The Week I Found Myself

May 3,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

This last week has been an amazing time, one of my favourite times of my life. As a young child I had lots of fun experiences, and always did tons of different things each day – skateboarding, snowboarding, biking, swimming, basketball, baseball, bowling, hide and seek, board games, whatever. There was never any shortage of fun times in my childhood.

And as a teenager I always had loads of fun.

I’d be out from the time I woke up until the time I’d go to bed, chasing girls, skateboarding, snowboarding, playing pool, partying all the time. I can’t think of too many sad days I had as a teenager.

Then came my 20’s when I moved across the country to B.C. Nothing but fun times all the time. Whenever I wasn’t at work, we’d be hanging out with so many awesome friends having tons of fun. I met so many people in this province and learned so much about myself through that decade. These were definitely “The good ol’ days”.

Then came 30, and some things did change. My body hurt a lot more. I stopped getting drunk, and really slowed down the party mentality which had ruled my lifestyle for so many years. I spent more time just hanging with my wife, Carrie, and being happy just relaxing. I work a lot more now but all for good reasons.

But throughout all of these good memories, there was always a piece of my life that wasn’t present, until 2 years ago.

When Kaelen was born, he made me so happy. I finally had a child of my own that I could look forward to teaching everything about life, and have fun with. But it takes time for a baby to be old enough to hang out.

This week was one of the best experiences of my life, and I have had some pretty amazing experiences. Kaelen is now 2 years old, and he’s at the stage of his life that I have been waiting for since he was born. He can run and jump, and loves to play. He can sing and dance, and loves to laugh. But mostly, he just loves being with his Mommy and Daddy, and that is so special to me. It was Christmas Holidays and Carrie and I both took the entire week off of working, which is very difficult for me to do. I always have so much work to do with my Cabinet Business that I don’t usually get more than 2 or 3 days off in a row. But this year it had to be done. Christmas only comes once a year, and Kaelen would only be 2 years old for Christmas once in his life. And to me Christmas isn’t about presents and Santa, although we do make that stuff happen. Christmas is about being with friends and family and sharing your love. It’s a time of year when you just put everything aside for those who are closest to you and spend the whole week together. We went to the Vancouver Aquarium, we went shopping, we had friends over for dinners and movies, we went to other friends’ houses to hang out, we went skateboarding as a family, and we sat around together and did nothing at times. It was great.

I learned that our 2 year old son is man enough to play alone in the house while his Mommy and Daddy get some extra hours of sleep in the morning. And he is smart enough not to misbehave at this time and to come wake us up if he needs anything. I learned that Kaelen learns everything you teach him so quick and explores beyond what he has been told. I learned that our child is the best thing that ever happened to us, to bring us together even closer as we watch him grow.

But most of all, I learned why I was put on this Earth – to be the best, friendliest, happiest, and coolest Father in the world.

After everything I have done in my life, this was the week I found myself, and I know now why I have to slow my life down to be there for my son, my only true blood relative.

This was the week I found myself, my passion, my meaning of life.

I can’t wait to experience the next 10 years with him, the most fun time in his life. And my whole goal in my life, is to make his the most fun he could ever have…

Hippie Mike Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind Skateboarding Stories of the Board

Stories Of The Board

May 2,2012 / By Hippie Mike / 1 Comment

Mike started skateboarding at the raw age of 8, back in 1986. He skated the streets with all the neighbourhood kids, from ages 7-15 years old. From Powerslides, Bonelesses and Street Plants, to Railslides and 50-50 grinds, Mike learned a lot about the unique sport of skateboarding from all the older kids around him, and as he grew, so did the world of skateboarding. With the introduction to the nose at the end of the 1980’s, the technical adventures were about to spring on the generation of skaters who didn’t quit when the “Fad” died.

Mike’s been around a long time in this game, he’s seen the evolution of skateboarding and was always a huge part in keeping it positive. From a full on street skater to a now more transitional street surfer, Mike always had the ambition, desire and the style to be successful.

Many years of givin’r, and many, many serious injuries have had a wicked toll on his body, and have forced him to completely change the way he shreds the board. But Mike will always be a skateboarder, so long as he can walk. And he will always be there for the next generations to make sure that skateboarding continues to evolve into a positive factor of the world.

His creativity keeps the action alive, and his “never stop thinking” brain makes learning new tricks a humungous addiction.

