The Wayback #57 | Jason Ellis

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Wayback #57 | Jason Ellis

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Wayback with Ryan Sickler
• Host: Ryan Sickler
• Guest: Jason Ellis
• Release Date: January 30, 2025

Overview: In episode #57 of "The Wayback with Ryan Sickler," host Ryan Sickler engages in a nostalgic and lively conversation with guest Jason Ellis. The episode delves into Jason's upbringing in Australia, his adventurous youth, experiences with wildlife, early forays into sports, and his journey to becoming a professional skateboarder. Filled with humor, heartfelt moments, and intriguing stories, this episode offers listeners a comprehensive look into Jason's life and the cultural backdrop of Australia.

---

1. Introduction and Guest Welcome (02:03 - 02:45)

Ryan Sickler opens the episode by expressing gratitude to the audience for their support and enthusiasm for the show. He introduces Jason Ellis as a first-time guest, highlighting the show's commitment to exploring guests' pasts through social media, old photos, and personal anecdotes.

Notable Quote:

• Ryan Sickler [02:35]: "This show is so much fun. I've been loving doing this."

2. Jason Ellis’s Promotional Segment (02:09 - 02:35)

Jason Ellis promotes his upcoming tour dates and his presence on YouTube with Father Grind, emphasizing his role as a skateboarding coach for adults. He humorously claims superiority over Tony Hawk in coaching older skateboarders.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason Ellis [02:09]: "Tour dates are thejasonellis.com. Go on there and wherever I'm going, you'll see it and get a ticket. I'm killing it. Come out."
• Jason Ellis [02:27]: "I'll get you shredding. I'm the greatest older skateboarder coach in the world. Better than Tony Hawk. We've argued about it, and I won."

3. Growing Up in Australia: Cars and Competitions (03:43 - 05:59)

Jason shares stories about his father's passion for panel vans and car competitions in Australia. He reminisces about unique car modifications, such as his father's custom grill and integrated TV, and discusses the car culture rivalry between Holden and Ford, drawing parallels to the American Shelby vs. Mustang rivalry.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason Ellis [04:25]: "Our arguments were Holden versus Ford."
• Ryan Sickler [04:34]: "Are these Holdings?"
• Jason Ellis [04:53]: "That's our Shelby."

4. Wildlife Encounters: Kangaroos vs. Deer (05:11 - 10:09)

The conversation shifts to wildlife, comparing Australia's kangaroos to America's deer. Jason recounts a thrilling incident while dirt biking in the Australian bush, where he unexpectedly encountered a large mob of kangaroos. The encounter resulted in a chaotic and dangerous situation, highlighting the unpredictability of Australian wildlife.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason Ellis [08:50]: "A mob of kangaroos came. I'm like, dude, I don't know, maybe 10, 11, you know."
• Jason Ellis [09:36]: "They don't like you either. Trust me."
• Jason Ellis [09:57]: "My bike is loud. And they came flying out of the bushes, into me because it was so many of them."

5. Traumatic Experiences: Canoeing Mishap (15:12 - 20:57)

Jason delves into a harrowing memory of a canoeing trip with his father and friends. Under the influence of alcohol, the group's lack of preparedness leads to a life-threatening situation where Jason's brother's car is vandalized, and Jason narrowly escapes drowning after the canoe is ripped apart by strong currents. This story underscores the perils of youthful adventures gone awry.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason Ellis [18:45]: "The current rips the canoe in half."
• Jason Ellis [20:18]: "Everybody got caught up."
• Jason Ellis [20:57]: "That was the most traumatic part of it."

6. Dealing with Venomous Wildlife: Snakes and Spiders (21:05 - 24:52)

Jason discusses the dangers posed by Australia's venomous snakes, particularly the yellow-bellied black snake. He narrates an incident where he inadvertently killed a snake while riding a three-wheeler, highlighting the constant vigilance required in the Australian bush. Additionally, he shares a personal story about overcoming arachnophobia after a terrifying encounter with a huntsman spider.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason Ellis [21:37]: "A lot of these snakes, like the yellow belly black snake, it's super venomous."
• Jason Ellis [23:03]: "That's how I found out that a yellow belly black snake is venomous."
• Jason Ellis [23:17]: "That's where I got arachnophobia."

7. Childhood Mischief: Stealing Car Badges and Action Figures (24:16 - 25:15)

Reflecting on his youth, Jason admits to stealing car badges, particularly Mercedes-Benz emblems and He-Man action figures. He describes his methods and the consequences he faced, including getting caught and reprimanded by his mother's boyfriend, who was a lawyer. These stories illustrate Jason's rebellious side during his formative years.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason Ellis [24:25]: "I used to steal car badges. Got in trouble for that."
• Jason Ellis [25:11]: "I got caught. I had a pillowcase full of them underneath the bed."

