VonZipper: Hey Gerry, or El Bano I guess I should call you. How are you bud?
Brendan Gerard: Excellente amigo. Está fiesta de puta madre.
VZ: Ok, that’s great. Let's get to some real questions. How do you think it is that you have become known as Gerry as opposed to your actual name of Brendan Gerard?
BG: Gerry comes from a shortening of my last name. It came about years ago from my friend Ben Rice. I'm a man of many nicknames. Some others might include, "stunt dick Gerry or SDG", “Party Barbie", “Gerald", "Gary almost", "the sorcerer", "Brenda", "the prince of darkness", the list goes on...
VZ: Well we’re running with El Bano for now. So you’ve been quite the world traveler as of late. Give me the breakdown of where you’ve been in the last 6 months.
BG: Europe, Canada, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, California, Thailand, China, and currently I'm headed down the California highway 1 to come meet up with you and go ride Big Bear.
VZ: Stunt Dick Gerry the global citizen. That’s got a ring to it I guess... but not much snow in a lot of those places. You got some sort of side gig going on that helps you travel to the corners of the earth?
BG: More like a side piece
VZ: Very Interesting. So about last winter… You came out to the VZ WildLife Lodge a couple times. First you were with Shane from Absinthe Films and you guys were trying to make some stuff happen. That whole thing ended in a funny fashion. Care to take us through it?
BG: Yeah, we listened to the weatherman and that was a big mistake, but as it usually does everything ended up a pretty bitchin time. We drove out from slc with snowmobiles fully loaded and everything all geared up for filming some pow but despite our best efforts we were unsuccessful. One of those, "well tomorrow looks better" scenarios that just resulted in some very shitty wind.
VZ: I guess sometimes the gamble is a bust eh. OK and then you came back later in the season and it was basically just a big VonZipper / SpringBreak Snowboards Party with your brother Redmond thrown in the mix. We had good snow and the days were longer. But you almost killed yourself trying to get rad on the Donner lake Train tunnels. Super sketchy but also kinda funny once we realized you weren’t in fact dead. Which visit was your favorite?
BG: Yeahhhh uhhh, definitely coulda thought that one through a little better in hindsight, hahahah. It was still a shot wasn't it. The second trip out was way better for me. The return of the snow is the return of the good times. Little bro being there makes it all the better. I just get to chuck him off all the shit I don't wanna hit. Little human guinea pig hahah. Although I think the second half of the trip was seriously lacking some late night karaoke/tattoo sessions.
VZ: Stock Question: VonZipper El Ninos… Family / Gang / Team or Bad Joke. Which is it to you?
BG: I thought it was a mentally disabled Spanish class?
VZ: So it's like a Spanish Class Gang. Got it. It’s now the beginning of December. Winter is underway and there is snow falling across most of the Western United States. What are your plans?
BG: I hadn't thought much past our plans for road tripping to bear and Colorado Tuesday. That's still on right?
VZ: Uhhhh right. Do your boarding plans at this point include wearing outerwear or are you good to run Chinos and a leather Jacket with no gloves for yet another season?
BG: I'm going full bondage this season, gag ball, leather mask, "daddy" choker, and Assless chaps.
VZ: That’s really exciting. Bano, it's been a pleasure catching up. Keep it real till next time.
BG: It's el baño motherfucker! Til next time
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