks since ten years or more and we filmed it before, but in this lottery-digital-algorithm world I somehow got credit for it, which feels nice I can’t deny, but I won’t put my name on this tricks or claim I am the one that did it first, because we don’t know.

Are you inspired by any others skaters specifically who also have some wild trick combos?

Lately I’ve been really inspired by the Japanese skate scene, this bushido approach they have and obviously the creativity. When I went to Uganda the skaters were really inspiring as well, by the fact that they weren’t too much influenced by the outside skating-world and really developing that gymnastic kind of style of skating. And my friend Ben “Rollersurfer”, we met through a common friend while I was in Seattle and we got to share a quick game of skate. Then I kept traveling and two years later someone shows me this guy on insta (I don’t have insta) and I’m like, hey wait, I know this guy, I skated with him. And I’m really glad we got to meet this way naturally, sharing a session. But of course I like his approach to skating and what he brings to the table is significant for me.

And other than this, I’m really inspired by beginners somehow, because their relation with skateboarding is so pure. In the beginning you only thrive by the thirst of learning how to ride your skateboard and you’re not influenced by what’s gravitated around it (the trends, etc.) which is a good reminder of thinking about what’s important and what makes you happy riding this thing: the full process of learning.

Do you have some kind of physical preparations you do regularly, because you don’t seem to get hurt often, although you are constantly dropping out of the sky somewhere, like off the Burnside pillar into the big bowl, Port Land lighthouse in Basel, Switzerland, the Blackcross in the French alps, to name a few, and except for some heel bruises, you seem to have come off relatively unscathed… just luck or something more?

Haha, no I haven’t got hurt that much, knock on wood. But I have always been pretty active since a kid. I’ve done all those activities while growing up that involve strong proprioception and constant contact and physical relation with the floor. I did first judo, then karaté, a bit of circus, break dancing, and in the end I was playing rugby – all of this before I turned 15. Thanks to my parents for putting me in all those activities, I think I got some strength from it that allowed me to do some tricks I wouldn’t have otherwise, but also some strength avoiding me to get injured. In all those activities you learn how to fall, you are constantly on the ground, so that might have helped for sure. But aside from that, I like to go to that river nearby my place and try to go for a quick plunge all year around, eating & cooking healthy, and stretching whenever I get the chance.

How and when did this passion for dropping everything came to you?

Always been a fan of jumping, even before skating. Whether it was climbing and jumping out from trees or playing yamakazi in the roof of our neighborhood. Then skating came in and drops were appealing to me, haha.

Do you have any other crazy drops in mind that you want to try?

Always an eye up to the buildings, haha, but I just go with the flow and momentum, no pressure.

Who do you enjoy going skating with?

Everyone to be honest, I like to get different sessions with different people, you get different energy from it and different type of session and mission depending who you are with but there is always something to learn from.

I know you are adapt at traveling alone, but what are your thoughts on skating alone?

I love it, it’s really a different dynamic and type of session. Solo sessions are more to me about learning new techniques, messing around with ideas and the mind, and being able to focus on small stuff. But what I love about skating alone makes me value even more skating with friends, because skating alone brings one thing and skating with friends brings another that skating alone can’t. With friends it’s obviously about that group motivation and the conviviality of sharing. The commitment somehow works better too. You feed of each other in a group sesh and that’s wonderful. But a morning or dusk solo sesh just rolling around flirting with tricks and mind is also a lovely feeling.

Tell us about the dam spot in the french Alps, not the pin or anything, but what’s the story behind it. Did you just see it from the road and go check it out and hope it was as skateable as it looked?

