Known simply to the world as “M.J.”, Michael Jordan may have been the most influential sports player of all time. Growing up with a dream to play baseball professionally in the MLB, M.J. Worked hard when it came to sports. He also shot hoops quite a bit and was extremely talented at basketball. Michael Jordan was drafted into the NBA after proving himself to be amazing with North Carolina University and he proceeded to change the game. M.J. Was one the first players that taught the world how to fly, he could literally leap into the air and hang there for a long period of time, manoeuvring the basketball from hand to hand until he would finally have the opportunity to get it past his defenders. They had to invent the Air Jordan’s just to prepare for the next generation of players. This man could shoot, he could dunk, he was one of the best defenders the game ever saw, and he was the all-time go-to guy in any clutch situation. NBA TV and Ahmad RashadinterviewMichael Jordanas he turns 50 years old, and reminisce about the good times and all the bad, and really get down to the nitty gritty about how Jordan feels about the way his life went.
Watch this interview and wonder what would have been different if Michael Jordan had never played basketball. It would be the same question to us if Rodney Mullen, Tony Hawk, Mark Gonzales, Danny Way, Pat Duffy, Duane Peters, Chad Muska, Tom Penny or Ryan Sheckler never picked up a skateboard. These guys were all natural sports players that ended up concentrating their energy to the one they loved and changing the world around them. Where would Tiger Woods be if he never picked up a golf club? Chances are still being amazing at whatever else he chose to adventure in. Some people are just natural born innovators…
Every day I think about where skateboarding would have ended up if certain people had never been in the industry –
Without Rodney Mullen, would skateboards look like they do today? Would we be skating street or would the pools have been the only real skateboarding surface? Or would there even be skateboarding today?
Without Danny Way, would we have these Big Air Jumps that all the vert skaters are flying over fearlessly doing backflips and 720’s?
Without Pat Duffy, when would people have started to skate tech tricks on all these huge rails out there?
Without Ryan Sheckler, would we believe that a 12/13 year old could beat out he entire pro category in large competition?
And without Tony Hawk, would the world recognize and support skateboarding as much as they do right now?
The answer to most of these questions is no. Everyone brings a different style to their sport, or hobby. Each person makes a difference in the world. But we need to feel blessed when the true world changers enter the correct lifestyle, and stick with it. But they can’t always do it on their own, so please show them the support they deserve. You never know who the next legend is gonna be when it’s their first day.
Industry & Interest Magazine did a recent interview with the world’s most popular skateboarder right now – Kilian Martin. Kilian if you don’t know, is the next leader in Freestyle Street Skating. Pro for Powell Peralta he is definitely ready to represent at any given moment, and the tricks he throws down are mind-blowing taking freestyle tricks to the street obstacles – Rodney Mullen style. Kilian has been getting a ton of publicity this past year through montage videos filmed and edited by Brett Novak, but this is a great interview to get to know the boy behind the man.
A true inventor, a young creator, a dedicated learner – Kilian Martin
The NBA All-Star Weekend starts today and it reminds me of why we all do what we do each and every day. You grow up trying new activities all the time as a kid and certain ones become your passions. These are the things that make you the most happy in life and are usually what you spend the majority of your free time doing. It could be Baseball, Football, Hockey, Basketball, Skateboarding, Snowboarding, Biking, Cooking, Reading, Writing, Knitting, whatever. But when you find that hobby that keeps you alive you work at it, and strive to learn as much as possible to be better at it than everyone else.
This happens constantly in the skateboard industry. As a young kid, you get your first skateboard and you start riding it around, then you meet some other dudes that like to ride their skateboards around and you start to learn tricks, now it becomes something that you really love to do and you drop a couple of your other hobbies to make more time for it as this is your passion, then the word passion becomes the word addiction. Now you’ve decided somewhere along the line that you are going to dedicate as much time as possible to skateboarding and go out there and learn and learn and learn. This is now your love.
Any professional sports player works very hard, and has to be fully dedicated to the game they play. All we see is what they show on TV which is just the exciting part, but we don’t see the hours of practise and training that happens behind the scenes. We don’t see the arguments and frustrations that happen constantly from being overworked and always travelling. All we see is the highlights, the end result of what all that hard work has produced.
No matter what your passion is, if you are trying to turn it into a career, at some point you will start to hate it. You will overdo it and begin to wonder if all this was just a waste of your time. And when you realize that you will never be able to make it a full time career, if you allow the frustration to take over, you will eventually quit altogether…
I never understood how people dedicate years of their life to something that they cared so much about and then just completely walk away from it and never do it again, ever.
