Matt Kass’s Hump Day
In Seaside he’s know as Crab Jesus. If you don’t know Matt Kass, you’re about to.
Matt Kass was a pro snowboarder before anyone had heard of Danny Kass, but you’re more likely to know him as the co-founder and long-time president of Grenade LLC. Matt helped start the brand and grow it into a multi-million dollar business, which employed most of his friends. My career at Grenade started shortly after I bought a house and was freaking out about how to pay for it. Matt offered me a job at Grenade, and I spent the next year of my life doing whatever needed to be done, and generally being part of something pretty cool. A lot has changed since then, and Matt Kass more or less disappeared from the public eye. Ousted from the brand he started, and considered dangerous by some and a joke by others, Matt moved to the Oregon Coast, where he lives with his fiance and son and works as a professional fisherman. But after a few years out of the limelight, Matt hit me up, ready to tell his side of the story.
Brooke: Do you think you’re crazy?
Matt: No, but I have had severe emotional damage done in my life as a child that causes me to act out.I sometimes lose control in given situations with anger. I have anger problems. Do you think I’m crazy?
Brooke: I know you’re crazy.
Matt: hahahha, thanks.
Brooke: What’s your biggest regret from your days running Grenade?
Matt: Starting it. Starting Grenade. I would never do it again. It was my Frankenstein. I sit around every day and miss my friends that I lost through it. Do you know why I’m breaking my silence?
Brooke: No. Do tell.
Matt: It’s kinda cheesy. I sit around and everyone has their story about this or that. I was there, I know what happened. Some things that happened I still don’t understand. Like I ask myself, “What the fuck happened? What could I have done differently?” Then I was reading Yobeat and Colin’s interview and it all came together for me. It wasn’t about me. It was about a group of guys and a time and place…like a movement…like a band! And when they break up it’s never the same!
Brooke: All right, let’s break it down to the undisputed facts real quick. Why did you move the company from Mammoth?
Matt: I kept the Mammoth operation, Danny and JC liquidated it, along with a lot of my friends. I kept my friends around so I wouldn’t quit. I never liked my brother, I just liked Levins and Cole, so once they let all my friends go, there was no point for me to be at Grenade.
Brooke: Where did JC come from? How did he get involved?
Matt Kass: He was hired to help with our networking as a consultant. When Danny asked me to resign, I did. I was the manager of Grenade LLC until resignation or death. Of course he stiffed me on the 75k. But what’s 75k among bros….right? Danny hired JC and made him the CEO and took over from VP to President.
Brooke: Right, but you’re skipping a lot. I mean, I worked there for a year and Danny apparently didn’t even know I did. So how did it go from you hiring Joseph to Danny ousting you?
Matt Kass: Danny paid me to resign per the operating AGREEMENT. He stiffed me on the 75k that I was to be paid as resignation. Danny took over as president and hired Joseph to replace me. So I was screwed in plain English. Next.
What about all the rumors of you flipping out when you left?
When I resigned, yes I broke my brother’s laptop over my knee. Yes, I spray-painted my resignation on the side of the building because it was my building and my spray paint. And yes I took a gun out of there and then they lied about it and I lost my second amendment right to bear arms for two years.
Brooke: What have you been doing since then?
Matt Kass: I was the international and domestic sales manager at Betty Rides until I got fired. I went back to Grenade after being fired from Betty. Grenade moved when my girlfriend gave birth and I got a unexplained extended vacation. When I went in to the new office JC said I stole money again (which is a lie) so I got upset (aka I fucking screamed at that lying turkey), quit and walked out. While I was waiting for the elevator JC tried to beat me up even though I was holding a 3-month-old baby. Since then, I have decided my brother is nothing more than a pony and that if he will let JC push me around while I’m holding my son, aka his nephew, that he is no friend, brother, or family to me. I really did not like working at either Betty Rides or Grenade, in ALL honesty.
How did you end up living in the former “Office” location on Burnside? How long were you there?
Matt Kass: When Nicole and Danny lied on a restraining order, I was given 20 minutes to pick up personal stuff. She sold the rest of my belongings. After that, I was living in a warehouse in Washington, then I got evicted, because I did not have money, because I was never actually paid to resign. My family disowned me, and yes, I was forced to live in a skateshop for over 6 months and sleep on the concrete floor in an asbestos-filled building. I did enjoy it though. Cole made it a point to help me through the hardest time in my life because although he is a failure at life, he is a TRUE friend no the less. How is that?