Well, from what I know,  Jey (Jérémy Durand) is the first one that came up with a picture of the spot and sent it to Elliott Auffray who showed it to me about two years or so ago and we always talk about this dream mission it would be – not knowing what to expect at all… then Ben came to my place and we took my little van to go around the French Alps on a skate trip. We skated Alpes d’Huez and were heading to Chamonix, and I knew the spot was on the way and offered to him that we go check it out. But as we passed the road I thought was the good one, we gave up on the idea of checking it out… we were exhausted from the session and still had a long distance to drive before Chamonix so we kept driving. It was dusk, wonderful lighting on the mountain with the clouds, no one but us on the sharp high valley road. I was taking a turn driving and boom, the spot was there on our right where we didn’t think it was. We looked at each other and we were like come on, we can’t just keep going, we have to at least check it out as it’s literally right there. We parked the car, started walking as it was getting darker, adrenaline highly kicking in, trying to find our way in. Made it, clear the pothole at the bottom in a rush, not knowing if water would be released from the top at anytime. And that’s it. First drop on it, sensational and memories for life guaranteed! We came back to skate in better conditions on the last day of our trip. Speechless, both of us heart fulfilled, no words needed to be said – just pure moment of bliss.

You work as a volunteer sometimes building skateparks in impoverished communities around the world, is it just with Wonders around the world or with who else, and how did that come about and do you have any more projects on the horizon either abroad or local diy spots?

Well, I have only been on two official projects one with Rio ramp design in Recife (Brasil) and one with Wonders around the World/Small Steps for Compassion in Tanzania, so I wouldn’t consider myself as part of the concrete army haha. But I grew up under the wings of the DIY skate scene. Thibault “Shoobi” was doing the Abattoir DIY in my hometown, so we showed up and I got to be introduced with that fascinating self-sufficient culture that is the DIY community. I feel blessed that I got to hangout with them, as they were in their 30th year and me in my 15th. They took me on my first road trip to Spain. My mom was really cool the day Shoobi came to pick me up, eyes all red from ganja. She was like, so you’re going to Spain with him, “he’s high, no?” I was like, “yes and a bunch of other friends”. She said, “I will let you go, ok,  see I’m a cool mom”.

So to me it was important to taste that way of life and build a bit, paying respect to those concrete pirates putting their life out there, creating concrete pieces of happiness around the world and linking a world-wide community. Make sure to help them if you have the chance by anyway possible, whether it is by giving a hand or through donation. You will receive way more than you gave in the process, you can be sure. Thanks to all those guys.

How is it is living in Grenoble, there’s a good skate scene, right? And you have the DIY spots in the mountains in St. Jean de Maurienne and Chamrousse, plus the bridge spot ?

I love living in Grenoble, family, and friends are here, perfect city size, small enough to know and share with the whole amazing skate scene but big enough to have a dynamic. You can cycle everywhere which is essential to me and it is surrounded by mountain ranges Chartreuse, Vercors, Belledone, Oisans, with amazing nature spots accessible within a 15 minute drive.

The guys at the indoor skatepark La Bifurk are doing amazing work with putting on events all year round and it gives us a place to skate in winter. But it also has a strong social benefit to it, as it binds together the skate scene and keeps it alive through winter. Leo and Elliott, Shoobi (@laitaupoulet and @elli_hitch) have also taken the torch of the DIY dynamics (sorry for the one I forgot), and all those parks have popped up. And obviously Jérémy Durand along with many others in Maurienne (Leo Clavel, Nathan Sharpin, Yoan Deleglise, etc…) have created the eighth wonders of the world with the Versus skatepark which is just one hour away from Grenoble. Make sure to check it out! It is one for the books for sure. Oh, and the DIY we have in Grenoble is called Bridge38k but we liked to call it “the bridge”.

Tell me if I am wrong but, it seems you aren’t really a big party guy, right, you just get your kicks from  skateboarding and the other wonders of life without feeling the need to overly indulge? And if so, have you always felt that way?

You are right, I’m not a big party guy. I never did drugs, even though I got offered to take Ayahuasca in Brasil haha. I guess it’s just my mood. I’m calm by nature. But I love to go out for a few drink, get lightly drunk and have good times with friends bullshitting around, or karaoke or being dumb on the street with the speaker playing Eurodance. That’s more my kinda of kick, haha, I never feel like I have to go to the extreme.

