Richard Angelides has been ripping for years. He's one of those dudes that cruises under the radar, but always comes proper. His lowkey style and incredible technical skill are a lethal combination, and his tricks just flow. We haven't been graced with a Richard part in a few years, but don't trip - Expedition is working on something! In the meantime check out this interview.

48 Blocks: Where are you from and how did you discover skateboarding?

Richard: I was born in a small town called Tyler in Texas, then moved to San Antonio, but my true roots of skating are in Dallas. I was on a vacation or something with my mom and grandma somewhere, I don't even remember where, but I remember being in a hotel room flicking through channels and I saw what I remember being Steve Cab at the Raging Waters vert ramp and my mom asked me if I ever wanted to try something like that, referring to skating, and since then I was obsessed. I think I was nine or ten.

48 Blocks: When did you start progressing to the point of getting sponsored and who was your first official sponsor?

Richard: When I moved to Dallas my mom found out about the Jeff Phillips skate park when I was ten or eleven and by thirteen I was sponsored by a local one-man-ran company called ADX, then Mike Crum got me on Vision by fourteen, but back then you could get sponsored for basically miniramp skills alone.

48 Blocks: A lot of people first remember you from Rhythm Skateboards. You were looking mad young in that Genesis part. What do you remember from those days?

Richard: During the Genesis days I was around nineteen, those days were amazing. Skating was easier for one. Felix used to pile everyone into his truck to go skate, and I would bring a selection of ten to twenty cassette tapes in a shoebox, and I always wanted to control the tunes so my nickname became DJ Shoebox. Felix liked nicknaming people, I love Felix and I definitely owe him for so much.

48 Blocks: You spent quite a bit of time in Sacramento. Can you give some insight into the scene there?

Richard: Sac is pretty unique, a lot of people think I'm from Sac and I really dont know why. I lived there for a year I think. San Diego got a little stagnate for me and I went up there a couple times and everything was fun again - skating, chilling, the people, everthing. We would just go skate and if you got a clip cool, we just had fun so I stayed for a minute. I haven't been there in awhile so I'm not sure how it's been lately, but I'll probably venture up there soon enough. I know my homies are ripping.

48 Blocks: While we're on the subject of Sac, can you talk a little bit about Brandon Biebel? I'm sure you've got stories.

Richard: Beebs has too many stories, he is the ultimate entertainer even when he's not trying. I was trying to film a trick on that weird brick quarterpipe thing in Barcelona while everyone was just chillin' listening to Beebs tell stories or just talking or whatever. Everyone was cracking up as usual including me to the point where I had tears in my eyes and had to yell at him to shut up for a second cause everytime I tried to go at it I would start laughing. I couldn't even push, I actually had tears in my eyes.

48 Blocks: How did the transition to Expedition go down?

Richard: Well K2 had just bought Earth and I was told they were corporate and could drop Rhythm at any time, when Chany and I were approach to help start Expedition it was the first time in awhile that I felt appreciated - even after the Rhythm video. It was a little misleading at the time or at first but our team manager worked his ass off to get Kayo where it is today.

48 Blocks: You were on the low for awhile earlier in the millinium. Were you taking a break from skating?

Richard: I was hurt all of '07 basically, but that is recent to me. The only time I can remember taking a break from skating is when a good friend of mine took his life. I don't know what I was doing but I know if I stay in the same place for too long I start getting lazy. Maybe Sac got me going again for awhile, trips to places usually motivate me. I've been doing this for so long that if I didn't space things out a little I'd get burnt out. I like skating too much to get angry about it.

48 Blocks: You put out a serious part in Transworld's First Love, how did that come together?

Richard: Kyle, Stefan, and Omar were gonna go to Barcelona to film with Jon Holland and I had never been there. That's one Biebel away from the best crew ever, so I asked Kayo if I could go and stuff kept racking up while we were there to the point where Jon asked if I wanted to do it halfway through the trip. That was October till June. After that, we went to AZ, Sac, and SF to film.

48 Blocks: We haven't seen too much since Transworld, what have you been up to lately?

Richard: I went to China recently, that was tight but exhausting. I shared that part with Chany in the Kayo vid It's Official which was only ten things but I was happy with what I had. I had a great compliment from Stevie telling me I had the best stuff in the video which made me proud. At the same time I couldn't get photo incentive from a team manager at the time cause it was only ten things - NOT Kayo related.

48 Blocks: What ever happend to It's Official Platinum Edition?

Richard: I'm not entirely sure, stuff changes. I think we're doing a China trip video, then an Expedition video. I don't know, I'm the wrong person to ask.

48 Blocks: I heard you're rooming with Rob Welsh, how's that been?

Richard: Yes I do and Wu-Welsh turned into Waylon-Welsh. If you dont know, cause I didn't, Waylon Jennings is a Johnny Cash-era country singer. When that happened, I don't know...I still love Rob though.

48 Blocks: You've got serious manual skills, what's the most recent two-wheeled manuever that you've perfected?

Richard: Manuals and perfected don't belong in the same sentance. I have a love hate relationship with manuals. It seems so low maintenance at first, then I start trying something.

48 Blocks: Are you still repping the shell toes? If so, why hasn't Adidas stepped up and given you a colorway yet?

Richard: Yeah, I am still wearing them always. Can you ask someone over there this question?

48 Blocks: What's taking up your time outside of skateboarding these days?

Richard: The lady usually, I have friends in town from NY right now. Laker games for sure, I actually liked the Warriors when Barron Davis was there. Guitar until Rob drowns me out with his.

48 Blocks: Where do you see yourself after skating?

Richard: Maybe I'll try to bring professional miniramp skating back and not have to worry about life after skating for awhile longer.