RODNEY MULLEN | FROM THE GROUND UP [HD DOC.]

Street skateboarding exists as it does now because of rodney mullen ronnie mone invented all of the modern Street skating tricks I mean he's the Godfather of all that's current so we watch him and just be like he's doing stuff that no one has even thought of or could do if they put their mind to it rodney mullen did more for the actual act of skateboarding totally than anyone in the history of the sport by constantly pushing the realm of what is possible rodney Mullen has permanently changed the sport of skateboarding his legacy began in Gainesville Florida in 1977 my dad you know he was a dentist and you know I say look man I just I just treated a guy last week who had head trauma from going down this hill there's no one in the world you're going to skateboard just do something valid like golf or tennis or baseball one night I came down and crying and I could I please just one last chance you know so he goes okay but only if you were wearing full pads and the first time you get hurt you have to stop so New Year's Day surf shop was open and I went there and got my first board my sister was a surfer and so she hung out with the whole surf crowd that would serve on the weekends and then during the week they would do a lot of slalom and set up these ramps so I would watch those guys and just say wow they're cool you know this is as independent as what Coach there's no nothing so I I picked up really really quick but of course I'm compulsive so it's all I can think about I just focus you know and you get good really fast after just one year of skateboarding rodney was sponsored by a nearby shop around you ride for him litter shop out of game he did well in local contests but was often uneasy around crowds of people hard to emphasizes enough and I was not used to people how we spoke most of the dog who you are on camera I didn't get to catch your free car what place did you get yeah skateboarding is something that is so like I know it talks to me it's an interaction with something almost you know alive it's because it changes according to you and that's it it's my friend yeah at age 11 Rodney's family moved to a farm outside of Gainesville Florida with the closest neighbor two miles away Rodney lived in your isolation but this only serves to encourage his obsession the rural environment began to shape Rodney's skating into a more specialized form using only flat ground this later became known as freestyle it's just the cows this week our garage if that's your only world you know so okay what can I do with this so freestyle kind of came from that but first I wasn't really defined at that time we weren't just freestylers we were just skateboarders but we'd enter flatland contests and that was called freestyle we also might enter hi John there might be slalom might do downhill it might be bull riding - all in the same day and you know we didn't her every event that's a structured it it got more and more toward just little tricks and the guys who skated pools moved into vert and the guys who organized the routines move more into freestyle and that's what it became delineated as he concentrated more and more on freestyle rodney progressed faster than ever soon many established pros began taking notice of him it was obvious that he had spent a lot of time in his garage I would get her somewhere just practice and many many hours each day detail probably the most crucial time maybe my life was July in 79 to that August and 80 I think it's probably the most creative time for me where I came up with more stuff like hella pops and Casper's and all these things they all happen in that year by the time he entered his first pro contest in 1980 his very technical brand of skating had already left most of the dance and gymnastic oriented feast dollars far behind so I go out there and I'm looking at everyone and I hadn't seen anyone and they didn't seem very good and then I look at Steve yeah he's gnarly so it was between us I think I won because I got a little kid points his upset victory at the Oasis contest over legendary Pro Steve Rocco was more proved to the skateboarding world that rodney was a force to be reckoned with the precision and consistency he did things is just unparalleled it's hard to get Natick something like that he was gonna take it to a level that you know I couldn't take it to its gating was this his life it's all he wanted to do it just as it was taking off Rodney's career almost ended because of an odd promise he'd made with his father in order to be allowed to skate in the Aces contest he would have to give up skateboarding when he returned home and what had happened I had won and then I came home and I was packing away all my stuff to treasure for the rest of my life thinking that was it and and then the magazine's called and the companies are calling and then my dad was like well look I guess they're putting money into you and and so I have no choice but just know that this is very temporary and that is echoed in my ears more than anything anything that this is very temporary take it to your last chance Rodney's sort of like a fuel the harder you pull him the more he digs his heels in and his dad was always trying to pull him away from skateboarding which may broaden clung to it even more after gaining recognition for his victory at the Oasis contest Rodney turned parole for powell-peralta he was made famous by Paul's breakthrough videos but still spent much of his time in obscurity skating alone in his family's garage all he wanted to do was figure out how to do new things with the skateboard and new tricks and kidding care if anyone else is doing if anyone else thought it was cool he just wanted to see what was possible although too technical for most Rodney's innovations began to influence pros who were also pushing the limits of skateboarding I learned finger for Blair's number because I was inspired by Ronnie doing it and I wanted to take some of these things that he was doing and try to learn them in the air you know in the pools that was the first one I did that was directly linked to freestyle one of Rodney's simpler innovations I completely revolutionized skateboarding was the flat ground ollie even on vert when always were first invented Allen Gelfand didn't really hit his tail he just kind of scooped it and so when we would try to mimic that on the street we would just do it without hitting our tail barely get anywhere and brought me if you're gonna have to snap