Check the Stats, Check the Racks

April 20th, 2012 | 12:56 pm | Footage | 7 Comments

Photo by Emilio Cuilan

Normally, at this time of year, all we would have to show for the past three-and-a-half months is a few trips to Below the Bridge, one trip to Drop-In, several nights of pretending to skate at House of Vans, an elaborate Geo Moya blooper reel, and a clinched playoff spot at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Given 2012′s generosity in climate (the party ends for a bit tomorrow, by the way), we actually had a few nights in midtown, several trips to Flushing (one resulting in an E.J. anxiety attack due to being too far from the T.F.), mad footage of the Tompkins cones, and a wasted bottle of champagne. The bottom-half playoff seeding is still the same.

Contributing filmers: Andre Page & Richard Quintero.

Features: Josh Velez, Ritch Swain, Tyler Tufty, Sweet Waste, Andre Page, Billy McFeely, Pad Dowd, Vladimir Kirilenko, Emilio Cuilan, Negative, Brandon Bramhall, Ty Lyons, Brian Kelley, Rodney Sterling, Rob Gonyon, Jack Sabback, Roctakon, Galen DeKemper, Haffa, Carmelo Anthony, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith.

Mooney was locked up while this clip was being filmed, hence his lack of footage.

Alternate YouTube Link

if you need something to do tonight — Black Donald Trump live / Palace crew DJing / The Wavy Baby asking you to buy him a drink @ Santos. More info here.

Video Review: Natural Koncept – Creepin’ For Life

April 18th, 2012 | 11:01 am | Reviews | 8 Comments

We could have reviewed the new Transworld video. We decided to review the new Natural Koncept video instead.

By Galen DeKemper

Creepin’ for Life will make you forget you own other videos. Along with graffiti, Club Feria and urine consumption, Creepin’ for Life features the skate obstacles that try men’s souls. For a trick that allows Josh Zickert to have women call him “JZ Radical,” he goes above and beyond any call of duty save his own to master a vast intimidating sculpture in the heart of a landscape automobiles had previously owned. The rest of the video is similarly raw. Each rider’s part includes a heavy nod to his home turf mixed with the touring footage that ensues when this eleven man squad travels by van feeding off each other. Observe landmark skating on landmarks, monumental tricks on monuments and some wavy banks that you’d like to skate in the course of this 50-minute production that includes Sean Payne and thanks Paul Sevigny.

Link Me Maybe

April 2nd, 2012 | 8:50 am | Daily News | 10 Comments

Black Donald Moss (Photo by Pryce Holmes)

Lil’ Wayne buys majority ownership in Skatepark of Tampa for $9.3 million.

Galen Dekemper reviews Chity, a new independent video that recently came out of Chicago. You can watch the trailer for it here, and purchase the DVD via its Big Cartel page. Be sure to follow the crew’s Blogspot as well. “I feel like these guys kick it with girls who go to music shows.”

The cutthroat nature of New York’s growing dollar-slice industry continues to reach newfound heights of absurdity, this time with 75-cent slices. Being a broke-ass skateboarder sure is easy in 2012. Maybe Universal News will soon re-instate the $2 sandwich and a soda deal…

Watch the official Palace for Umbro launch video, and read the accommodating mini-interview about the project over at Dazed Digital.

Some HD raw footage log files: West Village to East Village session, anywhere but Tompkins.

Was going to make a joke last week about there being a new place to skate rocks over at the former S-Gap, but it seems like people already figured that one out (consult the 1:05 mark.) Skating on rocks = mad #whitestylez.

TRENDWATCH 2012 ALERT: Bulky headphone sightings have been reported in various unexpected locations, most notably in Poland. Is it safe to assume that Poland is the only place where people get away with nollie heelflip body varials? (Thanks to Nico for the tip.)

Rob Campbell and friends at the Chelsea Park in this new clip for New Breed.

Black Dave on police brutality, Trayvon Martin, and other subjects in his latest video, “Public Enemy.” Black Donald Trump for president 2012.

This may be old news, since people don’t skate there often and it took a while to notice, but you can’t skate the downhill curved ledge at the Guggenheim anymore. They fastened light fixtures to the top of it. Not the most popular spot, but definitely the best ledge there.

Someone mashed up a bunch of movie scenes shot in bodegas into one Vimeo clip.

The Brooklyn Nets are likely destined for second-class status in this city like the other two franchises ending with -ets, and current-day Jay-Z might be easy to ignore, but shout out to him for using a Reasonable Doubt album cut and not some Watch the Throne garbage in this Marcy to Barclays commercial.

Quote of the Week: “I own Quartersnacks, play for the Sacramento Kings, and am pro for Hopps.” — Matthew Mooney on what he tells girls regarding his employment or lack thereof


P.S. Want a long read about how screwed you are? Enjoy.

A Shop for All Seasons & Forever: Memories of Autumn

January 3rd, 2012 | 1:01 pm | Features & Interviews | 8 Comments

Written by Galen Dekemper.

Thanks to Rob Harris, Emilio Cuilan, Danny Weiss, and probably some other people for the photos.

+++++++

There is a tendency to consider things older than ourselves permanent into our future since we have no memory of a time without them. Autumn was in New York City before I was, and it had soldiered on for so long that I only imagined that it would continue to do so. Now the shop is closed. I will be thankful if this writing of Autumn’s death proves premature or temporary. Its rebirth is the Snackman’s number one prediction for 2012 and my fervent hope too, right up there with last year’s prediction of Slicky Boy switch nosegrinding a handrail. I feel the coming of both may arrive jointly, or once Slicky Boy’s rap or gambling money allows him to buy out the whole block of 9th Street, reinstate Autumn with the bowl on site, and start the Tompkins Deli back again too with a nightclub downstairs that will create its own Barmuda Triangle with Blind Barber and Lit. A resurrection of Autumn would be similar to the creation of Nobel Prizes once the living Mr. Nobel was declared dead in the press, that is a chance to live again more vigorously than ever before in the celebration of ideals, effort and truth, for all of which Autumn was a beacon despite its lack of extensive storefront signage. It existed in location and aesthetic right between Supreme and KCDC. The development of the gentleman skater genre owes much to Autumn. One time, this kid asked the Philosopher how to get to Autumn and Philosopher told him to stick around the TF till 7:30 then help carry the box back to the shop.

The Mind of the G-Man

December 6th, 2011 | 6:59 pm | Quarter-Diary | No Comments

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