That signature Garrett Byrnes style is just overflowing at classic Northeastern U.S. spots in his “Forward” section; all of the East Coast Terminal skatepark footage is gold. We caught up with Garrett to get his thoughts on filming for 'Forward'.
"Man, it was such an interesting time. I was riding for etnies, but I almost felt like I wasn’t part of the main team. Ruben and those guys were so many levels above me. It was such an awesome vibe. The team was crazy. I got on after Duffs, and I was kind of like, “Where do I fit in?” I’m not the guys who I look up to, so I just needed to ride, shoot photos, and travel. It wasn’t like I was going to try and film a monumental video part. Back then, I didn’t care about making video parts. It was a struggle for me to even film, because I just wanted to ride and have fun. You can talk to anyone- for me to go out and film something was like pulling teeth. If I went out with my friends, and someone had a camera, they would film a few things. That’s generally what happened for Forward. It wasn’t like, “Oh, I have to go jump off a roof.” It just kind of happened organically while riding with friends.
It was humbling, for sure. Just to see every part of it, and the way it was put together. It was really motivational during the up and coming years for seeing what was possible, and everybody was pushing it so far. It made me realize that we were part of something special, not only at that point in time, but moving forward with etnies, where it was always like a family atmosphere. When you went somewhere, they really took care of you, and they would always take an extra step, whether it was a hotel room or dinner- just being there for you. If you talked to Povah or anyone else that was affiliated with etnies, and said, “Hey, it’s 2AM and I have a flat tire”, he would drop everything and pick you up. On the opposite end of it, we would fuck with him and make his life hell, but he would still be there for us. He was the ultimate BMX parent. There were just so much positive vibes from everyone on the team.
These days, I’m just trying to ride my bike as much as possible, whether it’s my regular BMX bike, suspension BMX bike, mountain bike, dirt bike, or any kind of bike. As long as I’m on some sort of wheels I’m happy. I’ve been feeling as good on my BMX bike as I felt 20 years ago. No complaints. I dealt with some injuries last year, and I came through ‘em. I think I’m stronger because of them; I have a lot more knowledge of taking care of yourself, and wearing a helmet a lot more. BMX riders get past a lot of injuries. You see someone like Julian Molina-there’s no injury I have that compares. I watch him ride, and it’s life-changing. I can never complain; he’s positive, makes everything work, and he kills it. It was an awesome year, I feel great, and I look forward to riding as much as possible in the future."