Mike Vallely has had a long career as a professional skateboarder. But, he’s accomplished much more than just appearing on the cover of Thrasher Magazine and competing in competitions, which catapulted him to fame and well-earned legendary status in the skate world. He’s also an actor, stuntman, FHL hockey player, and in 2013, he did time as lead vocalist for Black Flag, replacing Ron Reyes after he was fired while the band was on tour. No matter what projects he is involved with, Mike always brings an intrinsic quality with him which is coupled with a charismatic and rebellious nature, which at times has landed him in trouble. Currently he’s busy with his family operated business Street Plant, which incorporates creativity, safety, skateboards, and skateboard apparel and accessories.

Mike has retired from doing interviews, but agreed to speak briefly about kindness to animals and his strict devotion to veganism and how he maintains a vegan lifestyle and diet. Some people may find his thoughts on the subject surprising due to his physical prowess and reputation as a hot-headed skateboard champion, but he’s a multidimensional human being who is outspoken and passionate about his beliefs and his commitment to keeping his dinner plate 100% vegan.


When did you become concerned about animal rights? Has the issue always been something you cared about?

When I was 17, I saw a program on television about African Elephants and how they were endangered at that time. It really struck a chord with me. It awoken something inside of me, a sensitivity, that had been suppressed by my schooling, family and upbringing. After that, I saw the world around me very differently. I didn’t like what I saw. I didn’t like what I had been taught. I began to reject it all. Since then, that sensitivity has always been a part of me, admittedly, it was a part of me that I lost and buried away and suppressed myself in many years of self-denial and self-loathing, but that I am very happy to have regained.



Do you find it difficult to be vegan in a Ted Nugent atmosphere? He’s a caricature, of course. Still, his philosophy is mainstream. It’s also universal.

Ted Nugent is boring!! That caricature is boring. That philosophy sticks because of some idiotic “Real Man” complex that so many in this country and this world seem to have. Those type of people need someone to lead their tribe, okay, Uncle Ted will do it. Dumb stuff. I reject all that shit.


What angers you the most in regards to animal neglect or abuse?

That people can’t connect the reality of meat, milk and eggs going into their mouths with the destruction to the planet. The consumption of animals and animal products is the most selfish act anyone can partake in because it hurts all of us, every bite.

Do you have any thoughts about how people buy and consume meat? Specifically, the way it makes its way to the table. Do you have respect, if any at all, for someone who hunts, kills, and cleans their kill, vs. the corporate slaughterhouses that keep animals in horrid squalor for extended periods of time.

To me, murder is murder and neither scenario is necessary today.


There is no doubt that companies like Tyson and various others that are similar in nature are guilty of animal abuse. What affordable alternative would you suggest to someone on a limited budget who would prefer to avoid Chicken McNuggets?

To me, this has never been a financial or convenience issue. This is an issue of mental, physical and spiritual health. Our own well-being, the well-being of the animals and the well-being of the planet is too great to reduce down to convenience. We are being force fed death, our own death. It has to stop.

What’s your favorite breakfast/lunch/dinner?

I like to start the day with an Acai Bowl containing sliced fruits, nuts and seeds. For lunch I prefer a salad with fresh cut vegetables and nuts. Dinner is anything goes: Asian Noodles, Pasta or a Veggie Burger are favorites of mine. Thai, Italian, Mexican, Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese… All of these types of food have Vegan options. And there are so many great tasting meat and dairy alternatives available now, or that can be made at home, the choices really are endless.


Everyone likes to eat well. What specific vegan meal would you recommend to anyone considering a vegan diet? What would you introduce them to?

I’d take them to a Vegan restaurant, like one of my favorites: FREESOULCAFFE in Tustin, CA and I’d tell them to order away, I’ll pick up the tab.

How did you decide to go vegan? Any one person or incident that inspired that change?

I first went Vegan in 1991 or so. I had been leaning towards that type of lifestyle before I’d ever even heard the word. My own sensitivity and understanding of myself was what initially lead me in that direction. I was a vegetarian between 1987 and 1999 but then I lost my way. In 2013, I found myself outside the walls of a pig slaughterhouse in Louisville, Kentucky. The screams that I heard will haunt me forever. They were distinct, individual voices screaming out in sheer terror and pain. It woke me up.


Is there any company or corporation you’d like to call out, specifically? In reference to meat or dairy production. What would you tell people to avoid?

No. It’s not about them, it’s about us and our choices.

Last question, you’re 20 years old and broke. You’re driving down the interstate at 2:00 a.m. You have five bucks and there’s a Jack-in-Box right next to the nearest off-ramp. You’re fucking starving. What do you do next?

Taking on the Vegan lifestyle means being more prepared for that moment. But, there’s always something to eat, no matter what. Oreo’s are technically Vegan so, there’s always something to eat. It’s not a matter of sacrifice, it’s a matter of love and values, and love and values will dictate the choices that we make along the way, even at 2:00 AM barreling down the interstate.