Evan Smith is seen here doing pretty much everything the right way. Hopefully he doesn't get lost forever in the Element black hole ala Jake Rupp. Frontside flip stalefish!
This Luan Oliviera character may be someone to watch out for in the future. I have to swallow some pride having said that, having written off all the Flip ams as undifferentiated autonomatrons. That opening switch frontside flip had me saying out loud, "Holy shit, that was good," and I was sitting alone in my kitchen.
That's all I can find on the internet to talk about today.
I lifted the video above from Quartersnacks because it's too good not to embed, but you'll have to go read the Snackman's write up because it's also too good. Low-fi>Hi-fi.
True nerds will know that Keith Spettel's nickname, Keith Nut, is derived from one of the songs in the clip above.
Flow Trash is reviewed here by ESPN skate, in what has turned out to be a slightly controversial piece of writing for the sports leader.
It appears that Hardflip will go live any day now. Now I'm really building this stuff up.
We're getting knocked around pretty hard lately with Lair edits. The above is from #shitchucksays, and the slightly blurry effort below is from some dude named Dalton Jones. I have a feeling he's too young to understand any Roadhouse jokes. That's that. I promise not to post any more local indoor edits* until next winter. Let's see if I can do that.
Joey Pepper is Plat approved, and his lack of copious amounts of money earned through skateboarding is near criminal. Assist: Pizzy.
Late breaking on a Friday night when I think I got stood up for a ping pong game. Happy Weekend.
Could it have actually worked out any better? While I tried to foster false rumors about Nate Compher going off to train in MMA, he went ahead and started making a name for himself in the snowmobile racing world. How apropos? He did a five foot tall switch flip at what I remember to be a 2007 Damn Am contest a couple years ago. Figure in the fact that he had to have traveled at least 10 feet, and that's a gawldarned 50 square foot switch flip. Think about that.
We're still good at proffering on other people's edits and stuff, but I don't feel all that bad nowadays since Meyer has been churning out somethings. Wiskate has done a good one once again with the outtakes. I'm optimistic that some day I'll skate as much as those dudes do and look as cool too. It's amazing that Ellis took the washed out bleakness of the GL-1 that was so signatory of Milwaukee, and replaced it with an HD-ness that works extremely well as well. No quibbles here.
In case you were wondering, I'm still really glad that I gave up on a career of skateboarding for a living about a decade ago. My decision has been reaffirmed multiple times over the years, and the clip above [skating starts around 0:57 (via Devolve)] cements it even more. Just look how high the bar is set for the footage you produce fuckin' around in a warehouse. Fulton's edit isn't helping either; same goes for this Lakai park edit.
A new poll, less opinion driven and more based on just what happened on the ground. The criteria for more recent videos is that they had an announced premiere, and that they're Twin Cities based, nationally recognized. Older videos that I tried to include outside of my 15 year purview may not have been all that local, or premiered. I did my best to order them by release date, but I already know that I messed that up, and I probably left something out. Let me know, but the poll won't change. Vote with your memory, as proposed by Philmer Phil.
A full 29 percent of voters on the last poll would love to see the downtown Fobia (site updated?!) reinstated. I for one, wouldn't mind having the parking lot back as a "skate spot," AND, I'd also love it if they'd reverse the two way on 1st Avenue so the roadway adjacent to the old shop was still perfect for warm-up games of skate before heading into downtown. The only other sizable voting bloc was behind bringing back The Fed, most likely as it was in '94.
What's interesting about the poll results reiterated above is that the minority-majority (50 out of 170) was all about having a skate friendly meet up/hang out spot over an unskate-stopped, rebuilt spot from the past brought back. Retail memories aside, an interesting question arises.
What makes a good skate scene, like ours in Minneapolis, thrive? Is it the spots, the skaters, the shops, the local companies, the local reps, or due to our geographic location, the indoor spots? There's not an easy answer.
