Limosine’s latest promo, “8” marks the company’s two year anniversary. A standout in every production since their debut with Paymaster, Nelly Morville spoke about growing up in San Clemente and having the support and backing of Cyrus Bennett, Max Palmer, Logan Lara and co. for her feature interview originally published in Closer Issue #3.
Interview by FARRAN GOLDING
Photography by JAIME OWENs
COLLAGES BY SAMMY SPITERI
Taking the standout part in any video is an accomplishment but when cult favourites Cyrus Bennett, Max Palmer and Aaron Loreth are amongst your co-stars, something special is afoot. Nelly Morville debuted in Limosine Skateboards’ opening production, Paymaster and stole the show with a wholesomely reckless approach to skateboarding topped off with an ever-present smile. Wrapping up the latest Limosine project, I caught up with Nelly to get her backstory, talk all things Paymaster and life since then.
“It feels cool to be on a team that started a year ago. It’s a personal thing where I want to do as much as I can.”
You came into the spotlight when Limosine launched, with your part in Paymaster, and you’ve had a decent amount footage in each project since. Did that video set a precedent for you?
I love those guys and I’m grateful to be a part of a company which is so awesome and new. It feels cool to be on a team that started a year ago. It’s a personal thing where I want to do as much as I can. I just want to be a part of it really bad. Honestly, I think that’s what it is for me [laughs].
I love how regularly Limosine have released videos over the past year.
For sure, I think it works too. They’re trying to do a video with every drop. Limosine doesn’t have a heavy Instagram presence so the way to stay in peoples’ minds is to have videos coming out all the time. I like that way of going about it. Putting out a five minute video once seemed kind of pointless but now it’s cool to have whatever people have gotten over the past few months.
How’s San Clemente as a place to grow up?
It’s a huge surf culture. It’s home to some of the most famous breaks in California. I grew up on the beach. I would surf but I wasn’t doing contests. I got into skating around high school and kind of ignored everything else. It’s mostly rich kids surfing and riding e-Bikes to the beach [laughs]. I grew up in downtown San Clemente, my parents have been renting a house there for my entire life, pretty much. I think I’m six or so blocks away from what was [Ryan] Sheckler’s mansion.
Nelly Morville, frontside grind, coast to coast — San Clemente, CA. photo: Jaime Owens
Shari White told me your dad surfs. Does he skate too?
My dad grew up in Laguna Beach, two towns over from San Clemente. He’s a huge surfer, one of those people in the water every day, all day. When I was a kid he’d ride down the street but he never exactly skated. He did the ‘80s version of skating. My mom told me that when she met him he was always longboarding around. A very surfer’s approach to skating.
He wanted to raise us on the beach, my brothers and I, so we spent a lot of time there. I saw a photo of him pushing me on a surfboard when I was, like, three or four years old so he definitely wanted me to do it. I’ve been surfing on and off since I was a little kid. Whenever it sounds fun, pretty much.
Did skateboarding come off the back of that surf culture or did you come to it separately?
Pretty separate, honestly. I was definitely one of those angsty teenagers, the hate-your-hometown thing so you hate what’s going on in your hometown. When I was 13 or 14 I thought surfing was so lame so I started skating for that reason [laughs].
“Surfing’s whack! I’m not going to the beach!”
I’m going to share this with you but it’s bad: in middle school we had an outlet mall across from our school. This person worked Zumiez, who I thought was really cool, and she sold me a Thrasher shirt. I went to school a couple of days afterwards wearing the Thrasher shirt and some kid was like, “You don’t even skate!”
I was, like, “Huh? I can varial flip.”
I was fully lying. I started skating a week-or-so after that because I was like, “Oh my god, now I have to skate.”
“Surfing’s whack! I’m not going to the beach!”
The important question: how long until you could varial flip?
Probably a year or so. It was a big moment for me [laughs].
Andrew Allen is from San Juan Capistrano which is just down the road from San Clemente. Who were some of the early skaters you were paying attention to?
