Midland Magazine

I got the opportunity to meet, hang out and skate some with one of the best skaters in Europe right now, Gabriel Hyden from Salzburg, Austria. This was during the Ignition Scandinavia Tour earlier this very year. I’ve seen some of Gabriel’s abilities on various websites, some C.O.W. on VALO-brand but he was also featured in the Ignition DVD were he skates with known names such as Horn, Wagner, Gagi etc. Now Gabriel is on the Ignition Core Team and he sure as hell deserves it. Also, Chimera Wheels added Gabriel to their team not that long ago, big ups! Well, if you didn’t know a thing about him now you do. Let’d get busy with the interview dudes!
Midland: So Gabriel, the standard questions to kick this shit of. Full name, nicknames, where do you live and current set-up?

Gabriel: Hello, my name is Gabriel Hyden, some guys call me Gape, but i don’t really like nicknames so just forget about that one ha ha. Earlier this year i moved out to Salzburg, Austria. It’s a pretty cool place. I skate all black VALO Baileys with black Ground Controls and some Chimera Lilly’s.

Midland: So, how is a regular “day in the life” for you?

Gabriel: Getting up at 8, going to work, going back home, cook something to eat and then go skate with Lucas, Roland and Horn. After that we all chill together and watch some movies, play guitar… just hang around.

Midland: How is it to skate for such companies as Ignition Skateshop, VALO and Chimera?

Gabriel: Pretty cool i guess, I love them all and have a special connection to them. You know nowadays everybody is sponsored either by the Conference or Rat-Tail, if you know what i mean, so i think it’s pretty cool to have a kinda like unique sponsor setup that is not connected together like Deshi+Kizer or Razors+GC. Not that thats bad or anything, don’t get me wrong. But i wanna represent ONE company, not a specific retailer. But again, they all support me and it could not be better at the moment, so thanks Jon, Leo and Benni by the way.

Midland: Yeah! Thanks guys! What’s up with you and HeyDude? Are you gonna be a big part of it now?

Gabriel: Not a big part, but those guys are my friends and since we are all into filming we thought i could join in and contribute to their video magazine. I worked with them for several projects, like the 2nd Winterclash dvd and the Ignition dvd. It always turned out to be good so it’s all good!

Midland: Cool man cool. I met you here in Gothenburg last summer, how was the tour and did you really enjoy sleeping in my floor in the hallway?

Gabriel: The Ignition Tourour was great, the weather sucked a bit but all in all it was a cool experience. I’ve never been up there before and I got the chance to meet some nice people everywhere including you. Thanks again for letting us crash at your place, and since we had beer, the floor didn’t bother me at all ha ha!

Midland: No worries mate, you’re welcome back anytime! You are somewhat a big part of the Ignition Core Team, is that like a dream come true? What aspects of skating do you feel that you add to the team?

Gabriel: Ignition is a great sponsor, getting me around as much as they can which is super cool and everything I want to do actually. They are all close friends of mine and we hang out a lot together, the skateshop is a 15 minute drive from where I live so it’s all cool. I’ve already been on the team a few years ago with Fridonlin Eelbo and Horn, but that kinda broke up so its cool to be in there again.

Midland: Congrats! I know you released the first part of what would be a DVD-based video magazine, what was it called and did it work out for the best?

Gabriel: It was called Clich� Videomagazine, from Clich� Films, The magazine died, I just didn’t have enough time to make a videomagazine by my own, since you should throw out at least 3 issues a year. And for the name: good filming has been rare in rollerblading fort he past couple of years, everybody just threw out videos that were filmed like shit, so I just thought that name would fit, kinda making fun of it ha ha. I’m pretty happy with the video, I wanted it to be perfect, so thanks to Lucas Grottenthaler and Antonio Tavic for letting me be creative with filming and doing tricks over and over again until I had the shot i wanted.

Midland: From what I get it you are starting to win some comps now too, congrats on that but does it effect you in any way?

Gabriel: Thanks. The story was that Roland (this guy I skate with) came up to me one day at the Ignition Skatepark and said that I could skate so much better at comps if I wanted to, so I thought about it and realised that whenever I came to a contest I didn’t even thought about winning it. So a month or so later, there was this comp and I was like damn, try to win it, and it worked out, two months later again….feels so good to win something again. But don’t expect to much for the future ha ha.

Midland: You will win soon again! Saw your Chimera commercial on Rollernews and read some of the comments. Some kids seem to diss you cuz you wear tight pants, feel like comment on that?

Gabriel: I still think that’s retarded, they should all talk about style and not clothes, clothes are such a small part in style or skating, look at Farmer, Cheshire or Colin Kelso, they can wear whatever they want and it will look good. I just like the way I dress, it’s how i go out, go to work or whatever and why not, I’m not gonna dress like somebody else just to get props from some little gangster kids. If everybody goes on with that shit, and with all the hate, all the Youtube video uploading things we will all just die. The industry won’t, Nobody has to worry about the industry, but our hearts and the respect for the other skater, that will die for sure, and without that we are nothing. Remember that kids! I’ve been skating for about 12 years now. And I was way prouder of our sport/lifestyle a few years ago.

Midland: All so true. Ok, just a few more questions to wrap this one up. What do you like to do the most? Film or skate? Is that a hard one to answer?

Gabriel: Hard one yeah, but still skating is more important to me at the moment.

Midland: Who’s your personal favorite skater?

Gabriel: Farmer, Rushing and Cheshire, always love to see new things from those guys.

Midland: You were the youngest skater on the Ignition Tour this summer, did the other guys treat any different for that reason? Also, heard that you fooled that bouncer at a bar here in Gothenburg that you were of legal age to drink, true or not? (anyway thats a funny story).

Gabriel: Well I’ve been on several tours with these guys, and actually nobody treats me for my age. The only fucked up thing on tour is that it’s always a mess to get into clubs, but somehow I always get into the clubs one way or another. The good old “I’m on tour and lost my passport” story always works ha ha. But still it’s not a good feeling to being out with all the guys and thinking that I could well spend the night on the street alone. But I turn 18 in a few days so it’s all good for next year.

Midland: Congratulations! Best thing being on tour is…?

Gabriel: Skating different spots everyday. Being with friends and meeting new cool people.

Midland: Oh, btw, have u been to any October Fest parties yet?

Gabriel: No, i completely messed it up this year.

Midland: Ok, better luck next year then. All right, shout outs?

Gabriel: Midland-Mag for the opportunity, Lucas for being the best guy I’ve ever met, Roland explaining the world to me , my homies for always beeing my homies, my arents for the love, my family for always being there for me, Horn for beeing Horn. I don’t want to hurt anyones feelings by not writing them down, so guys, I’d like to thank everyone that laughed with me!

Midland: Thanks again Gabriel and welcome back to Sweden anytime dude!

Gabriel: Thank you Klas.

Interview by: Klas Olsson