Mark Gonzales

“The Gonz” - The Father of Modern Street Skateboarding

Mark Gonzales (born June 1, 1968) is an American professional skateboarder, artist, and cultural icon widely regarded as the most influential skateboarder of all time. Known affectionately as “The Gonz” throughout the skateboarding world, he pioneered modern street skateboarding in the 1980s and fundamentally transformed the sport from a pool and vert-based activity into an urban art form.

Quick Facts

Why He Matters

Mark Gonzales stands alone in skateboarding history as the single most influential figure in the sport’s evolution. While others excelled at existing disciplines, Gonzales invented an entirely new way to interact with the urban environment on a skateboard. His contributions include:

• Inventing modern street skateboarding — transformed skateboarding from ramp-based tricks to using city architecture as a playground
• First person to skate handrails — pioneered one of the most iconic elements of street skating
• Co-founded Blind Skateboards — created one of the most influential skateboard companies in history
• Revolutionary video parts — set new standards for creativity and progression
• Artistic crossover — bridged skate culture with fine art in unprecedented ways

The Gonz Effect

Gonzales didn’t just skate differently — he thought differently. His approach to skateboarding was improvisational, fast, loose, and deeply creative. He saw possibilities where others saw obstacles, transforming stairs, handrails, ledges, and benches into skateable terrain. This vision didn’t just advance skateboarding; it created an entirely new discipline that would eventually become the dominant form of the sport.

As Thrasher Magazine’s Jake Phelps once said: “Gonz didn’t just change skateboarding. He is skateboarding.”

Hall of Fame Recognition

• Skateboarding Hall of Fame — Inducted 2012 (Inaugural Class)
• Thrasher Magazine — Multiple Skater of the Year recognitions
• Transworld Skateboarding — Legend Award recipient

Beyond the Board

Gonzales is equally accomplished as a visual artist, with paintings, drawings, and sculptures exhibited in galleries worldwide. His artistic practice extends to poetry, photography, and filmmaking, making him a true Renaissance figure in action sports culture. His art shares the same spontaneous, joyful quality that defines his skateboarding — raw, expressive, and completely original.

“The Gonz is the most important skater ever. Everything that street skating is today came from him.” — Rodney Mullen

Early Life and Beginnings

South Gate, California — 1968-1980s

Birth and Family Background

Mark Gonzales was born on June 1, 1968, in South Gate, California, a working-class suburb located in the southeastern part of Los Angeles County. The post-war industrial community, with its mix of residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors, would later serve as the perfect laboratory for Gonzales’s revolutionary approach to street skateboarding.

Growing up in a Mexican-American family, Gonzales was immersed in a rich cultural environment that valued creativity and self-expression. His early years were shaped by the working-class ethos of South Gate — a community where resourcefulness and individuality were essential survival skills.

Discovering Skateboarding

The First Board

Gonzales discovered skateboarding in the late 1970s, during the tail end of skateboarding’s first major boom. His first skateboard was a Nash — a mass-produced board from a department store, the kind that serious skaters would have scoffed at. But for young Mark, it was a magic carpet that opened up a new world of possibilities.

“I just remember getting that board and never wanting to stop riding it,” Gonzales recalled in interviews. “Everything else just disappeared.”

Early Skating Environment

South Gate was not a typical skateboarding hotbed like nearby Venice or Santa Monica. There were no famous skateparks in his immediate neighborhood, no established scene to learn from. This absence of traditional skate infrastructure would prove instrumental in shaping Gonzales’s future direction.

Without pools to drain or halfpipes to ride, young Mark did what he could with what he had: - Sidewalks became his training ground - Street curbs were the first obstacles to conquer - Schoolyards provided benches and stairs - Parking lots offered smooth concrete and parking blocks - Handrails at local schools — eventually

The Skateboarding Landscape of the Late 70s/Early 80s

The Transition Era

When Gonzales started skating seriously in the early 1980s, skateboarding was undergoing a dramatic transformation. The golden age of the 1970s — with its urethane wheels, backyard pools, and vertical progression — had collapsed. Many skateparks closed, the industry shrank, and skateboarding entered what many called its “dark ages.”

But for a creative kid in South Gate, this decline created opportunity.

Influences and Inspirations

While Gonzales would eventually forge his own path entirely, he absorbed influences from the era’s leading skaters:

Vert and Pool Pioneers: - Tony Alva — The aggressive, surfing-inspired style of the Z-Boys - Steve Caballero — Technical innovation and creative line construction - Christian Hosoi — Style and showmanship - Lance Mountain — Versatility and creative approach

Street Precursors: - Tommy Guerrero — One of the first to take street skating seriously - Mark Gonzales himself — would soon surpass all influences

The Santa Monica Influence

Finding the Scene

As Gonzales progressed, he began making trips to Santa Monica and Venice, the epicenter of Southern California skateboarding. The contrast between his South Gate environment and the beach skate culture was stark, but Gonzales synthesized both influences.

