2012?...

MMAPUOHSM Part Two

Fanning Out

Call me a cool fucking guy, but it's very few and far between that I fan out on dudes that I need to interview, or more precisely, work with. Early on I'd have phone anxiety, me being a fool in Minnesota having to interview dudes that do stuff with skateboarding, but after a while, yeah, it was work. I'd hit stride after interviewing Daewon (who was one of the easiest interviews ever, due to his ease with conversation), and I said "wow."

But it still was weird to think about legit dudes simply condescending to be a good study. Brain Lotti was one of those; I keep the nerd out envelope and letter as a little badge of legitimacy, and really, Lotti is one good dude. The interview came out in so and such TSM, but I've still got the letter from my little brush with fame, and legend.

Locs...Chad Benson

Name: Chad Benson

Nicknames: B-Show

Age: Older than Munzy not as old as Jackson.

What's your deal? Two for one.

Where are you doing it? Twin Cities metro area.

How high can you ollie? Does it really matter any more?

Can I have your board? Maybe next week.

Favorite local video: The Familia Video?

Whats in your car? Chips and Salsa

It's a hot day, skating or swimming? Watching TV in the AC.

Who's you favorite local skater? Jackson, Dolo, Mint, Nasty, (Davis and Cody Banks are killing it too)

Where's the best place to eat? Usually at a table.

Mini-Ramp and beer or street? Red Bull and the skate park.

How old are you in skate years? Old enough to retire.

It's 10PM on Saturday night, what are you doing? Watching the news in bed with TJS.

Time Warp?

I don't think November went anywhere but, like, out the fuck of here. Halloween was x amount of weeks ago and yet we still reel from that whole debacle. Or do we? I haven't counted the votes.

I haven't skated since I was at Cream City, and it'll probably show when I attempt to kickflip in the balmy climes of Arizona, where I'm going for the day in which we Give Thanks, not like we should give a shit for those other 364 days out of the year.

Boo, so pessimistic! Here's the thing, I've loaded up bloggerland with posts that will come in the future. Yes, seriously, the future. It's Tuesday night, and while I'd have loved to have seen an email from Sissi claiming that he'd set his homepage to The Chrome Ball Incident, maybe he hasn't just yet...or I'm losing my touch. Ta-ta!

Locs...Elijah Collard

Name: Elijah Lennon Collard

Nicknames: Treez, Logics, Collard Green, Tre Guevera, Buddy Guy, Satchel Paige

Age: Never heard of it

What's your deal? This ain't Wal Mart, what deal?

Where are you doing it? In my bed usually.

How high can you ollie? Very high. Lets put it this way, I've never been too high to ollie

Can I have your board? Can I borrow your girlfriend?

Favorite local video: Rootabega Sticks Promo on VHS

Whats in your car? Watermelon Car Fresheners

It's a hot day, skating or swimming? Cooler in the car skating.

Who's you favorite local skater: Jeremy Reeves

Where's the best place to eat? Cecil's Deli

Mini-Ramp and beer or street? Street blazin'.

How old are you in skate years? 14

It's 10PM on Saturday night, what are you doing? Chillin'.

Welcome

Sick, I'm not the youngest dude on the team anymore.

Community Service...

Art Party is all about Tom Kemmer, Cookie, and The Wizard showing some work, among others. Go out and support. Self explanatory, isn't there some new 'crete up north? Hoping for 40 degrees...There should be a new guy at that demo, and he's just not a friend.

(That song just makes me want to party, and that video is amazing.)

Poll Results and the Actual Correct Answer

Does this one have a correct answer? Skating through leaves is the correct answer. Oh hell yes, the majority got this one right. The only reason you'd vote no on this is because you found the poll itself demeaning, which I can respect only to the point of saying you're still lame.

Locs...Ryan Damian

Photo by Sam McGuire

Name: Ryan Damian

Nicknames: It's Donny, Mr. Damiano if you're nasty.

Age: Older

What's your deal? Living, kicking it with Giovanni (what up Dunny!?), working, beers, friends, summer, trying to skate. You know, the basics.

