📷 Photo by Alessandro Simonetti
📝 Intro + Interview by Farran Golding
It is funny how a year can feel quiet for skate media, and then kick into gear in just a little over a week. Such was the case in mid-August when Nike SB’s QuickStrike, Daniel Wheatley’s Soul Crusher, Pop Trading Company’s POP, and Hardbody’s OD all arrived within the span of two weeks. But cast your mind back a little further to July and Jacopo Carozzi’s eponymous video part by Spezzatura was the first piece of skate media to sent phones ringing across the QS international news desks with high acclaim and musings of what might stake a claim in this years’ Readers Poll. [Voting opens in ~two weeks, btw.]
With that in mind, as the year comes to a close, we asked Jacopo to take the stand for the final “Five Favorite Parts” of 2024.
Hugh “Bod” Boyle — Santa Cruz / Santa Monica Airlines: A Reason For Living (1990)
Before Andrew [Reynolds] showed me Ocean [Howell], I used to watch vert videos from that generation. I had a bunch of vert skaters I wanted to include, like Neil Blender. I went for Bod Boyle because there’s something flawless about the way he skates vert.
We never had a vert ramp in Milan, but we had bowls, so that’s when I got familiar with skating transition and would take inspiration from some of the vert tricks people used to do. I liked the vibe of the part because there’s less in it; it’s mostly skateboarding. There wasn’t all this focus on what the video is going to be [aesthetically]: it was this skater, then onto the next skater. It’s kind of the opposite of why I like Mind Field and Stay Gold. It represents their skating and vibe at the time. Everything is based on, like, “This is how I skate.”
Ocean Howell — Birdhouse: Ravers (1993)
I used to watch a lot of 80s and 90s videos because me and my good friend Aref [Koushesh] fans of that generation of skaters. Nowadays, kids don’t seem to care about that, but they should, because that’s where everything comes from. These people were the first to do the tricks we to today and we take inspiration from those dudes. To see how Ocean Howell was skating at the time is insane; he’d do stuff on curbs that nobody had ever done. I want to say people try to imitate this nowadays skating curbs, but its hard to replicate what was done at that time.
Andrew [Reynolds] showed me Ocean Howell a while ago. He used to skate with him for Birdhouse, and that’s when I first got to see Ocean and I started digging into more stuff. All the stuff he does on curbs [is what] I’m trying to do on ledges. Whenever I see these [older] parts, I’m like, “That’s a sick trick,” and it gives me more than watching videos from today, somehow. To move those tricks from a from a curb to an actual ledge is what his skating gives me and that inspiration is super sick.
Daniel Cardone — Volume: Volume V (2009)
Volume videos were made by Marcello Guardigli, a videographer who is now a photographer. The videos were a collection of Italian skaters and the Europeans who would come to Italy. Daniel’s part is a little different; I think his is the only solo Volume part. Everything is amazing from the music to Daniel’s style on a board. After Bryan Herman, it’s my favorite part ever.
He was such an inspiration to all of us along with Giorgio Zattoni, the vert skater. Alongside him, Daniel was the only one going out in Europe and skating, being on the radar. The younger generation, nowadays, if they don’t get invited by a sponsor or whatever to go on trips, they wouldn’t film their part [abroad]. Back in the day, even without having a budget behind a trip, they’d just do it? That’s something that comes across with Daniel’s footage: he just wanted to do a part.
I know him so well, which is one of the reasons I like this. He’s such a humble guy. When I first saw him skate, I was afraid to go introduce myself to him, I was shy. Over the years, I got more comfortable and we became super close friends. He’s such a gypsy, always traveling. Whenever I get to see him is like a gift to me. To have someone who did what he did as an Italian skater showed us the way.
Heath Kirchart — Alien Workshop: Mind Field (2009)
It’s the same thing [as Stay Gold], I used to spend every day at the skate shop and the owner would play videos. Nowadays, full-lengths are a little different, but I watched that video a lot and I still do to this day. Whenever I’m bored of newer videos, I put on Mind Field. Even the soundtrack is so sick.
I’m such a fan of how Greg Hunt edited the whole thing. The songs, the skaters — everything is so sick. There’s a few parts I really like — Grant Taylor, Omar Salazar, Arto Saari — but the one that stands out is Heath. It’s his skating mixed with the song, the trick selection, his style, and he wasn’t super young at the time either. I also love the kickflip he does over the yellow hydrant in Stay Gold, but his kickflip in Mind Field, getting towed in on the motorcycle, is insane. He’s probably one of the first people to do something on that spot. It kind of belongs to him, and everyone thinks of him when they see it.
There are certain things I was surprised about him, like the transition skills he has. You wouldn’t see him skate transition as much, but there’s the opening clip here and in Stay Gold where he does the back three nose grab at the mega ramp. I really like the way he front tails down hubbas and flips out of back tails and it was probably the first time I’d see that trick done on a rail or hubba.
There’s something about how Heath stands on a skateboard that always appealed to me. Dressing in all black — or all white — and with this part there’s something where I don’t even know why I like him, but I fucking love to see Heath skate. Whenever I see him skating, it gives me goosebumps.
Bryan Herman — Emerica: Stay Gold (2010)
If I could choose who to skate like, it would be Bryan Herman. This part is so special to me. He skated all the picnic tables, but I really like nollie tre he does down the stairs [as Black Sabbath’s “Fairies Wear Boots” begins in the second half]. There’s a lot of flow in the beginning, skating tables, then he steps into the “harder” zone and that’s the first trick he does. To this day, every time I watch it, I’m so hyped.
I like Bryan Herman because one of the first videos I ever watched was This Is Skateboarding. He was such a kid at the time, but even in that video, he looks amazing on a skateboard with anything he does. I started skating in 2006, and the first time I ever watched Stay Gold was at my local shop, Contest Board Shop. They had it on DVD and the owner used to play videos for weeks, so I remember watching that over and over again. Honestly, I don’t think there could be anybody that doesn’t like it, you know?
Josh Kalis and Stevie Williams skating Love Park and Bryan skating picnic tables hyped me up on skating the same spot a lot. When I went to the States for one of the first times and skated a school, I was tripping on all the stuff he’d done. As much as they’re lower than I thought, they’re gnarly to do certain things on and over.
I’m always going to try and imitate Bryan Herman; it would be nice to look like him on a board. After I met him, I liked it even more. Sometimes you meet pro skaters and they’re not how you thought they’d be. The first time we met I had a broken wrist with a cast on and he hung out with me, it was so nice.
Honorable Mention: Neil Blender — G&S: Footage (1990)
Previously: Nicole Hause, Matt Militano, Evan Wasser, Ryuhei Kitazumi, Sarah Meurle, VitĂłria Mendonça, Andrew Wilson, Ben Kadow, Chandler Burton, Pedro Delfino, Johnny Wilson, Nick Michel, Wes Kremer, Jordan Trahan, Ariana Spencer, Elijah Odom, Greg Hunt, Zered Bassett, Neil Herrick, Trung Nguyen, Nick Boserio, Elissa Steamer, Casper Brooker, John Gardner, Bobshirt, Brandon Turner, Shari White, Nick Jensen, Tony Hawk, Naquan Rollings, Jack O’Grady, Josh Wilson, MaitĂ© Steenhoudt, Jahmir Brown, Una Farrar, Chris Jones, Mason Silva, Beatrice Domond, Mark Suciu, Justin Henry, 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
I think Bod Boyle is still alive and running Sidewalk Distribution.