What can be said about Wade that hasn’t already been said? Seriously, though. He’s had interviews in most North American skateboard publications and my job here is to actually get “new” info on him? Even though I chill with him three to four times a week, I’m not sure how to make this interview different from the rest. I decided to leave it up to the internet to point me in the right direction of who the real Wade Desarmo really is.
Right away I encountered my first problem: I didn’t know which search results to believe. I Googled the original spelling of his name, which is Wade DesOrmeaux, and it came up with approximately 26,600 articles. The DGK spelling of Wade Desarmo came up with an astonishing 43,900 articles! The story behind his name switch stems back to a conversation that Wade had with his mentor Stevie Williams back in ’06. Stevie thought Wade should switch up his last name to more of a North American spelling in an attempt to appeal to skateboarders on a global scale. With the recent launch of Wade’s pro model DGK skateboard, and the fact that it’s selling faster then it can be reordered, I think Stevie’s idea worked.
At just 23 years old, this Ottawa kid has already accomplished more then most Canadian skateboarders ever will. He’s sat in first class and traveled the world with the DGK/RBK team, and had a full- length part in Kayo’s Its Official, which was a globally distributed video. With all the media surrounding him since he turned pro for DGK and Gold Wheels, it’s my goal to approach him differently then most of the interviews he’s recently had. Rather then ask him typical questions, I asked him what he liked to get out of reading an interview with someone that he respected in skateboarding.
“Most interviews are about crazy *** that doesn’t really matter,” he says. “ like, ‘What’s your favorite tour story?, Where you like skating at?’ All that boring *** that people don’t really care about… I wanna know what a person is really like.”
This next logical question is simple:What’s Wade Desarmo really like as a person? To which he replies, “I think I come off rude and kind of like an ***.” To some people this might be true, but to his closest homies he’s just plain ol’ Wade D. It’s funny what most people think when they first met Wade. Most would say that he looks like some hip-hop kid on a skateboard and that he needs to cut out the oversized clothing and follow the trends. It’s cool if people think that, but I know the real truth behind Wade. Simply put, he’s the real deal. He talks mad ***, wears size-4 XL white tees, and size-40 Roca Wear jeans. Regarding the diamonds in his watch and his ears, they’re real and were given to him by Stevie from his own personal collection. “My crew is open, were not bitches, if there is an issue, it gets brought up, no OC fake ***,”he explains. “You can’t pass a quick one on 1278, we’ll call you out.”
After you’re done reading this interview, do me a favor and go to Youtube. Search Wade’s name and click on his Top Dollar video part. This is the video part that put Wade on the map, straight-up. Some might argue its even better then his DGK part in Kayo’s movie. Wade understands the critics of the skateboard world and explains the difference in filming.
“The Top Dollar movie was filmed when me and my homies were already skating, and not necessarily when we were going skating to film for the movie,” he says. “I ‘m really down to just skate with my homies and by myself; just being mellow and ***. Matter of fact, my favorite trick is doing a 50-50 on a ledge ‘cause it reminds me of when I first started skating and I was on some learning-type ***. That’s real skating right there”
Wade’s new goal is to film a full length skate part with a little bit of everything up in there. “I haven’t filmed in a while, but for the *** that I want to film now, I’m not going to waste my time filming dumb ***,” he says. Wade is currently filming for the new DGK video, and is enthusiastic when we start talking about it.
“My next part will be the part that I’ve always wanted to have my whole life,” he elabourates. “I’m going 110% into this movie, and I’m not going out on it until I’m completely satisfied. I’m trying to bring it back to that Photosynthesis vibe; I’m talking about some lines, some innovate ledge tricks, and even some handrail tricks.”
Wade looks at me with a ***-eating grin on his face and says, “I’m in the right mind state to get where I wanna go.”. I truly believe him.
With Wade now being a full-fledged professional skateboarder, one might think he’d have to live in the USA in order to be successful right? Wrong.
“Everyone that’s big in skateboarding has told me that you have to be in the USA to make it. If I have to be down there so much, then why are there so many companies touring the world, traveling every three weeks, to China, Barcelona? Man, you don’t need to be down there.”
It’s been two years since his traveling situation was in 100% working order and Wade is finally allowed to travel into the USA. He’ll be living in Arizona for the rest of the summer at the DGK team house where Stevie is putting the whole team up inside a few fully equipped three-bedroom lofts. Wade mentions that he might stay a few extra months in Arizona, but that he will not be moving there for good. When I ask why, he replies that he couldn’t do it because he likes living in Canada way too much.
Hmm… kid’s got some Canadian pride. I guess he’s not too different from the rest of us reading this article right? Right!