8. Defending His Mother: A Stand at Eleven (25:15 - 29:03)

One of the most impactful stories Jason shares is about defending his mother from his mother's boyfriend at the age of eleven. Armed with homemade nunchucks, Jason intervenes during a violent altercation, showcasing his courage and protective instincts. This pivotal moment not only illustrates his sense of justice but also sheds light on his troubled home environment.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason Ellis [27:20]: "I grabbed my nunchucks and got him right in the forehead and dropped him to his knees."
• Ryan Sickler [28:37]: "Can you imagine being a grown ass man having to take an l from a 10-year-old's nunchuck?"

9. Sports and Athleticism: From Football to Skateboarding (29:03 - 32:59)

Jason transitions to discussing his involvement in Australian Rules Football and cricket during his youth, highlighting his athletic prowess and passion for competition. However, his true calling emerged with skateboarding. He narrates his experiences competing against legends like Tony Hawk and his eventual recognition as Australia's first professional skateboarder. This segment underscores Jason's dedication and the challenges he faced in pursuing his passion.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason Ellis [29:08]: "I put 100 in."
• Jason Ellis [30:54]: "I'm on the deck."
• Jason Ellis [31:41]: "I'm the first Australian born professional skateboarder."

10. Reflections and Personal Growth (32:32 - 33:42)

Towards the end of the episode, Jason reflects on his relationship with his father, who struggled to understand his skating career. He shares a humorous yet poignant exchange where his father mistakes his legitimate earnings from skateboarding for drug money. Jason also touches upon overcoming personal challenges, such as attempting to sell weed, which ultimately did not pan out.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason Ellis [32:37]: "What'd you think that I was doing?"
• Ryan Sickler [33:01]: "Jason Ellis, you're a gem, my man."
• Jason Ellis [33:24]: "Love me, people. That's all I want."

---

Conclusion: Episode #57 of "The Wayback with Ryan Sickler" offers an intimate and entertaining exploration of Jason Ellis's life, from his adventurous Australian upbringing and encounters with wildlife to his rebellious youth and rise in the skateboarding world. The episode balances humor with deep, personal stories, providing listeners with both laughter and moments of reflection.

Final Notable Quote:

• Jason Ellis [33:42]: "If you go to my show, I do take hugs. Thank you."

Stay Tuned: Ryan Sickler wraps up the episode with warm acknowledgments, promising more engaging conversations in future episodes.

---

Key Takeaways:

• Cultural Insights: The episode provides a glimpse into Australian car culture, wildlife, and sports, contrasting them with American counterparts.
• Personal Growth: Jason Ellis's stories reflect his journey from a rebellious youth to a dedicated professional skateboarder.
• Overcoming Fear: Jason's battle with arachnophobia and his courageous act to defend his mother highlight his resilience.
• Humor and Heart: The conversation seamlessly blends humorous anecdotes with heartfelt moments, making for an engaging listen.

For those interested in stories of adventure, personal growth, and the vibrant culture of Australia, this episode is a must-listen.

Transcript

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[Ryan Sickler]

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[Jason Ellis]

Hey baby, we going to be here all day.

[Ryan Sickler]

We going to be here all day, baby.

[Jason Ellis]

I like that kind of party.

[Ryan Sickler]

Welcome back to the Way Back. I'm Ryan Sickler over here. I want to say thank you to everybody for supporting this show and anything that I do. But this show is so much fun. I've been loving doing this. If you're not watching, I'm telling you, watch. There's a lot of production in this show. We're going back through people's social medias, old school pictures, everything we can find, anything we're talking about, we're trying to look it up and add a little bit of life to people stories here on the way back. So I'm very excited to have this guest first time here. Ladies and gentlemen, Jason Ellison. The Way Back. Welcome buddy.

[Jason Ellis]

Stoked to be on this weird seat.

[Ryan Sickler]

We're going to talk about that in a second but promote whatever you'd like, please.

[Jason Ellis]

Tour dates are the jason ellis.com go on there and wherever I'm going, you'll see it and get a ticket. I'm killing it. Come out. And then Father Grind is on YouTube. And if you want to be a skateboarder and you're older. Got you covered. I'll get you shredding. I'm the greatest older skateboarder coach in the world. Better than Tony Hawk. We've argued about it, and I won. He will get you hurt. I will get you.

[Ryan Sickler]

I believe that. I believe he.

[Jason Ellis]

He's like, you. You got it.

[Ryan Sickler]

He's like, you could do this.

[Jason Ellis]

And it's like Tony Hawk tells me that I probably do. And then you eat and you go to hospital. Not me.

[Ryan Sickler]

So you mentioned this weird seat. So before we were recording, we were talking, and you were telling me in Australia, you don't have this seat or you didn't grow up in this seat.

[Jason Ellis]

In the seat where you look at the back? Yeah. No.

[Ryan Sickler]

So this is the dashboard right here, looking forward. Sitting in the back, looking at traffic right here. This is our traffic.