Brooke: That’s insane. Was Cole living there too?
Matt Kass: Yes, then when I saved up enough money to get a place, he lived in my van outside my house for 6 months. Curt Johnson also lived in the shop when he got kicked out of Flood’s house. I also let homeless people sleep in there when it was cold.
Brooke: Here’s a big one I have. Why didn’t you sell Grenade when the opportunity arose? Quiksilver wanted to buy it, right?
Matt Kass: Yes, actually we were almost sold to Oakley. Danny was always trying to sell Grenade to his sponsors. He always wanted to sell out. I was the hold out. I always rode for small independent companies like Joyride and Mission 6. Danny rides for Oakley and Nike. I would NEVER ride for Nike or Quiksilver, or Gnu (because it’s still Quiksilver.) I’m trying to make a comeback.
Will Matt recapture his pro glory of 2001? More importantly, does anyone still have that hella big Bjorn Leines poster?
Brooke: I want to know all about your comeback, but it seems like it would have made sense to take the cash and start something else, ya know?
Matt Kass: Do you know any bands looking to sponsor a crappy halfpipe rider? I have been working on another company since 2007. The new brand I’m working on is Called ENMY.
Brooke: Ok, I’ll bite. Tell me about ENMY
Matt Kass: It’s a outdoor lifestyle brand. I’m also helping out the guys at Sasquatch Skateboards. I was just hired a couple days ago, I’m really stoked. The kids involved are really talented. I’m in the process of forming a Distribution Company and our first 2 brands are “ENMY” and “Sasquatch Skateboards.” I also started my own fishing business as well as being a dad. I’m busy.
Brooke: I’m confused. I thought you said started Grenade was the worst decision you ever made. Why would you start a new brand?
Matt Kass: I really feel like the industry is getting dry and needs a kick in the ass and I’m just the asshole to do it. I’m starting over without partners and because I feel like it is time to make a comeback. I want to bring my band to trade shows so we can play our awful music. I hired a coach to train me and everything. For real!
Brooke: Wait, what are you talking about? Now you’re in a band with a coach? I thought you were making a snowboarding comeback. Are you drunk?
Matt Kass: No, I just got one of my wisdom teeth pulled. I have a coach so I can make a comeback. I have a band called “The Bent Screws” and when next SIA comes you will see the band and the brand. Hopefully I can start shredding soon, fishing season opens 2/1 though, so I’m going out on the water then.
Brooke: So let me get this straight. You’re going to “train” for like 3 days and then launch a new snowboard career, and by next SIA you will have started a Poler ripoff and distribution company?
Matt Kass: I have been training since October of last year. I skate at least 3 hours a day and I’m in the best shape of my life, I’m not fat like the Dingo. I’ll tell people who think I’m not gonna make a comeback, hey, I did one kassrole, why can’t I do two? When I’m doing 540s below the lip I’ll laugh too. I’ve told Gretchen (Bleiler) she won the X games with my run that I used to do. Sometimes my nollie backside 5 would go above the lip, and sometimes it wouldn’t.
That reminds me of the number one snowboard joke of all time: you know where the best place to pick up snowboard chicks?
Me: Yeah, below the lip.
Matt: Hey, How am I ripping off Poler? You haven’t seen one of my designs.
Me: You said outdoor lifestyle… which is what Poler is doing, but you’re right, I haven’t seen it.
Matt Kass: It’s more of a utilitarian style, fishing gear. I know about Poler, I like those guys, I even modeled for them for free. We’re making fishing gear and outdoor lifestyle type stuff. If a kid wants to wear it snowboarding, that’s his business. And I’m trying to start a distro company, but when I say that I’m trying to do it, I’m not trying to jump out over night like Vanilla Ice. The name of the company is called Ammo distribution– ENMY, Survival and Garden State grip tape. It’s been a pet project of mine for a long time. When I started Grenade I wanted to turn it into a skateboard company. When Danny started he wanted to turn it into a TV show. That’s the truth. When we ultimately fought it was because I didn’t want to be on his TV show and wanted nothing to do with it. Dingo and Danny wanted to do it, they made they pilot and it looked like shit. I didn’t even want to release the project. Danny’s the one who wanted to be on TV.
Boat enthusiast.
Brooke: So, when Grenade ousted you, how many boats did you have in the warehouse?
Matt Kass: 2 or 3. I took one with me
Brooke: Did you buy them with Grenade money?
Matt Kass: Nope with my paycheck. My brother spends Grenade money on weed, all the time. I have proof.
