Theories: Ratkid & “What Goes On” Zine
[17 Mar 2017]Intro/Questions: Lino Gonzalez
Ratkid has logged some serious miles over the past few years In which he manages to always find some interesting scenery. The “What Goes On” zine is a sampling of some digital photos He has captured over the past year or so. I asked Rat some questions in our latest “Theories” article to supplement the zine which is available in our online shop..
-The first part of the zine is photos from China which I assume are from The Make trip. Whose idea was it to hit China for that?
I believe the idea would belong to Orlando, the owner of The Make. A whole bunch of them had been to a different city in China the year before and they liked it so much they planned another trip, which I was lucky enough to be a part of.
-Clarky had mentioned the food there was terrible, do you agree with that and did you have a go to food spot?
Well he was the unfortunate victim of apple food poisoning so I feel him on that. I remember the breakfast at the hostel being the most tasteless thing I’ve ever had in my life. Outside of there, we would mess with the late night street food like skewers of any and everything. I got to try some pig brains and other Chinese delicacies. There was some pretty good noodle spots, but after a while, the food would start smelling like the garbage and vice versa. After a couple weeks I had enough.
-The area you guys rode looked like some sort of slum/poor section, what was the deal with that neighborhood?
The first time we ended up in a slum like that we were like ok this is pretty cool, there’s some good obstacles here. Then we realized that there was several of these neighborhoods scattered around the city, and that their puzzle-like alleys were filled with shit to ride, as well as shit in open sewers. They were noticeably darker, colder and smelled worse than the outside world. They were by far my favorite terrain to ride out there, for Marv, not so much.
-What are all the places you traveled in the zine photos?
There are photos from China, New York City, Philadelphia, Texas, Mississippi, Baltimore, Upstate New York and Greece
-What are some places you would like to go but haven’t had the chance yet? (For riding or other reasons)
Top of the list would probably be Philippines and Seoul just for the culture and visual aspect. Not to mention some cities in South America for riding and then in the US, Nebraska and Arkansas just for lurking purposes.
-You definitely have an interest in the run down or overlooked neighborhoods of a city, why are these places so appealing to you?
Well I grew up in a fairly nice neighborhood and it just got boring real fast, so the run down neighborhoods were very inviting and refreshing. At this point it’s very unexciting and sometimes uncomfortable to be riding or lurking around some nicer areas. As far as the overlooked part goes, it’s not really something I set out to do differently than other people, I just like to be in places I enjoy for whatever reason they might give to me.
-That same thing sort of applies to your riding also. Is that intentional or is it the natural way you ride? (Finding obscure spots and neighborhoods)
I’m just a product of my environment.
-The zine is named the same as a video project you put out years ago, any chance we could see a “What goes on 2” video?
So I’d just like to say that the name of the video was made up by Dave Belcher while we were living together and riding / filming said video. While making the zine, I figured why not just keep the name going and he was cool with it. As for the second video, I have some footage stocked up ready to make a small video with and the plan would be to put it out on DVD along with the first video, which should be getting done pretty soon.
-Are you into any conspiracy theories?
I don’t particularly research any, but I’ve sure listened to some drunk people talk about them. I might have a couple of my own too…
Thanks Mark