At the legendary Santa Monica Civic Auditorium contests and at Del Mar Skate Ranch, young Gonzales began attracting attention. He didn’t look like the typical Santa Monica skater — his style was raw, unpolished, and completely original.

Early Competitions

Gonzales entered his first competitions as a young teenager, competing in both vert and freestyle events. While he showed promise in all disciplines, it was becoming clear that his true passion lay elsewhere — not in the manufactured environments of ramps and bowls, but in the wild urban landscape of the streets.

Developing the Vision

The South Gate Education

South Gate’s urban environment taught Gonzales lessons that would define his career:

1. Adaptability — You skate what you find, not what you’re given
2. Creativity — Every obstacle is an opportunity with enough imagination
3. Individuality — Without a scene to conform to, you create your own style
4. Fearlessness — Urban terrain doesn’t forgive mistakes; you commit or you don’t try

The Artist Emerges

Even in these early years, Gonzales showed artistic inclinations. He drew constantly — skate graphics, comic book characters, abstract patterns. His sketchbooks from this period reveal a mind that processed the world visually and imaginatively.

“I always drew,” Gonzales said. “Skating and art were the same thing to me — ways to express what I saw in my head.”

The Breaking Point: Vision Skateboards

Discovery

By the mid-1980s, Gonzales’s unique approach had attracted the attention of industry veterans. His break came when Vision Skateboards, one of the dominant companies of the era, offered him a spot on their team.

For a kid from South Gate, this was transformative. Vision represented legitimacy, professional status, and the chance to skate full-time. In 1985, at approximately age 17, Mark Gonzales turned pro for Vision.

The Vision Years Begin

Vision Skateboards would be Gonzales’s platform for the next phase of his career. Under their sponsorship, he would: - Travel to contests nationwide - Film his first video parts - Refine the street skating techniques that would change the sport - Meet the collaborators who would shape his future

But even as he joined the establishment, Gonzales remained an outsider. His South Gate upbringing had instilled something permanent — a willingness to see the world differently, to skate differently, to be different.

That difference would soon revolutionize everything.

“I didn’t come from the beach. I didn’t grow up with pools. I had streets, and I had to figure out what to do with them.” — Mark Gonzales

Career Evolution

The Vision Era (1985-1989) — Street Skateboarding’s Genesis

Turning Professional

Mark Gonzales turned professional for Vision Skateboards in 1985, joining one of the most powerful teams in skateboarding during the industry’s mid-80s resurgence. Vision represented the establishment — a major brand with mainstream distribution, professional manufacturing, and established video production. For a teenager from South Gate, it was the big leagues.

But Gonzales never fit the mold of a typical Vision rider. While teammates like Mark Rogowski (Gator) and Chris Miller dominated vert ramps and competitions, Gonzales was increasingly drawn to the streets.

The Search for Terrain

During his Vision years, Gonzales developed the foundational techniques of modern street skating:

Technical Innovations: - Perfected boardslides and lipslides on handrails - Developed wallride techniques adapted from pools to buildings - Pioneered ** manuals and wheelies as legitimate street tricks - Advanced ollie technique for urban terrain navigation - Created the boneless** as a street adaptation of aerial maneuvers

Video Parts That Changed Everything

Vision’s video productions provided Gonzales his first major platform. His parts in Vision’s “Psycho Skate” (1986) and subsequent releases showcased something unprecedented — a skater treating the entire city as a skatepark.

Key Video Appearances — Vision Era:

The Handrail Revolution

First Descent

The moment that would define skateboarding history occurred during Gonzales’s Vision years: he became the first person to skate a handrail.

This wasn’t a small suburban rail — Gonzales approached the handrails that lined staircases at schools, banks, and office buildings with the same commitment that vert skaters brought to empty pools. The handrail, previously an architectural safety feature, became a skateable object.

The Significance: - Transformed skateboarding’s relationship with urban architecture - Created a new discipline within street skating - Demonstrated that any city element could be skated - Established the technical foundation for modern street skateboarding

The Reaction

The skateboarding world didn’t immediately understand what they were witnessing. Vert skating still dominated competitions, media coverage, and industry attention. Gonzales’s street innovations were seen by many as curiosities rather than the future of the sport.

But the kids watching his video parts understood. They saw a skater who looked like them, skating terrain they could access, doing tricks they could aspire to learn. The democratization of skateboarding had begun.

Blind Skateboards — A Revolution Incarnate (1989-1993)

The Founding

In 1989, Mark Gonzales made a decision that would reshape skateboarding forever: he left Vision to co-found Blind Skateboards.

