Donny Barley
Donny Barley
Donny Barley Photography: Sean Cronan
Words by Chris Shonting
Ive known Donny for just about eight years, I think, give or take. Sometimes I refer to him as uncle Donnyalways with the harshest Boston accent I can mustersince hes like family and has undyingly had my back and that of his friends as long as I have known him. Hes always the one to cart a roster of skateboarders from town to town, to find spots in his gangster-ass soccer-mom-mobile, and is always there for a dude in a bind. Hes a Red Sox fan thats some how found a home on Zoo York. Odd, but somehow perfect. In the last years its been hard to ignore the fact that Mr. Barley is a pure fucking skate rat. This is a conversation I had with him almost in passing but not. Hes a man with a hell of a lot of things happening in his life, and it all seems to be happening because thats how he wants it.
Donny, what are you doing right now?
Im chilling in my girls kitchen with the new puppy.
You got a dog?
Im watching him so if I dip its because hes into no good.
Understandable. Puppies can be terrors. What kind of dog is it?
Its a little pug. Hes like two months old. We have two of them now.
Whats his name?
Jack Johnson.
Ive known Donny for just about eight years, I think, give or take. Sometimes I refer to him as uncle Donnyalways with the harshest Boston accent I can mustersince hes like family and has undyingly had my back and that of his friends as long as I have known him. Hes always the one to cart a roster of skateboarders from town to town, to find spots in his gangster-ass soccer-mom-mobile, and is always there for a dude in a bind. Hes a Red Sox fan thats some how found a home on Zoo York. Odd, but somehow perfect. In the last years its been hard to ignore the fact that Mr. Barley is a pure fucking skate rat. This is a conversation I had with him almost in passing but not. Hes a man with a hell of a lot of things happening in his life, and it all seems to be happening because thats how he wants it.
Donny, what are you doing right now?
Im chilling in my girls kitchen with the new puppy.
You got a dog?
Im watching him so if I dip its because hes into no good.
Understandable. Puppies can be terrors. What kind of dog is it?
Its a little pug. Hes like two months old. We have two of them now.
Whats his name?
Jack Johnson.
Hah! So he's a brawler than?
I wanted to call him Bobby Money or Robert Deniro.
What? That didnt fly with the Mrs.?
Nope, she wasnt down.
Anyhow, you have been pro for about twenty years now. Hows it feel?
Been pro for 10ish.
Ok, ten.
Its insane. I cant believe its been that long. Time flies when youre having fun.
I suppose its been a crazy journey. Youve seen skateboarding go up, down, left and right. Was there ever a time when you were just off the job side of it?
Yeah, surely. More then a few times, mostly when the companies are doing things that dont seem right. Or, when a dumb trend kicks in. Id like for skateboarding to move forward and at times it goes backward and sideways and those times it gets wack, but I never stop riding my board.
Are there any specific things that turned you off or were there just general phases you think skateboarding could have gone without?
Yeah, I will save the specifics, but mainly companies market image-based skaters for sales, and that stuff gets old. It gets old when its all so evident they do stuff like that for the money. It becomes an obvious move. Riders losing jobs so the new kid with the leather can come have a five-month run of generating money for a brand until the brand changes its identity six-months later. Those are some of the dumb things that happen. I try not to pay attention to all of it. But its hard because you can see fake from a mile away.
I wanted to call him Bobby Money or Robert Deniro.
What? That didnt fly with the Mrs.?
Nope, she wasnt down.
Anyhow, you have been pro for about twenty years now. Hows it feel?
Been pro for 10ish.
Ok, ten.
Its insane. I cant believe its been that long. Time flies when youre having fun.
I suppose its been a crazy journey. Youve seen skateboarding go up, down, left and right. Was there ever a time when you were just off the job side of it?
Yeah, surely. More then a few times, mostly when the companies are doing things that dont seem right. Or, when a dumb trend kicks in. Id like for skateboarding to move forward and at times it goes backward and sideways and those times it gets wack, but I never stop riding my board.
Are there any specific things that turned you off or were there just general phases you think skateboarding could have gone without?
Yeah, I will save the specifics, but mainly companies market image-based skaters for sales, and that stuff gets old. It gets old when its all so evident they do stuff like that for the money. It becomes an obvious move. Riders losing jobs so the new kid with the leather can come have a five-month run of generating money for a brand until the brand changes its identity six-months later. Those are some of the dumb things that happen. I try not to pay attention to all of it. But its hard because you can see fake from a mile away.
Trick: Backside Ally-Oop Photography: Sean Cronan
Yeah, those marketing moves really only seem successful when used on little kids and mall shoppers. But we are men Donny, and we men dont worry about that shit. Men do things like make babies and stuff. Well, you made one, right? Its almost made. Whats the status of it? Do you know what kind of baby its going to be? Like boy or girl?
Its five months along right now. We are going to have a daughter, so my girl is shopping daily. Its not 100% but the doc says its most likely going to be a girl.
A human child girl?
Yep, a little heartbreaker.
How do you think you will handle a girl?
I will love her with all my heart.
Good answer.
Its the truth. I never had a preference of sex. Boy or girl doesnt matter to me. Just good health.
