December 30, 2010

Done.



All and everything about 2010 that could potentially stress me out is over, done. Last deadline hit, last grade back (an A-), last Twolves game played (an alluded to loss, a moral victory?). While the Platty's that I posted a week and a half back could be seen as some sort of end of the year roundup, they're not that exactly, so here are some points about the last year that weren't mentioned, that should be.

Remember Chris Thatcher. Our skate scene is generally untouched by tragedy, and when it is, it hurts, a lot.

The head count on indoor skateparks in town continues to wax and wane. 3rd Lair Burnsville gone, while Summit Skatepark has made it a year. Did Showcase close this year too? I don't know.

Ascendant this year were private indoor spaces. The Hiawatha soldiers on through bumps bruises as a veritable mecca, and all the other spots being built with quirky names that house bowls escape my memory, but they're proliferating, spawning scenes all their own.

Is skateboarding downtown going out of style? Dan Narloch's Flow Trash part suggests otherwise, appearing to having been filmed in about two square miles down there, but outside of that maybe it is. I blame the advent of having to purposefully go street skating, an idea that is just about as ridiculous as "short-boarding" versus longboarding.

Meandering...The purpose of this and the sparking idea, is the little overlooked gem that Nesser told Chris Nieratko on ESPN. Steve's New Year's resolution: "Start a club in Minneapolis." That's something.

Happy New Years. Benji takes over for the next week.

...And you see me...

Haulin Ass to Hall & Oates from Ian Shulman on Vimeo.

Gotta give this entire post up to the Snackman; I watched this some two years ago or so, but he, and KOOL 108, brought it right back into focus (Mr. Satchek (sic?) posted it, I heard Hall and Oates on the radio on the way home from the bar).

Also: Even in a loss, the Twolves game tonight, which I attended, was awesome. I hate sports fans that only want to decry the bullshit but not praise the praiseworthy; plenty of good tonight, capped and closed (kinda) by Mike Beasley sauntering down the court to end the third quarter, and popping, flat-footedly, a three pointer through the chute to make it an up-by-one-game. Sure we lost; the once banned and then reinstated Chauncey Billups did a damn good job of making sure of it, but you can't fade potential.

December 28, 2010

December 24, 2010

More From Those Dudes

Roger Video Trailer 2: Tim and Eric Will Not Be Sharing A Part from Roger Skateboards on Vimeo.

I'm out for the weekend; time to take some time to get a little bit older.

December 22, 2010

Programming Injection 2


I like it that this pre-greaser Van Engelen part features VHS video glitches and the sound isn't synced. Random watchings.

4th Coast*


For the few of you who weren't at the Flow Trash premiere, you missed the promising promo for North Coast. I wonder what it is about dudes with initial first names that crush it going up the Undercover 5? Love the name of the video as well.

Pilot Light of BTO provides a good read on the Chardonnay sipping "villain" of Slap's OIAM, Forrest Edwards. I was skeptical at first, but count me in as mildly obsessed with this strange spectacle.

*Some rap dude called Minnesota "4th Coast" in some song. Anybody remember?

I'm laughing and cringing (hard) at the same time. Double inward heel attempt? Hat tip to Rob Brink via Twitter.

On the skate Twitter subject, Jim Thiebaud wins the day.

Dipping just once more into politics--it is the end of the year--I think that after this past week this Onion story is even more on point.

December 20, 2010

'10 Platty's

It's that time of the year again; time to give out arbitrary awards in a Thrasher Teddy's kind of way. I look forward to doing this, and by the end of October I'm usually ready to buck whatever tradition I may have and just go for it. My restraint is reassuring to me--the past two times that I've done this, the post has posted on either December 19 or 20. Call me a model of consistency. 2008 Platty's here and 2009 Platty's here. Let's go:

Power Moves: Steve Nesser.

Local Video of the Year: Flow Trash.

Best Part: CJ Tambornino.

Missing In Action: Benji Meyer.

Gone: 1072.

Timely Face Lift: 3rd Lair.

10 Years Strong: Juri Loginov.

Stay Outta Juvee: Kevin Chartrand

Anticipated: Steep Bank of Doom documentary.

Last Man Standing: Kyle Henkler.

Prodigal Son: Dennis Burdick.

Who, Me Worry?: David Kahn, Tabari Cook.

Swag Buzzed: Eddie Kochendorfer.

Too Good To Be Flow Trash: Flow Trash line up.

Piss Drunx: Dom Randazzo.

Non-Prof: Seth McCallum.

Most Relevant: Todd Bratrud.

Jet-Lagged: Sam McGuire.

Eddie: Ian Sherman.

Soon To Be Radder Dad: Luke Hunt.

Whatever Happened To?: Back Yard Ramp Jam.

