“I’ve died a thousand times but I’m still alive.” The Warm Up Zone wrapped up its series of Fred Gall tributes. Truly blessed to share the 2020 internet with a “new” blog dedicating half-a-summer to writing #longform posts about every crevice of Fred Gall’s career ♥ Fuck starting an Instagram, everyone write a paragraph.
You’re about to think you’re reading a 2014 Monday Links update: “Buzzcam 01” is a new Johnny Wilson video blog. We LOVE YouTube Johnny. Mostly filmed around the Vans park, with some street clips at the end.
Zach Baker put together a new edit featuring E.T. and E.J. for when she tells you that you’re too old to be listening to YNW Melly.
“NENGAJO” is a fun five-minute New Years VX montage via a bunch of dudes from Japan in New York, with some cameos mixed in between ♥
“The best part about going pro when your 30, is you have 3 years to get a job at one of the big corporations before you turn into a contest announcer.” Can’t remember the last time someone going pro made people so happy. Congrats again to Jamal ♥
This was the decade that the full-length skate video was supposed to die. We began the 2010s with everyone insisting that Stay Gold would be the last full-length skate video. Then, Pretty Sweet was supposed to be the last full-length video. Some people thought that Static IV would be it — the end, no more full-lengths after that. But I feel like I heard someone say Josh was working on something new a couple months back? Idk.
The experience might’ve changed. We’re not huddling around a skate house’s TV covered in stickers to watch a DVD bought from a shop anymore (if this past weekend is any indication, it’s more like AirPlaying a leaked .mp4 file via a link obtained from a guy who knows a guy), but the experience of viewing a fully realized skate video with your friends for the first, second or twentieth time is still sacred.
Just as we asked for your votes for the five best video parts, we did the same for the five best full-lengths: if you could choose the five videos that defined the 2010s, what would they be? The results were a bit more surprising than the parts tally in some ways, given that it felt like independent, regional and newer, small brand videos dominated the decade, yet Big Shoe Brands™ and Girl + Chocolate still made their way into the list. The top-heaviness of some companies or collectives was less of a surprise, in that certain creators loomed large over the 2010s.
Like the installment before it, this list is sans comment for 20-11, and then via favors from writer friends for the top ten: here are the twenty best skate videos of the past ten years.
Doubtful that anybody hasn’t watched it through at least once by now — Sour Solution II is fucking insane. Their first video was nuts, but they entered some new dimension of spots and sorcery with this one. Also, this video makes the whole “Barcelona footage is boring”-thing that people have been saying as of late just seem stupid. Then again, these ten guys are maybe the only ten guys who can skate the spots they skate ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
“Play – Part 2” is an iPhone video by Mateo deJesus featuring Marcello + a few of the Canal dudes, and really makes you happy to remember there’s this thing called summer that happens eventually. Can’t remember the last time anyone had footage from 3030 Park since they half-remodeled it either.
Two adults talking about adult skate shit… Chico Brenes chats with Tommy Guerrero about falling in love with skateboarding again, skating old school shapes, deciding to leave Chocolate, etc.
Blondey “Shorts in the Winter” McCoy and Shawn Powers build on the growing practice of skating the Banks’ exterior in “Serenity Now,” a shared part for Bronze. Shawn also has a quick video profile thing with …Manhattan Portage. (Honestly never registered the brand name of those red woven label bags until now. Content at work!)
Late to mention here, and it is more symbolic than anything, but Enid’s will be closing down at the end of March. It was the final North Brooklyn Barmuda Triangle institution still standing (Enid’s x No Name x Matchless), which aborted many day-after skate sessions before they even got started throughout the late-2000s and early-2010s. Its throne is now drunkenly held by the Bushwick Barmuda Triangle consisting of Carmelo’s x Birdy’s x Three Diamond Door. Shout out to that time Pryce and Waste held an Enid’s Christmas raffle with a chance to win a TV, and Marty won because he spent more on drinks than the TV itself costs ♥
QS Sports Desk Play of the Week:Steph to Giannis at All-Star, though who the hell paid any attention to the All-Star Game when you had the Sour video?
Quote of the Week Antonio Durao: “Yo! They’re selling hoodies for a dollar!” Inquisitive Gentleman: “You gonna buy one?” Antonio Durao: “…no.”
