617: Greg “Lurker” Taylor Christmas Smith
December 27, 2010
429: Greg Taylor: Team Steam=> NJ to AZ=>Photographer
July 24, 2009
Neal Hendrix Tampa
Photo Greg Taylor
Jake Brown
Photo Greg Taylor
I have known Greg Taylor for a long time, we both attended Watchung Hills Regional High School together and spent all our extra curricular time at The Barn and various other ramps around NJ. With the exception of an odd weekend when the Dead were in town I cant recall anything that happened back in those days that did not involve Greg. To say we were and are friends is a tremendous understatement we are Bruthas, full stop. Having transplanted himself to AZ from NJ he has never lost touch (he even flew to NYC to attend one of my art shows) and has always kept people together long before FB was around. I dub him the mental packrat…just ask him about a time or place and he will have the info on lock down for you. He is a true connector in every sense of the word and is a great person to have on your life team. If he recommends a book (Tipping point) give it a read..it will help, if he has a friend (Chris& Mike!) he wants to put you in touch with for any reason…say yes, you will wind up with new and important people in your life.
Greg has been around the block in the Skate industry as well and has come out smiling. If you scan enough skate pics from the 90′s he can be seen lurking around many a platform during many an event.
With photography in my opinion Greg has really come into his own. He has a journalistic, man with a camera style and with his self portraits he has been able to make images of himself with that sense that he is separate from things at the moment…which I believe self portraits should do.
Anyway Greg rules hit him up over on FaceBook and add to his growing fanlist…you never know where it might take you.
http://www.facebook.com/grtaylor2photo?ref=ts
God and Basketball
Photo Greg Taylor
When I was traveling for work within skateboarding I was lucky to meet a lot of great photogs and go to cool spots, contests and sessions etc. Many of the photogs I really looked up to and they were cool with giving me some tips about film, gear whatever. Guys like Rhino, Swift, Joe Hammeke & J. Grant are so amazing I never thought I could do what they did – so I decided to it differently. I wanted to capture other people in the shots and not have the skater be the only point of interest. I tried to let people in this world we either live in or have come from and show them that it’s more than the guy on his board at that moment.
Other info:
Real life occupation: Marketing Strategist
Hometown: Warren, NJ
Lives in: Tempe, AZ (for last 12 years)
If it weren’t for people like Corn, Rocky, Tag, you, Mike P, Weep (RIP) & Craig Blank to set the path of the arts before me – I wouldn’t be doing this stuff. Thanks to everyone.
Greg
Chris Weep Blank Fakie Ollie and Backside air 1987′sh last days of the Barn
Photo’s Steven McDowall (keep em coming)
These shots were taken after the Kanes had sold the property and every session at the Barn seemed like the last. Holes were torn in the ceiling and walls to allow light in and night sessions were now a thing of the past.
Greg Taylor, Kevin Mcdowall, Mike and James Pruskowski are all on deck
Obviously Mrs. Kane has left the house cause everyone is riding with no helmets…Baaad!!
Taylor sent me this story via email:
Jason-
I was just thinking about Weep and all the stories I have about him (like everyone else) and thought of my favorite.
Weep came home (back to NJ) for a visit – I’m pretty sure he was living in AZ at the time. We all got together to skate, given the time-frame (1990 ish) I’m sure we were going to Cheap Skates. It was Corn, Fraz, Weep and myself making the drive to PA where we would meet up with Tag & Rocky etc. When we got there and exchanged hellos, jokes or whatever. Weep kept going on and on –like he always did, about how great it is in Tempe. He’s got the sun and the bros and the ramp, the kill job at Circle-K and the girls whewwwww boieey…Tag finally interrupted him and said pointing at a rock in the driveway, “Weep, if you lived under that rock – you would tell us it was the greatest thing ever.”
At the time Tag’s statement was funny as hell – because it was true. Now thinking back – that was exactly how Weep was. No matter what – loss of parents, motorcycle accident w/ broken ankle, freezing off toes etc. – he made the best of the situation and more than that he made his situations ok.
I’ll always remember Weep as the eternal optimist….RIP
Nice one!!
Jason oliva
25: Greg Taylor Self Portrait 2003 Tempe Pipes AZ
August 25, 2006
Greg Taylor Self Portrait Tempe Pipes AZ 2003
Greg Taylor East Coast, New Jersey, skater, high School friend and “Lurker” now settled in AZ.