Where’s the love?
What happened to the passion?
What happened to you?
It’s always the people who actually fell in love with their hobby that stick with it for life. As you get older, your body changes and you can’t always continue to work as hard as you used to, and for all the sports guys, you can’t take the hits anymore. But you can still play, you can still go out and be active and have fun with your friends. Maybe you can’t handle doing it for hours every day anymore, but that doesn’t mean you should quit. That means you should go back to your roots of when you first discovered this passion that was so great it took over whole your life, and just do it for the love again. Quit striving to be the best, and just be a survivor.
These crooked institutions teach you from day one how to allow them to manage and control “Your Money”. Even as a little kid when you’re mom or dad tells you to put some of your money in the bank and save it. You’re already sad because it’s your money and you’re not gonna be able to spend it right away, and then you get the bank telling how to save it. You could put it in Savings Bonds, which make you absolutely no profit unless you sit on them for 10-20 years. You could put it in a separate savings account, which the bank will just happen to charge you a small monthly fee that will eventually eat up your entire amount of savings. Or you could invest it in your future but having RESP’s, which are great if you’re gonna go to school later, but if you don’t, did you make any profit?
The thing about banks is that the majority of the world has allowed them to establish themselves to the point that they are at now, and it almost makes them an inevitable necessity. Way back in time, there was only cash money, no cheques,no credit cards, no debit. So if you didn’t want to risk getting your cash stolen, you would put it in the bank for “safe keeping”. But now a days, the banks rule the world through credit – money that doesn’t even exist. Sure, they’ll lend you $300,000 for a mortgage, but it’s gonna cost you over a million by the time you pay them back. How the hell is that legal? I know that if a regular person lends another regular person money and sets up an interest charge on it, they could go to jail, so how is it legal for the banks to do it on every feature they offer? Last year we paid over $25,000 towards our mortgage and $19,000 of that went to interest, straight into the banks pocket… It’s disgusting. You can’t own a house in these times without a mortgage, unless your born into wealth like Paris Hilton or something. So you’re an automatic victim of society by being forced to utilize the banks. TD Canada Trust, PC Financial, CIBC, Scotia Bank, Royal Bank – they should all be on the Top Ten Most Wanted Criminals List…
There’s high interest credit cards, straight up loans, and the fees they charge you for services. All scams. Please explain to me again why it costs so much money for you to hold my money and then not even let me touch it for 5 business days. My favourite is when you get charged a fee for depositing cash. Is that for real……….a cash handling fee………at the bank? And then there’s Debit. This to me has got to be the easiest way for people to spend more money than they planned on. The day they created the debit machines where you could spend your money right at the store, was the end of an eternity. Now I’m not complaining about convenience, because that is the benefit of it. What I’m complaining about is that the little machine that allows the stores to take your money directly from your bank card, never tells you how much money you still have, only what you spent. And you just go from store to store spending more and more until finally – Declined!
Now you need to pull out your Credit Card, usually issued through your bank for inconvenient situations just like this one, and overspend your budget of what you could actually afford. How many other people have noticed that since they’ve used Debit all the time, they never have any money in the bank?
It’s the expressway to debt.
Try going back in time for a while and take out the actual amounts of money you are prepared to spend before going to the store and see if there’s a difference. Stick within your budget and stop allowing the banks to force you to be poor. There are some necessities that come from the bank that we need to depend on, and we should be thankful that they exist, but do they really need to rob us as much as they do?
Born February 6th, 1945, Robert Nesta Marley was a legend from day one. The mind frame of this man was above and beyond every other human being around him. He may have looked up to many preachers and followed religious beliefs but he gained the respect of everyone who met him, or even heard of him, and Bob Marley lived a life with one purpose – to bring the world together and find freedom for all.
Bob Marley grew up in Jamaica through some of the most political warfare that any of us could imagine. And through it all he wrote and sang some of the most powerful lyrics ever recorded. To this day, even after Marley’s death in 1981, the record companies are still making millions off of his music, his passion and his life. Some songs were about freedom, some songs were about unity, and some songs were about love, but all songs were about Bob, about his life, about his strife, and about what he believed was right.
On this Legends birthday, I want you all to recognize the lyrics to the song War off the album Rastaman Vibration:
“Until the philosophy which hold one race superior And another Inferior Is finally And permanently Discredited And abandoned – Everywhere is war – Me say war.
