Interview: How Complex is Skater Ryan Decenzo?

The Canadian master of the rails talks about goat heads, the Dew Tour, and Barcelona.

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Image via Complex Original
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To say that Ryan Decenzo is on the come up would be an understatement. The 25-year-old Canadian street skater made his official arrival in 2008 when he took the top spot at the Tampa Am. Since then, he has grabbed an X Games bronze medal, Dew Tour Best Trick, and he won his first Dew Tour event this year in Salt Lake City. After making a quick stop in South Africa, Ryan came into this weekend's Dew Tour Championships with a slight lead in the overall street skate standings. To win, he's going to have to beat out Paul Rodriguez. Complex got to know Ryan a bit better and found out exactly what makes him the man he is today

What’s your favorite song at the moment?
Ryan Decenzo: Probably something from the new Lil Wayne album. I like "It's Good" and "Blunt Blowin'".... I like him quite a bit. Can't say I like every song, though. 

What are your favorite sneakers to wear?
Ryan Decenzo: Chris Haslam's shoes by Globe. They’re really confortable and look pretty sick. You can do everything in 'em. You can go to be bar in 'em, they're good for skating, or just walking around splashing in puddles. 

What’s the most money you ever spent on an item of clothing?
Ryan Decenzo: When I was a kid, I bought some jeans for like $70 Volcom once. 

Who is your celebrity crush?
Ryan Decenzo: Megan Fox. She just has that look. Maybe it's her last name, that’s kind of sick. Maybe that's a movie name, i dont even know. 

Favorite alcoholic drink?
Ryan Decenzo: Margaritas are always great. 

Current video game obsession?
Ryan Decenzo: Call of Duty Black Ops for PlayStation. 

Dream ride?
I saw this car on a billboard in China, and it looked like it was from outer space. I think it was a BMW. I dont think it’s in the american market yet, but I guess I'd say probably something like a Bugatti. Or maybe a future BMW. 

Coveted tech product?
Ryan Decenzo: Probably my Macbook. I need that thing really bad. I got one stolen when I was in Norway like three months ago, and it was pretty devastating. I backed it up a little before, but had some epic stuff that was lost. 

Favorite city to visit?
Ryan Decenzo: Barcelona, Spain. It’s got an awesome vibe to the city. Everybody is always happy. You can drink on the streets, and it's just so mellow. One of the best cities for skateboarding. THe water is warm, a lot of beach, and it's always sunny. The clubs are crazy and insane, there are like three or four levels of different music. I could go on forever. It’s a little sketchy though. The pickpocketing there is bad there. You don’t really carry a wallet, just money, I.D., or credit card. 

Who is the most famous person in your cellphone?
Ryan Decenzo: One of the Maloof brothers.

Tell us a little about your recent trip to South Africa. 
Ryan Decenzo: I was there for one of the Maloof money contests. They did like 3-4 this year and that was the final one. It was all the way down there. They built an awesome skatepark and left it there in Kimberly. There were some pretty cool things to see. It was my second time in South Africa. Kimberly was a different place, just really rural. Last time went to Cape Town and Johannesburg for a skate tour with some of my sponsors.

It's different. It's kind of like the main thing is the separation. There's not really a middle class. It's really poor or really rich. A lot of people are struggling with food, and then others are living in mansions by the beach. Kind of crazy to see that, but it's a beautiful place.
 
We heard they tried to give you a weird meal over there?
Ryan Decenzo: They wanted the first night to take us out for a traditional African meal. I guess they were trying to be nice, but it was kind of like a joke. I don't know what it was all about. They had everybody sit down, order drinks then opened the food and it was the gnarliest food.

It was a whole goat's head witht the teeth still in the skull. It was the most rank smelling and tasting thing ever. I put the smallest piece on my plate. Didnt really try it, kind of looked at it and went outside with my soda and just hung out. A bunch tried it, but we had a bet with this one guy who works for a skatepark in Tampa. He served himself a full plate and tried to eat the whole thing. I said if he finished it, i’d give him 20 bucks, but he didnt end up finishing. 
 
What do you think has made you the skater you are today?
Ryan Decenzo: Growing up watching the skate industry changing. Watching skate videos and skating with people from around the world. Seeing what they do and putting it into my own work. I feel like when I first started, everybody was doing it. Now there aren’t as many people. It kind of comes in waves. I feel like it just keeps getting bigger and bigger, kind of like how snowboarding made it into the Olympics. Skateboarding, not gonna say it should go in the Olympics, but I think it’s getting more and more attention. Skateboarders are able to make a living now. Sponsors are giving more money for competitions. 

What’s the atmosphere in Vegas like for the championships?
Ryan Decenzo: It’s pretty sick. Usually there a a ton of people and they’re all pretty stoked to see it. Last year the course was pretty wild and insane. This year’s looks pretty sick and pretty fun. It should be a good show. I’ll probably live a little bit of a vegas life and try not to lose too much money. Sometime it's fun when you’re just hanging out with friends. 

Talk about what you think about Social Media. How do you use it?
Ryan Decenzo: I think it's kind of cool. It's fun, you just get to do all little updates and check on what your homies are doin'. They might find something cool on the internet. It keeps you up to date. I don't read the paper, but Twitter helps me find out. I want to do a contest or giveaway, but haven’t had the time yet.

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