Sit down and prepare yourself for some awesome stories of over 26 years on the board…

Hippie Mike Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind The Man I Am

Zephyr Forephyr

May 2,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Awesome,

I just watched “Lords of Dogtown” for the very first time. I’ve always completely avoided watching it because I knew it was going to be Hollywood cheeseball and I have a problem with movies like that but I figured Kaelen would like it for the fact that he’s 2 years old and loves skateboarding. Since I had seen “Dogtown and Z-Boys” so many times too I figured it wasn’t going to show justice to the documentary. And it really didn’t. In fact it was a totally cheeseball movie that skipped through years like jumpin’ cracks in the sidewalk. But it brought something special to reality for me.

The biggest moral of the story is to: follow your heart but never forget your roots. Always remember who you are and where you came from and love the people that you ventured through those times with forever – or should I say Forephyr.

These guys were truly hardcore, We all know that. Anyone who’s seen the documentary or been around for the evolution of skateboarding knows the Z-Boys and thanks them for what they did for skateboarding.

They lived every day on a mission to be awesome.

They took no moment for granted.

They put their balls on the table every chance they got and proved who the man was all day long.

Nothing could stop them.

But then came the dreaded curse of “Fame and Fortune”. So many people in the world strive for it every day of their life not realizing that if you find it your life will never be the same. You go from trying to be somebody that everyone wants to know to being sick of people all the time and just wanting to be alone. Once everyone knows your name they publicize it and then you just get more and more famous which means more and more people who want to get a piece of your name on their products. Sad.

That’s why the movie was actually good to watch because it showed how these guys forgot about the best thing they had – family. The money was offered and the stardom awaited but they had to give up the times they had to get it. That sucks.

Skateboarding is all about freedom and the Zephyr Boys knew what freedom was. But they lost that freedom when they became popular and were forced to be solo artists in the world of skateboarding. Props to jay Adams for always saying no. He may not have made the fortune that a couple of the others did but he kept his freedom by speaking his mind and doing what he felt was right. No one owned jayBoy. Stacy and Alva both took the high road and I think in a way there was definite regrets on both parties but it ended in the same mindframe – they both started their own companies and made them count. Trust me when I say Powell Peralta is the best company of the 1980’s and still rocks the house. “I Hippie Mike declare that Powell Peralta Mini Rats form the late 80’s are the best wheels ever made and will only skate those golden nuggets for the rest of my life.”

And Stacy Peralta is always and always has been promoting skateboarding for all the right reasons. Powell Peralta was about family, just like how that whole group of surfer kids were before Z-Boys existed. They created the Bones Brigade and promoted all Five riders as One – not one at a time but as a team.

Everybody on that team had something special to offer to the audience. And they respected each other for their skills.

Go back in time and throw The Search for Animal Chin into your VCR and remember what the message was all about. A group of guys on the search for freedom and at the end they discover that it was right there with them the whole time. Animal Chin was a man but they weren’t searching for him… they were searching for themselves.

I understood that video and I found who I am.

Do you know who you are?

Hippie Mike Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind The Man I Am

The Man I Am

May 2,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

In this section, you will learn what makes Hippie Mike who he is. Adopted at birth, raised in a small town, stubborn and full of opinions. This is where Mike will share his stories of success, and the struggles he faced to make these stories possible.

“Remember, life is what you make it, and if you don’t stand up for your beliefs now, you’ll have nothing but regrets later…” – Hippie Mike

Hippie Mike Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind Protest Skateboards The Man I Am

No Sell-Outs

May 2,2012 / By Hippie Mike / 1 Comment

All my life, I’ve been independent. And I never wanted to be filthy rich, unless I could do so without changing my life one bit. But I have major hatred for the world of Sell-Outs who will do anything for money. Life ain’t about money, it’s about happiness, and money cannot create everlasting happiness. A good chunk of cash every now and then can be fun for a bit, but it’s a different kind of fun. The big thing is, I just want to be me, and use my talents to make the money I need to survive comfortably. When we were growing up, we were big into Punk Rock (NOFX, Face to Face, Pennywise, Bad Religion, etc.) and we were always adamant about never changing the way we were for anyone else. That went for appearance, attitude and beliefs. Changing any of these things because someone else wants you to, and you personally don’t want to, that’s being a sell-out. The stupidest question people always ask me is, “How much money would it take for you to cut your hair?” What an ignorant question. Could you please take my hammer and smack yourself in the forehead as hard as you can so I don’t ever have to listen to you speak again. These are the people who would do anything for money. I actually had a guy who just argued the fact that if the amount was big enough, I would cut my hair, like I’m growing it just for that moment to come along. He has absolutely no sense to the fact that I grow my hair as a sign of Freedom, to show that I don’t have to bow down to society and follow their ways of existence. I am free to be who I am, and don’t care if you like me or not. For me to accept money to cut my hair would be selling my own freedom. This person was completely incapable of comprehending this concept – what an idiot. Absolutely no respect for himself. I said it growing up, and I’ll say it till the day I die,

“I will not sell my soul.”