That until there no longer First class and second class citizens of any nation Until the colour of a man’s skin Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes – Me say war.
That until the basic human rights Are equally guaranteed to all, Without regard to race –
‘Tis a war.
That until that day The dream of lasting peace, World citizenship Rule of international morality Will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, But never attained – Now everywhere is war – war.
And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes That hold our brothers in Angola, In Mozambique, South Africa Sub-human bondage Have been toppled, Utterly destroyed – Well, everywhere is war – Me say war.
War in the east, War in the west, War up north, War down south – War – war – Rumours of war. And until that day, The African continent Will not know peace, We Africans will fight – we find it necessary – And we know we shall win As we are confident In the victory
Of good over evil – Good over evil, yeah! Good over evil – Good over evil, yeah! Good over evil – Good over evil…”
This was most likely the most powerful song ever sung by Bob Marley and the Wailers, not just for it’s lyrics, but actually from where the lyrics came from. Ethiopian Emperor Haile SelassieI (Imperial Majesty and Leader of Rastafarians) read this speech in his Ahmaric language in the UN in 1963 which was written by Lorenzo Tazaz. Bob Marley and the Wailers turned it into a song by using the part of Selassie’s speech that calls for equality among all without regard to race, class, or nationality in his hymnal cry for peace. It also asserts, quoting Selassie directly, that until the day of an equal society, there will be war. In the original speech, Selassie urged U.N. officials and country representatives to disarm nuclear weapons, and to end international exploitation (specifically with Africa). The song honors Haile Selassie I while calling for action against racial inequality and international injustice. The part of the speech used by Bob Marley was preceded by the following words:
“Last May, in Addis Ababa, I convened a meeting of Heads of African States and Governments. In three days, the thirty-two nations represented at that Conference demonstrated to the world that when the will and the determination exist, nations and peoples of diverse backgrounds can and will work together. In unity, to the achievement of common goals and the assurance of that equality and brotherhood which we desire.”
Some seriously powerful lyrics recognized and relayed to the world by the Legend – Bob Marley.
All you artists and graphic designers, One Love Skateboard Shop has put out a contest to see who can design their next Logo. It’s pretty simple, make a design, email it in.
Winner gets $100 in prizes from the shop.
You got till February 20th to submit your design and the winners will be announced at the Kick Off Contest in Pitt Meadows on March 9th, 2013.
Ty Williamson is a mere 18 years old and is starting his venture into the world of videography. He spent the past year filming some of the best skaters around Poco, Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows and has released quite a few short films. Ty still has a long way to go before being one of the most well known skateboard filmers in BC but he is definitely on the right path. He got solid equipment and knows how to edit, plus he has a very reputable status with tons of sick riders and he’s ready to dedicate his life to it. Of course filming for One Love Skateboard Shop doesn’t hurt either…
Remember this is how Jordan Mayfield, David Wayne Stevens and Benny Stoddard all began.
and this teaser for his first full length skate video to be released sometime in 2013 – Conspiracy – featuring Lanny DeBoer, Ryan Prasad, Dave Jonsson, Jesse Holland, Gilbert Turenne, Blair Higginson, Jackson Wakabayashi, Andre Tsougrianis, Michael James, Calum Wood, Gabe Di Norscio, River Tavis & Tom Korop
One Love Skate Shop is kicking off Spring with a contest at that tight little pink park – Pitt Meadows on March 9th, 2013. If you haven’t been to Pitt Meadows before, it is definitely worth checking out, just try and go when the kids are in school so you don’t have to barge through 20 scooters. There’s tranny, manuals, ledges, and a couple funky obstacles. In other words, it should make for a fun time.
Get yourself registered by clicking the link below and choosing what category suits your skill level (remember if you’re sponsored than you go in Amateur), then you send a photo to One Love by email and they’ll post your profile on the site. $10 to enter, and guess what, Hippie Mike’s already registered…
After the contest One Love will be hosting “Battle Royale 2” at the Heritage Hall. It’s a musical battle, so come prepared to hang out all day and night.
Being into extreme sports you meet a lot of different people over your lifetime, but do you really know them? People judge each other on what they know and see, and maybe don’t realize that it could be the past of a person that is what really makes them who they are. You only know someone from the time you first meet them, your grandparents are wrinkled and grey, you mom or dad are already grown ups and it’s hard to picture them any other way, or believe that they used be crazy teenagers like yourself at one time. Even when you see pictures of people you know that existed before you knew them, you don’t fully believe it.
