Watching JB Gillet skate back in the 90's was amazing...dude was always ahead of his time. He hasn't been back to the City in years, but we always look forward to seeing him in the Cliche vids and can't wait for his Lakai part. Brad Johnson jumps into the world skate journalism with a solid interview with one of his old friends. Check it out...

Brad: I heard you own a skateshop called Ballz Out, how's that doing and where the hell is my box?

JB: It's been open since 1 year now. It's growing slowly, but in the right direction. My homies Nico & Soufiène are taking care of it most of the time... new shirts are coming soon,then your box is on the way for sure roacho!

Brad: Tell us about the first time you came to S.F. Who'd you skate with, where you skate, was it hard not knowing that much English at the time?

JB: First time ever was in 96 I think..I came from France with my friend Malik for 1 month, I was 16. Back in Lyon we met Dave,a skater from SF that came to Lyon for studying, and his mum was still living in SF , he told us we could get a room at his mums house. It was right when the EMB became a bust,everybody was skating Wallenberg.we were triping on seeing all the spots that we'd been watching on videos for years.We were skating Wallenberg a lot, everybody was skating there. Drake Jones, Sheffey, Jovantae, Chico, Ben Sanchez, Carroll, Karl Watson...it was sick! I remember Malik told me "it look likes you skate hella slow compare to those dudes!" ahaha. SF spots were rough and people didnt like to wax them that much. You had to skate fast there if you wanted to grind or slide. We didn't really speak English though and I guess back then skating was less world wide than now, so the skaters weren't really used to seeing people from France coming just to skate SF...but everybody was cool too us, at least it looked like that cause we didn't really speak English so it was hard to talk to people. Sheffey told us to come by his crib cause he wanted to give me some Girl boards. I was psyched! so we went looking for his crib and we couldn't really find it.Then some lady saw us skating & looking around and asked us " who you looking for?" we told her "Sean Sheffey apartement" she said "it's right there, I know him, I'm Rick Ibaseta's mum, he s my son's friend." i remember Joventae opened the door and we were trying to explain to him "Sean Sheffey, boards, Girl skateboard, give me"...hella foreigner language! Then they hooked me up a box, that was cool. Thanks again! Then I went back to France, I was psyched on skating and SF so a month after I got back I quite / got kicked out of school. Then I went back to SF later on with 2 other friends for 3 months and started going back and forth for the next years, spending more time there than in France.

Brad: How did the nickname Roach come about? I sort of remember, but refresh us. Was it from the Makavelli album? "You still breathin', Fuckin' Roaches!" haha

JB: Roach! I guess you gave it to me fucking roach! People used Frenchie. I bought the tape of Makaveli the day it came out..and then 2pac was my English teacher. I was calling everybody a roach just playing around. Tony Montana helped me a little bit too. All you guys too...people at Pier 7, you and Lee...were English teachers. The thing is I thought it was regular English, so I didn t know some words were curse words or slangs, so i was speaking a "pier 7 / Toni Montana/ 2pac remixed" English with a French accent to everyone, even friends mums or older people that I'm used to speaking to more respectfuly ...it was the same for everyone! I had to learn a new english when I went to LA, the first time was in orange county too...people didn't understand when i was saying "hella" or some other slang words.

Brad: Any crazy stories from your trips to SF?

JB: Too many funny stories, the first year we were always staying in downtown in some crazy cheap hotels..crackheads everywere, hookers all over! I think it was Jones st/ O'farell / Geary... all those streets were crazy. I think it's different now though? Then we were staying with you for awhile at 48th ave...taking the N Judah to go in downtown. It was tight, house parties were fun too, riding those bmx's all over the city... but fuck those mushrooms, I ain t taking that shit no more! That shit was fun but it's too psychadalic for me, I ain't a hippie maaan! ahaha. The house looked like a psychatric hospital, everybody was tweaking hard! Enrique watching some Adams Family while playing it backwards and fastford too as well, thinking it was the best movie ever! Us going to the beach thinking we found a pirate boat and it was just a piece of wood...I even thought I could read a cat's mind when I was looking in his eyes...daaaamn! ahaha. But I think those times are some of my best memories for sure!

Brad: When was the last time you were in the States & are you ever gonna make it back?

JB: Last time I was in the States was the 30th December of 2002 I think. I was coming to SF from Lyon with a girl, she was going to stay there for 6 months to study and I was getting a place with her and staying 2 or 3 months since I just had a tourist visa. Well, I stoped in NY at JFK to go through imigration... I didn't get throug. They asked me questions, took me to a room, asked more questions on what I've been doing all those years going back & forth, they told me that I over stayed the 90 days tourist visa 2 times..each time only 3 or 4 days. I didn't even know! So the officer walked me back to the plane and sent me back where I came from. A very nice New Years eve...walking home under the snow! fucking roaches !! I just got a visa sorted out, so i should be able to come back, I'm psyched!

Brad: Give us a rundown on your sponsors starting from the begining.

JB: I was on Etnies first, then New deal, Alien Workshop flow, World Industries, Matix, DC shoes flow, Deca, Axion footwear, then I had an opportunity with Chocolate, I got on. A week later, I had a call from Daewon ( he was kind of in charge of Deca) and he was with everybody from the team, Enrique, Shiloh...then i kind i got influenced..Marcus was back on Deca too, Lavar got on..so I went back and turned pro. But I think I fucked up! ahahah. It's all good though, Deca was sick, I liked it...fun times! Then I skated for a shoe company named Link, it was through Cliché..then nowdays it's Lakai, Cliché, Matix, Gold Wheels, Ballz Out, and Nixon

Brad: Besides the Lakai video, are you workin' on any other projects?

JB: Yeah, a Cliché video.

Brad: What does your day consist of when your at home in France?

JB: Depends some days, usually I get up at 9h00, drink a lot of marocan mint-tea, go to the shop around 10, then go skate around 2h, go back to the crib or chill outside, then I go sleep around 2 am.

Brad: Thanks homie for your time, I might see you out in Europe this summer, lets skate roach, it's been a while. Any shout outs, nows the time.

JB: Tell me when you come, we'll meet for sure & roach around! I'll come back to SF too, hopefully. Thanx to a lot of people in SF & LA, Brad Johnson, Ben, Serge,the Russians twins, Karl Watson, Lee smith, Lavar & Marcus McBride, Jason Wussler, Chef Pierre, Bobcat, Shelby, Twan, Pat Washington, Kent @ FTC, Stevie, big thanks to CHhico for letting me stay at his crib in LA, Carroll & Tony Ferguson, the N-Judah night-bus, Daewon, Shiloh, Kareem, Enrique Lorenzo, Socrates, Fernando, Chris Roberts, Robbie McKinley, Fabian Alomar, Steven Cales, Tony (team manager at Deca), Julio De La Cruz, some girls, Chris Robert, Kelly Bird, Rudy Johnson, Matt Milligan, Clyde Singleton,Tony Hawk, SAD, Eli, Lenny Kirk,Henry Sanchez, Rodney Mullen,Nick Tershay,Ty Evans, Rick Howard, Flo, Bett Margaritis, Jermie Daclin, Nick Lockman... My mum & dad, my family, all my friends... sorry for the ones I forgot to name or forgot the name.. everyone at Lakai, Matix, Cliché,Gold, Ballzout...jan @ nixon everyone that let me stay @ there crib and roach on their couch!