The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself

"The Mutt" is a nickname given to Rodney Mullen as a kid, because of his rugged hair and small dog-like appearance. This is his autobiography, co-written by former pro skater turned writer Sean Mortimer, who helped Tony Hawk with his autobiography "Hawk: Occupation: Skateboarder" a few years earlier. Rodney starts the book off by acknowledging the people who helped him complete it, and with an introduction detailing his feelings during the finals of the 1983 world championship freestyle skateboarding contest. The contest that was supposed to be his retirement from skateboarding, a promise his father made him do. Rodney's father was a successful businessman and a respected dentist, also an intimidating former boxer who served as a bombardier during the Korean War. When he told Rodney skateboarding was just a waste of time and that he should focus on more meaningful activities, that was the law. As long as he lived in his house he'd do what he was told. Rodney's father is a recurring subject in the book, and Rodney's attempts to make peace with him. It deals with serious matters in life; finding a place to belong when you feel like an outcast, even in your chosen profession. It deals with tragedy and self-destructive behavior. But it's also an extreme success story, with Rodney winning contest after contest, inventing countless new tricks, and travelling the world doing demos for the likes of Converse and Swatch. Each chapter gives us more understanding to the genious that is Rodney Mullen. How he grew up in Florida, became sponsored by the biggest skateboard company in the 80's, started his own company which became the biggest in the 90's, making him a multi-millionaire, all while being an introverted insecure freestyler and math geek. Freestyle skateboarding was something (and still is, for that matter) looked down upon by the "cooler" kids, who favored vert (ramp and pool) and street skating. Rodney was the king of freestyle, being virtually unbeatable for a whole decade, before retiring from competition at the dawn of the 90's. I must admit that I'm not an avid reader, but I read this book quicker than any book I've ever read. Every time I picked it up I had a hard time putting it down. Being a skateboarder myself I was already somewhat familiar with Rodney's story. That didn't make it any less enjoyable though, especially since it's written in such a warm and humorus way, often making fun of serious issues. Every other page or so has a picture from his well-documented life, adding flavor to an already amazing book. I'd even say it's the best damn book I've ever read, and would recommend it to anyone who's ever heard of Rodney Mullen, or skateboarding for that matter! 5 out of 5 Franks!

I started skating in 1989, back in the day when Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen were inventing everything that skateboarding is today. I watched a video of Rodney Mullen on YouTube and thought it would be interesting to read his autobiography, since I had previously enjoyed Tony Hawk's Hawk: Occupation: Skateboarder (Skate My Friend, Skate) , but I didn't realize I would enjoy it this much. As a fan of skateboarding or Rodney Mullen, I think this book has everything you'd want to read about, including its history, how Rodney got into skating, how he invented tricks, how he met other skaters, his psychological issues, his relationship with his dad and all about his multi-million dollar skate company. I read a review that said this doesn't teach you how to do his tricks. Well that's sort of true, but not entirely. If there's one thing the book teaches you about how to skate, it's that if you want to be the best, you have to be obsessed with it, and skate for hours every day. And that applies to pretty much anything you want to excel at. Stephen Oberauer Author of The Mischievous Nerd's Guide to World Domination

If you skated in the 1980s, you knew who Rodney Mullen was. The man, sure-footed genius that he is, is singularly responsible for today's street skating (or 'street style' as it was known in the olden days). Mullen's story is that of a polymath who excelled in academia and in his chosen sport but suffered from the relentless and demotivating effects of his domineering father who strongly disapproved of what he considered to be Mullen's misguided and immature career choice. Mullen tells a strangely affecting tale of a youth riven by his desire to excel at skating and respectfully comply with his overbearing father's demands. If you enjoy reading The Mutt, I recommend you watch The Bones Brigade Autobiography for a full 'where are they now' overview of the legendary skate team.

"The Mutt" is a very good autobiography. Exacly the one style I wanted to read from Rodney. The book is very well written, and the structure so simple. Rodney doesn't over talk about the tricks he used in contests nor the ones he invented but focuses on sharing his personal life in all details, chronologically. Youth, family, friends, business, souvenirs, hapiness and sadness. A book that gripps you from the first chapter if you want to know everything about Rodney, his surrounding, and how the world of skateboard used to work from the 1970's until now. Highly recomend it !

Read this book. Read it. Buy it. Now. If you have even the slightest interest in skateboarding, this will be of interest. If you have no interest in skateboarding, don't worry - there's a very warm and humane story in this autobiography. I love Rodney - if you've ever seen him on YouTube, he's incredibly humble and quiet. Monk-like almost. This book tells how he became the person he is and the pressure he was under which ultimately formed his character. Have you bought it yet???