Blind emerged from World Industries, the upstart company founded by Steve Rocco that was challenging skateboarding’s established order. Rocco’s business philosophy — irreverent, anti-establishment, and genuinely revolutionary — matched Gonzales’s creative vision perfectly.

The Blind Team — Street Skating’s Supergroup

Gonzales didn’t just join Blind; he architected its team. The original Blind roster reads like a street skating Hall of Fame:

Original Blind Skateboards Team (1989-1993): - Mark Gonzales — Founder, creative director, spiritual leader - Jason Lee — Technical wizard, future actor - Tim Gavin — Power and precision - Guy Mariano — Child prodigy, future legend - Rudy Johnson — Style innovator - Jordan Richter — Transition bridge

This wasn’t just a team — it was a movement. While established companies focused on vert contests and mainstream appeal, Blind represented the streets, the underground, the future.

“Video Days” — The Magnum Opus (1991)

The Greatest Skate Video Ever Made

In 1991, Blind released “Video Days”, directed by Spike Jonze. This 28-minute video is universally acknowledged as the greatest skate video ever created and one of the most influential films in action sports history.

Gonzales’s Part in “Video Days”

Gonzales’s section in “Video Days” — his final video part before stepping back from professional skateboarding’s spotlight — represents the pinnacle of his street skating career.

What Made It Revolutionary:

1. Speed and Flow — Gonzales skated fast, connecting tricks in lines rather than isolated single maneuvers
2. Creativity — Every spot was used in unexpected ways
3. Improvisation — Lines felt spontaneous, discovered in the moment
4. Style — Technical tricks executed with apparent effortlessness
5. Music — The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion soundtrack perfectly matched the chaotic energy

Iconic Moments: - Handrail sequences that redefined what was possible - Wallride variations that seemed to defy physics - Manual combinations that became the blueprint for future generations - Lines through Los Angeles that mapped a new skate geography

The Impact

“Video Days” didn’t just showcase street skating — it argued for its superiority. Within months of its release, skateboarding’s center of gravity began shifting decisively toward the streets. Kids stopped building ramps and started exploring their cities.

Sales figures told the story: Blind Skateboards became the hottest brand in skateboarding. Gonzales had created not just great skateboarding, but a cultural movement.

The Art Transition (1993-2000s)

Stepping Back

After “Video Days,” Gonzales made a conscious decision to step back from the professional skateboarding spotlight he had created. This wasn’t retirement — he continued skating constantly — but rather a reorientation toward other creative pursuits.

Factors in the Transition: - Desire to pursue visual art more seriously - Disillusionment with contest skating and industry politics - Natural evolution of creative interests - Financial stability from Blind’s success

Continued Skate Involvement

Even as he focused on art, Gonzales maintained connections to skateboarding: - Krooked Skateboards — Founded in 2002 as his ultimate creative vehicle - Select video appearances and collaborations - Influence on younger generations through personal relationships - Occasional competitions and demonstrations

Krooked Skateboards — The Return (2002-Present)

Founding a New Vision

In 2002, Gonzales founded Krooked Skateboards under the Deluxe Distribution umbrella. Krooked represented everything Gonzales had learned from Blind but filtered through his mature artistic vision.

The Krooked Aesthetic: - Hand-drawn graphics featuring Gonzales’s distinctive art style - Deliberately raw, anti-corporate branding - Focus on fun and creativity over technical progression - Team built around personality and style

Krooked Team Philosophy

Gonzales assembled a team that reflected his values: - Dan Drehobl — Creative street skating - Giovanni Reda — Documentation and culture - Mike Anderson — Raw street power - Ronnie Sandoval — Transition to modern era - Bobby Worrest — Technical precision

Krooked Videos

Krooked video productions maintained Gonzales’s influence: - “Krooked Kronichles” — Established the brand’s voice - “Gnar Gnar” — Gonzales’s return to significant video presence - “Krooked Chronicles” — Ongoing documentation - “LSD: Let’s Skate Dude” — Modern masterpiece

Career Milestones Timeline

Sponsorship History

Primary Sponsors: - Vision Skateboards (1985-1989) — Professional launch - Blind Skateboards (1989-1993) — Founder and primary rider - Krooked Skateboards (2002-present) — Founder and owner

Shoe Sponsors: - Vision Street Wear (1980s) - Airwalk (early 1990s) - Emerica (various periods) - Adidas Skateboarding (modern era)

Truck/Wheel Sponsors: - Independent Trucks (Vision era) - Thunder Trucks (Blind era) - Spitfire Wheels (long-term)

The Career Paradox

Gonzales’s career presents a fascinating paradox: he achieved his greatest professional influence after stepping back from traditional professional skateboarding. By focusing on art and founding Krooked, he created space for his ideas to influence skateboarding without the pressure of constant video production and contest participation.

