OUR FAMOUS FRIENDS ... MIKE MASON DISHES ON PICK-UP LINES, MOTO X AND KANSAS HOUSEWIVES

by Evan Bartsch

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Mason should be warned, anti-gravity pills are tasty, but addictive!

Moto X star Mike Mason won't yet be confused with a superstar. As his profile page shows , he was modest when he started, and his early success still hasn't reached the point where the ladies will recognize the name alone, at least according to him. But we dig Mase. We've been following his blog all year; it's a place where he dishes on life in all manners. And it's funny. So we decided to hit him up for a chat. If you like this, make sure you catch him in the fall issue of EXPN Mag.

MAG: How would you explain what you do to a middle-aged housewife in Kansas?
MASON: Well, we take a normal motorcycle, cut it all up so we can put our hands all over it in the air, then we take it to a contest and put it in 2nd gear and hit a tall metal ramp. From there we have the option to grab where we cut it out or pop a wheelie off the ramp and make the motorcycle back-flip and then take limbs off and make it look spectacular. Is this middle aged housewife single?

When did you know you were capable of being more than a fan of Moto X?
I didn't really know I was ever going to be anymore than a fan until about five years ago. I had been riding my whole life and always looked up to all the top names and watched everything on TV, but after the Dew tour and X games a couple years back I finally felt this was going to be my profession, which made it weird because I had to then focus on competing against guys I used to watch on TV instead of being a fan of them.

Why do you excel, without naming some energy drink?
(Laughs) I would say it's my drive. Energy drinks work well, but usually only for 30 minutes to an hour. I've been riding for 21 years so I would be hurting if I had to pump out the energy drinks to survive!!

Give me your Top 5 Nicknames in Moto X.
1. Twitch: Jeremy Stenburg
2. Sup Did: Adam Jones (a Mike Mason signature nickname)
3. Destroyer: Nate Adams
4. Kung Fu: Ronnie Faisst
5. Who's Your Daddy: Ronnie Renner

I'm glad I got Mase because it's just for people that are too lazy to say my whole last name.

You have a musical muse for riding?
Music is a huge part of my life. I love to listen to my favorite bands before I ride just to get the energy level kickin'. I also started playing guitar a couple years back so that has been so much fun to me. I can't play a damn thing really, but I crank up the amp loud and rock out like I'm playing a live show!

What music really grabs you right now?
Right now I've really been into metal, bands like Metallica and Pantera and this new band coming up Black Tide. They're stuff is heavy and I love it. I don't get how dudes listen to hip hop before they ride, that would make me want to think about spending my prize money and relaxing.

Indiana Jones hates snakes. Mike Mason hates…?
Mike Mason hates stuck up chicks.

Personal experience…
(Laughs) Well it's just lame, 9 times out of 10 the chick isn't even that hot to be stuck up so that really upsets me. They all think they are the next Paris Hilton or something with their dumb little dogs in their purses and oversized glasses. Give me a heavy set normal woman and I wouldn't complain!

Give me some MotoX lingo. How would I describe an amazing trick?
If you saw an amazing trick you'd have to use the word "gnarly" somewhere in your sentence, it's mandatory!

So what's your "gnarly" go-to trick?
My go to trick would be a Holy Grab which is basically where I float above my bike like superman not holding onto anything, which gets me excited; I like living on the edge!

Scariest?
Scariest for me would be Seat Grab back flips because I have almost crashed a lot practicing them.

Make your case why MotoX should be in the hearts and minds of regular fans.
America should love what we do because scares the hell out of us as athletes. Every time we get on our bikes we know there is a chance we could get seriously messed up. So America should be like, "Those guys are scared they are going to die, and they ride for cheap, so we should not love NFL anymore because they make millions and then holdout on contracts to make more millions!" Of course this is just my opinion, America, you make the right decision!

What gets you in with the ladies, a gnarly Holy Grab or the pickup line?
It would have to be a gnarly Holy Grab. (Laughs) Anyone who knows me well knows I lock up when it comes to the pick up lines, I usually mess up a line in it and it doesn't roll out smooth at all!

Your blogging is never too stuffy. Got what you call a "style" yet?
Yeah for sure, like I said I don't like to sit there and just talk about riding, most people know what contests I'm riding or how I did, so I try and take what I'm feeling or thinking in my life and put that into words. Sometimes it is about riding and sometimes it's about me getting scared that I'm getting old and washed up, or sometimes it's even about me having a good time with my friends.

We have your stuff on Jock-osphere all the time. Do you read the other jock blogs?
I do actually check in on a lot of the athletes and see what they write about. I'm a huge football fan so I always like reading the blogs posted by the rookies that just came out of the draft. It's awesome for a guy like me to get behind the scenes info about training camps and what they are going through rather than the same stuff I watch on NFL network.