Rodney Mullen

John Rodney Mullen[2][3] (born August 17, 1966[4]) is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, inventor, and public speaker who practices freestyle skateboarding and street skateboarding.[5] He is widely considered one of the most influential street skaters in the history of the sport, being credited for inventing numerous tricks, including the flatground ollie, kickflip, heelflip, impossible, and 360-flip. As a result, he has been called the "Godfather of Street Skateboarding."[6]

This article is about the American skateboarder. For the CEO of Kroger, see Rodney McMullen.
Rodney Mullen
Mullen in 2013
Personal information
Birth nameJohn Rodney Mullen
Born (1966-08-17) August 17, 1966[1]
Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
Websiterodneymullen.com
Sport
Country United States
SportSkateboarding
Turned pro1980

Rodney Mullen won his first world skateboard championship at the age of 14; over the following decade, he won 34 out of 35 freestyle contests, thus establishing the most successful competitive run in the history of the sport.[6] Over the following years, he transitioned from freestyle to street skateboarding, adapting his accumulated freestyle skills to street and inventing or expanding upon additional tricks in the process, such as primo slides, darkslides, and casper slides.

Mullen has appeared in over 20 skateboarding videos and has co-authored an autobiography, entitled The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself, with writer Sean Mortimer.[7][8]

Early life

Mullen was born in Gainesville, Florida, United States, and began skateboarding at the age of ten, on New Years Day of 1977, after a neighborhood friend introduced him to a skateboard. He promised his strict father, a dentist, that he would cease skateboarding the first time he became seriously injured:

My dad wouldn't let me have a skateboard. He thought I'd get hurt and never get good, and the culture was bums, and I'd turn into one. He was a dentist, but before that he was military, and there were times you'd call him, 'Sir.' New Year's Day he had a drink and felt better, and the skate shop was open. I learned to skate in our garage. We lived in the country in Florida, it was sort of farmish, and there was no cement anywhere else. Vert skating was the kind of skating that was done in pools, where you could get airborne and be weightless. The other style, which is what I did, was called free style, which was tricks you could do on flat ground[5]

Mullen began practicing in the garage of the family home while wearing a comprehensive pads setup, a precaution that was part of the deal with his father, and spent time with his sister's surfer friends, who skateboarded on weekdays.[5][9] Mullen became obsessed with the skateboard and practiced for many hours on a daily basis. As a child, Mullen slept in boots designed to correct a severe pigeon-toe condition. Despite Mullen's condition, "He had an incredible dexterity with his feet," in the words of Phil Chiocchio, former owner of the Florida skatepark, Sensation Basin.[10]

Professional skateboarding

In 1978, even though he had owned a skateboard for only just over a year, Mullen placed fifth in the Boy's Freestyle category at the US Open Championships at Kona Skatepark in Jacksonville, Florida. Skateboard manufacturer Bruce Walker saw his performance and sponsored Mullen through Walker Skateboards from 1978 to 1980. Mullen's biggest influence in skateboarding at the time was a Walker professional skateboarder, Jim McCall, who was coached in his early years by Walker (Walker also coached a young Kelly Slater).[11] Mullen was also influenced in a positive manner by professional skateboarders from Florida including Ed Womble, George McClellan, Clyde Rodgers, Tim Scroggs, and Kelly Lynn.

Rodney Mullen, 1988. “Innovation rarely comes by revolution; it develops by continual and gradual evolution.”[12]

In later years, Mullen was coached by Barry Zaritsky (also known as "SIO Barry"), who owned a company called SiO Safety Shorts. When his family moved to a farm in a remote part of Florida, Mullen began perfecting his flatground techniques in the family garage; he has said that the isolation and lack of terrain naturally guided him towards freestyle skateboarding. Mullen cites July 1979–August 1980 as his "most creative time," a time when he was predominantly a loner who counted the cows of the family farm as his best friends.[9][13] Mullen then proceeded to win thirty successive amateur competitive victories in the late 1970s, mostly in his home state of Florida, culminating in a win at the Oceanside Nationals in June 1979.[9]

In 1980, the 14-year-old Mullen entered the Oasis Pro competition, defeating the world champion, Steve Rocco. At Oasis Skatepark Mullen also spotted a 12-year-old skater who “introduced himself as Tony Hawk.” Recalled Mullen, “Before Tony was sponsored, before anybody knew anything about him, he made an impression on me,”[14] and the two would go on to become good friends.[15] Shortly thereafter Mullen turned professional as a member of the renowned Bones Brigade team sponsored by Powell Peralta, based on the recommendation by Powell Peralta rider and fellow Floridian skateboarder Tim Scroggs of Mullen to company co-founder Stacy Peralta, whom Mullen highly admired.[13] Mullen competed voraciously throughout the 1980s, often frustrating competitors and judges with his consistency and progressive ability.[16]

Invention of the flatground ollie

Among his most significant contributions to the evolution of modern skateboarding,[9] Rodney Mullen adapted the ollie, first pioneered by Alan Gelfand on vert (where Gelfand would scoop off the back trucks to obtain more air off the wall, but without popping the tail of the skateboard in the process), to flatground. This ability to pop the board off of the ground and drag it upward into the air, gaining significant altitude and air time, allowed ollieing onto rails and obstacles and opened the door to more complex flip tricks and other flatground tricks. The invention of this trick alone, even apart from the numerous other tricks that he has invented and his design work, has ranked Mullen as one of the most important skateboarders of all time.[6][17] In response to the praise that he has received for the flatground ollie, Mullen stated in August 2012:

