Jenkem interviews J Strickland

[Hercules Rockefeller]

"Like when I look at Baker now, it?s like, I never wanted Baker to be that big. It was supposed to just be the illest dudes and now it?s like, Shane Heyl is pro for Baker.. "

[Zurg]

yeah you gotta give J some credit. baker3 probably had better skating but ill always like baker2g 100 times more. i was kinda hoping the shake junt video would fill the void baker3 left, but it was worse


Baker Skateboards Bootleg 3000 Promo

i have this on VHS.  it came in an order from active mailorder.  it's a 5 minute tape and it confused the fuck out of me when i was younger.

it's probably gonna be worth some dough someday

thats awesome. i always wondered how they released it. i think i found it on irc the first time i saw it

[cant stop]

yeah you gotta give J some credit. baker3 probably had better skating but ill always like baker2g 100 times more. i was kinda hoping the shake junt video would fill the void baker3 left, but it was worse


Baker Skateboards Bootleg 3000 Promo

i have this on VHS.  it came in an order from active mailorder.  it's a 5 minute tape and it confused the fuck out of me when i was younger.

it's probably gonna be worth some dough someday

thats awesome. i always wondered how they released it. i think i found it on irc the first time i saw it

They also had that promo in the Baker summer tour 2001.

[Status Update]

J Strickland is full of shit. 

He quit Baker cause Andrew/Jim/Eric wouldn't pay him the $80,000 a year he demanded. 
He was an Art Director/Team Manager.  And if they paid him that much (far more than any of the pros were getting)
the company would have gone out of business. 

Not only that, he was art directing for Baker, and then started Bootleg on the side, which Andrew/Jim/Erik/Dusin had
no ownership over.  He basically worked for one company and then formed a competitor using the same art and graphics,
thus hurting Baker when kids bought a Bootleg board instead.  But Jay got paid from both brands.

Any company in the world would fire you for that.  But he didn't even get fired, he quit.  (I believe he was caught stealing as well)

He is a double dipping, leaching, con-man.

If you look at the Baker/Deathwish roster you can see that Andrew etc is loyal.  They haven't kicked any of their long term riders off. 
And they are always hooking up more and more people. 

When you design a Spitfire flame you don't get to own Spitfire, when you design an Indy cross, you don't own Indy. 

But when you put your neck on the line and invest all your money into starting a brand, you own the company, which is what Andrew did.

end rant.

[drowe1]

J Strickland is full of shit.? 

He quit Baker cause Andrew/Jim/Eric wouldn't pay him the $80,000 a year he demanded.? 
He was an Art Director/Team Manager.?  And if they paid him that much (far more than any of the pros were getting)
the company would have gone out of business.? 

Not only that, he was art directing for Baker, and then started Bootleg on the side, which Andrew/Jim/Erik/Dusin had
no ownership over.?  He basically worked for one company and then formed a competitor using the same art and graphics,
thus hurting Baker when kids bought a Bootleg board instead.?  But Jay got paid from both brands.

Any company in the world would fire you for that.?  But he didn't even get fired, he quit.?  (I believe he was caught stealing as well)

He is a double dipping, leaching, con-man.

If you look at the Baker/Deathwish roster you can see that Andrew etc is loyal.?  They haven't kicked any of their long term riders off.? 
And they are always hooking up more and more people.? 

When you design a Spitfire flame you don't get to own Spitfire, when you design an Indy cross, you don't own Indy.? 

But when you put your neck on the line and invest all your money into starting a brand, you own the company, which is what Andrew did.

end rant.

This is right on from what ive heard.

[saucy ragu]

J Strickland is full of shit. 

He quit Baker cause Andrew/Jim/Eric wouldn't pay him the $80,000 a year he demanded. 
He was an Art Director/Team Manager.  And if they paid him that much (far more than any of the pros were getting)
the company would have gone out of business. 

Not only that, he was art directing for Baker, and then started Bootleg on the side, which Andrew/Jim/Erik/Dusin had
no ownership over.  He basically worked for one company and then formed a competitor using the same art and graphics,
thus hurting Baker when kids bought a Bootleg board instead.  But Jay got paid from both brands.

Any company in the world would fire you for that.  But he didn't even get fired, he quit.  (I believe he was caught stealing as well)

He is a double dipping, leaching, con-man.

If you look at the Baker/Deathwish roster you can see that Andrew etc is loyal.  They haven't kicked any of their long term riders off. 
And they are always hooking up more and more people. 

When you design a Spitfire flame you don't get to own Spitfire, when you design an Indy cross, you don't own Indy. 

But when you put your neck on the line and invest all your money into starting a brand, you own the company, which is what Andrew did.

end rant.

So Bootleg wasn't intended to be the Chocolate of Basker skateboards like Strickland claims in the interview? Was it a move Andrew and co. were not cool with?

If it wasn't, doesn't Strickland own the rights to his designs to take them elsewhere and start a brand where he has full control? It sounds sketchy from both sides anyway.

