Like a siren singing lullaby’s to haggard sailors, New York City has always whispered a seductive tone to East Coast skaters living outside the boundaries of its concrete mass. Marse Farmer is no exception.

Enjoy, and once you’re done watching, scroll down for a Q&A with Marse about his decade working in skateshops while pursuing a skate career. Also, consider supporting the boys by buying a DVD of the full length HERE!

As a longtime skate shop employee, first at Skatepark of Tampa (SPOT) and now Labor in New York, what’s one shopper no-no?
Coming into the shop asking for a used board drop off and then asking for a specific size. I don’t know what the sizes are. You’re asking for something for free, you’re getting what you get. We give out like two to sometimes ten boards a day. We keep these boards around for kids who can’t afford to buy a new board.

What’s the most common question you get asked at the shop these days?
Probably “Does the size of the board matter?” or really any component of a skateboard people will ask if the size matters. I’m always unsure how to answer too, because for me the size of the board doesn’t really matter, it’s all preference, but we always try to get people on a board that makes sense and will be good for them to start off on.

I know firsthand that shit goes down in Ybor City, but what’s the oddest thing you’ve seen while on the clock at SPOT?
I saw someone jump off of the I4 highway in a police chase, which is like 30 feet tall, and then hide under the dock that goes over the moat outside of the skatepark. Multiple cops had guns pulled and everything, and this was all during skate camp [laughs].

Through the years you’ve skated in a couple Tampa AMs. What have you learned about contest skating through taking part in those?
Don’t do a Benihana [laughs]. Nah, I don’t know, I only did well in one Tampa Am back in 2018. I forget exactly who won that year, but that was when I noticed contest skating getting crazy, like back 270 kickflip lipslide 270 out type tricks. I’m not doing that shit. 2018 was also the year I started to notice a lot of the same tricks, like bigspin front boards.

You’ve lived in San Francisco, New York City, and Florida over the years. How would you describe the skate scenes?
New York is way more cliquey than SF or Florida. All three have different crews and whatnot, but there’s a way bigger variety of crews in New York. In SF you’re going to run into someone you know every single day because it’s so small there. I mean SF is only seven miles wide, it’s so small compared to Florida, where you have to drive everywhere, and New York, where it’s pretty uncommon to run into people you know day to day.

Do you think Florida produces the best skaters?
In my opinion, yeah. I mean we have [Andrew] Reynolds, Jamie Foy. And there’s so many more. Jimmy Lannon is one of my favorites. Also Abdias Rivera, Pat Steiner, and all those people from the first Static videos.

Do you have a favorite from the Static series?
Probably Static Four, the one that introduced Aaron Herrington.

How did you and Tristan [Mershon] originally meet?
We met through Skatepark of Tampa. I started working at SPOT my last week of senior year in high school, and Tristan was already working there. After like a month of working together we started filming together, so yeah, like ten years of filming together. He’s filmed 90% of the skating I’ve ever put out.

I mean I’ve had four parts, and he’s filmed three of them. He filmed every clip in my Veer part, every clip in my Transworld Checkout. And this new video, I don’t think I filmed with anyone else for it.

How do you repay Tristan for all the time he’s spent filming you skate?
I guess by moving in with him. Paying half the rent [laughs].

You’ve been hopping around different sponsors since I’ve known you. What’s it like trying to get on a team in 2025?
Fuck, I don’t even know really. Now that I’m at the age I’m at, about to be 30, I’m not pressed to get on a company. I know how the skate industry is, and even though it would be cool to go on trips, I’m just fortunate enough to get what I get for now.

Does it ever bum you out that you got stuck in flow purgatory?
No, I think I almost did it to myself. When I was younger I never stayed loyal to the companies that were giving me shit. Back when I got Girl boards I quit to get Enjoi boards because I thought I’d never move to Long Beach or LA, and then I ended up on the West Coast anyway.

As you’ve gotten older, how has your outlook on a skate career changed?
I mean I’ll always have to work a job, which I don’t mind, but even if something happened at this point I’d still have to keep working. I realized that while living in SF. People I knew out there that skated for companies still had day jobs throughout the week. But I think that’s always been the way skateboarding is, like after working in a skateshop for as long as I have I realized that most of these dudes probably work a job, unless you’re on like an energy drink brand or big shoe brand.

How do you keep skating exciting these days?
Skating with the right group of people is important to me these days. I guess skate less rails too [laughs].

Interview and Intro by: Ben Komins
Buy the full-length “Singer Tower” HERE
Yell into the void on Facebook
Doomscroll on Instagram and Twitter