The skateboarding world is full of unsung heroes and daredevils, and often, the most reckless individuals become the most revered. Matt Schlager, or as some may recall him, “that crazy guy who bailed hard trying to ollie a 13-flat-13 set in the pouring rain,” perfectly embodies this.
Does it matter that he didn’t even come close to landing the ollie or even clearing the set? Absolutely not! That kind of audacious disregard for common sense is precisely what makes him one of the most remarkable skateboarders. When faced with what seems impossible, Matt Schlager fearlessly throws his considerable frame into the challenge, and for that, he earns respect.
To delve into the story behind one of the most iconic viral skate clips, we tracked Matt down and got him to explain what was going through his mind. As it turns out, this skateboarder has plenty of stories to share, and he was gracious enough to do so.
Matt, you’re a true skateboarding legend.
Let’s talk about that notorious 13-flat-13 clip. Is it true you did it during a school lunch break?
That stair set was at my high school. During my first year there, I met these guys who were really good skaters, or at least I thought so. They constantly talked about that set. They would say things like, “If someone were to try that 13-flat-13 stair set, their name would be known forever.” So I said something like, “Well, I’ll give it a shot one day.” They would then make fun of me, saying, “Matt, you’re too big to jump that 13-flat-13! You can’t do anything! You’re terrible!”
So one day in mid-December, I hadn’t skated in about two weeks and was having those skateboard withdrawals where I had to do something wild. I brought my skateboard to school, not knowing if it would rain. It was relatively dry until the first lunch break, then it started to sprinkle. I thought, I need to get this done before it gets completely wet.
“They’d make fun of me saying things like, ‘Matt, you’re too big to jump that 13-flat-13! You can’t do anything! You’re terrible!'”
The first time I rolled up, there were maybe six or seven people watching. The second time, there were probably 20, and by the final roll-up, the whole lunch crowd, around 60 people, had gathered.
My friend yelled, “Don’t be a wimp! Balls out! Jump!” I built up as much speed as possible and just went for it. As I was rolling up, in the last few feet before I popped, I thought, this is probably a bad idea, I don’t think I’m going to make it!
Mid-air, I thought, if I don’t make it, I’ll try to roll it out. So I rolled down those last seven or eight stairs, laid there and thought, wow, I actually tried it. My friend came up and asked, “Dude, are you okay?” and I just said, “That was awesome!”
Matt Schlager's infamous 13-flat-13 attempt
So you got up from that and went through the rest of the school day?
Yeah, I had to finish the day. I guess the principal heard about it and started calling all the skateboarders into the office, asking who did it. They eventually got to me, and I said, “Yeah, some random dude showed up, jumped down that huge stair set and bailed, it was insane!”
How bad were your injuries from that?
I had a bruised hip for about a week or two, and a couple of dislocated fingers. But considering how gnarly the footage looked, nothing too serious.
Later, I got a message from the MTV show “Scarred.” The producer asked me how bad it was, if my arm was broken. I told them, “Actually, I just got up, walked away, and went back to class.” They said, “Your story’s good, but it’s not the ‘Scarred’ we’re looking for.” But, I think I’m lucky I didn’t get more seriously injured.
Matt Schlager's signature turban
Speaking of MTV shows, you were on Rob Dyrdek’s Ridiculousness once, right?
Yeah, fast forward five years, I get a short email from a producer who was doing a show about internet videos and wanted me to be on it.
I called her, and she said, “This is a real MTV show hosted by Rob Dyrdek.” I didn’t believe her, the show hadn’t aired yet. She put him on the phone, and I knew it was him instantly. Rob said, “I watched all your YouTube videos, that’s crazy, how are you still walking around!?” He flew me and my friend Nick first class to Burbank and put us up in a nice hotel.
We did the pilot episode. Rob asked what I wanted if I could have anything in the world. I said, “A million skateboards?” He said, “That’d be great, but something more realistic?” I said, “How about a leather jacket, like the Ramones wore?” On the last day, Rob gave me the coolest leather jacket, with an artist painting one of my slam photos down a double kink across the back. It’s incredible. That was the first time I went down for the show.
