Brian's first video part came out in the year 1989 in the H-Street classic Hokus Pokus. At the time sponsoring East Coast street skaters was almost unheard of, hence the famous introductory words "East Coast team rider Brian Tucci." Brian grew up skating with Sean Sheffey, so it's no wonder that like Sean he developed one of the highest ollies around and charges obstacles at unbelievable speeds. After turning pro for Ken Park's short lived One More Skateboards, Brian's career continued to endure through 19 years of skateboarding, video parts, and team changes. Brian is one of the last of the first generation to come out of the East Coast. He is a legend despite the fact that he himself doesn't look at it that way. Brian is still out in the streets doing it the way he's always done it. Reese Forbes once said, "They should give Brian Tucci some sort of award." It's true, if skateboarding had a hall of fame his name would certainly be in there. - Keir Johnson

Keir: Whats going on right now, what have you been up to so far this summer?

Brian: Things have been great, just skating, painting, working to get photos and film. I spent a week at Woodward in the beginning of June.

Keir: What was Woodward like?

Brian: Man, that place gets more fun each year. It's like Disneyland for skaters, for that whole week I was on some crazy training regimen - working out and stretching every day, swimming. It's so good to just be able to focus on skating with no stress.

Keir: Hadn't you gone to Woodward back in the day....?

Brian: Yeah a few times with H-Street. That was back when the camp first started. I got to go the first time with Brian Lotti. I remember going once after that with Josh Swindell, Noah Slazneck and Chris Livingston. I think that was around the time of NOT THE NEW H-STREET PROMO. I had to hitchhike 40 miles once with Shane Rosson to get there when Shane's car broke down. And how could I forget the time I went with Circle-A and had to sleep in the haunted hotel, the Woodward Inn - spooky man. I slept with the lights on all night!

Keir: How did you ever get on H-Street back in the day?

Brian: I rode for Intensity Skate Shop and someone passed my footage on to Mike Ternasky at H-Street. I guess he liked my tape. He called me a few weeks later and sent me a box. My mom told me she was never going to buy me another board again so I did everything I could to make it happen, I guess it was good timing. The first time MT called me he mentioned the new video he was working on Hokus Pokus. We talked about what tricks some of the other guys on the team were doing and how he was coming to the east to film, he was an excellent motivator.

Keir: Then he came out to DC to film you right, what was that all about?

Brian: Yeah, I had all those tricks in the bag at Welfare so that was the first place I took him when he came out here. I remember his camera was top of the line at the time. I also noticed he was very into keeping the sessions closed to anybody he did not know. I still remember people just showing up to the spot when we filmed. We also filmed at Pulaski and around Maryland with Sheffy and Steve Teagues. Then we went to NYC for a contest in Tompkins Square Park.

Keir: Do you have a favorite memory from the time you spent with him?

Brian: Yeah, he laughed at me once, the first time I tried to get a line with him when I busted out my savage 360 boneless, from that he made me do 360 ollies.

Keir: What was it like going to school with Chris Hall?

Brian: Our school was small, 85 kids in the whole high school. I had a few classes with him and we would skate spots near the school sometimes after class. But we would mostly roll on the weekends downtown.

Keir: A lot of people in DC say you were the first person they ever saw do a 50-50 down a handrail, what year do you think you did it in, and had you seen anybody else do it?

Brian: Yeah I guess at the time I really followed every mag and tried to do whatever I saw somebody do. I can remember an old picture of Ed Templeton grinding one, ironically I think it was a Circle-A ad back when he rode for them. I think the first time I did it might have been down a PVC contest rail.

Keir: You did a lot of skating with Sheffey back in the day, can you talk a little about him?

Brian: I really miss Sheff, he was a rager from day one. We all knew he was naturally gifted. I don't think he gave a fuck. He just loved skating, I would see him downtown and we would follow him and Steve Teagues, Wayne Cox, Sonny Dukes and some of the older guys around. I remember going to a Savannah Slamma contest and driving back to DC. Shef would sing along to De La Soul's Three Feet High And Rising all the way through - just wilding out, head out the window, he is a trip.

