This is the third part of the Mike Vallely interview... and, you'll probably notice right away that we had a little bit more "fun" with this one, than the other parts. There's a lot of laughing and joking about in this one... so, out of the four parts (there's a "bonus" addendum that will ultimately complete the series), I think that this one just might be my personal favorite.
The one thing that I've heard people say about Mike, is that he's "angry", or "bitter". To be honest, I didn't see a whole lot of "angry" or "bitter" while I was doing the interview. Maybe I got him on a good day... but as I was chatting to other people that know Mike, and know him well... they don't really categorize him as "angry" or "bitter", either. Indeed, almost everyone that I talked to about the guy says that he's a real champ, in every way.
You've gotta realize... the things that end up in "the press"? They're always subject to the readers' interpretations, and biases. So: If skateboarding is made up of a bunch of "angry" or "bitter" skateboarders...? Then, they're going to read "angry" and "bitter" into everything that they see and experience, too. Interviews are no exception to that rule. Again: Just little things that might be worth pointing out to the readers.
Classic Mike Vallely: A vintage Tod Swank photo, from The Man Who Souled The World website. If you don't know your history, then you're gonna miss out when it repeats itself.
Although Mike was completely frank and direct about some of the shittiness that goes on in "the industry"... he's also good-natured, and has a bit of a sense of humor about it all. Which is pretty commonplace for skaters of our generation. The emphasis on self-expression, tolerance, and diversity is also pretty common of guys our age. These were the ideals that skateboarding- quite literally- taught us. We grew up on this shit, and it stuck with us throughout our entire lives. And these are the same ideals that Mike is bringing to a whole new generation of skaters, today.
Like Mike, I hope these ideals find their way into the "hearts and minds" of the current (and future) crops of skaters. Skateboarding would surely be better off for it. Until then, here's Part Three. Enjoy:
So, why Duane [Peters]? Why Bill [Danforth]? Why Kristian? Why did you pick that group of pros to bring along on this tour...?
Yeah, well, they're guys I like...
Your influences growing up, maybe...?
Well, I wasn't really aware of Duane when I first started, he had kind of dropped out of the scene. I saw him one time, right after I just turned pro, at a contest in Arizona. And, he showed up... and he blew my mind because he was not "current"...
Mmm-hmm.
... and, he skated the vert contest. And, he was doing what... Duane does! And at the time, the vert skating was still evolving... it was exploding, y'know, it was all about big air and all these new things were happening...
Danny Way, Tony Hawk...
Yeah! Chris Miller... y'know, so much wild stuff was goin' on! And, Duane wasn't getting airborne the way they were... he was doing rollouts and laybacks, rock-and-rolls, and invert reverts...
Thrusters...
Yeah, and I remember watching, going "This guy! Like, wow!" And people were watching, like "Yeah! Duane Peters is here!!" Because, they had grown up with him, and they thought this was real wild and really throwback. And to me it was like, "Oh wow!" Because I was blown away by him. I was like, "This guy... he doesn't give a shit!"
Mike's always been a groundbreaker. I found this ad at a Wend blog titled "Skateboarding's Past: Radical Vintage Skateboard Ads", and I immediately remembered it. TransWorld Skateboarding, late 1989. Mike Vallely skating vert. I remember seeing this ad, and being completely amazed that one of the best "street" skaters of my generation was skating vert, and skating it well. Just goes to show that you can't pigeonhole Mike that easily, because he's always full of surprises.
All the rules just went, "Pfft!" (Making an "out the window" gesture here)...
Yeah! He's not like... he's not following anybody! (Laughter) He has some real balls to even enter this contest...!
Well, Duane has the same sort of thing going. He has this very "boxed" sort of paradigm that people look and, and go "That is Duane!" And, you know it, because you can see him skating a thousand miles away, and go "Oh, yeah, that's Duane..."
Yeah! But, I mean... I think he's more relevant today than he was then, or even in his heyday. Because what he embodies now is just true independent spirit, and individuality... and doing it his own way, and being unique! And I think that's healthy for skateboarding.
I'm excited about the opportunity to show that to these kids.
Y'know, it's also kinda weird, because he's been through so much... yet he's also so incredibly positive about everything! And, he's almost the last guy that you would think would be that positive, y'know what I mean? The guy truly is a survivor...! In big, bold letters...!
Y'know, it's funny because when I started skating, my heroes were the Bones Brigade. And, they're still my heroes. And through the years, I've come to really appreciate a guy like Tony Alva. But, today? Today, my favorite skater in the world is Duane Peters.