The origins of ollies—a guy named Alan Gelfand did it on vert… I had for a long time done a really simple movement, which was—it was just a transfer trick… and there are a ton of tricks where I needed to get to this side [demonstrates going from standing regular on his board to standing on the nose]. It’s a transfer trick—I’d been doing that since the late seventies, so that I could, in turn, do things like this [demonstrates going from standing on the nose to a nose-stand and then landing back on his skateboard]. When I saw him [Gelfand] do it on the wall, I immediately—I’m thinking, the mechanics of it: how do you get your board off the ground—how would you get your board off the ground like he did off the wall, ’cause I’m stuck on flat ground, not weightless… [T]he first ones I did took about, I don’t know, five, ten minutes… I realized, that’s just the same motion I’ve been doing for years—it’s a see-saw motion; that’s how ollies work… It’s just a punch and a little hop; and the real key to it was dragging your foot and leveling it out, which brings the board up… In a back-handed way, people credit me with—in the documentary, Stacy [Peralta]’s Bones Brigade documentary, credit me with the importance of the ollie that gave the foundation for street skating, which is just skateboarding today, all that; and to me it was like, “Yeah, but, it’s not a big deal.” Took me ten minutes, fifteen, half an hour, an hour; and the next thing you know, you’re getting ’em this high, and that’s what laid the foundation for everything else. So, in a sense, the biggest innovation for street skating, which is what they credit me for—it’s not a big deal![13]

Throughout the 1980s, he invented the majority of skating's ollie and flip tricks, including the flatground ollie, the kickflip, the heelflip, the 360-flip, and many others. These tricks are now considered essential building blocks of both modern vert skateboarding and street skateboarding.

World Industries

In early 1989, Mullen left the Bones Brigade to join World Industries as a principal investor with longtime friend and former rival, Rocco, in the formation of the very first skateboarder-owned company—professional skateboarder, Mike Vallely, later joined the company for a brief period of time.[16] Mullen and Rocco had embarked on a very risky venture, as Powell Peralta was an established company and Rocco's upstart company had been struggling at the time. World Industries would later develop into the distribution company, Dwindle Distribution, which is the world's largest skateboard manufacturer in the 21st century.[18]

Transition to street and Plan B

As the popularity of freestyle skateboarding declined, Mullen was urged to transform his style to join the street skating trend that was becoming increasingly popular at that time; however, Mullen was very reluctant due to a fear of compromising his integrity, whereby the foundation of his skateboarding would be "sold out".[16] Such pressure is alluded to in the World Industries video, Rubbish Heap, in which Mullen's sequence ends with team member, Jeremy Klein, deliberately breaking his freestyle skateboard (which is also the first recorded focus of a skateboard) and then handing him a note from Rocco, accompanied by a street skateboard deck, in which the end of freestyle is declared.[19]

In 1991, Mullen joined the high-profile skateboarding team, Plan B Skateboards. Mike Ternasky, the owner of Plan B, influenced Mullen to transition from freestyle to street skating, and showcased his skills in the 1992 Plan B video, Questionable. His segment begins with traditional freestyle tricks executed on flat ground, but quickly transitions into Mullen skateboarding across public terrain to shift into street skating tricks and lines. Mullen's video part signified a major transformation in relation to both his career and his skateboarding. Ternasky filmed Mullen as he sequenced tricks and mixed flip tricks with grinds and boardslides, while he also negotiated obstacles. Mullen also introduced two newly invented tricks in Questionable, the kickflip underflip and the Casper slide.[20][21]

Mullen's Questionable performance might have marked the beginning of a new era in street skateboarding. His reluctant transition from freestyle to street skateboarding was a symbol that legitimized the technical direction street skating had taken over the previous few years. Mullen focused on the progression of this transition in subsequent Plan B videos, including 1993's Virtual Reality, in which Mullen showcases the newly mastered trick, the darkslide. Mullen's participation in Plan B dissolved after Ternasky was killed in a car crash on May 17, 1994. Mullen later explained, "He was such a great person. He would lift you so high and that is why Plan B was what it was. And it was clear once Mike was gone that it was never the same."[9]

A-Team and Rodney vs. Daewon

In 1997 Rodney Mullen started another company, the A-Team, along with Marc Johnson, Gershon Mosley, Dave Mayhew, and Chet Thomas, with the intention of forming a "super team" following the gradual dissolution of Plan B over the four years following Ternasky's death. It was at this time that Mullen also initiated discussions with friend and fellow professional skateboarder, Daewon Song, to plan the video Rodney vs. Daewon, released in 1997, which featured the two skaters "competing" with their respective video parts (the concept developed into a series and, as of December 2012, three "rounds" have been produced).[9][22][23][24][25]

Enjoi and Tensor Trucks

The A-Team folded in 2000, and Mullen made the transition from company founder to company rider, as former Maple rider, Marc Johnson, founded Enjoi Skateboards (other riders included Chris Cole and Bobby Puleo, with Jerry Hsu and Louie Barletta, the current mainstays of the team, recruited later).