Oh, yeah. He’s the Orange County legend. Have you heard of ‘SK8 LOCOS’? Andrew Allen, Mike Greene, Donny Duhadway – a bunch of guys who were older than me who I’d see at the skatepark every once in a while. I’d go home and watch a SK8 LOCOS video, thinking, “These guys are insane!”
Around that time, I was really bored. Very middle school, trying to figure out what you’re doing. Skating got me to go do things. It was mainly local stuff. SK8 LOCOS, Permanent Vacation [San Clemente-based board brand—ed.], I was really into Zero and San Diego stuff. I didn’t know much about skating so it was kinda the guys I saw around.
Jaime [Owens] told me that San Clemente is pretty dry for street spots and most kids just skate the local park. Is that a fair summary?
Definitely. With Olaf’s Video, a lot of that footage is in San Clemente but when it comes to an actual street spot, like “this is a ledge we can skate”, it’s pretty impossible. It’s very much skating a stair-set in front of someone’s house instead of a plaza or whatever. It doesn’t have a city feel to it. It’s very Southern California.
Slappy crook tailgrab, San Clemente, CA. photo: Jaime Owens
How do you think that visiting other cities shaped your skating once you started travelling?
I feel like I try and stick to what I know. Even when I go to L.A. – or I was just in Vancouver with Shari – it’s like, “Oh there’s this dope bank that we should check out… On the side of this person’s house,” [laughs]. I’d never skated the classic, marble ledge-type-spots.
New York was the one where I was, like, “Holy shit, these are skate spots.” I went there the summer before last [2020] and it was my first time there. I was in Massachusetts visiting family so I took the train up to New York and skated L.E.S. and Tompkins [Square Park] for a week. I went back to L.A., and was going to visit New York again for my birthday, then I just ended up staying [in New York] and started getting into a skate routine, trying to figure the place out [laughs]. I was living in the East Village, in St. Mark’s Place, right next to Tompkins.
Where were things at with you and Limosine?
At that point, it wasn’t in my mind much, honestly. I’d been filming with Logan [Lara — Limosine filmer], I thought there was going to be a video, maybe, and they were planning on starting a company but I was in the dark about it. It wasn’t until a month before Limosine launched and that full-length [Paymaster] came out that I knew what was going on.
Nelly’s standout section from Paymaster, the debut Limosine production, with commentary from her interview in Closer #3.
You were the surprise hit, totally out of nowhere. I interviewed Cyrus Bennett not too long ago and he said you were basically Logan’s addition to the company. How’d you get to know him?
It was through Instagram. He hit me up, like, “Hey, do you want 917 boards?” so he was sending me flow which not many people know. I was never “on”, I was just getting boards then I started driving up to L.A. and filming. I got into a routine with him then he told me after a couple of months that everyone had quit 917. He was still giving me boards out of his car [laughs]. It was funny. I didn’t even know everyone had quit then, like, afterwards he told me they were planning on starting something. It was very much that we were just skating together all the time. When the new company started, he wanted to use my footage for that. I was really hyped that he wanted me to be a part of it, not just a flow kid.
“[cyrus] is the craziest skater I’ve seen in person. He just doesn’t stop skating, he tries the hardest tricks and sticks with it. Cyrus and Max both do that. They’re soul crushers”
Were you already a fan of Logan’s videos and that crew of Cyrus, Max [Palmer] and co. from their time on 917 and in Johnny Wilson’s videos?
Yeah, I went to New York because I was such a huge fan. John’s Vid changed what I thought about skateboarding. Like, “Cyrus is the sickest skateboarder ever. I need to see all this.” The way he flicks his board, the way he lands stuff, the sheer look of pain on his face rolling up to a trick [laughs]. You can tell he’s skating so hard. He’s the craziest skater I’ve seen in person. He just doesn’t stop skating, he just tries the hardest tricks and sticks with it. Cyrus and Max both do that. They’re soul crushers [laughs]. I’m a huge fan of his. I loved his stuff from 917 and John’s Vid. I’d also never been to New York before and seeing that part of New York, and the way they skate there, was really inspiring too.
