A few of us Chuck Bailey Locs went to peep out the new Skate Park in Coquitlam, Mackin Park last Friday. Luckily there weren’t too many kids there because it’s tiny and you can see in the video how much they get in the way. I had my back brace on so I could skate, and everyone had a good time. I found a lot of the obstacles hard to get speed for, and others tough to go slow enough. I’m not the most excited about these small back and forth parks when they come out but I’m sure I will give it a shred every now and then. It was me, Cisco Gooding, Jordan Strong, Fighter and a few friends, Calvin killed it…
At the end of June, my awesome filmer/team rider Jordan Strong emailed a link to this online contest that Lucky Surf and Skate Shop was having where you film, edit and enter a video part up to 3 minutes long. I tortured Jordan by taking him to some of the nastiest street spots around every day when he got off work and getting him to film me, but that’s the way I skate. We worked hard together to make this part, and of course we filmed way more footage than we needed to. From bare foot skating to riding the yellow slide, and I even pulled out the 2×4 skateboard for the first time n years, it’s a must see for creativity.
Jordan and I also went out a few times with Andy Anderson and we got enough footage to put a part together for him too. This one really shows Andy’s ledge and rail skills.
We all worked hard and the parts were submitted the day before the deadline. Then we received word that only 4 people submitted videos to the contest, including the 2 of us, so they are hooking us up with $150 each to spend at the shop.
Thanks Guys!!
And thanks to Jordan for workin’ hard last month. At least we had fun making them.
One of the moments I long for all Winter every year is getting the tarp off my ramp. It’s a luxury to be able to float a tarp over the ramp all winter so that we can skate it any time we want but it’s two completely different worlds – tarp or no tarp. When the tarp is up, it feels more like you came out just to skate, not to hang out, and you skate more like you’re on a mission. When the tarp isn’t up, you’re surrounded by the beauty of nature and the atmosphere seems way more relaxed and you just skate to have a good time. Plus everyone can actually see the ramp from anywhere in my the yard and we don’t all have to crowd into the floating fortress. We had a good chunk of the Protest Team come out to enjoy the first tarpless skate session, Jordan Strong, Cisco Gooding, Brad Muscat, Jeff Cole, Jaden Easton-Ellett, Andy Anderson, and of course myself and Carrie were both there since we live here.
Welcome to the very first episode of GLORY DAZE with Hippie Mike!! We’re here in North Vancouver at one of North America’s oldest skate parks – Seylynn Bowl. Today we’re spending time with a true “old schooler” that’s still out here representing on the board. Sponsored by Sector9, he was King of the Bowls in 2004, the original owner of Push Skate Shop and still one of the original NV Locs. He just turned 40 years old a couple of weeks ago but that’s not slowing him down one bit – give it up for Eve Feaver!!!
Hippie Mike: First off, how does it feel to be the very first person ever profiled by Glory Daze?
Eve: Feels pretty good, yeah it’s an honour
HM: How many years have you been skateboarding?
Eve: Well I got my first skateboard when I was 6, so about 34 years ago… Actually skating on it all the time, probably, close to 30
HM: Who were your biggest influences as a kid?
Eve: A good friend John Munro who I skated with together for a long time and had a lot of fun
HM: Who are your biggest influences now?
Eve: Right Now?? My kids are a very big influence on who I am, and my grandfather. He’s living in Ontario, and he’s an artst and a very humble man
HM: Name your 3 favorite people to skate with and why…
Eve: Only 3, eh… I try to enjoy skating with anyone who’s around, but 3 people, I’d have to say – Bushman (Don Wilson). We’ve skated together a long time and we’ve got a lot of great connections and things in our lives in common, and we get along pretty good; Umm, Jamie Sherratt, same thing. We’ve been skating together for a long time and family ties, man. People you know who have families bring you closer together; and uhhh, Surfer Mark. Skates here, and you know usually you pop by for a few minutes after work and there’s only a few select people who are always here, and he’s one of them, a lot of fun to skate with
HM: Where is your favorite place to skateboard?
Eve: Seylynn, without a doubt
HM: Were you here (at Seylynn Bowl) for the Opening Day back in 1978?
Eve: I was not here – I was 6. It wasn’t something that my parents were necessarily a part of, so, I wasn’t a part of it
HM: Name your 3 favorite tricks…
Eve: My 3 favorite tricks? Nosepick. Hand Plants. And I guess, slides of all sorts… powerslides mostly.
HM: What do you do when you’re not skateboarding?