Years ago, I did some movies and TV extra work, and the agent got a couple calls from people who wanted to put me in commercials. I said no right away. There’s nothing dumber you can do than be a puppet in a TV commercial, looking like an idiot and saying some stupid line that North America is going to relate to you for the rest of your life, No Thanks.

A funny story I have for you right now is the “All Extreme” story. I’ve had quite a few interviews on TV and in the local newspapers and magazines about all the stuff I do skateboard wise, so this guy shows up to one of my contests this one summer, approximately 6 years ago. It was at Bear Creek Park, one of the Grand Finales for Hippie Mike’s Tour de Surrey, so there were about 200 people there and the contest was running smooth. I had the comedic touch in my commentating that day and was having a great time. So in between the categories this guy comes up to me and starts kissing my ass, big time. He’s telling me how amazing I am, how knowledgeable I am to the sport and how cool I look. He started selling me on this TV show about extreme sports like skateboarding, surfing, etc. called “All Extreme” he was about to create in Seattle and how he would love for me to host it. His exact words were, “With your cool look and knowledge of the sports, and this “super-hot” girl here co-hosting, the audience will want to tune in for sure.” The girl was standing right beside him at the time, and as I wondered what she had actually done to get this part I abruptly stated, “First of all, the audience that will watch this show will be watching for the actual extreme sports, not for the super-hot girl hosting. And secondly, she’s not that hot…” and I just turned away and continued on with what I was doing. “Yeah sure,” I’m thinking, “I’ll come host your shitty show and then you’ll want to trim my frizzy hair , shave my beard and dress me up in some cheesy getup I would never even have in my closet – I don’t fucking think so, loser.”

And that was pretty much the end of that. I didn’t even look to see them leave but I assume they didn’t stick around to long after that. It was a classic situation of being offered money to change everything I believe in, everything I’ve created in my life, and straight up who I am.

For some people, impossible to say no; for me, too easy.

Fuck That!

So the funniest part of the story came earlier this year, 2011, when I was checking the Guide for what was on TV one random afternoon and saw a show called “All Extreme”. I thought, “No Way, it can’t be the same show.” I turned it on and sure enough, there was the chick, still not super-hot, hosting the show all by herself. I watched the show, and it was actually pretty good. I liked the initial idea of the theme when the guy had explained it, I just didn’t like the ignorance that was going to be behind the cameras.

Too bad so sad.

Onward I went with my happy life.

