See What Happens When People Stop Skating — And Start Chilling

Remember that weird 2012 One in a Million? It was a New York-based attempt to carry the weighty success of the previous season (which introduced the world to many beloved names of the current day: Chris Milic, Nik Stain, Forrest Edwards), and parlay its momentum towards a more digestible “reality” show. It didn’t work, and capsized the OIAM series as a whole.

At the time, we anticipated the contentious realities of New York skateboarding, and offered up some suggestions. They even took one that would yield Lurker Lou years worth of silent side-eyes at skateparks. But the Mad Real World edition of a New York skateboarding reality show sat on the shelf for years — too firey of a concept for an electorate not-yet-enamored with skateboarding.

Until now!

Canadians have once again found a way to push the mirror our way, and force us to acknowledge the grave truths of actually skating for three hours in a three-week span, claiming midtown but rotting away at Blue Park, and pretending that it is ever worth trying to skate Popeye’s Ledge. The TV producers at Clubgear show us what happens when people stop skating — and start chilling…

Enough Moncler For 16 Winters

The aliens took it.

The webstore is now open with holiday goods. Arriving at European shops this week. Available in U.S. and Japan shops now. Arriving Korea, Canada and Australia next week. Thanks every for the support, really means a lot ♥♥♥ Stockist list here.

You’ve seen Keith work a 9-to-5, now see him shred Pulaski!

With Canada Day a mere seven months away, let’s get the party started with some videos from our neighbors to the north! Our bud and Dime logistics extraordinaire, Guillaume Thibault, has a new 20-minute video entitled Parkour. If Dime videos are Baker vids, this is like…a Shake Junt video…or something? It’s a good time. And the Swiss O.G. 2000 boys linked up with Clubgear for a ten-minute video entitled Cialis. Stoked for the comments to get flooded with spam links for dick pills. Perfect.

Others are less enthused about Canada Day being around the corner. “Absolutely No Dime Clothing. Shit is ugly AF.”

House of Vans is slated to close after this coming summer :(

“I mean, you can’t go too far with it. You don’t want to make it perfect, you know? But fixing a spot, modifying a spot is all right. As long as you don’t go too far with it.” New Jersey Governor, Fred Gall, talks to Village Psychic about the unwritten codes behind fixing crusty spots and finding guns stashed at skate spots.

Kevin Coakley wants all da smoke. Theories is also hosting a remix contest for his Traffic part. Shout out to the Jason Byoun remix contest though.

Dirt River” is a montage out of Copenhagen with a lot of friends in it. Cameos from Nik Stain, Hjalte, Chris Millic, etc.

I think this new “Summer Trip to New York” iPhone edit is actually the first footage of someone skating the back hubba on the Amsterdam side of Lincoln Center? Or no? The runway is shit but surprised more people haven’t gone for it.

Worried about everyone’s mental health if and when another store opens up at the liquor store bump in Bed-Stuy. Sleep Skateboards has a new, mostly-NY montage.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Honestly didn’t watch any games last week, but here’s Demarcus Cousins explaining the plot of Titanic, although this will forever be the best piece of Titanic-related #content.

Quote of the Week: “I wonder how good Jesse would be if he took skateboarding seriously. Probably like…Shane O’Neill.” — Corey Rubin re: Jesse Alba

Meet at MACBA at Midnight For Molly

Photo by Emilio Cuilan

In another life, she was a skater.

The best montage series going: Some forward-thinking front 5050 back 180s, #interesting Chinatown Manual Pad decisions, great cameos, and Tom Knox entering the third dimension of skating the knobbed Verizon Banks in the New York edition of Isle and co’s “Atlantic Drift” series.

The best interview series going: Josh Kalis x Bobshirt goes on for nearly an hour and there’s never a dull moment. Shout out to doing varial heels out of spite.

“And you’ll get stabbed if you break the hunger strike?” “Oh yeah.” Getting locked up was a big topic on the skate interview circuit this past week. The Bunt’s latest is with Brandon Turner. Still waiting on that Muska and/or Shorty’s Epicly Later’d.

Observing the earth with Clubgear (+ cameos via Antisocial, Dime, anything Canadian and hot in the streets), and apparently everyone on earth is a nerd via 30 Purse. Both clips are pretty fire, and “All There” is so perfect.

Every couple of years, somebody will put out a novelty edit in Timberlands, and with Prodigy’s passing, now is as good of a time as any. Here’s an unsolicited link to the only Timbs footage you need though ;)

Joey Pepper has a quick intro video for Politic. It’s only thirty seconds long, but here is a link to rewatch this wonderful Joey Pepper remix from ~2012ish.

Jesse Alba and Lance Mountain skate Lenox. Jk, but waiting on the Wingus full-length.

An attempt at being productive in the spot-deprived abyss that is Atlantic City.

A few minutes of throwaway footage from the Bluecouch crew, and a reminder of the enduring legacy held by that “bank” to “ledge” on 16th Street as the worst spot in New York that people still continue to skate. Someone said they got a ticket there one time and that’s the most “lol at your life” story ever ;) Forget who it was though.

