SOY PANDAY
Photo: Styley
Age: 31
Home: Paris, France
Have you got some other sponsors?
As surprising as it may sound, i do. I skate for Dekline footwear, Elwood Clothing, Spitfire, Thunder, Rockers bearings, Qinx hardware and Bud skateshop.
Who do you skate with on a regular basis?
If i'm in Paris, i'll usually skate with the usual crew...Vivien Feil, Samir Krim, Guillaume Noyelle, Arnaud Dedieu, Sylvain Robineau...and whoever else is around.
When did you start skating and why?
I believe i started around late 1988. I was sitting at the back of my parents' car as we were drinving through the heart of the city of Orleans, a summer's late afternoon, and i saw this guy cruising between cars, hopping over a small road divider and disappearing behind a corner, and he seemed so incredibly free. I think that to this day, this memory still sums up why i skate.
Where's the best place you've ever skated?
What made it so good? I'm not sure i could come up with one best place. I've truly loved Russia, Israel, Greece, Bulgaria, London, San Francisco, New York, Barcelona, Tokyo and most of the places i've been to. Mainly because of the people i had the luck to be with. I could skate the best spot in the world, if i'm by myself i would get bored within seconds.
Are you really French or are you just putting that silly accent on?
I'm actually Indian, but my marketing division advised me to pretend i'm French, as it better for sales. Since then i have had to work on my french accent. I've severly bruised my tongue a bunch of times in the process. I think i should get a raise.
Who would you least like to live with from the Landscape team?
Jim Greco. Wait, does he not ride for Landscape?
Who would you most like to live with from the Landscape team?
Rory, because he teaches me the most safest phrases. Speech that! Still.
Do you favour a certain kind of music? What have you been listening to?
I guess i mainly listen to folk, and mainly to Iron & Wine actually. And when i don't, i'm most likely to be found listening to some hip hop, like some old Wu-Tang.
Who are your favourite skaters and why?
For a long time, i was eager to reply that style and creativity were everything. Today, most skaters are labeled as creative, the words "original" or "creative" seem nowadays to apply to any trick that involves landing in a bank. I like to watch Bobby Puleo skating weird stuff because it's really his personality, and i like to watch Stevie Williams skating Love Park. To watch Smolik getting super tech. Reese Forbes with a clean tre flip. Sabback grinding. Kenny twisting his legs. Dennis Busenitz doing flatground tricks while bombing a hill. Nate Broussard busting a smooth ollie. Nate Jones doing a backtail. Tuukka doing a switch ollie. My friends pushing through the streets. I really like a lot of skaters, and i think style - natural style i mean - is really the first think i'll look for. I couldn't care less for tricks most of the times. But then i also like when i can see a skater's personality through his skating. It has to be real, to be natural, this is what is going to shine through. I don't want everyone to try and be Puleo...
What's the best thing about living in Paris? Don't you wish you lived in a council estate in south London?
Paris is a really nice city to live in, it's the one place i truly feel at home at. It's a beautiful city, cruising through the street and looking up at the buildings and at the architecture is very soothing somehow.
Photo: Dominic Marley
Tell us about a good film you've seen recently...
Man, i can't even remember when was the last time i watched a film.
What does your set-up consist of usually?
7.875" Landscape board, 50mm wheels, high and wide Thunders...
Tell us your 3 favourite video parts.
Only 3? Hum... Kenny Reed in New Deal's 7 year glitch. Quim Cardona is Real Non Fiction. Ricky Oyola in Eastern Exposure 3. Bobby Puleo is the Infamous video. Jack Sabback in the Ipath promo. Peter Smolick in the first Shorty's video. Rick Howard in Mouse. Rob Pluhowski's last Habitat part. Karl Watson is SF Greatest Misses. Man, there are so many of them. It's impossible to choose.
Do you prefer to get photos or footage?
I like to get a good photo, but i much prefer footage. Photos are too trick oriented for me. I like to see cruising, pushes, everything...
How was filming for Static 3? Tell us a good story.
At the beginning it was a bit weird, the first time i really went to stay with Josh to start filming for my part, i was just out of a pretty bad ankle injury and josh had never really seen me skate much...I had absolutely no self confidence, filmed one trick in two weeks, and at the end of my stay, as he drove me to the airport, i was seriously about to tell him we shouldn't do the part, as i thought that's what he was about to say himself. I said nothing, waiting for him to say it, and instead he said he was going to come stay with me in paris for a week the next month. During that week in Paris, we filmed most of half of my part -including stuff that he ended up not using-, some stuff of vivien, quite a few things of nate, and some stuff with some other friends of mine. It was definitely the most productive week i've ever experienced.
