What's the J Strickland story?

[Jehoshaphat Augustus]

"I invented being erroneously un-mad at the person of color negotiating my deals...its funny how people forget."
- J. Strickland

[BacksideWallride]

I painted a wall with H Bomb about a decade ago.

Nice guy

Dunno why him and Chevy are here, did J take that flick?

[backside_reacharound]

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In that case, should we rename this thread "Andrew Reynolds kook rip-off confirmed"? If all of what Steickland is saying is true, 90% of what makes Baker and is the basis for Reynolds' status is stolen.

[close]

This is a hilarious conclusion to arrive at.

[close]

It's only hilarious if you're a fanboy and have no real clue about the workings of the industry and what creates a brand. Reynolds without Baker would be what? Another really good skater in the pantheon, fading into oblivion. Instead, he's "The Boss" and everything from the Logo to the video opening melody is directly associated with him. People not only see him as a great skater but as a visionary genius who built one of if not the longest-relevant brand in skate history. If neither the logo nor the melody nor pretty much everything else what made Baker videos instantly unique is his creation, then he's not a visionary but just successfully copying and extending the formula he stole from somebody who's not getting anything out of it. That's also an achievement in itself, sure, but nowhere near as impressive, let alone anywhere near the genius status with which he is regarded.

I was assuming Strickland was lying in those interviews or at least omitting some pivotal moments. If that's not the case, well...

this is mind-blowingly regular

[Jeremykleinsjackrag]

I'm a little too young to have memories of Baker's beginnings. Didn't know Bootleg existed until a couple years ago. I came in at Baker 2G and it defined my outlook on skating for years. I was wondering what J Strickland's role was with the company and how he dropped out of the picture? Was he still around for Baker 2G? I've checked a few search results but I got the strong feeling there's a lot of glossing over and covering up in those "public" accounts.

I’ve been holding my tongue for a while about J, but after a while in the industry I think some things need to be said on here, so here’s my story about J Strickland and why I think things went the way they did.

It was just around the time we were filming for Baker 2G- we saw J Strickland at a grocery store in Los Angeles. I told him how cool it was to see him shop for groceries and spray paint in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos of the session or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?”
I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.

Anyway hope this clears some things up.

[sid vicious]

Ellington talks about it on weekend buzz, it’s the only episode missing from the internet.
Mumford, trainwreck, Ellington ep.

[RoaryMcTwang]

Ellington talks about it on weekend buzz, it’s the only episode missing from the internet.
Mumford, trainwreck, Ellington ep.

The plot thickens! The boss pulling stricks, I mean strings?

[Allen.]

It belongs in a museum

[justpassingthrough]

"I think it was some Piss Drunks darkman" - Greco?? Quote was in Baker Bootleg. In an old Transworld interview with Greco (March 2001, Backside noseblunt down Wilshire 10 cover), Greco had a whole page that explained his slang. He refers to J. Strickland as Suge Knight.

[Jehoshaphat Augustus]

I realize we're lo[bst]sers on a skateboarding forum but I gotta poll: do yall guys sag your pants and actively graffiti as 40 - 50 year olds?

[breezy_again]

does writing on bar restroom walls count as graffiti?

[Mickey Knox]

 It’s odd that Reynolds doesn’t talk about him much in any of the countless interviews he’s done in recent years talking about his career and starting baker. If Strickland came up with the whole aesthetic for Baker one would think you would want to give credit where it’s due. Especially considering this has contributed a lot to it’s longevity, hard to think of another brand with such a distinct identity as Baker. Reynolds obviously did a great job editing Baker 3, my favorite of all them, but you can see he really just ran with the style already set from bootleg and 2g. After reading that 48 blocks interview it’s seems like Reynolds might feel a little guilty for whatever went down behind the scenes and wants to sweep his influence under the rug. Also very interesting that buzz interview got taken down where this was discussed.

[barreldistortion]

From what I've heard, most of the stuff stated in here is true. J came up with a lot of the aesthetic and art direction of the brand in the early years, including the video style (Baker Bootleg and 2g). Kept it too real with people at the company and got into arguments, eventually got booted. They told him there was nothing he could do about it, that the brand owned this art/look and he had no grounds for a lawsuit. I think the main argument is that Reynolds was piling out during this era, and hadn't put in as much work as J had. So he felt cheated out of the company/any money that was deserved. J is a great guy, I feel like he was just too abrasive and didn't play nice like everyone does nowadays

[fulltechnicalskizzy]

according to my friends who like graffiti everything cool in skateboarding was made by guys who like graffiti

[fulltechnicalskizzy]

xPk did the first 900 under a bridge in seacaucus in 1991

[justpassingthrough]

I realize we're lo[bst]sers on a skateboarding forum but I gotta poll: do yall guys sag your pants and actively graffiti as 40 - 50 year olds?

As much as I admire and respect both, maybe not graffiti, but Beagle, definitely Shane Heyl.