Around the turn of the 21st century, Mullen had been engaged in the development of his own skateboard truck design, a concept that would later become the foundation for the company, Tensor. In 2000, Mullen filed for a United States patent in support of his innovative work in the area and submitted the following abstract to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office:

A skateboard having one or more truck assemblies configured to eliminate undesired ride characteristics such as hanger-jiggle and wheel bite, without sacrificing the skateboard's steering responsiveness. Each truck assembly includes an axle assembly with a ring-shaped hanger that is confined on a kingpin using a pair of bushings, at least one of which includes an annular flange that projects into an annular gap defined between the hanger and the kingpin. This prevents the hanger from moving laterally relative to the kingpin and thereby eliminates undesired ride characteristics such as hanger-jiggle and wheel bite. In a separate feature of the invention, the skateboard truck assembly further incorporates a low-friction slider plate that enhances the rider's performance of certain maneuvers and at the same time protects other components of the truck assembly from undue wear.[26]

A subsequent advertisement was released, entitled "The Patented Tensor Design," and the company recruited team riders such as Daewon Song, Chris Cole, Chris Haslam, Salman Agah, Ryan Sheckler, Kanten Russell, and Gailea Momolu.[27][28] As of December 2012, the Tensor team consists of Daewon Song, Rodney Mullen, Ronnie Creager, Enrique Lorenzo, Manny Santiago, Zered Bassett, Felipe Ortiz, and Joey Brezinski.[29]

Almost and Dwindle Distribution
“The biggest obstacle to creativity is breaking through the barrier of disbelief.”
—Rodney Mullen[30]

Mullen subsequently left Enjoi to co-found Almost Skateboards with Song, who had been unable to find success with the two preceding deck companies that he had founded, Deca and Artefact. Mullen and Song proceeded to recruit Cooper Wilt (a former Artefact rider), Chris Haslam (a former Deca and Artefact rider), Greg Lutzka, and Ryan Scheckler to form the initial basis of the company.

After years of success and controversy, Steve Rocco decided to sell World Industries. In 2002, World Industries, under the holding name "Kubic Marketing," was sold to Globe International for US$46 million. Rocco, as the owner, and Mullen, as a principal investor, became instant multimillionaires. Kubic's management remained intact, and Mullen began working for Globe under the Dwindle Distribution brand.[31]

In 2003, Mullen wrote and released his autobiography entitled The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself.[8] In late 2003, he was voted as the all-time greatest action sports athlete on the Extreme Sports Channel's Legends of the Extreme countdown.[32]

Mullen's popularity also grew in this period when, in 2000, he made his first appearance in the Tony Hawk's video game series which helped to bring the sport further into the mainstream.[33][34]

As of December 2012, Mullen remains the co-owner and a team rider for the Almost brand; his role at Almost also includes research and development on new designs and technologies, including Impact Support, Double Impact, and Uber Light.[35][36] The Uber Light design was a collaborative effort between Mullen and the CL Composites company, utilizing a design that consists of "a deck inside a deck," whereby, "The internal carbon fiber foam deck is ultra light and nearly as stiff as metal. It acts like rebar, or a skeleton embodied by a standard 7-ply layup. It also vastly improved the lateral rigidity. The deck wears, slides, and looks like a normal 7-ply, but it's lighter and has a supernatural pop that lasts far longer than any normal deck.[37]"

Mullen also contributes to the design of experimental and composite deck constructions for Dwindle's other brands, such as Blind and Darkstar.[38]

Stance erasure

As a result of injuries accrued over many years riding in a fixed regular stance, from 2007 onward Mullen made a conscious effort to “erase” his riding stance, re-learning tricks (and in many cases learning new tricks he was unable to do previously riding regular) goofy and endeavoring to re-learn riding a skateboard neutrally in the absence of any preferential “natural stance.” In an interview with Tony Hawk, Mullen explained that he had developed problems in his right hip joint, with scar tissue having built up in his joint over years as a result of habitually hyper-extending his leg (e. g., doing the splits, a danger inherent in practicing riskier tricks such as darkslides) while skating. Mullen stated that through extensive stretching and the use of blunt objects he was able to break up the scar tissue in order to restore range of motion.[39]

Mullen further explained in an interview at Germany's Bright tradeshow in 2011:

… for me, it was a grinding to a halt, until I could barely walk really, and, so I just set up myself into … I took about a couple of years, a year-and-a-half of breaking myself apart; pretty medievally. And as I did so, I realized that that was helping me unravel my stance; and so now, I've just been investigating, or pushing myself to try to, to, take apart my stance so that I no longer have one. And so it's not just doing everything switch, because everybody does whatever switch. It's to have no stance at a physical level. And so even what you did in your regular, native stance, it feels … ah … new.[40]

In December 2010, Mullen stated in an interview that he was preparing to film a part for the upcoming Almost video, although he did not appear in the 2012 video, 5-Incher. In the 2011 Bright tradeshow interview, Mullen stated, "At first, I just wanted to be able to be alright and walk okay and run. And then it was like, okay, skate again and now it's like 'Yeah, I can do something new!'. So, if I can do that, then I'll film. If I can't, then I'll keep my skating private."[40] Both the skateboard media and in responses from Almost indicate that a full part from Mullen is scheduled for release following 5-Incher—Mullen was in attendance at the premiere of 5-Incher.[41][42][43] The most recent official video footage from Mullen can be seen in the 2007 United By Fate series that was produced by the Globe shoe company.[44][45]

