For the rest of us skateboarders, he's as great of an American hero as any. The grit, the gristle, the brawn, the mystery and the absolute style and realness of Jason Jesse make him not just a luminary for skaters, but an icon for an entire generation of motorcyclists, lowrider enthusiasts, tattooers, marksmen, mechanics, surfers, musicians, artists and the like. Few people exemplify the stripped-down, bare-bones rawness of so many different aspects of California culture better than Jason. He's a portrait of Americana—a man as classic as the Chuck Taylors (CTS) on his feet and tougher than the rubber that soles them.