normalnotwell's Profile

From: Ocean City, MD
Joined: August 30, 2007
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=1391449

About normalnotwell:

Born: Baltimore Maryland 2/23/73
Influence skateboarding: Chris Miller, Bucky Lasek, Mike Frazier, Tom Boyle, Neil Blender.
Influence Art: Wyeths, Dali, Blender and sooo many more, Mom and other interests (see other interests...)
Yrs Skateboarding: 20 something??
Other interests: Herpetology, fishing, hiking, playing musical instruments, photography.
Favorite band/ musicians: The Melvins, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur jr., Bauhaus (old stuff)
Favorite reptile: Lizard (varanus Rudicolis and v. jobiensis) Snake (Morelia clastolepis and Morelia amethystine) Turtle (Malaclemys terrapin) Amphibian (Phyllomedusa bicolor)


Words by Jesse Fritsch
interview; skateboarder Magazine

I’m not quite sure how to describe Matt Dove; I’m not sure anyone does. You see, what he does makes no sense to the average person—and it’s been like this forever.
I first met Matt at Woodward when I was 12 years old. It was my first day there, and he showed up after just winning the NSA finals, which at the time was the biggest amateur skateboard contest. He was sponsored by everyone that was popular at the time—Planet Earth, Airwalk, Gullwing—and was about to turn pro. As the story goes, a few weeks later Matt went to clean a fish tank and didn’t reappear for four years.
During those four years, I constantly wondered what happened to Matt, everyone did. He became a sort of mythical figure whose whereabouts people would discuss late at night. But then, four years later, I was at Woodward again and Matt just rolled in ready to skate again.
Nine years later, Dove is now one of my best friends, even if I still don’t get him. From breeding lizards to fighting ESPN to missing a few days of skating because he’s looking for rattlesnakes to disappearing for four years, he never seems to make any sense to anyone. The only thing I can say for sure is that when pros say they “just skate for fun” or that “money doesn’t matter,” Dove is one of the few who really mean it. When and if that ever changes, he’ll probably disappear again.


Words by Remy Stratton
interview; Transworld skateboard magazine/brain floss

Matt Dove is within. He’s one who displays action of his own without checking out who’s looking. For instance, the other day a Suburban was bumping the streets of Costa Mesa, California. The driver sat alone with the windows rolled down–his neck moving every which way, scanning for onlookers. Strange is this phenomenon. Seemingly dodging bullets while an arsenal of his own insecurities lashed out upon everyone like a grenade exploding.
I love Matt because he has nothing to do with this sort. Dove is more of a chameleon–able to stealthily penetrate pretentious scenes without a trace. He and his mindful appreciation for all inhabitants of Earth walk a path of respect. His skateboarding abilities are unique in that his bag stock is individual.
When walking trails away from man, Matt’s been known to accumulate specimens in the reptilian species. Somewhere along the line, Matt took on a passion for reptiles, fish, and such. Perhaps, growing up in downtown Baltimore, a rough and tough sailor city, had him seeking refuge along the shoreline for peace of mind–alongside riverbanks among the tall reeds avoiding contact with the ever so abrasive man. He did work at a zoo for a while tending to living matters.
My first encounter with Matt was in the cold city of Baltimore winters ago. I found myself staring into tub after tub filled with various scaled specimens in their primal stages of life. Heat lamps, timers, nets, thermometers, bags of food, different plants, aquariums–each tub contained hundreds of one species, and they were to be bred and dispersed to other lovers of the scale. This is when I first realized something here was different. This person isn’t caught up in what your average young gentleman is–he’s accelerated in a specific field and his passion showed a peaceful self. This makes for a peaceful traveler. A self-sufficient individual will always stand free, and Dove’s expressions through art depict a deeper appreciation for his environment.