terminal-boredom.com
Terminal Boardumb => Non-Music Shit => Topic started by: rutabowa on November 30, 2015, 06:06:24 AM
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IN an effort to stay away from bad habits i decided to take up skating for the first time in my life.... it has the same subconscious death-wish but it's tons healthier and cheaper than heroin was. all the same I feel kind of stupid doing it, but the skater kids are actually pretty kind and encouraging. I can't do anything except cruise around and turn but it is very early days. I guess I feel.... happy sort of? I dunno, some unfamiliar weird feeling like that anyway. I don't know if it's possible to learn tricks and stuff at this late stage but what the heck.
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I predict you break a bone inside a year. I hope not, for your sake. But it's almost a certainty.
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I predict you break a bone inside a year. I hope not, for your sake. But it's almost a certainty.
how can i avoid that? (apart from teh obvious answer)
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I predict you break a bone inside a year. I hope not, for your sake. But it's almost a certainty.
how can i avoid that? (apart from teh obvious answer)
Wear a lot of protective gear and don't try anything difficult.
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I predict you break a bone inside a year. I hope not, for your sake. But it's almost a certainty.
how can i avoid that? (apart from teh obvious answer)
Wear a lot of protective gear and don't try anything difficult.
Yeah I'm on that for sure! I don't want to be good or anything.... I mean I have no desire to do crazy tricks or anything.
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I've skateboarded the majority of my life. I grew up in Los Angeles and Ventura County, so from '95 up till the present I skated all of those '90s hot spots -- LA Courthouse, Venice pits, El Camino Real, LA High School, etc. A lot of my friends that I skated with and went to high school with later turned pro or were sponsored AMs (I never rose above shop sponsored.) I've built miniramps in my backyard. I guess the point is I take skateboarding seriously, even at 33. Its my favorite activity.
You will not break a bone. That's just something we don't talk about; other injuries are far more likely -- but, again, we don't talk about those things. I guess what you need to decide is what you're looking at skating: street or transition. Seeing as you're in your thirties skating transition will likely be much more fun and rewarding straight off the bat, as you're looking at a two-year commitment of skating five days a week, four hours a day to get any good at skating ledges, manual pads, etc. (Handrails are likely out at this point, at least I'm guessing.) That doesn't mean you shouldn't practice flat ground ollies; do it. Transition is also generally much more forgiving in you're a little on the heavy side.
Look for a park next to you with mellow transition, no higher than three feet tall. This could be either the shallow end of a bowl or (preferably) a quarter pipe. That's real hit or miss as cities like to build fucking ridiculous 12 foot transitions cuz they think that's what everyone wants to skate, and it'll reflect of their city as being as "HUGE" as their transition or something. Work on getting comfortable simply riding a skateboard. If you're past that, pump transition. Carving a bowl backside is A LOT easier than frontside. Once you get over that, simple lip tricks -- rock 'n' rolls, backside 50 stalls -- should be next on the list on METAL coping not POOL coping. PROGRESS SLOWLY! Y'know how dudes end up on the flatbottom of a bowl, dazed and bloody? Nine times out of ten that cuz they're trying to skate BEYOND their ability. If you can't handle shit, you will get served. That's a general rule. I've gotten wrecked skating stuff I do everyday on a fluke -- it happens and is part of the game -- but it's generally people without a clue getting served.
PADS: I've lived my whole life by the "no pads, no rules" motto. Probably not advisable. Honestly, knee pads and elbow pads are useless. You simply don't fall like that unless you intend to, jumping out of an eight foot backside air -- you land on your knees and slide down the transition and that's where knee pads come in (again, if you're Lance Mountain and not a dude cruising the park -- think about it, when's the last time you've fallen in a position that makes you look like you're laying tile). Wrist guards -- made you look like Kevin Staab who was as padded up as Robocop on the ramps. HELMETS: If you're really worried about hurting yourself, a helmet is not a bad idea. Those do serve a purpose. If you're new to transition, there's a high slip out factor due to not being comfortable yet on your board and knowing how to get out of shit. A Pro-tec helmet would be a good investment if you're trying to push yourself a little bit and want that added boost of confidence. Remember how I said we don't talk about injuries? That's generally true. However, if you're gonna hurt yourself, broken bones aren't nearly as common as torn ligaments and meniscus (knee) and swollen ankles. There's nothing pads will do to prevent those. I've had three friends with torn ACLs. I've done physical therapy for my left knee and when it gets cold outside, that knee acts like an outdoor thermometer. It hurts right now.
Have fun. Skate within your ability. Eric Friedl still skates. I still skate. (You can see my old ass and a bunch of old timers skating on Spacecase's Youtube channel). Have fun and don't be a goon at the park. People will generally be cool to you. As cheesy as this may sound, it is a great way to lose weight and have fun.
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I'm 6'2" and about 10.5 stone so weight isn't an issue ha. thanks for the detailed answer will read it back, I'm kind of lucky in that I work 10 mins walk from the south bank skate area so i can go at lunch breaks:
(http://www.huhmagazine.co.uk/images/uploaded/southbank_skatepark_00.jpg)
and there is tons of skateparks around my area, including ones with shallow bowls which I'm guessing will probably be my limit.... got a guy taking me to that one this weekend to show me. south bank is all sharp concrete angles ha, but cool for meeting people i reckon, it is the main skate meet point in the UK i think.
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but yeh fuck this kind of thing:
(http://static0.demotix.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/a_scale_large/2100-0/photos/1371359797-campaigners-petition-to-prevent-destruction-of-south-bank-skate-park_2156420.jpg)
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I'm glad to hear South Bank is still around. I heard they were thinking of demolishing it a number of years ago. A number of folks I skated with were from England and had fond memories of skating that park with folks like Simon Evans in the early '90s. Yeah, that spot is legendary; like EMB of England. A lot of shit went down there in the early '90s. Lookup "411 England Metrospective" and I'm sure you'll find some '93/'94 footage from there.
Glenn from Black Time lives in London and skates. I've skated with him when he was on tour. Great dude.
Skate with folks who know what they're doing. If you skate with folks who are better than you, you'll get good advice and will learn much faster.
100% skateboarding.
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but yeh fuck this kind of thing:
(http://static0.demotix.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/a_scale_large/2100-0/photos/1371359797-campaigners-petition-to-prevent-destruction-of-south-bank-skate-park_2156420.jpg)
That's all I skated for a decade. HA!
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Those banks may be steep, but that's the kind of terrain you're gonna want to practice on. Try hitting South Bank when it's not blown out. I'm not sure if that's possible or not.
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Ha i know glenn pretty well!! I'll hit him up once i get a little more confident just cruising around. Was at south bank today, there was like 2 other people there at 1pm. It got protected last year.
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Good to hear. Hit up Glenn!
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Just fully stacked it at the south bank in front of a load of tourists, some amazing skaters, and a film crew shooting tricks. i was going in a straight line at like walking pace i then was suddenly flying through the air. grazed elbows. i got straight back on tho. wearing my black time t shirt for confidence.
i wish there was somewhere a bit less public where i could be totally shit in isolation for a few months tho.
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I skated in the mid/late 70s on a board that looked like this:
(http://skateandannoy.com/z-ebaywatch/2010/ebay088/images-big/banana455.png)
At the time, there was no "skater culture" in the area and not even a wisp of the negative connotations that came later. My dad liked hot rods and all that CA shit, so he thought the board would be cool (it was) and I abused it for a few years and never really skated again. I didn't really use it around town much, as a bike would get you anywhere way faster (see: the shitty board/set-up in pic). I was the only person that had one that I knew of, so there was no social thing...except once when we went camping and another kid had one and we raced each other down hills all weekend and he taught me a few tricks. His was way more stable. I later showed the old man some 360s and whatever, and he told me I could do it better if...and then he tried to show me. Could barely balance on it, and then during the lame spin move he dished it hard and smashed the concrete. He never tried to show me another trick, and I always kept that and other dad displays in the back of my mind, where skateboards are still for kiddz (and y'all if ya want).
A few years later it was strange watching the culture evolve around it, the community hatred of it, etc. Even people 4-5 years younger than me seemed to have the punk/skater option.