All Growed Up?: Tucker Gerrick.

Unfollow?: Kirian Stone.

Photo J: Ben Ragsdale.

Close Coexistence: Calsurf, Familia.

Building A Vortex: Mark Leski. Wizard.

Most Followers: Davis Torgerson.

Best Local Company By Default (Myriad of Reasons): Glue Factory.

Necessary?: Air Raid.

Missed Opportunity: Damn Am.

Sorely Missed: Cody Joan.

Shouts to one of my best friends that moved. Also pay attention to dudes doing tricks over...nevermind. Though the first thing I did a kickflip over was a Pepsi can. Anyways:

Filler 2D Promo from Glue Factory Skateboards on Vimeo.

December 18, 2010

Flow Trash Thoughts

There was a darn good chance that I would have posted this stuff last night, but Jake Phelps, I mean, Alex Oskie, asked me if I was going home to Live Journal about the video. Mildly embarrassed, instead I stuffed my face with taquitos and drank some whiskey. Anyways, I missed a gem or two in the video trying to make notes on my phone about the video. Here are my phone notes, verbatim:

Dom filler*


DAvis spot


Outta jail Nar


Nelson


Casey whodi beater


Haines


Pat jack


He still skates?


CJ


Sherman

Having done a fill in stint at the shop and watched the video, realistically, five to six times today, here are more fleshed out thoughts; no prose, just bullets, but honest as possible:

-The intro had a good concept, was straight to the point, and the use of steady-cam in any skateboard video is a good thing.

-If there is such a thing as an unknown "image skater," Dom Randazzo is it. Also, his skating is wonky. That's the word. As mentioned above, he has quite possibly the most ridiculous filler clip ever**. Has he done better before? Maybe; perfect switch inward heels down stacks are hard to one-up. Oh yeah, he has first part.

-This is Davis Torgerson's "throw-away part." How does the cliché go? Whatever. Dude rips and his Real part is something to look forward to. His riff on basketball and skateboarding go well together. I heard he's filming a part for Shitheads 2012.

-Dan Narloch didn't skate in any coveralls, and if I'd have put up a prediction on Twitter that he'd have three clips in them, nobody would have seen it anyways. Overheard on the old man bar level (paraphrased): "You see that clip at the government building downtown? I was getting out of jail when they were filming that." Better than BGPs. Narloch skates how he does, and we're all thankful for it. If Mike Ternasky were on his ass, amazing things could happen, but for now, thanks Dan.

-I"m not sure if I've ever spoken a word to David Nelson in my life. Just saying. Throughout his part, you watched the dude get older and better; there's no doubt that the guy has pop, control, and a bit of spasticity too. His video part is really good, his next video part is going to be really good.

-Casey Copenhaver skirts the theoretical zone of what is a trick, and what isn't. His no-comply-Ron-Whaley-reverts pop higher than what is normally allowed and he rocks the side-rock. Tim Huey comes through with a switch front shuv, and rides a board that must be really fucking huge, because it looks like it. As alluded above, Casey might have done the Whodi beater; watch All In and be the judge. Good part.

-I think the montage was around here. No notes to back it up though. Solid throughout, and it features the dudes that aren't filming with these dudes. Old dudes unite! Vinnie MVP points.

-It took me until today to realize that the "Haines" that my phone wanted to write added up to Jaimes. Aside from Mr. CJ Tambornino, Jaimes has been a fixture in the scene for ten years, and he just dropped his best video part yet. Realize the wonky switch and nollie the wrong way tricks over rails, the fast skating, and the fluid simplicity with which he kills it. His further serfdom in flow trash is a crime.

-Pat Gallaher is one of those eclectic folks who flies Cessnas and is really good at skateboarding. When not above the snow filled fields of our fair state, he continues his "doer-of-everything" mentality of skateboarding well. He shares a part with Jack Olson. Rumor has it that Jack focused Chad Benson's board without getting his ass kicked. It's good to see that some old ass dudes are inspiring some 1993 ethics into him. Regardless, or regarding that fact, with his throat under the boot of some still relevant dudes, Jack has a really solid section. File him with David Nelson; he and him will be crushing it really hard, at a dealership near you. SOON.

-Tabari Cook sort of looks like a Martian on video. Be it the death lens, or some conspiracy of weirdness, he doesn't look on tape or card what he looks like in person. Tabari does everything right, or correctly, and aside from some overly lasery stuff, holds true to what I wrote in this same sentence. B-Show guests, and as said by the always immutable Terry, "He still skates?" (Actually said)(Joke gotten).

-Oh CJ. Ridonkulous (sic) comes to mind. Limits pushed, pushes taken to make the dude skate faster, and a great song that served as more than background music. On the same terms that Narloch understands the stupid little nuances of making a line a really great line, CJ does such a thing at the Undercover Five. He shows more than the typical tech with a little pop!, and all is good in Whoville.