Eve: Family; my kids and wife. Try to do some sports with them, golfing with them, or just hanging out. That’s pretty much it, skateboarding and family
HM: Have you ever got a Hole in One?
Eve: No (laughs), not yet. It’s gonna happen though
HM: are you prepared for the amount of money it’s going to cost you when you do get a hole in one and have to buy the entire golf course a drink?
Eve: I am not… it’s gonna be on my own little, made, backyard, 1 hole golf course
HM: What year did you open Push Skate Shop?
Eve: 2004.
HM: What year did you sell it and why?
Eve: 2007 or early ’08. It was about 3 ½ years. It was hard to have a Skate Shop, a fulltime job and a family. One of them was going to go, and that’s the one it had to be. We wanted it to stay there, it didn’t matter who owned it, as long it was there. Everybody needs a place to stop in and hang out for a second, you know, grab a pop or something
HM: How many companies have ever sponsored you
Eve: (long pause) One. That’s it
HM: Any appearances in Magazines, Videos, Tv?
Eve: I have never had a single picture in a magazine. I have a couple of small parts, like a shot or 2 in one of the Sector9 videos, in a Protest video, and The Seylynn Story – a documentary on the park
HM: One of the best videos ever… Were you ever involved in the planning of any skate parks?
Eve: Yes, one in Coquitlam, in Maillardville, which is being built right now. It’s another New Line Skate Park. We’ve been working on that for about 4 years or so, and it will be ready soon, hopefully in July
HM: Have you ever had any serious injuries?
Eve: Uhh, serious enough, yeah. I separated a shoulder at Hastings, which… sucked. It’s hard to work like that. And I fractured my tibia at the RDS Park. Landed flatbottom on the big ramp and my heel smacked my tibia. That sucked too. But no, I’ve been pretty lucky. A little skin left a the parks, but no real breaks
HM: What is the toughest thing about being 40?
Eve: The toughest thing about being 40?… Um, wondering if I could keep up, and so far I can, although I don’t quite have the air in the lungs as much anymore, but I think I can get there
HM: Do you consider your skills on a skateboard to be better or worse now compared to when you were 20?
Eve: Better. You see, it was “doing” a trick at the start. And now, it’s “feeling” a trick. I enjoy all the small parts about everything I’m doing. I don’t know, it doesn’t have to go by fast anymore. I can take my time. I can still move fast and still enjoy every small bit of every trick
HM: What’s your opinion of having soooo many skate parks for these kids today to access – good or bad?
Eve: It’s great. It’s awesome that they get so much variety. Instead of just flatground type skateboarding, there’s such a mix now. You can decide on any day to go do a completely different type of skateboarding, so yeah, it’s good
HM: In 2009, we experienced the tragic episode involving a head on collision in the bowl right here at Seylynn Bowl Series contest and we lost The Mad Carver – Don Hartley – forever. I know you and Don were good friends and had known each other a long time. How did that day change your life?
Eve: (long pause)… It’s changed it for every day after. I think about him every time I skate; every day, if I don’t skate. A real influence was Don Hartley. Not just on a few – on many, many people, from all parts of his life… That day, I was in the run, it was during our run – all the Locs, everybody that knew each other, and it happened. And it was like the hammer dropped, you know, everything changed from that day on. But he has a very strong family, and you know, they’re great, so, I don’t know how much more to……. you know…. it changed a lot of people, and I am just so grateful to know him at all. I thank skateboarding for that. I wouldn’t have known him otherwise
HM: If you could change 1 thing about today’s world, what would it be?
Eve: That people would care a little more about just everyday life with everybody else. We all gotta deal with all the same problems basically, so everybody’s gotta recognize, you know, and take a second for everybody else
HM: Describe who “Eve” is on the inside, and what motivates you to be that person…
Eve: Umm….. I like to do things… I like to work hard. Whatever it is I think I take pride in what it is that I’m doing. Try to have fun with everything I’m doing…. I don’t know, that’s a tough one. How do you talk about yourself that way? I look to my influences to help me make choices too. It’s not just me. I am other people as well. I am who I came from. And sometimes there are battles, and sometimes you’re thankful for all that you have. That’s me I guess – don’t need too much, just happiness I guess
HM: Do you consider yourself to be a leader or a follower?
Eve: I think I am a Leader, but sometimes I know my place, and can follow
HM: What is the best accomplishment in your lifetime?
Eve: Well, kids are my best accomplishment. I guess that’s the standard one. But something that I’ve done that is only mine…… King of the Bowls (2004)
HM: Who was the coolest Pro you ever got to skate with and where?
