Contrast: So what’s this first place we are going to?
Jef Hartsel: Myself, Gary Owens and the boys used to skate this spot in the ‘80s. It was called mannequins. There was a designer chick that used to live there and she had all these mannequins. It’s one of the longest running Royal Hawaiian Pool Service pools. It’s pretty small. First time I seen the pool I said “It’s a Jacuzzi man, it ain’t no fucking pool!”

How long you been married?
Four and a half years now, goes quick when you’re married, drags when you have a girlfriend. [Laughs] Eri, my wife is full Nihonjin, I am too, so to speak, because I was born and raised over there. I also have Korean blood in me so I was always kind of an outcast.

You guys still go to Japan a bunch?
Every year. My family is there and Eri’s family is there. She’s from Yamagata. I got a brother and sisters and my step mom over there that raised me till I was five and a half. The first memory I have of a mother is my step mom. Then when I was 6 years old, I moved to the states with my real mom. It was a mess for a while but now that I’m older and my folks have made a couple laps around the life totem pole, it’s all good. But it was a mess for a while. Which is why I’ve always been a skater, just an escape, no one can tell you how to do it, what to do, when to do it.

How did you start skating?
When I moved to the Philippines in 1975 as a little Japanese boy, I never even seen or heard of it. The first time I ever saw a skateboard in the neighborhood, I just knew it was what I wanted
to do. I’ve been fucked up in the head from it
ever since. [Laughs]

I see that you got a new pro model deck made by Element. How is that going?
They put me on as an Element Advocate a couple of years ago. It’s a collaborative program between creative individuals like Ray Barbee, Jeremy Wray, myself and other seasoned skaters and non-skateboarders. All aiming towards inspiring and presenting what is a broader and more current definition of what it means to be a part of the skate community. We get to go do things that the normal pro riders wouldn’t do. [Laughs] It’s like being pro but not having to compete or enter contests. As long as I keep skating, I’m stoked to have a model out again... I just don’t want to be that guy with a pro model that doesn’t skate anymore.



Who made your first pro model?
My first pro model was with Alva. It had a “JH” with a Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures graphic on it. It’s funny because nowadays everyone is up in arms about Joy Division so it’s pretty rad. That was like in 1986 or something.

You’ve been all over the world with your skateboard, how often would you travel?
For eight years, every month I was in a different country or state. I would just fly to Amsterdam at times with little or no funds and just live out there– do demos, appearances, sell and trade skate products...come back with more funds than I left with and have a blast. I was definitely the “find me on your couch” guy. I never was into the first-class pampering kind of shit. Towards the end of my career, I had those opportunities but I didn’t take it. I was the guy with a skate bag, a can of tomato paste, and a couple bags of Top Ramen, just in case.

What’s the biggest difference in skateboarding in Hawai‘i compared to back in the day?
Everything has changed, but nothing has changed. I just think it’s way more accessible and anyone can do it now. There’s like 14 public skate parks on O‘ahu alone as compared to before, there was only A‘ala Park, and it used to be way sketchier to go there. It was like risking your life going there when we were younger. We had to skate illegal spots like the canals and backyard pools. I guess skateboarding used to be more of an outlaw thing. A subculture. Now it’s not only popular, it’s in the mainstream of everything. But what I mean by nothing’s changed is that it’s fun. Look at these kids now and how much fun they’re having. Skateboarding in its purest form has not changed at all. It’s still just as radical and just as fun. It’s just four wheels, a set of trucks, and a wooden plank. It’s really that aspect that has kept me skating all these years. I’ve been trying to adapt and grow to the art/sport of skating. But ultimately it’s rad and fun. If I wasn’t having fun, I wouldn’t be doing it.

What else have you been working on?
Just been trying to work with skate companies. I’m designing some custom graphics for headphones and tee shirt for Matix, working and collaborating with Gravis, Analog, Asian Wave Skates in Japan, Pocket Pistols Skateboards, and doing more things with Element also. Most recently, I’ve been helping Jay Adams with his on going side projects…with his 100% Skateboarder movement and Z-Flex. I’ve known Jay-Boy since the Venice days riding for Alva and I’m stoked that we can still hang, skate, surf and work together in Hawai‘i. He’s truly a living legend, a rare thing these days. Jay’s like the Miki Dora of skateboarding. Speaking of, Jay and I are currently working on launching our new skate company called EZ Ryder. We’ll be offering “OG Ready to Shred” custom surf-skate completes for the entry-level to seasoned-veteran skateboarder or sidewalk surfer. We’re planning on releasing some soft-goods first, then follow up with hard-goods. The quiver will include minis, custom and retro set-ups. Just trying to make something fun and cool for everyone... Skates that are fun to ride, feel and look at. Kinda like how it used to be back when we started skating in the ‘70s. Dropping in early 2010.

Were you always an artist?
Yeah, always. I was pulled apart from my original roots as a young kid, and I moved around all over so that’s what I was into. Drawing and making things. I was always the only Asian kid everywhere I went. That’s why I stand up for universal equality for all ethnicities. I’m not into anything exclusive. I’m not into reserved tables and memberships. I’m against anything like that because I don’t want other people to feel the way I had to feel when I was young.