I’ve been a fan of Mark Suciu’s skating for years; I love his tech ledge tricks, his ability to piece together really exciting lines, and that you can tell he cares, he puts in effort. In the recent THUNDER TRUCKS: NYC FOUR DAYS edit, Mark had some really sick clips, along with the rest of the crew. After watching it, it made me wonder what it was like for him to film a quick edit like that in the city he lives in. I wanted to hear what went into some specific clips, and how it was knocking this thing out in just four days with a small crew. So, I hopped on a call with Mark and got to ask everything I was wondering. Enjoy.

🌀: Yo, what’s up, Mark! How are you?

Chilling, just driving. About halfway back to New York now, from Philly.

🌀: Nice, were you skating in Philly?

Yeah, I’m trying to finish up a video part. I was skating with Chris Mulhern and Joey O’Brien. It was a good day. I got a sketchier one; I know what I want when I go back.

🌀: Sick! Well, let’s get into the THUNDER NYC FOUR DAYS edit. What’s it like for you to work on a trip video like this, but you’re actually in the city that you live in?

That’s actually how it was for everybody, even Nicole, who just moved to New York. It was just that they flew out Jack and Mack, team manager/pro and filmer. But yeah, Cooper, Jiro, and Nicole all live in New York.

🌀: Ok got it. I didn’t realize that Cooper and Nicole lived in NY as well. I guess it wasn’t a trip video then (laughs), since you guys were all where you live.

Exactly. And what made it super fun was that I do skate with Jiro quite a bit, and I have over the years, all the time. But I only see Cooper around; I’ve maybe had 1 or 2 sessions with him at the Vans indoor park. And I know like all of Nicole’s friends, but never met Nicole. So this was just a really rad trip. Kind of like people coming from out of town being like, “Yo, you guys should hang out. You all live here.” You know? It just gave us an opportunity to do that and skate together.

🌀: It looked like a fun crew. On the note of being in NYC – are you ever at a spot, come up with a trick idea, and put it in your back pocket as something you’ll wait to film until you have a project like this one? Or was this more just skating around the city with the crew, and you figured stuff out as you went?

That front tail into the drops, I had seen that skating around with my filmer friend Matt Schleyer, and we were like, “Oh, this is good, but it needs Bondo. And it’s not necessarily up to par for the video part.” But it looked really fun. Then when Thunder’s in town and we’re not that far from it, I’m like, “Okay, I have this spot.” Like, it could be a little photo, it could be a clip; let’s just go check it out. I’ll bondo the crack. But then also, that 180 into the brick bank – I’ve always wanted to do that. It’s kind of gnarly, but I still wouldn’t call it video part-worthy, even though I was scared to do it. So this was just like a really dope opportunity to have a different goal in mind to get me to do different stuff, you know?

🌀: Yeah, for sure.

With these trips, I always just skate every spot. Let’s just fucking rip with friends. It’s summer. Unless it’s that tall rail, Jiro and Cooper were really hyped on that, and it’s a quick bust, so I just let them have that. They got really dope clips on that. If a spot is kind of somebody’s idea, then I’m going to chill out, but otherwise I’m just skating every spot with them.

🌀: That seems like a good move. Being in NYC for so long, does it ever feel like you’re running out of spots or ideas? Or, since it’s such a big city does it feel like there’s always something for you to do?

I think I get tired of the spots, but I don’t run out of ideas. Like Blubba, for instance, I’ve skated it in a lot of video parts, and it was like, definitely one of the first spots I ever went to when I went to New York, just to see it. There’s still stuff on my list to check off there, but I’m just like, fuck, that would be so hard because I’ve done all the stuff that’s like, the first thought, the second thought, then the creative random day, you’re sessioning with homies, and you get an idea, and like, still, there’s stuff to be done.

That’s kind of how I feel about areas of the city too. There’s a lot that I haven’t checked out in the Bronx, Harlem, Queens. But the thought of missioning out there can be a little bit tiring. But then there comes these times when you’re just juiced, and you’re like, “Oh, I have this opportunity to film for a part” or something like this, and we want to do stuff I haven’t hit, and you’re like, “Alright, let’s go to Queens, let’s go to the Bronx, let’s do this!” And then you’re just hyped again. So it’s just waves, you know? But yeah, I would say that New York is just so big and there’s so much potential. I love the way all the spots look, and that’s just really helpful for me. If I’m motivated by the aesthetic of it, I’m probably going to put a lot of energy into the skate trick, you know?

🌀: Yeah, that makes sense. The reason I asked is because I feel like filming stuff in a city that you live in can be pretty tough if you’ve been there for a while. But your mindset makes sense – have some spot ideas in your back pocket, and if everyone’s skating a spot, session it with them.

Yeah, absolutely. The yellow and purple spot, for instance, the colors are a little crazy, and it’s not, in my opinion, the best-looking spot. But it’s super fun. And I had never even been there, even though it’s a stone’s throw from LES Park, which I used to live next to. That just goes to show how big New York is.

