A Brief History of Max Palmer’s Worst Spots

Words by Sean Dahlberg
Photos by Colin Sussingham & Max Hull

Max Palmer has an eye for the strange. He is as distinct of an individual as I’ve ever met and his skating follows suit. I’ve known Max since 2009, and he has been one of my best friends and favorite skateboarders ever since, constantly surprising me every time he takes me to a spot. I’ve been filming him for the last eight years, and if there’s any way to describe our relationship it’s this: he leads and I follow…and follow and follow and follow, until three hours later, when he finally pulls off the impossible on whatever fucked up “not spot” we are skating. Below are some of these stories. I love you Max — even though you may sometimes put me through hell, I hope to have another eight years following you to these horrible spots.

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Deep Freeze

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Happy late birthday Max. Photo by Johnny Wilson.

Late start today, after an unprecedented first week of the year with five updates :)

Probably caught this already, but Bronze dropped a Euro trip video right before the weekend, featuring two weeks spent in Berlin and Paris.

Best Johnny Wilson clip and Max footage in a minute. A road trip with Cyrus Bennett and Loose Trucks Max from the south, thru the midwest.

Even though Sheffey and Gonz tend be the most oft-mentioned parts, in doing those “Five Favorite Part” segments, one name has been mentioned by almost every person 30+ as one of their biggest influences, and it’s Ocean Howell. Chromeball has an extensive new interview with him about his career, hiatus and return.

Disregarding the world’s toughest question, Jordan Trahan knows where to skate AND eat, as he gives a tour of his favorite restaurants, all of which are on Orchard Street.

A bunch of podcasts / audio interviews seem like they made their way online in the past week: 1) The Nine Club interviewed Gino Iannucci. 2) “I had a job working at a skate shop since I was 12 and the only thing it prepares you for in the real world is how to deal with assholes.” — Somehow missed this “Max White Presents” one with Dave Caddo. 3) Max White has another new one with Taylor Nawrocki. 4) Tim O’Connor had Bobby Puleo on for his Jenkem Podcast. 5) The Bunt’s new one is with Chad Dixon.

Colin Sussingham has a quick photo feature over on Skateboard Story.

China footage isn’t boring, it’s just all in *how* you do it.

Cafe Creme came through with a “Best of 2016” list, reminding everyone to rewatch Kyron Davis’ “No Longer a Wasteman” part, and this IG remix of Vince.

How many more years until somebody finally ollies this?

Hotbox Social compiled a 12-track mixtape of Future loosies from 2016 (“How It Feel” is still super important), and Shrimp C put together a comprehensive best of 2016 for the endlessly underrated Strap from Travis Porter.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Duh. Porzingis’ double block on Giannis, proceeded by a three.

Quote of the Week: “You don’t skate, nor is this inspirational to you.” — Lurker Lou

Found a version with no Lil Uzi. Enjoy the extra minute to your life from here on out ;)

Twisted Illusions — A Full-Length Video by Max Palmer

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There are few things more excruciating than watching 2014 Q.S.S.O.T.Y, Max Palmer, be unable to skateboard. While spending the last third of 2015 healing a broken elbow, Max — a proud user of a T9-utilizing flip phone that only works sometimes — began filming things on video mode of his digital camera to pass the time. Some may remember this “device” being used in novelty projects like Krooked’s Gnaughty in an era before iPhones, #skatevideohouse, and even Flip Cams.

The resulting footage became Twisted Illusions, a half-hour video that features the B-roll to every Johnny Wilson-filmed session that took place from September 2015 onward. As Johnny himself has become engulfed in the bright lights of downtown celebrity, it’s reassuring to know that the faces who brought you video., Space Heater and Beef Patty are still operating at the same productivity levels that initially cast them in the national spotlight. (Max’s elbow is better now, btw.)

Features parts from Jesse Alba, Genesis Evans, Conor Prunty, Max himself, Kohlton, Cyrus Bennett, Andrew Wilson, Mitch from Philly, and a potential Line of the Year candidate from anti-Chinatown Double-Set activist, Jonathan Choi.

The QS Year in Review Countdown: 5-1

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Photo by Mike Heikkila

Last post of the year. Be safe out there tonight. Previously: 10-6, 15-11, 20-16, 25-21.

5. The Year of Columbus Park

For a spot that has been around for so long, Columbus Park didn’t become the main only place people go if they leave L.E.S. Park until recently. There was Puleo’s INFMS line, A.V.E’s ollie over 5050, and the seminal 2002 “Ja$onwear Day” clip that may have been the second time the kinked ledge ever got waxed — but besides routine 2000s video appearances of the ledge, the spot was never a bustling nexus until now. In 2015, it clocked two major video enders, one magazine cover, a newly established A.B.D. docket of tricks done up the two block, and is the place you are most likely to see a group of semi-motivated skateboarders pointing iPhones at each other.

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Already August

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Photo via Troy

Sometimes you gotta get up and laugh it off, you know? (That girl rips btw.)

Anyone wondering when the stuff that was at T.F. on Friday will reappear, follow N.Y. Ramp Co. on Instagram for alerts. Supposedly at Tompkins once a week.

Shout out to Adidas for acknowledging that Columbus Circle is the last remaining true “plaza” in New York with their plaza-loving Suciu part. (Flushing is not a plaza spot…it takes fifteen minutes to skate to the nearest store, among other things.)

A fan remix of some reigning Q.S.S.O.T.Y. Max Palmer video blog footage.

Yo, everyone needs to get better at looking out for cars when your boy is skating some spot that leads out into the street. In the immortal words of Rob Campbell: “It might be funny when you get hit by a car, but not when you get run over by one.”

Good for a laugh: a #listicle of the worst skateparks ever built.

Maybe it’s because we’re biased on this side of the country and they’ve been running way more east coast stuff as of late, but tough to disagree that Transworld issues have somehow gotten better as they have slimmed down and print has taken a backseat to online. Skateboard Story has a good interview with Mike Fitzgerald, TWS‘ director of sales, about keeping a three-decade-old skate magazine afloat in 2015.

Life lessons learned from The Hot Chocolate Tour via SMLTalk. Ayo for yayo.

This was basically like Inside the Skater’s Studio with Donny Barley.

#girl #power. “I just like to kickflip over stuff.”

Joe Cups uploaded a bonus montage from the 2004 Lurkers 2 video to his YouTube page. R.I.P. old back of Union Square. R.I.P. Pepsi Ledge. R.I.P. to the really good metal ledge with bad ground on Duane and Hudson Streets. (He also uploaded a better quality version of Lurkers 2 itself.)

The olds v.s. the youngs — chapter 95,746: “ironic” skateboarding edition a.k.a. how these ten seconds of Seymour Skinner will never not be relevant.

Every trick done down Clipper in seven minutes.

Colin Sussingham is having a show at 2nd Nature in Bushwick on Friday. $1 prints :)

The New Yorker is really into skateboarding these days.

Big last week for New Jersey. Shout out to Paterson.

Quote of the Week: “Do you know where I can get Xanax? …or any other drugs? …is that VX? I used to skate.” — Soho Lurker

Please @ me once someone does a trick into this. Thanks ;)