The Road Changes A Man

Jahmal Williams by Pep Kim for issue #21 of Vague Skate Mag. The Jahmal cover article isn’t online, but the issue is on sale now.

ICYMI: A Flushing grate N.B.D. that’s been speculated for years on end, a Lego piece between the two rails at the Williamsburg Bridge monument, and a wild one at Grant’s Tomb in Frankie Spears’ all-New York outing of X-Games Real Street.

From flatbars in the driveway to bringing the town its first skate shop: Jake Johnson is opening up IQ Skateshop in his hometown of State College, Pennsylvania ♥

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Wood & Plants & Oceans

Just make the next one Tyshawn Jones Pro Skater. Photo via Atiba.

“I just saw myself as a homie who was helping another homie. That was not something that ever crossed my mind like, ‘Am I good at this?’ Both of us are happy in that moment.” Jenkem has an amazing interview with Briana King about her meet-ups for girls and LGBTQ youth learning to skateboard.

“I think you really got to listen to your feeling. Don’t go for the show. Go for your heart.” Lucas Puig on relationships, wood, plants, oceans and not having his johnson fall out when he’s skating in shorts — also for Jenkem, also inspiring. Maybe it’s time we start working on a sequel to the “Poolside” remix

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Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon

Keith Denley by Josh Stewart

Dustin Henry and his brother Tristan are asking for skaters’ aid in fundraising for Nations Skate Youth, which helps build indigenous communities, provides skate lessons, and advocates for skatepark construction. Any donation helps.

Max Palmer and Ryan Mettz curated a group art show with some friends to fundraise for SNaP Co. and Emergency Release Fund. You can buy a raffle ticket for any piece of your liking via a $20 Venmo, and all proceeds go to a good cause.

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Free Agency

You may have heard that the city approved plans to cover Tompkins with synthetic turf after a hearing this past May. There is very sparse information about this, outside of the Tompkins courts being outlined with a rectangle in a PDF. Several friends with, um, knowledge of how to navigate these things have begun to reach out for more info, as groundbreaking looks like it is set to begin this winter. Anyone with insight into how this could be debated and compromised with Parks, even after it has been approved, please feel free to share what you know. We’ll try our best to keep you updated as well.

“My project in Malmö felt unreal. Imagine that happening in New York. I wouldn’t even know where to start.” Hmm, on that note… MIT Masters degree holder, Alexis Sablone, has been heavy on the interview circuit lately, and everyone is happy about it. Alexis for president of skateboarding :)

Josh Kalis re-did the ender that capped a video part he filmed at age 23… at 43

Go Skate Day videos aren’t exactly the first things that get clicked on around here — unless they’re from the Sabotage dudes, who, rather than running the whole “this is the one day I refuse to skate” thing that contrarian “core” guys do, went out and got nine minutes worth of Philly footage in 24 hours. (Yo, where is that mini windowsill ledge? Figure it’s Center City somewhere and sucks IRL, but that thing looks super fun.)

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LMB

Rest in Peace Dillon ♥

Hey what’s up hello. It’s the latest Monday post since the queen turned 30 back in February, but this week is a wash, let’s be real.

“The democratic process is going to march on with or without you and it’s up to you to make a difference in it. Whether or not skateparks really make the city a better place or not – you can argue it one way or the the other – the fact is that they bring vitality and youthfulness. That’s kind of the new currency, really.” Village Psychic caught up with our friend Will Cornwall about how the skate community in Providence, R.I. turned a neglected bit of their downtown into a multi-use skateable public space that wouldn’t look out of place in say, Malmö. Honored to have been a tiny part of the story ♥

Hardbody x Humble gear from May’s pop-up shop is now available on their webstore.

You’re telling us we have to wait TWO YEARS for another Hijinx video? Do you have any idea how much angst we’re going to bottle up in that time?

Palace has a new ten-minute video from their trip to Hawaii. They also upgraded from the VHS cam to the Betamax.

We try to steer clear of the “fashion ripping off skateboarding YJ&&&T&%R$$^&!!!” angle considering skate graphics have been riffing on high fashion logos for decades, but Dolce & Gabbana’s DG King line looks eerily similar to that company the guy with that part in The Reason started… A wise man once said “you don’t have to be smart, just don’t be so fucking stupid” — this is more like “you don’t have to be original, just don’t be so fucking obvious.”

Resurrecting a classic spot for each “Go Skate Day” going forward forever is a constructive use of resources. We have some ideas :)

Michael Mackrodt’s “Fishing Lines” in Paris sequel is damning evidence of the fact that Paris is somehow even more afflicted with the “all visitors skate the same exact spots” dilemma than New York is. After maybe ~5 skate trips there, we have been to zero of the spots he skates. Keith Denley claims that it’s because those spots being “in the Paris equivalent of Bayridge,” but also he is not a licensed geographer.

Just when you thought DS1000 was the most fried concept you were gonna get for a video, Rob Fraebel made a 2018 video partially filmed on a Fisher-Price camera released in 1987 entitled PLX2000. (Don’t worry, it’s mostly VX though.)

Took long enough wtf DLX. Austin Kanfoush is pro, thank God.

Boil the Ocean is back with its summer mixtape series showcasing underrated and forgotten video parts from days past.

The Quasi video premieres in New York on next Tuesday, July 10. Flyer + info here.

Quote of the Week: “Fried calamari is just potato chips for rich people.” — Conor Prunty

This is what today feels like in the QS office ¯\_(ツ)_/¯