Matt Schlager's custom leather jacket
The next summer, Rob flew us down again for another episode. I met up with Rob, and he asked what I wanted to do. I said, “I want to go skate!” He said, “You want to skate the Fantasy Factory?” I said, “That’s cool, but I’d rather jump down Hollywood High, I want to go down that 16 so bad.” He said, “I fly you here to be on my show and skate my Fantasy Factory, and you’d rather jump down Hollywood High?” I told him I could 5050 that.
So, after we filmed the episode, Rob’s assistant drove us to Hollywood High, and I did the tricks I wanted to do. I asked Rob if he was going to skate it, and he said, “No way! Why would I hurt myself when I have to be in the studio tomorrow?” I said, “I don’t know, this is just what I do – it’s what skaters do.” He said, “Yeah, well I don’t need to do that anymore.” I said, “You a boss, aren’t ya? You about that money!” He said, “Yep.”
Matt Schlager skating a gap
You were on the Ridiculousness episode with that airheaded Miss America contestant, right? Did you two flirt?
Ha, yeah, before the show, she was going on about the dumbest stuff, complaining, “I was in the makeup room for over an hour! I didn’t have lunch until 3 o’clock!” I told her, “You’re lucky you’re even here!” She said, “I don’t like you, you look like you’re a hobo.” Yeah, she was rude.
Has your fame caught up with you yet? Are you getting tons of Youtube subscribers?
Well, it comes and goes. It’s at its peak when I’m at the skatepark. I wanted to get my name out there when I tried the 13-flat-13, but I didn’t realize it would get this big. It’s pretty weird having little kids follow you at the skatepark, always testing you.
If I go to a skatepark, the best skater there will immediately come up and say, “You want to play S.K.A.T.E.?” and I have to say, “I’m not that good.” I like to do my basic tricks down some big stuff, but I can’t laser flip. Kids are getting very good these days!
”I like to do my basic tricks down some big stuff, but I can’t laser flip, you know?”
One time, I was skating a downhill ledge in downtown Tacoma. The cops tried to kick me out, but another cop car showed up, and one of the cops said, “Wait, you look like that 13-flat-13 kid! My son skates! He loves your videos!” So we watched some of my videos on his phone, and they decided not to give me a ticket, telling me I could come back later if I didn’t get caught. It was surreal.
This summer, I met some of the pro skaters I always looked up to, and they wanted to take a photo with me! It was so wild. Like, when Tommy Sandoval thinks you’re good, it’s hard to believe.
Matt Schlager with pro skaters
How much do you weigh?
Right now, probably 240, 250.
Does it hurt more when you fall, or is your body built for the roll?
I get that question a lot. When I started skating, I’d do a David Gravette scorpion slide, but that wasn’t going to work for me. So I started doing what I call a gorilla roll, tucking in my shoulder and rolling it out. I even have a tattoo that’s partly removed from sliding on my shoulder so much.
It might also be because you’re always wearing tank tops when doing those gorilla rolls…
Well, even if I had sleeves on my shirt, when I’m going 20 miles per hour, they wouldn’t help.
Why do you always jump down crazy stuff? Why not just skate flatground or a curb?
I don’t know. My first skate video was Zero’s Dying to Live, and they were always doing the biggest rails, sets, and heelflips. I do skate flatground and small curbs sometimes, but that’s how I get my kicks, the big stuff.
”Growing up, I’d watch WWF wrestling, and Mankind was a major inspiration.”
Are you a masochist? Do you enjoy pain?
Haha, actually, I get inspiration from outside of skateboarding. Growing up, I watched WWF wrestling, and Mankind was one of my biggest inspirations. He was a big dude who would go headfirst off a 16-foot cage onto his back. If there was a skater like that, a long-haired, scruffy, homeless-looking dude, which there are a lot of now, I thought, that’s where the idea comes from.
Getting hurt is just part of skateboarding, at least the way I see it. And I live in Washington, so I only get a couple of days a week to skate. When I do, I want to make it worthwhile. I don’t want to just skate curbs. I’d rather jump down 10 stairs a couple of times and then be too broken to skate for the rest of the week.
Matt Schlager's bstail inspired by Mankind
Have you ever thought about trying the 13-flat-13 again?
I’ve been back a few times, but I don’t know. I’ll probably try to go off to the side over the rail. It’s pretty tall, but the length is what really gets you, so we’ll have to see in the next couple of years…
Intro & Interview: CK
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