Charles Chatov

What made you move from Atlanta out to California?

I moved out to LA because my girlfriend is from here and it just seemed like a good time for a change. Also being able to surf was a plus. 

What's the day to day vibe at a shop like Classic, which has such a heavy lineup?

The shop is rad, we typically just bust balls all day and try to figure out what’s for lunch. Everyone is pretty motivated at the shop and that’s rad. It keeps me on my toes. A lot of talent and somehow no egos.

If you had to choose: American traditional or Japanese traditional and why? 

I don’t know that I could choose, they are both raw. Japanese stuff just goes because it’s burly. Something about a big ass image is so appealing to me. I guess they are both kind of the same, but different apples and oranges. Final answer: both slay.  

How many sessions does it take you to knock out a full-arm sleeve? 

I move pretty fast, so maybe 5-10 sessions - sometimes more. 

How did the Dan Plunkett graphic you did for SkateMental come about? 

I’ve been tattooing Dan for years and had tattooed that rooster on the curb on David Clark maybe ten years ago. I guess it was time to make it into a graphic. Brad Staba hit me up and needed it next day, so I threw it together right fast. I think it was his last SkateMental graphic. He’s doing Swim now. 

What type of skating do you prefer? Go-to trick? 

My favorite thing is just cruising through the city or wherever and finding things that make sense. Skating in New York, the whole place is a skatepark. Nothing better than that. 

My go to has and will always be a pressure flip. Huge advocate for it. Other than that, anything done with good style and fast. No hardflips or inward heelflips. 

Originally published in Issue 4 - September 2024