Being a life long skateboarder, of 26 years I've had a love affair with the fantastic phenomenon of skateboarding since I can remember. At age eight, my Grandfather purchased me a Nash Executioner. This was an awesome starter board. It had some bitchin' graphics of a sick looking dragon with multiple heads standing on a pile of human skulls. It was neon pink or orange, and I loved the thing! But I eventually spray painted it, as I began to be ashamed of riding a Nash.
Soon after I realized that this was a generic brand, and there were pro quality skateboards out there. My uncle that is 5 years older had a Powell-Peralta Rat Bones deck, and every piece of hardware was a custom selection. I eventually started begging for a Powell-Peralta Tony Hawk deck. Which I eventually got, as one of the only presents from my estranged father who was living in Austin Texas at the time. I ordered it from the California Connection (Now under the moniker CCS) catalog I had signed up to receive. When the deck came it was way too big for me, but I was so tits, and ass excited that I couldn't have cared. I told my mom that it was pro quality and I would grow into it.
Yet it was just a deck. I still needed all the wheels, hardware, accessories, like rib bones, lapper, tail bone, copers, you name it I had to have it. We were basically on welfare, and moving place to place running from my Mothers abusive boyfriends. My Father had to give out his credit card info to my Mother to complete it, and we went to the then, best skate shop in Madison Wisconsin, Flying Fish. I was literally like a kid in a candy store. My mother was actually younger, and the shop owner was kissing our ass to try to get in my Moms panties. A dirty ass hippie named Ben, and I would have loved if my Mother was fucking the owner of a skateboard shop. It would have been so much better than the scum of the earth she had dated up until then.
Invariably I ended up with Tracker Ultra-Light Trucks, Tracker Copers, OJ II Wheels, German Bearings, Powell-Peralta Rib Bones, Lapper, Nose Bone, Tail Bone. When all was assembled and done, the thing was heavy as hell, and was a tank. I was full of pride, and could not wait to get my little blond haired, blue eyed, ass on the streets and raise hell! Since then I had several Powell-Peralta decks, in the 80's other than the Tony Hawk I had a Steve Caballero, Mike McGill decks. Most with similar trucks and hardware. Then I got a Cell-Block Hellraiser deck. It had a graphic with a likeness of Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes. He had a pinhead face from the hellraiser movies and was dragging a half ripped apart Hobbes. This deck was loaned to a friend, and it got stolen. The only deck I still do not have to this day. This was when the skateboard shapes started to move toward todays short board shape. I got a Powell-Peralta blank deck, and then a Planet Earth deck with some really cool graphics that were a metaphor for the raping of the oceans, and sea life by commercial fishing.
I had learned to Ollie on the Caballero Deck, kick flip mechanics on the McGill deck. What stood out most to me, and was the major reason for my purchases was the graphics. They gave the deck personality, and were a statement about me, and my individuality. Never was I a conformist, and in the 80's skateboarding was a counter culture phenomenon. You were labeled, as a skater punk if you skated. Still a majority of the graphics that caught my eye, and my parent's wallet contents were 99% graphics that contained some horror element. Bones of animals, Dragons, Skulls, etc.
Sometime in my early twenties, my relationship with skateboarding started to fade. I began to drink, and do drugs, and all the while skateboarding was always in my heart. It got neglected. Thinking back, I have had many countless hours of happy enjoyment, physical activity, and self confidence from skateboarding. It's a sad thing. Growing up, I was lost and I realize now at the age of 34, that skateboarding kept me on a good path. I changed schools almost every year, and being a skater helped me make friends. To this day some of my long time best friends in the world's friendships started with the simple question. "Hey do you skate?" During my youth, had there been the acceptance to the sport there is now, and the number of public skate parks there are. I may have ended up somewhere else.
Recently after being in a drug rehab program I rediscovered my love for skating that's always been there. By no means am I a good skater. But I do love skateboarding. There is nothing in the world barring being in love with someone like I am with my Fiance', Nicole that can top the feeling of landing that first... Ollie, kick flip, it's a personal accomplishment that helps build character in the way that it took so much work and dedication to do. You achieved something that you've assigned this high value to. There is a beauty, and art to skateboarding that creates the awe that's made the sport have such longevity, that it even remains a steady industry when the economy is in downturn.
This year I finally fixed my Beer City Blank board with twenty year old Gullwing trucks on it. The Kingpin had broke the first time I want out to try a 180 Varial three years ago. This year I ordered a kingpin on eBay and repaired the truck. That love affair I've had with skateboarding came rushing back. The fact that I had a son on the way was a big factor in my decision to start my own brand Corpsehustler Skateboards. I wanted to be able to share this with my son to be. Who is now just over a month old, James II. I started looking up old skaters so I could buy their new deck. I found Tony Hawk had a son who was a skater, Riley Hawk. I imagined the feeling Tony got when he saw his son get on his first board and push off. "This is something I want to share with my Son", I thought.
So I ordered a Birdhouse Tony Hawk complete from TGM skateboards' EBay store. Much to my surprise I was able to buy a complete for less than One hundred dollars. I must say I was really impressed with the Amphetamine Bearings, and Core trucks. Now the thing to realize is I'm by no means near well off. By the time I got the board in the mail, and assembled I had some buyers regret and thought of trying to turn it around by selling it as a brand new complete on Craigslist or something. My fiance' said something to me that made me decide not to. It was along the lines of, "you work hard, and it's good to have a healthy hobby". Yet I thought how fun it would be to sell skateboards, and even to watch people ride them. If I could get more people in love with skateboarding, then how much I would help society would make up for the drudgery of my button-pushing slave labor job.
I started looking up "Custom Skateboard" graphics on google for some reason or another. I found several companies that did it. One had a setup where you could have your own board shop online, but the downside was if you wanted to make any serious money you had to gouge the hell out of the consumer. That or make a paltry sum on each deck while they walk away like bandits. As well as there is little opportunity to sponsor skateboarders. After all, to me that would be the best part about running my own brand. To touch people's lives, and to maybe keep someone from having to perform back strains for corporate gains, like I've had to the past twenty some years.
It hit me like a freight train, and I began to feel a lightness come over my being. Like the meaning of my life had just uncovered it's self to me. It had been there all along, and I was too stupid, selfish, and wrapped up in substance abuse to see the nose on my face. I have so many ideas for cool horror graphics, why not start my own skateboard brand. My motivation is my loving, and supportive wife to be Nicole. My wonderful newborn son James William-Walter, II. Also my golden retriever, Europa. You all mean the world to me, and the fact I'm writing again shows I've come back from the abyss. Nothing can stop me now, and watch the fuck out, Corpshustler Skateboards will take the industry by storm.
This blog is the story of what takes place along the way. I hope someone reads it, and is inspired to go out and skateboard. It could change your life.
Also check out our T-Shirt Shop at corpsehustler.spreadshirt.com, then go out skating!
J.W. Hollibush
*Dedicated to my future wife, Nicole, my son James II, and Europa. You've all got me through tough times, and are my inspiration.
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