Inside Jimmy Levan's L.A. home
At home with Jimmy Levan
Veteran BMX professional Jimmy Levan originally hails from Louisville, Ky., but now calls Southern California home. After appearing in numerous groundbreaking BMX videos, Levan now spends most days riding trails and hanging out at or near home. Recently, Levan invited XGames.com inside his home: "This is my mode of transportation and I hanging in front of the house just saying hello to everyone reading this. Yeah, I have to admit, winter isn't so bad in Souther California," says Levan.
Veteran BMX professional Jimmy Levan originally hails from Louisville, Ky., but now calls Southern California home. After appearing in numerous groundbreaking BMX videos, Levan now spends most days riding trails and hanging out at or near home. Recently, Levan invited XGames.com inside his home: "This is my mode of transportation and I hanging in front of the house just saying hello to everyone reading this. Yeah, I have to admit, winter isn't so bad in Souther California," says Levan.
Levan's bedroom
"This is a corner of my bedroom, which actually holds some cool art and old BMX artifacts. In the center is a huge Lightning Bolt I made out of a bunch of CD cases of bands and records that have pushed me through life, kept me alive, and made me do anything BMX period! Music is the art that makes me click. There is also my first place trophy/plaque from mini ramp at the first ever Hoffman BS contest in Dallas, Texas in January of 1992. There is a big pic on the upper left of my Lightning Bolt piece of old school friend/Metal Bikes team rider Dan Price," says Levan.
"This is a corner of my bedroom, which actually holds some cool art and old BMX artifacts. In the center is a huge Lightning Bolt I made out of a bunch of CD cases of bands and records that have pushed me through life, kept me alive, and made me do anything BMX period! Music is the art that makes me click. There is also my first place trophy/plaque from mini ramp at the first ever Hoffman BS contest in Dallas, Texas in January of 1992. There is a big pic on the upper left of my Lightning Bolt piece of old school friend/Metal Bikes team rider Dan Price," says Levan.
Hexed skateboard
"I was in Austin, Texas recently hanging at the world's best BMX shop Empire when Tom (the owner) says, 'Jimmy, I've got something we've been holding for years!' He leaves the room and comes back and hands me Chase Hawk's old skateboard that I smashed my head on while skating and went into a 15-day coma in November of 2007. He told me no one has skated it since due to the possible hex! Of course I had to bring it home and paint the message on the bottom. Really stoked they held onto that for me, thanks Empire!"
"I was in Austin, Texas recently hanging at the world's best BMX shop Empire when Tom (the owner) says, 'Jimmy, I've got something we've been holding for years!' He leaves the room and comes back and hands me Chase Hawk's old skateboard that I smashed my head on while skating and went into a 15-day coma in November of 2007. He told me no one has skated it since due to the possible hex! Of course I had to bring it home and paint the message on the bottom. Really stoked they held onto that for me, thanks Empire!"
Bedroom art
"I see an old 45 tooth Metal sprocket, one of my old school Huffy MJ-12 pro model frames from 1997, a metal circle art piece my friend Ramsey Grissom made for me that I glued a Mardi Gras mask on. There's also a pic that Jeff Zielinski shot and printed out for me of me hopping a pole from a curb cut, a painting from my friend Stu Wright, and a second place trophy from a 2001 street contest in Osaka, Japan."
"I see an old 45 tooth Metal sprocket, one of my old school Huffy MJ-12 pro model frames from 1997, a metal circle art piece my friend Ramsey Grissom made for me that I glued a Mardi Gras mask on. There's also a pic that Jeff Zielinski shot and printed out for me of me hopping a pole from a curb cut, a painting from my friend Stu Wright, and a second place trophy from a 2001 street contest in Osaka, Japan."
Bedroom art continued
"Centered is an awesome painting my old skater friend Ariel from Toledo, Ohio painted of the cafe racer dude riding with a great landscape/pretty lady in the background. Another Stu Wright painting, some skate decks Duffs gave me and a poster of my first ever favorite band I started loving at age five, which is KISS!"
