Grip Tape Art #3 with Hippie Mike, “The King’s Diamond”. This one was designed by 10 year old Kaelen Faux, aka Big Rip Kaelen, and was put onto my last collab Protest Movement/Coastal Riders Join the Movement deck for him to ride. Go Rip it Up Kaelen!!
AJ Zabell Andy Anderson Hippie Mike Kaelen Faux Life and Death - And all the Emotions that come in between Motivational and Inspirational Blogs Motivational Mondays Skateboarding
True Friends are Forever Friends
You ever run into someone or get a phone call from someone that you haven’t talked to for years but automatically it feels like you were just hanging out the day before. These are your True Friends.
Sometimes in life you get separated from family and friends as you travel down different paths, but you always keep certain people in your heart and thoughts each day. You think, Hey I should call so and so and get caught up, but the days get busy quickly and you just never get to it. But when it does happen it’s always awesome.
I took a few years to be by myself recently, with my family of course, but just to mentally regenerate after going through some tough times. And certain friends would come visit or call, and others wouldn’t. Or maybe they did reach out and I just didn’t answer. But either way I always knew they were there for me, and I hope they knew the same about me.
Lately I’ve been getting back into skateboarding and filming again now that I’m not as injured anymore and it’s interesting to see how people react when they see me. I love the surprised look on someone’s face who didn’t expect me to be there that day, and it’s always an exciting moment as the good times flash through your brain. My goal was to get back to my own roots of what I’ve loved to do my whole life and remind myself of why I loved it, drop all my sponsors and just skate again. It was never about fame to me, it was always about having fun with my friends and sharing that joy with others, That’s why I was always so specific about the people that rode for Protest.
I have Friends all over, some of them I haven’t talked to for 20 years or more but know that we are Forever Friends just by the way we grew up together. And I think about all the True Friends who have passed away over the years and regret the ones I didn’t get one last visit with. Time only happens once and it’s important to spend as much time as possible sharing happiness with your Friends.
I think social media plays a bit of a part in confusing people as to who their True Friends are, and who are just people that want to say they’re your Friends, but do you recognize each other out in public? Or have each other’s phone numbers? Everyone gets wrapped up in this Web of Non-Reality where anyone can be a celebrity if they have the right audience, but have you ever shut all your social media off and see who actually calls you?
It’s a weird world we live in, I sure am glad we didn’t have cell phones, facebook, Instagram, etc. when I was growing up. Back then if you had Friends, you knew them personally, and those Friends last Forever.
I think it’s a great day for everyone to think back to who their True Friends are and recognize them for that. Give them a call, or a visit, and catch up on real life…
Cisco Gooding Hippie Mike Kaelen Faux Protest Skateboards Skateboarding SkatePark Styles Video Reviews
SkatePark Styles – Episode 3 – Bonsor Skate Park with Travis Emerson and Ryan Prasad
In Memory of a good friend Ryan McKellar we spent a Saturday afternoon at Bonsor Skate Park in Metrotown (Burnaby BC) with a couple local legends Travis Emerson and Ryan Prasad. Watch as the remind the street section of Bonsor who’s boss… Also starring: Cisco Gooding, Big Rip Kaelen Faux, Allen Handley, Justin Parenteau, AJ Zabell, Oli Ward, and myself Hippie Mike
Music Credit:
Song: Bright Eyez’Em
Artist: L.S. (Featuring Bin Nyce)
Album: In This Life
Released: 2008
If you have Kids you will quickly relate to this, and even if you don’t have kids of your own but hang out with other people’s children you will also know what I’m talking about.
Kids can drive you crazy at times, they are needy and stubborn, but it’s not their fault. It is our job to feed them, bath them, clothe them, and love them, and in return they show you a love that no one else can. When a young child looks into your eyes or holds you by the hand and expresses themself they are giving you the full Truth of how they feel, they don’t know anything else. When they are really young everything they do is a new experience and is either fun, scary, or super cool. Then as they grow older a confidence builds inside them that allows them to become more independent and start to take care of themselves, and find their own true passions. It’s hard to remember that we were all once little babies, infants, toddlers, children, teenagers, young adults, etc… We all went through the same things to grow up, and each of us have different stories to tell.