it and pop it up I'm sure that he was the first one who ever did a flat all I get was over like six inches if that's all he ever did he would still have to be it you know top of the list as far as who was important in skateboard but his list of tricks doesn't stop there you know 360 flip kickflip he'll flip it's all riding emotions it's crazy because I never knew I thought Jason Lee invented the 360 flip but I know to watch a video ten years before that and see the first one I've come to learn it you know a couple of years ago that Ronnie Mullen invented every trick that I know how to do he was just pushing himself physically mentally an opening new doors for the very beginning of his career Rodney's progression began to put him in a class of his own he just started overtaking everyone at such a high speed it no one could ever catch him he's the first skater that I'd ever come across that was committed to his craft dedicated to it believed in practice believed in going out and getting better the thing that's amazing is just the fact that he wouldn't be just holding back and doing just basic tricks to win the contest he'd be doing stuff that no one had ever seen before and doing it consistently by the late 80s Rodney had gained popularity with a more mainstream audience he was the star of parades international tours and even appearances on television remember an 86 was really daunting I mean this kid wearing this big and then I go on tour and everyone there's so many people and I'm just like this pan on parade that was the weirdest thing about skateboarding that so much being a star but just being surrounded by so many people that were looking at you tonight you here on our stage to demonstrate some of his truly incredible skateboarding skills so please welcome skateboarder extraordinaire rodney Mullen despite all of his success Rodney's father still insisted that skateboarding was not a legitimate career since Rodney himself wanted to pursue a future in science he began to contemplate an early retirement at age 18 by then I was in college and I was doing so much for Swatch watches and they're flying me all over the world that's how I was getting most of the money that I had no one bought freestyle words and I remember thinking wow this is it grow up and Steve calls me he was like Riley look this is it started this business Steve Rocco was just starting World Industries and had persuaded Rodney not only to stay in skateboarding but also to invest in his new company to me a business partner was anybody that you know just had excess cash gullibility and absenteeism Rodney had all of those and he bought out John Lucero for $6,000 and became a partner since Paul Peralta didn't like having their riders invest in other skate companies rodney was forced to quit and ride for world industries by this time freestyle was losing popularity consequently Rodney's new teammates tried to make him adapt to skills to Street skating no I never really liked freestyle but the ronnie was doing it was like kind of beyond freestyle out of a bottle you can use it on the street and stuff he was doing like lot of Ollie's stuff and 360 flips or something huh do it freestyle just looks like it's like a ballerina type thing you know like it seems like it's more of the feminine style of skater so I think that's why it night entitles the bear it's just so weird it's so big I feel kind of manly though the Freestyle had gone out of fashion Rodney wasn't ready to give up what are you asking me you're asking me to give up everything that I've done it is because I might sell it out so yeah I am with an ultra fine ballerina stuff and that was fine and so I just kept doing it doing it doing it until there was no more then left alone I figured that was it for me in my public life in skating by 1990 Rodney's board was discontinued as freestyle died completely his responsibilities as a company owner forced him to drop out of college although he's still skated by himself after work his career had taken an unexpected turn I went through this a horrible period of being a company guy which I never wanted to be and being a team manager guy which I never wanted to be after I got numb I first went to actually went to the factory he's like you know the one who's walking around the warehouse and getting my boards and stuff of Chevelle ago this guy's a team attitude like Rodney mullet Rodney's formal upbringing had done little to prepare him for managing a team of unpredictable kids we're just trying to survive day to day and the things keep happening and it is Pandora's Box when you start asking these pros to be themselves and let it out you know you're gonna get it we were help all of us all his kids at Warner she's in blind and we put Ronnie like seriously I've never seen anybody looked you know more stressed out than that light just totally turn pale like look how he wants to faint you know and he's gonna take care of his little monster kids and he did a good job you know nobody died and cut off from his dreams of skateboarding in school rodney was surrounded by people whom he couldn't relate with Robbie's is the outsider in life I mean there's not too many people that can relate to him or that he can even relate with you tend to be an outcast when you can't find any peers this is Ronnie was failing he no longer had a place in skateboarding a new company was formed called Plan B headed by mike ternasky Plan B wanted to add Rodney's talent and ability to their already incredible team once again an effort was made to get Rodney the streetscape we've been trying to get Rodney to do stuff on the street I tried Stacey tried and we failed and uh Mike T came along and goes man I I can do it and I just was like looking at him yeah right until you know we're never gonna and step I know Mike had a lot to do with pushing Rodney in a direction to want to progress and it's like Mike if he was I can say hey Rodney do this he knew that inside of you you wanted to do it so what happened with Mike and Ronnie was that he saw something in Rodney and he made a couple comments and I think he saw like holy he could really do this if he committed to it so making the transition time the Harsens to do with my eyes we're to hold my eyes freestyle you look down you're never skating at anything took months to overcome stuff like that yeah but a lot of the body motions and stuff you know so well for freestyle that I think I had a little head start basically Pike Teague's just took a lot of Rodney's