Name and Occupation?
Mark Appleyard. Professional skateboarder.

Who are your sponsors?
Flip, Globe, Volcom, Thunder, Ricta, CCS, Mob Grip, Boost Mobile.

What do you think about what The Gonz once said about you: "Mark Appleyard is one of a kind. A new era has begun. Take notes."
Wow. That's pretty crazy. I'm really honored to have the Gonz say that about me. That makes me feel really good. The Gonz is the best.

Do you still have the same amount of respect and love for skateboarding that you did as a kid?
Yeah, I do. When you're a kid, you just love everything about skating. Slamming, making that first trick. When you grow up, it's a bit different because you understand more, but the love of skating will always stay the same.

When was the last time you did some early grab or Ollie grab launches out of a bowl?
I don't remember the last time I did an early grab, but I am down to do some bowl launches.That never gets old.

You were supposed to have a skatepark named after you in the Cayman Islands. Did that ever happen?
Well, no -- it wasn't named after me. It's called "Black Pearl." I just helped with some of the design.

How crazy was the scene in Germany in Transworld's Video Radio? Did you get mobbed like Muska did?
That was probably the biggest fan out in skateboarding history. I was just trying to hide from everyone. The "MUSKA" ran like 10 blocks with kids chasing him. It was pretty wild to see that and to see that many kids jammed into a really small skatepark. We couldn't even skate the demo.

You did a line at the Long Beach ledges in Really Sorry where you had to kind of hippie jump over a pole. Was that planned or instinct?
That was not planned at all. I wasn't even filming that line for my part. Then the hop over the bar happened and that line landed in my part.

In Transworld's April 2007 issue, there is an article called "Spanish Vacation At Uncle Ali's." The opening spread looks like your jumping off a really tall building. How did you survive that fall?
Well, it's a bit of trick photography. I can't fill you in on how it went down. I've sworn not to tell. Let's just say if I didn't wear shoes, it really would've hurt.

Have you realize you've had 12 covers in 16 years?
Nah, I don't really pay attention to that stuff. But that's pretty crazy to think about now that you brought it up.

How did you meet up and become friends with '80s skate legend and artist Lee Ralph?
I met Lee on a trip to Australia. We just kind of clicked. We're into the same type of stuff. He carved some wood sculptures for me and carved a face into an electric guitar. Those are two of my most prized possessions. The third would be my Skater of the Year trophy.

What are some of your favorite types of music?
I am into Dub music, ya know, reggae. That movie Rockers -- everyone should check that out. Augustus Pablo is really good.

Have you been asked to be in any of the video games that have been coming out?
Yeah. I'm going to be in the second EA Skate game. I was pretty excited they asked me to be in that. I'm not quite sure when it will be out.

You take skateboarding as something fun and not too serious. Do you think too many kids nowadays take it way too serious and only want to skate to be sponsored or in the limelight?
Yeah, it's a shame that some kids today just get into skating to be in the limelight. Being sponsored isn't everything it's cracked up to be. I would rather be just skating than dealing with all the stuff that comes with being sponsored.

What's in store for Mark Appleyard in 2008?
Lots of traveling. The Flip video, Extremely Sorry will be out in spring I think. You never know about those video releases. And maybe meet up with Malibu from that old show American Gladiators. That would be classic. That guy rules! Check him out on YouTube.