Eve: So, at the old Richmond Skate Ranch, I got a chance to build some of the ramps with Lance Mountain, and that was pretty fun. And Neil Blender was there too and me and some of the guys that were there went for a street skate through Richmond with Neil Blender. To see a guy that you only see in the magazine or something and it was a fun time just hanging out with another skateboarder who just happened to be from another place. That was good. But there was also Steve Caballero I got a chance to skate with there. Um, Adrian Demain, but Ray Underhill was one of the funniest, friendliest guys I ever got to skate with
HM: What’s the best beer to skate with?
Eve: Uhhh, Ozujsko??? (laughing, since I had just given him his first taste of Ozujsko during the interview)
HM: Name your 3 favorite skate brands of all time…
Eve: Powell Peralta, Skull Skates and Sector9
HM: What is your most influential Skate Video to watch?
Eve: Seylynn Story – always
HM: And finally –
Do you ever see yourself quitting skateboarding?
Eve: Nope, not for a second. No matter what happens, I gotta roll still, so that’s the way it’s gonna be
HM: So I’d just like to thank you for coming on Glory Daze, especially being the first person ever. One of my favorite people to skate with – anywhere – Eve Feaver…
Just because I found a video of Hippie Mike skateboarding that wasn’t me, I punched in a couple other team rider’s names to see what came up. Ohhhhh, Andy Anderson, one of my favorites to watch. This kid was a perfect addition to the Protest Team, with mad skills in Street Skating, Freestyle, and of course any sort of transitions –
Now we get to experience what life is like through the eyes of Andy Anderson… But the not the Andy Anderson that we already know here in Surrey…
This video is awesome. It’s someone else who shares Andy’s name, and skates just like him.
You gotta see it (through his eyes)
I think we need to get these two Andy’s together one day for a showdown
The Protest Team just keeps getting bigger, but also more and more diverse.
We got bowl rippers, flip trick masters, old-schoolers, new-schoolers and of course myself – who will skate anything and everything. But there was one thing missing, a Freestyle Skateboarder.
Over the evolution of the skateboard era, board shapes have changed dramatically, and the style of obstacles and the scenes of which we skate have changed with it. But there’s one thing that still exists, and that is the freedom of expression. Freestyle Skateboarding is a way of life. It’s you and your board making magic happen together. You don’t need a skate park, you don’t need an audience, you just need passion. I’ve been watching this kid grow for about 4 or 5 years now, and the one thing I always recognized in his skating was passion. He loves to learn and loves to try new things. And with a lot of mentorship from the legendary Kevin Harris, I knew he was only going to get better.
I talked to Ryan on the phone the night before the World Round-Up Freestyle Championships and laid down an offer of having him join the team. I was not surprised at how stoked he was about it. This kid is an amazing person, who loves to skateboard and be good at it, but is also one of the most humble people you’ll ever meet. Reminds me a lot of Rodney Mullen.
In this lifetime, and with the right support behind him, I believe that he will make a memorable mark on the skateboard community world-wide. And I am stoked to help him with that.
It was about 2004 when I built the 2×4 skateboard.
I built it to prove to the kids I was teaching that you can balance on anything. But I made the mistake of taking it down to Bear Creek Skate Park the evening I put it together and realized that I could actually skate it. I even did a kickflip off the bank launch on it that first day. It was gonna be trouble…
I started skating this thing all the time. I kept it in my trunk and pulled it out whenever I thought of something to try. I let the kids ride it every Friday at the Skateboard Camps I was running and they all thought it was awesome. All it was, was just a straight up 2×4 – 36” long, gripped on top and sitting on original Gullwing Pros and Powell Peralta Mini Rats. It’s in my laundry room right now, just waiting for another ride. I think the last trick I ever did on it was a switch blunt – indy out on my ramp, or maybe it was the jitterbug. Either way it’s been a year or two.
We had some good times, me and that 2×4 – kickflipped a roof gap on some portables, pop-shovits, manuals and boardslides, all kinds of craziness. I still remember early grabbing the 10 stair at Brookswood Skate Park on it and everyone going wild. One time I showed up at Brookswood for a contest in 2005 and I only brought my 2×4. 75% of the people there didn’t even know it existed, but they’ll never forget it after that day:
First run, I threw down a solid line to start, Kickflip on flat, then a big pop shovit, and then boardslide down the 4 stair kink rail; turned around and blunt transferred over the spine in the bowl to a 50-50 and then a rock fakie; jumped out of the bowl, cleared the path and early grabbed the 10 stair… Killed it!