Where are you doing it? South West.

How high can you ollie? Great question.

Can I have your board? If I had one, I'd give it to you.

Favorite local video: Shit Heads "The Movie"

What's in your car? Unpacked boxes from when I moved out here from back home. Commitment issues.

It's a hot day, should we go skating or swimming? Yes. Both.

Who's your favorite local skater? Right now for young bucks, Pat Gallaher, Casey Copenhaver. For life, Ben Ragsdale. I like the quiet ones.

Where's the best place to eat? B&D Deli in Brookline, MA.

Mini-ramp and beer or out on the streets all day? Damn that's tough. These day's I'd have to say beer me.

How old are you in skate years? My body says 30, my heart says 17.

It's 10 PM on a Saturday night, what are you doing? Riding to the bar.

Answers!

Nah we're good.

Smucker'd

The Randy Ploesser Mag Minute is pretty much awesome for a gloomy cold gray-scale day in the upper Midwest, and that nose-pick at the Banks is bananas. Honorable mentions go to the wallie lien tail smack, and the tornado no-comply-one of my favorite skaters to have worked with.

Alex Klein is a renaissance man, and another great example of the creativity that oozes from skateboarding. Via Skatedaily. Pat Canale @ 48 Blocks, I bookmarked that ages ago and have no idea if I'd ever linked it; read it if you want to weasel your way into something.

Spettel emails and brings the pain.

The loneliness of a Timberwolves fan.

Rags Writes Returns, still a little Aden-centric but now out of Queens.

Calsurf blogs!

The comments on here have gotten weird...

Bonus: Todd Flip blogging and spelling quite well.

Locs...Ryan Hansen

Photo by Dan Jackson

Name: Ryan Hansen

Nicknames: Thadolo

Age: 10-15-78

What's your deal? Feelin it.

Where are you doing it? Kato Proper

How high can you ollie? Far

Can I have your board? You don't want it.

Favorite local video: All of 'em.

What's in your car? Sunglasses and Bill Russell Motivational tapes.

It's a hot day, should we go skating or swimming? Skate

Who's your favorite local skater? Seth McCallum

Where's the best place to eat? In 'n' Out

Mini-ramp and beer or out on the streets all day? No brainer.

How old are you in skate years? Legal

For The Weekend...

Old Dude Lock In

So it all started when I lost my mind at Juripalooza. Wine and then beer and then wine and then you break out at four when you can't button your coat, you know what I'm talking about. Hop a ride with Roebke to grab your bag and your board, then go sleep at Whodi's. We're good.

Somehow along the lines I ended up back in the truck, sleeping all cuddled up with Roger (the dog, not Bill) and ended up the Lake Delton park in the flurries. And cold. And whatnot...I fell dropping in! A sweeper here a shaka there, breakfast at Denny's, back fast asleep all the way to Cream City.

We skate, we play ping pong, we play NBA Jam, we work on our orbital power, drink some coldies, and eventually, after arriving at the park around two or three, we call it a night around two AM and I freeze myself to sleep.

Waking up at a skatepark means, at least for CJ, that you go skate at ten in the morning and do switch heelflps over barriers and such. Denny's round two ripped, there was a woman eating french fries out of a bowl with a spoon! Play ceelo on an I-phone!

Then it's back to the best place on earth and it's like a repeat of the day before, with some Grand Theft Auto thrown in for good measure. We go and buy some beer and end up with 90 PBRs. Then there's a late-night sesh with some Illinois fools and then we go to the Cactus Club. Hey Ellis! We dipped on that and a Charger almost headonned us. We were all ready for impact. Mike brought us to a bar where Lutzka was chilling and I got to witness a girl trying to get on his nuts so hard, that she ran into a wall trying to go in and kiss him; he'd moved. John Bunch was there too.

Back at the park we played beer pong man, and then tried to get the motorized skateboard going but Mike pulled the starter cord out and he went to try and fix it and I thought it was a good time to go to bed on the floor fully clothed and the photos above are the result of that idea. Drove home all day yesterday. Thanks to Mike and Bill and Bauman and Jamiel and CJ for helping me make mistakes and memories.