Hippie Mike Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind The Man I Am

The Man I Am Introduction Poem

May 2,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

The Man I Am

Kind and gentle,

Simple and sweet,

But stubborn and serious,

To not show defeat,

I’ve grown up strong,

And left my mean side behind,

I give love to others

Who recognize me as kind,

I struggled to get here

Through my teenage years,

Went through my share

Of liquor and beer,

And other things too,

Which were bad for my life,

But all part of learning,

I would starve without strife,

I am who I am

Because of all I’ve been through,

I am who I am,

And you are just you,

My entire life,

The world pushed me down,

But I won every battle,

I’d never stay down,

I’d fight every fight,

My weapons – my beliefs,

The bullshit they threw at me

Would cause me no grief,

You cannot stop me,

I will still change the world,

And bring even more freedom

To all boys and girls,

Just try and stop me there,

Uncle Sam,

And I will let you see

The man that I am,

I’ve lived a tough life,

And I’ve always overcome,

Went through my rough times,

But redemption would come,

Everything in life

Happens for a reason,

You never know what

to expect the next season,

but no matter the issue,

no matter the pain,

just push it aside

to the back of your brain,

Be who you are,

Whether people like you or not,

Stop caring how others judge you,

Go on, give it a shot,

And maybe you’ll end up

Right here where I am,

As happy as possible,

The man that I am,

For I am a man

Who has altered the Earth,

Changed minds of all people

From being prejudiced jerks,

From judging on appearance,

Not knowing me one bit,

To respecting all I’ve done,

And praising me for it,

You don’t know me at all,

You don’t know who I am,

You don’t know where I came from,

Or why I hate “The Man”,

You don’t know why I’m angry,

You don’t know if I cry,

But you can be damn certain

That I don’t ever lie,

I’m straight to the point,

As true as it comes,

And I fight for what I believe in,

Till the battle is won,

I help out the innocent,

And knock the guilty ones down,

I have changed the world

Starting right here in this town,

And made it more acceptable

For everyone around,

To be who they are,

And to not be pushed down,

Believe it when I say it,

This isn’t a scam,

‘Cause this is all me –

The man I am…

Extreme Sports Hippie Mike Jaden Easton-Ellett Protest Skateboards Skateboarding Team Riders

Jaden Easton-Ellett – Protest Partnership

May 2,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Jaden Easton–Ellett

A new partnership with Protest Skateboards

A long time coming, and a lot of interesting times we’ve had. I first met Jaden when he came to one of my Skateboard Camps at the tender age of 9 years old. I could tell right from the first day that this kid was different – he was very creative, and very smart, and had a lot of hidden talents. He wasn’t like the other kids that wanted to be the next big thing, he just loved to come out and skateboard and learn any new tricks. What was funny was I would teach Jaden all the crazy whacked out tricks that I liked to do and he would elaborate on them…

9 years later, and now 18 years old, Jaden has proven himself a man to me many times. He has grown up to be responsible and always has goals to accomplish in his future visions. He has definitely turned out to be a talented skater, and with hangin’ with the Protest Team more often he’s been taking it to the street level, hard. The skill is there, the tricks are outrageous, and the style will soon come.

It is one of my proudest moments to welcome Jaden to the Protest Skateboards family – not just as a Team Rider, but as my official Partner in Crime. Together we will make history, and change the world of skateboarding as you know it…

Give him some Props!!

Hippie Mike Life and Death - And all the Emotions that come in between Protest Skateboards The Man I Am

The Man I Loved The Most

Apr 30,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Raymond James Faux

Sept 18th, 1947 – April 29th, 2012

“To The man who adopted me, loved me and taught me how to be a man myself – a humungous part of me dies with you, but the rest of me lives on for both of us…”

The Man I Loved The Most

By Mike Faux

The day I’ve feared forever
finally arrived,
The day The Man I loved the Most
Had to die,
I knew it would happen
My entire life,
I expected it at any time
My entire life,
He struggled through so much
Sickness and disease,
But he always wore a smile
And he always seemed pleased,
He taught me not to give up
On whatever I believe,
I’ll wear a heart forever
To represent him on my sleeve,
His suffering is over
Now our pain begins,
We will miss him forever
In our hearts within,
To The Man I loved the Most
My regrets I send –
My Dad, my Father,
My Friend till the End…

We love you!

Extreme Sports Protest Skateboards Skateboarding

Danny Way – Waiting for Lightning DC Shoes Demo – Chuck Bailey

Apr 17,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

So Friday, April the 13^th, 2012 was the day the Danny Way and some of the DC team came to Chuck Bailey Skate Park in Surrey, British Columbia. Hosted by myself, Hippie Mike, along with Coastal Riders skate shop, it was going to be an easy event to run, provided that the weather agreed with us, which it totally did. There was about 250 people there, lots of talented skaters, waiting patiently for the group to arrive. Traffic on all routes was a mess, but they showed up around 5pm ready to rip it. Danny had decided earlier that he wasn’t going to be skating, so he just hung out and watched everyone else showing their skills, and would sign whatever autographs that were requested. Danny’s a great guy, super mellow, and always appreciative of his fans. For being someone who has changed the face of skateboarding in so many ways, he’s just stoked to see everyone having a good time together.

Josh Kalis, Matt Miller, Wes Kremer, Sascha Daley, Chad Dickson and Mickey Papa – that was your demo. Tons of tricks got laid down all over the park , but I’d have to say the spotlight was on Wes Kremer. This guy can rip it, and skates everything. He was inventing some very funky lines in and out of the bowl, dropped some tech rail tricks down the 3 block, and annihilated the fireplace channel quarter pipe. Everybody skated really solidly, and I know that the audience had a great time. Thanks for coming out toSurrey.

