In 1991, Life Skateboards put out "A Soldier's Story". And while the standout that year, and since, was Blind's "Video Days", Life's video introduced to the world the raw f*cking power that was a then seventeen year old Sean Sheffey.
I remember nearly wearing out the vhs copy I had, fast forwarding to Sheffey's part and watching it over and over before going out and trying to backside 180 everything. (Whistling Ennio Morricone's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" became a kind of shorthanded way of implying the epic-ness of something) It was his first and arguably best assembled footage. He was among the best of the guys that charged it and went big. I would try to appropriate some of his "burl" for myself, pushing faster, popping higher, falling harder, getting up and trying again.
But sadly, as the story goes, Sheff's personal life and attendant professional career came undone just as Girl Skateboards really got going, "Mouse" being, I believe, his last real video part worth a damn.
A bad knee injury at a critical time in his career began a domino effect of choices that eventually lead to drugs and landed Sheff in prison.
he's been out for a while now, sober and trying to get his life back on track. Legend status for sure, Sheff's one of the guys that helped push skateboarding further. If ever there was a prime candidate for Patrick O'Dell's series "Epicly Later'd", Sheff's that guy.
6 comments:
That dude is sick!
Sheffey is the man. It seems like every pro skater from that time period has some sort of crazy Sheffey story. Perfect for Epicly Later'd.
Sheffey was a freight train. Anthony Mason on a stick.
"And the correct spelling of that is s-e-a-n..." Classic. My California buds all have that funny combo of proper formal manners + wiseass smile. Are they pulling legs? Are they just polite? Maybe learned it from him.
Wow, didn't see this post coming.
Sheffey was the shit!
Seen him kick a kid in the face for trying to go in his bag during a product toss.
Woah. Sean Sheffey! I distinctly remember having that ad taped on my bedroom wall for years.
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