Second run, started off with the same line, then went back and forth in the flat banks with a kickflip fakie, a fakie kickflip and then pop-shovit body varial; and of course, one more early grab off the 10 stair.
The crowd loved it, and somehow I got 4th place. Nice! I didn’t do it to win, I just did it for the fun, and I was stoked that I had 2 flawless runs.
I was filming way out in Aldergrove Skate Park about a month ago for my “Show UP Mike” contest and this kid showed up and the first thing he said to me was, “Hey, did you used to ride a 2×4? I remember you from a contest at Brookswood.” I just laughed. Good times.
Another great one was this Volcom – Wild in the Parks thing at Tsawwassen Skate Park in 2006. I had ridden my 2×4 at Tsawwassen so many times it was basic. I kickflipped up the step up no problem, early grabbed both sets with different grabs, and some other stuff, but this was a day for historic moments so I decided I was going to boardslide the Blue Rail down the 6 stair. Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t ride rails any more, but here I was hopping on to this handrail on my 2×4 and making it. So I stuck it down, Blam!! I had never even attempted to boardslide this rail on my normal board, so I have to admit I was pretty stoked that I just did it on a 2×4, maybe a little toooooo stoked. I stuck it down again for my video camera so I could watch it myself, and then I talked shit: “Joyce Rail, tomorrow. It’s goin’ down.” Any locals to the Lower Mainland should know the Joyce Rail – long green 6 stair rails, fairly high, out of a tennis court and you need plywood to land on. About 12 of us went out the next day for me to do this boardslide.
First try, got on it and jumped off;
Second try, slid the whole rail and jumped off;
Third try, came up strong, full commitment, knowing I was going to land it…
Nope.
I clipped my front wheels on the bottom of the rail, leaped over the rail trying to clear it and caught my inner thigh on the end. Smash! Faceplant.
It took me 3-4 weeks to massage out this blood clot trying to form in my leg, but it was worth it. I was getting way to cocky with that 2×4 board and needed a good dose of reality as to why I should not be riding it.
The 2×4 skateboard was built to prove a point to kids, but instead it ended up proving a lot about skateboarding to myself. I learned that I can ride anything and still rip it. It helped me express my inner self and I realized that this board would push my limits to another level, and I thank every day I got on it, and every trick I did. I’m sure someday it will rise again, but can’t say when.
Until then, enjoy what might just be the strangest skateboard video part you ever see:
It’s the final Member added to our revised Protest Skateboards Team – Jordan Strong. Protest has been around for a long time, almost a decade if you can believe it, and there are still most of the original Team Riders. In the past 2 months we’ve been revising the company, and the team, adding Stu Benoit, Andy Anderson, Jaden Easton-Ellett and now Jordan Strong. I’ve known Jordan for about 7 years and he brings even more creativity to the team. Another skateboarder who doesn’t follow what everyone else is doing, but just goes out and visualizes his own tricks and then brings them to life. He doesn’t follow the norm, and that’s one of my favorite things about him. It’s hard to find people like that anymore and that’s what Protest is all about.
He’s definitely got a wicked sense of balance and shows that off with some intricate manual tricks and funky powerslides. But at the same time, the dude can kickflip grind a ledge any time he wants. I’ve always enjoyed skating with Jordan, and I love his “Big Ollie Skills”. He’s also taking on the role of Team Filmer. Now it’s time to see what he has to offer to the world of PROTEST.
I’ve been skateboarding now for 26 years, and I would say I have learned quite a lot of tricks, but the best thing about skateboarding is just running as fast as you can on to your board and surfing the concrete. Today’s generation doesn’t always understand that concept. They get dropped off at the skate park, practise their tricks all day, get mad when they can’t land them, and call their Mommies to come pick them up. That’s not what skateboarding is supposed to be about.
Skateboarding is about Freedom – Freedom to express yourself in any way you feel. I can skate for hours without doing any tricks and without ever leaving the ground. Just cruisin’ and carvin’. Some days my favorite thing to do is just grab a couple buddies and hit up the Surrey Downhill 3 or 4 times. You should try it some day. Quit worrying about who you’re impressing and just go skate.
Since the “What the F” video came out in 2010, I haven’t really been filming too much. I’ve kind of just been keeping to myself, riding my ramp at home, slashing around at Chuck Bailey, and just going back to the roots of why I love this sport. But it’s time to giv’er once again. Through all the injuries that have plagued me over the past 26 years, and the changes in my body structure due to some of these injuries, it is still my greatest passion to be out there on my board.
Here’s a little taste of the footage you’re about to get from the old Hippie Mike. Enjoy it, and get ready for a whole lot more….
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…