[Jason Ellis]

That would have been cool if I was a kid. I would have liked that.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah. This is the seat, the way back. But you didn't. So.

[Jason Ellis]

What?

[Ryan Sickler]

Nothing?

[Jason Ellis]

No, no. You can be in the back of the truck or you. That's psychotic. That is psycho, man.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's the seat right there. You guys, Australia. Yeah.

[Jason Ellis]

And I'm Australian. You think we would have been into that? That's stupid. You're gonna kill some kids in there.

[Ryan Sickler]

Look at that.

[Jason Ellis]

That thing is awesome, dude. You got your own little house in the back.

[Ryan Sickler]

That was the seat. That was the way back. And then that thing would lay down, and it'd be a cover with, like, metal. And you could just have space for storage if you didn't want to sit back there.

[Jason Ellis]

Innovative.

[Ryan Sickler]

What are you driving back in the day? What's your first car? Family car.

[Jason Ellis]

Wow. Well, my dad was into panel vans. He had, like, a panel van. He won, like, best panel van in Australia and stuff. He used to have.

[Ryan Sickler]

He would enter competition.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, he made his own grill. Like, designed a grill that was like. Like before they had ones, like, spoilers that went all the way down the front. He made that. Made his own, like, design grill. And then in the back, all velvet, and then he put, like, a black and white TV inserted in it. So I was in a box so it looked like a flat screen.

[Ryan Sickler]

Before these?

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

So what do you. What kind of. You said Chevy never made it to Australia. Is that right? So what do you get over there?

[Jason Ellis]

Who Holden is that?

[Ryan Sickler]

H O L D E N. I.

[Jason Ellis]

Didn'T go to school, but yeah, sure sounds about right. So our arguments were Holden versus Ford.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, you had Ford over.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, but we didn't have good Fords.

[Ryan Sickler]

Are these holdings?

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, man, those are. The Brocky special was the jam.

[Ryan Sickler]

Where's one?

[Jason Ellis]

Do you see One Rocky special was a Brocky. Peter Brock was a race car driver, and he won a bunch of championships in Australia. So then the Holden gave him the Peter Brock special.

[Ryan Sickler]

I see. So that's our Shelby.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, it is.

[Jason Ellis]

Straight up. Those two racing each other. Fair race.

[Ryan Sickler]

These right here, huh?

[Jason Ellis]

One time he won a race.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is this accurate? Is this what they look like?

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, one time he won a race and he had his window down. He's had his arm out the window. So he was driving with one hand the whole time. And Australians love that. Like, Brooky's the man.

[Ryan Sickler]

So over. So this is another thing I want to talk about. Cuz you had. You guys had kangaroo. We have deer here.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, we have. We have deer too.

[Ryan Sickler]

I feel like though, you know, that's all we have. That's even close. That run amok like that, you know, big, Big. That run wild.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They run out on the road and stuff.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Jason Ellis]

Like, you know how you have the signs. There's deer crossings. We have rue crossings where it's a po. Where it's the. The sign with a silhouette of a kangaroo.

[Ryan Sickler]

Now, do you have any, like. We had deer whistles. Do you know what those are not? Yeah.

[Jason Ellis]

Wait, it makes a sound.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, it's a sound.

[Jason Ellis]

And it deters the deal.

[Ryan Sickler]

Supposed to, bro, but I've had two of them.

[Jason Ellis]

Don't give a what. Sorry.

[Ryan Sickler]

Just looks right at like. What is that?

[Jason Ellis]

You can have Dukes of Hazard horn. And they're still running at you, dude.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, my brother. Oh, this made me. You just made me think of this, man. So in. In Baltimore City, it's all row homes. Okay. See how. See how this is. See, these are all row homes are basically.

[Jason Ellis]

Okay.

[Ryan Sickler]

It's just one block of brick.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

See the back one and then just homes cut into it.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And parking is street parking only. Okay.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And people like to think that right out in front of my house is my spot.

[Jason Ellis]

Is your spot.

[Ryan Sickler]

But it's not.

[Jason Ellis]

But it's not. It's not.

[Ryan Sickler]

It's a public street.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

So my brother comes home one night and he parks in a spot. Legal street spot. Now if it's. If there's a handicapped person there, they. They absolutely get their permit. You can't. With their spot. Rightfully so this is just a regular spot. And there's no street cleaning in Baltimore. You know what I'm saying?

[Jason Ellis]

It's.

[Ryan Sickler]

You're there, you park.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

My brother parks. He's got a white Toyota 4Runner, and this guy's coming out like, you're in my spot. My brother's like, it's the public street. It's not. It's. I'm in front of your home.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

It's not your spot.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Guys arguing with them. Arguing. So we all go in the house. We're partying, we're drinking. We come out later to have. There you go, right here. We come out later to have a smoke, and my brother's windows busted. Dude his car up.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

So. And then we knew his car was in front of it because he's like, that's my spot. So my brother's like, all right. This happens. I don't even know why he had it. I have to call him up and ask him why he had it. My brother has the. This deer piss thing for hunting.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

You know what I'm talking about. You put the scent out.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And he takes it and he pours it. He breaks that guy's window and dumps it all in his vents and everything.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

I mean, you could just smell it coming out of the car. Dude, that car was payback, baby.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

I'm like, you better move your truck. Yeah, you better move your truck. So what do you mean? You said you had kangaroo fights. What do you mean?

