djdemo Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Note: This interview took place a bit before the whole OS revival took place. Interview - 6/04 Chris Ard and Jeff Slavik EDDIE FIOLA What else can be said about Eddie Fiola that hasn't already been said? To me, growing up and riding a bike in the 1980's, Eddie Fiola WAS freestyle. I'm sure many of you feel the same way. Eddie was always the showman and a complete professional. I present to you....THE KING! Jeff & Chris: What have you been up to since your freestyle days? Eddie: When I got out of competition, I did live shows for Vans. It was cool, I got to ride all the time. For 5-6 years I did live shows: on my own, with Gale Webb, and with team mates Todd Anderson, Scott Freeman, and Josh White. Vans restructured and the promotional tours at that time took a back-seat. I had to find a way to earn a living doing what I enjoyed most: riding. I started hitting up LA again, going out for commercial auditions. Occasionally during my live show period I would get called for a specific commercial shot. When I started actively pursuing the TV work, the jobs began coming in more frequently. For about 5 years, I was putting in the time without pay to learn the stunt industry. I was taught the ropes (literally I learned to rig stunts), did a lot of grunt work, and put in countless hours of hard work just to get my foot in the door. One afternoon I got a phone call to audition for a new TV pilot - doubling police patrol on mountain bikes. My old school freestyle skills transitioned nicely to mountain bikes, the focus of the show. On Pacific Blue (USA Network) I doubled at one time or another all of the main characters. I was in the first 30 episodes ( 3 seasons). It ended for me there. Not every show in Hollywood wants BMX freestyle, so I began to train in other areas: motocross, climbing and rappelling, scuba, fabrication, street bikes, and precision driving. Since then I have worked on a number of movies and TV shows doing stuntwork, every little boy's dream (and probably some little girls too). Jeff & Chris: Do you still ride? Eddie: Yes. Occasionally I still do shows with Gale Webb, Todd Anderson, and George Deuville. Every now and then I go to the Vans Skateparks. Some of the kids in the neighborhood only know the new stuff they see on TV, so when I ride in front of the house the kids think the old school tricks are something new. I usually end up spending a few hours teaching them the basics like fakeys or tail whips. Jeff & Chris: What do you think was the reason for the decline in popularity of freestyle in the late 80's early 90's? Eddie: It's really hard to say. As I look back now, what strikes me most is the shift away from a sponsored team look into a more anarchist style. Who bought the bikes? Parents. Who paid for magazine subscriptions? Parents. That's simply my opinion. I could be wrong. Also everything seems to run in cycles. Jeff & Chris: What are your thoughts on the old school vs. new school scenes? Eddie: When I look at old school tapes, I see the leathers, uniforms, sponsorships, and team effort. Back then it was really a big thing to be sponsored by GT, Vans, and Skyway. When you showed up to a contest there was never any question about who you rode for. Just like the Supercross guys now. With old school we only damaged our own bikes for the most part. The new school tricks are very technical and difficult (and I give "props" to the skills), I just don't like it when I see them doing the tricks on public property. The grinds kind of gave us a bad name with the amount of destruction that they do, so I am really glad more parks are allowing for bikes. Jeff & Chris: What are your thoughts on old school bikes vs the current ones? Eddie: The old school bikes were light and made to be ridden smooth and fluent. Where one trick flowed into another. If you crashed, time to get a new bike. The new school bikes are made to be ridden off your roof, miss the landing, and get up, pick your bike up (if you can because it weighs a ton) and try again. Jeff & Chris: What do you miss about old school? Eddie: Everything! Jeff & Chris: What souvenirs have you kept from your old riding days? Eddie: I still have my right hand drive CRX 1985. The reigning "King of the Skateparks" trophy. A custom made frame from GT specifically for the skateparks. Every magazine I have been in. Multiple posters. Freestylin' NORA Cups. Select leathers and jerseys - all GT. Jeff & Chris: Since you were "King of the Skateparks" do you miss the original pipeline in Upland? Do you still ride skateparks? Eddie: Let me think about that ---- Yeah!!!! First we lost Pipeline, my favorite place to ride, then we lost Mrs. Hoffman. Every once and a while I ride the Vans parks in either Orange or Ontario. Jeff & Chris: Each of us here has probably watched "RAD" 50 times! How many times have you watched it? Any memorable stories while on set? Eddie: I wore my original tape out from watching and showing other people, friends and family. Yeah, but my wife is typing my responses. We filmed for about 2 weeks in Canada. In the qualifying race where "Crew" falls and gets hit by another rider - that crash was real!!! We cut the shot after I had recovered an hour or so later. I got my bell rung. The shot was reset in the bushes and started filming again from that start point. In the park scene where the 2 main characters are riding for fun "What's all this number 1 about?", the end scene with both jumping into the water --- The water