Brain Drain Episode 47 with Toby Batchelor & Forde Brookfield 🧠 Sit back and relax as we dive into two and a half hours of fascinating skateboarding history with the British/American freestyle master Don Brown. In this episode we discuss the changes at Sole Tech, being the first U.K. skateboarder to turn pro for an American company, leaving for America at the age of 18 and never returning, turning pro for Vision Skateboards, the mystique of PJ Ladd, the brilliance of Ian Deacon, seeing Ed Templeton and Jason Lee adapt freestyle to the streets, thoughts on the current skateboarding climate, Sole Tech Lab, meeting Pierre-Andre Senizergus, the birth of éS, entries, Emerica & Sheep Shoes, going sober, getting locked up in prison with Sean Sheffy, Nidecker, the lameness of NikeSB, beating cancer and a whole load more 🔥 00:00 - Coming up on this episode/intro. 02:44 - How was the Street Champs in Warrington, freestyle demos and the brilliance of Rodney Mullen & PJ Ladd. 12:02 - What year did Don start skateboarding, his first skateboards, early skate shops and the Brighton scene. 21:12 - Inconsistencies of Thrasher Magazine in the 80's and the New Balance "Intervals" video... 24:07 - Getting into Freestyle Skateboarding, the brilliance of Ian Deacon, riding for Simms Wheels and leaving for Vision Skateboards. 37:22 - Turning pro for Vision Skateboards and going to America with a one way ticket with not enough money to come back... 40:31 - How much input did Don have on his pro Vision graphics and shapes, Lee Ralph & Tim Jackson! 47:26 - What's PJ Ladd like? 49:42 - Skating with Ed Templeton and Jason Lee, watching them take freestyle to stair sets and hand rails and the definitive change within street skateboarding. 55:43 - Why is skateboarding and the industry fucked? (too many new professional skateboarders and companies, companies being bought out and too much saturation within skateboarding...) 1:09:47 - Show Sponsor:  @slappytrucks  1:10:54 - Why is skateboarding and the industry fucked? (cont.) 1:14:02 - Meeting Pierre-Andre Senizergues and the birth of eS, Etnies, Emerica & Sheep Shoes. 1:27:21 - SoleTech Lab, Goofy vs. Regular & Kelly Hart appreciation. 1:34:10 - Tom Penny's first pro Etnies shoe rumour, addictive personalities and OCD. 1:40:16 - Quitting drinking, going sober, getting arrested, listening to Sean Sheffy prison stories and surviving the 90's... 1:45:20 - SoleTech being sold out to the Nidecker Group and NikeSB trying to infiltrate the skateboarding industry. 1:59:45 - What's the plan for the next two years with the Nidecker Group, is there too much skateboarding content & are full length videos dying? 2:10:26 - Nick "Warping" Warman arrives to fill in for Toby Batchelor... 2:11:29 - Getting blood tests and discovering cancer! 2:17:22 - Who's Don's favourite Nidecker family memver? 2:20:20 - Is there too many skateboarding companies and bedroom brands & the importance of shaping a brand and curating a good team. 2:31:01 - Closing statements, thank you's, farewells and credits... Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Youtube. https://linkin.bio/rollersnakes Support The Brain Drain Show by hitting the "THANKS" button under this video. Subscribe to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BrainDrainShow 💰Want to BUY Brain Drain Merch?💰 https://rollersnakes.co.uk/search?q=brain+drain INSTAGRAM: 📸 Rollersnakes 📸 https://www.instagram.com/rollersnakes https://www.instagram.com/rollersnakesshopderby YOUTUBE: ▶️ RollersnakesTV ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/rollersnakestv Support us by checking out our sponsors: Rollersnakes: www.rollersnakes.co.uk Presented by: Forde Brookfield (@bagheadcrew) & Toby Batchelor (@tobybatchelor) Edited by: Forde Brookfield Producer: Frazer Murphy (@dontfollowfrazer) Thumbnail: Frazer Murphy #braindrainshow #donbrown #visionskateboards #esfootwear #etniesfootwear #emericafootwear