Mullen has publicly stated that an identification of his favorite skateboarders is an "endless" task. However, he has provided examples such as Chris Haslam, Bryan Herman, Paul Rodriguez, Antwuan Dixon, and Eric Koston.[18][46][47]

2014–present

The Almost company celebrated its 10th anniversary with an event at the Berrics indoor skate complex in early March 2014, and Mullen attended the venue for the first time.[48] As part of the celebration, Mullen completed an interview with the Berrics that is titled "A Beautiful Mind," in which Mullen explained his current relationship with skateboarding:

Because we all have that fear of judgment ... yeah, that's true. I'm like that—I'm afraid of being judged. I don't necessarily want to be seen in public sucking, getting older; but, what I keep inside, that joy of feeling what I do, rolling around, playing around—that's something I'm going to do as long as I can. That's who I am ... who I am.[49]

The first video footage of Mullen skateboarding in nine years was published on Tony Hawk's RIDE YouTube channel in July 2014. Mullen appears in the video skateboarding at musician Ben Harper's residence and Harper also performs a single trick at the video's conclusion. The part was filmed by Ben Fordham of the Gracias L.A. brand, which released the Gracias Skateboarding Volumen Uno video in 2014 that also features Mullen.[50]

Together with other members of the Almost team, Mullen appeared in a June 2015 photo retrospective of the Almost brand that was shot and curated by skateboard photographer Seu Trinh.[51] Mullen was part of the Globe brand's "EUTrippin'" 2015 European tour, alongside other team members including Mark Appleyard and Haslam.[52]

In 2015, Mullen wrote the foreword for the Dwindle and Globe history book Unemployable: 30 Years of Hardcore, Skate and Street[53] reflecting upon his twenty-year involvement with those companies.[54]

Trick invention

Mullen has been credited with inventing the following tricks (years included):

  • Godzilla rail flip (1979)[55]
  • 540 shove-it (1979)[55]
  • 50/50 Saran wrap (1979)[55]
  • 50/50 Casper (1980)[55]
  • Helipop (1980)[55]
  • Gazelle flip (1981)[55]
  • No-handed 50/50 (1981)[55]
  • No-handed 50/50 kickflip[6]
  • Kick flip (1982)[55]
  • Heel flip (1982)[55]
  • Double heelflip[6]
  • Impossible (1982)[55]
  • Sidewinder (1983)[55]
  • 360 flip (1983)[55]
  • Switch 360 flip[6]
  • 360 pressure flip (1983)[55]
  • Casper 360 flip (1983)[55]
  • Half-cab kickflip (1983)[55]
  • 50/50 sidewinder (1983)[55]
  • One-footed ollie (1984)[55]
  • Backside flip (Backside 180 Kickflip) (1984)[55]
  • Ollie Nosebone (1986)[55]
  • Ollie finger flip (1986)[55]
  • Ollie Airwalk (1986)[55]
  • Frontside heel flip shove-it (1988)[55]
  • Switchstance 360 flip (1990)[55]
  • Helipop heel flip (1990)[55]
  • Kickflip underflip (1992)[55]
  • Half-cab kickflip underflip(1992)[6]
  • Casper slide (1992)[55]
  • Half flip darkslide[55]
  • Handstand flips[6]

Awards, accolades and influence
…freestyle is directly responsible for street skating. Rodney Mullen figured out how to ollie on the flat ground, and street skating wouldn’t exist without the ollie. Every time you ollie, you should get on your knees and thank Rodney or take him out to eat if you see him skating around Los Angeles. The vert tricks done now, like a heelflip frontside Cab, wouldn’t be possible without the heelflip, which thanks to Rodney comes from freestyle. The kickflip Indy? Rodney invented the kickflip. Ollie Impossible? Rodney. Rodney, Rodney, Rodney.[56]

—Tony Hawk in his autobiography, Hawk – Occupation: Skateboarder

In 2002, Mullen won the Transworld Skateboarding Readers' Choice Award for Skater of the Year.[57] Transworld also included Mullen in its "30 Most Influential Skaters of All Time" list, released in December 2011 and he was elected into the third position, behind Tony Hawk (second) and Mark Gonzales (first).[17]

In May 2013, Mullen was an inductee of the Skateboarding Hall of Fame and was present at the award ceremony that was held in Anaheim, California.[58] Fellow professional skateboarder Steve Caballero and musician Ben Harper shared their experiences of Mullen prior to the presentation of the award, and Caballero credited Mullen with changing the "face" of skateboarding.[59]

Professional skateboarder Paul Rodriguez identified Mullen as one of his "top ten" professional skateboarders in July 2013.[60] Rodriguez explained his selection on his personal website:

If you really wanna know Gonz [Mark Gonzales] and Rodney Mullen pretty much innovated damn near everything in street skateboarding. Rodney has always had the most mind-boggling most difficult tricks on top of having invented 50, 60, who knows how many tricks. Just about every modern day flat ground trick that we are doing today he invented.[61]

Transworld has characterized him as possibly the most significant skater of all time:

Rodney Mullen built the house skateboarding lives in. After inventing the flatground ollie—in itself perhaps the most influential trick ever—he went on to unveil kickflips, backside flips, heelflips, 360 flips, double flips, impossibles, darkslides, and onward. Without Rodney, skateboarding would still be in the dark ages.[62]

Anthony Pappalardo of The RIDE Channel unequivocally stated, "From almost singled-handedly creating the entire vocabulary of flip-based tricks to revolutionizing the boards below our feet, Rodney Mullen is the biggest influence on modern skateboarding."[63]

In Transworld Skateboarding’s “Skater’s Favorite Skater” video series, both Tony Hawk[64] and Daewon Song[65] have cited Rodney Mullen as their favorite skater.

