Lee Smith has lived the life. He's held it down in SF, LA, and Barcelona on his own personal world tour. He's ridden for companies fronted by Mark Gonzales and Kareem Campbell and probably still has one of those covetted City Stars chains from back in the day. Lee's story makes you realize that there's no point in going on the journey if you don't appreciate everything that you experience along the way. Friends and memories last forever...

48 Blocks: You're from SF, talk about the early days. How did you first get started skating, where and who were you skating with?

Lee: I actually started skating a long time before the EMB days when I lived in the Oakland hills. I think I was about eight years old. My mom bought me a plastic banana board and I used to ride it down the hills.Then the nose and tail broke off and I got a Variflex. I was really into to it but had no idea that skateboarding was a huge thing. My board was just a toy to me then like a pogo stick or something! After Oakland we moved to Detroit then to Inkster and later Ypsilanti, a small suburb of Ann Arbor in Michigan. I was still really into skating but biking was pretty big out there. I would skate by myself and hit the bike trails with my friends. One kid signed my yearbook and wrote that "Im gonna be a great BMX'r one day" pretty funny. We had a book fair at school and I bought some kind of skate book. In the book were Jeff Kendall, Claus Grabke, Lee Ralph, and many others. It really sparked my interest.That book is probably what kept me motivated to skate instead of biking full time. Then we moved back to SF and it was on.

48 Blocks: When did you first start going downtown to skate. What are your earliest memories of EMB?

Lee: I first went down to EMB with Karl Watson,we went to the same school. I was skating around my neighborhood by myself before we met so I was pretty psyched to find a huge plaza filled with skaters. I was so used to moving around that I knew how to make friends easily, I was pretty social. I just started hanging around and before I knew it I was part of the crew. I wasnt a T-Dog for that long! Looking back on the EMB days it seems like a dream.We didnt have a care in the world and did whatever we wanted with no real consequences. It's crazy that we would skate all day, drink 40's, smoke weed, and whatever else...get into fights and generally heckle whoever was around without the police bothering us. Times have changed.

48 Blocks: You were on the legendary old ATM team under Gonz. How did that come together?

Lee: I was just skating at Embarco and Gonz, Fabian Alomar, and Joey Suriel rolled through one day. I guess Mark liked the way I skated so he wanted to hook me up. A few weeks later I was down in Huntington Beach staying at his house. It was crazy, it all happened so fast.

48 Blocks: Later, the whole team defected to Menace / All City / City Stars, you eventually went pro for them. How did you hook up with Kareem and what was it like being a part of the World Industries camp back in the glory days?

Lee: It went ATM then 60/40 and then I think Mark was over it so he bounced and so did everyone else shortly after. I was just skating and going to school, I didnt really know what was going on. Then Joey contacted me and said that Menace needed an am and they wanted me to ride for them. Looking back on my skating ability at the time I feel like it halted around the time I got on Menace and I dont know why. I kind of stopped progressing, got lazy, maybe I thought I was too cool..I dont know. I was drinking and partying a lot as well which I'm sure didnt help my reputation as a skater. I pretty much sucked at skating but Kareem kept me on and even turned me pro. I'm sure I would of gotten kicked off had it been any other company, but Kareem always kept that family vibe going.

48 Blocks: Menace had a pretty gangsta image. Talk about that vibe. Any crazy stories about Fabian or Steven Cales that you can share?

Lee: Yeah I guess we were just being ourselves, being a mix of blacks and latinos and all of us coming from the inner city. Menace was just a reflection of who we were and what was going on around us.The tours were just insane! Fabian was always getting into something from fighting Englishmen on their wedding day to having the Swedish swat team come after him. Steven was just a whole nother level of madness that I cant even get into.

48 Blocks: You've been pretty tight with Mike Carroll for a long time. How did you guys meet and cultivate your friendship? It seems like he kind of took you under his wing.

Lee: Carroll's the man. Just coming from SF and Embarco we have always been good friends. I was the one from the younger generation who didn't give a fuck really. I was down for whatever. So when the older dudes were drinking 40's and going to raves I was right there with 'em; sneaking in and getting into trouble on Lower Haight and all that. I was there. I think this helped me form stronger relationships with the older dudes like Mike. My first skate trip was to Arizona with Mike, Shelby Woods, and Nick Tershay. I was probably like fourteen. He's looked out for me a lot when I needed help with things. He's done it all in skating and has the style and respect of everyone, to me his career is perfect. I'm sure he would disagree.

48 Blocks: City Stars went under in the early 2000's. I seem to remember a story about you getting stuck in Europe on tour and ending up in Barcelona. Can you give us the story behind that.

Lee: I stuck myself in Europe! That was before City Stars went down. We went on a European tour which was City Stars / Axion. After the tour Enrique Lorenzo invited me to come to Barcelona and stay at his house, I thought "why not?" I had recently turned pro and had nothing to come home for really. So I chilled out in Barcelona for a bit, then I came home and City Stars disolved a few months later.

48 Blocks: After that you were in limbo for quite awhile. You even got a job at Girl for a bit in the warehouse and were living with Sam Smyth. Talk about those days, what was going through your mind at the time?

Lee: The whole time I was riding for City Stars I made no plans on doing anything else. I think that, along with my reputation as the party / lazy guy didn't help me find anything after City Stars. So I was pretty fucked sponsor / job-wise. I couldnt find anything to do. I worked at Girl for awhile then bounced back to Spain for a bit. I was sort of running away from responsibilty like most skaters in Barcelona. A few things that were supposed to happen didn't, after 6 months I came back to the states and went to work at HUF in SF. When I was riding for City Stars I think I was pretty delusional. I believed what I was being told, that we would be set forever. Kareem is the man so I didnt doubt him. I was also delusional about myself as a skater, I thought my ability would take me to a place that most of friends were at; which is ridiculous. I rationalized that by comparing myself to skaters that I didnt feel were that good but had a lot. I thought if they could do it so could I.

