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

JJ Wessels is in charge of the creative team for the BEACHED DAYS brand together with Mitch Abshire. He has been involved in various units such as CAPTAIN FIN CO. and CYCLE ZOMBIES, organized by Scotty Stopnick, and has demonstrated his multifaceted talents in photography, video, art and more.

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

Who was your favorite TLC member growing up? 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 specialty! 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 Barbie, and other surf-inspired stuff.

Do you prefer burritos or burgers?

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 checks me closely and asks, "What are you eating right now?" (laughs). Before that, I liked cereal, so I ate 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 like ramen.

Did you watch Dragon Ball when you were a kid?

No, I wasn't into Japanese anime as you might call it, but I liked American-style hand-drawn characters like Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam from Looney Toons because they felt more artistic. My dad has a Bugs Bunny tattoo.

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

That's great! 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 hard to make a serious business out of it. Now I'm sponsored by Chris Christenson, so I get him to make all my boards for me. He's an incredible shaper and has the skill to turn ideas into reality. So I shape my wife when I have the chance.

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

Of course, I think I'll pick up Chris' shaped board when the waves are really good, but I think it's a board that you can easily 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 model, the Tradesman, released by Christenson last year.

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

The base started when I brought my favorite board that I had shaped in my garage to Chris' factory, and he reconstructed it with his own interpretation. The nose template was mine, and the tail template was from Chris' old board. I combined them 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 that I first created for the rest of my life. 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. But I think 9'8" is better for slower waves like San Onofre.

Where does the name Tradesman come from?

From my Dodge B300 Tradesman. I got it cheap from a German acquaintance a few years ago, 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 for the blue-collar (working class) people, who are craftsmen who make things with their own hands. I respect them, and my surfboards are also finished by craftsmen one by one. I hope that they will not just be displayed on the wall and looked at, but will actually be ridden in the ocean.

He used to drive a Japanese sedan as well. He is famous for appearing on the cover of the movie "EXPENSIVE PORNO MOVIE" (2014) produced by Tin Ojeda.

Yes! A 1985 Toyota Corolla. I got it for only $300 and drove it for 7 years without changing the oil. Toyotas are hands down the best cars. They get great gas mileage and are pretty durable. They've been great for surf trips to Rincon and Malibu, as well as rough off-roading.

What I learned from driving the Corolla is that it's not 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 is not in the price. There are many more important things in life than sacrificing your family and your time to pay for a car loan. In the end, the gasket blew and it broke, but I only have good memories. I miss it. Now that I have kids and need more space, I'm driving a Toyota Sequoia, but the reliability and peace of mind of Japanese cars is the best.

I think Harleys and vintage bikes are really cool, but I don't own one myself. I ride dirt bikes sometimes, but I don't ride them on the road. I feel a freedom spirit in bikes that is similar to surfing. My dad and grandpa had choppers and customized them like the guys in CYCLE ZOMBIES. It goes back to what I said before, but if I had the money and time, I might buy a bike, but surfing is my biggest passion right now, so that's not an option. 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 is your relationship with them?

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

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

It was around the same time that I met Mitch, CJ Nelson, Alex Knost, Tyler Warren and others and started hanging out with them in addition to 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, then moved to San Juan Capistrano in Orange County when I was 10, where I still live. My grandparents are Dutch, and my father is first generation born in California. I started surfing late, in high school. At first, my parents would drive us to the porch of a beach break near our house. Then, a neighbor who worked for the military would take us to the military base (north of San Onofre) and we would surf Church (Tressols). Church is still my favorite break.

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

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

What is your current occupation and title?

Well, I guess I'm a private contractor. I'm lucky enough to be able to work in the field I chose. I like to create things with my hands, just like my father. Surfing is my driving force in creating things, but at the same time, I need surfing to be creative. There are many excellent surfers around me, such as Brian Bent, Mitch, Alex Knost, and Robin Kegal, so I am inspired every day, and I also approach surfing from a creative perspective. I've digressed a little, but all my work started with surfing connections, and I provide photography, video, and art to various brands. At BEACHED DAYS, I'm also using my skills to help with product development and feedback, as well as photography and video. It's still a new brand, but I'm happy to be able to enjoy and participate in this project.

What is your art background?

I started out in high school in San Clemente because I didn't make the surf team. I remember losing to Tommy Witt in a competition at a school full of high-level surfers who went to CT. Instead, I joined an art class, and I loved drawing. I would surf in the morning before school, and I would do art after school. I then went to junior college and studied art, screen printing, graphic design, and video production.

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 produce limited edition art T-shirts for him.

My art is connected to surfing, and I am especially influenced by John Severson and Rick Griffin from the 60s. Art can express freedom, just like surfing. I learned sketching and landscape painting at school, but my art style is not to write from photos or things, but to express broadly and freely from the fantasy world in my head. Although I am limited by time now, I would like to focus more on creating art.

My son will be 3 soon, and I've been designing T-shirts for him, and I've bought a 3D printer and making some small toys for him. But it takes time, money, and effort, and it takes 20 hours to 3D print something this small, palm-sized. Then I paint it with a small brush, which is a mundane task, but it's just fun. I've made about 12 characters so far. I won't make money from selling them, but I'm learning a lot right now. I think there's a possibility that the toys will become Finky or wax combs, and I hope someone will be interested. I'm thinking that surf figure toys of characters from my friends Tyler Warren and Alex Knost would be interesting.

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

Oh, absolutely. My wife and I are happy with our California lifestyle and are so grateful to be able to raise our kids here. It's great to live here and we go to the beach as much as we can. San Onofre has been there for generations, it's been there for 50, 60, 70 years, there are unpaved sand roads, you can surf just like you did back then, and you can enjoy the beach with your kids without worry.

Just the other weekend, the water was cold, but it was a very warm day. I was able to spend a peaceful and special holiday with other families. California has great weather, so it's great just to surf and spend time on the beach, but I try not to take it for granted and live each day appreciating everything I have.

JJ Wessels: Born in 1984. He is from California, USA, and currently resides there. He is a surfer and artist, and has been 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. Although he does not participate in competition surfing, he has also participated in Joel Tudor's Duct Tape Invitational. The Commoner, which he designed the shape for, is currently on sale through BDAD and has been highly praised.

Interview: Mio Kawazoe Born and living in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Graduated from the surfing club at University of California, San Diego. 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 the editor-in-chief of ON THE BOARD and worked on magazine media such as GLIDE. Until now, she has used her unique network to introduce real California logs and the alternative surf scene to Japan.