Do not recall the last time there was footage of it, but Paine Webber is fenced off for construction. Can’t tell if they’re getting rid of the benches just yet. Would be pretty tragic if they do, considering it’s probably the last remaining iconic midtown spot to not undergo any major renovation or knobbing.

QS Sports Desk: In light of the Rudy Gay Spurs news, we’re reinstating the Sports Desk during the offseason to point you in the direction of the greatest basketball video of all time. Also, Twitter after the T.H.J. Knicks signing was so therapeutic.

Quote of the Week: “I saw the coolest dog today. Sometimes that’s all you need.” — James from Labor

Out of the Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope

kingobamamural

YO, massive shout out to the crew, politicians, shops and community in Providence, Rhode Island, on getting an approval to turn an underused corner of their downtown into a full-on block of a skate plaza. Let this be a precedent for cities across the U.S.

Also congrats to the boy Sean Pablo on going pro

“If they didn’t name me Genesis then my dad would have named me Jubilee, from X-Men, who was a girl. That would’ve been very funny. I’m glad they named me Genesis.” Sex mag (sure) has an interview with Genny re: growing up, DANY, etc.

Zered is on Alltimers, and has a new part out to reassure you of his decade-plus status as the east coast’s most productive pro, and the king of the worst spot in Queens ;)

“It’s still the same if I just don’t let myself become too jaded and reclusive. There are still endless possibilities.” Huck has a feature with Jerry Mraz, who they apparently dubbed “The Batman of Skateboarding.”

The ender of Pat Gallaher’s Insano part is insano. Great part :)

Josh Kalis and Mike Blabac talk about the state of the plaza in 2017 + other things, and The Muska reveals what was in his backpack all those years. Get well soon bud.

Antosh and the Canadians have a new one out on TWS.

“We decided to make the game more fun so that’s why it was never a realistic simulation of skateboarding. That was key to the success of the game.” Ironic that the reason maybe 50% of the people now in their late 20s started skateboarding was something intended to be an unrealistic simulation of skateboarding. Jenkem has the oral history of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.

Keeping a real skate shop open in 2017 is God’s work ♥ Thank you to all who do.

Rodrigo TX skates Three Four Up Three Four Down, T.J. does a bunch of crazy shit, and lol that there’s security standing at the bottom of the bank in every clip ever gotten at the Roosevelt Island Monument in this link to a clip with 54k YouTube views.

Boil the Ocean re: Lil Wayne’s proclamation that skateboarding is a better feeling than sex with an actress while her movie is playing on a screen in the background.

Canal uploaded a 30-min 2016 Year-In-Review compilation of Instagram videos.

A bit of street skating + a Maple tee in Quim and Freddy’s Portland, M.E. visit.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Isaiah is the second funnest player in the NBA.

Quote of the Week: “Only three things are keeping me sane in 2017: cocho, hucking, and the boys.” — John Choi

An Interview With Antosh Cimoszko

antosh-int

Photo by Antosh

Throughout the 2000s, it seemed like the majority of Canadian skateboard media making it over the country’s southern border was from Vancouver. British Columbia was the most common lens through which we observed Canada’s often superior breed of skateboarder. Ironically, as Canada became a shining beacon of culture, #views, sorrys and glory challenges for Americans throughout the 2010s, Vancouver took a backseat to the country’s eastern cities.

Antosh’s videos and the extended family behind the elusive Clubgear umbrella have been one of our main portals into the Vancouver skate scene as the east has taken the spotlight. The spots from Baby Steps might be capped, but the spirit remains strong.

+++++++

Where are you from and how did you get into skateboarding?

I’m from a town called Tsawwassen that’s 45 minutes outside of Vancouver. There’s downtown Vancouver and there’s greater Vancouver, which can be almost two hours out. I started skating with a few of my friends around grade three, doing airs off a piece of plywood on some bricks, skating a flatbar and whatever else in my friends driveway. A couple of years ago, I moved downtown and started filming way more, and not leaving downtown as much.

Would you venture out to the city when you lived in Tsawwassen?

I’d go downtown when I was 12 or 13. I remember the first time we went, this homeless lady came running towards us yelling and asking if she wanted us to see her masturbate. Downtown Vancouver used to be a bit more recognized in bigger skate videos, like all the Girl dudes would come up and skate it a lot before everything got capped. Once those spots started getting harder to find, people started skating differently.

It feels like when I was growing up, the focus on Canadian skateboarding was always in Vancouver. In the past few years, it feels like it moved towards Toronto and Montreal. Did that actually happen or am I making it up?

Vancouver definitely seemed like more of a hub for skating a while back. I’m not sure if it had to do with everything getting capped or people realizing there were more spots in Toronto and Montreal, but honestly, Vancouver doesn’t have spots. You just have to skate whatever. It’s hard to find a ledge in Vancouver. If one pops up, it’s there for a week, and then it gets capped. Things get built here in a way that understands people are going to skate on them, so they make it harder.

There used to be a larger crew here, but it feels like everyone moved to different areas these past few years. A lot of dudes are from Calgary, and move to Vancouver because it’s pretty close, but eventually shift out east. Montreal was always the place to move to but more people are moving to Toronto now, too.

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