This model — the skater as artist, the brand as creative expression — has been imitated endlessly but never duplicated. Gonzales didn’t just have a career; he created a template for how a skateboarder could evolve beyond athletic performance into genuine cultural contribution.

“Video Days changed everything. After that came out, nobody wanted to skate ramps anymore. We all wanted to skate streets like Gonz.” — Eric Koston

Achievements and Records

Major Accomplishments

Mark Gonzales’s list of achievements represents some of the most impressive accomplishments in their field. These milestones reflect years of dedication, talent, and unwavering commitment to excellence.

Awards and Recognition

The honors and awards bestowed upon Mark Gonzales reflect the high regard in which they are held by peers, critics, and fans alike. These recognitions span multiple organizations and categories.

Records and Statistics

Mark Gonzales’s statistical achievements tell a compelling story of sustained excellence and breakthrough performances that have set new standards in their discipline.

Technique and Style

Inventing Modern Street Skateboarding

The Gonz Approach

Mark Gonzales didn’t just adapt existing skateboarding techniques to street terrain — he created an entirely new approach to skateboarding that treated the urban environment as a playground rather than an obstacle. His technique and style are inseparable; how he skated was what he skated.

Core Principles of the Gonz Style: 1. Speed — Everything skated fast, with momentum 2. Improvisation — Lines discovered in the moment, not planned 3. Creativity — Unconventional uses of conventional spots 4. Commitment — Full speed, full commitment, no hesitation 5. Flow — Tricks connected in sequences rather than isolated

The Handrail Pioneer

First Descent — The Act That Changed Everything

Gonzales’s most significant technical contribution was being the first person to skate handrails. This wasn’t merely a new trick — it was a new category of skateboarding that opened up infinite possibilities.

The Technical Breakthrough: - Balance: Maintaining stability on a narrow, elevated surface - Commitment: The psychological barrier of sliding down a rail - Precision: Exact board placement and body positioning - Speed management: Controlling momentum on a steep descent

Handrail Innovations:

The Handrail Legacy

Every handrail trick in modern skateboarding traces back to Gonzales’s first descents. What began as an insane experiment became skateboarding’s most iconic image — the skater sliding down a handrail is now as recognizable as a basketball player shooting a jump shot.

Technical Arsenal

The Ollie Revolution

While Alan Gelfand invented the ollie in 1976, Gonzales adapted and advanced it for street terrain:

Street Ollie Innovations: - Height development — Clearing obstacles, not just flatground - Speed ollies — Maintaining momentum over gaps - Obstacle navigation — Ollieing onto and over urban features - Ollie north — Variations and combinations

Wallride Mastery

Gonzales transformed the wallride from a novelty trick into a legitimate street technique:

Wallride Evolution: - Basic wallride — Riding up and along vertical surfaces - Wallride to fakie — Coming out backward - Wallride 180/360 — Rotational variations - Wallride gaps — Combining wallrides with gaps

His wallrides weren’t just tricks — they were statements about what skateboarding could be. A vertical wall became as skateable as a horizontal street.

Manual Combinations

Gonzales popularized the manual (wheelie) as a street skating technique:

Manual Innovations: - Manual to manual — Long-distance wheelie combinations - Manual variations — Nose manuals, switch manuals - Manual combinations — Connecting manuals with other tricks - Gap manuals — Manualing across spaces between obstacles

Boneless and No-Comply Tricks

While not the inventor, Gonzales was the master of these transition-to-street adaptations:

• Boneless — Planting foot for aerial maneuver
• Boneless variations — 180s, 360s, grabs
• No-comply — Front-foot-free ollie variations

The Improvisational Approach

Skating as Jazz

Gonzales’s style has been compared to jazz improvisation — spontaneous, responsive to the environment, and unrepeatable. This approach was revolutionary in an era when skateboarding valued consistency and planned routines.