🌀: Yeah, I actually wanted to ask you about that spot. I assumed you’d skated it before; it seems like something you could get creative on, so it’s funny to hear that you’d never gone before.

Yeah, thanks. I knew it was really slippery, and I had heard back in the day somebody who lived nearby freaked out and said they were going to come back with a gun. So it was maybe just a little bit of like, “Oh, like that spot might be just might not be worth the squeeze.” So I just never went. But then it’s been so long, and we were with a big crew. I was like, “Fuck it, let’s just go.” Also, I was never that hyped on the material and the colors. It was just in the back pocket for a summer day with friends messing around, filming a fun, low-key edit.

🌀: Is it like butter bench material?

It is, yeah.

🌀: That material even being in New York feels out of place.

We didn’t skate it in the edit, but so many people go there, the two block ledges that are made of the same stuff, the ones that Tiago and Tyshawn fucked up. It’s just like, “Damn, we’re in New York and we’re skating this?” That’s kind of how I feel about it. No diss, I mean, both of those spots are so much fun.

🌀: Another clip I’d love to hear about is the 50-50 Front Shuv Back Nosegrind 180. That one was so sick, and it was filmed really cool. What was the process like on that one?

It was pretty chill, actually. It was that was the last day of the trip, and I was trying that line. The line was kind of hard, but it was fun. The whole time I was like, “Fuck! It’s our last night. I’m kind of the only one skating, and there’s this sick Italian spot really close by that I love.” It gets kind of busy, so we really need someone to be there. I was like, “Am I taking up too much time when we could be having a sick last team dinner?” So I think I was about to get the line, and I was like, “Jiro, could you be a hero and bike over to Saraghina and put our name in?” We got the line, then we were packing up, and I did that Front 50 Back Nosegrind 180. Just because I was having so much fun, the metal grinds really good, and it’s just like a random obstacle, you know? I think Jack filmed it for the phone. Then I was like, “Alright, let’s go see if we can sit down at this restaurant.” But I kind of knew I could do it and threw one really quick and landed on it, the 50-50 Front Shuv Back Nosegrind. Jack’s like, “Wait, I probably shouldn’t be filming this on the phone,” and Mack’s like, “I think I could film this really sick; I’m going to try this out.” And then I think we got it in maybe five or ten tries. It just worked really well. There’s the perfect little distance for the Front Shuv to spin all the way without traveling far or anything like that, without missing.

🌀: Wow. The trick and the filming was awesome, it’s crazy to hear that it was almost like a quick afterthought. It’s interesting that you mentioned they grind good; originally, I was curious if they were soft and didn’t grind the best.

Yeah, those are like everywhere in New York too. They’re brand new benches that just got put in. So it’s another thing that I wouldn’t skate (for a video part) because it’s prefab. It’s like a prefab piece that’s just put everywhere. But I was just high from getting that line and from knowing that Jiro was getting us a spot at the Italian place and that everything was pointing towards us having, like, an awesome end to the trip. I was just still fired up and trying to pull myself away, but knowing, like, “Oh, I could maybe do this.” But it was funny; I feel like it was probably the hardest trick I did on the trip, but it was also like, “Maybe we should just go to this restaurant?”

🌀: (laughs) Yeah, for sure, and it worked out quick, so that’s ideal. Speaking of Jiro, I’m right in saying you’ve kind of watched him grow up, and you guys have skated together for years, right?

Totally.

🌀: What’s it like being around him now as you’ve watched him get older? You’ve watched him progress, grow, film in the streets. What’s that like for you?

Dude, it’s crazy. It feels really amazing and humbling. Jiro has always been so talented. I met him when he was 12 years old, wearing glasses, doing Nollie Front Heels over the hip at LES Park, probably like 4.5ft tall. Shortly afterward, me and Frankie Spears got him on Habitat, and we were going on trips with him when he was like 14. Trying to do homework in the hotel room and just being a menace. Going through Covid lockdown with him, skating all the spots with Schleyer and Frankie in midtown that you never could (normally). I think him skating with Jack Fardell, when Jack lived here, he learned a lot of like transition skills that you really see come out now whenever he’s skating Chelsea or whatever. But also just like made him into the skater he is now, where he’s able to win Kasso every time but also is stacking really sick street clips like that gap to Front Feeble at the Williamsburg Monument. But I just feel like he’s super comfortable going really fast and kind of ATV-ing things. That bump to Back Smith he did at Tompkins on Instagram recently, where it’s just like ten feet tall. Just a fly out to a massive box; it’s really sick to see him exploring his talent.