[Jason Ellis]

Okay. I didn't have kangaroo fights. Well, maybe, but one time. So I used to. Used to go camping, dirt biking in the bush. So we didn't go to motocross tracks. We went out into the bush with tents, and then my dad would go riding with other guys. They had enduro bikes, so they had lights on, and they would go all night riding through trails and stuff. And I was a younger guy, so I had, like. When it was first the two strokes came out, this is kind of the beginning of dirt bikes. Sorry. Like, motocross bikes where they got power band and stuff. But I was a little guy, so I had, like, a YZ80.

[Ryan Sickler]

That was yours right there.

[Jason Ellis]

That was my. That was when I was ripping. I had leathers that were red and white as well, to match and, like, chest protector and stuff. But, yeah, so I'm on one of those, Riding by myself out in the bush on, you know, some trail out in the middle of nowhere. And I don't know what you call a herd. Kangaroos are called Like a. A. I forgot. It's another name.

[Ryan Sickler]

What is?

[Jason Ellis]

A herd?

[Ryan Sickler]

A kangaroo?

[Jason Ellis]

A mob. Yeah, mobs. Yeah. So a mob of kangaroos came. I'm like, dude, I don't know, maybe 10, 11, you know. And then those bikes go, dude, like, when you got power band going, they freaking kick ass. And I'm like. And I'm going down this little track and all of a sudden the mob, like, dude, like 50, maybe 60 kangaroos, like full size kangaroos come out of the bushes because it's dense bush right here.

[Ryan Sickler]

Princess don't like me. Yeah, get a princess. Wow.

[Jason Ellis]

I'm the soonest she saw.

[Ryan Sickler]

Right on cue. Come here, girl. Wow.

[Jason Ellis]

You don't like kangaroos? Well, they don't like you either. Trust me. But yeah, I was bucking, like, going flat out, and these roos came flying out of the bushes onto the road. And I don't think they meant to do it. Like, that's another reason why I feel like your deer whistle doesn't work for kangaroos. Because my bike is loud.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Jason Ellis]

And they came flying out of the bushes, onto the track, onto the path, into me because it was so many of them. And clearly they didn't know I was there because they hit me.

[Ryan Sickler]

They knock you off the bike.

[Jason Ellis]

Then they bumped into me and I was like, whoa. And all of a sudden I'm in. What is it again? A mob. I'm in a mob of kangaroos and they're bouncing, flying, and I'm like, what the hell? And then, you know, for a second I'm nervous. And then all of a sudden I'm like, yeah, like, I'm eating a mob of kangaroos. Like, this is sick, because even in Australia, dude, you don't get that close. And I'm like, in this giant group. And then they. Because they came out from the. From the. From the right side and went into the left side. So they left the track once. They were like, whoa, like, loud bike. And then they cut off into the. Into the bush again. And one of them hit a tree running into it because it's just so dense. Hit a tree. And I remember it like, boom, and hit the ground. And I lock up the bike, like, whoa. And the route just gets up and flies off into the bushes like nothing happened. I'm like, dude, they are diesel, dude. Same as. I seen a koala fall out of a tree, like 50ft.

[Ryan Sickler]

What do you mean? It just dropped?

[Jason Ellis]

This is like a part of my stand. I'm trying to work on it. It's not perfected. But when I was a little kid, I was like at some camp for like frustrated youth or something.

[Ryan Sickler]

Wait, what? Do you remember what it's called?

[Jason Ellis]

The camp?

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Jason Ellis]

Nah, nah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Who sent you?

[Jason Ellis]

Probably everybody. I think it was a mutual agreeance. It might have been scouts, but I think it was like, I don't know, I can't remember. But we were smoking these. Well, they were like. But we called them barkis. It's like the bark off the tree rolls and you put toilet paper in the bark and smoke it like it's a cigarette. So we're pretending we're smoking and we're out at night and did play the audio of what a koala sounds like. So I don't know this. I'm a kid.

[Ryan Sickler]

Let's hear it.

[Jason Ellis]

And I don't know, but they go, oh, oh. Like it sounds like a monster.

[Ryan Sickler]

Do it again. Let's hear you.

[Jason Ellis]

Oh, that is a koala, ladies and gentlemen.

[Ryan Sickler]

Let's hear it.

[Jason Ellis]

You don't even need to. I just did it.

[Ryan Sickler]

He's horny. Okay.