What do you know about me? Who am I anyway?
Maybe you were there when I was helping the sport of snowboarding progress to the point it’s at now. And maybe you’ve never seen me on a snowboard so you just figure I don’t ride….
Maybe you were there when I was flying off rooftops, inventing new tricks and destroying the streets on my skateboard. And maybe you just see me as some fat lazy tranny rider that just likes cruisin’ around…
Maybe you were there when I was pushed down by society for what I looked like and believed in and spent every day hating the government and fighting for change. And maybe you think I just work for the City in my cushy office job and have an easy life…
Maybe you were there when I moved across the country away from everyone we knew with everything we owned and completely started over at age 19 to get rid of my depression and try to find happiness. And maybe you just thought I grew up in Surrey, was always happy and have lots of friends here…
Maybe you were there when we lived on Hastings Street, partied every day and survived off all the used skateboards and shoes that people would give us. And maybe you just think we always owned the house we live in and I always had all brand new equipment and owned a skateboard company…
Maybe you were there, maybe you weren’t.
My point is you only know someone from the time you know them, and not everyone has a biography written about them that explains everything that they’ve done to help change the world, or tell you about all the struggles they’ve faced and battles they’ve fought. And sometimes you might want to take the time to learn about people and what made them who they are today, and how they helped make you who you are too.
Don’t just know people from today, know them from yesterday.
Think about it, what do you really know about your friends, about your neighbours, about your own family members and what they did in this world in the past to make a difference?
Hi, and welcome to Episode 7 of GLORY DAZE with Hippie Mike. Today we’re hanging out with a Canadian Legend in the skateboard community. He’s a Technical Wizard on his skateboard and has been blowing minds with his skills for many years. From “Nollie Lazerflip Bluntslides”to “Fakie Bigspin Tweezer Flips”, he’s the Rodney Mullen of Canada. The owner of One Love Skateboard Shop– give it up for Dan Pageau!!
Hippie Mike: So Dan, can you give a brief bit of history by telling us how old you are, why you started skateboarding and where you lived at that time
Dan Pageau: Yeah, I’m 32 years old, I started skateboarding in Montrealwhen I was about 5 years old, and since then I haven’t stopped
HM: And when did you go Pro?
Dan: I turned pro in 1995 is what I remember. I did the Ramp Rage in Montreal, that was my first pro contest. I guess there was a bunch of Pros there, first time they came into town – Kareem Campbelland I think Rob Dyrdekwas there, and anyways I ended up getting 1st Place and it was sweet
HM: Sick. Who was your first sponsor?
Dan: Well I had like Shop Sponsors. I rode for EQwhich I think is still around, and then I rode for Radical Skate Shopwhich was this skate shop by Peace Park in Montreal. And basically the owner of that shop is Edward Law, and he owned True Skateboards
HM: Were you born and raised in Montreal?
Dan: Yeah, like kinda on the outskirts, but yeah
HM: What was it like trying to make it as a recognized skateboarder from Canada?
Dan: What was it like trying to make it? Uhhh, I don’t know. Like at first I didn’t really try to make it, I would just kind of show up and skate the park. I remember when I was like 8 years old, we went to Jarry Parkwhich was the local park at the time and just put on a bunch of sweaters and skate this 6′ ramp with vert and just skate that and learned how to do a bunch of stuff and from that I guess people noticed me and started sponsoring me and stuff. So it was never really something I looked for, being sponsored…
HM: Was it hard to get into the scene, like with America?
Dan: Well I guess from being sponsored with True Skateboards, we started travelling a little bit. I went to Tampa Pro, and I also went to Europe with Max Dufour and Pierre-Luc Gagnon. So I was kind of just staying in their hotel room and smooching off their Vans sponsorship(laughs), but yeah, like even in 1997they had the Vans Warped Tourwhich I did a bunch of the competitions, like I went into Boston… so we showed up their and I won 1st Place, PLG won Vertand we got free tickets to California. So that’s kind of where it started to become a little more serious for me with doing all the travelling and stuff. Yeah besides that it was just, um, for me just being really dedicated and just wanting to be everywhere and just going to all the Professional Events. I never really sent promos or tried to get sponsored, I just went to places and started shredding and then eventually uh, I think it was either Ronnie Creageror Rodney Mullennoticed me and yeah…
HM: Yeah, 2 crazy’s… (Laughs) Who’s your favourite Canadian Skateboarderright now?
