Jason Wussler has been on the low for awhile now. Despite being under the radar, it's been business as usual for him. Jason's been quietly stacking clips and is ready to drop a serious part in the upcoming Turf video. We caught up with Jason recently and got the following interview...
48 Blocks: How did you first start skating?
Jason: I grew up in Saint Louis so...it's like the same thing, the dude down the street. He was rippin and I seen him, he hooked me up with a skateboard, so I started to skate.
48 Blocks: What year was this?
Jason: It's like...20 years ago. (laughs) What's it 2007, '86 or '87.
48 Blocks: What was the first skate video that you saw?
Jason: It was one of the Powell videos, like "Future Primitive" probably. I remember that "Ban This" was the first one that I watched a lot when I was like eight or nine or something. (laughs) I would always go to dude's house and watch that shit.
48 Blocks: Back then, what were you skating?
Jason: We would just drive to downtown Saint Louis and skate different spots all over.
48 Blocks: What were the first tricks that you learned?
Jason: We would build slider bars and little boxes and quarter pipes. I would do all the old rail tricks and whatever....railslide to feeble to smith grind and all that stuff.
48 Blocks: How did you end up to moving to California?
Jason: Just skating man, I just came out to skate. It's been perfect ever since.
48 Blocks: When did you first come out here?
Jason: I came out here right at the begining of '98.
48 Blocks: Was that still Embarcadero days, that was more Pier days, huh?
Jason: I think that was right at the begining of the Pier days.
48 Blocks: Who were the first people that you skated with out here?
Jason: Everybody that was down at the Pier everyday. The first day I just went down there, then I went there everyday.
48 Blocks: Who was killing it at the Pier at that time?
Jason: Lavar, Henry, Marcus, Rob, Brad, Stevie, Geez killed it too! (laughs)
48 Blocks: How'd you first get hooked up as far as getting skateboards and stuff?
Jason: FIT was still poppin when I first came here. We would get FIT boards, the Kelch boards you know...the ill Kelch shape. After FIT fell off we would just get boards from FTC.
48 Blocks: What other companies have you ridden for?
Jason: Venture, Western Edition, Stamina Clothes...those were dope, where's Julio at?
48 Blocks: Talk about Western Edition, how did you get hooked up with that?
Jason: I think it started in '99, it was just the dudes from FTC....Kent and Ian. It just sort of happend and I got to skate for them...it was dope! I guess it was a shop company...it was cooler though.
48 Blocks: You guys did some trips too.
Jason: Yeah, we got to go to Paris, London, and Tokyo.
48 Blocks: Was that the first times that you traveled internationally?
Jason: Yeah, that was the first time.
48 Blocks: How was it experiencing that for the first time on a skate trip?
Jason: It was cool. It was perfect cause it was all the dudes that I chilled with back in the city.
48 Blocks: Were people psyched when you went other places?
Jason: Yeah, anytime anyone comes through from somewhere else people are psyched.
48 Blocks: What's your favorite place that you've traveled to so far?
Jason: Japan was sick.
48 Blocks: What did you like about it?
Jason: It was so different...just walking down the sidewalk. You can walk around and just see cool shit. It's huge too, so big and clean.
48 Blocks: Did you get anything cool out there...any gadgets?
Jason: Yeah, this was before Ipods...so we were all in the store looking at mini disk players. We were real psyched on those things.
48 Blocks: So what eventually happened with Western Edition?
Jason: From my perpective....I don't know, I understand that companies gotta make changes and do what they gotta do for whatever reasons. It was cool, the company just made changes.
48 Blocks: After the Western days, what were you up to?
Jason: I was just skating with the same people. Those dudes were the only people that I skated with really. We would just do the same shit, getting footage and all that. It was the same thing, just not as many free boards.
48 Blocks: Talk about Turf and how that came together.
Jason: York just hollered at me and was like, "What's up dude, I'm starting this company and I want you to ride for it." I was like, "Oh really, aight cool...let's do that!" There were no thoughts about it, I was like "let's make it happen." I know York...with him, it's gonna happen. So, I knew right there...
48 Blocks: So hows the wood and everything been so far?
Jason: The wood is amazing, it's Kayo wood. Everything is dope, I'm feeling the Kelch Raiders graphic.
48 Blocks: Talk about Jabari, you guys grew up skating together.
Jason: Yeah, me and Jabari were skating together back in Saint Louis...I've known him for a really long time, since back at our old skate park when we were super young. I remember Jabari was hella short and had this big ass afro and shit. (laughs) He would be railsliding down the handrail and everything...he was sick back then too.
48 Blocks: That's sick that you guys got to end up being on a team together. What's up with this Turf video?
Jason: It's gonna be cool, right now we're trying to wrap it up. Everybody's got ill shit...York's got shit, Sammy's got shit, everybody....Jabari, Kelch, Larry, Vince, Jason (Wakuzawa) everybody's doing it and everybody's psyched.
48 Blocks: Any word on when it's coming out?
Jason: I'm not even sure, but soon...real soon.
48 Blocks: Who else is hooking you up these days besides Turf?
Jason: I get Turf boards, Independent Trucks...Indy lows are so good, I get the Magik shirts from Henry, and Dekline shoes.
48 Blocks: How are those Deklines?
Jason: They're really good....those hightop York's with the pinstripes, you can just sink into the soles.
48 Blocks: What's up with you and downloading music? I've heard that sometimes you don't leave the house for days.
Jason: Yeah. (laughs) I always like to have the new shit...I don't know.
48 Blocks: What are you rockin right now?
Jason: I got this "Ridin High," 8-Ball and MJG shit. I got that new UGK. My Bay Area mix is tight...Yukmouth and Messy Marv are all over it.
48 Blocks: So other than that, whate else is crackin with you these days?
Jason: I'm just trying to skate more and work a little less at this resturant that I work at...other than that just trying to get out of the city a little more often.
48 Blocks: You were just down in Florida chilling right?
Jason: Yeah we were on the beach having some paradise vacation...chilling on some water and white sand for a little bit.
48 Blocks: Are we going to see a Jason Wussler Turf board anytime soon?
Jason: I don't know....I heard somebody talking about that but I don't think it's gonna be for a little bit though, after the video.
48 Blocks: Any last words or shout outs?
Jason: Shout out to all the dudes on Turf, Ando at FTC, 48 Blocks, and all the Western Edition dudes. We're still skating up here in the city...we got spots.