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Mid '70s was the second wave of skating (first wave was early '60s with guys like Russ Howell). The urethane wheel had been invented then (mid '70s). Equipment was getting better. Cadillac Trucks and Tracker -- but the real shit came out in the late '70s with Independent Trucks. Leif Garrett came out with that horrible movie Skateboard. Skating was still largely based in Southern CA, but not exclusively. My dad was from the San Fernando Valley and he skated slalom on a similar board ('70s). Skating started tanking hard by '79 and it wasn't until the mid '80s that in came back with a real resurgence. My own interpretation was that by the mid '80s vert boom it became apparent that skateboarding -- like rock 'n' roll -- wasn't simply a "kid" sport or hobby, but a legitimate subculture. I think before that it was looked as a curio, like the hula hoop, outside of diehards like Tony Alva and the guys who'd later dominate skating in the '80s (Gator, Hawk, Mountain, Hosoi, etc.). I loved how hated skating was in the mid '90s when I started. That was part of the appeal. You were hated for doing it. Now it's different.
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Yeah, and like your dad, my dad had a '57 Bel Air and was part of a car club. Skating went with that shit. Beach Boys. In the '80s, it sort of obtained a new identity, although the amount of bikers/hot rod builders in the community is still high. Shit, my daily driver is a '51 Ford pickup.
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Yeah, he had a '57 Bel Air 2-door hard top, a '64 1/2 Mustang, 40s hot rod Ford truck, you name it. Dude sold every single awesome car he ever had at its low point and had to suffer through seeing collector plates on the newly show-car'd versions a few years on. Started buying up scooters and Whizzers and stuff like that when you could go to a barn and get 'em for a few sawbucks, then sold all of them right before the boom (thanks, Mom!). The list of cool stuff he bought vs when he unfortunately sold them is fairly legendary in the family. Total failure on the econ side. But regardless, he loved the whole SoCal surf/rodding deal, and like you said, it was more of a novelty throughout most of the '70s outside California.
In northern Wisconsin, they were simply not seen in the 70s. By the late 80s, it was the "bad" kids around town that were skaters, though in real cities I believe there was often a culture built around it by the early 80s. The 90s was definitely the big boom where it became part of the culture at large.
There's a skate shop around the corner from me, and they occasionally block off the street and set shit up and sell brats & beer etc. It was sort of surreal when I looked around a few years ago and realized that there was no dividing line at all in skating at this point. Mostly kids, but some adults and even some older dudes. Girls and boys. Hispanic and black and white and Asian. Basically, the composition of the neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods. Not a single snotty thrasher kid or anything like it, really. So it's definitely folded entirely into the culture, obviously, most towns support skate parks instead of trying to block them, and so on.
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Your father and my father/grandfather mirrored each other regarding cars. My grandfather sold every rad car he had for next to nothing. One '37 Ford in particular. After the two-door Bel Air, my dad had a '68 Camaro SS (original owner) he traded in for nothing. They seemingly didn't give a fuck. Then again, my grandfather was making stupid money as a union truck driver, so I think he was used to gravy days, especially after coming out of the depression. Some folks remained frugal, but he was the opposite and could spend cash like no other. Legendary. My dad's friends liked my grandfather cuz he'd sell them shit just to get it out of the garage.
Your views on skateboarding mirror my own with one exception. After the vert bust in the late '80s, skating went underground again. It transitioned to street from vert and there was something of a dark cloud over it. Gator had murdered that girl; Jeff Phillips committed suicide; Josh Swindell (a sort mid-level street pro) killed a gay man outside of bar. The industry was in free fall collapse. Pros went from six figure paycheck to making less than $20,000 a year, if they were even still around. Most lost all their sponsors. It was a very dark time. It was subsumed by the mainstream by the late '90s. What you're discussing -- the sort of homogenization of the sport -- is something I really resent. There's a group of people who feel the same way. And, again, it's sort of nebulous and there are no clear battle lines drawn. But when you go to a park or a street spot, you'll find those lifers -- be them 19 or 35 or older -- who refuse to accept skating on anything but their own terms.
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Probably something I just didn't notice at the time - again, I knew "skaters" later but wasn't one myself after the age of 11-12, so I probably wasn't paying much attention, just trying to remember what I saw out and about. It's interesting to think about, younger kids have asked me about skating before and it seems like they can't get their heads around the fact that when I was a kid, there wasn't any skating culture at all (outside one small area of the world), the boards were ridiculously terrible, and it often faded back in and out of obscurity until it finally became established.
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I forgot about Hosoi getting sent away for drug running...
You know a surprisingly good amount for someone who only skated for a couple of years when you were really young. You're absolutely correct: kids can't fathom how popular/unpopular skating would get during different periods. Magazines supporting the culture would fold and there was literally NO reporting on skating for years at a time.
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Being tied to "punk" made it a cross-cultural deal I guess. I was into skating around and whatever as a kid, so I understood how fun tricks and shit were, as well.
I don't like skater vids, though. I can't plug the empathy long enough to enjoy a bad crash.
Wish Old Kyle stopped by, I know he's got some great stories....
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I watch about 3 to 6 hours of skate videos a week, mostly on VHS from '89 to '99. Love'em! And I never watch the bail section! My wife loves them though.
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the last board i had was a powell peralta circa 1990. if i lose a few more pounds i am thinking of skating a bit again...
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Spacecase - Have you read The Answer is Never by Jocko Weyland?
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I'll never say I quit but I haven't gone skating consistently in like 10 years. Last time I was close to consistent was in 2009 (I was 32 at the time) and I "injured" myself and slowed down some (but yes, we don't talk about those things!). I had surgery on my meniscus a year ago but that damage was definitely due to jogging/running. I'm 38 now and tried skating a few times this past summer (Spacecase is very inspiring, encouraging and supportive of all us older types!) but haven't followed through like I'd like. I've put too much focus on jogging/running these past few years and they're ruining any potential skating comeback for me!
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Spacecase - Have you read The Answer is Never by Jocko Weyland?
I've leafed through it at the library and I've been tempted to check it out. I wasn't too certain on the caliber of writing. That's why I was hesitant. Did you enjoy it? I do have Disposable by Sean Cliver, which goes over skateboard art. That's an enjoyable book that ties in a lot of skate history. There have been a slew of great skate docs out since 2000. Stoked, the Gator doc, is EXCEPTIONAL! Deathbowl to Downtown on NYC skating is really great too. The recent Pappas Bros. one was good. I had a Ben Pappas Platinum deck. That Gator shit haunts me for some reason. I met Lee Ralph in New Zealand and he had some good Gator stories. Eric Dressen tattooed my leg and he had more of the same. I watched the doc again today.
I interviewed Frankie Hill for Slap years back. For whatever reason, I can't get the link to open. http://www.slapmagazine.com/articles/full/where-are-they-now-frankie-hill#
Get back on the board, Sal. If you need some encouragement, here's a vid my friends and I made a couple of summers back. All 30 years or older excepts a few random kids we skate with. My friend that closes out the vid is named Stuart. He rode for ATM back in the day and has had ACL surgery as well as recovered from a broken ankle skating. He's still at it. We just never stopped.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8LxJoMjcdo
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Great topic! I'm much younger than (some of) you, but I have been skating for the past ~20 years and I am not planning at stopping in any near or far future.
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Spacecase - Have you read The Answer is Never by Jocko Weyland?
I've leafed through it at the library and I've been tempted to check it out. I wasn't too certain on the caliber of writing. That's why I was hesitant. Did you enjoy it?
The author is an old friend, and I read drafts and contributed a few anecdotes so I'm highly partial (although anyone should feel free to express their opinion about it here) but I think he does a great job of evoking certain eras of skating. Jocko has always been more of a visual artist but I do think the book is a fairly passionate auto-bio. I grew up in San Diego and could never skate worth shit but started in the late '70s. There really were guys skating G&S fibreflex on harsh transition school banks...I clearly remember some teenage girl (tube top and dolphin shorts, of course) charging guys thai stick to skate in her parents' pool...
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I wish I was more useful for this topic, but, despite many tries, I've always been a terrible skater (somewhat odd, because I can surf at least somewhat decently). I do like to carve around in ditches and there is one by my house that I like to skate a bit, though I often have to do some considerable cleaning of it.
However, given my age and certain circumstances of my life, I can add the following pointless things:
1. Jocko Weyland was my college roommate. Great guy. I liked his book, but I'm biased, of course. His stories about the Hawaiian scene, going to Austin in the early 80's and how he liked John Gibson because Tex was one of the first notable non Cali-bred skaters (Jocko lived in Colorado at the time) are pretty neat. When I met Jocko, he always wore boxers as shorts; I guess that was a Hawaiian skater thing. Jocko was an early "Punk" adopter of Metallica and he had a funny story about going to see them and being terrified as basically the only short haired guy among a bunch of rabid, violence prone Hessians.