[Jason Ellis]

Anyway, so we hear this sound and we're freaked out. Like nobody knows what it is and we can't see what it is. And I thought it was a naked man in the tree because it sounded like a guy trying to be a monster.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Jason Ellis]

And I got issues with naked people, so I was assuming that it was a naked man in the tree. So we all ran, ran away. And then we go back there in the morning to smoke some more bakis. And then sure enough, that sound happens again. And we look up and it's a koala. And we're all like, what the fuck? Koalas make that sound. And then somebody started throwing stuff at the koala and he ran up the tree and he slipped and fell like 50ft, dude. And he just goes. And I'm like that he's dead. You know what I mean? Like as he's fallen, I'm like, he's dead. You know, because it's so fine, dude.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Jason Ellis]

And he just go. He just goes boom. And as soon as, like, like mma, like as soon as he's back hit, he just bounced back and runs straight up and charges up the tree, like grabbing, ripping the tree apart. Like, just so diesel strong leaping up the tree like a freaking tiger all the way back up to the tree and starts growling at us. And that was when I was like, dude, I would rather fight a naked man than a koala, because koalas are diesel.

[Ryan Sickler]

Like a little Tasmanian dude.

[Jason Ellis]

They were wet because you think they're like, everyone goes. Americans go to Australia and they get.

[Ryan Sickler]

The one they are.

[Jason Ellis]

He's all high and you get to hold him. He will kill you.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is that what it is? They're high. Is that what they do?

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, apparently. Apparently. Gum leaves get hot. Get them hot.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, I see. Tell me about river. The river rap.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah. So my dad watched Deliverance back in the day. Yeah, right. They were drinkers and, and, and hunters and all that stuff. So Deliverance comes out and I'm pretty sure my dad wants to be Burt Reynolds and so did all his friends. So. Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Nobody wanted to be Ned Beatty.

[Jason Ellis]

No, no. Oh, we had a Ned, though. We had. There was a couple of my dad's friends that were. Now that I watch it, I'm like.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, he was dead.

[Jason Ellis]

It turns out I was actually. But anyway, he. That's another story for another show. We did know that there were inflatable ones. You could go. You could do the. Like a dinghy of sorts that were. They don't capsize, they don't sink. But my dad was always like, that's for pussies, because you can't sink. And that's like, we're trying to do it. We're trying to make it like Deliverance. So we would be in canoes and we would have guns and we would go down. We would drive up somewhere and have another car down the bott. And they would, they would, you know, we'd go.

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[Jason Ellis]

For sometimes overnight. So camp somewhere and then go a little bit further and there's, you know, there's parts where it's like real peaceful and there was always these frilly neck lizards on the side we would mess with and stuff. And then there'd be sections of the, of the rapids. And my dad and all his friends, they're drinking the whole time. So the more drunk they get, the more it'll always be this question where you get to. You hear the rapids and we get to it, we're getting closer and somebody in the front goes, you know, which way? You know, it's like. So it's. It's left, right or straight down the guts. And the more drunk they got, the more the answer was no matter what was straight down the guts because it just sounded cooler. So it gets to the end where nobody's looking anymore. They just hear it and they go straight down the guts. So we're going down the guts of whatever this river is. Sometimes the water would like splash up and go in it and we'd have to pull off the side and empty it out. But then it's. There's one. The closer to winter, the more full the river is and, and the, the more they knew that and they're like, we're getting pretty good. We're getting bored. Like, let's make it like real hard and go when it's winter. So we got wetsuits on because it's freezing and where I was with one of my dad's mates. One of my dad's mates who was an. It wasn't an Indian, like a sorry, a Native American but really loved Native Americans and like wore all the stuff and like he had like, you know, he made go. Made like a gunpowder pouch out of a goanna sack and stuff. And he had like the goanna claw necklace and stuff and smoked weed all day. He even had a teepee. No, he had a.

[Ryan Sickler]

He had one across.

[Jason Ellis]

He bought his own land and had his own teepee. He was out of his mind. And he still worked for my work in electronic store.

[Ryan Sickler]

Like okay. Charlie.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, Mick, his name was. Good guy. He's always nice to me. But we're in the canoe and we're going down the river. And there's a. A log, like a big tree snapped halfway through the river. And we're going to go around it, and the current's real strong, and we're trying to go around it, and one of them hits it falls out. And the river starts pulling him under it. And he's holding onto the log and it's like, he can't. No one can get him out. And he's like, I'll just go under it and let's go and get shot out the back. And then I come over and we don't get around it, and it catches us sideways, so we get stuck on it sideways. And I'm a little kid, so they're like, you can't let Jay go under the log, you know? And this river is like, really pulling, and it starts to sink the canoe. But one part of the canoe is, like, almost made it past the log. And the current rips the canoe in half.

[Ryan Sickler]

It broke it in half?