It also maybe has to do with the chemistry of skateboarding. Literally, it gives me so much that I don’t feel like I need to take anything else to be happy.

A walk in nature, a night camping out, this yes,  gives me a kick for sure.

I heard you have a habit of playing the same Eurodance music on loop on your speaker when you need to focus on a trick?

Yeah 80’s and 90’s really works when I’m having commitment issue on a tricks. Can’t explain haha.

Where do you find all these ideas of NBD tricks?

I’ve always love to take one trick and from there build a little Frankenstein of it, making it your own. Like I was saying with style, this is an extension of yourself, shut down the norms and the trends and have fun creating your own tricks and way of doing them. Everyone has something to say through this piece of wood, let it out.

But I also think that travelling really nourish the creativity and open up the spectrum of possibilities. Because you skate new places everyday, you facing new configuration everyday, you see new and different style everyday in different country. There’s truly a whole neuroscience and neuroplasticity behind it. But that’s an all other topic.

What do you do for work?

I work as a postman since my 20s, in the countryside –  it’s a beautiful area. I love it even more with time going by as I develop deeper relationships with people I see everyday. It’s socially and physically great work for me for now. I work 80%, on the rhythm of four weeks work, one week off, which pretty much means I have a week off every month. I choose this balance to be able to have more time to enjoy life – going on trips in my van, visiting friends here and there and skating obviously.

What other things do you like to get into except for skateboarding when you don’t have to work?

Mainly everything that involves being in nature and outside.  Hiking mostly, reading in a park, going for river swim, lately did some climbing with my dad, I wanna dig into that. Riding my bicycle around. And when not outside, drawing, more reading, playing guitar, cooking.

What does skating do for you that surfing can’t fulfil?

Haha, so first of all, I’m a terrible surfer, but I love being out in the water. The ocean is far from where I live, so surfing is really more this once in a while recreational/vacation activity. I’m not trying to get good at it or anything, just enjoying ocean. I don’t feel attached to the surf culture like I do with the skate culture. Skate gave me in that sense the feeling of belonging to that world wide community/culture that is skateboarding. It gave me an angle to look at things and see things and an approach to life only skating teaches you.

Do you crossover any tricks or style from surfing to skating?

Yes, I loved the Wave Warriors video. I think that surfing can bring you a more aesthetic/dance style to your skating. All the layback family group of tricks also inspired by the surf culture, there’s just something about the beauty of the movement to me that surfing can really nourish your skating. I’m a big fan of Scott Oster and all the old school philosophy of style. There’s something about the execution of the tricks that makes it an extension of your personality as well. An expression of yourself, of your style. So yes I think surfing brings the style notion into skateboarding since the beginning.

Where do you want to travel to where you have never been before?

Japan.

Are you sponsored?

Yes by the local skateshop ABS Grenoble run by Fred Demard and recently  just got some boards on a flow status from Heroin. Thanks Fos, by the way, I’m stoked to ride those shapes and being a part of it somehow.  I have never, ever asked for sponsor and this happened somehow, so I feel thankful.

It seems you see skateboarding as some kind of a dance?

Yes, I do in a way. The art of the movement, the beauty of the execution. But it’s more about opening your skating to a different spectrum. It is something really fun to do, but also brings you fresh air and new options, because maybe after 20-30 years you can start to get bored, I haven’t, but there’s all those different channels you can take your skating into and you will learn from it.

The joy is in the process of learning, not even in the final result so you might as well nourish the process while experiencing along the way, like with a domain such as dancing or surfing or gymnastics, but most of all, enjoying riding this wonderful piece of wood. That’s all I wish.

Bonus shots not printed in the Confusion issue 36:

Video edit by Cho Sept / Realeased April 2015

Confusion magazine – issue 37 – grab a copy of the print mag with Jojo’s interview here.