2. Related to item no. 1, I am friends with John Gibson and was (and occasionally still am) in a band with him for years. He's a great guy. I saw grown men cry and start freaking out when they realized it was him when our band was on tour in Australia in the mid-90's. Dude is a legend.
3. I went to high school with Duane Peters' sister. I never met him. She's nice; I remember he was in a band called "The Sharxx" at the time and I would see places all over the school where she had written "Sharxx are Vexx". It's funny to recall that calling something "Vexx" at the time, meant it was cool. I'm pretty sure that's a lost term. Duane was one of the first obviously "Punk" skaters, at least it seems that way to me.
4. I grew up near the Alba brothers and saw Salba play in many bands when I was growing up (most notably, The Flamethrowers). He's a rad guitar player. Many people mistook me for Malba; we do look somewhat similar. I have a Salba deck.
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Yeah, Jocko has a good rep. You guys are encouraging me to pick up his book. I'll get it and throw it on the list.
James Arthur (Necessary Evils, etc.) grew up skating East Texas and Denton. He had some wild stories of skating/hanging with Craig Johnson.
Mark Gonzales' sister went to my high school. At least that's what I'm told -- I never asked her as it felt sort of rude. What's strange is my high school/skate buddy Van eventually went pro for Mark's company Krooked. I never asked him about whether he mentioned to Mark that his sister went to our school or not.
Skateboarding rules. Glad to read all the stories popping up.
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Hell ya', diggin' the stories!!! As far as starting up at 32, go for it!!!! Especially if it keeps you off the junk. However, injuries lead to pain and boredom which I have seen lead to pill popping and boozing. You know where that shit leads, keep your head on straight! Well I just turned 40 this year and I try to skate at least twice a week. I am by no means a killer skateboarder, just want to get some grinds and yes transition is what I skate mostly. Will skate street here and there with the youngsters but my ollies are weak,ha,ha I will slappy the shit out of a curb though!!!!! Anyways Skate for Fun! Loosen up your trucks.Eating shit comes with the territory!Invest in some tiger balm as well. You'll eventually run into some people at the spots your at that'll give you some pointers. Stick with it, once you get that first grind you'll be hooked.
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Hell ya', diggin' the stories!!! As far as starting up at 32, go for it!!!!
(37)
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Not too old at all, especially since it sounds like you have realistic expectations. I am old, (46!) and I still skate. Though I finally gave up flying off anything higher than about 2 feet, and even doing ollies because my right knee is hammered. I now wear a helmet because I have to admit I'm not nearly as coordinated as I once was and I don't want a brain bleed. Sounds kinda sad but it's really not - it's fun and I think it helps keep me coordinated and somewhat agile.
For you, I think learning new stuff as an adult is cool. Helps keep you from being a boring old shit who thinks they already have everything all figured out. Go slow and stick with it. Ask the kids for pointers. They are generally cool and are willing to teach.
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Yeah, I guess there was never even a thought in my mind of quitting. It literally wasn't an option. It's what I've done my whole life. What would I do without it? I prefer it over music. I've gotten more out of it than I've put into it. Just cuz I'm thrity-three -- that doesn't mean anything. I enjoy it as much as I did when I was sixteen, but I skate a little differently (no big gaps, very few handrails). Getting hurt is horrible but it's part of the game. You take your time off, recover, and get back at it. If you want to start up again or try at whatever age -- especially if you come from a punk background -- get back on it. You should. You'll probably meet a lot of like minded people, although skating covers the gamut nowadays. You'll chat with folks you never would have otherwise.
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still clearly remember the first time i ever saw a skateboard early/mid '70s (i was 12 or 13) . it had large thin black rubber wheels and a thick hardwood deck about an inch and a half thick. the kid that owned it could barely ride it and fell off every time he hit a pebble, though for some reason i was still impressed. a bit later i talked my old man into making me one by bolting an old broken pair of roller skates to the bottom of a plank of wood. you couldn't turn the fucken thing because it had no trucks and it weighed about 20 pounds, but it was fast as fuck in a straight line (i was the kid king of lo-fi skating). later on a got a board with proper trucks and urethane wheels and had a small bunch of friends in high school who had similar boards and were into it. fun memories, but i haven't skated since.
my 5 yr old boy wants one for xmas, so i'll probably get him one and do as scrods dad did and make a complete dick of myself showing him how its done and maybe even break a bone or two.
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...also punks didn't skate in the '70s. try to imagine johnny rotten on a skate board, you can't.
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sex pistols werent really punk, though. that shit is straight up rock n roll that has more in common with slade than ramones, or whatever...
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...also punks didn't skate in the '70s. try to imagine johnny rotten on a skate board, you can't.
Closest thing would be the singer in Demented Are Go. I remember him skating in an italian piazza on a Sunday afternoon, with every single person just frozen staring at him as he just passed by with a big stupid grin and the crazy hair and funny clothes. I was 16, I still remember him very clearly!
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Well, Skateboarders became punks in the 70's...
http://www.calstreets.com/vintage_skateboard_collector_news/interview-with-steve-alba-and-lance-mountain/
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I loved how hated skating was in the mid '90s when I started. That was part of the appeal. You were hated for doing it.
The only thing I hated about skating in the 90s was when all the skaters started dressing like vatos and only listening to Cypress Hill and other shit like that. That and the only new boards you could buy were of the lame pill shape variety and all the wheels were tiny rocks. And nobody was landing shit! You could watch kids try flatland tricks for an hour and never make it once. I cleaned up at yard sales during the 90s though. Found dozen "old school" completes and don't think I paid over $10 for one of them. Fuck. This upcoming year will mark the 30th year of the skateboard being my primary mode of transportation. I'll never be without one.
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sex pistols werent really punk, though. that shit is straight up rock n roll that has more in common with slade than ramones, or whatever...
completely agree, niether were the saints. the intensity and attitude were just ramped up ten fold and then some. i just meant that punk and skating weren't always as entwined as punk kids these days might think...not that i give a shit about what punk kids these days may or may not think. i'm gonna shut the fuck up now.
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I'll be 40 in two weeks and I still skate at least once a week. I've been doing this shit for almost 30 years now. Jesus...Not even thinking about handrails or huge gaps anymore. The dudes I'm in a band with built a bunch of obstacles like a fun box, slide rail, wedge, and we've been skating most band practice nights. Its pretty rad. Playing music and riding skateboards. 15 year old me would be stoked!!!!
Good to see other old guy skaters! I applaud you for starting in your 30s. Just cruising on a skateboard is the best feeling in the world.
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...talk about it man, don't do it...
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Man, I like talking about this shit a lot more than music.
Skateboarding wasn't linked up closely with punk until the '80s. I'll qualify that statement: punk was present in skateboarding in the late '70s. It was basically the Santa Cruz team. Duane Peters, Steve Olson and Steve Alba. They "battled" the "Varibots": Allen Losi, Tony Hawk, etc. That's not to say punks didn't skate, of course, but punk didn't permeate the culture like it did in the '80s. That had a lot to do with skate videos like Skatevisions and to a larger extent Streets on Fire by Santa Cruz (almost exclusively set to an SST soundtrack), as well as Thrasher magazine starting up (in '81 I believe). Skating was in a lull in the late '70s. I picked up by '84. Jason Jessee (Santa Cruz) and Steve and Art Godoy (Speed Wheels) bridged the gap between skateboarders and tattoos/motorcycles. Say what you will about that shit now, but it was pretty outside of the mainstream in '86.
