2nd JJ Wessels The Tradesman ~ Various talents who control the brand

JJ Wessels is responsible for the creative work of the BEACHED DAYS brand alongside Mitch Abshire. He has previously been involved in various groups, including CAPTAIN FIN CO. and CYCLE ZOMBIES, run by Scotty Stopnick, and has fully demonstrated his multifaceted talents in photography, video, art, and more.

Of course, he's also a skilled logger, and his technical footwork and noseriding have been featured in numerous movies, and he's even been invited to Joel Tudor's Duct Tape Invitational. In this second installment of our series, we take a closer look at JJ's many different sides.

Growing up, who was your favorite TLC member? Or did you have a Britney Spears poster hanging in your room?

Don't go chasing waterfalls♪ I've never been crazy about pop stars (laughs). That's more of Mitch's area of expertise! I grew up in a household where my parents listened to Megadeth, Metallica and Ozzy Osbourne, so unfortunately I wasn't exposed to much pop music.

What kind of music do you usually listen to?

Lately I've been listening to podcasts depending on my mood, Bruce Brown movie soundtracks, Ray Barbee, and other surf-inspired music.

Do you prefer burritos or hamburgers?

I like both. But my wife is a health freak, so I've been eating healthy every day since we got married. If I eat fast food, she'll check me closely and ask, "What are you eating right now?" (laughs). Before that, I loved cereal, so I'd eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (laughs).

Sounds American (laughs). How about Japanese food?

I can't eat raw fish, so I'm not what you'd call a sushi guy. I don't like sashimi. But I do like ramen.

Did you watch Dragon Ball when you were a kid?

No, I wasn't into so-called Japanese anime, but I liked American-style hand-drawn characters like Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam from Looney Toons (Warner Brothers cartoons) because they felt more artistic. My dad has a Bugs Bunny tattoo.

Let's get to the main topic. BEACHED DAYS Aquatic Division will be releasing The Commoner, which you designed and shaped, in May. In Japan, we've been inundated with inquiries since we posted a picture of it on Instagram.

I'm happy! I've been shaping boards in my garage for a long time, but I've always made boards for myself and my wife, not for sale. It's difficult to run a serious business like that. Now I'm sponsored by Chris Christenson, so I get all my boards made by him. He's an incredible shaper and has the skills to turn ideas into reality. So I shape for my wife whenever I have the chance.

I was approached by BEACHED DAYS and I'm releasing a model that I shaped myself, The Commoner, which is a user-friendly, all-around design that makes surfing accessible. The base is a nose rider with a wide tail and kick (tail rocker), but at 9'2" and 9'6", it's not too long, so it's easy to turn. It's also reasonably light, so it's not too difficult to carry, and it's not too heavy, so it has good rotation.

Of course, I'll probably pick up a Chris-shaped board when the waves are really good, but I think it's a board that's easy to enjoy surfing with family and friends in normal wave conditions. Surfers of all levels can enjoy it, and that's the brand concept of BEACHED DAYS.

Meanwhile, tell us about your Tradesman model, released by Christenson last year.

He's a master craftsman and has been shaping boards longer than I've been surfing, so it's an honor to have him create my model.

The base started when I brought my favorite board that I had shaped in my garage to Chris' factory, and he rebuilt it from there with his own interpretation. The nose template was my own, and the tail template was from one of Chris's old boards. I combined those and spent a day in the shaping room with him to create it together. It's a very user-friendly board that's great for noseriding, of course, but also has light tail movement and is easy to turn. I plan to keep the hand shape I created at the beginning. I've tested three boards so far: 9'5", 9'6", and 9'8", and personally I find the 9'5" length to be the most comfortable. However, I think 9'8" is better for slower waves like San Onofre.

Where does the name Tradesman come from?

It's from my Dodge B300 Tradesman. I got it cheap a few years ago from a German acquaintance, and I really like old vans because they're cool. Also, my father was a carpenter and tradesman, so I named it after him. Here (in California), surfing was originally a blue-collar sport, and they are craftsmen who make things with their own hands. I have a lot of respect for them, and each surfboard is also handcrafted by a craftsman. I don't want my surfboards to be something to hang on the wall and look at, but something that people will actually ride in the ocean.

He previously drove a Japanese sedan. He is famous for appearing on the cover of the movie "EXPENSIVE PORNO MOVIE" (2014) produced by Tin Ojeda.

Ah! A 1985 Toyota Corolla. I got it for only $300 and drove it for seven years without even changing the oil. Toyotas are hands down the best cars. They get great gas mileage and are pretty indestructible. They've been great for surf trips to Rincon and Malibu, as well as roughing it off-road.

What I learned from driving the Corolla is that it's not so bad to drive in the slow lane at your own pace. There are a lot of new cars on the road, but I've learned that the value of something isn't in the price. There are more important things in life than sacrificing your family and your time to pay off a car loan. In the end, the gasket blew and it broke, but I only have fond memories. I miss it. Now that I have kids, I need more space, so I drive a Toyota Sequoia, and the reliability and peace of mind of Japanese cars is second to none.

I think Harleys and vintage bikes are really cool, but I don't own one myself. I sometimes ride dirt bikes, but I don't ride them on public roads. I feel a spirit of freedom in motorcycles that is similar to surfing. My dad and grandpa had choppers and customized them like the guys in CYCLE ZOMBIES. This goes back to what I said earlier, but if I had the money and time, I might buy a motorcycle, but right now, surfing is my biggest passion, so that's not going to happen. I saw one for sale at Scotty's and thought it was cool, but it was easily 4 million yen.