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, like, the current, dude, I'm gonna, like, drown for sure. And these guys are all drunk. They got guns everywhere. There's. Every cooler is full of beer. There's no food because they're going to. They're going to kill rabbits. We're going to eat off the land, you know, and there's just nothing that you would want to live off just yet because it's just beer. Beer and whiskey. That's what everyone has, tons of it. So this thing snaps off and I make it past the log because I'm in the snapped off bit, and the thing rolls over and we go. I go through rapids, you know, like rocks hitting me and shit. And I'm fre. I'm little, dude. I'm like, crying. I'm not cool with it. And, like, they're. They're also going down the rapids without the canoe. And I think my dad and one other guy, like, you're all right, Jay. You know me. Hang in there, mate. I'm dying. You're not dying, mate. You're all right. I'm like, I'm pretty sure I'm dying. Nah, stay cool. I'm not staying cool. Nothing's cool about it at all. And then they're like, yeah, grab onto the esky. That's a cooler in Australia. And so this thing's splashing around near me and I grab onto the esky and I'm. And it's. Every time I'm trying to get on it, it rolls. You know me, because it's just an s. It's just a Cooler. And I'm trying and hanging off it, kicking wetsuits, kind of keeping me up a little bit. But I was on that. On that cooler for a long time. Like just ball floating down the river. Floating. Is that what you call it? More drowning and floating at the same time?

[Ryan Sickler]

Everybody got caught up.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah. And then it's like Jay's, you know, nice one, Jade. I'm like, I'm not proud. I don't feel good about it. Scared the out of me. And that was, that was it. That was like the most traumatic part of it. But I really did love doing that river stuff. But there were times where it was like, we're. We're not equipped, we're not advanced. We're not. You know, there's kayak guys and they do all this stuff. We didn't know how to do any of it, dude. And we was almost on purpose. And it's always like, close calls are fun, but when it gets to like, someone's drowning, all of a sudden everyone's like, oh, no. Yeah, we didn't plan for that.

[Ryan Sickler]

Right.

[Jason Ellis]

But that was almost like a guarantee.

[Ryan Sickler]

Well, I wanted to ask you this because you're home of the most dangerous animals around, you guys really? Like, but are you ever around with snakes and stuff or.

[Jason Ellis]

My dad's friend used to catch snakes. He would get a stick and make a. For like fine branches and snap it off so there was like a fork at the end of the stick. And then he would go after the snake and stab it on the head. To lock that head down. Yeah. Trap it and then grab the tail, walk around with it, you know, I mean, try to put it in front of us and stuff. Scare us. But a lot of these snakes, like the yellow belly black snake, it's fucking super venomous. And we're out in the middle of the bush. Like, you're not getting the venom for three hours even if you did get bit.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Jason Ellis]

And that would usually do it like that. You're dead. So those guys. There was one time I was riding my. With my brother on the back of a three wheeler. Yeah. I'm riding this three wheeler down this road and there's a bridge and I've been down this track a thousand times. And the bridge goes over a river and it's got like the, the pylons like that. And then the. And then like for the, for a car, there's like a bit that you ride over, but three wheeler, you just got to go through the bumps and I come around the corner and I'm coming up towards the bridge and this big dirty snake comes slithering out right before the bridge and I'm like, holy shit. And my brother's on the back, he's probably like 6 or something. And I'm like 11 and I go to lock up the bike and I realize that as I'm skidding towards it, we're going to stop on it. So I'm like, I got to get on the guts again. So like stop flooring it. And I'm like, lift your legs up, you know what I mean? So we both go over, lifting our legs up and we run it over and we killed it. And we don't know what it is, we don't care, we don't know anything like that. And we grab it. My brother's got it on his, on his neck and we bring it back to the house. And that's when I found out what a yellow belly black snake is. And, and, and then.

[Ryan Sickler]

You don't know.

[Jason Ellis]

Nah, dude, we were never, we weren't. We lived in it but we were never. Oh, that's a, you know that's a snake. That's what it is.

[Ryan Sickler]

We were not like, that's a copperhead, that's a water moss.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, no, we didn't know. Nobody ever, those guys did. They would say it and I'd go, is that good or bad? And they're like, that's real bad. And then that's how I found out that a yellow belly black snake is venomous.

[Ryan Sickler]

Do you ever have any big bugs, animal, Any stuff in your house?

[Jason Ellis]

In your house are fine.

[Ryan Sickler]

Anything ever get in the house?

[Jason Ellis]

I mean there's always been spot. Yeah, huntsmans are. But they're not poisonous still. Yeah, agreed.

[Ryan Sickler]

Tarantula size.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, they are tarantula looking but I used to do.

[Ryan Sickler]

Look at that thing.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, no, it's a dirty bastard right there. One time when I was a real little kid, a huntsman got on my chest. I'll go to my mum's bed because I had a nightmare, slept in the bed next to her and that happened. And then I woke up. I woke up and there was a huntsman on my chest. This is where I got arachnophobia. Like it was on my chest and I was too scared to move or do anything. And then finally my mum woke up and flicked it off. But ever since that day I was super scared of spiders until I moved to San Diego and people found out so they kept putting bugs on me and like doing the little thing where they touch my ear and Shit. To the point where I was like, you know what? If it is, it is because I couldn't flinch anymore. They made me flinch so much that I gave up on it. And then they cured me.

