Feels kinda crazy starting a QS update without a picture of Keith… Was tempted to use some of Pat Steiner’s modern art masterpieces this week, but we have a whole year-end content season for that! ;)
Jawn Gardner leads the charge on an important message with a nine-minute documentary about shedding the stigma of discussing mental health issues in the skate community ♥
On the chance that you haven’t been catching the …Arizona Iced Tea skate team edits on the TWS site (..yeah!), some of the most insane skateboarding in New York released this year was via their trip edit, e.g. the back tail off the marble kicker, the switch frontside flip across from the Stock Exchange, etc. TWSjust posted upthe first two raw edits from it, and wow it is crazy to look back at how desolate the city was last fall.
If you need affirmation of how incredibly difficult it has been to do these posts over the past two weeks, look no further than the fact that Thrasheris posting astrology content, this girl is still looking for which one of you who spilled coffee on yourself at Herald Square, and apparently, EVERYTHING is “going right” in skateboarding right now…Spring can’t come soon enough.
“I used to be more of a character back in the day and just dive into the river, swimming for the board and making people laugh. I remember Jaime Reyes gagging because I was in there doing backstrokes. They say swimming in that shit helps your immune system.” Village Psychic spoke to Brian Wenning about some of the spots that were instrumental to his skating.
Caddo and Lou gave up on skateparks in 2016. It looks like it has beenworking out.
(Three raw clip links in a row, see what I mean? Springtime hellooo where r u…)
PFP5, the latest installment of Michael Sassano’s now long-running Westchester skate video series, will be premiering up in Peekskill on Saturday the 14th. Teaser here.
The crooked rail at Columbus Park is maybe the last place anyone expected to see a slappy front nose 270 A.K.A. the Explore Page, but there it was in Matthew Martin’s Hombre Hardware part.
“Cyclist stabs skateboarder during street spat.” Ok, the “It’s a fucking bike lane, asshole!”-guys are getting a bit out of hand.
This clip got posted on April 8, 2007 (Marcus Garvey rails were a new spot then…), and dubbed “The Neverending Winter.” Same mood eleven years later (a lot of these spots are still around), though I wish the quality of the upload wasn’t full trash.
Been slow around here, as recent injuries have taken their toll on office morale, but December is always busy. QS holiday 2017 tees are now available at Supreme Soho and Brooklyn. Arriving at other shops this week and next. Online soonish?
Probably one of the most fried concepts for a recent skate video, but in the best way possible — Kyota Umeki filmed an entire skate video on a Nintendo 3DS with a fisheye taped to it. 90% of it is filmed within like, five blocks of the L.E.S. Park. I also have “Groove Is In The Heart” stuck in my head now, great.
The crew behind Newark’s Shorty’s spot (R.I.P.) was allotted a piece of land by the city, in which they have begun to build a bowl. They’re looking to raise money for supplies, concrete trucks, etc. to speed up the project. If you’ve been to Shorty’s even once, please donate whatever you can so they can continue forward with the Shorty’s spirit ♥
Bobby Worrest has a comprehesive interview with “The Nine Club,” with a detailed discussion re: the lost art of skate spot politics and east coast aversion to wax. (His favorite Bobby Worrest part is also “Looks Ok To Me.”)
QS Sports Desk: Imagine if the Knicks did a subtler trust the process-esque strategy instead of doubling-down on iso-Melo and then trying to force the triangle onto the modern NBA for the past decade? Eh.
Yo, the fucking height on T.J’s fakie heelflip… Also how far away do you think we are from someone ollieing the 8-flat-8 at the Met? Rumor has it that Bald Head Ed tried it back in the day, but maybe someone should take Chris Pfanner to see some paintings next time he’s in New York?
“Together, Lara and Olson have achieved a small, apocalyptic miracle: they’ve bottled the dreamy spirit of the skate shop.” Kyle Beachy has some nice words for the feel-good film of the year, the 917 Video. Also Logan moved back to L.A. and we’re never gonna see him again.
“From start to finish Sabotage 5 is a gloriously losing war against capitulation to the inevitable. Like any decent funeral, this eulogy is delivered by the immediate family, rather than transient pros, with the locals turning in their last tapes skating Love Park as it was, and a grip of tricks as it is dismantled.” More great video reviews! That one was re: Sabotage 5 via Boil the Ocean.
Spot Updates: The rails at the 27th and 2nd park got knobbed, and has anyone stolen the Delancey Curb bench back yet?
QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Thank goodness the NBA is back. Gotta give this one to Wiggins, even though now the only thing the Sports Desk roots for is Russell Westbrook’s happiness and well-being (J.R. too.) Must’ve felt like a postseason-esque loss if you’re an OKC fan.
Quote of the Week: “T-Pain is the black Rob Dyrdek.” — Carl Williams
Harold Hunter at the Bleecker Street Banks, 1994. Photo by Lance Dawes. Honestly can’t remember if this has ever ran as a headliner image before, but that spot has always stuck out as a “it’d be nice if that was still around”-spot, even though it was probably just a 2% better version of the McDonald’s Banks in Brooklyn ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
“Don’t drive through Arizona acting like an idiot staying awake for days at a time.” The Bunt came through with what we’re going to dub “Everything you ever wanted to know about Brian Wenning but were afraid to ask.” The interview is brave, brutally honest, and a positive start to a new chapter in the life of someone we all looked up to as kids. Must-listen for anybody who came of age in the Photosynthesis and DC Video days.
“NESH” is a rad New York edit from Victor Garland, featuring every spot we were too lazy to venture out to when we had the “where do we skate?” debate yesterday.
There are mixed reports about the severity of the whole police situation right now, but be careful if you skate the new Brooklyn D.I.Y. spot. Apparently, *building* may be more of an issue than just skating. Max Palmer never hurt nobody.
Shout out to the Long Live Southbank organization for keeping ambitions running high. They started up a fundraiser (with a million dollar goal) to restore a section of the spot that has been closed and un-used since 2004. The promo video for it is sick. (And P.S. The Banks are never truly “back” until the city restores the small Banks.)
Philly is going from having three of the most iconic street plazas within one block of one another, to potentially zero by next summer. Place can’t catch a break :(
The most common e-mail from the past week has been a size chart request for the QS swim trunks, so here you go. All sizes in both colors are still available — it’s a long summer and we stayed stocked :) Grab them before some guy with a job does. Also got a good size run in tees and some bags left. Thanks for the support everyone ♥
Quote of the Week: “In this day and age, it’s sicker to not get footage.” — Nik Stain