Brooke: What proof?
Matt Kass: Receipts.
Brooke: Who gets a receipts for weed?
Matt Kass: I do. Danny took 80k from Grenade to start that awful TV show.
Brooke: Don’t you think that TV show was marketing?
Matt Kass: No, it’s embarrassing Danny stole money from Grenade and blamed me. JC stole money from Danny and convinced him I took it, I put 600k into Grenade and real estate and all I got back was 175k and I feel like they stole 10 yrs of my life. They never gave me a letter of recommendation even though they said they would.
Brooke: Well, at least you’re not bitter. What have you been up to the last few years… how did you get back on your feet?
Matt Kass: Well do you want the truth? It was a hard climb. I was waiting for the 75k from my resignation agreement and it never came. I was counting on the money, so it really screwed me up. I started living in the shop because I had nowhere to go and Joseph told my friends at Grenade that they would be fired if they talked to me.
We got in trouble at the shop for selling graffiti supplies, got a 5k ticket, had to stop selling paint with was a giant piece of our sales. It was a dead horse. I closed the shop, got a house 6 blocks up the street and started working at Betty Rides. Which, sucked too.
Matt, Elliot and one hell of a flounder.
Brooke: Tell me more about ENMY. What specifically are you gonna make?
Matt Kass: You will see. ENMY is “bottom secret.” There are a couple designs on facebook, but they are old. The new stuff is being made right now. I never really stopped designing T-shirts. I just stopped showing people. It was therapy for me. I’ve done T-shirts for small guys and menus for a pizza place. I just do shit on my computer to get by cause I got a kid and diapers ain’t cheap. I’m no Pinski, I’m not gonna cut off my dick and put it in my ear and then call myself an artist — I lost him when he went bo-mo. That’s Bohemian Modern.
Brooke: How are you funding the brand?
Matt Kass: By myself, I don’t want partners. What I’m trying to get across to all these little brands is, don’t fucking be me. Money does bad things to good people. You want my business advice? Here’s three lessons I’ve learned.
1. Don’t take a partner when you need a loan.
2. Be careful who you get into bed with.
3. Lying can get you into problems and through problems, but only the truth will get you out. You can’t lie a fact. Be careful what you say or do, this is the info age and everything is recorded or on video somewhere.
I explained to my father yesterday, sometimes lying is a part of business. Have I ever told people lies? Yeah, I used to all the time. When I didn’t know the answer to something, I would just say two weeks — it’s from the movie the Money Pit — the contractor would always say “two weeks.” Instead of saying I don’t know I would always say two weeks, because it was embarrassing to say I don’t know.
Brooke: Let’s wrap this up. What else?
Matt Kass: Grenade could have been a lot more and should have been. When I think back of what I started, I think of it as something that that was great. When you used to buy a Grenade T you used to support people like you and Dave and Jesse and Tom and me; it used to be a family people. Now when you buy a Grenade T at Pacsun you’re enabling Joseph to abuse snowboarding and snowboarders and you keep my brother drunk and on drugs. I know we all didn’t do it right. I was never the best boss, and one of the worst things I ever did you caught the brunt of. If you ever asked for a recommendation from me you were a great employee in an environment a lot of people would have failed. I’ve had everyone’s back, every day in that company.
Yahtzee!
fuck danny kass all those pipe jocks that were coached there whole life to make money arent snowboarding, idk what they are but they arent snowboarding. its about time someone exposed this bullshit. grenade is shit, overpriced and sold at places like pac sun. FUCK PEOPLE LIKE THAT THERE RUINING SNOWBOARDING
@Johan:
PLEASE NEVER MENTION BROOKE GEERY PUTTING ON A G-STRING AGAIN. I AM TRYING TO EAT PASTA AND JUST VOMITED ANGEL HAIR THROUGH MY NOSE AFTER IMAGINING THAT. COOL THANKS.
Ok its obvious that everyone posting on this is at WORK
You must step away from the water cooler and soapbox and continue your day.
What do you think Matt is doing right now.
Oh thats right he’s unemployed like you will be if you keep weighing in on this BS.
If this keeps up the snowboard industry could have a major recession.
Yours Truly
The Boss
Fuck off Boss. I am the BOSS of me, motherfucker.
words in the name Matt Kass: ASS, SKAT, SKAM, MASK, attak
words in the name Grenade: anger, DANGER, enraged, ender, greed , gnar, drag, aged
jack – ass
jac-kass
maybe i should remove the grenade sticker on my car, its been there since 07
Ass, Kass, or Grass nobody rides for free..