Well i am a big Rodney fan and found this book good , not the best autobiograohy out there but a good insite into rodney mullen. Worth a read

Be aware that this is not a book for children or those expecting a 'How to..' guide as might be suggested by the title. This book is great if you are interested in Rodney Mullen's life story. I am about the same age as Rodney, and was into skating in the 70's through to the 90's so it was interesting to see how his life panned out throughout the decades. A great insight into the life of Rodney Mullen.

"The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself," by Rodney Mullen, is an honest, raw look into the life of one of skateboarding's patron figures and into the sport itself. Let me just say that if you don't know who Rodney Mullen is, just go to Google or YouTube and search his name. He is one of the most innovative pioneers of modern skateboarding. He's been skating professionally since the late 70's as a freestyler and many of the tricks he invented led to what modern street skaters are doing today. He continues to invent new tricks with his style of skating that is truly unique, a blend of technical and street style. This book is his autobiography, a story which reveals so much more about the man who is responsible for more of modern skateboarding's development than most pro skaters involved in the sport today. It's also a very inspiring story about Mullen's own personal challenges with family, personality disorders and many challenges that helped to shape him into the man he became. It was not long into reading that Rodney reveals himself to be the very intelligent but socially awkward person that initially led him to the skateboard culture as a kid. We also see how his character is shaped by the influence of a very driven and structurally rigid father who pushes him to excel in life to the point of eventually mandating Rodney's retirement from professional skateboarding at age 16 because he decides it's taking over too much of Rodney's life and doesn't hold a future for him. We read as Rodney learns how to cope with these and many other challenges and eventually becomes a multimillionaire through co-founding one of the most successful skateboard companies of the 90's and continues to cast an influence over the skateboarding industry well into the new millennium, a full 30 years after he first stepped foot on a skateboard. "The Mutt" is a casual read and took me only three and a half weeks to complete, compared with a book of similar size that took me more than three months to finish before reading this one. Rodney clearly has the writing style of an analytical thinker, recounting vivid details of his life in a meaningful story telling fashion. At time I could barely put it down without reading three to four chapters at once. As a high school teenager I remember being introduced to Rodney Mullen via pictures in skateboarding magazines. I'll never forget that one of my favorite skateboarding videos was the Rodney Mullen vs. Daewon Song video in late 90's. It was really exciting to dig back into so many memories of my own past as I read about someone who influenced my growing up in a small way. After reading his story, it became clear that his influence was actually not as small as I thought. Particularly encouraging about this book is the way Mullen describes the learning process he's gone through in life with regard to dealing with problems, or more specifically learning to deal with them. I know that many young people in the skateboarding community use their sport as an outlet. While outlets can certainly be positive, they often serve instead as a way of not dealing with life problems. In this book Rodney shows how he had actually exhibited that same pattern, but over time began to learn how to deal with the many issues in his life rather than just avoiding them through skating. I would very much recommend this book to anybody who's been involved with skateboarding in their lifetime as you will certainly appreciate the story of Rodney Mullen. I'd also recommend this as a good read for people who simply appreciate seeing how others resolve many of life's common struggles. You won't be able to put it down quickly.

A nice and motivational read.

In den letzten Wochen hat mich der Skateboard-Virus übel erwischt, was vor allem an der Veröffentlichung von Powell & Peraltas Video "Bones Brigade – An Autobiography" liegt. Darin sind die Skaterhelden meiner Jugend zu sehen, u. a. auch Rodney Mullen. Mullen, der wie kaum wie ein anderer Skateboarden geprägt hat, galt schon immer als merkwürdig. Umso spannender liest sich sein Werdegang, warum er so viel Zeit auf dem Board verbracht hat, was ihn dazu motivierte (und das waren die meiste Zeit keine positiven Erfahrungen) und weshalb das Skaten für Mullen im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes lebenswichtig geworden ist. Ich habe die Biografie förmlich verschlungen und nach dem Lesen noch wesentlich mehr Respekt für Mullens Leistungen, als ich ohnehin schon hatte. Ich empfehle dieses Buch nicht nur den Skatern, sondern auch allen Eltern, denn in diesem Buch stecken viele Einblicke in die Teenagerseele. Mein Fazit: In diesem Buch geht es nicht nur um das Skaten, sondern vielmehr um das Heranwachsen unter z. T. sehr erschwerten Bedingungen. Mullen ist sehr offen mit seinen Gedanken, seinen Ängsten und Gefühlen, weshalb dieses Buch so lesenswert ist. P.S.: Wer die Biografie gelesen hat, sollte sich anschließend "Bones Brigade – An Autobiography" anschauen und ich wette, es wird einem kalt und heiß den Rücken runterlaufen, wenn er die Interviews mit Mullen sieht...

Interesting read into the earlier days of skateboarding via one of its pioneers. However at times The Mutts writing style makes you want to vomit. Don`t let this deter you, it`s an interesting read all the same.

I couldn't put the book down. Skateboarder myself, this book is eye opening and gives awesome details about the history of freestyle and fundations of street skating. Rodney is such a great guy.