Joey Clarke of Freedom Fighter skateboards interview

Ola TLG members

Back in this beach again with a interview with Joey Clarke of FREEDOM FIGHTER skateboards.

I met Joey only a year ago and off the bat he seemed sincere (Which is unheard of in this industry)

You don't really meet people that will help others before themselves,with all his charity work and on going projects, Joey still has time to shred the axe, run a skateboard company and well be an all around radical dude.

Enjoy!

In a sea of skateboard companies, why start a skateboard brand?

Not to get rich, that's for sure! Ha ha, it's definitely for the love

and passion. It allows me to give back and help shape and be a part of the culture that has given me so much. Let's be real, skaters skate. That's what we do! We don't have much money, and if you do have a little it's to get a new pair of kicks or a deck to keep skating. If I can help by having a high quality pro deck made here in Canada instead of over seas at a reasonable price, then I will.

What does Freedom Fighter stand for?

That's a good and tough question. I can give you many answers and go on and on, but I'll keep it simple… Or I'll try. Skateboarding is just

that, freedom! I remember getting kicked and chased out of so many places for skating. We always had to fight for the right to skate. As lame as that may sound it's the truth. It's good to see that skating is becoming more acceptable nowadays. We try to be socially and economically conscious. We are a little more political in nature, but how can we not be? Politics are in everything.

What can we expect from FF skateboards in the future?

Lots! We are putting out a new line under the Freedom Fighter umbrella. Can't talk much about it now, but be on the lookout for it in August. We're also putting out some decks with Dave the Chimp, Nathan Jurevicius and Smolik to name a few. Oh, and watch out for our new line of denim for the Fall/Winter.

You seemed to be very involved in charity work? Enlighten us on this

As I said before, Skateboarding has given me so much and made me who I am (my mother had a big hand in that too, ha ha), so it only makes sense to give back. I know and see a lot of people doing amazing and unselfish things, and why not!? I've always been a firm believer that if you can help someone out then why wouldn't you. I know I could always use an extra hand. I started doing the Disposable Art show annually. Pretty straight forward, we send skateboards to artists here and abroad, they do their thing and ship them back. Then we have an opening night with DJ's, drinks,

raffles and such and hopefully raise some money for a good cause.

With all the art shows/charity's you have put together, what one had the most impression on you?

It had to be seeing my mom at the first show having the time of her life! Mingling and partying it up with everyone, seeing and hearing everyone praise her and have her tell me I have a great community around me. That had a huge impact on me.

Where did the idea come from for the TLG collaboration deck?

TLG, ha ha. We talked about doing something together. I remember being asked about 9 months ago if I had any ideas, which at the time I thought was a funny question because I have a ton of ideas, ha ha. But really, I went to bed that night and woke up with a concept and artist in mind. Unfortunately, something came up and it had to be put on hold. When Brad approached me again few months later asking my thoughts on getting back to it, I told him give me a day. I was feeling something different. With some brainstorming and another night’s sleep I came up with a new concept and artist. After Bowman tweaked the concept, the end result was The Gents as caricatures being held down by the FF guerrillas. Bowman killed it, as usual.

Who has helped bring FF to where it is today?

Hmmmmm, History. No, no, really. There is so much to learn and pick from when helping shape, drive and mold you and what your doing. Also, my moms, my brother, Tracy, Smolik and The Bait Shop to name a few. Haha.

When did you first start working with Trevor Bowman and how did you meet?

I was a big fan of his work and was lucky enough to be walking by

Spazz's Omy Gallery and saw that a piece I really liked was half price! I couldn't believe it, and still couldn't afford it. Thank the gallery for layaway, ha ha. I met Bowman shortly after that. That had to be 5 years ago now!? Trevor was also nice enough to lend his time and skill set to this and last year’s disposable show. We have some future plans for work on as well.

Any words of wisdom to an up and coming skateboard brand?

Do it for the right reasons. If you do that and stay true you can't fail.

"Keep it Lovely"