Yeah, the bearing cover wheels (like 33 mm) were shit hot in '93. I didn't start skating until '95, so I thankfully missed that Damon Byrd/pressure flip era. Skateboarding was rad in the mid '90s. Illegal as shit, no skateparks and you were hated on for doing it. We ran from the cops at the LA Courthouse on a weekly basis. Loved every minute of it. Skateboarding wasn't so closely associated with punk during that time, that's correct. It was a lot more regional then. The East Coast was coming up hard with Zoo York, Philadelphia was killing it with Illuminati and the Love Park guys and California was a little more tech than the rest. Boards had gotten pretty much standardized by then; they're the same shape they are now, but the widths were a little more varied -- ranging from 7.5" on the West Coast to 8.75" in Philly (at least for Sergei Trudnowski and Matt Reason). I really liked those Philadelphia dudes. Matt Reason (RIP) remains my favorite skateboarder. There was a real marked difference between '93 skating and '96 skating. It was evolving on almost a monthly basis. You couldn't get away with half the tricks you did in '93 by '96. Pressure flips, varial flips, double kickflips, noseslide to k-grind tranfers -- no, bro. They were out. Also, skating was getting a lot cleaner and people had to skate faster. Again, the Philadelphia dudes were really killing it then, although the West Coast was still leading the way to be honest. (This is coming from a Philly fan.)
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I watched Duane Peters giving "crops" in the bathroom of the Big O skatepark in 1979.
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the secondhand board i got is 7.5" which i believe is pretty skinny these days. the wheels are super hard too which isn't great for pavements here ha but it works.... I also found another guy at work last nights who goes to the south bank on lunch breaks!
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For you, I think learning new stuff as an adult is cool. Helps keep you from being a boring old shit who thinks they already have everything all figured out.
ha i love this
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the secondhand board i got is 7.5" which i believe is pretty skinny these days. the wheels are super hard too which isn't great for pavements here ha but it works.... I also found another guy at work last nights who goes to the south bank on lunch breaks!
7.5" is skinny. London ground -- probably want at least 53mm wheels. There's a reason those Philadelphia Eastern Exposure videos were big in the UK. Similar terrain was skated. Real rough.
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yeh i got recommended these by someone local http://www.routeone.co.uk/spitfire-beach-break-80hd-speedies-mash-up-team-wheel-54mm.html?dfe_c=209&dfe_t=fb92073000b9b031daaa3ee1a2af5f11&dfe_s=froogleproducts&utm_source=adwordspla&gclid=Cj0KEQiAm-CyBRDx65nBhcmVtbIBEiQA7zm8lcaO3nqJMClpkrGpwqGLK-uhwESadhoolyVN0axk4_IaAh9u8P8HAQ
Is a skinny board alright to learn on you reckon?
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Yeah, those Spitfires at 54mm will be great. I also like those classic profiles. I really hate the "wedge cuts" (or whatever they're calling them) that park wheels have. They're the worst.
Skinny board: yeah, it'll be fine. It's not going to help you any -- I'd recommend jumping up to 8" and seeing how that feels -- but for your purposes, there's no point in dropping a ton of cash right now. Enjoy it until you get more cash or get frustrated by how narrow it is. I lived in NZ for a while; those imported prices on hard goods was a bummer.
When you get a new board, one thing folks fail on is they don't match up truck and board size. So if you're riding an 8.25" board, you're not going to want 129 Independent trucks, but 139 at the least -- probably 149. You can usually spot someone's new if their board and truck sizes are totally mismatched. It makes for a harder time turning and doing tricks. If you get to that point, ask someone at a shop or I'll recommend a truck to you. Stick with Independents or Thunders.
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ahh so i won't just be able to swap in the trucks on my current board (they're Ventures) if i get a wider board, yeh i didn't have a clue about that i thought I could just swap piece by piece, thanks.
I quite like how it looks skinny, it is like the ones kids used to ride when i was growing up...
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Here's the deal: Skateboard hard goods (decks, wheels, trucks, bearing, etc.) are all standardized. All the products (with few if any exceptions) are compatible: any size Venture truck will fit a Santa Cruz/Flip/Krooked deck, as will Thunders, Indy's, etc. You'll notice that Indy's still have two rows of bolt holes in their base plate; that's a holdover from '80s decks that had different bolt-hole patterns. They just kept it around. Anyway, that's minutiae. Point is, you can put whatever you want together on a board.
While you can ride an 8.5" wide board with, say, Indy 129s -- it will work -- but it's far from ideal. Those trucks have a short axle and are meant for 7.5" to 7.75" wide boards (approximately). If I tried to Smith grind with that setup (wide board, skinny truck), I'd likely end up breaking the board -- I have anger issues -- before I pulled the trick. There just isn't enough room on the truck to do a Smith with such a wide board. Also, when you turn, relative to the width of the board, it's just not going to feel right. I'd venture to guess wheel bite is going to be easier as well, as the concave allows for more clearance the further out your wheel is from the middle of your board.
I skateboard one to four times a week, depending on weather and work. And I have for twenty years. I'll notice this stuff immediately. If you're having fun and starting out, you won't. And there's no point in sinking a lot of money when you don't have to. However, when you upgrade, it's good to know this stuff so that you can make informed purchases. Nothing worse than seeing brand new Indys on a board either too big or too small. You're going about it right. Those Spitfires will work great. Get some Black Panther Abec 3s or China Reds. No point in dropping stupid money on Powell Swiss, but you need something that'll roll. If you want an honest opinion -- of if anyone else on here does -- about what a good setup will be, ask. Occasionally shop folks will recommend shit you don't need, but most are straight shooters. Skateboarding was/is the main focus of my life for twenty years.
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I should also state that stuff like deck size, wheel size and truck size are all up to the user. I actually ride Indy 159s that might be considered a little "too" wide for 8.25" decks (and I skate mostly street). I used to ride 149s, shop didn't have any in stock after breaking a base plate. Tried 159s and I liked the extra room. I had previously ridden 149s for over ten years.
What I'm giving are just general rules that will help you dial in your setup as you develop your own personal preferences with your setup. It'll take some time and your preferences will change gradually over the years.
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I watched Duane Peters giving "crops" in the bathroom of the Big O skatepark in 1979.
That rules!!!
Is a skinny board alright to learn on you reckon?
[/quote]
What Spacecase is saying is right on. All the shit I ride is bigger, as far as boards I won't ride anything other than a 9" and wider, my wheels I actually went down to 56mm from 60, however I only like 97a(the hardness of the wheel),it grips to the wall, yet you can still, slide,etc., 99 and 101 are to slick for me but others swear by it. My trucks are 169 Indy's as well. You will figure out what you like and dislike, everybody is different, all the people I ride with have their own OCD set up,ha,ha! Like I said before I am more carving and grinding,sweepers,etc. nothing technical. So a bigger set up is what I have always felt comfortable riding.
"Gearing Up For What They Call Getting Down". Neil Blender
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Indys, Spitfire 54-56mms, Bones bearings and a Deluxe deck around ~8.5", usually Anti-Hero has been my go to complete for years! Best combo.
Damn I want to go and skate, last winter I didn't go once but I compensated it by skating more in the summer than in the past 2 years combined (that is multiple times a week instead of maybe once).
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I watched Duane Peters giving "crops" in the bathroom of the Big O skatepark in 1979.
That rules!!!
Is a skinny board alright to learn on you reckon?
What Spacecase is saying is right on. All the shit I ride is bigger, as far as boards I won't ride anything other than a 9" and wider, my wheels I actually went down to 56mm from 60, however I only like 97a(the hardness of the wheel),it grips to the wall, yet you can still, slide,etc., 99 and 101 are to slick for me but others swear by it. My trucks are 169 Indy's as well. You will figure out what you like and dislike, everybody is different, all the people I ride with have their own OCD set up,ha,ha! Like I said before I am more carving and grinding,sweepers,etc. nothing technical. So a bigger set up is what I have always felt comfortable riding.
"Gearing Up For What They Call Getting Down". Neil Blender
[/quote]
That's a really good transition setup.
P-TNT: We ride basically the same setup. Deluxe wood only -- preferably Krooked for my old friend Van Wastell -- with 159 Indys, 53mm Spitfire Classics, China Reds or Black Panthers. 1" Phillips hardware.
And about trucks: I mentioned dialing in a size relative to the board you're riding because, having skated for so long and having worked at skateshops when I was younger, that's the last thing people seemed to figure out. They'd get the deck size and wheel size dialed in, but matching up trucks seemed to be the things folks overlooked the most.
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I saw this video about 3 weeks ago, then had off work for a week over thanksgiving so i decided to buy a skateboard and wanted to see if i could learn to do a kickflip at 45 years old
https://youtu.be/0fzst0kM8pI
I ended up trying to ollie for about 25 minutes, got tired and sat down to rest for the remainder of the week off.
Maybe over xmas...