"Centered is an awesome painting my old skater friend Ariel from Toledo, Ohio painted of the cafe racer dude riding with a great landscape/pretty lady in the background. Another Stu Wright painting, some skate decks Duffs gave me and a poster of my first ever favorite band I started loving at age five, which is KISS!"
Living room
"Here's the living room starting from the right: Dan's Comp made a big blown up photo of my Seattle gap and gave it to me years back. There's a painting of a guitar that old school dirt jumper/trail rider Chris Eimen made for me, a long Ikea pic frame that looks like a negative strip filled with pics of friends, and of course my zebra pillows. I've always been a geek with leopard and zebra print." says Levan.
"Here's the living room starting from the right: Dan's Comp made a big blown up photo of my Seattle gap and gave it to me years back. There's a painting of a guitar that old school dirt jumper/trail rider Chris Eimen made for me, a long Ikea pic frame that looks like a negative strip filled with pics of friends, and of course my zebra pillows. I've always been a geek with leopard and zebra print." says Levan.
Kitchen
"This is the kitchen. I don't know, sometimes it helps keep me healthy and sometimes it just gets me fatter!"
"This is the kitchen. I don't know, sometimes it helps keep me healthy and sometimes it just gets me fatter!"
Garage days revisited
"Although Jush Allen and myself use this mostly to jam with friends such as Sea Bass and Richard, we also throw our bikes and do laundry here. I am afraid that we will eventually get booted due to Jush playing drums at midnight and making the neighbors mad!"
"Although Jush Allen and myself use this mostly to jam with friends such as Sea Bass and Richard, we also throw our bikes and do laundry here. I am afraid that we will eventually get booted due to Jush playing drums at midnight and making the neighbors mad!"
Wait till you see the pool
"After a long day at the trails it's cool for us to chill our old bones sore muscles in the hot tub, then light up the grill and have more friends come over for a cook out, and it doesn't hurt when inviting the ladies over. It's a chill little backyard and the big blow up swan was a funny present from my roommate Richard's mom!"
"After a long day at the trails it's cool for us to chill our old bones sore muscles in the hot tub, then light up the grill and have more friends come over for a cook out, and it doesn't hurt when inviting the ladies over. It's a chill little backyard and the big blow up swan was a funny present from my roommate Richard's mom!"
Office/bar
"Well what can I say kiddos? I'm well over 21, so this is the bar. An actual bar at home is always good for some fun house parties. Next to the bar is Jush's desk/office. This is where he lines up his next acting rolls and sells roofing jobs for J&J Roofing."
"Well what can I say kiddos? I'm well over 21, so this is the bar. An actual bar at home is always good for some fun house parties. Next to the bar is Jush's desk/office. This is where he lines up his next acting rolls and sells roofing jobs for J&J Roofing."
Crandall artwork
"This is a cool painting made and given to me from old friend Steve Crandall. He's an awesome old friend and also the owner of FBM Bikes."
"This is a cool painting made and given to me from old friend Steve Crandall. He's an awesome old friend and also the owner of FBM Bikes."
Living room
"This is the other side of the bar room. It's also a good place to chill on the laptop for working on Metal related stuff or whatever. Over the fireplace is a painting made for me by my friend Alberto Kroger. Those tables were old beat up wood that I sanded down and painted black and white with zebra stripes. Also above my black chair is another painting from Stu Wright of an Native American chief with a Metal Bikes spade logo in the center of his headdress."
"This is the other side of the bar room. It's also a good place to chill on the laptop for working on Metal related stuff or whatever. Over the fireplace is a painting made for me by my friend Alberto Kroger. Those tables were old beat up wood that I sanded down and painted black and white with zebra stripes. Also above my black chair is another painting from Stu Wright of an Native American chief with a Metal Bikes spade logo in the center of his headdress."
Fire pit
"We chill out here around the fire place on the colder nights and hang out next to the pool," says Levan. And with that, the walk through Jimmy Levan's house has come to an end. Thanks for the invite Jimmy!
"We chill out here around the fire place on the colder nights and hang out next to the pool," says Levan. And with that, the walk through Jimmy Levan's house has come to an end. Thanks for the invite Jimmy!
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