Speaking engagements

Mullen has completed numerous public speaking engagements and has been invited to present on topics such as his personal life, skateboarding, innovation, creation, and the concept of community.

The Lemelson Center at MIT invited Mullen to visit the center, a part of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History to discuss invention and innovation from within the context of American society. The Lemelson Center exchanged ideas and views with Mullen about skateboarding, in addition to the manner in which creativity and innovation can contribute to the development of an improved society.[13]

Mullen was invited by the Sapling Foundation, as part of its TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) public speaking series, to present at the University of Southern California (USC) in June 2012. Mullen's talk was entitled, "How context shapes content", and featured his perspectives on the manner in which the street-based context of skateboarding influences his practice, in addition to his view of the skateboarding community, whereby he compared the community to the open source and hacking movements.[18] Mullen also spoke about resilience and creativity in a talk entitled "Getting Back Up" at the Pop!Tech "Sparks of Brilliance" event in October 2013.[66]

In the first half of 2014, Mullen was invited by the O'Reilly Media technology company to present at its "Strata" and "Velocity" conferences, both of which were held in Santa Clara, California, US. Mullen's Strata presentation in February 2014 was titled "The Art of Good Practice" and consisted of an analysis of the nuanced way in which skateboarders practice their craft.[67] Mullen then presented the "Build on a Bedrock of Failure" keynote in June 2014, in which he spoke of the way that "failure, pain, injury, recovery" are "embedded in the very notion of what it is to be a skateboarder."[68]

Video game appearances

Mullen has appeared in various titles of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series including:

He later voiced Jace Skell in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2019 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint Jace Skell Video game voice
2018 Physics Girl (TV Mini Series Documentary) Self Episode: Why this Skateboarding Trick Should be Impossible
2017 Dryvrs (TV Series Short) Actor Episode Transfer of Power
2017 Rodney Mullen: Liminal (Short) Self
2015 Motivation 2: The Chris Cole Story Self Documentary
2013 Secret Life of Walter Mitty Stunt Skater Stunt double for Ben Stiller[47][81][82]
2012 Waiting for Lightning
2012 Bones Brigade an autobiography
2010 United by Fate 6
2009 United by Fate 5 Actor
2008 D.O.P.E. Death or Prison Eventually Documentary
2008 United by Fate 4
2008 United by Fate 3
2008 Fallen Idols aka dope Documentary
2007 John from Cincinnati (TV Series) Actor
2007 Tony Hawk Proving Ground
2007 United by Fate 2
2007 The Man Who Souled the World
2007 United by Fate
2007 John from Cincinnati Skate Double Episode 10
2006 Tony Hawk's Project 8
2005 Cut Masters
2005 The Globe World Cup Skateboarding (TV Movie) Narrator
2004 Almost: Round Three-The Almost Video Actor
2004 Hangin With ... Rodney Mullen
2004 Tony Hawk Underground 2 Himself + Voice Video Game Series
2003 Tony Hawk Underground Video Game Series
2002 Rodney Mullen: From the Ground up Documentary
2002 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 Video Game Series
2001 Opinion: To Each His Own
2001 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 Video Game Series
2000 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 Video Game Series
1999 Rodney Mullen VS Daewon Song: Round 2 Video Short
1998 Canvas: The Skateboarding Documentary
1997 Rodney Mullen VS Daewon Song: Round 1
1993 Virtual Reality Video
1989 Thrashin Stunt Skater
1989 Gleaming the Cube Stunt Skater Stunt double for actor Christian Slater[83]
1988 Hot Splash
1987 The Search for Animal Chin

Videography
…just the enjoyment of doing what you want to do, all the way through—that’s the beauty of skateboarding, that so many people actually never find their whole lives. And that’s what skateboarding’s given me: I can’t wake up—I can’t wait to wake up in the morning to try something new; a lot of times I can’t sleep because I can’t wait to try something new… and how many people never really experience that feeling, often; and that’s why I skate.[84]

—Rodney Mullen

Reflections and perspectives

In 2010 Mullen stated that "skating is one of the greatest blessings I could have," but also expressed concern about the popularity of skateboarding "big stuff" due to the physical toll that it takes on the bodies of professional skateboarders: "So I think it is unhealthy and uncool… I see great skaters and their ankles and knees are ruined."[100] Mullen expanded upon his perspective of skateboarding during his Lemelson Foundation interview:

Skateboarding is as much, or more, an art of mode of expression than it is a sport. What skateboarding has given me is precisely that: a form of expression that drew me to it, and, in so doing, I was able to express and be who I wanted to be through it, in a sense. And establish myself within a community that were all essentially outsiders like myself. And by doing that, it gave me a place, a sense of belonging and, in the end, I was able to contribute, at a foundational level, a lot of the tricks that the entire community uses to express themselves. Which, again, is one of the beauties of skateboarding, is that we all draw from the same pool, and give back; so that others can do the same and keep expounding. Very much like an open source community.[13]