[Nosferatu]

Status Update = Brad Hayes

[Status Update]

I get voted down for dropping a truth bomb? 

Let's see if Jay denies anything I stated. 

[Chipper]

yeah you gotta give J some credit. baker3 probably had better skating but ill always like baker2g 100 times more. i was kinda hoping the shake junt video would fill the void baker3 left, but it was worse


Baker Skateboards Bootleg 3000 Promo

i have this on VHS. �it came in an order from active mailorder. �it's a 5 minute tape and it confused the fuck out of me when i was younger.

it's probably gonna be worth some dough someday

thats awesome. i always wondered how they released it. i think i found it on irc the first time i saw it

They also had that promo in the Baker summer tour 2001.

I still have that on VHS. I still watch it sometimes.

[L33Tg33k]

J Strickland is full of shit. 

He quit Baker cause Andrew/Jim/Eric wouldn't pay him the $80,000 a year he demanded. 
He was an Art Director/Team Manager.  And if they paid him that much (far more than any of the pros were getting)
the company would have gone out of business. 

Not only that, he was art directing for Baker, and then started Bootleg on the side, which Andrew/Jim/Erik/Dusin had
no ownership over.  He basically worked for one company and then formed a competitor using the same art and graphics,
thus hurting Baker when kids bought a Bootleg board instead.  But Jay got paid from both brands.

Any company in the world would fire you for that.  But he didn't even get fired, he quit.  (I believe he was caught stealing as well)

He is a double dipping, leaching, con-man.

If you look at the Baker/Deathwish roster you can see that Andrew etc is loyal.  They haven't kicked any of their long term riders off. 
And they are always hooking up more and more people. 

When you design a Spitfire flame you don't get to own Spitfire, when you design an Indy cross, you don't own Indy. 

But when you put your neck on the line and invest all your money into starting a brand, you own the company, which is what Andrew did.

end rant.

You say that like Strickland didn't put his money on the line when he started the company with Reynolds. I know nobody comes out clean in this, but you still need to give credit where credit is due. I also know that Reynolds has pretty good reputation in the industry and so I'm more likely to believe his side of the story if he should give it.

[Tarela]

On a somewhat related note if i had a VCR in my possession this would be a fucking steal i'm still considering it, i would junk the b-boy shit in a heartbeat though
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CKY3-CKY-1-Shortys-Guilty-Baker-Bootleg-411vm-Poor-Sport-Skate-More-/140726744388?pt=VHS&hash=item20c3f7b544

[Status Update]

You say that like Strickland didn't put his money on the line when he started the company with Reynolds. I know nobody comes out clean in this, but you still need to give credit where credit is due. I also know that Reynolds has pretty good reputation in the industry and so I'm more likely to believe his side of the story if he should give it.

Jay didn't.  Andrew started the company and Jay was hired as an employee.  He tried to swindle his boss, (pun intended) by starting another brand out of NHS, Andrew was slow to notice (due to a partying phase), what the guy he trusted to take care of his company was doing.  Jay asked for a raise anyway, got denied, threw a tantrum and quit.  

Shane, Erik, and Jim have all been able to happily run brands out of Baker Boys and everything is smooth.  Jay and his wannabe Shug Knight attitude got him phased out.   As he was with NHS, Zoo York and probably in the future with LE

[HATE!]

That's all pretty interesting too.  Would love to hear what Reynolds has to say.

Status Update- not saying you're nobody but you obviously made an account to make your opinion be known.  There's a lot of pros and industry dudes on here.  Wanna back your rant up with your name?

[kellen]

It would be really nice if Reynolds would speak on this topic but I doubt that is going to happen.  It seems like we have everyone saying something (J Strickland, Status) except Andrew. 

[Status Update]

It would be really nice if Reynolds would speak on this topic but I doubt that is going to happen.  It seems like we have everyone saying something (J Strickland, Status) except Andrew. 

Jenkem, ESPN.com or 48blocks should call Andrew, Erik, Dustin, Shane or Jim and ask for an interview. 
So far they have made it their policy to take the high road.  But maybe now they will talk since their names are getting dragged through the mud.

Most those guys were all on drugs/drinking hard at the time so it was easy for someone to come in and more or less steal from them.
When they sobered up they took a hard look at the company and knew Jay had to go. 

I made this account just because I know that Jay is exaggerating/lying, saw people buying it, and I wanted to share the other perspective.

[brent]

did he really say "mad cheese" in real life?

[shit_for_brains]

i think why most people, myself included, are backing (or buying, or whatever you want to call it) J strickland's version of events is because that's the only version that's been offered.  nobody at baker has even disputed it. i'm sure what J says isn't the official transcript of what happened, but where's anybody actually saying "that's bullshit, this is what happened." and i'm sorry, if you ARE brad hayes or someone else closely involved with it, it doesn't matter. a user name on slap doesn't really count for credibility. you want your news from CNN, not TMZ you know?

and if anybody says "who cares? go skate" i will rape your face i swear to god. you are on a skateboarding message board you know what we do here.

