NOT GETTIN FUCKED UP TONIGHT!!!
Preface By Nate Brooks
Interview By Brandon Bristol
If you cut open the history of street skateboarding and trace the bloodlines of its most feral, rock ‘n’ roll-drenched eras, you will inevitably collide with Erik Ellington. He did not merely ride a wooden plank down concrete staircases; he attacked architecture with the snarling, dangerous charisma of a classic rock ‘n’ roll frontman pushing the venue’s P.A. system past its absolute breaking point. Watching Ellington hurl his body over massive handrails and drop-offs was like watching Lux Interior writhe across a sticky stage in vinyl pants—a terrifying mix of raw nerve, theater, and impending physical ruin. He brought the unhinged, swaggering menace of Axl Rose in a leather jacket and the razor-sharp, rhythmic precision of Mick Jagger strutting across an arena, transforming every switch backside flip into an act of pure, theatrical defiance. Through the chaotic haze of the Pissdrunx era, Baker, Zero, and Deathwish, Ellington didn’t just define a style—he oozed it from every pore, proving that skateboarding, at its absolute peak, is fundamentally an unwashed, loud-as-hell stain of rock ‘n’ roll.
That same swagger, however, was never just confined to a skateboard deck; it spilled over into a full-scale assault on culture and commerce. Long after the party-monster days gave way to sober clarity, Ellington channeled his manic creative drive into the business world, completely reshaping the aesthetics of skate culture and high fashion. He co-founded iconic footwear and apparel powerhouses like Supra and KR3W—defining the tight-jeans and high-top silhouette that owned the late 2000s—before elevating his design language into Paris-conceived, Italian-crafted luxury footwear with Human Recreational Services (HRS). Then, in a brilliant move of personal evolution that mirrored his own life journey, he stormed the beverage field with Easy Does It, launching a crisp, non-alcoholic lager designed for road-dogs and night-owls who want the cold-can ritual of classic American and Mexican beers without the chemical hangover. Ellington remains the ultimate outlaw entrepreneur: a man who took the raw, unrefined energy of throwing himself off roofs and turned it into an empire, proving that true rock ‘n’ roll attitude isn’t about dying young, but about stepping up to the mic, taking total control of the show, and refusing to let the noise die out.
When I think of chainsaws, two people immediately come to mind. Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Erik Ellington from Baker 3. I remember being 16 seeing the video premiere for Baker 3 at Skatepark of Tampa with a full audience, everyone going nuts from the beginning of Erik’s chainsaw destruction sequence to the iconic bigspin down the Carlsbad gap. I can’t remember how many times my friends and I said the instantly quotable line “Gettin fucked up tonight!” he yells in victory after finally getting his ender. (He actually didn’t get fucked up that night) Since then he has made some pretty awesome changes in his life for the positive. We caught up with “The Mule” to see what it was like, how it is now and what he’s been up to in LA.
What’s up Erik, what you got goin on this week? Let me see… it’s Wednesday, so last night I skated our park, which I try and do every Tuesday, had some Deathwish design and marketing stuff to do today. We met with a distributor for Easy Does It that’s outside of LA, it’s a major step for us, so we’re excited about that. Then this weekend we’ve got four events going on for Easy, so that should be fun.
Your NA beer company Easy Does It launched last year in August. For the people out there who know you from the Baker 2000s days, how did this all come about? It all came about when I was quarantined during Covid with some friends. They were drinking, and I had some NA beers delivered. I had a few, and it reminded me of the best parts of drinking back in the day, just chillin with friends and the camaraderie that comes with that. I realized that I missed the ritual of drinking beers with my friends, and that feeling had nothing to do with the alcohol. Over the next few months, I kept going to the store to try different brands, and nothing felt like a brand I wanted to associate with. It was all mostly IPA’s, and they were pretty much based around wellness and kind of soft to be honest. So I thought about the idea for a couple years and then one day I just said fuck it, Let’s do this, and Easy Does It was born!
How many years have you been riding a skateboard? Damn, since I was 11 or 12. So about 36 years!
How many years have you been sober? 11 years.
As someone who got a hell of a lot done while partying and traveling constantly, what was the shift like when you got sober and started skating street, filming for video parts? It was good that I got sober at the time I did, but I was 37, so as far as my professional career it was sort of late in the game. I’ve been able to stay healthy and keep doing what I love for much longer than if I’d kept partying.
What’s your wildest tour story from the OG Baker days? Hahaha, I don’t know man. There were a lot of them, but the baker bus tour we did in 2005 was peak. The whole thing was wild.
Congrats on Deathwish turning 20 last year. The team has switched up and even the aesthetic a bit since its inception. What inspires you artistically for the brand and how do you select who makes the team these days? Thanks! I’m influenced by the team and allow that to inspire the graphics. With the clothes I get influence from the past, what feels good…mostly I just think about what fits with what each person would like or what represents them well. As far as the riders, I stay out of team decisions, that’s all andrew, the team, and Jay Thorpe.
When can we expect the next Deathwish video? Well, It’s going to be called Deathwish 3. That’s about where we’re at with it right now,hahaha. We’re about a year out.
Who’s skating are you really stoked on lately? I’m always happy when I see a gonz clip , and I’ve been watching Marc Johnson a lot lately with him passing away. Yuri’s stuff gets me hyped too.
After years of people asking for the OG Emerica Ellington shoe to return, I’ve seen the teaser shots of remakes on your new insta page @ellington.world. can you tell us a little bit about the brand and when shoes will be available for the masses? A couple years ago I made a version of my first skate shoe from 2001, a suit, leather jacket, denim and a trench coat. The intention was to launch a full collection under Ellington. But like a lot of ideas, it got put on hold because the time just wasn’t right. Recently I wore the red/grey dipped sample skating and people were trippin on them. Just seeing the reaction it got and how much people remembered them or wanted them back in the day got me hyped. So now im going to release the shoe this August on the Ellington.world store and see where it goes.
Top 5 best styles in skateboarding? Penny, gonz, Trainwreck, Sal, J Lee
Five albums you’ll never get tired of hearing? OutKast Southern playaslisticcadillascmuzik, Guns N’ Roses Appetite For Destruction and Lies, Metallica Ride The Lightning , Notorious BIG Ready To Die.
Any words of advice for people trying to switch their lifestyle habits up? Believe in yourself.
Thanks so much for your time and all the years of inspiration. The Saw is the Law! Tell the people where they can get all the rad stuff you represent. Of course, stoked to be in the mag.
Deathwish at the skateshop, or deathwishskateboards.com , Easy Does It at easydoesitbrew.com , Ellington.world for the shoes, humanrecreationalservices.com for my other shoes.