You once came to Japan with the CYCLE ZOMBIES team. What's your relationship with them?

I went to Japan as a photographer and filmmaker. It was a really cool trip. At the time, I thought Japan was a beautiful country.

In terms of my relationship with CYCLE ZOMBIES, I think my first encounter with Scotty was when we went to Joel Tudor's Duct Tape Invitational contest in Florida in 2010. We were both sponsored by HURLEY at the time, and we started surfing together and became good friends. After that, I started taking photos and videos of the CYCLE ZOMBIES team. I even made a movie with them for the magazine ON THE BOARD, shooting scenes of them riding bikes and surfing.

It was around this same time that I met Mitch, CJ Nelson, Alex Knost, Tyler Warren, and others, and we started hanging out together, not just surfing.

JJ, where were you born and how did you get into surfing?

I was born in Torrance, LA in 1984. Soon after, we moved inland to Riverside, and then at age 10 we moved to San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, where I still live. My grandparents are Dutch, and my father is first generation born in California. I started surfing late, in high school. My parents would drive me to the porch of the beach break near our house. Then, a neighbor who worked for the military would take me to the military base (north of San Onofre) and we'd surf Church (Tressols). Church is still my favorite break to this day.

Around that time, Thomas Campbell's movie Seedling came out and I got hooked on single fin longboards. He was living in Dana Point at the time and I remember him filming Seitaro (Nakamura) at Doheny.

The very first board I was given was a Donald Takayama Model T. I was really influenced by the older surfers of the time, like Joel Tudor and Mitch. I vividly remember reading an article about Mitch in Longboard Magazine. Matt Howard and Brittany Quinn were still in California at the time.

What is your current occupation and title?

Yes, I guess you could say I'm a private contractor. I'm currently fortunate to be able to work in the field I've chosen. Like my father, I love creating things with my hands. Surfing is my driving force for creating, but at the same time, I need surfing to be creative. I'm surrounded by so many talented surfers, like Brian Bent, Mitch, Alex Knost, and Robin Kegall, who inspire me every day, and I approach surfing from a creative perspective. I've digressed a bit, but all of my work started with surfing, and I provide photography, video, and art to various brands. With BEACHED DAYS, I'm similarly utilizing my skills, not only in photography and video, but also in product development and feedback. It's still a new brand, but I'm excited to be a part of this fun project.

What is your art background?

It all started when I went to high school in San Clemente and couldn't make the surf team. It was a school full of high-level surfers who went to CT, and I remember losing to Tommy Witt in a competition. Instead, I joined an art class, and I loved drawing. I would surf in the morning before school, and then immerse myself in art after school. I then majored in art at junior college, studying screen printing, graphic design, and filmmaking.

Upon graduating from high school, he was sponsored by Becker Surfboards, which led to him working on designing T-shirts for Becker's shop and teaming up with Brian Bent to create limited edition art T-shirts for him.

My art is definitely connected to surfing, but I'm particularly influenced by John Severson and Rick Griffin from the 1960s. Art, like surfing, is something that can express freedom. I studied sketching and landscape painting at school, but my art style isn't about drawing from photographs or objects, but about expressing broadly and freely from the imaginary world in my head. Although I'm currently limited by time, I'd like to focus more on creating art.

My son will be three soon, and I've been designing T-shirts for him. I even bought a 3D printer and made some small toys for him. It takes time, money, and effort—it takes 20 hours to 3D print something this small, palm-sized. Then I paint it with a small brush, which is a mundane process, but it's just so much fun. I've made about 12 characters so far. I wouldn't make any money selling them, but I'm learning as I go. I think there's a chance the toys could turn into Finkies or wax combs, and I hope someone will be interested. I'm also thinking about making surf figure toys based on characters from my friends Tyler Warren and Alex Knost.

Your kids are still young, but do you go to the beach with them? What's beach life like for you?

Yes, of course. My wife and I are very happy with our California lifestyle and are very grateful to be able to raise our children here. It's great to live here, and we go to the beach as a family as often as possible. San Onofre has been there for generations, and it's been there for 50, 60, 70 years, and it still has its unpaved sandy roads, the surfing is just as good as it was back then, and it's a safe place to enjoy the beach with kids.

Just this past weekend, the water was cold, but the days were very warm. We were able to spend a peaceful and special holiday with other families. California has great weather, so just surfing and spending time at the beach is great, but we try not to take it for granted and live each day grateful for everything.

JJ Wessels was born in 1984 and is originally from California, USA. He utilizes his talents as a surfer and artist, and has served as an ambassador for the BEACHED DAYS brand since its launch with Mitch Absher. He has participated in various projects, including CAPTAIN FIN CO. and CYCLE ZOMBIES. While he keeps a distance from competitive surfing, he has also competed in Joel Tudor's Duct Tape Invitational. His BDAD-designed "The Commoner" is currently on sale and receiving rave reviews.

Interview: Kawazoe Mio: Born and currently living in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Graduated from the University of California, San Diego, surfing club. With a father who was a first-generation Japanese surfer, Kawazoe encountered overseas culture from an early age. From the early 1990s, she lived in San Diego and Malibu, California, for 10 years, experiencing the longboard revival. After returning to Japan, she became editor-in-chief of ON THE BOARD and worked on GLIDE and other magazines. Using her unique network, she has introduced real California logs and the alternative surf scene to Japan.