Justin Ernst & Benedikt Brinkert Interview

Heckmecks: Alright boys, introduce yourselves. 

Benedikt: I’m Bene, 19 years old and from Oberhausen ghetto.

Justin: I’m Justin, 18 years old from the Oberhausen ghetto, man. 

H: How did you get into skating?

J: No idea.

B: I think it was really random. Maybe because one of my friends had Tony Hawks Pro Skater.

H: But you didn’t know each other?

J & B: No.

H: And how did you meet then?

B: We met in Holten. Your mum brought you to the skatepark.

J: Dude, I was the sickest back then. Did a quick blunt to rock to fakie and showed everybody in Holten what’s up. [laughs]

H: And when was that?

B: Nine years ago, I think. I was ten and you were nine.

H: Did you get along at first?

J: I don’t think so.

B: We were a really big group of skaters at first and bunch of them just quit after a while. We were the only ones left…

B & J: …so we had to get along.

H: And now you’re always together, right?

J: Except when Bene gets too fucked up partying and doesn’t get his ass up. But I’m always skating.

B: Bullshit. I’m only pretending because I can’t see your face anymore.

H: We heard the story the other way around.

B: For sure, man! Remember when all you did was playing video games for half a year. Kalle and me were hitting up Open Airea [a skatepark in Oberhausen, editor’s note] every day.

J: Fuck you, I’m talking about recently, you bastard.

H: Who’s the biggest bastard in the Ruhr area?

J: Bene is the biggest bastard. [laughs] We need to stop talking shit.

B: I think Justin.

J: Alice Zänglein. 

H: Alright, so we got that out of the way. You’re drinking Jägermeister… [recording stops, new recording begins, editor’s note] But you guys actually like each other?

B: Otherwise we wouldn’t hang out almost every day of our lives.

J: No, we hate each other.

H: Let’s talk about the Ruhr area. What do you like about it? Do you want to stay or leave?

B: I don’t wanna leave for sure. Ruhr area is the best.

H: The Obtain video just dropped. You guys pretty much have the biggest part in it, don’t you?

B: Pretty much.

H: So you are pretty much the biggest G’s in the hood?

J: You can’t really say that, but you’re probably right.

H: What’s the best spot in the area?

J: The IAK rail for sure. So good.

B: Nah, that thing makes me mad.

J: I can do everything on that rail, filmed my whole career there. [laughs]

Where do you get your G-outfits?

J: That’s a secret.

B: It’s second-hand stuff, but we won’t tell the name of the store. Otherwise everybody will go there and snatch our shit.

You just went to Barcelona together for the first time. How was that?

B: It’s a different world. I wanted to go right back. But we’ll go again soon.

J: You don’t have anything to worry about, you just wake up and skate. We were there with five buddies and just went [with a Kermit the Frog voice] skating.

Oh, there it was. Kermit! We heard that you speak like that from time to time.

B: Kermit psychosis. It got really bad again when we were in Barca.

Are you on social media?

J: Insta for sure. Checking out a bunch of sick moves.

Is that a big deal for you guys?

B: Nah, we just do it on the sidelines, but it’s way more motivating to check out Instagram instead of watching full-length videos. Because the sickest shit is being uploaded there nowadays.

J: And you can check out all of it and try something similar yourself that day.

Who are the sickest Insta skaters?

B: The Alltimers boys for sure. Will Marshall.

And who’s the biggest fuck up?

J: Bene, of course. We went to the Obtain premiere and I got a Crêpe with Nutella and Bene got one with cinnamon and sugar. Biggest mistake of his life.

B: It was a mistake.

J: He puked all over the window of the train. Alice and another friend were with us as well and we were acting like retards.

How did you get in touch with the Obtain guys?

B: I think because of the twins, Deti and Doni [Cavali]. We used to skate with them and they already knew the Obtain guys and we basically met them on accident when we were street skating.

J: Filmed some moves at the U right away.

And the Obtain guys are the good guys in the Ruhr area, right?

B: The best.

J: The G’s.

You diss each other a lot. But is there ever, like, full-on beef?

J: Nah, never.

B: There’s a line we usually do not cross. But we do diss each other a lot. But not only just the two of us, it’s all the homies. But just because we like each other, you know?

And when you like each other, you diss each other?

J: That’s the way boys do it.

Bullshit because you diss us, too.

B: Because you understand.

J & B: But you’re half-boys.

What?! Are you kidding? [Alice lifts her shirt] Does that look like a boy?

[laughter]

B: I meant her state of mind.

Since we are already talking about girls, what do you think about girls who skate?

J: It’s cool.

B: Everyone who skates is cool. No matter which gender.

What does a regular day look like for you?

B: Right now, I sleep till noon, go skating, and chill at someone’s place at night.

J: That’s pretty much my daily routine. From time to time, we hit up André [Müller] from Obtain. We’re doing an internship that really starts in a couple of days.

And you gotta go there five days a week?

