Issue 74: Karim Callender On The Side Of Happiness
Photography by Steven Stinson.
As Max Palmer’s part in Limosine’s 2021 debut video, Paymaster, fades to black, we are briefly introduced to the smiles and laughter of Karim Callender.
Those from New York or in the know, knew he was; we’d gotten a brief glimpse of him in the second 917 video, as well as a minute and a half of teenaged-footage in 5Boro’s 2015 video 5BNY, but to the rest of the world, this was their first real hello.His Paymaster section set to the dreamy soundscape of VilloVilduVeta’s “Nästan”, slowed down the pace of the video, feeling like a fever dream of an interval. Only six tricks, most of which set in slow motion, were the perfect introduction to Karim; we saw his approach, his smile, his frontside flip, and his perfectly sketchy style - like Logan Lara saying “Hey, this is Karim. Don’t worry, there’s more to come”.
More than just Karim, Paymaster introduced the world to a new industry-favorite, instantly clear that Limosine’s genuinity made it the perfect example of what a modern skateboard company ought to be. ‘It’s been super organic. Cyrus told me they had all left 917, were going to do their own thing and asked if I wanted to join,’ Karim says while on the phone biking from his home in Brooklyn to a friend's studio in Manhattan. ‘I'm so hyped on all the feedback - how hyped everyone is on it and how exciting it is. I’m in search of words for how grateful I am to just be a part of that crew. It still trips me out that we are friends; me and my buddies I grew up with in Queens would all trip out over their old projects.’
That same crew has helped Karim go from working at Scarr’s Pizza (rated the world’s second best slice by Timeout) to a fully fledged pro skateboarder. Leaving the pizza shop to skate full time was a move he says was ‘the best feeling ever,’ comparable to ‘graduating high school again’. At the same time, however, the transition to full time skateboarding was one he says was ‘humbling and interesting.’
‘The first few weeks were weird, waking up and being like ‘This is insane, all I need to do is skate’. It didn't feel real until the projects started coming through and there were things to work on.’
‘We literally do not stop,’ he says. ‘Johnny [Wilson] and Andrew [Wilson] have this sense of urgency, I see it with both the brothers. It’s so sick having friends like that because all the stuff accumulates and it’s like, ‘holy shit, we really have been doing it.’’ In just the last twelve months, that accumulation of footage has turned into parts in Nike SB’s Quickstrike, Johnny’s Vid, a shared part with Antonio Durao in Johnny’s Spitfire Vid, and standout footage in the Limosine videos released with each drop. The shared part with Antonio is one for the books, their clips back to back, layered with inside jokes and a behinana, radiating a certain authentic joy that can’t be planned or forced. Just best friends, doing what they love, at a level which is beyond ridiculous; it was skateboarding stripped back to its purest.
‘I try to laugh as much as I can, be hyped and just try to push myself to remember shit can be so much worse. The most random shit gets me pumped, I really just remember to talk to strangers, smile, or whatever. It really works.’
Talking to Karim, even over the phone, you can feel the joy that is present in all his footage, and without even realising it you find yourself smiling the most you have in weeks. In our hour-long call, he kept saying how grateful he was - grateful for the way his life has turned out, his career as a skateboarder, his former boss Scarr at Scarr’s Pizza, his friends, his mother and how she raised him - even this interview. He carries a genuine stoke akin to a kid who just landed their first kickflip, yet he’s still self-aware enough to know the dangers of being overly positive. ‘You have to live in neutrality, so you don't have super high highs or super low lows,’ he says. ‘Antonio got me thinking about that, he would tell me even when something ill happens, you embrace it and be happy about it, but know there’s still more to do, so keep going. It was a huge help because I get super hyped.’
While living in that state of neutrality, it seems he’s always on the side of happiness. How does he keep himself so level-headed, positive, and excited about life? ‘I tell this to everyone: it’s my mom and the way she raised me. I’ve seen her work so hard my whole life. I would ask her how she would do it. She would always say, 'you just push through, there's always going to be better days.’ She’s right.’
Get your hands on issue 74, here.