You brought something wonderful to Paymaster and Limosine, especially with it being the company’s debut. Your skating speaks for itself but all the b-roll of you smiling seemed to strike a chord with people. Was that an accurate portrayal, are you that happy all the time?
Damn [laughs]. Not everyone is that happy all the time but if I’m having a good day skating then, yeah, I do feel like that a lot. It’s like a little kid thing. You’re trying a trick and you get all hyper and excited. When you’re skating a skatepark with your friends, you’re like, “This is so fun I don’t want it to end!” It feels like that when I’m trying to film a trick. Especially with Logan because he’s the funniest person too. Filming with him, I enjoy myself that much, honestly.
Wholesome scenes amongst heavy slams from Paymaster. Stills courtesy of Limosine Skateboards.
“Not everyone is that happy all the time but if I’m having a good day skating then, yeah, I do feel like that a lot.”
Even when you’re slamming by the look of it.
That’s just fun! Everyone who gets pissed when they eat shit and that confuses me. It’s a fun thing to do. If you think about it, it’s like, “Alright, I tried to do a trick on a skateboard and I fell onto the ground.” Most people in the world don’t get to do that.
Speaking of slams, Brick 9 got you pretty good. How’d that early grab come about?
I was going through a phase of starting to do early grabs. Now, I do so many that I can’t stop. I would do that little yank off of stuff, out of kickers, and I thought, “This trick seems like it would be easy down stuff.”
I was messing around with it at Three Up Three Down when Shari came to New York, she filmed that clip. She was on a trip with Dustin [Henry], Una [Farrar], a couple of other people, and asked if there were any spots I wanted to skate.
“You know… I can’t think of any spots that sound fun so let’s go skate this stair set and I’m gonna throw myself down it.” I started trying that and it worked out pretty easily. Now that trick is a go-to.
I feel like you’re forced to stick that trick because you’re already so compact.
That’s what’s good about it: you can’t bail. Skating a ten-stair or something, I’m like, “I could ollie this to get the feel for it,” but I might have to kick out and then end up landing funny. With that [early grab], if I fall it’s because I’m just going to get wheelbite.
Drop-in — Los Angeles. photo: Jared Sherbert.
You touched on it a little at the start but could you speak a little more on what resonates with you about Limosine as a company to ride for?
Honestly, it’s the people on the team. Aaron Loreth alone is enough for me to want to be on Limosine [laughs]. It’s a bunch of people who I love spending time with, I love seeing their footage, and filming with Logan is the best. I can’t imagine being on another team working with someone else on making a part.
They’re also really supportive. With this trip, I told Logan I wanted to finish up for this video and he was, like, “Yeah, go to S.F. – finish filming.” It’s a really small company where I feel like I’m in it.
After such a positive response to Paymaster did it feel strange being “famous”overnight, for lack of a better way to put it?
That was really weird. I had to put my phone away for a week. I’d never had anything come out before and then it was a bunch of Instagram followers, a bunch of people hitting me up, a couple of companies hitting me up, all this stuff. I was, like, “Dude, what is this? This just happens to people?!” It was cool though. It was a large amount of social anxiety that eventually turned into something good [laughs].
Did you talk to Cyrus, Logan, or any of those guys, about how to navigate it?
Yeah. Logan has given me the best advice with talking to companies and dealing with that stuff.
“These people hitting you up, you’re going to say this and this.”
They helped me get through it. I probably would have made some very irresponsible decisions if it wasn’t for them.
“There should be more transparency as far as how you should do it, LIKE: “This is how much money a person at this level is making so you should be negotiating for that.”
It’s fortunate you have those people around you. Do you think there needs to be formal guidance in place for younger skateboarders who are getting sponsored? Otherwise, you’re in at the deep end, by yourself, unless you’re in some superstar position with a manager, I guess.