Oh, really?!
He beats everybody. I'd put him up against anybody. So, that's my ideal. Not that... I don't skate like Duane, and I can't skate like Duane...
I don't think anyone skates like Duane.
No! But, noone skates like me, either. Y'know?
Right.
So, I'm not "threatened" by other individuals. I'm not threatened by other people's talent. I'm encouraged by it.
You embrace 'em...
I embrace them, and I appreciate them. And even as a street skater in the mid to late '80s... when I had my moment, and my moment was over, and the next group of guys came along? When Ray Barbee came along, and Jason Lee, and Ed Templeton, and Matt Hensley, and Eric Koston came along? I embraced every single one of them! I never once got jealous, I never once was like "What the fuck am I gonna do?!" I never once felt like, y'know... outside of it? I was like, "Cool!"
And I feel the same way about a guy like... (CJ walks into the room)... CJ. Just, excited to see guys ride. New faces, new energy... I've loved every stage of it.
So... why CJ? Now that he's actually in the room, we've gotta put him on the spot here! (Laughter) Because, he's about as opposite from Duane as you could possibly get...!
But, we're showing a full spectrum of what "skateboarding" is, y'know? I don't discriminate against styles...
If you've never seen this, then here's your chance. It's the "Sponsored" documentary (circa 2000) that recapped Mike's entire skateboarding career, as well as his life in general. It's a good watch, and hopefully it makes up for the fact that I didn't ask a single question that wasn't skateboarding- or industry-related. I'm a loser.
Y'know, the stuff that I said earlier may sound like I'm not "down" with what's happening today. It's not that I'm not down it, okay? I'm totally down with it!
You're just doing your own thing.
I just think that if I'm down with it, then they should be down with what I'm doing, too. We should all be able to appreciate all aspects of skating. You should be able to appreciate CJ, and Duane. And, everything in between!
It's almost like, you went for as much "diversity" as you could possibly bring on one tour...
This tour is all about that kind of diversity! Y'know? If I was just bitter, and I thought like "Oh, us older guys... that's the only way to go!"? CJ wouldn't be on the trip!
Or, if it was all new bucks, then you wouldn't see Duane here...
Right! I'm about painting this broader picture.
(silence for a moment...)
I think I'm all out of questions, Mike.
Really?! (Mike sounds hella surprised)
The last question that I had was about this "Made In America" deal, and having all of your boards silkscreened... is that the way things are going to be, moving into the future as well?
For the brand?
Yeah.
Yeah! I mean...
No heat transfers? No made in China...?
Not interested. Not interested... I don't wanna get my boards made overseas. Y'know? I don't think I have to. What am I gonna save, a dollar? I don't need to fuckin' save the dollar. 'Cuz, y'know what? I feel like skateboards need to get back to having some sacredness about them. Definitely want to silkscreen more boards than not, I think silkscreening is just a better application than heat transfers, I think it says this board is a piece of art and not just some product of supply and demand. If i can avoid heat transfers altogether I will but I don't know what the reality of that is just yet. What I do know is my boards will be made in the USA and I put 'em up against anyone else's. I'm riding them, been riding them all summer and they are way better than the stuff I was previously under contract to ride.
Like, a quality product would be a good start...
A quality product. And, a product that's made with sincerity, and with love. We're gonna treat the making of our skateboards as something sacred. Every graphic... everything's gonna come from some place of meaning. A place of purpose...
Pride.
Yeah, some pride in it. And I think that alone just...
(Mike thinks for a second)
... y'know, we wrote a jingle last night as kind of a joke...
(I look confused for a second...)
Like, a commercial jingle...
Oh! A "jingle"! I got it.
It was myself, Kristian Svitak, and Kelly Deal from The Breeders...
Oh, really?! (All excited here, just like any time I hear the words "Kelly Deal"...)
And we got our guitars out, and we wrote a jingle! Right?! And, I wrote the lyrics for the jingle! And the jingle's for Regulator Distribution... which is 1031, Landshark wheels...
Beer City...
Beer City, and By The Sword...
Why'd you hook up with that crew, by the way...?
It's just because, I think we're all coming from the same place.
So, it's just like-minded people.
Like-minded people. They're brands that can support each other.
How did you meet Kristian, and get involved with what he's doing...?
I'ver known Kristian since we were on the same team. We were both on Black Label team together...
Oh, that's right...!
I sponsored him! I brought him onto the Black Label team. And, he's been my favorite guy to skate with, tour with. When he started 1031, he asked me to ride for them... and, I laughed. I said "You're crazy! You could never pay me enough money...!"