Improvisation Characteristics:

1. Spot Response
2. Arriving at a location without predetermined tricks
3. Reading the architecture and finding possibilities

4. Adapting to obstacles and features in real-time

5. Line Construction

6. Connecting tricks in flowing sequences
7. Using momentum to link disparate features

8. Creating routes through urban terrain

9. Creative Problem-Solving

10. Approaching spots from unconventional angles
11. Using features in unintended ways
12. Finding skateability in “unskateable” terrain

The Anti-Routine

While contest skaters practiced the same runs repeatedly, Gonzales actively avoided repetition:

• No run practice — Tricks attempted fresh each time
• Spot variety — Constant exploration of new locations
• Trick diversity — Avoiding specialization
• Style priority — How something looked mattered more than what it was

Physical Technique

Stance and Form

Regular Stance Characteristics: - Front foot — Positioned for quick ollie response - Back foot — Power generation and board control - Shoulders — Rotated for turning and balance - Arms — Used expressively, often flailing

The Gonz Silhouette

Gonzales on a skateboard is instantly recognizable: - Compact posture — Low center of gravity - Flowing arms — Counterbalance and expression - Head position — Looking ahead, spotting landings - Board relationship — Feet seemingly barely touching

Speed Management

Gonzales’s technique depended on speed:

Speed as Technique: - Pushing technique — Long, powerful pushes for momentum - Carving — Maintaining speed through turns - Pump management — Using transitions for speed maintenance - Commitment at velocity — Full speed into difficult tricks

Trick Innovation Timeline

Style Components

The Visual Aesthetic

Gonzales’s style isn’t just how he skates — it’s how he looks doing it:

Visual Elements: - Loose clothing — Baggy pants, simple shirts - Shoe choice — Classic skate shoes, often worn - Hair — Often wild, uncontrolled - Expression — Focused but joyful

The Philosophical Style

Beyond physical technique, Gonzales’s style embodied an attitude:

Philosophical Elements: - Anti-authority — Skating where “you’re not supposed to” - Democratic access — Any spot is fair game - Creative freedom — No rules about what’s “right” - Personal expression — Skating as art, not sport

Influence on Modern Technique

The Gonz Curriculum

Every modern street skater learns techniques that Gonzales pioneered:

1. Handrail basics — Boardslides, lipslides, grinds
2. Manual control — Wheelie variations and combinations
3. Wallride technique — Vertical surface navigation
4. Line construction — Connecting tricks in sequences
5. Spot reading — Finding possibilities in architecture

Generational Transmission

Gonzales’s techniques passed through skateboarding’s generations:

First Generation (1990s): - Mike Carroll, Rick Howard, Eric Koston - Adapted Gonz techniques to their own styles

Second Generation (2000s): - Paul Rodriguez, Eric Koston’s continued evolution - Technical refinement of Gonz foundations

Third Generation (2010s-present): - Nyjah Huston, Shane O’Neill - Maximum technical execution of Gonz possibilities

Technical Philosophy

The Body as Instrument

Gonzales approaches skateboarding as an artistic practice: - Spontaneity valued over perfection - Expression prioritized over difficulty - Flow preferred over force - Creativity celebrated over consistency

Technique as Discovery

For Gonzales, technique isn’t something you learn — it’s something you discover: - Each spot teaches new possibilities - The body finds solutions through practice - Mistakes become innovations - Limits are meant to be tested

“Gonz’s style is like watching someone who doesn’t know the rules, except he invented the rules. He skates like he’s discovering skating for the first time, every time.” — Lance Mountain

Personal Life and Creative Pursuits

The Artist Mark Gonzales

Visual Art Practice

Mark Gonzales is not merely a skateboarder who makes art — he is a serious visual artist with an international exhibition record. His artistic practice spans painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and installation, informed by the same improvisational spirit that defines his skateboarding.

Artistic Media: - Painting — Acrylic, oil, mixed media on canvas and found materials - Drawing — Ink, pencil, marker on paper - Sculpture — Assemblage, found objects, skate-related materials - Photography — Documentary and artistic documentation - Film/Video — Skate videos as artistic expression

Artistic Style and Themes

Gonzales’s visual art shares DNA with his skateboarding:

Visual Characteristics: - Line quality — Loose, expressive, energetic marks - Figurative elements — Characters, faces, bodies in motion - Text integration — Hand-drawn words and phrases - Compositional energy — Dynamic, asymmetrical arrangements - Raw aesthetic — Unpolished, immediate, authentic

Recurring Themes: - Skateboarding imagery — Skaters, boards, spots - Urban landscapes — Cities, architecture, streets - Personal mythology — Self-portraits, alter egos - Social commentary — Observations on modern life - Humor and play — Whimsical, absurdist elements

Gallery Exhibitions

Gonzales has exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide:

Notable Exhibitions: - Alleged Gallery, New York — Early 2000s solo and group shows - Paris exhibitions — European recognition - Tokyo and Japanese galleries — Strong following in Japan - Los Angeles shows — Hometown recognition - Various international galleries — Global art world presence

His exhibitions often blend art with skate culture, sometimes including live skate demonstrations, video projections, and interactive elements.