J: Ah, I don’t know. I guess he’ll be cool about it and chill.

What do you do there?

J: Print hoodies.

B: All kinds of stuff. Everything he needs help with.

And can you imagine doing that yourself someday? Do you have any plans for the future?

J: Just skate and skate.

B: For sure, just skate and maybe do something that revolves around it. We already asked him if we could get an apprenticeship.

J: Clothing is gangsta, too. Style is essential for skating. Always important to be fresh.

And is there anything annoying about skateboarding right now?

B: The weather.

J: It’s fucking cold.

B: And the indoor parks in Germany.

Nothing else? Skateboarding got big again, appearing in the world of fashion and all that. Do you care about it at all?

J: Skaters are G’s and everybody is hopping on to the train right now because they finally get it.

We went to Berlin recently… [everybody’s laughing]

B: It’s chaos. Everyone there looks like a skater, but no one skates.

J: They are all fucking bitches.

And that makes you mad?

B: Yeah, because you already did everything they do now. We looked like them two years ago. Now everyone looks like that, wears the pants and the beanies. But it doesn’t bother me too much.

And what did you think about Berlin in general?

B: They have some good spots, but it’s nothing compared to the Ruhr area. Especially the people.

Since we’re talking about it again, Essen or Dortmund?

B: Essen for sure, but only because Dortmund is further away.

J: Actually, everything is cool. It’s good that we live in Oberhausen because we don’t have shit here. So we are always forced to go to another city, which never gets boring. If you look at all the homies from Cologne, they are stuck there and never go anywhere else.

B: And we are always going somewhere else.

So you get around. What in skateboarding interests or attracts you?

J: Looking sick, stylin’ out. 

What would happen if you just weren’t be able to skate anymore?

J: I wouldn’t know what to do with my life.

B: No idea. I’m already going crazy when I can’t skate for a day.

Are you doing anything else besides skating? And raving?

J: Skating, raving, maybe chilling somewhere at night. But during the day we do nothing else besides skating.

And who or what influences you the most?

J: Just watching pretty much every new skate video on YouTube, Thrasher, Free Skate Mag, and Transworld.

And the best track for skating?

B: Skating with headphones? No way. But we always listen to French trap to get pumped. Always Kalash Criminel. The best.

No German rap?

J: Nah, you understand everything they say. All the bullshit they talk. French trap is alright, just tight beats.

Let’s get to the usual questions, favorite trick?

J: Heelflip indy.

B: Back smith.

J: Alright, I’ll change mine to front nose.

You guys skate very differently, right? It goes well together, but the tricks are different.

B: Yes, we split up the tricks in half.

True. He’s frontside, you’re backside. 

Do you have any sponsors?

B: I don’t know if I even want to call Obtain a sponsor. We’re just homies. Or family. And recently, we started to get some stuff from Vans.

How did that come about?

B: [Hendrik] Herzmann just hit us up on Instagram. And we went to skate together and then it all started. 

And it’s cool?

J: For sure, it’s the best. Vans is the best. Best shoes and everything.

And do you ever support each other while skating?

J: No, we only diss each other.

B: We diss each other hard till the other one gets his move.

J: When someone tries a trick, we get on each other’s nerve till someone shuts it down with a sick trick.

Were you ever close to fighting each other?

J: Never.

B: No, with other homies maybe…

J: Bene’s a weak ass bitch anyways.

B: Maybe in Berlin when you wanted to skate and we wanted to party.

J: Because I was the realest. I wanted to skate, you just tried to drag me down. Shit.

Do you ever borrow each other’s clothing?

J: No, we strictly separate our stuff.

Do you get mad if you wear the same stuff?

J & B: For sure.

B: We always fight about who got it first. Every time it’s the same shit.

That’s why you aren’t wearing a ring?

B: Mine is at home, but it was fake.

J: Yours was fucked up. And daddy got himself a wicked golden ring.

B: Right, you got that one from your granddad.

J: It doesn’t get more G than that.

You always talk about skating, but what about girls? Is there anyone?

B: I don’t know. Don’t have the time.

Really?

J: Only when it rains maybe. 

And you’re not interested either?

J: No we are, but only when it rains. That’s the best you can do.

“Hey, the weather is shitty, do you wanna hang out?”

J: Exactly.

Good to know. Who’s the biggest troublemaker? Do you ever get in trouble?

J: Not really, but we’re pretty much all mental. Everyone who hangs out with us becomes a maniac and starts to talk like we do and all that bullshit. 

Yeah, that’s true for sure. Do you ever get mad because he gives you so much shit, Bene?

B: Nah, it’s alright. I don’t take it seriously. Without me bringing him back to earth, that dude would be fucking lost.

J: He’s one calm bastard.

Any last words?

B: Skating is the best. Never stop skating. And raving.

J: Skate every fucking day, always do what you love. Now it’s winter and you have to get up early to skate.

B: Get up early, skate early, rave early.