I'm Awesome

Book excerpt: Jason Ellis does it all. And he has excelled at everything he sets his mind to: X Games skateboarding, satellite radio, professional mixed martial arts, boxing, moto, truck racing, TV, and movies. Now he shares his jaw-dropping and inspirational life story—from the depths of addiction to the joys and ordeals of radio, fatherhood, and professional fighting—in his uncensored no-holds-barred style. Jason was raised in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, and his early years were split between an alcoholic mother—who was only sixteen when he was born—and a father whose violent and unpredictable behavior taught Jason to be hard, tough, and fearless. Before he owned the radio waves, Jason competed for twenty years alongside action-sports legends and friends like Tony Hawk. Jason was known for going bigger and harder than anyone else—both on and off the ramp. His passion to become the best at skateboarding was exceeded only by his all-night partying and relentless pursuit of sex. After surviving a failed marriage and struggling with a rampant drug problem, all while heading toward the end of his skateboarding career, tragedy struck . . . twice. His father died of a heart attack, and a year later his younger brother died in an accident near the family's vacation home. His brother's death made Jason realize he had had enough. He quit booze and drugs, married his girlfriend, and threw his energy into being a good father. Having squandered his shot at greatness in skateboarding, he resolved to make the most of his second chance in radio. Jason has always been a daredevil, harnessing his unique ability to endure pain to achieve what few others could, first on the skate ramp and now on the airwaves. Using this fierce determination to let nothing stop him from reaching his goals, he became the new voice of action sports in America. His story is raw, and sometimes unbelievable, but it's always true. And it proves, once again, that Jason Ellis is a fighter through and through.