‘All Part Of The Show’ — The Politics of Pants in Skateboarding

Intro + Interviews by Frozen in Carbonite
Top Collage by Requiem For A Screen
Illustrations by Charles Rivard

Pants, as an article of clothing and a philosophical entity, dominate the skate zeitgeist. They consume the daily banter on #skatetwitter, inspired an Instagram account dedicated to IDing them, and have the potential to become the most controversial item of one’s kit. Pants factions line up like the gangs at the beginning of The Warriors — Dickies disciples, nineties enthusiasts, Polar people, and so on.

So began our quest to investigate — not so much the what of pants — but the why. To accomplish this goal, we interviewed four skaters over a generational spectrum and asked the same set of questions.

As we stitched together the interviews, one common thread stood out: Like everything else in 2020, one’s choice of pants is a political act.

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Skate Rave @ Vans Space 198

And on a day when the wind-chill brings the temperature down to 12 degrees, we bring you some… good news.

Space 198, the new free, INDOOR Vans park is opening on January 2nd at 198 Randolph Street in Brooklyn. Unlike the belated House of Vans, which was more of an event space inside of a skatepark (and brought out people’s inner savages anytime there was a mid-winter open day there), this park is a community-oriented space built for skateboarding.

It’s going to be open Thursday through Sundays — you just need to to sign up on the website beforehand. And it’s off the Jefferson L stop in Bushwick, making everyone’s life a bit easier than a 20-minute walk through the snow to Greenpoint that we used to do ;)

As they were putting the finishing touches on it, they gave a handful of crews the chance to check out the park last week, and here’s what we came back with. Be nice to Jersey Dave when you see him, because chances are, his phone has not stopped buzzing for the past two weeks.

Filmed by Will Rosenstock, Paul Young, Max Hull, Cristian Berrios & Kyota Umeki.

Five Favorite Parts With Gilbert Crockett

Photo via Thomas Goldman

Caught up with the dude who had the curtains on one of 2018’s finest video projects to talk about influences. And it seems like Jake’s Mind Field part (spoiler?) is far and away the most mentioned part from the past twenty years.

We’re never not falling off from doing this feature, but it is always fun and interesting to do. Request line for new editions is always open.

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Louie This Louie That

lou

Congrats to Lou! ♥

An Instagram account partially focused on Gino skating flat in the F.A. warehouse.

Fresh Beer – Cold Beer” was of the finest straight-to-Vimeo exercises in ledge skating ever, and deserves some acknowledgement from the Czech Department of Tourism. The eight minutes of raw files from that trip are lovely.

Good vibes are contagious. Hearing Karl Watson reminisce for a half-hour is a nice way to set you on the path of having a wonderful day. Also, Karl is tied with The Muska for the skater who was most fun to interview for this website.

The boys in Buenos Aires did a chill wear test vid of the QS Bruin Hyperfeel.

Russian Bob uploaded four minutes of raw footage from Ron Deily, nu-era New Jersey legend and leading practitioner of lo-def noseslide tech.

Enjoyed this interview with the O.G. 2000 / Mariah video dudes about skateboarding in Switzerland, a European destination that tends to escape the global spotlight, despite being the world’s eminent destination for skateboarding on six-figure cars.

Everyone loves a good one-spot part or montage, but there’s something especially admirable about a one-spot montage of a place that instills zero desire of wanting to skate said spot due to how difficult it looks.

“If Marc Johnson hadn’t waited until 2016 to move to Adidas, could his Fully Flared part have been 26 minutes long? Backed by corporate shoe money, could The End have offered more realistic pyrotechnics? If DGK had clung to the Reebok deal, could Parental Advisory have offered a Jay-Z cameo instead of Beanie Siegel?”

You have probably already watched this new old Bill Strobeck video.

Eli Reed Harvey Keitel from Taxi Driver recreates an old Harold Hunter photo for Monster Children‘s “Back to the Feature” series. Amazing that the bump in Southbridge Towers is one of the few remaining landmarks of downtown skateboarding in the previous millenium.

The Bunt’s latest interview is with AWS alumnus, Gilbert Crockett.

w4m

Ari Marcopoulos — whose Out & About photos have become shorthand for the words “ninties New York skateboarding” — has a new ‘zine project coming out with Adidas.

Even he seems like he hates vegan food.” Top Ramen with Matt Perez coming soon.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Knicks games are a tough watch these days, but at least Brandon Jennings got waived so you get to see more of the second best player on the team, Ron Baker.

Quote of the Week: “I realized that you could do that job hungover, but it’s just better if you don’t.” — Dallas Todd

The QS Year in Review Countdown: 5-1

jesse columbus park

Photo by Mike Heikkila

Last post of the year. Be safe out there tonight. Previously: 10-6, 15-11, 20-16, 25-21.

5. The Year of Columbus Park

For a spot that has been around for so long, Columbus Park didn’t become the main only place people go if they leave L.E.S. Park until recently. There was Puleo’s INFMS line, A.V.E’s ollie over 5050, and the seminal 2002 “Ja$onwear Day” clip that may have been the second time the kinked ledge ever got waxed — but besides routine 2000s video appearances of the ledge, the spot was never a bustling nexus until now. In 2015, it clocked two major video enders, one magazine cover, a newly established A.B.D. docket of tricks done up the two block, and is the place you are most likely to see a group of semi-motivated skateboarders pointing iPhones at each other.

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