Photo by Guillaume Perimony
There’s no “formula” to making an engaging skate part anymore — whether its trick, trick, trick until the ender or a full narrative, there’s no guarantee anything is breaking through that barrier of a second-viewing. Jarne’s past two, however, did. Both “What Paradise” and “Professional Life” leave you knowing a bit more about the skater than your average section, but in a tact way that never feels like they’re trying to be more than video parts.
Given that those two have felt the right degree of different, it felt worthwhile to get a glimpse of what inspires the mind that got a flower pot dropped on it.
John Rattray — Zero: Dying to Live (2002)
I downloaded this video illegally. It really influenced me because he looked like he wasn’t doing any one type of skateboarding — he skated everything. It looked like he would never complain about any type of spot. If a spot was shitty, he’d skate it.
He did the 180 stalefish down MACBA 4, which I thought was really amazing, like “Fuck yeah, you can do grabs down gaps.” I started doing that because I wasn’t too good at flipping my board —I’m not still. I learned to stalefish down gaps instead.
Jason Dill — Habitat: Mosaic (2003)
I had this on VHS tape, in a TV that had a VCR inside and I was playing this all the time. It was the only video I had that wasn’t on a computer.
I chose this one because for more than half the part, he is skating one spot — and it’s one that looks like they just built. There wasn’t really anything for us to skate growing up in Belgium, and it really got me thinking when I was maybe 12 years old: “We need to make something like that. That’s so sick.” We went into the industrial area and found some old shit to build on. We tried looking for spots but there wasn’t really anything, so this part made me realize we could just make some bullshit in an isolated place and skate that.
Jake Dumcombe — Globe: United By Fate (2007)
It was a time when he and Shane Cross were doing the same thing a bit — like, being hippies, wearing shoestrings on their heads, and doing crailslides in bowls. I remember doing that a lot because of them. He still skates amazing, but I really liked this part. It’s stupid, but I started wearing a shoelace around my head because of him.
Jake Johnson — Alien Workshop: Mind Field (2009)
I don’t think a lot of people knew about him them, but he was instantly my favorite skater and it was instantly my favorite part.
It’s a big cliche to say “all the wallrides he did.” I started doing wallrides a lot because of this part. He was wallieing way before Pontus Alv made wallieing sick. A lot of people did them, but the wallie to tailslide on the rail and the nollie backside 180 switch nose manny and then the switch wallie line — those were really legendary. I always kept watching it. If I’m depressed or whatever, I put this on. “Ahh, thank God Jake is still there.”
He has a lot of different, sick parts, but this one feels like the “big one,” you know? I think for some people, less footage is better than all the footage — every trick is gold. It’s imprinted in a lot of people’s minds.
Have you noticed all 4 parts start with a J? I just realized and was gonna go for a J on the last one. I should put my part.
Grant Taylor — “Grant Taylor Rides For Anti-Hero” (2014)
I think P-Stone edited and filmed most of it. Grant getting on Anti-Hero was so dope. That part gives me a good feeling about skateboarding. But that’s just Grant Taylor I guess. He’s amazing. That’s probably the part I watch the most today. This one and Jake Johnson.
Previously: Breana Geering, Sage Elsesser, Bobby Worrest, Nik Stain, Anthony Van Engelen, Dom Henry, Bing Liu, Andrew Reynolds, Cyrus Bennett, Jacob Harris, Jamal Smith, Paul Rodriguez, Gilbert Crockett, Ben Chadourne, Tom Knox, Louie Lopez, The Chrome Ball Incident, The Bunt, Lacey Baker, Andrew Allen, GX1000, Brian Anderson, Gino Iannucci, Josh Kalis, Sean Pablo, Wade Desarmo, Chris Milic, Chad Muska, Hjalte Halberg, Danny Brady, Bill Strobeck, Aaron Herrington, Jerry Hsu, Brad Cromer, Brandon Westgate, Jim Greco, Jake Johnson, Scott Johnston, Josh Stewart, Eric Koston, Karl Watson, Josh Friedberg, John Cardiel, Pontus Alv, Alex Olson, Jahmal Williams
Bloody Brilliant.
Good read, great parts all’round.
I remember getting Dying To Live on VHS as a kid on a family trip to NY for $5! Always loved that Rattray Ollie over the crest of that rural hilly road.
Cheers. Keep up the great content snacks.
I back all of this but just the fact he threw in some united by fate is awesome. I got into skating right around that time and those were some of the first vids I saw.