had a crust of ice on it and we did that early in the morning. Man was it cold! There were chicks everywhere. Jeff & Chris: Do you still keep in touch with anyone from the old school? Eddie: Every blue moon I'll see Martin. I still do shows with Todd Anderson. And recently spoke with Brian Blyther. I occasionally talk to Steve McCloud. Jeff & Chris: What was your favorite bike from back in the day? Eddie: GT Pro Performer Jeff & Chris: Are you amazed at what the old school stuff sells for on ebay? Eddie: I haven't really checked it out ------- Holy S-T!!!! I just looked I can't believe people actually pay out that much money for old school stuff. I gave half of that stuff away 10 years ago before it was vintage. It was just old and out of date back then. Jeff & Chris: Word association time. I'm going to say some names from the past and you tell me the first thing that comes to your mind. Eddie: Martin Aparijo --- Innovative Mike Dominguez ---- Competition R.L. Osborn ---- Sponsored Woody Itson ---- Robotic Citicat ----- Money hungry Jeff & Chris: What are your future plans? Eddie: Live long, ride my bike, and be happy. Jeff & Chris: And last but not least Whatever happened to the Porsche? Eddie: Sold it. Not because I needed the money, but because every time I drove it I got a ticket. As a matter of fact I got 2 tickets in one day. I lost my license twice because of it. After a while it was better to just keep it parked. I figure better to sell it to someone else than to lose my license again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lboorse2 Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Awesome interview Jeff. Thanks for taking the time and sharing. I was mostly into racing but became real interested in Freestyle when the Haro starting coming out with the full line of bikes and GT was producing the Performer, Pro Performer, and World Tour models. In the racing arena, I was a Hill fan, so GT was always my personal fave as far as bikes go. As I gravited more towards following the freestyle side, that stuck with me and I became a huge fan of Eddie, Martin, and Josh in particular. Eddie was "THE MAN!" I'm so glad to see how involved with scene he is today, and look forward to start seeing Martin more since he resurfaced at the OS show in Cali this year. Great stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alvin Mullins Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Another Great interview, thanks Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazy_lacy_vans82 Posted May 16, 2010 Share Posted May 16, 2010 Love the first photo on top, Lakewood ca before they demolished it. I rode with Eddie in that last contest 1981 and got 4th. My buddy Tony Ray Davis got 5th and Fred Becker 2nd. Can't remember who got 3rd? Those were the good ol'days. I ended up with the Gail Webb 1/2 pipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHADESSEAN Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 [ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donovan Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Note: This interview took place a bit before the whole OS revival took place. Interview - 6/04 Chris Ard and Jeff Slavik EDDIE FIOLA What else can be said about Eddie Fiola that hasn't already been said? To me, growing up and riding a bike in the 1980's, Eddie Fiola was the oldest and shortest of all the BMX riders! I'm sure many of you feel the same way. Eddie was always trying to make up for his lack of BMX skills by jumpimg off his bike and doing hand spings and cart wheels. I present to you....THE PAPER CHAMPION! Jeff & Chris: What have you been up to since your freestyle days? Eddie: When I got out of competition, I did live shows for Vans. It was cool, I got to ride all the time. For 5-6 years I did live shows: on my own, with Gale Webb, and with team mates Todd Anderson, Scott Freeman, and Josh White. Vans restructured and the promotional tours at that time took a back-seat. I had to find a way to earn a living doing what I enjoyed most: riding. I started hitting up LA again, going out for commercial auditions. Occasionally during my live show period I would get called for a specific commercial shot. When I started actively pursuing the TV work, the jobs began coming in more frequently. For about 5 years, I was putting in the time without pay to learn the stunt industry. I was taught the ropes (literally I learned to rig stunts), did a lot of grunt work, and put in countless hours of hard work just to get my foot in the door. One afternoon I got a phone call to audition for a new TV pilot - doubling police patrol on mountain bikes. My old school freestyle skills transitioned nicely to mountain bikes, the focus of the show. On Pacific Blue (USA Network) I doubled at one time or another all of the main characters. I was in the first 30 episodes ( 3 seasons). It ended for me there. Not every show in Hollywood wants BMX freestyle, so I began to train in other areas: motocross, climbing and rappelling, scuba, fabrication, street bikes, and precision driving. Since then I have worked on a number of movies and TV shows doing stuntwork, every little boy's dream (and probably some little girls too). Jeff & Chris: Do you still ride? Eddie: Yes. Occasionally I still do shows with Gale Webb, Todd Anderson, and George Deuville. Every now and then I go to the Vans Skateparks. Some of the kids in the neighborhood only know the new stuff they see on TV, so when I ride in front of the house the kids think the old school tricks