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I started skating in 1989 and boards/wheels were still pretty big then (and had varying nose/tail shapes). I liked when decks got more uniform (nose/tail wise) in the early '90s (tho I think noses were slightly bigger?). I hated tiny 30-something mm wheels, even when I skated them. I was happy to get back into the mid-50 mm range.
Since I've been more out than in skating in the past 10-12 years, I've had the same deck (John Cardiel, Anti Hero maybe?) I got it in 2001 when George Bush gave out the original round of stimulus checks, thought I'd support my local skate shop! My trucks/wheels are from maybe '96, and held strong through my waning majorly active days (Indy trucks, Spitfire wheels... the only way to go!). I don't know who makes boards these days, but I used to love Real/Stereo/Anti Hero... I think they were all made by Deluxe? I got into Consolidated for a while in the mid-'90s when they held the price line at $55 for decks, but I always went back to Deluxe. Their shit took abuse and kept their pop, unlike whoever was manufacturing World Industries and their subsidiaries, which had a good pop at the start but would snap on gaps/stairs.
Since I was born and raised in northern NJ, I was always loyal to NYC skate style, but felt that in the mid-'90s, Philly and Zoo York were innovating the going super big style (gaps, stairs, huge wall rides). I remember Ricky Oyola (?) being the sickest and he always had bigger boards.
Damn, I love this thread!
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Yeah, Stereo (at least during the '90s) was through Deluxe, as was/is Anti-Hero. Ricky Oyola was pretty great. His part in Eastern Exposure 3 is really awesome. There are only a few woodshops making boards. Most of the manufacturers use the same three or four. Unfortunately, China has gotten into board production within the last decade or so and their boards are really, really bad. I think Schmitt Stix and one or two others are located in the US. The US and Canada make the best boards, hands down. Like tool production, it's about quality control, and you get that with US and Canadian made boards. Canadian maple is really good; it has a great reputation. Mexico is making a lot of boards these days -- they have been for a while -- and they do a good job. I've got no problem buying a Mexican-made board. The quality is generally satisfactory or better. But the Chinese boards are garbage. I was getting decks from my friend who rode for Workshop; he was out of town so I bought an Alien board (I was getting boat loads for free, so I guess I felt like paying it forward). It broke in two days on a fucking manual. I've broken a new board in 45 minutes; it was my fault and not the board's and I owned up to it. This wasn't my fault; the board was simply defective. He mentioned some of the boards were Chinese made and that was likely one of the bad ones.
COO on boards is sort of disguised. I think you occasionally get a "Made in Mexico" sticker, but most of the time you don't. Like I said, if it's being produced in North America, it ranges from satisfactory to great. The Chinese boards should not be on the marketplace. Skate companies have a tendency to keep skaters in the dark about who's manufacturing their boards and where they're being made.
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the board i got is by Blind. no idea ha. ah here's a photo it's proabbly better than trying to describe it as I don't know the terms
(http://i.imgur.com/RoucbHO.jpg)
I've been every day this week since i got the board, just for half an hour then little bits on journeys here and there, and signed up for an hour's free "skate class" tomorrow morning (it is gonna be all teenagers ha). I did manage an ollie yesterday... standing still... about an inch off the ground. someone else saw it so it did happen.
i think i need to go faster in general. well it is very early days tho
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BOLLOCKS i got dog shite all over the grip tape now. guess I'll be learning how to replace that tonight.
my local skate shop didn't have those wheels I posted but they have these which seem the same spec, what's the difference really? http://www.nativeskatestore.co.uk/skateboards-c7/skateboard-wheels-c8/spitfire-wheels-spitfire-80hd-speedies-bighead-meltdown-soft-skateboard-wheels-54mm-p20061/s41048?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=spitfire-wheels-spitfire-80hd-speedies-bighead-meltdown-soft-skateboar&utm_campaign=product%2Blisting%2Bads
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Blind deck with Venture trucks and risers. Can't tell you about the wheels or bearings, although there's still a lot of life left in your wheels.
Those look to be the same cut (side profile) as the other wheels, but the wheel is softer. I'm a little less knowledgeable about "wheel hardness." Really soft wheels are used for cruiser boards and skate filmers use them because they're quieter and go over cracks easier. You don't want those for street skating or park skating. You'll wear them out quick and they're squishy. I'd look for a "harder wheel." Again, if they have'em available, Spitfire Classics are unbeatable. Also, stick within the 52mm to 54mm wheel realm if you're into street. That'll get you started before you decide you want a wheel that's bigger or smaller. Once you get above 55mm, it gets hard to Ollie. Some people like monster wheels on street -- nothing wrong with it, of course -- but there aren't many of them. Below 52mm, and you're gonna start having more issues with rough London sidewalks.
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cool thanks so much! i'll be leaving those wheels on for a bit then as they're not worn out... i guess there's no point spending money when i don't know what i prefer... i only flew off on a little stone once so far
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Yeah, those wheels aren't bad at all. If you notice one wheel is a little more worn out than the other three, rotate the wheels like you would on a car -- front two go to the back truck, back two go in the front. Best to switch'em diagonally too.
That's a quality setup. Again, over time you'll likely find the board too small as you get better, but have fun with it and try a larger board (around 8" to 8 1/8" wide) when it gets worn out. Venture makes a decent truck, but I'd recommend Independents. A couple of other folks have on this board as well for the reason that they're just the best. Thunders are quality too. Again, try'em only when you have the cash and feel like upgrading. Just keep your money on you in the meantime. Again, that setup has quality stuff on it.
If you're wondering, Venture seemed to hit hard in the early/mid '90s with their "Feather Light" truck. They were great for that tech era -- as the name implied, really light and incredibly low. They still make good trucks -- and in a range of styles and sizes -- and there are really great skaters out there who prefer them. However, having been around LA and skated with pros a lot, it's funny how many of them are sponsored by other truck companies and still ride Independents -- at least when not shooting ads. That should tell you something.
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BOLLOCKS i got dog shite all over the grip tape now. guess I'll be learning how to replace that tonight.
RE: dog shit on grip tape
If there's big clumps, first pick them out with something like tooth picks and then you try and get the rest out by using a wet blanket (or similar). Just avoid scrubbing it, you most likely won't get all of it out but replacing griptapes is just a pain in the ass.
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BOLLOCKS i got dog shite all over the grip tape now. guess I'll be learning how to replace that tonight.
RE: dog shit on grip tape
If there's big clumps, first pick them out with something like tooth picks and then you try and get the rest out by using a wet blanket (or similar). Just avoid scrubbing it, you most likely won't get all of it out but replacing griptapes is just a pain in the ass.
Yeah. We used to just grip over grip tape at the shop if kids insisted on it. I never got the point. If the grip is gone (lost its grit), then the board is probably dead too. Good luck trying to pull old grip off.
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There was a real marked difference between '93 skating and '96 skating. It was evolving on almost a monthly basis. You couldn't get away with half the tricks you did in '93 by '96. Pressure flips, varial flips, double kickflips, noseslide to k-grind tranfers -- no, bro. They were out.
I skated from 92-96 and definitely remember when I first started there were tons of different tricks and a year or so later everyone just focused on doing 5-10 "classic" tricks cleanly.
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There was a real marked difference between '93 skating and '96 skating. It was evolving on almost a monthly basis. You couldn't get away with half the tricks you did in '93 by '96. Pressure flips, varial flips, double kickflips, noseslide to k-grind tranfers -- no, bro. They were out.
I skated from 92-96 and definitely remember when I first started there were tons of different tricks and a year or so later everyone just focused on doing 5-10 "classic" tricks cleanly.
RIP Pressure Flips, gone but not forgotten
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I got most of it off using dried leaves
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There was a real marked difference between '93 skating and '96 skating. It was evolving on almost a monthly basis. You couldn't get away with half the tricks you did in '93 by '96. Pressure flips, varial flips, double kickflips, noseslide to k-grind tranfers -- no, bro. They were out.
I skated from 92-96 and definitely remember when I first started there were tons of different tricks and a year or so later everyone just focused on doing 5-10 "classic" tricks cleanly.
RIP Pressure Flips, gone but not forgotten
My friend used to do so many pressure flips, well past when everyone else stopped doing them, the end of his board would be as pointy as a pencil.
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More stick pics. Will post my dudes soon.
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I had one move...
(http://i.imgur.com/jIYty72.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/m2Hfgug.jpg)
oh and this wussy move...