That's good. So you're current situation has you planted rather firmly in the northeast, riding for a big company and getting more coverage than ever. Coverage-wise, what put the fire under your ass? Before you were consistent, but lately now its like you are in every mag.
Well, mainly I just have this opportunity with Zoo. Its like a second chance for me to stay alive in the skate world. So I can get my hustle on and make this work, or I can sit on my ass and watch it all go down the tubes. Its been nothing but fun. I love every ounce of what I am doing. Its not even work, the only thing that sucks is leaving my girl at home when I travel. Everything else is one-hundred percent true fun, skateboarding with the team and with the photographers and filmers. So this opportunity will pay off. I promise.
Its five months along right now. We are going to have a daughter, so my girl is shopping daily. Its not 100% but the doc says its most likely going to be a girl.
A human child girl?
Yep, a little heartbreaker.
How do you think you will handle a girl?
I will love her with all my heart.
Good answer.
Its the truth. I never had a preference of sex. Boy or girl doesnt matter to me. Just good health.
That's good. So you're current situation has you planted rather firmly in the northeast, riding for a big company and getting more coverage than ever. Coverage-wise, what put the fire under your ass? Before you were consistent, but lately now its like you are in every mag.
Well, mainly I just have this opportunity with Zoo. Its like a second chance for me to stay alive in the skate world. So I can get my hustle on and make this work, or I can sit on my ass and watch it all go down the tubes. Its been nothing but fun. I love every ounce of what I am doing. Its not even work, the only thing that sucks is leaving my girl at home when I travel. Everything else is one-hundred percent true fun, skateboarding with the team and with the photographers and filmers. So this opportunity will pay off. I promise.
Trick: Ollie Photography: Sean Cronan
How do you feel about the current Zoo line up? It seems to go through mega changes every few years.
Yeah. well thats been a hard one. It takes time to get things aligned. We had trouble in the motivation department. So we changed a few things and now everyone involved can see how they are blessed to have this chance. They put the needed effort in. Now that everyone is motivated the level of everything at Zoo climbs, from the designs of the ads and products, to the skateboarding itself. Everything is on an upward swing. By next year our momentum will be like a freight train doing mach 10.
What's up with Chris Halls flick (Get Familiar)? Youve got a part, right?
Yeah, its in the works. September deadlines. Im not sure when it will be available.
Well okay then. What the hell are you doing when youre not skating?
Hanging with my girl, preparing for fatherhood, and hanging with my family and my peeps.
You got another dog. Is that like taking some practice swings before a little package from the stork shows up?
Yeah, kind of. The two-year-old pug we have needed a lil bro so when the baby comes they can both horse around without being jealous of the baby. The vet told us it was a good idea to have a second pug so they wouldnt get heart broken due to all the attention the baby would get.
Do your pugs snore standing up?
Nah, they sneeze on you at times, but they are really chill dogs. Very loving and they play all day, kind of like me. They are just out for fun.
Okay. So wrapping this up I want an exact schedule for the coming year, dates, locations, and predicted moods on those dates.
Well, I will be doing whatever Seamus asks me to do. He is our new Zoo manager and the best dude ever. So I will be available for all that they ask of me. Tours and filming missions all over the place. Overseas missions. I will be a happy man wherever I am unless I cant skate with you guys! Boo.
Okay, and then thanks or verbal handshakes you'd like to extend via Focus mag.
I would like to thank Zoo York and I want to thank my family, friends, and my girl. All the skaters out there, thanks for the support. Catch you guys on the streets!
Yeah. well thats been a hard one. It takes time to get things aligned. We had trouble in the motivation department. So we changed a few things and now everyone involved can see how they are blessed to have this chance. They put the needed effort in. Now that everyone is motivated the level of everything at Zoo climbs, from the designs of the ads and products, to the skateboarding itself. Everything is on an upward swing. By next year our momentum will be like a freight train doing mach 10.
What's up with Chris Halls flick (Get Familiar)? Youve got a part, right?
Yeah, its in the works. September deadlines. Im not sure when it will be available.
Well okay then. What the hell are you doing when youre not skating?
Hanging with my girl, preparing for fatherhood, and hanging with my family and my peeps.
You got another dog. Is that like taking some practice swings before a little package from the stork shows up?
Yeah, kind of. The two-year-old pug we have needed a lil bro so when the baby comes they can both horse around without being jealous of the baby. The vet told us it was a good idea to have a second pug so they wouldnt get heart broken due to all the attention the baby would get.
Do your pugs snore standing up?
Nah, they sneeze on you at times, but they are really chill dogs. Very loving and they play all day, kind of like me. They are just out for fun.
Okay. So wrapping this up I want an exact schedule for the coming year, dates, locations, and predicted moods on those dates.
Well, I will be doing whatever Seamus asks me to do. He is our new Zoo manager and the best dude ever. So I will be available for all that they ask of me. Tours and filming missions all over the place. Overseas missions. I will be a happy man wherever I am unless I cant skate with you guys! Boo.
Okay, and then thanks or verbal handshakes you'd like to extend via Focus mag.
I would like to thank Zoo York and I want to thank my family, friends, and my girl. All the skaters out there, thanks for the support. Catch you guys on the streets!
Trick: Lein to Tail Photography: Ryan Gee
Trick: Frontside 180 Photography: Sean Cronan
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