Bonus: I'm a fan of Marius and the fact that there's some B&S involved, well...peep it.

Bonus Bonus: General basketball awesomeness.

Locs...Rob Sissi

Photo by Sam McGuire

Name: Robert Anthony Sissi

Nicknames: "Sissy"

Age: Old enough that my daughter is closer to the age of an average kid at the skatepark than me.

What's your deal? Trying to raise the seeds, keep the wife happy and trying to get out to skate once a week.

Where are you doing it? The burbs dog. Gas is killing me.

How high can you ollie? Less high every day. A curb seems like a ledge to me.

Can I have your board? If yours is completely beat to shit you can gladly have the deck and wheels, but forget about the trucks fool.

Favorite local video? Midopoly with Anonymous in a close second. Those were some of the best, if not the best times as far as skateboarding in Minneapolis went. Ah the days of rolling to premiers in limos.

What's in your car? Way too much shit to even get into.

It's a hot day, should we go skating or swimming? Depends on if it's family day or skate day. Family day at the pool for sure.

Who's your favorite local skater? It's impossible to say my favorite, so fuck it, I'm naming all the dudes that I think are the kings: Emeric "Olu" Pratt, Steve Nesser, Seth McCallum, Darren Navarette, Dave Leroux, Ryan Fabree, Danny Jensen, Chad Benson, Dan Jackson, Dave Cardwell (wherever you are), John Muldoon, Ryan Hansen, Andy Paulsen, Judd Prosinski, and Todd "Turkey" Brown. These are the skaters that laid the foundation for Minnesota skateboarding.

Where's the best place to eat? Emily's Lebanese Deli or Manny's Steak House.

Mini-ramp and beer or out on the streets all day? Streets all day downtown then skate down Nicolet and get happy hour beers at McCormick's and say what up to CJ when he's working.

How old are you in skate years? Deceased.

It's 10 PM on a Saturday night, what are you doing? VIP at club night-night.

Saturday Options...Or Both

Locs...Luke Hunt

Photo by Sam McGuire

Name: Luke Hunt

Nicknames: London & Pip.

Age: 30

What's your deal? Skate, create, build, destroy.

Where are you doing it? Minneapolis and London when I can get back over there.

How high can you ollie? Lower and lower each year.

Can I have your board? Negative. Need it to remain sane.

Favorite local video: Shitheads Vol. 8

What's in your car? Bungee cords, Ipod, sleeping bag, duct tape, tools, skateboard, spare skateboard, spare car battery (current one is on its last legs), fireworks, Coors.

It's a hot day, should we go skating or swimming? Skate, then ride bike to swim in Minneapolis’ lakes.

Who's your favorite local skater? Too many in Minneapolis, lets just say Shier from over the pond.

Where's the best place to eat? Tao Foods

Mini-ramp and beer or out on the streets all day? Ummmm, ramp + bottle of red wine.

How old are you in skate years? 17 years, with too many of those years lost due to debauchery. Ankles are feeling about 50 recently.

It's 10 PM on a Saturday night, what are you doing? Probably just got a cold one, about to jump on the cruiser or my bike to find the next one.

Yeah We Did

I waited in a line to vote for one hour today. I'd checked the line twice before, and skipped out on jumping line to deal with a girl whom I've had a crush on for some eight months for now...Goddamn it, I'm fucking voting. As said, I waited an hour, and at one point the dudes that were drinking beer got into it with some dude that was trying to park and he got in the way of an old lady and then there were the fuck words thrown and everyone looked and nothing happened. Oh, free speech God bless us if there were a god.

I got in the polls and I voted, voting in much the same way as I can imagine that much of you readers did. Maybe so and so didn't, that's at least what Buddy says, so...

We feel good that our guy won, and it's unambiguous who our guy is seeing the picture above. No shit, I teared up with Patriotism, for the first and I hope not the last time in my godloving lifetime. And I'm Agnostic, but I cried for my Nation.