[Hercules Rockefeller]

who cares? go skate

[Status Update]

i think why most people, myself included, are backing (or buying, or whatever you want to call it) J strickland's version of events is because that's the only version that's been offered.  nobody at baker has even disputed it. i'm sure what J says isn't the official transcript of what happened, but where's anybody actually saying "that's bullshit, this is what happened." and i'm sorry, if you ARE brad hayes or someone else closely involved with it, it doesn't matter. a user name on slap doesn't really count for credibility. you want your news from CNN, not TMZ you know?

and if anybody says "who cares? go skate" i will rape your face i swear to god. you are on a skateboarding message board you know what we do here.

fair enough.  I offered another version of the events and we'll wait and see if Andrew gets a Chrome Ball interview, or Jay writes a rebuttal.  I'm satisfied I aired out what I believe to be the real story.  This why anonymous posting was invented, take it or leave it. 

[shit_for_brains]

who cares? go skate

i can't rape your face this week, work is busy.  what's next week like for you? i'm pretty open after wednesday at, say, 3PM.

[macgruber]

The backstabbing has to do with the fact that J was never given a share of the company as Andrew had promised him and wasn't getting paid what J felt he deserved while on the payroll as TM/Creative Director at Baker, which birthed the brand. Also Per Welinder was pocketing big money behind J's back through projects J introduced him to and wasn't paid for. Whether or not he "deserved" 80 grand a year, J made and put out the Baker Bootleg videos, and that is where you can officially see the birth of what would become Baker Skateboards.

I doubt Reynolds ever meant to fuck J over. It was probably just each party being told by the higher ups at Blitz different things and Reynolds getting caught in the middle and not knowing what to do and putting that off. J saw Reynolds cashing checks and not helping him get a bigger piece of the pie and said fuck this I'm doing my own thing and not through the people who have already been fucking me over.

This is why you get things in writing and cash up front. If J still has the rights to the original videos, he should work out a deal where they re release them on DVD and he can usurp some of the money he feels he's already earned and been owed. Or he should just sue them, see what the law says about it then move the fuck on.

[stevedave]

The backstabbing has to do with the fact that J was never given a share of the company as Andrew had promised him and wasn't getting paid what J felt he deserved while on the payroll as TM/Creative Director at Baker, which birthed the brand. Also Per Welinder was pocketing big money behind J's back through projects J introduced him to and wasn't paid for. Whether or not he "deserved" 80 grand a year, J made and put out the Baker Bootleg videos, and that is where you can officially see the birth of what would become Baker Skateboards.

I doubt Reynolds ever meant to fuck J over. It was probably just each party being told by the higher ups at Blitz different things and Reynolds getting caught in the middle and not knowing what to do and putting that off. J saw Reynolds cashing checks and not helping him get a bigger piece of the pie and said fuck this I'm doing my own thing and not through the people who have already been fucking me over.

This is why you get things in writing and cash up front. If J still has the rights to the original videos, he should work out a deal where they re release them on DVD and he can usurp some of the money he feels he's already earned and been owed. Or he should just sue them, see what the law says about it then move the fuck on.

lawyer:  objection, your honor.....speculation.
judge:  sustained, the jury will ignore the comments made by the witness.

[Harem]

Someone sell me their copy of the Baker Promo/Baker Summer Tour 2001 or Baker Bootleg. THX

[skate_bored]

jay is a super nice dude, with great talent and motivation, but his story seems exaggerated and bitter. no matter what reynolds/ellington/greco did around 2001 was going to be at the top of every kids christmas list. the skaters on baker made baker what it is at then end of the day.

[spool of cord]

yeah you gotta give J some credit. baker3 probably had better skating but ill always like baker2g 100 times more. i was kinda hoping the shake junt video would fill the void baker3 left, but it was worse


Baker Skateboards Bootleg 3000 Promo

i have this on VHS.  it came in an order from active mailorder.  it's a 5 minute tape and it confused the fuck out of me when i was younger.

it's probably gonna be worth some dough someday

HALLAH AT ME.


Does someone have a link to his BOOTLEG SIDE B REMIX part? Holy shit that was dope.

If you want I have the side B remix and the bootleg east coastin tour video. I could throw them up on youtube or something...I know maldonado and tony mont's footy from the side b remix are already on there.


and all this talk is beating a dead horse...pretty sure strickland laid it all out on here like 4 years ago when he was posting as OG.

[j....soy.....]

I like how he made Jeremy Klein relavent.....

[iwshilvdnfinland]

god i hope that's brad hayes

half cab feeble 180 is fucking sick

[Pete]

brad hayes is the fucking shit free max b

[Hercules Rockefeller]

who cares? go skate

i can't rape your face this week, work is busy.  what's next week like for you? i'm pretty open after wednesday at, say, 3PM.

i am pretty open all day. 3PM, your local zumiez, 2nd changing room from the left.

[ivegotlevitation]

god i hope that's brad hayes

half cab feeble 180 is fucking sick

my favorite trick in Baker 2G.


that song was so good too.