The Killing Floor Skateboards | Q&A With John Vitale

Josh Anderson, Front Board | p. James Lorimer

The Killing Floor is an independent skate brand run by John Vitale out of Portland, Oregon. We could write a paragraph telling you all about their roots, their goals, what inspires them, and their new deck series, but we figured you'd rather get it straight from the source. Read, watch, and listen below for a behind the scenes look into The Killing Floor.

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Hey John, tell us a little about your story. How did The Killing Floor come to be?

I used to own a skate shop in Northern Cali. I sold it, and wanted to do something more behind the curtain but still in skateboarding. Naturally, that's a brand. At the time in skating (2010) there was, at least in my opinion, a much needed refresh that was missing in skateboard brands. It felt super stale. I felt like there was going to be some changes that were bound to start happening sooner or later. The 90's and early 2000's were really a pivotal period that I grew up in, but stuff was getting slow and skating felt due for another shift. I didn't have a lot that I really related to or was down for. So I decided to roll the dice and start a brand that could be something that I would like to see happening. I focused on trying to bring an interesting perspective and make it visually different than most of what I was seeing at that time. I honestly didn't know how it would be received... It's still progressing and morphing every season, but recently there's a lot of other brands doing stuff that's pretty out there too. I've seen a lot of stuff similar to what I've done pop up over the past couple years. But I actually like it because it just makes it easier for me to do anything I want really.

Why "The Killing Floor"? What's the meaning behind the name?

Its the name of a blues song written by Howlin Wolf. It felt like for some reason that song had a kinship with skateboarding. It's a constant struggle. The best thing and the worst, all in one. Kind of like what the song is touching down on. It's like one huge necessary evil that we all throw ourselves into every day, just for that feeling we get for a few seconds here and there.
 

"It's a constant struggle. The best thing and the worst, all in one."

What does music mean to The Killing Floor (TKF) and how does that influence what you create?

I spent a lot of time early on in my teens and twenties playing music. I was in some bands, it was always a big part of my life. Music and skateboarding both as art forms, or modes of creative expression can be pretty similar. They have a lot in common. It makes sense to have it incorporated into my brand, it's a big inspiration for me, and most people I assume, right? I guess it's just a big personal influence on how I live my daily life. So it's naturally an inspiration on any other creative project I pursue.

Portland is home to a strong skate scene with quite a few up and coming skate brands. Why do skaters flock to PDX and why is it important that you're rooted in the NW, not LA or NYC?

I love Portland. It's a great city. It almost feels like a small town in some ways actually, and there's so many skateboarders. So many endless circles of skating, some don't even seem to overlap too often. I don't know how important it is for me to be here in particular. I think I could probably be somewhere else too. TKF has a bit of an enigma about it I think, for better or worse. My team is all over, everywhere from northern Cali, to PDX, to New Orleans, etc. so it's not a PDX centric brand necessarily. At the same time, I have a few guys here and Seattle, and we get a whole lot of love around Portland and the NW from skaters, shops etc. Tons of support that is all so hugely appreciated. I feel like I have a great support system here for TKF. Portland really backs it and that means a ton to me. I think skaters flock here because it's got such a rich, but still small core and underground history in skateboarding. Who doesn't have seeing Burnside on their bucket list as a skateboarder? That's just the tip of the iceberg.
 

"TKF has a bit of an enigma about it I think, for better or worse."
 

Mark Gutterman, 5050 | p. Garric Ray

Your graphics are very unique. Where do you find your inspiration?

I guess all over the place. I guess I'd say I have a "fine art" background, whatever that's supposed to mean... I did a lot of painting, sort of abstract expressionism stuff, for years, got into collage and more digital forms of art and design, but with TKF I always wanted to do board graphics that were different than what other brands were doing. So I guess my goal was to try to do the opposite of what I was seeing in most shops.

We recently received your Fall '16 drop. What were your goals with this collection?