As for the good story, there are so many. The very first trip i went on with Josh was in India, where he nearly died from both a bad food poisoning and a terrorist bomb attack at the same time! Also, just hanging out with Puleo and listening to him talk is one of the funniest thing ever, but I wouldn't tell you any of it on here...
Soy in Josh Stewarts DVD Static 3
What plans do you have for the future?
Try to keep traveling while i still have the opportunity. I want to go back to Russia, maybe to Israel too. In the nearest future, i want to go to Dubai and see my friend Evan Collison, i'm trying to organise a little trip there right now...And then, keep drawing as much as i can. I've been thinking of starting a little t-shirt company for a little while, and i'm still thinking about it quite a bit.
Got any shout outs? Now's the time.
Yeah, i really would like to thank my parents for their love, wisdom and support, my brother Arjun and his wife Mary, Vivien Feil, Samir Krim, Arnaud Dedieu, Sylvain Robineau, Benjamin Deberdt, Sebastien Charlot, Guillaume Noyelle, Sarah Cocker, Laurent Polisse, Sebastien Caldas, David Couliau, Kenny Reed & Maya, Paul Shier, Vincent Bressol, Aimee Cocker, Franc Bruneau, Charley, Jean Feil, Eric Antoine, Alexis Zavialoff, Marke & Eva & Akira Newton, Nyno, Jon Monié, les petits jeunes de Bastille (Blobby's, Tiaff &co), Morgan Fabvre, Seb Daurel, Mathieu Dubost & Shean, Guillaume Kanoufi, Luc Angles, Olivier Ente, Alex Van Hoecke, Jutix Viallet, Charles Collet, Jeremy Jas, Braze, Guy Gallen, Ludovic N'guyen, Fred Demard, David Tura, Yann Garin, Joseph Biais, Nicolas Eustache, Loic Benoit, Bertrand Trichet & Stephanie Solinas, Antoine & Raphael Cross, Ian Faure, Bellou, Leo Loden, Leo Valls, Ben Allegre, Ben Thé, Hugo Liard, Ben Gonsolin, Charles Paratte, Quentin Sené, Cheveux, Cédric Viollet, Guillaume Jolly, David Luraschi, Bertrand Soubrier, Tao Mandereau, JJ Rousseau, Lucas Puig, Mathieu Levaslot, Martin Levaslot, Philippe Leweurs, Mathias at Chelles skatepark, Mathieu Tourneur, Pierre Prospero, Ambrogio Sarfati, Richard Hart, Joe Brook, Josh Stewart, Joe Perrin, Mark Nickels, Michi Macrodt, Jan Kliewer, Alex Klein, Matt Irving & Lindsey, Arnaud Bremard, Florian and the whole Bud skateshop staff, Pooch & August & Kevin over at Dekline, John at Deluxe, Fos, Alan Glass, Snowy, Joey Press, Joel and Seth Curtis, Rory Milanes, Mark Foster, Robbleyard, Nick Jensen and his parents, Neil Chester, Gareth, Sam Griffin, French, Jacob Sawyer, Henri and the Slam City Skate staff and team, Deejay, Tom Lock, Nugget, Deeli, Sam Ashley, Dominic Marley, Chris Massey, Alex Irvine, Al Boglio, Jeremie Daclin, Antoine Bellini, Axel Bourg, Malik, Seb Aberdeen, Yorgo Touplas, Luigi, Christian Brunnström, Chas One & Lucie, Patricio & Laura, Mark Baines, Dan Magee, Lev Tanju, Danny Brady, Vaughn Baker, Colin Kennedy, Tuukka Korhonnen, Toby Shuall, Adam Selo, Claus Hewinkel, EstonJan, Stefan Marx, Thomas Truger at Rockers, Jessie Van Roechoudt, Inken, Marc O'Brian, Satva Leung & Karine, Steven Duffel, Nate Broussard, Travis & Amy & Ema Howell, Bobby Puleo, Jack Sabback, Rich Adler, Steve Brandi, Pat Steiner, Olly Todd, Todd Jordan, Cairo Foster, Justin Strubing, Anthony Claravall, Nick Matlin, Josh Dowd, Brian Uyeda, Evan Collison, Guru Khalsa, Ed Selego, Frankie, Justin Philips, John Marshall, Kenny Anderson, Mike Fox, Vern Laird, Blair Alley, Boaz Aquino, Arthur Rashkovan, Julien Bachelier, Julian Dykmans, Kristine Orlandi, Jenna Robinson, Jessica Rose, David Manaud, DanyDan at Bamboo skateshop, Hiroshi BP Trading, Uruma, Rintaro, John Lindsay, Hiroki & Katsumi & Deshi, Nakajima, Damian Argi, and...and...and...man, i'm sure i've forgotten to name half of the people that should appear here. Sorry to those i forgot to list here.