During his attendance at the Biarritz international skateboard festival, Mullen was interviewed in relation to a used Mike Carroll skateboard deck from Carroll's time with the Plan B company. Mullen reflected on the personal influence of Plan B founder Mike Ternasky during the interview:

I miss Mike. And the day Jacob called me and goes, "Mike's dead."—I replayed that so many times ... and how instrumental that was in driving me forward in a way that kind of honoring what he gave me: A second chance. And how real that is. And it goes back to Stacy [Peralta]'s film—it's not what you do; it's what makes you do what you do, is the thing that has to be protected and nurtured. As long as that's there, intact ... you can do anything.[101]

In a June 2014 interview at O'Reilly Media's Velocity conference, Mullen stated that he does not believe that skateboarding can be categorized as a "sport". Mullen further explained that the self-expressive element of skateboarding shows that it is an art form, while the community element of skateboarding—whereby sharing of ideas occurs—distinguishes it as a "lifestyle" or "philosophy".[102] Mullen also shared his perspective on goals and failure during the interview:

You focus so much on your failures and your weaknesses, it has a ... paralyzing effect, where you're dwelling on stuff. For example, having goals: sometimes I have lofty goals, my friends do—we all do, we all have goals. But, if you fix yourself to that goal, and you don't see anything else on the horizon—which is natural, 'cos that what it takes, we all have that in our personality ... but, sometimes, if you attach that to a goal that is out of your reach, and you continue to fail, it will just grind you into nothing. And if you dwell on that, it can end you.[102]

Personal life

As of 2013, Mullen resides in California with his girlfriend, Lori Guidroz[2][22] and has described himself as "juvenile" in an online interview. Mullen says that he prefers to skate at nighttime and on his own.[5][47]

Any eyes on me—a late-night street sweeper, some dude texting in his parked car, the homeless guy talking to himself—make me feel uncomfortable when I skate. Everyone expects me to do certain things. It puts a ceiling on your progress. You're blocked by your pride. To get good, you have to throw your board around and fall.[5]

Mullen's interests extend beyond skateboarding and include mathematics, physics, engineering, and music.[100][103] It has been publicly revealed that Mullen owns a pair of high-powered audio speakers, each weighing around 200 pounds (91 kg), through which he plays a diverse range of music, including Sabaton and Beethoven:

Me and my neighbors, we have an understanding ... and so I sit perfect, you know, triangle at the front. You sit there with the remote and you turn it up, just when it starts to hurt, and hit one more and then go like [presses his hands to his ears] that, and then you just feel it in your whole body for a while, as long as you can take it. And then you 'arrgh!', and then you turn it off you know and [hold his hand to his heart and breathes heavily], and then I go skate [laughs]. It's awesome, but only if I'm really usually, like, just sometimes when you really need it, you know?"[47]

In 2013 musicians Ben Harper and Lee Hartney revealed a close friendship with Mullen and described the skateboarder as a "brother". Mullen has also assisted Harper to learn skateboarding, as the musician has undertaken intensive practice in the fifth decade of his life.[59]

Mullen has spoken publicly about his spiritual beliefs, explaining in 2010: "The term religion bums me out. I can't go to church, I've got issues. I've got issues of non-conformity built into me...It’s a personal thing and I get so scared about talking about it in public. This guy at HBO once said to me, ‘Your skating is like a prayer.’ That was the coolest thing anyone’s ever said to me. That’s what it is for me."[100]