And so it is here, right fucking now. We, as the young people, Young Turks in a different age, we stand at the precipice or the verge of opportunity, the place we all wanted to be and now we don't have a plan. Obama is the guy we could all have a beer with and also the guy we want to run our nation; weird, isn't it?, now that it's here? I'm optimistic, I think, know, want everything to work...

. I biked to the bar tonight. As I rolled down Cedar Avenue near the Triple Rock, there was an exultation of jubilation that erupted from a strictly Somali business merely a block and a half form the Trip Rock. The Campaign Was Done, and it was obvious. I retreated to the Triple Rock and watched McCain transform back into McCain, the classy, non-cheesy Maverick, who knows up form down and so forth and so on. While I only saw his speech in closed captioning, cheers to McCain, for his graciousness.

and so on and so forth

I'd drank and I'd drunk, and perhaps I was drunk, but I'd cut myself off at some point in the past to prepare myself to ride my bike home. I'd ended up at the Nomad and it was hopping, in terms. But really, the show was the aforementioned outcrying of Somali joy and, at this point, EVERYONE, wiliing out in the street, complete with cops and no robbers and they barricaded the streets with their cars and let the kids drum on.

I was walking my bike through the throng with a kid from my health class whose name I forget; it was French. Then I had the most exciting and logical idea that I'd ever had. Wow. Anyhow...I decided to claim myself as a journalist (marginally), and to ask the people nearest to me who they had voted for, where they lived, and if they'd known that an amazing scene would be happening here where it was now. Right?

I talked mostly to Somali women, and a couple of men, and after I'd claimed to be a journalist (towing a bike and no note pad to be seen), everyone was ready to talk to me. My first question was who they'd voted for, and it was undoubtedly for Obama, and immediately, they asked me, a relatively boring looking Caucasian, if I'd voted for McCain. I'd say no but they never believed me...Nobody knew that there was to be aparty at the site where we where, half the people were from the burbs and they just stumbled upon it...

We did something today.

I Don't Want No Stinking Scenester Sports Blog

Deep breaths...

Sissi called me out the other day for this website becoming a scenester/sports blog, which may or may not be an oxymoron, though, it struck a chord with this reluctant "scenester"/Basketball fan, and thus, an all skateboarding post started out with...A tribute to quite the triumphant L.A. Lakers fan/skateboard legend. The two can co-exist.

At about the eleventh hour on Halloween, which constitutes about 6:00 PM (do the math), I came up with the idea to be Carroll @ Orcas for the holiday dress-up time. Ask Tucker, it happened, but since I was not headed to a strictly skatenerd party that night, idea was scrapped (and do I really need a gold lemay (sic?) jacket?). However, I was not the only one who's mind was crossed by this idea.

I know, because this whole all skateboarding shit is kind of difficult, I was looking at Mike Burnett's site last night, and so should you. Dude is almost completely responsible for Thrasher's reemergence; dude rips.

Ok, I lurked upon this blog, In Remembrance of Things Whatevs and got fairly stoked on A. the content, and B. the Proust allusion. I read all seven of those books, seriously. Honestly though, while it is assault on the senses as far as the sheer volume of text goes, put your waders on and start wading, you won't be disappointed.

I'm beginning to think that times might always be weird these days. It sounds a lot cooler though when Todd says it; Times Is Weird These Days Part 2. Todd always has my favorite characters on his blog. Peep the amazing newspaper clipping!

Places I need to go to soon (to skateboard, right?): Costa Mesa, NYC, Estonia. Right?

David's Mag Minute

Yo, David's Mag Minute is up over at The Mag, go peep it and leave some love for David in the comments section.

Also, I know you were going to vote already, but it should be noted that Familia will hook you up if you do. Win win, right?

Forgot about this for a sec, Hardflip has the original Shitheads trailer and an I-pod download of the whole thing.

Bonus lurker vision of a trip to 'Sconny. It's the economy stupid.

Halloween Happened

Marty right before the contact of crail, with Joel Goodsen getting weird on the deck. I slammed three times skating home last night...

I'll let Sissi call the contest below. Don't forget to fall back, and it did cross my mind that if you're on the internet on a Saturday night, you probably already knew.