(http://i.imgur.com/5NUDwsj.jpg)
Tail and grinder guards....jeez
(http://i.imgur.com/nkCE3s0.jpg)
Still managed to break my wrist...took me a month to actually go to the doctor...Cast was later signed at the Capitola Street Contest in '85...
(http://i.imgur.com/U0jp65m.jpg)
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(http://40.media.tumblr.com/c2e0bc5586744cde1c357942bc74e3bd/tumblr_inline_nrb4aebOrq1rmfos6_500.jpg)
K-grinding a handrail in '99. My '53 Ford is in the background.
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Cool photos, Sukebe GG.
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God, did the Doc have to re-break your wrist? That sounds awful.
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Cool photos, Sukebe GG.
Seriously. Those are fucking awesome.
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Out here in Arizona, the land of empty pools and endless concrete
and no rain...
I see seriously old dudes skating fairly often.
I still have my 1978 G+S with OG trucks and dirty Kryptonites
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Great pics!!
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Skateboarding is the greatest thing in the world. I'll be turning 31 in a couple weeks, and I still skate as often as I can. I'm probably more into now than I ever have been, and I've been doing it forever.
Tons of "older" people skate. Here's some inspiration for you: http://www.slapmagazine.com/component/option,com_jfusion/Itemid,4/index.php?topic=74338.1020 (http://www.slapmagazine.com/component/option,com_jfusion/Itemid,4/index.php?topic=74338.1020)
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I took up skating in my early 20's. Ripped all of the ligaments in my right foot a month or two later and got really proficient with crutches over the next 8 or 9 months. Oops.
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God, did the Doc have to re-break your wrist? That sounds awful.
Nah, it wasn't so bad for some reason...seemed to have healed ok. (Sent you a pm dude.)
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Try ice skating* instead. Just went to the rink with my boy, plenty of 30-40 old farts shuffling around.
*When I was a freshman in high school a senior punk lady asked me if I skated. I said yes. I thought she meant ice skating. Strike one. I then told her the Meat Puppets were great so she went out and bought the newly released Out My Way. Strike two and strike three.
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A line I filmed today (I'm the king of cell phone footage): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Ep5Hgejzo&feature=youtu.be
If you've got footage or skate photos, keep posting!
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Damn. I wish I hadn't become so goddamn lazy in the last few years. I took up skating in '91, have never officially quit despite never being really good at it and having extended periods where I wouldn't skate at all. I guess living in a country with harsh winters also took its toll, when I was 20 I used to skate with a winter coat and gloves on, nowadays there's no way you'll get me out there skating a ledge when it's freezing outside and indoor skateparks are too expensive. Also the fear of hurting myself is much more tangible... and the frustration when you can't land a trick you used to do with your eyes closed. Of course it's a vicious circle, the less you skate the more it gets frustrating and hard the few times you do so you skate even less...
Having said that, it's such a good feeling. I'll never quit for good, even if it's just cruising around. This summer I was skating with a similarly aged buddy and his 5-year-old son, it was so much fun. I have been in need of a complete new setup for a while though, board and trucks and wheels are all past their expire date - shoes too, I guess. That was also a drag last couple of times I was skating, wheels don't roll, board doesn't pop... Gotta save some money this winter and hopefully I will be back on next year.
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Yeah. The more you do it, the easier it gets. If I have to take more than a week off, it's rough getting back at it. I notice it. That being said, it's sort of like riding a bike.
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I go every single day. for the 8 days in a row since I started at least. I guess I must be getting better it doesn't necessarily feel it tho.... the lesson on saturday was pretty good... am meeting up with someone who knows what they're doing this week anyway.
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http://i.imgur.com/myfexSy.gifv
could be me, but isn't
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Glenn from Black Time lives in London and skates. I've skated with him when he was on tour. Great dude.
woo he taught me how to go up a bank at the south bank today.... and almost how to come down too. FIRE
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Glenn from Black Time lives in London and skates. I've skated with him when he was on tour. Great dude.
woo he taught me how to go up a bank at the south bank today.... and almost how to come down too. FIRE
Glad to hear it.
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Right I'm still on this. Love going to south bank the people are cool such a mix all going for it. Got purple graffiti paint on my new wheels (spitfire classic 54??) cos I did a slide over where some had dripped. Its so difficult, all the bits that everyone else makes look easy!! Im off to mexico city in a few months, reckon I shd hit some warm and dry spots.
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(http://i.imgur.com/LX2Nd0g.jpg)
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Nice! Counting the days till I get to launch my kid into the world on a Penny. (He's 2 mos old.) Probably get him skiing/snowboarding first, but really cant wait to skate with him.
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Skated four out of the last five days. Did two-and-a-half hours today.
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I've got too much catching up to do, so I figure I will only be able to skate well if I do it vicariously through my boy.. reckon 5 is about the right age for him to start, get him off the scooter.
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Get him off the scooter at all costs!
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Thanks for posting the videos btw, been enjoying those! Also found the Tired videos quite inspiring, as they have things a feel like I could actually conceivably do if I keep on practising, guess you've seen them:
https://youtu.be/5BRZoqUTD5M
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Those Tired videos are pretty rad. By all the Ollie Norths, I'm guessing those guys were really shredding in '88!
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Ohh I been looking for a UK-made deck (for when I next have money) to cut costs/better for environment etc and found this company, their decks are 50% bamboo! Any opinions?
www.oathuk.com/index.php/en/aboutus
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Skateboarding would be easier if it wasn't -30 degrees outside with tons of snow... I promised myself that I would go to an indoor park this winter (unlike last year...) but it doesn't look too promising. I fucking hate winter
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Ohh I been looking for a UK-made deck (for when I next have money) to cut costs/better for environment etc and found this company, their decks are 50% bamboo! Any opinions?
www.oathuk.com/index.php/en/aboutus
I've always ridden Deluxe boards (Krooked and Real) when I couldn't get others for free. I've always been suspicious of new board making techniques or materials (gimmick). I've been skating for over twenty years steadily so I've seen it all. That being said, 7 plies are likely 7 plies and I don't see why that board would be any different, especially if you're just starting out/if it's for your son. Stay away from their trucks. I wouldn't accept those for free. Wheels, I'm sure they're fine. There are only a few wheel manufacturers, and most wheels are simply re-brands. I ride Spitfires though. The Classics. Not the skatepark wheels. I hate their profile. To each their own.
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And if you're wondering about the 7 vs 8 or 9 ply shit, just stick with 7. It's always worked. The other boards are just slightly heavier and break just as easily if you land wrong. I've just skated forever and the standard 7 ply maple deck is the standard deck for a reason.
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I am gonna buy my first new set up when i go to mexico next month i reckon, cos everything is like half the price of in the UK. going to be visiting one of the Zarape shops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV0IDkNQops
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Fairly certain I tore my ACL (again) last night. Still, I'll never quit.
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Fairly certain I tore my ACL (again) last night. Still, I'll never quit.
A popping sound on impact and massive swelling are telltale signs. You'll know if it happens.
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Oh, saw that you've done it before. You know the drill then.
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Yup. Last time I went to the doctor. Told me to ice it, rest it & pop over the counter pain meds. Waste of time.
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i learnt some of the ways of the bowl yesterday.... so good. guess its my first summer, evrrything makes sense more now!
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I'll be 50 in a few months and I'm still skating. I'm still shit too with a repertoire of 0 tricks. Can't even ollie.
I learnt in London in the late 80s so was a 20-something late starter myself. It was a good time to start as skating had yet to re-emerge from the underground of the post-70s craze days. This meant all the skateparks were empty most of the time. Good times..
On the plus side - dude you live in London!!! There are some killer concrete parks form the 70s that still exist as well as all the new ones.
Harrow is a good place to learn - great classic park with very retro features (lethal peanut bowl!)
Kennington - great rectangular mellow bowl in Kennington Park (a quick tube ride from Waterloo/South Bank)
Stockwell - great mellow park right by Brixton Academy (much improved/upgraded since the 80s)
Victoria Park near Bethnal Green/Hackney.
Romford too - if its still there
I'm sure you know these by now. There are loads more.
I also chanced across a new park being built in Folkstone Gardens in Deptford that looked very cool.
I hope you learn new tricks quickly. I stalled early on but I don't care - the buzz of cruising around at high speed grabbing the odd grind on a concrete lip is fine by me and still "does it for me". Sure my son took up skating at 14 and within 2 months was better than me - he takes the piss out of my lack of ability but we still go out together. Going to head out to Hereford again soon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP16Hw59Oq0 - great provincial park. Many of the best parks are in weird provincial places. Midsomer Norton anyone? Killer fun park - http://www.skateboard.com.au/skateparks/england/midsomer-norton-skatepark/.
