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Do you skate 24-7 or have another job?
Just skating.
I always picture you as being quiet, but I heard that you are very funny. Why did you get the image of being so quiet? I think Scuba Steve likes rotten bananas. Is this true?
Yeah, I don't know why people think that. I'm not sure about Steve and bananas.
Have you ever reached a point in skateboarding where you felt you couldn't progress any further?
Never.
I'm a 20-year-old girl and I've just started to skateboard. I find it's really fantastic. But sometimes, I feel upset when I can't do it well. Do you think I started too late?
You can't start too early or too late. Just skate for your own reasons and enjoy it.
What do you do on a normal day? What's your daily routine?
Some skating, a little eating and a lot of driving.
What kind of car are you driving?
A Range Rover, one of about four million in the L.A. area.
How often do you get bad days? How do you get back into having a good skate after a couple of bad days of skating?
You've got to take the good days with the bad days.
Do you like handrails?
I'll skate anything.
What do you do if you see a camera?
I don't understand this question.
Have you ever eaten so much crap while skating that you thought about quitting?
No.
Do you care that you have fans out there? Your fans want to know more about you. Are you ever going to give a GOOD interview?
Sure, but I'd still skate regardless if anybody cared.
Do you listen to reggae?
I skateboard, I listen to everything.
Have you ever been asked to appear in a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game? Would you like to be in the next one?
Are they still making new ones? I think I remember somebody talking to me about that, but I don't know. It should be Eric's game.
Man, your style is just so sick. You are my best skater and I am getting a tattoo of you this year.
Whoa! You better think twice about that.
In your Really Sorry part, all of your tricks are so perfect and bolts. Did you land them all on the first try, or did you keep trying them until you stuck a nice one?
No, not really all on the first try. I tried them for a while. I just did them, I guess.
Before participating in competitions, do you plan a series of tricks that you will do?
No, not really. I just go and skate.
How did you get noticed and become pro?
I skated and got better. If you keep skating and get better, it comes to you.
Do you still skate with your old pals from Coliseum? Where did Alexis, Colin, Southy and everyone wind up?
I'm not sure.
I skate alone, but that's because no one else I know skates. Why did you? Did you choose to?
I didn't. Growing up, not many people skated as much as I did.
Yo, P.J. How are the new éS Accelerate shoes skating? Are they different from the Accel at all?
I just like the éS logo on the side.
Dear Mr. Ladd, I am pretty sure that you have been asked this question many times, but I, along with many others, am wondering why a pro like yourself doesn't have his own pro shoe?
I will get one when I deserve it, I suppose. [Look for the éS P.J. Ladd pro shoe in Spring 2006.]
Which skate shoe is your favorite, and why? How often do you go through a pair of shoes?
I go through shoes pretty fast nowadays. I have a lot of favorite shoes. They're not all necessarily skate shoes, though.
Hey, which trick did you do to beat Eric Koston in the éS Game of SKATE (ASR trade show, September 11, 2004)?
A frontside nollie 180 kickflip.
What's up with the "Silence is Golden" bit in your part for Really Sorry?
I don't know.
How do you just learn every trick in the book? Does it take a long time? Yo The éS team should come to West Palm Beach, Florida one day. Everyone here has been waiting.
West Palm Beach sounds good to me. Every trick in the book? Nah, maybe someday…
Which skaters on the Flip team do you like a lot and like skating with?
I don't really skate with anyone on the Flip team, but they're all so good.
When is your éS pro shoe coming out?
Sometime in Spring 2006, I suppose.
How do you do hardflips so perfectly and always stick them about a foot high? I think you have the nicest hardflip in skating right now.
Ryan Gallant has the best hardflip. Paul Rodriguez has the best switch one.
Hey, P.J. I was wondering if you've ever broken your ankle or something. If so, what you did do in the downtime?
No, I've managed to stay pretty healthy all these years. I just take my time with skating.
When are you getting on Girl?
Ha.
Hey, P.J. I saw you at the West LA Courthouse the other day, and I wanted to say that your skating and style blew me away. Do you like California more than Boston? Are the spots better out here?
Thanks. It took me a long time to get used to life in California. I've learned that anywhere you go has its good and bad points. I'm just starting to feel comfortable living and skating here.
Which shoes are easier for you to skate in--leather or suede?
Either.
I noticed you gave mention to Alex Moul in the credits for P.J Ladd's Wonderful Horrible Life. Did Alex open your eyes up to a lot of the trick variations we see you doing today?
No.
Who is your favorite person to skate with?
My friends Eli Reed, Scuba Steve and Ryan Gallant.
P.J., You have come so far in skateboarding. What are your plans for the future?
To keep going.
Hey, Patrick. I am from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and it gets really cold for at least five months of the year. What did you do to pass the non-skating time when it was really cold in Boston?
I was blessed with a little warehouse spot next to my parents' automotive parts store. It was still really cold in there, but at least it was dry. I put some little stuff in there and skated through the Winter months. Sometimes, I took the train to a skatepark called ZT Maximus, which had some ramps, and stuff.
What's funner for you: Gaps and stairs or ledges and manual pads?
It's all fun.
The Accel is my favorite éS shoe! I was wondering if the Accel with (and without) the B is your pro model?
No.
What size deck do you usually skate?
Anywhere from 7.5 to 7.62 is good. 7.5 is perfect. Slap on some 49-50mm wheels, some Venture Low's and you're good to go, my man.
Hey P.J., What was that Fiercely Fabulous Flatground Fun thing?
Ahhh, I dont even know, man. I guess it was the guys at éS’ nickname for my old warehouse spot back in Boston.
Is it hard to stay motivated skating by yourself alot? Seems like it would get boring. Maybe that’s why you have everything so dialed. You’re the man! Your lines are the tightest.
Thanks. I don’t really skate by myself that much anymore, but I did a lot when I was younger. There weren’t really that many people around, and half the year it was cold [in Boston]. Sometimes it got boring, I suppose, but I managed to stay motivated and keep it fun.
What gets you stoked on skating and what is your process for learning a new trick? Is there any trick you find really hard or can’t do?
There are lots of things that get me psyched to skate that are probably not that different from what gets everbody psyched to skate. But mostly, my friends get me stoked to skate and learn new tricks and have fun. As for tricks I find really hard, there are tons—too many to name.