Saturday night finally arrived, and the Granville Cinema had a phat line outside. They all wanted to see whatDanny Way was about to reveal – Waiting for Lightning. It was an amazing showcase of the life of a man who has changed the world in many ways. It taught the audience about his tough upbringing, and the sorrows that not everyone would have known about him. And it showed the definition of the word “Battle”. My two favorite things about Danny Way have always been – #1. That he takes wild, unthinkable dreams and visions from inside his head and brings them out to reality, something I am all about. All of a sudden one day, you get an idea, and from that point on, you do whatever it takes to make that idea happen. And #2, nothing can stop him… he will not give up. This is a major trait I have always possessed myself. You want it, you go get it. As long as you can walk, or at least stand on your board, then you’re still trying to land it. Danny Wayhas defined the word “Man” on television a few times. Go back to X-Games when he hung up on the mega quarter pipe and flipped into the flat bottom. No one else in their right mind was going to go back to the drop in and take another run, but Danny could walk on his own, so it was inevitable. It was also one of the most insane runs anyone ever did on the mega ramp set up still to the day. Nothing will hold this guy down, and that is what I have always loved about him.

The video was eye opening for many of the younger generation skaters, who weren’t around in the 80’s and early 90’s when Danny was on a mission to be the man, and maybe didn’t know about all the crazy things he had done through those years for the sport of skateboarding. I always watched him. Danny Way, Christian Hosoi and Tony Hawk – the 3 destroyers. They all invented so much for skateboarding. I personally had seen almost all of the footage in the documentary during the eras that they were filmed. I have the entireBones Brigade collection, The Santa Cruz Box Set, Shackle Me Not, The original 4 Plan B videos, and more stuff after that. Danny’s been around for a long time, and I’ve been watching him since I started skateboarding in 1986, which was around the time his face started popping up in the vids. He’s not much older than I am, and I understand how messed up his body must be. He’s been through a lot. The documentary focused mainly on the big jump over the Great Wall of China. The original thought of this jump was breaking many boundaries. Anyone who knows anything about Communism would be nervous about even bringing this idea to the table. But for some strange reason, the Chinese Government allowed it to happen. This was huge!!

What I liked about the video was how there was this massive crew of workers building this gigantic death trap of a ramp, but I don’t think that any one of them actually realized what it was for until Danny showed up. I’m sure that at least half of them shit their pants when they saw a guy start climbing up the stairs holding nothing but a skateboard. Reality must have really sunk in. But I think it sunk in even more when they saw what happened when he didn’t make it…

Once again, Danny Way got a taste of his own reality. When you force dreams to come true, they don’t always end the same way you planned it when you were asleep. This was definitely one of the worst bails in skateboard history, and with only a few days left before the scheduled jump date, Danny had to somehow get over the pain, get over the fact that this was a life or death situation, and prepare himself mentally to go out there and land it. 69 feet, over the Great Wall of China, with a busted ankle. There’s no warm up for this. You climb the stairs, look straight down at your destiny, and drop in.

I loved the part where after he lands it, the media is in his face. And at that point, the adrenaline of a lifetime of historic skateboarding memories that possess this man’s soul took over. He had jumped the Great Wall of China. He had set a world record for the longest jump on a skateboard, and the highest air over a quarter pipe. But he had not satisfied himself enough to go home without climbing back up those stairs and dropping in again for the world’s biggest 360 air. He didn’t do it to show off, he didn’t do it to impress the people, he didn’t do it to be the best, he did it to fulfil his passion, and to turn his dream into reality…

Danny Way lives amongst a rare group of the Best Sports Hero’s of all time. Tony Hawk, Matt Hoffman, Travis Pastrana, Joe Montana, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods; all legends of their own sports, not just for their talents, but for their creativity, and for their ambition to never give up…

Cisco Gooding Extreme Sports Hippie Mike Jeff Cole Jon Irvine Nathan Lintunen Protest Skateboards Skateboarding Team Riders Uncategorized Video Reviews

Watch: What The “F” Were We Thinkin’??

Dec 12,2011 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Are you tired of the same boring skateboarding videos with the same spots over and over again? Well, brace yourself because the revolution is finally here! There are no rules, restrictions or standards. We are the ones making the rules, and we make the spots while we skate everything that shouldn’t be skated. Watch Protest Skateboards team riders John Irvine, Jeff Cole, Cisco Gooding, Nathan Lintunen and Hippie Mike in What The “F” Were We Thinkin’??

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