Quote of the year:
“Brooke, put your investigative g-string”
this is why I love yobeat
Is this JC fellow Joe Carter?
Danny’s a mediocre sellout, The Dingo’s annoying and this Matt loser is a big ‘ol lying pussy. Oh, he tried to fight me in an elevator, Danny spent all the money on weed wahwahwah. To tell you the truth, Grenade always reeked of poseur punk rockers and this interview just justifies it.
mammothloc sounds like a real pussy. prolly got beat up alot in those days. the real mammothlocs was a huge family and still is (for the most part)
Both of the Kass brothers are scumbags. Always have been.
.
Such a shame, regardless of whatever actually went down. Langlois hit it on the buttons in his hump day. I feel like snowboarding would be way better off if the kids coming up today knew who Clancy, Flood, Knack, and Schiff were.
both kass brothers are shitheads in my opinion… grenade was destined to fail eventually. they had a good run though. good marketing and shitty quality product = $$$. should have been smart with that money while the getting was good. still would like to here danny’s side tho.
Oh and one last thing, “Dont Jersey Vermont”
yobeat is like the popular 7th grader. always starting drama, and has a shit ton of acne
Pat Milbery sucks.
I used to skate with Matt almost everyday. I used to chill at Danny’s all the time. I really have nothing bad to say about either of them. I worked at Grenade, and they were both fair employers. Nicole was and still is awesome. I went away for a few years… When I came back, Danny had a show, Dingo had 50lbs extra, and Matt was divorced. In my absence, the company went to shit, people got fucked, and a lot of shit was being talked. Maybe it’s all my fault…
When shit gets bad, it gets bad. And ugly. Snowboarding, at home, at work, at the mall. It makes no difference where you’re at, or what you’re doing. And for those who want to talk shit, well, talk is cheap. I was always better at punching people in the mouth than listening to their lips flap. I’d still consider Matt and Danny among my friends.
yes, asiantony, it’s all your fault. if only you would’ve stayed…
thank you asiantony. we are all so much better off knowing that you still consider them your friends. maybe you can help heal the wounds of their brotherhood since you are so incredibly awesome and have famous snowboard friends who’s houses you hang out at and stuff.
ENMY is the worst name. good luck
This is what I took away from the interview: don’t be from new jersey
watch nate bozung get knocked the fuck out. http://youtu.be/mOHRp4aGbH4
Well upstatemike, talk is cheap… it’s too bad I can’t see your lips flapping.
relax ya jock.
Wow, and nice pot stirring Brooke. Cant wait for a follow-up response from Danny and or the other dudes.
Slap’s one in a million was so whack this week, what was up with that arts and crafts challenge?
it’s true, don’t be from jersey.
i just cracked a beer.
i saw yo mamas twat flappin. smelled like shrimp chow mein.
Im with Asian Tony… we were there when it was good…not gonna take sides or talk shit, just gonna get sentimental for a minute. beyond business, we just miss being the family that it was. much love to Lane Knaack, Kyle Clancy, Sketchy D, Jesse House, Shane Flood, keenan rice, Poop-E-Finger, Chris Johnston, Dave Schiff, Jared Slater, Weinberger and I drinking 40’s making stickers, 2Jaws, Wanchow, Voichie, Gabe Taylor, Steven Brown, Matt Downey, Bobby George, jeff Shore, Capko, RV and all the Family that it was… that it was… I wasnt around in the conceptual stage, just the growth and good times and Sunday Meats… ive had a bit of a talking to with Dan and Luke and they know how we all feel, and just wish we could all be who we were when it was back when we had the warehouse behind mailboxes in Mammoth… if you all only truly knew how good it was before it went to Portland. sure we got a lil stoned and didnt pack all the boxes correctly, but it was something real still then… and pure. much love to Matt and Dan. dont wanna get involved with your issues with each other, but you guys made us feel like family. and we all miss that… bottom line…
that was a really good read…
Great interview Matt. Good to hear the real story! Hope your doing well.
you’re face will never allow smokin to grow, ever. it will always be a shit company because of you. no one respects you or your opinion. stop typing on the computer.
after reading this i remembered about jacks garage. this is up there with bozung’s
it’s good that we are not working with Grenade any more… They were core brand and now they are Wall Mart shit!