(Laughter...!)
But, we're actually all coming from the same basic ethos. And, ethos... ethos is a spirit of character. Y'know? Well, there's no ethos in this country, there's no ethos in this industry, y'know? It's gone...
A lot of this industry would have a hard time even defining "ethos"...
(Laughing!)
And so, last night we were messing around, and we wrote this jingle. And, the jingle went like this:
(In a heavy-metal lead-singer sort of voice:)
Reg-u-la-tor Dis-tri-bu-tion! It's the place to get your gear...
Reg-u-la-tor Dis-tri-bu-tion! Skateboarding's still sacred here...!
(Laughing...!)
This episode of "Mondays with Mike V." has footage of the Florence, KY demo (where I interviewed Mike)... as well as a recorded version of the jingle that Mike just alludes to in the interview.
It's just a jingle, man!
Are you gonna use that?!
Yeah! No, I don't know... we just did it for fun!
You need to YouTube that...!
That's where I'm comin' from, man! Y'know? Win, lose, or draw... skateboarding's still sacred to me. Whatever happens to my brand, or whatever happens to this distribution company, or whatever the future has in store? I don't give a fuck! I'm doin' it because it matters to me. And, that's the place that I'm operating from. That this is sacred, and this means something, and I felt that Element had become the worst type of scenario that you could possibly be in, because they're just churning shit out. They put out pro models with my name on them, and I never see them? The first time that I saw some of them is when some kid asks me to sign one of 'em, and I go "What's this?!" And he goes, "It's your board...!"
(Laughing!)
Wait... they're still doing that?!
And I was like, "How can this be my board?! I've never seen this before...!!"
(Someone in the background goes: "And the kid freaks out, like 'Whaaaat?!'...")
I can't believe that they're still doing that! This is like, 2010! I mean, you had that same shit happen with the fuckin' Barnyard graphic, dude! And that was like, 1990...! '89?!
Yeah...
That was 22 years ago now! What The Fuck...?!?! (Laughing)
Well, that's the basic agreement. Basically, they're just licensing your name. And they can do whatever the hell they want with it.
And now, that's just like... to me? To me, that's just like... you sign a band to your record label? And then you make the record, and they have nothing to do with it? And you put the record out, and you say "That's that band!"
You didn't write the music, or the lyrics...!
"It didn't come from me!!" Nothing that they ever put out came from me! My fingerprint is not on it!
Completely made up...
With By The Sword?! My Fingerprint will be right on it! But, the thing you've gotta understand, is that By The Sword isn't gonna be "Mike V's Company". And it's not gonna be "Mike V This", or "Mike V That"...
There will be other team riders, I'm sure...
There will be other team riders... By The Sword is By The Sword. I'm a part of it. Jason Filipow and I are working together to create it. But it's not gonna be like, my creative vomit. My fingerprint will be on it, but more in a spiritual sense than, y'know, my name splashed all over everything.
Well, it'll have other fingerprints on it, too.
Yeah.
But they'll all be skaters, too.
But, the basic premise of the company is my fingerprint. By The Sword is me. That's how I live, that's how I skate, that's my approach to everything I do. By The Sword is living in the moment, being all the way alive. By The Sword is having the balls to go it on your own. Y'know? That's what By The Sword is.
Another photo from the "Souled" archives. This time, it's a Rick Kosick work.
I actually had a conversation with a prominent manufacturer a couple of years ago. I think it was after the "Under Fire" thing... because, y'know, that was all about propping up pro model sales, right? They wanted to sell more pro models! They actually came to me, and said "Well, what do you think we should do, to sell more pro models?"
So, I asked: "Well, are your pros actually designing their boards?" And they said, "No?" So, I said "Well, that'd be a good place to start!" Because, if kids knew that Mike V actually designed his own boards? They'd be a hell of a lot more apt to buy a Mike V board!
Like, I'm no longer going to ride a popsickle-shaped skateboard after this tour...
Oh, really?
I'm designing a board that is my shape, that I wanna ride...
That's cool...
Y'know? Because, although I may have designed the first-ever popular pro model board that was a "popsickle" that ultimately became "the standard"...? You know what?! I don't really skate switchstance. When I go backwards? It's called "fakie"! Y'know...?!
The World Industries Vallely "Barnyard"... the board Mike's referring to, above. Thank gawd I hung onto this from the freestyle article I did last week...!
(More laughing)
I like a tail, and a nose! And I want some fuckin' shape on my board...!
The kids are gonna have to seriously Google "fakie", because we don't really use that one anymore...