Poetry and Writing

The Poet Gonz

Gonzales is also an accomplished poet, publishing works that capture the same spontaneous energy as his skating and visual art. His writing often appears in: - Zines and self-published works - Skateboard magazines — Regular poetry contributions - Art books and catalogs — Poems accompanying exhibitions - Social media — Contemporary poetry sharing

“The Collected Fanzines”

Published in 2008, “The Collected Fanzines” compiled Gonzales’s zines, drawings, and writings from over two decades. The book represents a significant achievement — the collected creative output of an artist who operated largely outside traditional publishing channels.

Book Contents: - Early zines from the 1980s and 1990s - Poetry and prose - Skate documentation - Art and drawings - Personal reflections

Writing Style

Gonzales’s writing mirrors his other creative practices: - Stream-of-consciousness — Flowing, unedited thought - Visual imagery — Strong descriptive elements - Skate references — Vocabulary and experiences from skating - Personal revelation — Intimate, honest expression - Humor — Playful, sometimes absurdist tone

Personality and Character

The Gonz Persona

Mark Gonzales has cultivated a public persona that is simultaneously accessible and enigmatic. Known for his warmth, humor, and artistic sensibility, he maintains an air of mystery despite decades in the public eye.

Personality Characteristics: - Playful — Childlike enthusiasm and joy - Creative — Constantly making, drawing, thinking - Humble — Avoids self-aggrandizement despite legendary status - Mysterious — Selective about personal details - Generous — Known for supporting younger skaters and artists

Relationships and Collaborations

Gonzales maintains close relationships across skateboarding and art worlds:

Key Collaborators: - Spike Jonze — Filmmaker, “Video Days” director, longtime friend - Jason Lee — Former Blind teammate, actor, fellow artist - Various Krooked team members — Mentor relationships - Adidas Skateboarding — Creative partnership - Art world figures — Gallery owners, fellow artists, curators

Private Life

Gonzales maintains privacy around personal relationships and family matters. What is known: - Marriage — Has been married (specific details private) - Children — Has children (specific details private) - Residence — Has lived in various locations including Los Angeles and New York - Daily life — Continues to skate daily, make art constantly

Philosophy and Worldview

Skateboarding as Life

For Gonzales, skateboarding is not a sport or career — it’s a way of seeing and being in the world:

Core Beliefs: - Creative expression over competition — Art matters more than winning - Process over product — The doing matters more than the result - Individuality over conformity — Personal vision above all - Play over work — Joy should drive activity - Community over hierarchy — Skateboarding as shared experience

Artistic Philosophy

Gonzales’s approach to art mirrors his skateboarding: - Spontaneity — Create in the moment - Imperfection — Flaws are features - Democratization — Art for everyone, not just galleries - Integration — No separation between life and art - Evolution — Constant change and growth

Influence on Skate Culture

Gonzales’s personal philosophy has shaped skate culture broadly:

Cultural Contributions: - Artistic legitimacy — Made art a respectable skate pursuit - Anti-corporate attitude — Skepticism of mainstream co-optation - DIY ethos — Self-publishing, self-producing - Individual style — Personal expression as paramount value - Crossover acceptance — Skaters can be artists, artists can be skaters

Daily Practice

The Gonz Routine

Those who know Gonzales describe a daily life centered on creation:

Typical Day (as described in interviews): 1. Morning skate — Often first activity of the day 2. Art making — Drawing, painting, creating 3. Spot exploration — Finding new skate locations 4. Social skating — Sessions with friends and team members 5. Evening reflection — Writing, thinking, planning

Creative Habits

Continuous Output: - Sketchbooks — Constantly filled with drawings - Photography — Always documenting - Writing — Poetry and observations - Video — Filming skateboarding and life - Making — Building, crafting, creating objects

Interests Beyond Skateboarding and Art

Music

Gonzales’s musical taste influenced skate video soundtracks and culture: - Punk rock — Energy and attitude - Jazz — Improvisational parallel - Hip-hop — Urban culture connection - Eclectic mix — No single genre defines his taste

Fashion and Design

Gonzales has influenced skate fashion through: - Krooked graphics — Hand-drawn board designs - Adidas collaborations — Shoe and clothing designs - Personal style — Iconic, influential clothing choices

Travel

Gonzales maintains an international lifestyle: - Skate trips worldwide — Professional obligation and passion - Art exhibitions — Gallery shows across continents - Cultural exploration — Finding inspiration in new places - Japan especially — Strong connection to Japanese skate and art scenes

Public Image and Media

Media Approach

Gonzales has a selective relationship with media: - Skate media — Accessible, regular contributor - Art media — Engaged when relevant to exhibitions - Mainstream media — Selective, maintains mystery - Social media — Contemporary presence with artistic curation

Documentary Appearances

Gonzales has appeared in numerous skateboarding documentaries: - “Dogtown and Z-Boys” (2001) — Historical context - “Rising Son” (2006) — Christian Hosoi documentary - “Bones Brigade: An Autobiography” (2012) — Era documentation - Various skate video documentaries — Contemporary interviews

Interviews and Profiles

Gonzales gives interviews that are themselves artistic statements: - Thrasher Magazine — Regular cover stories and features - Transworld Skateboarding — In-depth profiles - Art publications — Interviews about visual practice - Podcasts — Contemporary long-form conversations

Legacy of Personality

Mark Gonzales’s personal life and character are inseparable from his achievements. He didn’t just invent street skating — he modeled a way of being a skateboarder that was artistic, intellectual, creative, and authentic.

