Mike V Bio, Statement and Appearances

Written back in 2003

Bio

Skateboard legend and east coast rebel-punk-poet Mike Vallely changed the face of skateboarding in 1986 with his innovative and artistic approach to street skating. 18 years later he is still making an impact with his unflinching individuality and his aggressive and expressive skating. A touring machine, Vallely (also known as Mike V) has covered more ground than any other professional skater in the history of the sport spreading the gospel of skateboarding around the globe. Lead singer of the hardcore punk outfit “Mike V. And The Rats” and star of ESPN’s Tony Hawk’s Gigantic Skatepark Tour and featured in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater video game series, Vallely is on a mission to live his life to the fullest each and every day which means plenty more relevant and impassioned skating and music is yet to come from this man.

“Growing up, I was a daydreamer. For so long I lived in a world of my own imagination, and to some extent I still do. But I’ve always believed in following my dreams with action and creating new dreams along the way. That’s how dreams become reality. If you can imagine it and you’re willing to go out and put in the time, anything is possible.” -Mike V

Mike Vallely, also known as Mike V is a true “Renaissance Man,” unlike any other person that you might meet in this day and age. He is a punk-poet, artist-athlete, family man, business man, activist and rebel. He’s been a professional skateboarder, for the past 17 years and has toured the world several times over doing demonstrations at skateparks and in parking lots around the globe. He owns and manages several of his own skateboard brands and as a professional skateboarder represents and endorses many high profile brands and companies. He’s been writing and self publishing his own poetry and other writings since 1989. He sings in a hardcore punk band (Mike V And The Rats) and has written and recorded songs with critically acclaimed Pittsburgh singer-songwriter Joe Grushecky. He has wrestled professionally and is an avid ice hockey fan and player, doing charity and promotional work for the NHL. He speaks at schools and enthusiastically works with young people in his community and all around the world teaching and sharing the value of self-respect and individuality. But most important of all, he is a dedicated husband and father and a role model and hero to young and old alike. Mike V is without a doubt one of a kind.

Growing up in Edison, New Jersey throughout the ’70s and early ‘80’s Mike V immersed himself in comic books, Elvis Presley records, professional wrestling, martial arts films and westerns. Says Mike, “Saturday morning was always a big deal for me because I’d always want to get up early to watch cartoons. I’d watch them straight through until the afternoon movies started and then I would catch a martial arts film, monster movie, Elvis movie, or a classic western… some type of engaging film. There was always something on television that I could get my whole self into, that I could turn into play later on or just store away in my imagination.”

When he wasn’t drifting off into his own world, he was out on the streets, fighting with the other neighborhood kids who were usually bigger and stronger than him. “My fist fighting career, if you may, started when I was in kindergarten. That’s just how it was where I grew up. Back then I got beat up all the time, almost every day. All through elementary school, junior high, and high school, I was fighting. I never straight out won that many fights, but I was a measuring stick for other pugilists; sooner or later everyone had to go a few rounds with me. And I always showed up, and I was always willing. I didn’t let anyone push me around. I still don’t.”

It was during these fighting days that Mike began to develop another side of himself that would add layers to his personality in a creative and positive way. At the age of eight he began writing poems, short stories, and songs. He continued to do so, almost entirely unnoticed on through high school. “Writing was something I had always done for myself. It was, and still is, a very therapeutic process for me. When I was in third grade I was sick and stayed home from school one day and read Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Telltale Heart’. Reading it really perked my interest towards reading and writing and encouraged me to participate in those activities.” It was when Mike V was in fifth grade that one of his teachers stumbled upon some of his writings and made quite a big deal out of them and his gift. “I remember copies of one of my stories being distributed throughout the school and even amongst my family and neighbors. I thought that was pretty cool.” It would later become one of the talents Mike V is most appreciated for by his public.

1984 brought another life altering change for Mike V. He discovered punk rock music. “Punk music couldn’t have come around at a better time in my life. I was a freshman in high school. I was disillusioned with the social aspects of high school, and I didn’t really have any friends or any interests. I’d been on the wrestling team for years, but that just wasn’t doing it for me. I had no outlet for what was going on inside of me. Punk music gave me an outlet. I could play my records loud and slam dance in my bedroom. I could go to shows and hang out with other kids who felt like I did. Suddenly I had friends, common interests… We were making ‘zines, starting bands, screening t-shirts, taking photographs, making flyers, putting on shows, and making something of our lives. People thought we were stupid or were wasting our time, but so many of us are still doing those same things today. And we are making a living for ourselves doing these things that we love and loving what we do.”

It was through punk music that Mike discovered skateboarding. “For me, skateboarding was an extension of the music and of the scene. It was a very positive and physical release for all the things that were going on inside of me. I could always write about them, I could always listen to or play music, but skateboarding gave me this more physically expressive way to get it all out. I didn’t like the frat house mentality of team sports, and I couldn’t stomach the locker room scene. I was alienated by it. But here was a very individual athletic pursuit that bordered on sport and art form. It just rang true for me. The day I stepped on a skateboard I knew it was for me.”

“It all clicked when I got into punk music and skateboarding. The spirit of both mediums was ‘Do It Yourself,’ which I had been doing and believing in all along. But now here was this movement, this music, this activity, which further empowered me. Skateboarding and punk music did that for so many of us. It was, and I believe still is, a springboard to so much more.”