Fuck off #87. Fucking clowns in here spouting about shit they have no idea about. Asain Tony is a fucking badass and none of you little pussies would ever want to spout off to him in person. He is no jock and doesn’t look all that gnarly…..just don’t test the fucker, he’ll make you pay. Bunch of fucking clowns in the snowboard industry. Everyone wants t see the dirt, just like the goddamn VIEW or some shit, but you pretend you’re core because you are from some fucking suburban area and think you’re a fucking rapper or some shit. The comments are just a reflection of how fucked up people are when it comes to perception and reality. Shut the fuck up and go snowboarding, somewhere, anywhere, just shut up and ride and you will see the industry bullshit has nothing to do with snowboarding. That’s why Grenade is fucked up now. People think the industry IS snowboarding. Dumbfucks.
and thus,I shall never buy grenade!
Uh-oh, we got an internet tough guy over here!
It’s funny how every article gets reduced to people battling each other in the comments. Maybe if we stopped fighting each other and just rode and had fun dumb industry shit like this wouldn’t happen. People forget to have fun and just try to get uber defensive of themselves and their “B0YZ”. go read visconti’s article.
Money ruins Families! Sad but true.
Did some more searching on the company and found this interesting article. Pretty sure I will never buy any of their sponges ever again!!
http://messerveyphoto.wordpress.com/2010/07/22/me-vs-corporate-america/
First of all peace to asian tony and jesse house for not only bein real but also0 really being there. I was there too, to watch the rise and fall of grenade. I lived in mammoth and worked at shogun and Sand dollar as a sushi chef. I also banged a really loud cum guzzling qween right next to asian tony’s place for about six months, I mean no disrespect, I’m never starstruck when it comes to snowboarders cuz any monkey can ride something with bindings. I’ll never forget the first time Danny and nicole came to sand dollar tho. They sat away from the bar in a private corner and I kept the sushi bar open about an hour after closing just to hook them up. After they left without tipping, Something shawn white and his parents were known for, I found him at Lakanuki and poured out my beer on his head in front of all his homies. He didn’t do shit but expect that his homies were gonna have his back. Turns out Shiff and Casillo and the boys were regulars at my sushi bar and allways sat at the bar and always tipped good, even tho they were much poorer financially then The human douche bag that calls himself Danny Kass. So thats just one working class take on the whole deal. To quote asian tony at a party I once had with Thor’s band valdor and shiff’s opus retard riot shreddeing our living room, “who wants to get their ass kicked by a fag”. In his defense he was dressed as the kop from the village peeple. Matt was always chill as a mother fucker and danny has always been the kid that doesn’t share the air around him. He’ll get his sum day. Mammy will always be some of my fav memories but there was no shortage of backsabbers it’s just an extra special bich when it’s your little brother . I wish you all the best matty, keep ya head up. Let me know if you wanna do any collabo with a “green” mail order catalog I’m putrting together called $UCK The un- co-operatrive Ko-op. Peace
P.S. to all the idiots that just like talking stupid shit on the internet drag yourself into a barfight someday and see what kinda man you really are, eat shit and die in any order ya want
Lets get this straight Grenade was Much more then a company that Shit was a Fucking Movement!!!! It was a time when rules didn’t matter it was where snowboarders never had to Grow up… Shit Now that I think about it he was like a modern day Peter Fucking Pan!!!
He made sure all his Homeys had Jobs,roofs Over there heads and food in there stomach.. So for all the Haters out there you probably never really new Matt… I will always be proud to say I helped Build this Shit in my Zone and will always be
appreciative of the chance Matt Gave me!
OG Grenade Crew that built this Shit as Followed…
Matt kass
Danny Kass
Nicole Jax
Jeff Anderson
Brian Cook
Aaron Vujcic
Jared Slater
Kurt Morgan
Dave Schiff
Jeff Shore
Asian Tony
John Holly
Bane
Binky
Regis
Riley
Zach leach
Kyle Clancy
Mike Nevel…
Myself “Capko”
You forgot dennis in that roster. Dingo sucks some good dick from what I hear.
I don’t wanna forget some people in no particular order
Rahm Klampert
Jason Bayne
Thor ryen
Jeffy
John holly(before he flipped his whip in June)
Nicole Jackson
Colin Langlois
Joe eddy
Brian Regis
Mark riley
Eddie wall
Asian “Mexican” Tony
Consuelo Estevez
Charlie Morace
Chris Hatt
John Colgan
Fucking list can go for days. It’s just so many people were so close to each other over something we all loved and were stoked to see grow. To be honest, was part of the best times of my life. Miss that sometimes