Apparently he's known as "Deathwish", but I couldn't quite decipher that moniker while we chatted during Powell's April '09 skate jam at the Port Coquitlam, BC park prior to the FUN! Vancouver premiere. Derek David Elmendorf seemed like a nice enough, well-mannered So-Californian that was genuinely psyched to be on Canadian ‘crete. The evening that followed our chat had me viewing his FUN! part for the first time, where video-clip evidence relayed his ability to stand up on marathon handrails. "That kid has a Deathwish," I mumbled into the mouth of my free can of Coors Light at the premiere. Oh, Deathwish? Right.

Derek possesses control over his skateboard that is at a level beyond his 20 years, and that can probably be associated with starting to skate very soon after he was born into this world.

"My mom got me my first skateboard when I was 2 years old, and my next-door neighbour is pretty much the one that kept me on my board. I remember he had an old Steve Caballero board with like 65mm wheels, and we had this little curb out in front of my house that we'd do little slashy grinds on," recalls Elmendorf, who was born and raised in La Mesa, San Diego. "That board was my first memory of Powell, then later I saw The Search for Animal Chin [‘87]. I never thought in my life I'd ever be traveling and skating with the Powell team, and actually know Cab on a name basis, you know? That's pretty awesome right there."

Derek Elmendorf currently rides for Powell skateboards, Bones wheels, Bones Swiss bearings (flow), DC (flow), and Thunder (flow). He'll be the first to admit that he doesn't know jack about Canada. Nothing, nada, squat. There is, however, a certain favourite slurpee flavour of his that we apparently have a handle on, and he really appreciates the state of "relaxed green" in ‘Couver.

How many times have you been to Canada?
This is my second time. The first time was in late '08—I was in Vancouver skating and just chillin' for 2 weeks, and we stayed at Jordan Hoffart's old apartment. We were on a tour out here to get some footage and sh*t for the FUN! video.

Who is the Prime Minister of Canada?
Sh*t...Man, I have no idea [laughs]. Dude, I don't know anything about the world at all. I'm in my own world. That might sound really ignorant, but I just do my own thing, man [laughs]. Sorry everyone.

To you, what are the biggest differences between Canada and the U.S?
Everyone is so much nicer here. People in America are a bunch of jerks. One thing I noticed just being here at the park [Port Coquitlam]: we can go out, walk across that busy street at any time and people will stop for you. In LA or San Diego, people would honk at you, hit you, flip you off, and some people might try and jump out the car to fight you. Everyone here is super nice, man. I'm a super observant person in the urban environment, and I just see how nice people are out here. The scenery is sick, too.

To you, is a heavy Canadian accent as noticeable as an English or Australian accent?
Not at all, dude. It's pretty much the same as in the States, but sometimes you hear "eh" and "aboot" and stuff like that—naw, I'm just kidding [laughs]. The accent here is pretty much the same as an American accent. I'd say an Australian one stands out a lot more than a Canadian one.

Can you name 3 Canadian bands or musicians?
Oh, man! Like I said, I'm in my own world, dude. I don't even really listen to music [laughs]. I'm serious. I'm dumb, man. I don't know sh*t [laughs].

Can you name 3 Canadian sports teams?
Dude, I feel like I'm school again. You're grillin' me and I feel like an idiot [laughs]. I can't even think of one. I know there's hockey teams. That's all I know, man.

What specific food or drink have you had here that you regard as exclusively Canadian?
That's a hard one since I have no short-term memory. This might sound stupid, but from what I noticed, 7-11s here have rootbeer slurpees, and in the States they don't. Maybe they do, but I've never noticed [laughs]. I don't really care, though. I'm more of a shake person.

If you could bring one specific Canadian quality home, what would it be?
The leniency on herbs. I'm gonna be straight-up with that, dude. It saves lives [laughs].

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Related:
An Inside Look: Powell and Fun!
On The Horn With Jordan Hoffart
The Canadian Side Of The Brain With Sean Malto
The Canadian Side Of The Brain With Paul Rodriguez