amazing tricks and he made him do a lot of things that kids can relate to he wasn't like a little oddity anymore people appreciated oh man this guy's an amazing skateboarder Mike teeth there's a lot to change my life he had faith in me I think probably that was the predominant thing said at his funeral everyone was probably saying he had faith in me in 1994 mike ternasky was tragically killed in the car accident he was such a great person he lifts you so high and that's why plan B was what it was and it was clear once Mike was gone it just was never the same without turning skis direction and leadership plan B began slowly dissolving over the next four years in 1997 Rodney started his own company called a team he also came up with an idea involving friend and world teammate davon song Ronnie vers Daewon the way it came about - is it was not planned whatsoever Rodney had a part ready and he wanted to do something like this I mean I had a part to realizin what I said of waiting let's just make a video together I like to do it what we do well it could be Rodney they weren't friends it was about running verses there between us warn against each other but at the same time we were still competing in the sense like the weekend would pass and I'd be like Rodney would be the mini film and so we keep going because we still have this hey would you get this weekend no would you get for the Rica all right you know how matrix you got 32 okay I got thirty after that first video kids really believe it kids were like oh yeah I think wine is better oh no they weren't killed it you know that's when we started getting hey these kids took it serious it's really you want to do it again sure round two and then I was like holy moly what am I gonna do I look like an idiot you did what over the weekend they won oh my god I'm dead my career is over I can't mess with the last of Rodney does I mean that's the truth but we do such different tricks that it bounces off each other you know I mean like we've fed off each other instead of just like taking a break like Santa calm and relaxed a little bit maybe I'll like take a little vacation or something you know I mean there's none of that for him it's like video parts are done huh I got this this new trick on a try and I always say I can't wait to the end cuz we're gonna take a break you know but it never happens at daewon's premiere this last time but literally the moment that lights went down they would see each other and they were talking about you know day one rowdy three and I said that's not fair each one has motivated me more and more and meanwhile the more I skate I get looser you know and I actually look like I'm alright and then round two when I had that much shoots getting out of my belt and I can apply all the stuff that I have done now the stuff is very more interesting and it's fun today Rodney's ability to manipulate his board is still largely unparalleled and the tricks he does are often ahead of their time one of the best examples of this is the dark slide markings off made-up the dark slide jumping on the rail you know became anyway but Roger was the first one to bike that I've seen like all the half flip to a dark slide and pull it he's done like who knows how many variations you everybody has their own way of understanding skateboarding and Rodney breaks down tricks and the little itty-bitty components and builds them up until we can pull it off he could explain it to and break it down to light the weight distribution for your foot like feeling a little bit on the outside of your heel even on the ball of your foot the way the truck sits on a block just sort of like being around and it sounds like I have a new understanding of the mechanics of skateboarding in a way like sit down to like the way it truck sits on a block when I'm filming a hard trick it's challenging for me then there are certain motions that you have to do right manual checks are hard and then testing those with another foot knows really over the gap for instance so you have these motions that you know in your head I know what a flip feels like but when you're actually what makes the trip for you is finally you pack all that stuff for granted and you forget about it and you're focusing only on or I am at least you're focusing on only one aspect of where my eye is and my back shoulder is at the time I see the edge of the table and then everything else is taken for granted and runs autopilot but as long as I can control that one and get a good nose wheelie from the start I've got it and that's how it works for me stack stack stack stack stack bracket and put like a tablecloth over it and focus on this last little bit and that's what does it as Rodney's innovations on a skateboard progressed so did the need to fine-tune the equipment he used this is something a lot of people I just don't even know or don't even want to admit but basically Rodney invented today's modern board shape period and it all started with the Mike Vallely animal farm board and it went from there and Rodney basically took that board and started rounding the tail and rounding the nose so you can all be better you know before you knew it you got a big long freestyle part I rode the sample it was it worked out right on Rodney's product designs now or becoming his revolutionary as a skating that's just exactly what the slider is supposed to light years ahead of everything else and Robbie's is driven by his ability to see what's next if he can see what's on the horizon for a trick or an idea he'll just start going after it seriously I wouldn't be surprised Brian is a pro for another 10 years when it wouldn't shock me it almost shocked me if he wasn't he was what's retiring 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 he's not retiring anywhere he's just gonna keep filming video parts and keep pushing his limits and even when you think you've seen it all you know like he's definitely will step it up again and surprise you I still am most comfortable with skating I just go out on the street light somewhere and I I do this stuff and I get peace I can think I'm not skateboarding to me you know is creating something that's cool you know I mean who knows what really drives someone to progress it could be fear or competition or being basically tormented by ideas that she's kind of forced her dress you know are gonna go crazy every time he goes out escapes he sees something else out there it'll just start going after it he doesn't love what he's doing you