48 Blocks: What made you decide to stay in Spain?

Lee: I went out there for 6 months and loved it. I went out there just to get away. I was supposed to skate for my friend's company that never got off the ground but they paid me for those 6 months, I guess I got the most out of that situation.

48 Blocks: While in Spain, you stacked a ton of footage. Who were you skating with out there and what was life like.

Lee: I was just skating and having a blast. I made friends with alot of the local skaters like Marcos Gomez, Raul Navarro, and Julio Arnau. I was hanging out with the Sants guys a lot and just hitting up spots everyday. I had the money from my phantom sponsor so that held me down. I knew they wanted to do an FTC video so I planned on using most of the footage for that.

48 Blocks: How did that FTC part come together. Were you stoked on the final outcome of your part?

Lee: Ando just hit me up. I guess he felt I was skating good at the time and it would be sick to do it together. I've been repping and riding for FTC for a long time so it was only right. The out come was good. My footage came from all over the place so it was kinda ghetto but it came out dope.

48 Blocks: Right after that video, you got on Santa Cruz and were instrumental in getting Flo & Alex on the team.

Lee: Yeah Jake Jones got me on Santa Cruz and they kind of wanted to remodel the team, I suggested they put on Alex, Flo, Raul Navarro, and William Phan; they weren't hooked up and I felt it was a shame cause those guys rip. Only Alex & Flo fully got on and a few guys got cut in order for them to get on. I didn't know that would happen, then it happened to me a few years later.

48 Blocks: How did all of that go down?

Lee: It was no surprise to me when I got cut from the team. I knew it would happen sooner or later, that's why I moved to Spain when I got on. I could of stayed in SF and still worked at HUF and formed a better relationship with Santa Cruz but I chose to live it up. Two more years of free money, I'm out!! I wouldn't change a thing, the friends I've made in Barcelona and my expierence living over there is priceless. Santa Cruz used me to make what they thought was a smart business decision at the time and I used them right back. They have no loyalty to their riders, those guys are purely businessmen.

48 Blocks: For the past few years you were on the low in Barca. What have you been up to?

Lee: Well, I was there for three years. The first two were with Santa Cruz and the last one I was just chilling; slanging product, hash, and doing whatever. It's easy to live in Barcelona with nothing, that's why Macba is full of losers! Doing nothing and drinking all day, there is only so long you can do that though. One year was enough for me, but I know guys that have lived there like that for six or seven years. I was trying to find something to do there work / skate-wise but things move at a different pace out there. Plus there aren't as many opportunities in general. I also have a guest board on Nomad Skateboards along with Henry Sanchez, Nomad helped me out a lot. Nomad is dope, look out for that.

48 Blocks: In the last couple of months, you relocated back to LA and are working for Diamond. How's it been being back in LA?

Lee: I came back three weeks ago and I'm helping Nick out at Diamond. Like I said I couldn't sit around anymore doing nothing. Life here is the same, it's like I never left. My time in Spain and Europe is far from over, if anything this is just the beginning.

48 Blocks: Is it true that retired from professional skateboarding?

Lee: Haha, I like to say I'm retired. It sounds funny. I'm not mad at all about it, I could definitely do without filming and shooting photos. Skating's a lot more fun without it. I'm down for Nomad though. We'll see what happens. I wouldn't just skate without doing something else though, I'm too old for that.

48 Blocks: What are your views on the skateboard industry now that you're older?

Lee: I think the skateboard industry is pretty mellow compared to a lot of other industries. It' s not as cut throat and backstabbing. I don't know too much about the business side of it. As for the skaters we have to be realer with ourselves. If you're over 25 and all you do is skate and you're not one of the dudes at the top of the pyramid, you better start thinking about your next move. Don't think that next sponsor is gonna be that meal ticket. To be perfectly honest I dont give a fuck about the skate industry at all, I don't think about it really. I dont think about who's hooked up with what or what's going on in skate biz. I just like to see good skating.

48 Blocks: You've got strong opinions about America. Share some of those with us.

Lee: I'm by no means an American hater, I love our people. Our government is fucked, like most governments. The system is designed for us to fail, credit cards, insurance, our laws, everything is about keeping their pockets fat. It's all a scam. I dont want to get too deep into it but its crazy. The US government also has no problem ruining the life of a black man. One thing I did learn though is that we are all the same. People say Americans are stupid and ignorant and that may true to a certain extent, but Europeans are exactly the same if not worse.

48 Blocks: Are you planning on staying here or is this just another stop the Lee Smith world tour? Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

Lee: I'll be here for a bit, but with me you never know. I get bored easy and like change. I'm psyched at Diamond, the next few years should be good. I see myself getting more stable, responsible, and focused. The goal is to buy a house in the Costa Brava, it's a region above Barcelona near the border of France. That will be my ultimate get away, I'll set my mom up there so she can sit and write poetry in her golden years.

48 Blocks: What's next for Lee Smith?

Lee: I have some ideas, things I want to do. I spent my 20's partying, skating, hooking up with chicks, and traveling. I had my down periods but that's life, I wouldn't change any of it. I lived it up. I could of gotten serious earlier but I didnt, I have plenty of time for that now. If I apply the same energy I put into living that life into achieving my goals I can't fail. I've learned a lot and I'm still growing as a person. I work on my faults and strive to be better as a human being. I think when you dont acknowlege your faults and flaws you never grow as a person. You just remain an idiot, straight up.