The Exclusive BEV Interview

This ollie isn't in BEV, but the guy doing it (Brett Dalzell) sure is. 2014.

Village Psychic: Explain to those that don't know the concept of 'having bev'. 

Tom Gorelik: The concept comes down to the fact that you should always have a beverage on you. Simple as that. It's healthy (unless the beverage is an Arizona can or Coca Cola) and it helps these young kids do all the gnarly tricks they're capable of doing today.

One habit I noticed in New York especially amongst the younger dudes I was filming is the necessity of always having a beverage, predominantly if you are eating. If you get caught with out a beverage (no bev), people will flame you hard by taking your photo and teasing you, both in person and via social media. At the end of the day, it's just your boys looking out for you. 

To give an analogy, it's like when your friends call you a pussy for not talking to a girl, but after you're all embarrassed they give you a pep talk so that the next time you see a chick you know how to seal the deal. The whole team wins!

VP: How did you first become aware of this practice?

TG: I first became aware of it when three 17 year olds told me I was violating for not having bev with my dollar slices. Then I got flamed for the next ten times I did it. Eventually, I learned. Also, they showed me random Facebook pages and sites specifically for exposing 'no bevers'.

VP: What does this practice have to do with a skate video?

TG: This practice has a lot to do with a video because when I was out filming with Troy Stilwell, Kasper Bejoian, Matt Kaluzny, Nick Delgado, we would be blasting through bottles of water to keep the muscles from giving up so that we could skate longer. Also, skaters love beer and beer is considered a ‘bev'.

VP: Why did you make this video?

TG: When started filming BEV I barely had a job, had no freelance prospects but what I did have was plenty of time and friends to skate with. That's when I stopped leaving the house without a camera and got serious about filming a video.

Videographer Tom Gorelik enjoying multiple bevs, most likely at Bar Matchless.

I wanted to make a stride towards my true passion of videography. My folks and I are immigrants from Belarus and like many immigrant families, mine emphasized going to college and becoming a doctor/lawyer/banker as the ideal career path. Since I have different aspirations I’ve had it in my head to do something that pushed me toward my true passion of videography. This was the perfect opportunity.

You can view BEV right here on Vimeo.