References
  1. "Rodney Mullen — Happy 50th Birthday". The Berrics. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  2. Cole Louison (12 July 2011). "Mission: Impossible". GQ. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  3. Mullen, Rodney (1994). "Second-hand Smoke". Plan B. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2019-11-03. John[ny] Rodney Mullen
  4. Hawk, Tony (17 August 2018). "Happy Birthday to Rodney Mullen, the founder of modern skateboarding".
  5. ALEC WILKINSON (26 November 2012). "RODNEY MULLEN SKATES CENTRAL PARK". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  6. "Bio". RodneyMullen.com. Rodney Mullen. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  7. SkatevideoSite.com (2005–2012). "Rodney Mullen skate videos". SkatevideoSite.com. SkatevideoSite.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  8. Google Books (2012). "The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself". Google Books. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  9. maninagreensuit (3 September 2008). "RODNEY MULLEN - FROM THE GROUND UP 1/3" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 29 March 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  10. wmillward (8 March 2012). "Rodney Mullen: Chairman of the Board". Florida Magazine. Florida Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  11. "Bruce Walker". East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame. East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame. 2012. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  12. Mullen, Rodney. "DSM Wood Shop – Dwindle Distribution". Dwindle Distribution. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  13. Lemelson Center (20 December 2012). "Rodney Mullen on Innovation" (Video upload). YouTube. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  14. Mullen, Rodney (2004). The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself. New York, NY: ReganBooks. p. 92. ISBN 0-06-055618-8.
  15. Mullen, Rodney (9 March 2014). "Rodney Mullen — A Beautiful Mind". The Berrics. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2019. I remember talking with Tony Hawk — he’s just a good friend; we have a lot in common.
  16. Mullen 2004
  17. Killeen Gonzalez (21 December 2011). "TransWorld Magazine Releases List of the 30 Most Influential Skaters of All Time: A Fan's Reaction". Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo! Inc. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  18. TEDxTalks (4 June 2012). "TEDxUSC - Rodney Mullen - How Context Shapes Content". YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  19. Rubbish Heap. World Industries. 1989.
  20. Sk8er g!rl (2009). "Rodney Mullen". Sk8 or Die. Template Design JAY-Rch. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  21. "RODNEY MULLEN". Hit The Flip. HitTheFlip.com. February 2012. Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  22. raonidohs (13 October 2006). "Rodney Mullen - A Day In The Life" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  23. "Rodney Mullen vs Daewon Song". SkatevideoSite.com. SkatevideoSite.com. 2005–2012. Archived from the original on 21 December 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  24. "Rodney Mullen vs Daewon Song: Round 2". Skatevideosite.com. Skatevideosite.com. 2005–2012. Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  25. "Almost - Round Three". Skatevideosite.com. Skatevideosite.com. 2005–2012. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  26. Staff (3 September 2002). "United States Patent Mullen". USPTO Patent Full Text and Image Database. Office of the Chief Communications Officer. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  27. "Tensor Trucks - Patented Design Ad (2003)". skately. Skately LLC. 2012. Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  28. "Tensor Trucks". skately. Skately, LLC. 2012. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  29. "Team". Tensor Trucks. Tensor Trucks. 2012. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  30. Mullen, Rodney (October 2013). "On getting up again". TEDxOrangeCoast. Archived from the original on 2019-11-01. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  31. "Kubic Buys Globe". Transworld Skateboarding. Bonnier Corporation. 5 July 2002. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  32. Sean Mortimer; Blair Alley (5 February 2009). "Hometown: Rodney Mullen". Transworld Skateboarding. Bonnier Corporation. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  33. Webster, Andrew (January 21, 2014). "'OlliOlli' is 'Tony Hawk' reimagined as a side-scrolling Vita game". The Verge. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  34. Barksdale, Aaron (4 December 2015). "How Skateboarding Became More Than A White Dude's Sport". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  35. "Impact Support". Almost a website. almost skateboards. 2012. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  36. "Double Impact". Almost a website. almost skateboards. 2012. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  37. "Uber Light". Almost A Website. Almost Skateboards. 2012. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  38. "Guarantees". Darkstar. Darkstar. 2012. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  39. "SkateOrDie Interview". SkateOrDie. Archived from the original on 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  40. skatefreek (3 August 2011). "8/2/11 Rodney Mullen Interview at Bright Tradeshow *NEW*" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  41. Brandonapprove (13 December 2010). "Rodney Mullen Interview 12/11/2010 (Part 1of 2)" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  42. Cole Louison (5 June 2012). "THE RETURN OF RODNEY MULLEN?". Red Bull USA. Red Bull. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  43. SeuTrinh; Blair Alley (1 June 2012). "Daewon, Rodney Mullen, and Seu Trinh" (Photo upload). Transworld Skateboarding. Bonnier Corporation. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  44. RodneyMullenNet (29 November 2008). "Rodney Mullen segment" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  45. "Globe - United By Fate". Skatevideosite.com. Skatevideosite.com. 2005–2012. Archived from the original on 6 January 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  46. NINJAstudioz (14 August 2011). "Rodney Mullen 2011 Interview". YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  47. RIDEChannel (19 December 2012). "Rodney Mullen Gives Antwuan Dixon Skate Advice and Mike V the Secret" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  48. "ALMOST SKATEBOARDS 10 YEAR PARTY at The Berrics" (Video upload). The Berrics. The Berrics. 7 March 2014. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  49. "Rodney Mullen: A Beautiful Mind". The Berrics. The Berrics. 7 March 2014. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  50. admin (24 July 2014). "Rodney Mullen teaser for "Gracias Skateboarding" Volumen Uno. This was the first time in 9 years, that Rodney Mullen was filmed and we are super excited to have him in our video! Filmed by Ben Fordham, background props…Ben Harper. Stay tuned for a DVD and iTunes release". Gracias L.A. Gracias L.A. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  51. "Seu Trinh Almost Retrospective". TransWorld SKATEboarding. TEN. 15 June 2015. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  52. "Globe EUTrippin' Tour". TransWorld SKATEboarding. TEN. 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  53. Jason Boulter (December 2015). Unemployable: 30 Years of Hardcore, Skate and Street. Port Melbourne: Thames & Hudson Australia Pty Ltd. p. 708. ISBN 9780500500637. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  54. Robert Brown (November 2015). "Interview: Rodney Mullen on being unemployable Mullen comes to Melbourne for Globe's massive new book, 'Unemployable'". Acclaim. ACCLAIM Magazine Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  55. Luis Cruz (11 January 2013). "The house has seen many upgrades and extensions since '92!!". Almost skateboards on Facebook. Facebook. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  56. Hawk, Tony (2000). Hawk – Occupation: Skateboarder. New York, New York: ReganBooks. p. 83. ISBN 0-06-019860-5.
