“In a sense, Jeff Grosso’s contributions to the world aren’t singular but part of an entire point of view — one that could reflect how ridiculous life is while also hugging what he viewed as important tightly in secret. That’s an art. The ability to make things like skateboarding that feel so disposable yet life-changing — tricks that last seconds, yet feel immortal.” — A Loveletter to Jeff Grosso.
Just because you’re a thorn in the side of every skater guy yelling at a cloud on the internet, doesn’t mean you can’t MS Paint art direct your way into having friends in high places. Facing the dilemma of promoting a Nike SB collaboration with limited Nike SB riders on their amphibious roster, the Frog team called in a couple favors.
They borrowed Numbers’ Antonio Durao (apparently on his way home moonlighting at a catering gig, so the answer to the age-old question of “how much do you pay Antonio?” is “not enough”), 917’s Nolan “Every Time He Focuses A Board, That’s $20 Out Of Alex Olson’s Pocket” Benfield, Stingwater C.E.O. Daniel Kim + several others who consistently gyrate around the Frog universe, but earn their check elsewhere — and headed down to Atlanta.
Jersey Dave’s part from Stop Fakin’ 3 + cameos from Freddy, Quim etc. is online.
“I guess it’s kind of like, for example, a guy builds his dream house and then he goes off and has a cabin in the woods elsewhere. You know, a lake house. When you can have that, obviously that’s a privilege. You don’t always want to be at the one place, and it’s overrun with children and remote control cars and rules.” Village Psychic with a piece on the rules of contributing to and skating D.I.Y. spots.
We’d mark this as non-skate-related reading, but everyone knows it is just as skate as anything else on the list ;) NY Maghas the complete history on the rise of halal carts in New York. “Halal carts cross barriers. Cheap food triumphs over bad politics.”
No Cyber Monday deals, but the majority of what we have left from spring is on sale in the webstore. Holiday QS goods arriving to U.S. shops this week. Available in Japan now. Arriving in Europe and Canada next week. Available online next Monday, December 4 at midnight. AND! on the occasion you need some hot garms at this exact moment, Alltimers just stocked their webstore with their holiday range.
“Seeing a tiny skater on top of a sculpture on a Thrasher cover got me thinking that if the skater had been a performing artist addressing this art piece, it probably would have landed him on the Art Forum one. Unlike the art critic, the skater isn’t looking for the ‘unsaid’ in an art piece, its hidden meaning.” Raphael Zarka has a new project entitled Riding Modern Art, which chronicles 75 public sculptures and the skate photos shot on them over the years. Be sure to wallie the next Richard Serra you see because he deaded the homie on clearance ;)
Kevin Coakley scours every nook and cranny of the east coast and fakie crooks the Pace Ledge in his Look Left ender part, which is now online.
Theories is hosting a premiere of the Evisen video this Saturday, December 2, at the Wythe Hotel. Space is limited, and tickets are $5.
Always enjoy these Marseilles edits from Unemployed, and they serve as a good reminder of our 2018 goal to visit somewhere in France besides Paris ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Their latest has Sean Pablo and Jake cameos.
QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Don’t see this every day…
Quote of the Week: “It feels like I have an Android again.” — Meatball’s iPhone X Review
This guy nollie flipped Black Hubba, and then followed it up with the highest white rapper ever done in skateboard history. But also he nollie flipped Black Hubba.
Labor’s All City Showdown installment is now live over on Thrasher, with stock music straight out of the EST archives. The Frog/Max Palmer section is gold, Jerry. Gold.
Pretty much everyone in our age group and under looked up to Rodney Torres growing up. First New Yorker to flip into a handrail (pretty sure…), first to hit the Hooters Rail (R.I.P.), etc. “The King of Queens” is a quick video portrait by Carlos Felipe. Chrome Ball’s Rodney post has also been an all-time fave.
“However, the recently proffered notion that Chad Muska’s ‘illusion’ frontside flips looked good, wrongheaded as it is, speaks to a similar, latent yearning for diversity in trick form that seems to have been squeezed out in the online video age.” If no complies, beanplants, pressure flips and noseslide shoves can come back, there’s little reason to believe the mob or illusion flip won’t become a fashionable alternative to the tricks’ homogenized norms/forms by April of this year.
Paul Young uploaded four minutes of raw footage from a 2015 S.F. trip with Josh Wilson, Brendan Carroll, Adrian Vega, Tierney, Duster, Dick Rizzo and Nick Ferro.