Keir: After the H-Street era, didn't you take a little break from skating for a bit for some music, can you talk a little about the hip hop group you were part of, 3LG?

Brian: Well I love to be on stage, even though I'm shy I guess anytime I had a chance to perform was cool, it's like being another person. We tried to do it (3LG) ourselves with our own label and put ourselves on. I would have to say the pinnacle for me was doing a Fort Reno show by myself when the rest of the MC's were out of town. Or the time we played the Smoke In on Fourth of July.

Keir: I see 3LG has a little Myspace page . So how did you get back into skating when you were heavy into music?

Brian: After awhile I realized I was having more fun skating than doing music. Skating is so much more of an individual activity. In the band you had to deal with the fact we were not all in it for the same thing. I think that was the biggest reason I left the band.

Keir: Soon after you got back into skating you had a board out on People Skateboards, what was that all about?

Brian: People was cool, I was really just getting my first taste of how the industry worked back then. I liked being able to pick my own graphics and shapes, I still think I have so much to learn.

Keir: Can you talk a bit about a few of your People graphics?

Brian: I would have to say my first, second and fourth boards for People are my favorites. Ahmed Deshay drew them. Ahmed was always able to capture exactly what I wanted visually and is largely responsible for me starting to paint. Everyone around here remembers the Dreadskins board. He also did graphics for Eric Britton, Andy Stone, Eben Jahnke, and Kareem Campbell. I'm sure we will work together again on some upcoming projects...

Keir: When did you make it out to SF for the first time?

Brian: I think i first went to SF around '98. Lance Dawes was running slap and would take me around and show me the city and shoot pics. I skated with all the Pier 7 locals.

Keir: Back in DC, when did you first get the idea to grind the top ledge at MLK, is that the highest ledge you've ever grinded?

Brian: Yes definitely, it's about 3 feet tall. I saw Andy Stone crooked grind another ledge off of one of the benches and from there I thought I should try to grind it from the flat.

Keir: You and Andy introduce DC in the 411 Metrospective, what was that like?

Brian: Yeah that was a good time, DC was happening, everyone was really going for it and we had spots. Everyone was just on the come up, I remember Andy and I bugged out way too much before the interview.

Keir: What was Heaterz Skateboards all about?

Brian: I have to thank Ron Allen. He held me down on that. The idea was a Hip Hop and skating fusion company. It was weird cause they made stuff besides skate products. In the end the money guy was a flake so it never took off. I am still thankful to Ron for the opportunity, I have tons of respect for him

Keir: So you skated with Bobby Worrest sometimes, any funny Bobby stories?

Brian: Bobby is the illest but I think he needs to step his street plant game up.....haha!

Keir: What about Darren Harper, what are your early memories of Darren,

Brian: GET FAMILIAR!! Yes, I always thought he was going to be real sick someday. I did film him some awhile back, it was with a crappy High 8 camera. D is proof that there is real talent in the hood here in DC I respect his hustle, let's get this $$$

Keir: Who are all your sponsors that take care of you right now?

Brian: Indy, Ninja, Circle-A, Nike SB, Vu Skate Shop

Keir: You've been in the skate game for years now, what kind of goals do you have for yourself right now?

Brian:Yeah I got a few projects in the works but nothing I'm ready to speak about. Really just traveling and skating, I want to do a solo art show and I want to work with Chuck Treece and/or HR on a song someday soon...

Keir: What is this crazy skate tour you are about to embark on?

Brian: I have gone on tours and demos before but none like this... Jimmy Pelletier, DC's skateboarding philanthropist hooked up a tour from Maine to Florida. We are doing demos at children's hospitals, they're fundraisers for the disadvantaged at skate parks and schools just tyring to help the underprivileged. We will be on the road for two months and if it goes well we will do another leg on the West Coast.

Keir: Thank yous?

Brian: All the DC crew and my sponsors, Leland, Zach Lyons, Fred Gall, anybody who bigged me up or looked out. Jimmy P, Chris Hall. Gary Smith. Fight Club, Green Lab.