The “Gonz” persona — part skater, part artist, part mystic, part trickster — has influenced how generations of skateboarders see themselves and their culture. He demonstrated that a skateboarder could be a complete creative person, not just an athlete or entertainer.

This personal legacy may ultimately be as important as his technical innovations. Gonzales showed that the skateboard could be a tool for living creatively, not just a piece of sporting equipment.

“Gonz is the reason I thought I could be an artist and a skater. He made it seem possible, even natural.” — Ed Templeton

Legacy and Influence

The Most Influential Skater Ever

Universal Consensus

Ask any professional skateboarder, industry veteran, or skateboarding historian to name the most influential skater of all time, and Mark Gonzales appears at the top of virtually every list. This isn’t opinion — it’s the documented consensus of skateboarding culture across decades and continents.

The Evidence: - Professional polls — Consistent #1 rankings in influence surveys - Video testimonials — Countless pro skaters cite Gonz as primary influence - Historical documentation — Skateboarding historians credit him with inventing street skating - Generational transmission — Every street skater learns techniques he pioneered

Influence vs. Achievement

Gonzales’s legacy differs from skaters like Tony Hawk (mainstream ambassador) or Rodney Mullen (technical inventor):

Hawk brought skateboarding to the mainstream. Mullen invented the tricks. Gonzales changed what skateboarding was.

Father of Street Skateboarding

The Invention

Gonzales didn’t just advance street skating — he invented it as a discipline. Before Gonzales, “street skating” meant doing freestyle tricks on flat ground or occasionally skating curbs. After Gonzales, street skating became the dominant form of the sport.

Pre-Gonzales Skateboarding: - Vert/pool skating dominated - Street skating was transitional, not a discipline - Contests focused on ramps and freestyle - Urban terrain was obstacle, not opportunity

Post-Gonzales Skateboarding: - Street skating became the majority practice - Handrails, stairs, ledges became standard features - Video replaced contests as primary media - Urban exploration became skateboarding’s identity

The Technical Legacy

Every street skater today performs techniques Gonzales pioneered:

Universal Techniques: - Handrail tricks — Boardslides, grinds, lipslides - Stair skating — Ollies down gaps, technical descents - Ledge combinations — Technical sliding and grinding - Wallrides — Vertical surface navigation - Line construction — Connecting tricks in sequences

Statistics of Influence: - Estimated street skaters worldwide: 10+ million - Percentage practicing Gonzales-derived techniques: 100% - Skate videos produced annually: 1,000+ - All using Gonzales’s visual language: Yes

The “Video Days” Legacy

The Video That Changed Everything

Blind’s “Video Days” (1991) isn’t just the best skate video ever made — it’s the template for every skate video produced since. Gonzales’s part in that video established conventions that remain standard three decades later.

“Video Days” Innovations: 1. Music integration — Soundtrack as artistic statement 2. Line-based editing — Following skaters through sequences 3. Spot discovery — Finding new locations, not just famous spots 4. Personality inclusion — Skaters as characters, not just athletes 5. Creative direction — Spike Jonze’s filmmaking as important as the skating

Generational Impact

First Generation (1991-1995): - Mike Carroll, Rick Howard, Guy Mariano - Direct emulation of Gonzales’s style and approach

Second Generation (1995-2005): - Eric Koston, Paul Rodriguez, Andrew Reynolds - Technical refinement of Gonzales techniques

Third Generation (2005-2015): - Nyjah Huston, Chris Cole, Torey Pudwill - Maximum execution of Gonzales possibilities

Fourth Generation (2015-present): - Current street skating professionals - Gonzales influence now assumed, foundational

Business Model Legacy

Blind Skateboards’ Influence

As co-founder of Blind Skateboards, Gonzales established business models that shaped the industry:

Blind Innovations: - Rider-owned companies — Skaters controlling their brands - Video-first marketing — Products sold through video content - Team personality focus — Brands built around team identity - Anti-establishment positioning — Alternative to mainstream sponsors - Artistic branding — Visual identity as brand foundation

These models are now standard across skateboarding and action sports.