This is a good season to ask that. This drop in particular, I think i tried hard to really change things up a little. I think a lot of people expect my graphics to look a certain way at this point, and I don't like being pigeonholed to that. Even though all that stuff I really enjoy doing. So I tried to step outside of the digital collage, heavy psychedelic vibe I've been moving in, but I wanted it to still feel like Killing Floor stuff. That was tough, but it's endless really, so I tried to just take it on a different tangent a little but still allow myself the room to let the subject matter be inspired by the same kinds of things. Hopefully that shows in this drop. I think it has to be continually progressing, so it won't be the last shifts that happen I'm sure. I think as long as it feels fresh and somewhat like it will stand it's own ground on the board walls, to me, that's what matters most.

You describe skateboarding as an art, not a sport. What's wrong with hoppin' on your sports board and bustin' stunts for cash and glory? Is there anything you like about skate competitions?

Damn, I don't wanna bash contests. The concept of contests has been around since for fucking ever. I don't have any beef with that. I've skated in, and judged contests. They are cool. Always a good time. I think it is a fine line that we have crossed as a culture. Skate culture I mean. Everything is a contest on some level. I think competition pushes most people to progress, it's healthy. But I think skateboarding as a culture has lost some of the soul that it once had. It's not the contests, it's how we approach them, and how we promote and fund them etc. Its a whole different animal nowadays. There's a lot of outside influence coming into our (not so) little box. Subculture isn't really real anymore these days, skateboarding has always been a subculture. Social media has sort of brought everything to a level playing field, so it feels like it's just missing some of the juice it used to have, and most of the big contest circuits now are like anything else, some ESPN shit. Politics and expensive beers and hotdogs in an arena. I guess it's the same as when you really like a musician, then once they get big, you notice a lot of changes in their style or sound, maybe it's the quality of the recordings or it being way more produced than what you used to like the musician for.. It happens in everything. To me, it just feels contrived I guess. Side note... now it's an Olympic sport. That's a whole other conversation, ha.
 

"...it feels like it's just missing some of the juice it used to have, and most of the big contest circuits now are like anything else, some ESPN shit."
 

Nate Guest, Wallie | p. Nick Kraus

Without getting too gloomy, what's currently the most pressing reason why "this planet is doomed"?

I think it kinda goes without saying that our two choices for president of the USA were Hillary Clinton or Donald fucking Trump. In my opinion, this election is sort of the pinnacle of how ridiculous this whole thing is able to get. It's crazy how its coupled with being the first time a woman has had the chance at being our president too. Such a weird juxtaposition. And sure people think it's insane, but really, it's just another day at the office for most folks it seems. We are blowing it as a country in my opinion. We have so much more potential than we are offering up. I started doing the doomed stuff shortly after I released a board that was inspired by Sun Ra and his book of science fiction poetry, that is aptly titled "this planet is doomed" so it didn't really even start from a gloomy place. I normally don't re-release anything that often, I always try to archive and move on to new stuff, but there's something in the air I guess, that keeps making me feel like they need to keep getting produced. The hats don't say "The Killing Floor" anywhere externally. There's no branding. They just keep feeling more and more relevant and necessary to make I guess. I'm not pessimistic by nature. I'm pretty positive, but I think we really need to check ourselves. I guess it's my own way of communicating that.

"...people think it's insane, but really, it's just another day at the office for most folks."
 

Tell us a little about your team. Any projects we should watch out for? The Prism video was rad, are you working on another full length?

We recently put out a new part from our am Nate Guest that ran on the TransWorld site this summer. We turned Josh Anderson Pro last drop so he has a full pro part that was released in conjunction with his new boards. Andrew Gray had a new full part in "The Dusted" which came out this fall. Other than that, we are working on a couple of other potential big things here TBA... Just keep an eye on us and you'll catch what's to come. Lots of things in the works...
 

Any thanks, shout outs, or things you'd like to add?

I feel like I wish I could give a huge shout out to my son Julien every day, so I'll utilize the opportunity here to do that. He is a life changer for me. My wife, who is my right hand man really. All the shops and distributors all across the globe that stock, support, sell, promote, and back us. The support we have is awesome and is so humbly and greatly appreciated!! I personally wish I could buy you all a beer and give you a hug. Hopefully one day I will! Thanks Tactics for pushing TKF!!

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