To read Part 1 of Rob Brink's interview with Chris Cole, check here.

So how did entering Dew tour come about? It’s been around for a while now.
It’s funny; people are like, “Oh, how come you didn’t do the Dew Tour? And I’m like, “I never knew when it was.” But then I actually thought about it… skateboarding as a whole, you need to support it. And you can wish that skateboarding was better off and the economy wasn’t hurting skateboarding so bad…

I think we’re kind of getting to a point where you have to accept that skateboarding has changed and you cant just keep crying about who’s going into the X Games and who is “keeping it real.”
You know what? I feel that way too, and I’m actually very surprised that you said that ‘cause I’ve had that conversation a couple of times recently.

I’ve always turned my back on non-skateboarding sponsorships and drink sponsors and things like that, and you know the hats that everybody wears to promote their drink sponsors at contests? I see kids wearing them on the streets or in Target and I’m like, “That hat is what people wear to get paid.”

And then I realize that skateboarding has changed. These kids are growing up now and they don’t know any difference between the old school core and dudes wearing big logos. I still don’t wanna wear a big logo on the front of my body that I don’t really believe in. Like something I don’t even like the taste of… but I mean, having a sponsorship from someone who is willing to put money into skateboarding is a pretty good deal, and to walk away from that to quote unquote “keep it real…” well you end up keeping it real for the dudes on the message boards that don’t buy anything. And they’re like “Hey, remember that guy? He was tight, what’s he doing? Oh, he’s a road rep now for some company.”

I remember I really liked a couple skateboarders back when I was coming up and I asked a couple of people, “Where the hell is that guy?” And they’re like, “Oh, well he’s our sales rep. He calls us up and sees if we need any stuff,” and I’m like, “Dang! That dude was sick too! He didn’t make any money from skating. He didn’t make any to invest… nothing.”

I’m always shocked at the ex-pros that I meet, that work at all the skate companies… I’m like, “God, I sweated your video part so hard when I was 14.”
And they’re so humbled by that. Or most of them, because they’re like, “No way man, really?” They didn’t get compensated for it back then, you know what I mean?”

I guess we’re the last generation to see the actual core world. But I think anyone who can’t accept it now is just gonna suffer business-wise. I see companies that people would consider “mainstream” doing more for skating or just as much as the supposed “core” companies.
Oh, absolutely. I totally agree. And I think it’s important to keep mom and pop skate shops around. But there’s definitely a line between selling out and getting paid for doing what you love. And if somebody wants to put some money into skateboarding, I’ll take it. I don’t have to do something that I feel is compromising and that I’m spreading myself too thin, or I just feel embarrassed about. And you know what I’m talking about… some of those things have to be off the record, but a couple of those fools, it’s harsh when you’re watching it and you’re like, “I wanna quit skating right now.”

It’s like that shirt: “I love skateboarding so much I want it to die.” It’s like that push and pull, love and hate about how I feel about skateboarding on any given day, depending what I’m watching.
Oh, absolutely. When you see some dudes, or some stuff… or when you see actors pretending to be hardcore skaters… but they’re like, super pretty actors, I’m like, “I don’t know how I feel about that.”

Second hand embarrassment.
I love The Office, but sometimes I gotta turn away cause the second hand embarrassment is so bad it’s just I wish I could disappear… like I wasn’t watching it.

So you’re looking at X Games, and four or five other big Dew Tour contests in the next two or three months?
Yeah, it’s pretty gnarly. It’s gnarly to come off of Wallenberg and try to skate like a normal professional skateboarder. I go out and try to shoot photos and get some tricks for the videos im working on or whatever and then go to the Maloof and then one week after that go into Dew Tour and then it’s X Games and then it’s Dew Tour again… it’s pretty gnarly. I didn’t really think about that when I planned out my summer. ‘Cause I jammed it. I have a Cayman Islands trip this week and then those contests and some stuff at Woodward East.

That’s another conversation I’m constantly having… I cant say no to going on tours. It’s completely exhausting, but hard to say no.
Oh absolutely. And how long are you gonna be compensated for traveling the world? You’re like, “Okay, where are we going?” And if it’s like Australia, you’re like, “Well, I’ve been to Australia six times.” So that’s something you might pass up, But like Japan, I haven’t been to Japan in six years or maybe more…

And you certainly don’t wanna spend out of your own pocket when someone is willing to send you.
Oh my goodness, yeah. Imagine that. Imagine paying for the flight to Japan, just because you wanted to go, that’s like unheard of…

It’s like a few grand.
Yeah, just breaking the bank to get there. Especially after all these years of having someone fly you there, you’re like, “Wait, how much is that?” I lose track of how much I spend because I fly my family. Like we fly back and forth from the East Coast a lot. Plane tickets aren’t getting any cheaper, I’ll tell you that. Well, they try to pretend they’re cheaper and then they charge you per bag.

Last question and I’m gonna let you go eat peanut butter and jelly with Wyatt. Do you think the Maloof Money Cup was the catalyst for things like the X Games and Dew Tour changing up their courses, formats, list of riders and obviously their prize purses?

I think that those things wouldn’t have changed if someone hadn’t stepped up to the table. The Maloof brothers just stepped in and said “We’re gonna do something awesome.” And I’m not one of those dudes that’s kissing their butt because I’m a basketball fan or because they have money… but I think that what they do is awesome. I think that they knocked it out of the park.