-Ian Sherman still hasn't skated to Maiden and something about that seems wrong; however, "Hell Is For Children" semi-makes-up-for-that. Last part vouchers to boot. Ian is a work horse and it comes through in the longest part of the video. Knowing what you've seen the dude do in person almost takes away from what he does in DVD form, because he has that rare hammer form nonchalance killing that doesn't go well with second hand observation.

-Sherman's ender-ender should make all kinksters drool; however.

-One wonders if the Neil Heddings attired CJ should have had enders with his 99.99 percenter's duel. He was against: What can be done/what should be done/what can be done well/banger of bangers. A dance to slide to dance perfectionary. I made that last word up, but all is well. Where again? In Whosville.

Buy the video. Don't blow it like some jerk, who, well, Fink called him out right. Go to your local skateshop. It's an amazing video and testament to how good we have it here in Minnesota. Our scene is strong; keep it that way.

*Not calling the part filler, was making note of his filler clip where he takes a shit against a wall.
**Again, just talking about him taking a dump.

December 17, 2010

December 14, 2010

(Insert "Call of CJ")


In light of the latest Flow Trash promo, a little gem from when Meyer and I lived a block away from Mr. Tambornino. I'm sort of surprised that there aren't more of these.

This Leo vid shows how good the dude has been for so long, but I turned it off early because of the karaoke.

If you haven't read the QS Alex Olson interview, read it now.

I don't think I ever posted this McGuire made KC/Etnies article. It's pretty cool. Any reason to repost this is a good reason.

State of Nature


Mini Video 73 - Breakaway - Wiskate.com from Josh Ellis on Vimeo.

New. I heard it looks better if you watch it on the actual Vimeo page though. Memories of, in another city that we can transpose to our own, when we still had the Metrodome.

The recently resuscitated Flowtrash has all your premiere questions answered. Yes, Suburban World serves drinks.

Until there's more.

December 9, 2010

Funnel Clouds


Having slacked hard all week I bring you a lifted montage from The Hesh. B-Show's nosebluntslide was good, no?

I sure wish I could get paid to make some Top 10 lists. Jerboi Bratrud is the most relevant graphic dude in the world!

Flow Trash the website is back up, they paid them bills, but they're playing tough on updates until the video is done...Oh wait...

Wall, boneless, tornado.

That should do it.

December 6, 2010

Foreclosure

Sorta loc Dane Vaughn comes through with yet another Mag Minute with MN ties. That frontside heelflip is mean.

In the midst of editing, probable duplicating, etc., the Flow Trash guys have forgotten to pay their domain rent. While I can't really sneer at them too hard, since similar things if not more catastrophic things have happened to this website, it is pretty bad timing. I'm not sure of GoDaddy pricing, but I'm sure we can raise the $15.99 or whatever to get you guys back online in time for the premiere. Just saying.

Juripalooza II was a hit for those not in attendance, and more of Mr. Loginov's photos documenting a good time span of Minneapolis skateboarding and other things can be found at 10 Years With You, once Tumblr is online again, that is. If by chance you read this before seven tonight, say what up to Juri at Familia; it's his last day.

Beyond, who else suffered through the Great Comcast Internet Outage of 0-'10 last night? It was a bummer how much that bugged me even though I needed the internet for absolutely nothing at the time.

I'm a weekend late on this, but Davis had a First Try Friday at the Berrics, that boiled down to a still respectable third try.

Will post more about the Twolves if they keep my optimism up with some of these games this week. We could best the Knicks tonight, and should beat the Pistons on Friday. Wins in the other two games this week are icing on the cake. As for my low amount of coverage, if you haven't found A Wolf Among Wolves yet, get on it; dudes write about basketball way better than I can anyways.

Thanks to Meyer for the previous post, that's some great drunk photoshop.

December 4, 2010

Too Much Wine, Cymande & Snowy Nights: AKA Overdue Guest Post





Farewell house of awesome memories... Damn I'm drunk.

The Good, the Bad and the Awesome.

December 1, 2010

Mmmm...Chicken.




Chad Benson turns 35 today, happy birthday Show. As evidenced by the 11 years of video above, dude has been doing it, and doing it well for a long ass time now. Here's to a video part at 40.

Also on this day, nine years ago, Shitheads Vol. 8 was unleashed upon the world. Oh, the summer of 2001. There's still a chance to do a tenth anniversary Shitheads...

Happy Hanukkah--starts at 4:32 this afternoon.

Edit: Also just learned that it's Latrell Sprewell Coach Choking Day! If DeMarcus Cousins wants to lose his shit with some resonance, today is the day!