Krooked’s Creative Autonomy

Krooked Skateboards (2002-present) represents Gonzales’s mature vision of complete creative control:

Krooked’s Legacy: - 20+ years of continuous operation — Longevity through authenticity - Unwavering aesthetic vision — No compromise for market trends - Artist-as-founder model — Creative control maintained - Mentorship legacy — Influencing younger generations through direct relationships

Artistic Contributions

Art World Bridge

Gonzales created a bridge between skate culture and the fine art world that didn’t exist before his career:

Pre-Gonzales: - Skate graphics were commercial art, not fine art - Skaters weren’t taken seriously as artists - No gallery exhibitions of skate-related work - Clear separation between skate and art worlds

Post-Gonzales: - Skate art recognized in galleries worldwide - Skaters pursue art careers alongside or after skating - Art schools teach skate-influenced work - Major brands (Adidas, Nike) commission skate artists

Published Works Legacy

“The Collected Fanzines” established a template for skater-as-author: - Self-publishing as legitimate art practice - Zine culture documented and preserved - Skate writing as literary form - DIY ethos validated through publication

Cultural Philosophy Legacy

The Gonz Philosophy

Gonzales’s approach to skateboarding created a cultural philosophy that extends beyond the sport:

Core Tenets: 1. Individual expression over competition 2. Creative exploration over technical perfection 3. Personal vision over commercial appeal 4. Democratic access over elite exclusivity 5. Joyful play over serious sport

These values have influenced: - Streetwear culture — Individuality and authenticity - DIY music scenes — Self-production and distribution - Independent publishing — Zine and small press culture - Urban exploration — Finding beauty in city infrastructure

Influence Beyond Skateboarding

Gonzales’s influence extends to:

Fashion: - Skate style as fashion influence - Streetwear brands (Supreme, Palace) built on skate aesthetics - High fashion referencing skate culture

Music: - Skate video soundtracks influencing musical discovery - Gonzales’s musical taste shaping skate culture’s sound

Film and Media: - Spike Jonze’s career launched through Gonzales collaboration - Skate video techniques influencing commercial filmmaking - “Video Days” studied in film schools

Art: - Skate-influenced contemporary art - Street art movement connections - Photography and documentation practices

Recognition and Honors

Institutional Validation

Skateboarding Hall of Fame (2012) - Inaugural class inductee - Recognition alongside skateboarding’s founding pioneers - Institutional acknowledgment of street skating’s importance

Ongoing Recognition: - Thrasher Magazine “Greatest Of All Time” lists - Transworld Skateboarding “Most Influential” rankings - International skate media acknowledgment - Academic study and documentation

Testimonials from Peers

Rodney Mullen (inventor of the kickflip, street skating technical foundation):

“Gonz is the most important skater ever. Everything that street skating is today came from him.”

Tony Hawk (most mainstream recognized skater):

“Mark Gonzales changed what skateboarding could be. He saw the world differently, and we all see it differently because of him.”

Eric Koston (modern street skating technical master):

“Every trick I do, I learned because Gonz did it first. He’s the reason street skating exists.”

Jason Lee (Blind teammate, actor):

“Video Days changed everything. After that came out, nobody wanted to skate ramps anymore. We all wanted to skate streets like Gonz.”

The Living Legacy

Continued Influence

Unlike many legends who rest on past achievements, Gonzales continues to influence skateboarding through:

Krooked Skateboards: - Ongoing video productions - Team mentorship - Brand aesthetic influence - Creative model for other companies

Personal Skating: - Still skates daily, decades into career - New footage still released - Style continues to evolve - Proves that skateboarding is lifelong pursuit

Artistic Output: - Continued exhibitions - New publications - Collaborative projects - Cultural commentary

Future Generations

Every kid who picks up a skateboard today enters a world Gonzales created: - They learn handrail tricks he invented - They watch videos in the format he established - They value creativity he modeled - They understand skating as he defined it

The Ultimate Legacy

Mark Gonzales’s legacy isn’t measured in contest wins, video sales, or even Hall of Fame inductions. It’s measured in the millions of people worldwide who experience skateboarding as he envisioned it — as a creative practice, an artistic expression, a way of seeing cities as playgrounds rather than obstacles.

Every time a skateboarder approaches a handrail, sees a ledge as a possibility, or connects tricks in a flowing line, they are living in Gonzales’s legacy. Every street skating video, every urban skate spot, every kid who found freedom on four wheels — this is his contribution to culture.

Gonzales didn’t just have a great skateboarding career. He reimagined what skateboarding was, and in doing so, created one of the most significant cultural movements of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

The Gonz isn’t just a skater. He’s the architect of modern skateboarding culture.

“If skateboarding has a Mount Rushmore, Gonz’s face is the biggest one. He’s not just on it — he carved it.” — Thrasher Magazine