Totally. No-one talks about it but it should be talked about. Negotiating a contract, people being more transparent about how much money they’re making; people don’t realise that people around them are making money so they don’t feel like they should say anything. There should be more transparency as far as how you should do it and, “This is how much money a person at this level is making so you should be negotiating for that.”
What’s your advice for those figuring out the ins-and-outs of sponsorship? Surrounding yourself with older people who you can trust?
Totally: talking to people who know what they’re talking about but knowing what you have to offer too. Be aware of what you’re doing and talk to people about it. So many people get a sponsorship and it turns to nothing. I would say advocate for yourself. Make sure the people around you know how hard you’re working.
Limosine’s first video, Paymaster by Logan Lara featuring Cyrus Bennett, Max Palmer, Aaron Loreth, Nelly Morville, Hugo Boserup and more.
Earlier on we talked about Limosine having a consistent output in a short space of time. Are you feeling much pressure to one-up yourself with each video?
I’m sure that pressure is there but I’m not stressing. I have the spots I want to skate, the tricks I want to do and if the tricks are subjectively “better” than the last video then that’s cool but parts, for me, are mostly about finding new things, new landscapes to film tricks on, I guess. This project been so much more — I don’t want to say “relaxed” because there was no pressure on the last video [Promaster] to film a part — this one just feels way better because it’s a longer period of time.
Although you’ve been travelling a bunch lately, you’re still skating with your friends back in San Clemente a lot. Has that connection become more important as skateboarding has taken off for you?
Travelling all the time, you get tired. Like, “Jeez, I’ve been skating a spot every day for the past three weeks.” Then you get to go back home and skate curbs with a bunch of people who I’ve been going to the skatepark with for years. It feels good. They’re my closest friends so I want to spend as much time with them as I can.
Backside kickflip from the hip down the local, amongst other San Clemente scenes. centre photo: Anthony Acosta
Winding down, I know you’re into literature – specifically poetry, are you still writing much?
It’s taken a back-burner. I really like reading and writing but it’s been hard, being on trips, finding time to do that. It’s something I’m still interested in. I spend a lot of time reading books and watching movies. That’s mostly what I’m doing when I not skating. My favourite author is Albert Camus, if you haven’t read The Stranger it’s one of those, like, “You need to this read this!” type of books. I read a lot of philosophy, Jean-Paul Sartre, stuff like that. I’m not a school person in the slightest but it would be really nice to learn more about the craft [of writing] and how to do it in a way that’s not just scribbling on paper.
There was a photo of you in a My Chemical Romance tee on the top sheet of some of the first Limo boards. Give me your favorite My Chemical Romance song…
Oh yeah, that’s me. I was a very emo middle schooler. I think I was 12 in that photo and that’s the way I looked; just woke up every day and put that ‘fit on [laughs]. My mom sent me that photo before they were making the boards. I sent it to Logan as a “look at this” thing. I didn’t know. I saw the boards come out and was like, “Oh god…” It’s definitely going to be a song from back in the day song. Probably “I’m Not Okay”. Karaoke-ing that song, there’s nothing like that. It’s a banger.
“From what I know about Max’s eye for spots, I’m going to say [I’d rather have] Cyrus’ kickflips.”
Last one: which would you choose between having Cyrus’ kickflips or Max’s eye for spots?
Oh, I kind of have Max’s eye for spots and they stress me out a bit. Every once in a while, like when I was last in New York he sent me some spots he wanted me to skate. I was, like, “Dude. No. These aren’t spots,” [laughs]. So, from what I know about Max’s eye for spots, I’m going to say Cyrus’ kickflips.
Limosine’s latest promo, “8”, featuring (as always) an exceptional performance from Nelly Morville in the first act.
CLoser skateboarding
Issue #3
featuring…
HAVE YOU MET NELLY MORVILLE?
alongside …