A proposal: In a month or two we should have a panel discussion to discuss and just maybe figure out the answer to the question above. We'll tap into people past and present involved with the scene. We'll drink beers and hash shit out. It'll be a first. If you're into this, say so in the comments, and then convince your friends that they'll be in it too. If you're interested, say so, and it'll happen.
Happy weekend.
Edit: Blew it on a video name. Twice now in fact. Poll re-re-polled.
Also: Word seems to be that The Hut is going out of business. Can anyone confirm or deny?
Thrasher has been churning out Double Rock edits at such a fast clip lately that it's both a good and a bad thing; it's a shame that some of the ripping will go unnoticed. I'm posting the one above not only because it features Travis Erickson, of protest-fraught Madison, WI, but because that edit is one of the better of late, albeit so low-key.
Devolve continues to thrive, and if they make it a year with this type of enthusiasm, we'll all be the better for it. Mr. FUCKVIN posted some near vintage Chicago footage featuring Vintage Viking, pre-knee-blow-out. Check the pop out on that uphill switch smith.
If you're still not checking out the The Gorf Life daily links, you've got to get it together.
Fun times at 3rd Lair Saturday night after 9:00 p.m. It's 21+ and hay cervezas. I'm hoping to make and skate if the back holds up. It's true, and it hurts (on the inside) to type.
Following up on Rudy's explanation of why skateboarders are different than everyone else, there's this photo of a guy catching a bat at spring training. Yeah, he didn't even spill his beer. Not bad. The whole story is explained here. How many times though, have you been skating a ramp, bowl or whatever that has a high shooting board factor, and nonchalantly picked a high velocity board out of the air with nary a flinch. Yup, thought so. Probably didn't spill your beer either.
While the loss of The Fed is debated and discussed in a refreshingly respectful and interesting way in the comments on the post below, with uncanny timing, the Kalis at Love Park Epicly Later'd was released today. Has that era in skateboarding become one of the most lionized ever? I'd say so.
Late to the game on this because I was busy maxing out the Zorch Meter™ in AZ. The little dude did it, even after tweeting this, and one has to think that CJ was in attendance at that game if you listen closely.
Skating ultra steep banks is like trying techish manual tricks for us mere mortals. Low return in tricks made, but every once in a while you roll away, and then it's worth it. I was going for the high risk low return thing, but...CBI has the Beryl Banks on display; it'd be interesting to ask Rick Howard how that thing stacks up to our own Steep Bank of Doom. Hey Fink, how's that doc coming around?
Being an alum of an early 21st Century skatehouse, from a very productive time in both skating and partying, I read Frozen in Carbonite's skatehouse rundown with great interest. Heads up to the Done House of KC.
Two different takes on some Locs in SF: lo-fi and then the hi-fi and then I guess I just found this. So three.
Wondering about what's up with the clip Meyer posted below, I've never seen that.
If you say "other" in the poll, tell everyone where in the comments.
The new line from the GF. That Whodi board is reminiscent of a griptape paint job the guy had some years back.
Since my last post, The Hesh has rebounded well. SMANG'n it totally.
Hectic week and I'm over it. Note the comments. Happy weekend.
All my shit talking against The Hesh must abate because they came through hard with the video above. I've even got tricks in there that I don't remember filming, and it's always good to get a dose of Whodi.
Was Theotis' mom at his birthday party with strippers? I won't even ask the question, that's just weird. Awesome skating, and even though I'm cool with whatever party foote is in the clip embedded above, grainy shit of dudes mostly laughing at each other in the linked clip is really boring. They used Ignition (Remix) for the song and that's tight, but I'm claiming 411 Status, and thus that song can be used again.
For those who care, I've once again taken to updating my photo blog The Plat Lite with stuff, so if you're bored or randomly obsessed with me, there's the ticket.
Hardflip has a "hard" date set for it's re-launch. I for one, am eager to see the new incarnation.
Devolve is a new blog by GG and the Fun Boys, that has been enthusiastically updated every day since its inception about a month ago. I told Torp that if they keep up such a level of hype for about a year, that they'll have something going.