M
BRAD BOWMAN-Hairstylist
Ever since Brad Bowman burst onto the skate scene with his flashy style at the backyard pools
and parks of the L.A. area, he has been turning heads on his skateboard. Nowadays, he's
trimming heads while he's off it. Throughout the skate years, Brad has been one of the more
photogenic and photographed skaters. Maybe the transition from skater to cutter came sort of
natch for BB. Brad attended a city college and then cosmetology school to achieve his licensed
status.
Lately, Brad has been localized around the Hollywood area where he slashes at scalps on a
regular basis. "Cutting hair in the home is similar to skating a backyard pool; it's illegal but
everyone does it." The Hollywood Influence has also shown up in his most recent skating
business endeavor, namely a BB signature model on his own label, Hollywood SKBs. "I'd like to
see skateboarding become more available to the people who crave." In the meantime Brad
manages to keep busy up and down the West Coast, surfing, promoting, haircutting and skating
when the opportunity presents itself. Comments Brad: "I lay low on the skate scene for a while
to concentrate on some career pursuits. But I grew up skating and the skateboard roots stay in
your blood forever." Just shows that you can have your skate and still cut it, too.
EBB SHRED-SODA JAK
Born in Tucson, AZ, Ebb grew up in Huntington Beach, California where he was a member of
his high school surf team until he got booted in his senior year. "We used to take off in the
morning for school and head for the surf instead, they claimed I wasn't taking enough other
classes to stay on the team even though I had all the credits to graduate.
After that Ebb joined the Navy, to travel around, partly on the promise of the HB recruiter who
said, "Give us four years and we'll give you Uluwatu." Although he never got to surf, Ebb swears
by a secret spot in Guam he found while snorkeling on maneuvers. "There were a lot of radical,
good dudes in there (Navy) from all over the U.S."
Ebb stayed on in S.F. until his release but still has ties down south. He started restauranting
as a waiter in posh Maxwell's Plum on Ghirardelli Square and after that moved over to the
Chocolate Factory. "I like my work, it's union so the money's O.K. But no commitments, I'm not
a lifer.
"I've always had a board through it all." Says Ebb, "I had a deck on board the U.S.S. Haleakala
during a Western Pacific cruise of duty. I used to skate the helicopter pad during high seas, the
ship would pitch and roll and the Hell pad would become like a massive moving wave. I gyrated
18 times once without kickturns, just carving speedlines across the deck, all alone at sea, on my
skate."
Like many skaters, Ebb has no real heavy commitments regarding the future but adds, "Life
is like skating, yeah, always on the edge. But people should realize, any slip or fall in the wrong
way, hey, you could become a vegetable." On that note, Ebb is out the door and skating to work.