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 Life and Death - And all the Emotions that come in between Skateboarding SkatePark Styles

Mad Carver Lives On

May 2,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

I was skating Kensington Park the other day and was busting out some flip tricks on the old Record Flat bank and it brought back the memories of all the awesome times I had with the Mad Carver back in the day. The record was built as a tribute to Carver to remind us all of how much he loved his music, especially that sweet Reggae Vibe.

Don Hartley was a DJ, a caring individual, and a hero to many people – and most of all a true skateboarder for life. “Live by the Board, Die by the Board…” any hardcore skater says it, but do they mean it. This man was in his 50’s, skateboarding every day if possible. He would just carve man. In all the years I knew Don I don’t think I ever saw him leave the ground, except for that front flip off his board out of the deep end at Seylynn Bowl. The coolest thing about Don was that he was such a nice guy, always encouraging to everyone around him and always giving out free advice. And he always pushed the younger generation to wear their helmets.

Don Hartley was a man I loved and a man I will always love…

It was July 1^st, 2009 – an incredibly beautiful day outside. It was a day I had waited for all year, just like every year – Seylynn Bowl Series Contest. The year prior there had been a potential jumper on the Second Narrows Bridge and it was closed most of the day so this year everyone came early so they didn’t miss the contest again. Must have been about 300 people around just having a great old time. It was Advanced heats and they set it up for a full Seylynn Locs Heat: Don, Hippo, Dave Boyce, Dave 57, and everyone was rippin’. All day there had been sooooooooooo many close calls like usual and the crowd really feeds off of them. Seylynn is one of the coolest parks in the world, built in 1978 in the shape of a snake and there really is no limit as to how fast you can go there. Unfortunately though it does have its blind spots, and sometimes you’re going so fast that you don’t see someone else in certain spots in the bowl. BOOM!! Tragedy struck… 57 went flying into the deep end for the speed line not knowing that Don was inside carving and slashing up a storm. It was a face to face collision at high speed and Don never knew what hit him. I was lucky enough not to see it, but I was standing about 20 feet away, and that sound will be etched into my brain forever. The crowd went silent, the music stopped, I jumped into the bowl – worried. A couple others jumped in as well, one of them was an E.M.T. ambulance attendant so I felt safe enough that they could handle the first aid and got out of the bowl. The ambulance was on its way, but how long would they take. The Mad Carver was down, and still unconscious…

It must have been the longest 10 minutes of everyone’s life waiting for help to arrive. I kept chanting “C’Mon Don! Let’s Go Don!” and telling everyone it was gonna be alright. I believed that. I honestly thought Don was going to be okay. The ambulance took him away and the contest ended right there. The mood was definitely destroyed. What went from being one of the best Seylynn Comps of all time turned into what will hopefully remain the worst.

Don went to hospital and was put on life support. 3 days later I received a text that he was gone. No more Mad Carver…

I was standing by my truck at Kwantlen Park setting up for the kickoff contest of Hippie Mike’s Tour de Surrey for that year and just broke down into tears. There was at least 50 people around, but suddenly I was standing alone – a moment I’ll never forget. I just wanted to go home, but I couldn’t. I’m Hippie Mike – and it’s my Tour de Surrey. I said my last words to Don out loud not caring who heard me, wiped away the tears and walked back over to my chair. I knew that Don was a legend. I knew that his death broke the hearts of thousands of people. But mostly I knew that he was always so stoked on skateboarding and watching people learn, and that was what these competitions are all about. I asked DJ Cuzo to play me some sweet Reggae music and the show began. It was a tough day, but it was all for Don. I got through the contest, packed up and went home, and found the first cd that Don had ever made me – 72 minutes of sweet Reggae Vibes. I love you buddy.

For a while, those moments kept reoccurring in my brain. That horrid sound of the initial collision. The immediate silence of 300 people. The tears that ran down my face when I got that text message. And every year when I get ready to go to Seylynn on Canada Day for the Bowl Series I still watch The Seylynn Story DVD, and no matter what I’m in the middle of when Don Hartley’s part starts, I stop and sit and watch the whole damn thing. Nothing gets me more stoked when I’m about to go to Seylynn Park. I wish I could skate that place like Don did. Any local at that park has their own style and their own lines. You watch the footage of Don there and you will understand where the name “The Mad Carver” came from. He ripped that place – since day One.

Bowl Series will never be the same. The music’s not the same. The vibes aren’t the same. Life isn’t the same. But we are a family and we will overcome. We will never forget Don Hartley and what he did for the sport of Skateboarding. We will never forget the kind words he spread amongst the groups of people that surrounded him. We will never forget the way he loved to groove. But mostly, we will never forget that day.

For those of you who knew him, then you know what this means:

Mad carver Lives On…

Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind Life and Death - And all the Emotions that come in between

Let Sleeping Babies Lie

May 2,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Have you ever seen a sleeping baby, it has to be one of the coolest things you can watch. So precious and beautiful. It’s a sight that every person should experience at some point in their life just to feel what reality is.

No one is more trusting than a sleeping baby, full of happy thoughts and sweet dreams. I love to just stand there for long periods of time and watch. You get to experience so much of what is happening in their minds while they are just lying there with their eyes closed.

You can tell if they are dreaming.

You can tell if they are scared.

You can tell if they are too hot or too cold.

Bob Marley says in a song, Comin’ in From the Cold:

“The biggest man you ever did see was once just a baby in his life”.

Man, Ain’t that the most true statement you ever heard.

