Miloš Hroch is researcher and PhD. candidate at Charles University in Prague. He is interested in alternative media, zines, post-digital media and cultural studies.  His PhD thesis is titled "Samizdat in the postdigital era: the influence of new materialism on the transformation of zine scenes and subculutral capital".

 

When and how did you start with skateboarding?

I started with skateboarding when I was about twelve years old. Back then I found it to be the most meaningful thing in the world. The perspective and priorities might have slightly changed – but the core of that attitude and pure fascination is still there. My favourite writer Ursula K. Le Guin in this sense once wrote: "I believe that maturity is not an outgrowing, but a growing up; that an adult is not a dead child, but a child who survived."

Why do you like it?

At a very early age it taught me about the importance of community and a do-it-yourself (or more precisely, do-it-ourselves) attitude, and also skateboard videos and magazines introduced me to a whole bunch of good bands. At the same time, it probably lit some interest in media. When someone asks why I like skateboarding, I would quote Ian MacKaye – from bands like Fugazi or Embrace, and the head of Dischord Records: “Skateboarding is not a hobby. And it's not a sport. Skateboarding is a way of learning how to redefine the world around you. It's a way of getting out of house, connecting with other people, and looking at the world through different sets of eyes.”

What would you say is your biggest achievement so far?

Having stayed on a skateboard for almost 20 years now, and also producing some texts on skateboard culture.

In what ways is skateboarding complementary to your academic career? And are there perhaps any similarities?

In terms of creating participatory networks and communities, skateboarding can be inspiring. During my PhD studies I had the luck of meeting people who would always show me the way, give me helpful advice and guide me through – not only theoretical – obstacles. Which very much reminds me of some forms of informal mentorship in skateparks.

Personally, skateboarding taught me about patience – because when you’re trying to do some trick, it can take some time. It´s the same with submitting papers to academic journals.

Does your hobby conflict with your academic work, such as missing deadlines or having to choose between events?

Not at all, it coexists in a perfect assemblage: it’s the sympathy and symbiosis, as Deleuze would say. Skateboarding is the ultimate relaxation for me, during my time on board, cruising the streets or skating the ramps you can forget about everything and just focus/tune yourself to different surfaces and materials, cracks in the sidewalks, or shapes of your board. It’s these personal mindfulness tactics: afterwards you can return to your writing lightheaded.

Would you recommend skateboarding to other academics?

Reading is more comfortable and secure: I would recommend the works of Iain Borden – the first skateboarder-sociologist – which can be found in canonical subcultures readers. Skateboarding is also a contribution to urban studies, because I can’t think of a better example of Lefevbre’s “right to the city”.