Dorchester in Dorset too.
I've managed to avoid any injuries in 30 years of skating - but then I know no tricks!! My son has broken the same wrist twice skating in 4 years and shreds. How cool it is to break a bone in pursuit of something you're passionate about. Although the bigger you are the harder you fall - and I'm 49 and tubby.
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I've only been to Stockwell out of those... that bowl is about 50m deep tho! also been to Mile End, Clissold Park, South bank a lot... Finsbury park was where i got the hang of it a bit tho as the bowl is very gentle.
i was getting nice decent ollies last week, but they have totally gone now arh. I wanna be able to pop up kerbs at least
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Hi baby,
My favorite punk rock skater: Sambone!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiFCJAOmcT4
(https://s1.postimg.org/1tqqjqwt5r/a96.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
How much can a 40 year old progress in skateboarding in a year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn9ZaK-JIrQ
42 Year Old Skate Every Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYRhUjKipNo
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That Suitor dude really is a bot, huh?
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A bot that is very considerate about content relation, at least.
I just signed up to volunteer at my city's non-profit indoor skate park to give back a little bit to my community, and also in hopes that it'll trigger my desire to step on a board again. But in all likelihood, I'll just be the weird old dude behind the desk who supervises and plays old guy music.
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Haven't been rolling in a while, used it to rehab my ACL that I busted a few years back. Carving bowls works great.
Fave board and safety gear stolen out of the back of my car, board gifted to my by AZPX Chris Kelley, wore that thing out. Hope someone is riding it now.
Unlike Tron, I gotta wear pads. Falling down just fucking hurts. And if I bonk my head without a helmet who's gonna pick up the kids?
Skateboarding is fun. Going fast makes your brain work better. Have fun and dork out.
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I dunno guys...I don't think they had skateboarding in the late 1930's!
Thanks, folks. I will be here all week.
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Here is some advice from me, a 20 year old skater who was once on flow.
*no pads
*handrails are cool
*tight pants
*8.00 deck or larger but no larger than 8.5 because you'll look like a bowl jockey
*tre flips
*impossibles
*NO PRESSURE FLIPS
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Yeah, Stereo (at least during the '90s) was through Deluxe, as was/is Anti-Hero. Ricky Oyola was pretty great. His part in Eastern Exposure 3 is really awesome. There are only a few woodshops making boards. Most of the manufacturers use the same three or four. Unfortunately, China has gotten into board production within the last decade or so and their boards are really, really bad. I think Schmitt Stix and one or two others are located in the US. The US and Canada make the best boards, hands down. Like tool production, it's about quality control, and you get that with US and Canadian made boards. Canadian maple is really good; it has a great reputation. Mexico is making a lot of boards these days -- they have been for a while -- and they do a good job. I've got no problem buying a Mexican-made board. The quality is generally satisfactory or better. But the Chinese boards are garbage. I was getting decks from my friend who rode for Workshop; he was out of town so I bought an Alien board (I was getting boat loads for free, so I guess I felt like paying it forward). It broke in two days on a fucking manual. I've broken a new board in 45 minutes; it was my fault and not the board's and I owned up to it. This wasn't my fault; the board was simply defective. He mentioned some of the boards were Chinese made and that was likely one of the bad ones.
COO on boards is sort of disguised. I think you occasionally get a "Made in Mexico" sticker, but most of the time you don't. Like I said, if it's being produced in North America, it ranges from satisfactory to great. The Chinese boards should not be on the marketplace. Skate companies have a tendency to keep skaters in the dark about who's manufacturing their boards and where they're being made.
Ricky motherfucking Oyola, that dude ripped. Most pure street skater ever,
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that Worble vid this year was great eh?
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No pads, no rules, Friedl!
I used to ride 8 3/4" boards back in 1996. A lot of the Philadelphia dudes did. You can rip street on a board that wide.
Ricky Oyola was great, but the real killer from that period/city (Philadelphia) was Freddy Gall. Matt Reason is my favorite skateboarder of all time.
Pressure flips are horrible to watch.
Handrails were cool. I don't skate them like I used to -- very, very rarely. I'm thirty-five.
Favorite Memphis skater -- Friedl.
The greatest skater/musician was Mario Rubalcaba. His last part in the Physics wheels vid is solid.
Next time I get to Memphis, I'll bring my board, Eric.
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Did pressure flips have a resurgence then go out again? I remember when they first appeared ('92-ish?) and people would kill their boards trying to do them. Gumby tail!
I hadn't skated in almost 2 years until this summer. Wanted to at least say I did it on my 40th birthday and I did it! It wasn't pretty, I tried warming up by skating a few days before the big day. I went to my local skate park at like 9am and there were little kids who were better than I ever was in my heyday. This was a weekday too, but it was summer so I guess school was out.
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Yeah, pressure flips are sort of happening again. Not a lot of folks are doing them, but I'm seeing them after twenty-four years of being totally dead. Erik Ellington blitzed one in the last Deathwish video over the LA Library gap and I felt really queasy watching it. Great skater doing a ridiculous trick -- that means we're in trouble. I started skating in 1995, but my older friends who started in the New Deal era have been busting them out again as a joke. Muscle memory goes deep. Pressure flips shaved boards like a jigsaw and 60-grit sandpaper.
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Pressure flips are back in, no complys and body varials are back out.
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My late friend Van Wastell had something to do with the body varial thing coming back. He was really, really good at them. Although ex-60/40 AM Larry Moore was keeping them on life support back in the mid-'90s.
Not feeling the no comply thing, unless you're Ray Barbee or Sean Young.
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I agree. No complys bum me out unless its in a Barbee part. Had no idea you knew Wastell, tragic story. I remember when he was gonna be the next big thing hand-picked by The Gonz himself.
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Not feeling the no comply thing, unless you're Ray Barbee or Sean Young.
Or me if you could see my no comply flips. Still my favorite trick to do.
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Not feeling the no comply thing, unless you're Ray Barbee or Sean Young.
Or me if you could see my no comply flips. Still my favorite trick to do.
Those and any # of board slide variations at the Franklin Block or slappies at the Reed Curb.
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I agree. No complys bum me out unless its in a Barbee part. Had no idea you knew Wastell, tragic story. I remember when he was gonna be the next big thing hand-picked by The Gonz himself.
Van was my childhood friend. We grew up skating together. He was two grades below me in high school. His brother Kurt was a pro snowboarder. When Kurt would visit in the mid-'90s it was like seeing a demi-god walk into town. He'd ollie over bike racks when we were barely making it up curbs.
I'll add one more person to the no-comply list: Ron Whaley. He'd do no-comply lazer flips in '96 when no one cared about them.
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I agree. No complys bum me out unless its in a Barbee part.
There are plenty of bad examples out there right now, especially among random skatepark kids on instagram. An IG account that points out various offenders:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZjOsGkAnNG/?taken-by=squareup_skateboards
Occasionally, someone will do a new no comply variation that looks great:
Pontus Alv from a few years ago - https://youtu.be/Pf9inO0pL8M?t=16s
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The no comply stuff will likely age as well some of the cheese ball tech of the late '90s (think Osiris' The Storm) and Damon Byrd's part in the Union Wheels video (early '90s). That's not saying that a lot of those tricks aren't hard -- some are incredibly difficult -- I just view it along the lines as the monochromatic fad of the late 1980s hot rod scene.
I've been skateboarding for over twenty-two years. Seen a lot of shit come and go. Even with dreadlocks, Matt Reason's skating still makes the most sense to me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gji-cx5JNwI
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What do you all think of the PALASONIC video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Ew-i8a7cg
I totally love it of course as a kind of love letter to the city of london, it captures the feel of it so well. the soundtrack is absolutely perfect. i think the vhs styling has irritated some people but it fits right to me... and the skating is hypnotic raw street. best thing of 2017 imo.