[Uncle Flea]

I love his landscapes with the elephant in them. Dudes dope

[addie pray]

I realize we're lo[bst]sers on a skateboarding forum but I gotta poll: do yall guys sag your pants and actively graffiti as 40 - 50 year olds?

no, i live in an efficiency by myself and work in middle management like you, loser

[Jehoshaphat Augustus]

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I realize we're lo[bst]sers on a skateboarding forum but I gotta poll: do yall guys sag your pants and actively graffiti as 40 - 50 year olds?

[close]

no, i live in an efficiency by myself and work in middle management like you, loser

We're well aware that you spraypaint mattresses and donate plasma to survive i wasn't talking to you babygirl

[Tabletop]

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I'm a little too young to have memories of Baker's beginnings. Didn't know Bootleg existed until a couple years ago. I came in at Baker 2G and it defined my outlook on skating for years. I was wondering what J Strickland's role was with the company and how he dropped out of the picture? Was he still around for Baker 2G? I've checked a few search results but I got the strong feeling there's a lot of glossing over and covering up in those "public" accounts.

[close]

I’ve been holding my tongue for a while about J, but after a while in the industry I think some things need to be said on here, so here’s my story about J Strickland and why I think things went the way they did.

It was just around the time we were filming for Baker 2G- we saw J Strickland at a grocery store in Los Angeles. I told him how cool it was to see him shop for groceries and spray paint in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos of the session or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?”
I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.

Anyway hope this clears some things up.

Do you copy and paste this every time or waste your time and write it out?

[apport]

I realize we're lo[bst]sers on a skateboarding forum but I gotta poll: do yall guys sag your pants and actively graffiti as 40 - 50 year olds?

i’m not 40 yet but does doing presto pen tags every time i leave the house count as actively doing graffiti?
life is hard and confusing

[Aatila]

someone should ask reynolds about his elephant tattoo next time they see him..

[lemonchicken91]

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I realize we're lo[bst]sers on a skateboarding forum but I gotta poll: do yall guys sag your pants and actively graffiti as 40 - 50 year olds?

[close]

no, i live in an efficiency by myself and work in middle management like you, loser

new bio just dropped lol

[Uncle Flea]

I realize we're lo[bst]sers on a skateboarding forum but I gotta poll: do yall guys sag your pants and actively graffiti as 40 - 50 year olds?

I try not to sag but I got foul formerly septic hips. Nearly all my partners have pointed out my lack of hips.

Sagging especially with a thicker belt is not good for skating.

I write sometimes. Mostly stickers tho. It's hard to stop communicating with the street.

I don't feel like we're losers. I feel like we're lucky.

[Uncle Flea]

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I realize we're lo[bst]sers on a skateboarding forum but I gotta poll: do yall guys sag your pants and actively graffiti as 40 - 50 year olds?

[close]

i’m not 40 yet but does doing presto pen tags every time i leave the house count as actively doing graffiti?
life is hard and confusing

I know

Presto tags are to graff
As "freestyle is what I do when I'm not skating." -Frank

In 2024 new borns should be assigned and nom de plume at birth.

[Toenail628]

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I realize we're lo[bst]sers on a skateboarding forum but I gotta poll: do yall guys sag your pants and actively graffiti as 40 - 50 year olds?

[close]

i’m not 40 yet but does doing presto pen tags every time i leave the house count as actively doing graffiti?
life is hard and confusing

presto tags are the best

[Allen.]

I just know all of you are wearing bucket caps

[Theme For A Jackal]

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https://48blocks.com/j-strickland/

https://www.jenkemmag.com/home/2012/03/19/hijinx-with-j-strickland/

[close]

And those are an accurate depiction of what went down yeah? Why do I feel like there's a bit more behind it? Has Reynolds ever spoken on this?

[close]

not really, which actually speaks volumes imo

i think andrew did great things with baker, i mean he's been running it for over 20 years now and it's always been relevant. i don't doubt that their general art direction was stolen from j though, that was back in the piss drunx era, they were all probably fucked up making these choices.

We interviewed Jay Strickland a couple years ago (Baker’s former creative director) and he was still unhappy about how things ended with him. Are you guys on good terms now?
I saw him in New York a few years ago. I don’t think it’s so much the situation that he got let go from Baker or whatever. I think it’s more of a personality thing that he’s not really able to let it go. It seems like he’s the type of person who, if someone dissed him at a taco shop or whatever he might never go there again. Like that whole situation was 15 years ago, it’s crazy. In New York we had a long, good talk but I don’t know, I’d totally be open to being cool again or whatever.

I mean regardless of whatever happened and what the truth is I think Andrew has absolutely nothing to gain and lots to lose by talking about the Strickland stuff, so I'm not surprised he hasn't. He either says "Yeah J was very important to the brand and I took his schtick and fired him" which looks awful or he says "actually J didn't do shit it was all me" which also looks awful. At this point J is just an ex-employee.

[Uncle Flea]

I just know all of you are wearing bucket caps

I cannot. It's a bad look for me. I do Scully caps beanies. Those jeep hats are my number one.

When I do commit to a period of getting up I dress in clothes I'd never rock usually.

Graffiti and Street skating are kissing cousins.

Neither should be illegal

[Jehoshaphat Augustus]

I just know all of you are wearing bucket caps

+100% inability to allow another crew to dance near their laundromat

[fuck_that_guy]

fuck that guy