are something new. I usually end up spending a few hours teaching them the basics like fakeys or tail whips. Jeff & Chris: What do you think was the reason for the decline in popularity of freestyle in the late 80's early 90's? Eddie: It's because they plowed down all of the Skateparks! Soon as the "big air" left the scene so did the audience. Jeff & Chris: What are your thoughts on the old school vs. new school scenes? Eddie: When I look at old school tapes, I see the leathers, uniforms, sponsorships, and team effort, even though I didn't want anyone on my team better than me, so it was just me. Back then it was really a big thing to be sponsored by GT, Vans, and Skyway. When you showed up to a contest there was never any question about who you rode for. Just like the Supercross guys now. With old school we only damaged our own bikes for the most part. The new school tricks are very technical and difficult (and I give "props" to the skills), I just don't like it when I see them doing the tricks on public property. The grinds kind of gave us a bad name with the amount of destruction that they do, so I am really glad more parks are allowing for bikes. Jeff & Chris: What are your thoughts on old school bikes vs the current ones? Eddie: The old school bikes were light and made to be ridden smooth and fluent. Where one trick flowed into another. If you crashed, time to get a new bike. The new school bikes are made to be ridden off your roof, miss the landing, and get up, pick your bike up (if you can because it weighs a ton) and try again. Jeff & Chris: What do you miss about old school? Eddie: Everything! Jeff & Chris: What souvenirs have you kept from your old riding days? Eddie: I still have my right hand drive CRX 1985. The "King of the Skateparks" trophy that GT paid for, I had a shoe in for the title since all the judges worked for GT. A custom made frame from GT specifically for the skateparks. Every magazine I have been in. Multiple posters. Freestylin' NORA Cups. Select leathers and jerseys - all GT. GT paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to advertise me as a great BMX rider, sometimes it became difficult to travel over seas because everyone though I was this great rider and then when I performed they wanted there money back. Jeff & Chris: Since you never were the real "King of the Skateparks" dont you think you should go to counseling? Do you still ride skateparks? Eddie: Let me think about that ---- Yeah!!!! First we lost Pipeline, my favorite place to ride, then we lost Mrs. Hoffman. Every once and a while I ride the Vans parks in either Orange or Ontario. Jeff & Chris: Each of us here has probably watched "RAD" 50 times! How many times have you watched it? Any memorable stories while on set? Eddie: I wore my original tape out from watching and showing other people, friends and family. Yeah, but my wife is typing my responses. We filmed for about 2 weeks in Canada. In the qualifying race where "Crew" falls and gets hit by another rider - that crash was real!!! We cut the shot after I had recovered an hour or so later. I got my bell rung. The shot was reset in the bushes and started filming again from that start point. In the park scene where the 2 main characters are riding for fun "What's all this number 1 about?", the end scene with both jumping into the water --- The water had a crust of ice on it and we did that early in the morning. Man was it cold! There were chicks everywhere. Jeff & Chris: Do you still keep in touch with anyone from the old school? Eddie: Every blue moon I'll see Martin. I still do shows with Todd Anderson. And recently spoke with Brian Blyther. I occasionally talk to Steve McCloud. Jeff & Chris: What was your favorite bike from back in the day? Eddie: GT Pro Performer Jeff & Chris: Are you amazed at what the old school stuff sells for on ebay? Eddie: I haven't really checked it out ------- Holy S-T!!!! I just looked I can't believe people actually pay out that much money for old school stuff. I gave half of that stuff away 10 years ago before it was vintage. It was just old and out of date back then. Jeff & Chris: Word association time. I'm going to say some names from the past and you tell me the first thing that comes to your mind. Eddie: Martin Aparijo --- Awesome and Funny! Mike Dominguez ---- The Real King of the Skateparks R.L. Osborn ---- Nice guy Woody Itson ---- Woody was good! Citicat ----- Money hungry Jeff & Chris: What are your future plans? Eddie: I have been really struggling with the whole Mike Dominguez thing, he was so good better than anyone out there! Way better than me by FAR! Thats why I had to stop riding in contest where Mike D rode, I knew everyone would find out that I Mike D was cheated out of his true Title "King of the Skateparks". Jeff & Chris: And last but not least Whatever happened to the Porsche? Eddie: Sold it. Not because I needed the money, but because every time I drove it I got a ticket. As a matter of fact I got 2 tickets in one day. I lost my license twice because of it. After a while it was better to just keep it parked. I figure better to sell it to someone else than to lose my license again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RL Paulie Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Chris Ard... haven't heard that name in a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHADESSEAN Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Keep Up To Date.. Eddie Fiola .co Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