Dan: My favourite Canadian Skateboarder, first thing that comes to mind would be Grant Patterson
HM: I remember seeing clips of you in videos like 411during the 90’s but I’d have to say the moment I realized how good you were was when I saw the video Underworld – Underratedin the early 2000’s. Your part in that video was mind-blowing and anyone who has never watched it needs to go watch it. What was it like to see Underworld Skate Shop expand across Canada?
Dan: well I thought it was pretty cool. I grew up with Alex skating, we used to go skate his school when I was like 9 years old. And basically, Alex is a real skateboarder. I don’t know if anybody knows this but when I didn’t even know what switch stance was, he was doing switch kick flips, and backside noseblunts on mini rampand stuff, and he’s always been really supportive and we’ve always been good buddies and just to see where he’s taken his business and how dedicated he is really impressive. Like that whole Under Attack Tour…
HM: Was that part of your inspiration to open your own Skateboard Shop?
Dan: Yeah it was actually, yeah for sure. Before the skate shop I did a wheel company called Traction Wheelsand that was really fun. For me having a Skateboard Companyis not really about making money, it’s about having the Team together and making something happen. And the one thing I didn’t particularly like was calling stores and being like, you know, you wanna get my stuff in? Most stores did support it and stuff but I just got really tired of like calling and calling and calling. So I figured you know, if I just do a shop then it’s like more people coming to you. It’s not really about the money and selling product, it’s more like about who’s involved in it right now, Like Andre Tsougrianisand Lanny DeBoerand Micky Papa, and right now we’ve got Dave Jonssonand Ryan Prasadriding for us. All those guys are just insane. And to work with them, and the attitude, and the fun that we have together, and we come up with ideas. ‘Cause at first when I had One Loveit was just me and I was just bouncing ideas off the wall and had nobody really helping me out with ideas and stuff and now with one Love how it’s set up we can work together. We got a new Filmer – Ty Williamson and it’s just really amazing and he’s helping us out a lot (Check out Ty’s videos at www.youtube.com/tylerthefilmcreator )
HM: Your Pro for Monke Skateboards right now. How long have you known Ben Chibberand how did you end up sponsored by Monke?
Dan: Well how I met Ben was, a longtime ago we did Slam City Jamand we had a booth which was Premium Skateboards, Monke Skateboardsand Traction Wheels, so we did business like that and we started selling stuff. Yeah prior to that I just always thought Monke Skateboards was awesome. I remember going to Slam City Jam and being like whoa, who’s that guy? And like who’s that guy? Every guy that was like incredible talent was on Monke Skateboards. I didn’t know who they were but they were awesome
HM: Trevor Houlihan
Dan: Yeah Houlihan, and Steve Strangand um…. Ted DeGros. So me just being from Montreal, and I was already Pro before that, and just seeing those guys I thought whoa man, these Monke Skateboardguys are awesome. And I just always had this thing in the back of my mind where I wanted to ride for them. So I don’t know how it really happened but just like hangin’ out with Ben and just being like, yeah okay, let’s do it…
HM: Well I know how much Ben Chibberthinks about you, and he definitely thinks you deserve more recognition so he’s gonna be there to help you at any given moment, I know that…
Dan: And that’s the thing, i just want to be loyal. Like if I get any other offers, I don’t really care if there’s more money, i’m just going to be loyal to Monke Skateboards
HM: Cool. Who else are you sponsored by right now?
Dan: I got Monke Skateboards, United Clothingthrough Bruce, and I’m getting some shoes through Globewhich is awesome. I’m not necessarily on the Team or anything but they’ve been kind enough to send me the shoes that I like, so
HM: What’s your favourite trick to do?
Dan: Favourite trick to do would be a 360 flip
HM: Name 3 people that influenced you to be who you are today
Dan: Okay, I guess my Dad, he would be one. Um, Jesus, just how he is and the way he dealt with situations, and um, maybe Danny Way
HM: Yeah, I hear that. What’s the best trick you ever landed?
Dan: (Laughs) Best Trick I ever landed… What comes to mind right now as the best thing I can think of is the Switch Noseblunt Cabellarial Kick Flipwhich I did in the Progression Video #5in the year 2000
HM: Nice. Well, thanks a lot Dan for being a guest on GLORY DAZE with Hippie Mike. You’re an amazing skater who helped open some big doors for the future Canadian Rippersand we thank you for that. Respect him as a skateboarder, a legend, and a true man. Type his name into Youtubeand support his shop One Love