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I could only get through part of it. Incredible skating, but the VHS-C/Hi-8 aspect got tiring. I grew up skating during the period (mid-'90s) when that technology was cutting edge and most of us started out filming on 8mm. My friend, who ended up filming part of Workshop's Photosynthesis and the DC video, put a Hi-8 camera (Canon ES6000) on a credit card (they were prohibitively expensive). When the VX1000 came out he did the same thing. I don't get the fixation with videotape -- you can't recreate that time period by using the same cameras; Trilogy ain't coming back. It was a pre-Internet world and corporate sponsorship was nearly non-existent. A lot of skateshops look more like boutiques these days. A real change. (I'd have been unable to predict the future of skating back in 1996. My guess would have been wildly off from the present-day situation.) I had a good friend on Krooked, as well as an acquaintance. Gonz explored this return to lo-fi video ten years ago. The guys on the team were indifferent to unreceptive to the idea. I'd have felt the same, although the novelty of Gnar Gnar would have been more compelling. It's Gonz after all.
There seems to be a big push behind European/British skating now. It's good to see a lot of those guys get the spotlight. I knew/skated with a few Brits and they told me that the Eastern Exposure videos were influential due to the rugged terrain. I'm still convinced that France's JB Gillet was one of the best street skaters ever.
The best skate video that felt like a documentary of a scene was Zoo York's Mixtape. Before they went fully corporate and Supreme became a global brand, Zoo York (RB Umali) put out an incredible document of East Coast skating ('96-'97 period) before the marketplace for that stuff blew up -- at least for those in the right place. I was/remain very happy/proud to be from Southern California, but I really liked a lot of the footage coming out of Philadelphia and New York from that time period. Seems like some of those dudes had a huge chip on their shoulders against Californians. It didn't bother me; I liked a lot their footage and pros -- Matt Reason, Fred Gall, Robbie Gangemi, etc.
I still skate every day, but I feel pretty divorced from what's going on -- same goes for music. I can take it or leave it. I have to say that I do like seeing big boy Jamie Foy crush rails. That kid's hellbent on spot destruction.
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Can we get a top 10 skate videos of all time list from ya'll?
Not like a "historically significant" list but a personal top 10. I love reading this shit. Do people avidly collect these old VHS'? Are they all online now or do people sell DVDs or something?
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What do you all think of the PALASONIC video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Ew-i8a7cg
I totally love it of course as a kind of love letter to the city of london, it captures the feel of it so well. the soundtrack is absolutely perfect. i think the vhs styling has irritated some people but it fits right to me... and the skating is hypnotic raw street. best thing of 2017 imo.
I enjoyed it, despite now having a really low tolerance for skate videos that are over 20 minutes long.
I loved this clip featuring a bunch of the same people: http://www.thrashermagazine.com/articles/videos/mwadlands/
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Seeing as I'll take skating over music any day of the week, sure.
1. Trilogy. I was skating UCLA by myself in early/mid-'96 and I saw Richard Mulder there skating the rail in front of the John Wooden Center. Seeing as that was the early days when skating was still fairly underground, the guy filming him and I just skated the whole campus for the rest of the day. Richard asked if I had seen Trilogy yet which had just come out. I told him no. He said, "Go to the skate shop and get that video." I did. He was right. It's still my favorite video, especially the 101 section.
2. Mouse. An All City/City Stars AM told me that the Menace video didn't come out because Kareem felt that Mouse would've buried their video. That's a shame, but speaks volumes of how good this video was.
3. Best of 411 Vol. 2. Second video I ever bought (had a bunch of dubbed tapes before though). Matt Reason and Lennie Kirk in the same vid? Enough said.
4. Easter Exposure 3. Truly amazing. Donny Barley, Resse Forbes, Bam before drugs, and Ricky Oyola. I remember seeing Barley skate at a Hot Rods demo in Santa Monica when he was the new Toy Machine AM. Dude was truly a powerhouse on the board. Jerry Fisher was good and the Freddy Gall footage -- I mean, fuck if that wasn't memorable.
5. Welcome to Hell. Jamie Thomas shut shit down, but goddamn if Mike Maldonado wasn't a pitbull on a skateboard. BA's front blunt on Hubba was one for the record books.
6. Mix Tape. Pre-corporate, raw East Coast skating. Robbie Gangemi was incredible. His closer is the best back 50 ever done. Period.
7. Rodney vs. Daewon. Daewon is the best. Here he is at his peak.
8. Listen. Tim Dowling's flick. I grew up skating the Santa Monica Courthouse and Venice Pit. This was my era when I started out. I used to see a lot of these guys skating, although I was really young (13 to 16). Just really raw skating. Some of these guys ended up dead or in prison. It was before money entered skating. I'm not trying to romanticize this shit, just saying what Charlotte Pressler stated: those were different times.
9. Krooked's Gnar Gnar. I don't hide the fact that Van Wastell was one of my best friends and I miss him a lot. When that vid came out I asked Van why "Dreams Never End" was used over and over again. He said, "Mark just liked the song."
10. Video Days. I like Gonz. Rudy Johnson is a nice guy and his part was underrated.
I can talk about skating for hours and hours. It was and remains the most meaningful aspect of my life.
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In no order-
Antihero - Cow
Antihero - Tent City
Stereo - A Visual Sound
Blind - Video Days
Transworld - Sight Unseen
Toy Machine - Welcome to Hell
Real - Nonfiction
Girl - Mouse
Alien Workshop - Photosynthesis
Alien Workshop - Timecode
Bonus contest vid pick- Jim?s Ramp Jam
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Solid list. I liked Drake Jones' part in the Nonfiction. Timecode -- came on a gray tape. Kalis' part was short, but everything he did in it was significant. The kickflip backlip on the bench at the beginning was really pushing the envelope (of course switch back tail Hubba). Lennie Kirk was an enigma on a search and destroy mission. I thought he was going to be the future of skateboarding -- switch front lip, switch back 5-0, switch backside nosegrind Hubba, I didn't get the religious bit at the beginning when it came out, but it made sense later on. I didn't know Jim's Ramp Jam was a video. I had seen a lot of footage from that contest, but didn't know it was available.
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Nonfiction also had Ben Liversedge in it. That guy was so good.
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Cant add much to those lists, but Welcome to Hell is certainly the be-all-end-all in my head, even without The Muska. The BA front blunt might be my favorite trick ever filmed, hubba hideout should have just crumbled into dust after he landed that. Not mentioned:
AntiHero - Cash Money Vagrant - I've probably watched Cardiel's part more than any other part ever (Except for Gonz parts maybe)
FLiP - Sorry - ARTO
BAKER 2G - The Boss. I always feel like I should like Greco more than I actually do though
aaand
STREETS ON FIRE!!! Maybe my actual favorite of all time, but I'm a total Jason Jessee mark.
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Cant add much to those lists, but Welcome to Hell is certainly the be-all-end-all in my head, even without The Muska. The BA front blunt might be my favorite trick ever filmed, hubba hideout should have just crumbled into dust after he landed that. Not mentioned:
AntiHero - Cash Money Vagrant - I've probably watched Cardiel's part more than any other part ever (Except for Gonz parts maybe)
FLiP - Sorry - ARTO
BAKER 2G - The Boss. I always feel like I should like Greco more than I actually do though
aaand
STREETS ON FIRE!!! Maybe my actual favorite of all time, but I'm a total Jason Jessee mark.
I had to limit my Antihero choices for my top ten. Cash Money Vagrant is definitely classic, as is Fucktards. Cardiel is the all time number one. Saw him riding his bike in SF with Julien a few years ago and was far too excited.
Baker Bootleg and 2g hold a special place in my memory, but I find them kinda unwatchable now. Greco is a clown, albeit a ripper of a clown.
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Greco is cool. He knows music. The switch flip he did down Carlsbad was rad. So was the switch f/s flip down that big Lincoln High set in SF. He's definitely not milking it, still out there progressing.
Baker 2G -- I mean, again Maldonado. He was underrated. Skated like a damn pitbull. Dressen had that fire too.
I'll also add that before Welcome to Hell came out, Second Hand Smoke was a major video, especially Jeremy Wray's part. Ronnie Bertino should have been the future of technical street skating but got sidelined.
BA's front blunt down Hubba was raw. Carl Shipman had a photo doing the same trick on the cover of Thrasher. I never got the final verdict if his was a make or not.
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I'll throw an honorable mention out there to Alex "Trainwreck" Gall (In Bloom). Hate on him all you want. That kid went for broke right out of the car. He wouldn't boardslide a rail -- he'd just go straight to backlip, no warm up. His one full part is also varied. Switch front blunted LA Memorial High rail, back noseblunted Brooklyn Banks rail -- then promptly disappeared.