Hi all. I read an interview in the Times recently with actor Jason Isaacs in which he said he likes to wear Vans because he used to be a professional skateboarder. I hadn’t heard this before and was intrigued. It’s also stated here*, and in this interview he says he ‘used to run a skateboard team when I was 14 and 15’**. Wikipedia says that he was born in 1963, so that would have been 77/78. Does anyone know about this or remember him from South Bank / London in the late 70s or 80s? Pro for which company(ies)? Thanks, GW
I think most of the lads here are too young. Maybe @Sleipnir ?
I went pretty heavily all-in doing the London Calling zine a couple of years ago (a 72-page magazine all about UK - although mostly London - skateboarding during that time) and I’ve never heard of him. A quick CMD+F tells me nobody I spoke to for that mentioned him either.
1 Like
There’s a good couple of pages in one of Grayson Perry’s books where he talks about skating South Bank in the mid 80s and the masculinity vibes around that whole scene. He’s not dissing the scene, just commenting. Can’t remember which book off the top of my head. Would love to see pics of him back then
1 Like
Just nipped in to say a quick “Hello to Jason Isaacs.”
8 Likes
Gah beat me to it.
Hmm, interesting. I wonder if he was ‘pro’ for his own team then
Could be pro for his own team back then as much as anybody is nowadays - ordering boards and putting his name on them.
I was quite immersed in the '70s scene for a few months a couple of years ago, and felt like I knew it pretty well (since it was only really two years) and the only famous-ish Jason from that crew I know is Jason Florio, the photographer.
Plenty of businessmen were asking the advice of the kids in '77/78, but that’s all pretty well recorded and Jason’s name never came up.
I’ve asked around though.
It’s not impossible, London would have had eyes on the usual suspects so to a kid you could make what they saw as an amazing team made up of nobodies go totally under the radar for 6 months until it popped.
There are loads of instances of this throughout the years.
He said he was doing demos and in magazines.
its a shame we didn’t have cameras then.
3 Likes
Ah, yeah ok. Not sure why I glossed over that bit.
Drawing a massive blank on this guy from the people who were skating Southbank (and doing demos and in the magazines) in '77 and '78.
Jeremy Henderson has never heard of him, and he knows absolutely everybody.
5 Likes
I’d say it was some self romanticism of one’s own childhood.
God knows everything I did as a teenager is filed away in a much larger mental drawer than it needs.
Yep, sounds likely. Quite a bold claim though - ‘professional skateboarder’ - in multiple published interviews. Wonder why he wouldn’t just claim ‘skateboarder’. Must have a great talent for bigging himself up
1 Like
I think it’s like when people say they played “semi professional” or “high level” football.