No matter how big you are now, no matter what you went through and accomplished in your life, no matter if you were President, Prime Minister, King or Queen, at some point you were a tiny, helpless baby, dependent on all those around you to be loving and caring and to keep you nourished.

I love to watch my son sleep at night.

I imagine what he is dreaming about.

And I think of what he will become some day.

And I wish that I could be that trusting.

A trusting baby can sleep through any noise.

A happy baby will learn freedom in their sleep.

And every baby deserves to be loved.

Let them lie

Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind Mike's Music, TV and Movie Reviews

Dumbest Stuff on Wheels

May 2,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Dumbest Stuff on Wheels, have you seen this show yet? It’s one of those “Real TV” style send in your clips shows, and it’s hilarious. I don’t watch too much TV, just usually sports and game shows, but I started watching this one a while ago whenever I see it on the guide. I used to watch Maximum Exposure all the time when it was on, and Real TV, and I think there were a couple other ones back then that were good, but the reason I like this show is because it’s all related to things that have wheels – cars, trucks, motorcycles, bikes, skateboards, and of course the occasional office chair. It’s a great show when you need a laugh, but always be ready to turn your head quickly away from the screen. You can usually tell when someone’s going to get sacked on a rail or land on the head from 20 feet up, but every now and then you get a surprise. The other night I was watching and this BMX biker comes up to this double kinked handrail and I’m thinkin’ “okay, here goes his a-hole”, but no..He sticks on the kink and flies off his bike face first into a sign pole at the bottom of the stairs and the sound was like a church bell – DONNNNNGGG!!! My head hurt just watching it. Then this rollerblader tries to grind this 25-30 stair handrail and wipes out into the splits at the bottom right over the curb. But the funny part was that he got up complaining about his head and his little girlfriend pops into the screen to kiss it better – HHHWHAT? Keep it up hardcore!

The easiest section they have to fill on this show is “The Redneck Roundup” where every Jimmy and his Dog try something stupid in their pickup truck. You just gotta watch the show. It’s on The Speed Network, I have no idea what time, or what day of the week, but next time you’re flippin’ through the guide and see the words ‘Dumbest Stuff on Wheels’ press enter, you won’t regret it…

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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's Messed Up Mind The Sports Run Down

The 76th Masters

May 2,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

I’ll tell ya straight up – Golf is one crazy game…

Being into sports my entire life, I’ve always been competitive, and I know the fact that there are things out there that affect your life and you have absolutely no control over. I’ve done huge flip tricks down massive gaps on my skateboard, bushwacked through the trees at uncontrollable speeds on my snowboard, hit massive home runs in baseball, and slam dunked basketballs on 10 foot nets, and I have to emphasize how tough it is to be good at golf. Anyone can swing a club and make solid contact, but these pros are intense. They know exactly how far they’re gonna hit the ball, and what spin to put on it, and the dime to land it on. This year’s Masters Tournament was hardcore. All 4 days saw a different group of leaders. The talk of the town was Fred Couples leading after Friday, then Phil Mickelson stepped it up and Freddy went downhill. As quick as you climb to the top, it’s sooooo easy to lose your footing on the side of the mountain. After Saturday, it was Peter Hansen, Phil Mickelson and Louis Oosthuizen sitting pretty in the top 3. We all know Phil, but who the hell are these other 2 guys? Peter Hansen had a Saturday that every golfer dreams about where it was practically impossible for him to not get it in. There was a magnetic force coming out of the centre of the earth to this guy’s ball and it was pulling it into the holes. But Sunday came early, and once again the leaderboard was about to shuffle. Louis Oosthuizen started the day off right with a world record – scoring a Double Eagle/albatross on the 2^nd hole. For those who don’t understand golf, the par for the hole is 5 shots, Oosthuizen scored in 2. An unbelievable shot, but an even more unbelievable amount of pressure to now stay in the lead and win this entire tournament. Phil was falling apart bad at the beginning but did make a strong come back in the end. Peter played steady the whole day, but both fell short a couple strokes. The surprise of Sunday was Bubba Watson sneaking his way up to tie for first place right near the end of the round. Bubba started the day playing side by side with Oosthuizen so the ambition was definitely there to win. With his signature pink driver, and carefree swing, Bubba rose to the top and took Louis to sudden death. Both had terrible luck in the playoff holes and tied again. It was here where Bubba showed his skill was greater on this day, and Oosthuizen’s luck had finally run out. An amazing shot on the 2^nd hole that will be remembered by golf fans forever, but still no green jacket for Louis. The win went to Bubba Watson and the tears were flying. What an intense day. It reminded me of watching the Street League skateboard contests how it’s always “do or die” and if you mess up once, you lose…

Some people don’t consider golf a sport, but I have to argue to a point. I play pool competitively, and golf and pool are very similar. They’re not really sports because of their physical style, but mentally they are both so difficult. It’s a game of math, a game of split decisions, and a game of precision shooting. The funny thing about golf is how intense the fans are. In any other sporting event, the fans get their beers and go take a seat. Half the time they miss most of the game ‘cause their busy shooting the shit with their buddy, but not golf. This is gotta be one of the only sports where the fans actually have to walk along side of the players. They don’t sit back and relax, but they chase the players and dive out of the way of bad shots. Their nuts…

I love all sports, and could shout out stats on most of them. And out of all the Masters Tournaments I’ve seen in the past, this was definitely in the top 3 for emotional roller coaster atmosphere.

Congratulations to Bubba Watson. Now keep it up!

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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…

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Category : Hippie Mike’s Messed Up Mind