The one thing that motivates me to always be a caring father is when I see my kids enjoying themselves with a smile that cannot be faked. The excitement that comes to life is so real at times that just being there with them pumps you up and makes you happy. I’m very lucky to have a child that loves to skateboard, and not just wanting to be good at it, but actually just enjoys skateboarding for what it is – a time to challenge your mind and body to learn and remember new things, a way to feel free from everything as you roll and flow across the concrete, and a connection to so many people you can call your friends for life. When we go out together it’s a special time between us, one that both of us will remember differently, but the same.
I try to do as much as possible with both my kids, and so does their Mom. Every minute of every day only happens once, we must make the most of it. One day you will look down at your kids and realize they are taller than you, they own their own cars and homes, and have kids of their own. Today is a day like any other day, hug your children and let them know that you love them, it’s important for both of you
Hippie Mike Kaelen Faux Nathan Lintunen Protest Skateboards Skateboarding SkatePark Styles Video Reviews
SkatePark Styles Episode 2 – Winfield Skate Park with Nathan Lintunen
We headed up to Lake Country BC on the weekend to go visit our good friends and see their new baby. There happens to be a Skate Park not far from their house so we headed down for a rip. Nathan Lintunen (one of the 2nd generation of Protest Skateboards Team Riders) doesn’t skate very often anymore, but he’s still got the skills, the tricks and of course the styles, and he proves it here in Episode 2 of SkatePark Styles at the Winfield Skate Park. This is probably the first time Nathan has been filmed on his skateboard in over 10 years, a true skateboarder not out there for the fame, but just loves to skate and have fun…
Starring: Nathan Lintunen and Big Rip Kaelen Faux
Song: Acoustic jam played by Nathan Lintunen
I like to make custom painted Grip Tape Art on my skateboards, I like having bright colors to make it better to see my board and easier to find it in large crowds. Plus it’s fun! This was a replica of the Jamaican Flag that I did for Kaelen (aka Big Rip Kaelen Faux), but I used Red on the sides instead of black so it popped more visually, plus the Rasta Colors fit with anything Jamaican. It turned out great!
Create It and Skate It with Hippie Mike Extreme Sports Hippie Mike Kaelen Faux Protest Skateboards Skateboarding Video Reviews
Create It and Skate It with Hippie Mike – Episode 1 – Wallie Bank Grind Ledge
Episode 1 of “Create It and Skate it with Hippie Mike”, starring Big Rip Kaelen Faux, AJ Zabell and Hippie Mike. Watch the boys create and skate a wooden Wallie Bank Grind Ledge and have fun together as they test it out at a secret spot.
Music by Ryan “Tweak” Clark
Artist: Pur Pale
Composer: Ryan “Tweak” Clark
Album: From Shadows To Silhouettes (Volume 2 – Instrumentals)
Year of Release: 2017
Archived Videos Cisco Gooding Extreme Sports Hippie Mike Jeff Cole Jon Irvine Kaelen Faux Nathan Lintunen Protest Skateboards Skateboarding Video Reviews
Protest Skateboards Full Video – What the “F” were We Thinking
Released in 2010, and filmed for over 3 years before that, “Evolution Revolution – What the “F” were We Thinking?” was a very unique skateboard video put out by Hippie Mike and Protest Skateboards. Inspired by hearing people complain that too many spots around Vancouver have been shut down and there’s nothing to skate anymore, the Protest Team decided they were going to make their own spots, and skate other spots that were not necessarily “Made for Skateboarding”. Rocks, Grass, Dirt, Logs, Fridges, Cars, and any obstacles that just needed some plywood to become skateable, watching this video should change your perspective on what can be skated, and if it can be skated these guys are ready to go…
Filmed and Edited by: Justin James and Hippie Mike
Starring: Jon Irvine, Cisco Gooding, Nathan Lintunen, Jeff Cole, and Hippie Mike