  57. "Speakers Rodney Mullen: Skater". TED Ideas Worth Spreading. TED Conferences, LLC. June 2012. Archived from the original on 10 January 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  58. John Gilhooley (10 May 2013). "Skateboarding Hall of Fame Awards @ Anaheim Sheraton". The OC Weekly. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  59. Almost Skateboards (30 May 2013). "Rodney Mullen, 2013 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony" (Video upload). Almost Skateboards on Vimeo. Vimeo LLC. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  60. Staff (21 July 2013). "TOP TEN FAVORITE PROS". The Official Paul Rodriguez Website. Rodskate, Inc. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  61. Paul Rodriguez (21 July 2013). "PROD'S TOP TEN: FAVORITE PRO'S". The Official Paul Rodriguez Website. Rodskate, Inc. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  62. "30th Anniversary Interviews: Rodney Mullen Part 1". Transworld Skateboarding. August 27, 2013. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  63. Pappalardo, Anthony (February 23, 2015). "At Least One Person Thinks Rodney Mullen Shouldn't Be Giving TEDx Talks". The RIDE Channel. Complex. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  64. Transworld Skateboarding (2018-03-26). "Skater's Favorite Skater: Tony Hawk". YouTube.com. Transworld Skateboarding. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  65. Transworld Skateboarding (2018-05-21). "Skater's Favorite Skater: Daewon Song". YouTube.com. Transworld Skateboarding. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  66. "Rodney Mullen: Getting back up". Pop!Tech. PopTech. October 2013. Archived from the original on 27 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  67. "Rodney Mullen, "The Art of Good Practice" - Strata 2014" (Video upload). O'Reilly on YouTube. Google Inc. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  68. "Rodney Mullen: "Build on a Bedrock of Failure" Keynote - Velocity Santa Clara 2014" (Video upload). O'Reilly on YouTube. Google Inc. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  69. Karlos Sykes (1 August 2011). "Tony Hawk Pro Skate 2 Rodney Mullen 900" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  70. rhcpbass1 (10 February 2007). "Rodney Mullen Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Video Part" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  71. leatherface66 (25 May 2011). "Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4" (Video upload). GT. GameTrailers.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  72. jakedude182 (5 November 2009). "Rodney Mullen Tony Hawks Underground" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  73. RIDEChannel (6 June 2012). "Rodney Mullen sits down with Tony Hawk - Dissent Part 1 of 2" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  74. dragon11733 (15 July 2012). "Lets Play Tony Hawk Underground 2 (Rodney Mullen)". YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  75. "The New Era's Tony Hawk's American Wasteland Review". neoseeker. Neo Era Media Inc. 8 January 2008. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  76. NexGenWalkthroughs (4 February 2007). "Tony Hawk Project 8 - Skate Park - Rodney Mullen" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  77. JoPoHoTo (19 November 2007). "Rodney Mullen: Tony Hawk's Proving Ground Commercial" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  78. Print News (7 July 2009). "Rodney Mullen footage for Tony Hawk: Ride". Planet Tony Hawk. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  79. Anil Gurung (24 September 2012). "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD - Rodney Mullen - Special Tricks - Slow motion" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  80. Print News (May 18, 2020). "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater remaster will be full of rad middle-age dads". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  81. Jason Forrest; Greg Sadetsky and Felix (2012). "COLLECTION: RODNEY MULLEN AN AMAZINGLY EXTENSIVE LOOK AT THE LIFE OF SKATER EXTRAORDINAIRE RODNEY MULLEN". Network Awesome Magazine. Network Awesome. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  82. Matt Goldberg (15 June 2012). "First Look at Unrecognizable Ben Stiller in THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY". Collider.com. IndieClick Film Network. Archived from the original on 22 August 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  83. Nick Schager (8 December 2012). "RETRO ACTIVE: Gleaming the Cube (1989)". GreenCine Daily. GreenCine. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  84. "Rodney Mullen Interview, Slamtrick, Italy, 2003". Archived from the original on 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  85. Powell Peralta (1982). "Skateboarding in the Eighties". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  86. Powell Peralta (1984). "The Bones Brigade Video Show". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  87. Powell Peralta (1985). "Future Primitive". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  88. Powell Peralta (1987). "The Search for Animal Chin". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  89. Powell Peralta (1988). "Public Domain". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  90. World Industries (1989). "Rubbish Heap". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  91. Plan B Skateboards (1992). "The Questionable Video". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2018-12-29. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  92. Plan B Skateboards (1993). "Virtual Reality". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-05-23. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  93. Plan B Skateboards (1995). "Second Hand Smoke". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  94. World Industries (1997). "Rodney Mullen vs. Daewon Song". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  95. Dwindle Distribution (1999). "Rodney Mullen vs. Daewon Song: Round 2". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  96. Globe Shoes (2001). "Opinion". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2015-06-08. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  97. Almost Skateboards (2004). "Almost: Round Three". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-02-29. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  98. Transworld Skateboarding (2004). "Show Me the Way: Darkslide". YouTube.com. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  99. Stacy Peralta (2012). "Bones Brigade: An Autobiography". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  100. ED ANDREWS (15 April 2010). "Rodney Mullen Another Dimension". Huck. Huck Magazine. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  101. Smog Films (24 April 2013). "REWIND // Rodney Mullen / Plan B / Part One" (Video upload). Smog Films on Vimeo. Vimeo LLC. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  102. "Rodney Mullen (Absolute Skateboards) Interview - Velocity Santa Clara 2014" (Video upload). O'Reilly on YouTube. Google Inc. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  103. RIDEChannel (25 August 2012). "Rodney Mullen on UFOs & Nuclear Physics - Pro's Picks" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.

Further reading
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.