[Ryan Sickler]

They bullied you?

[Jason Ellis]

They bullied me into being out of arachnophobia. Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Tell me about stealing. You were. You stole something when you were a kid?

[Jason Ellis]

I used to steal car badges. Got in trouble for that.

[Ryan Sickler]

What's a car badge?

[Jason Ellis]

Like, you know, Mercedes Benz emblems. And I used to, like, pop them off.

[Ryan Sickler]

Well, you know what was popular for us was the Jaguar one, for some reason.

[Jason Ellis]

The one you pull out in the front.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, it's a full Jaguar.

[Jason Ellis]

It's got a cord on the end.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yes, it does. You'd have to.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yep. We learned that.

[Jason Ellis]

I got caught. I had a pillowcase full of them underneath the bed. And I got. My mum found it and we just storing them.

[Ryan Sickler]

Were you gonna sell them? What were you doing?

[Jason Ellis]

Oh, I didn't have the intelligence to sell. Just. Just like. Yeah. And I got in big trouble for that. And then, you know, I was a little bit frustrated as a child. But I really liked. He man is like a he man right there. I was a huge fan. Now kind of makes sense. But I went to the toy store and I used to steal he man action figures.

[Ryan Sickler]

And like, now are you going in by yourself or are you going with mom? And mom doesn't know you're taking them.

[Jason Ellis]

You know, boys would go BMX over there and be like, oh, look at that. You know, and try to steal some stuff. But we got good at it. And we were like, really compiling, like, quite. You know.

[Ryan Sickler]

What was your method? What was your move?

[Jason Ellis]

Oh, grab the box and run.

[Ryan Sickler]

Just grab and go.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, because it would. I. Because I. I stole Castle Grayskull.

[Ryan Sickler]

My brother. My little brother at Castle Gray. Skull probably started off the microphone in the back.

[Jason Ellis]

Sick.

[Ryan Sickler]

I think it was big.

[Jason Ellis]

That was a big box, too.

[Ryan Sickler]

That is a big box. The steel there. Yeah.

[Jason Ellis]

I had it under the arm like a football. Dude, paste out of there. And I remember thinking I got away with it. And then I got caught. And then my mom's boyfriend was like a lawyer or whatever, and he got me off because they were gonna. It was gonna be a felony or something. Something bad was gonna happen. I was gonna have to, you know, like, have a bad. Like have a record. And they. He, like, argued it and got me out of having a record when I was a kid.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is this the same boyfriend you would fight?

[Jason Ellis]

No, there was another one. My Mum had some boyfriends, but one guy I really liked because he was a young guy from my mum and he had. He one time he came over the house and gave me a suitcase full of matchbox cars. And I was into matchbox cars and he had his childhood ones and he gave him to me. It was like 100.

[Ryan Sickler]

Nice. Yeah.

[Jason Ellis]

And he was a young guy, so I liked him, you know, because he would talk to me a little bit. So I was like, I like this guy, mum. Like you should stay with him kind of thing. And then I came home from school one day on my BMX and I was into Bruce Lee big time. Into the Dragon was like a movie I would just watch over and over again. And I built nunchucks. I mean I broom handle and I sawed it in half and had a little chain link and I did the little, those, those screw in things like that. And I used to practice nunchucks in the garage. I wasn't very good at it, but I could, I could make them work. And I come to the front of the house and I look in the front windows, big window in the front and they're arguing. So before I went into the house, I'm looking like, what the hell's going on here?

[Ryan Sickler]

How old are you?

[Jason Ellis]

Like 11.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay.

[Jason Ellis]

And then he pushed her.

[Ryan Sickler]

Whoa.

[Jason Ellis]

Decked her. So she like.

[Ryan Sickler]

You witnessed this?

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah. So like I see them arguing and he grabs her like scruff of the neck kind of thing and then threw her on the ground and she disappeared, you know, I mean to the ground. And I just snapped. Went in the garage, went in the backyard, went in the garage, grabbed my nunchucks, come through the back into the living room room. And he's, he's yelling at her and he turns around because he hears me. As soon as he turns around, I already had the nunchuck, you know, under your armpit.

[Ryan Sickler]

Did you pull him out to her to give him one of these?

[Jason Ellis]

No, no, cuz I had it in here. So as soon as he turned around, he's like a tall guy, he's like 6, 2. And got him right in the forehead and dropped him to his knees.

[Ryan Sickler]

He dropped him?

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, dropped him.

[Ryan Sickler]

11 year old.