But yeah, as a person, it’s been insane to watch him grow up because I feel like his personality has just changed so much. He used to be this polite, quiet, little kid. Then, probably just when he got more comfortable with me, he became super annoying and high-energy, a bit of like a little rascal. And then around 16, the hormones kick in, growth spurts, he just chilled out so much, and he’s like “Huh? What?” He’s been so many different people. It’s hilarious.

🌀: Yeah, a lot changes in those years. He’s obviously been talented for a long time, but I also think he has a good trick selection, lots of cool and simple tricks done well. Did you ever get on him for tricks he should or shouldn’t be doing? Any stories like that from over the years?

Really recently we’re at a cutty bank spot, it’s a ledge into a narrow bank along a set of stairs. We were skating into it and it’s really scary to go into. And then we started skating it backwards, like bump up the stairwell to the ledge on the top, which to me is like, fucking awesome. It’s like a skate park obstacle that you found in the street. And Jiro does a really dope Front Crook on it, and I’m filming it with my phone, just because there’s nobody else there. And he’s like, “Cool, I’m gonna post that,” and I’m like, “Jiro, no, you cannot post this. This is a video part clip.” He’s like, “What the fuck? Dude, this is light.” And I’m like, “No, dude, you don’t understand. This is really fucking sick. You’re going to come back and film this with someone.” He got so mad at me, and I was like equally frustrated to him. Like, stupid little kid, you gotta save this for your part. So keep your eyes peeled. I hope he goes back for it. But, yeah, over the years, we’ve skated together; we’ve gone on some trips together. I think he just has good taste.

He rolled his ankle; I think it was rolled for like a year, almost. He just started skating a ton of Switch; he was doing Switch Slappy Frontside 5-0’s on jersey barrier transition spots. Switch Front Smiths, weird tricks that, to your point, are simple and cool.

I’m just very positive with him. A couple of years ago he Nollie’d this channel gap into a bank. I think it was in his Habitat part. I was like, “Dude, this is just one of the sickest clips. Like, that’s the kind of clip I aspire to get; amazing spot, simple, gnarly trick done really well.” And I remember him being really, really appreciative. So I think it’s just been more of like, besides this instance the other day where I called him out, it’s more been like just hanging together, skating similar spots and maybe rubbing off a little bit, but never like telling him what to do.

🌀: Wow, that Nollie story is really sick. So that’s Jiro, and earlier you touched on Cooper and Nicole; what was the vibe like with you four? I know you only had a few days to film this, but I’d assume it being summer in NYC was pretty motivating.

It was super fun. The first day we met up and just skated Blue Park together; that did not get counted as one of the four days. But we just kind of broke the ice a little bit and established the crew. From there, just hit street spots the next day, and everybody just kind of started ripping, and yeah, it was just like everybody was pitching in ideas, and then we’d be in one area and be like, “Alright, let’s go over here.” Like the Boardslide to Noseblunt that Cooper did, that was a pretty early session, maybe like the first day. It was just cool because Jiro was jumping on the rails. I think I had wanted to do that backwards Smith grind for a little while. And yeah, Cooper came out of nowhere with that Boardslide to Noseblunt, did it like six times super easily. I was just stoked. That was right after the indoor rail session.

But yeah, I feel like I got to know Cooper a little bit more. I think I probably like first started talking to him at the Quasi premiere, like actual conversations, just because I was so stoked for this dude. New am on this amazing, classic team, with such a solid part. I was asking him about spots, whether things were a battle, and just showing love. I was really hyped on that part. It was kind of like a bit of the same thing when we were hanging, just like starting from that common denominator, like, “Quasi video was fucking dope, man. How’s the reception been?” That kind of stuff. Then branching out from there, little inside jokes forming or just the ice breaking. And then I’m realizing like, “Oh, this dude is actually super silly, and you can joke around with him a lot.” And it was totally the same with Nicole. I have my car, so some days I would have to feed my cat and come out a little bit later or something. One of the days Nicole ended up in my car, and we were just cruising from one spot to the next and just talking about how I’ve met all of her friends, basically. I’m like, “Oh, you used to live with Jessica? Nora used to tell me the story about you.” It was just a really rad moment where it’s like, “Shit, I can’t believe we’ve never met.”

🌀: Solid crew! Since we’re talking about a truck edit, and I love nerding out on what people’s setups are, what made you switch to the T-II’s?

I’ve been skating the T-II for like a year now; I love that there’s more kingpin clearance. It’s a super good truck for New York winters because a lot of trucks will just freeze in the winter when you’re skating in the snow and stuff, or like even an indoor park that’s cold. It’s super hard to just have tight trucks all winter long. But how good that new T-II turns. It makes it so easy to skate through the winter.

🌀: That’s interesting; I hadn’t thought about using it for when it’s colder out. Well, thank you for taking the time to talk. It was sick to hear these stories. Looking forward to the upcoming video part!

Absolutely. Thank you. I’m going to start dropping hints or a teaser soon.

🌀: Stoked to see it. Thanks again!

Of course, of course.