Only a few short years later another curve came in the road, and this time it wasn’t Mike V discovering something new, it was Mike V being discovered! In 1986 at the age of sixteen, in the parking lot of the legendary Mt. Trashmore Skatepark in Virginia Beach, VA, Mike V was caught on film, and by the eyes of the world’s top pros, and signed to a deal with legendary skateboard manufacturer, Powell Peralta. It was now all coming together for Mike V. All the daydreaming and long hours spent on his skateboard day in and day out paid off. That summer, Mike V began a skateboarding career that has been one of the most long-standing and meaningful in the history of the sport. To this day, Mike V is still one of the most recognizable and important skateboarders the community has ever known.

“My skating has always been about self-expression. It’s always been a creative and artistic pursuit. Because of that, I believe it has always been relevant. I’ve never really invested myself in the trick trends and fads. I’ve always done my own thing, and that is really the spirit of the whole deal. Of course, there have been times where the progression of the sport has overshadowed me and people have advised me to hang up my hat, but things always come around, and people always get back to the basics. We skate for fun. Tricks are cool, progression is cool, but it only goes so far. At the end of the day you either skate because you love to skate or you quit. I’ve seen so many flavor of the month kids come along over the past 17 years or so, telling me to get out of their way and then they disappear into obscurity, while my skating goes on and on.”

In 1992 Mike married his longtime girlfriend, Ann, and later that year she gave birth to their first daughter, Emily. Now married for 11 years with two daughters, the Vallely’s have put family first in a culture that celebrates drugs, pornography, and irresponsibility. “The scene is so lame. Society in general has just given up. The walls have broken down, nothing is sacred anymore, and anything goes. Well, not in my household, not in my life. I refuse to just go along for the ride. My family comes first and always will. Seeing others give up and let the foundation slide doesn’t make me want to join them, it makes me want to get organized against them. I still have faith in many things. Just because these institutions failed me or my generation growing up doesn’t mean they hold no value. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, the value on many things has only increased. Family is where it’s at for me. That’s where it all starts. I’d gladly and willingly walk away from all of this to keep my family and my family life intact. And if push comes to shove I will, with no regrets.”

Over time, Mike V has touched many lives through his skating, his words, his music, and his passion. There’s no doubt that he will continue to walk his path unflinchingly, opening the road up ahead for so many of us. Through all the praise and criticism, Mike V will always be Mike V, a man with high aspirations and deep convictions. You can love him or hate him, but whatever the case, Mike V is going to leave his mark on you.

Statement

I am optimistic about this life and the world that we live in. Even in the face of historical and current events, I believe in the potential of the human heart and that regardless of the condition of this world, that love should be our highest aspiration. From a very early age I was conscious of my soul and I believe strongly that we continue to live after our physical body dies. In turn, I believe that the choices we make now will affect us in the life after. So, I make my choices carefully and I encourage others to do so as well.

Marriage and family are the greatest expression of love in this world. Therefore, it is in the home where all things, good and bad, begin and thus set the tone for the rest of one’s life. Broken homes, marriages, and families make for a broken world, so we must strive to keep our homes intact and filled with love and happiness.

I believe that the innocence of youth is our greatest quality and that it is a mindset that we must all continue to strive to stay in for the rest of our lives. To live life through the eyes of our children is humbling in its simplicity and beauty.

Keeping my mind sober and my senses active I find allows me to address the heartaches of this life with endurance, and to accept the blessings of this life with even that much more appreciation. Therefore, I do not consume alcohol; I do not, nor have I ever found the need to take any drugs of any kind; nor have I ever smoked and I continue to refrain from any other type of addictive habits. I don’t see any redeeming value in partaking in any of these things. I only see self-loathing, pain, and the death of one’s mind, body, and spirit.

We all have a road to walk and a story to tell. The road I have walked has been detailed for the world to know and I accept that and I have continued to learn from it. My story has shown that violence solves nothing and really only begets more violence. I have learned that the only battlefield where there can be a true victory is the one inside of our hearts and minds. We must fight against the violence in ourselves in whatever form that violence appears whether it is in addiction, apathy, or physical force. In the end, it is these weaknesses that detour us from the path of love, self-respect, and the full realization of one’s purpose on this earth.

Individuality has been the foundation of my soapbox for many years, but not as an excuse not to participate or not to be a team player, quite the opposite really. We all have been blessed with skills; we all have been given gifts, every one of us. It is only when we begin to look at our own lives and begin to use the tools and gifts that have been given to us that we will see what great and awesome things we can and should be getting done in our homes, our communities and in our own lives. Yet, we seem to only cry foul and not accept our own responsibility when it comes to issues that are right in front of us. We accept the problem, but make no attempt at creating a solution. Those few individuals that do work towards a solution carry the burden that we all should take up. I have seen first hand what can happen when one applies him or herself to the tasks at hand, and I face the challenge every morning when I look at myself in the mirror and make the decision to project love into the world instead of passively accepting fear. It all starts with one’s self, it all starts with the individual.

I believe that individuality is the key ingredient for the betterment of our collective society. No political or religious ideology or manmade agenda can give one the true self-respect needed to be an active and caring participant in this life. We are a stronger, more compassionate community built around individuals working in harmony.

— Mike Vallely

Appearances