(Laughing, laughing...)
I just wanna, y'know... skateboarding is very clear to me... what it is. And I think that I've just gotta stop being involved with people that are muddying it. And I want it to remain crystal-clear.
Basically...whether I sell one board, or a million boards with By The Sword... it will continue to exist, because it's mine...
It's your board that you're selling...
I own it! Independently. There's no "backer", I'm not using anyone's money. There's no "distribution company" that actually really owns it like other projects that I've done in the past. It's entirely my own! So, anyone who's like "Awww, here we go again! Mike V. started another company that's gonna go out of business...!!!" Well, you know what......?!
(Laughing!)
So, you DO read the blogs then! You DO read the forums! Because, there's been a lot of that...!
No, I don't read 'em! But, I'll tell you what: I know what the fuck people think...!
Because, I think that's probably the biggest thing that I've read.
Yeah...
It's a cruel world!
But, who writes that?! Kids don't write that, because they don't even know!
It's "anonymous"...
It's the guys that shake my hand at the trade show, and act like they're my buddies. Fuck 'em! They're not my friends.
So, how do you respond to that kind of criticism then?! Like when someone says "Oh, this is gonna fail like everything else!..."?
Watch me, motherfuckers...! (Laughing!)
I mean, I may have had companies go out of business! I may have had ups and downs! But, I've always stayed in the fight! And I will continue to stay in the fight! If anyone doubts me for one fuckin' second? Then they're doubting the wrong fucking guy...
Well, there's a lot to be said for the difference between a company entity, and a person...
Right. Vallely Skateboards!? I didn't own that! You know who owned that?! Giant Distribution! You know who started that company? Bod Boyle! You know who ended that company? Bod Boyle! Fuck Bod Boyle! You know what...?
If you Google "Vallely Skateboards", you'll find a whole lotta... nothing. Besides this sticker (that's still available for sale at Outlook Skateboards).
Man, I'm gonna get so much shit for this interview... I mean, do we wanna talk about Steve Douglas while we're at it...?
No, no need to. Look: I don't care about these people, I don't value them, they play no role in my life or career at this point. (Laughter) Fuck all those guys, man...!!! You don't and won't see me... I'm not goin' on my hands and knees, going down to Tum Yeto, or going up to Deluxe, or over to Syndrome, or to anyone else going "Help Me! Let's do a company!!" Fuck that! I'm going it alone this time because I don't want to be a part of anyone else's established machinery, they all have their heads in their collective asses, I don't want to be a part of what was, it's over. I'm putting my money where my mouth is and I'm doing it myself. Those other guys think they own skateboarding, thus they think they own me. They don't.
They think that they are the God-Given defenders...!
And, you know what?! There's moments in time, in my career, where they've been "friendly" to me! They've opened the door. "Come on in, Mike!" But, you know what? They also kicked me out the fuckin' door. I don't need 'em, don't want 'em. I'll last longer than all of 'em.
They take my name, an drag it through the mud... and then they look at me, like "What did you do?!" I didn't do shit, man! Y'know? All I ever did, was put my head down, and get to work. What you guys did with my name with that brand, is a joke...
Now, that brand also... I'm assuming that it wasn't "you", in the "fingerprint" sense...?
Not at all!
So, that was all "manufactured"...?
That was all... I was skating for Black Label, and selling a bazillion boards. Giant Distribution doesn't wanna lose me, I'm leaving Black Label... "Well, do your own company!" But, they wanna use my name, because my name at that moment in time was selling like, y'know... crazy. So, "If his name's on every single board, how many more boards can we sell..!??! And, the little kids like Mike! So, we're gonna make it a little kiddie brand...!"
It didn't last that long...
It was doing just fine. But, it didn't have my fingerprints on it. It wouldn't have endured, because it wasn't coming from me. But at the same time, it was doing just fine. They killed it because Bod Boyle thinks that he's some sort of marketing genius, and he thought that he could read the future of skateboarding. And they just thought that "Something else is coming, and we've gotta prepare for the next thing..."
So, "Mike's not gonna be hot next year!..."? Was that the philosophy? Like he looked in his crystal magic eight-ball...?
Yeah, he looked in the crystal ball, and y'know...
... you weren't in it?
I wasn't in it! (Laughing!)
Man, this fuckin' industry...! (Laughing!)
I mean, some of this shit... if kids knew?!?!
But, kids don't need to know. What kids need to know is that skateboarding is fuckin' fun, man.
The message is simple: Get on your skateboard, and ride.
That's all.
