Like Frank Costanza and Jay-Z, Smalls had no choice but to come out of retirement and bring us Who Leg, an unanticipated half-sequel to the Stop Fakin’ series that canonized so much of D.M.V. skateboarding in the 2010s.
Having cited back troubles at the completion point of the trilogy in early 2018, Stop Fakin’ 3 was supposed to be Smalls’ final video, which makes this surprise upload all the more special.
“A few years ago, Daniel started showing up to Pulaski without his board, just to stare into the sun for hours on end. After a few months of this, he announced Stingwater.” — Smalls
After the release of Belly of the Beast, Allan Danze retired from skateboard filmmaking (because he was beginning to GRoE: Getting Ready tO Evolve.)
After the release of Spirit Quest, Colin Read retired from skateboard filmmaking (because, you probably suspected, he was beginning to GRoE.)
And as you may also already know, Stop Fakin’ 3 will be Smalls’ final video.
He is about to GRoE into a new chapter of life. Daniel was merely a brief spiritual guide on this vast journey.
GRoE-th is not for everybody. Daniel will be the first to tell you that people will misconstrue you GRoEing into convenient categories that their brains can easily process. Here is his four-limbed part from Stop Fakin’ 3, for all of those ready to evolve. You can purchase the Stop Fakin’ trilogy here.
Photo by Kyle Myles
Words & Interview by Frozen in Carbonite and Recordings of Boardings
Pulaski, for connoisseurs of plaza skating, offers the most authentic experience left in North America. One is out in the open yet simultaneously in one’s own pocket of reality. The Capitol looms at the end of Pennsylvania Avenue, and the White House stands only a couple of blocks away. The locals know the color schemes of the different law enforcement vehicles that encircle the block and react accordingly. The sheer electricity of the overall experience blows away your local park, no matter how expansive or plaza-like.
Like I said here, the power resides in the marble.
D.C. videography dates back to Sheffey’s A Reason for Living part, but exploded onto the scene via Chris Hall’s New Deal parts and the first issues of 411. Dave Schubert’s camera and Giant Distribution’s willingness to feature their riders at the time offered skating writ large a window into an intimidating but mind-opening scene that overshadowed Love Park for most of the early nineties. In 2018, “east coast” is synonymous with wallrides ‘n shit, but Pulaski locals were just as tech if not moreso than their Embarcadero contemporaries.
In addition to producing generations of rippers, Pulaski has produced as extensive a library of independent scene vids as anywhere — back to True Mathematics’ Prosperity², to the seminal Pitcrew (R.I.P) vid Where I’m From, to the turn-of-the-century classic Pack a Lunch. As computer technology facilitated D.I.Y. video production, more essential documents emerged. Along those lines, we recently caught up with Smalls, the dude behind the longest-standing D.C. video series, to discuss Stop Fakin’ 3 — the third in the trilogy of the same name — and the culture of one of the most prolific scenes in the world.
You can purchase Stop Fakin’ 3 along with the whole trilogy here.