Channel: JPOTT GAMING

Views: 3,332,410

Rating: 4.9143701 out of 5

Keywords: Rodney Mullen (Skateboarder), rodney mullen crazy tricks, rodney mullen HD skateboarding, rodney mullen hd, Skateboarding (Sport), Hawk, Ryan, Tony Hawk (Author), Tony Hawk (Video Game Series), Rodney Mullen Documentary HD, Rodney Mullen HD Documentary, Rodney Mullen Sports Athlete Documentary, Rodey Mullen Skateboarding Documentary, Rodney Mullen (Sponsored Recipient), Tony Hawk (Organization Founder)

Id: ieC_5foElVk

Length: 26min 43sec (1603 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 12 2013

Reddit Comments

[u/LivingForTheJourney]

I was fortunate enough to get to work with Rodney on a project breaking down the physics of a trick called the impossible (which he also invented). Seriously Rodney is one of the most wonderful souls in skateboarding. Kind, empathetic, extremely intelligent. Haha We sent a good chunk of time just geeking out about advancements in neuroscience and technology.

Rodney is definitely one of those heroes who you will not regret meeting. An awesome human being.

[u/The_Richard_Cranium]

An absolute artist, madman, and innovator. OG.

[u/pudgebone]

He's the da Vinci of skateboarding

[u/reiningparanoia]

(Gen X, not Boomer) Back in the 90's I watched my Plan B VHS of him nailing every rail with every part of the board, including the infamous Darkslide, until it would hardly play anymore. Then I was blown away my skater buddy telling me that he INVENTED a lot of that shit. As I said,

Blown. Away.

[u/insanityrocks84]

Back in the day I adored the dude, pre proper internet I would eat up every Tony hawk game just to get the video of Mullen doing insane shit, always assumed he was mute because in one of the videos he wrote hi I’m Rodney on the bottom of his board or something, shocked me when I heard him talk years later

[u/Noctuelles]

I've been skating since 98/99 and I knew how much he was responsible for creating tricks, but I had no idea he was responsible for the modern shape of a skateboard. What an incredible human being. It's honestly mindblowing how creative, determined, innovative, and humble this guy is.

[u/shelzmike]

I have a completely broken in 2 board from him from about...30 years ago I guess it would be now. Live(d) in a smaller-ish city in the mid-atlantic at the time. I would have been around 10 or 11. Skate scene was suuuper small. I was just starting out, sucked pretty bad, but they were opening the first skate shop in the area. They had a big grand opening weekend event and the shop was actually at the end of the road I lived on. This was back when kids left the house after breakfast and stayed gone all day long until the street lights came on. My few skater friends and I, each sucking worse than the next, went up to the skate shop where we tended to be the few weeks prior. Had no clue really who RM was really, but knew he was a pro so we were stoked that he was supposed to make an appearance/demo. From what I remember, it was one of the coolest days ever.

Long story short, he was around for nearly the whole day and decided to skate around the various places in the neighborhood and invited those of us that were still around to come along. I, and my 2 best friends, tried to keep up. I was in total freaking awe at the stuff he was doing. Towards the end, as we were heading back to the shop, Rodney ollied up onto a picnic table but when he came off of the other side, his board cracked right in half. I happened to be standing nearby and he told me that if I let him ride my board back to the shop he would let me have the cracked board. Um, yeah..I would have let him have my board in general, but I am glad I picked up the broken board and have kept it ever since.

He also showed me how to better do an ollie and manual and from that day until I stopped skating, I am pretty sure I never changed from doing it the way he showed me. One of the best memories of my childhood. The greats of this era have done so much for skating and literally are legends of our times.

[u/DustFunk]

His TED talk was really good too.

[u/_pamphleteer]

Also highly recommended is the Bones Brigade documentary from 2012, in which Rodney is featured prominently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5kA57IyqAI