[Jason Ellis]

I was going to run a tat tat on his ass after that. I don't think he grabbed him or whatever. He didn't, he didn't hit me, you know, because he knew that wasn't cool. But he did yell at me or whatever and I, I stood in front of him. I'm like, get the fuck out of here, you know, like defending my mum's honor. And then he left. And then I think my mum told my dad.

[Ryan Sickler]

Can you imagine being a grown ass man having to take an l from a 10 year old's nunchuck?

[Jason Ellis]

I never thought of it like that.

[Ryan Sickler]

He's got to walk through life with that.

[Jason Ellis]

They broke up. He never came back. I kept those, those cars too.

[Ryan Sickler]

Homemade ones too, homie.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, but they worked. They worked good.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, that is great. That is great.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, I was ready, man.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh my God. Dude. What about, did you play sports or anything like that growing up?

[Jason Ellis]

Aussie rules football and cricket. Because those are our sports. So I got, one time, I got mark of the mark of the day, took a one handed mark. I got kick of the day. You get, you got a dollar for it. And cricket. I was, I liked playing cricket.

[Ryan Sickler]

But were you good?

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, I was, I never really cared, you know, so I didn't put that much effort into it. But I think I always had athleticism. A little, not so much athleticism, more when I play. I try and I think I didn't notice it at the time but looking back I think a lot of kids kind of like eh, you know, it is what it is. But to me, if there's a contest, I'm always pretty serious, you know, I mean I put 100 in.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Jason Ellis]

So I think I, I think my dad came to a couple of games actually which was it's having somebody watch me do the sport was a big deal because they were always pretty busy. So I remember my dad being at a game once and kicking a goal and that was like a life highlight at that point in time. But those were, wasn't life or death, you know. Like when skateboarding showed up, different thing came over me, you know, where it was like I, I, I'll die for this.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Jason Ellis]

And they did. They only came to one. One thing ever. No, that's, that's not true. Two time. One time they came when I was a little kid and the pros came and this video of it too. We show, we played it on Hawk vs Wolf, which was pretty cool where my dad paid, I think it was like 15 bucks to get in the contest and I was late. So they put me in the fourth heat and there was American pros for the first time in Australia and I was in a heat with Tony Hawk.

[Ryan Sickler]

No way.

[Jason Ellis]

And I'm on the, I'm on the deck.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is that right?

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah. And it's. Well, I showed Tony, which is super crazy where I'm 16. Tony's probably like 19, 20, something like that. And he's standing right there. And I look at. I look at the camera, you know, because I can see dad's filming me and. And I look over at Tony Hawk and Tony Hawk looks at me and I go, like. Because I don't want to get eye contact with Tony Hawk. But I'm just like, he's right there, like, freaking out.

[Ryan Sickler]

But then that's awesome.

[Jason Ellis]

But then, many years later, where I turned pro, I've been to America like three or four times. And my dad didn't know or believe me that there was such a thing. You know what I mean? Like, because I'm the first Australian to ever be a pro skateboarder.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is that right?

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, you are the first Australian born professional skateboarding.

[Ryan Sickler]

No, that. I didn't realize that.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, so. And my dad didn't pay attention to that stuff. You know, he was a. Into moto and. And things like that. And there was a time there where I would come back and stay at his house. And I stayed for a little bit longer one time. And a check. I was on the bones brigade. And a check came. I used to get paid three grand a month, which was a lot back then. And the check came and he opens it in the kitchen. I'm watching tv. And he goes, what's this? And I'm like, what is it? He's like, it's a check. And I'm like, it's probably Powell. That's the name of the company. And he goes, three grand? What's this for? I was like, are you serious? For skating? He's like, for skating? How often do they give you these? I'm like, every month. He's like, every month? You should take this shit serious. I was like, you should.

[Ryan Sickler]

I was like, I'm top 10 in the world. How much fucking more serious you want me to get?

[Jason Ellis]

I'm like, what'd you think that I was doing? He's like, I thought you were selling drugs. Weed. Not, not heavy stuff.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, that's great.

[Jason Ellis]

But I never forget looking at him like, what do you mean, dude? Like, selling weed? Like, I can't sell anything. I've tried to sell weed. One time I smoked it all and the dealer was going to beat me up. I had to give him the money.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, you got to sell drugs you don't want to use.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I never did that.

[Ryan Sickler]

Jason Ellis, you're a gem, my man. Thank you, brother. Thank you. I see you. Even if your dad never did. I see you, brother. I see.

[Jason Ellis]

I really need that right now.

[Ryan Sickler]

I see you, brother. I love you. Promote whatever you like one more time, dude. Okay. Oh, shit.

[Jason Ellis]

Yeah. Love me, people. That's all I want. Just love me if you see me. Hug me, because that's all I really need, obviously. But if you go to thejason ellis.com and buy a ticket to my comedy show, that's even better than a hug as far as I'm concerned. But if you go to my show, I do take hugs. Thank you.

[Ryan Sickler]

All right, brother. We'll talk to y'all next week.

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