Just Did an Ollie ‘Bout a Week Ago

eli back 180 ng

Eli skating a rock. Photo by Black Dave.

Still a bunch of gear in the webstore. #supportyourlocalskatesite ;)

“Skating through midtown Manhattan that night, I remembered that I used to think skateboarding would never get too big because it hurt too much. Because you can’t take the pain out of skateboarding. Because putting yourself deliberately in harm’s way is a quick, easy, and reliable route to the truth.” This is a solid read.

TWS’ “Skate Nerd” segment with Kalis and Smolik is more entertaining than any link you may find below. “Kelly Slater?”

Worth repeating that Wes Kremer is the best?

Our good friend Alexander Mosley A.K.A. the Watermelon Man is having an art show at 2nd Nature in Bushwick this Saturday, October 4th. 7-11 P.M. Flyer here.

Finally: Frozen in Carbonite’s annual “Song of the Summer” x “Video Part of the Summer” mash-up segment. It tackles Static 4‘s equivalence to a prog-rock epic, Chris Brown and Bronze’s penchant for controversy, the truth that VX just looks blurry now, Bobby Shmura videos having a similar gender breakdown to skate videos, and Sinner’s post-modern, post-genre take on a video part. Incredible.

Monster has a new interview with Jake Johnson. Some heavy reading on the current situation at Alien Workshop, relationships in skateboarding, life after skating, etc.

GX1000 also posted this incredible IG clip of Jake bails. Last one is nuts.

Quick clip of Danny Supa cruising around Washington Heights.

Antwuan Dixon back on it.

For such a high-profile world city, Paris has been rather underrated for skating ever since the Lordz video era. Last week’s nine-minute “Scene” edit from Kingpin really puts how great it is into perspective. Spent a good two weeks there this past summer, and never saw at least 75% of the spots they skate. Features some solid Rich Homie Juan tricks. Also, if you slept on Vincent Touzery’s part in the Cafe Clope video (14:40 mark) earlier this year, you’re dumb.

Yeah, uh, about that unreleased Lakai Koston 1… (Part was sick though.)

Wow @ ollie over the Gino manual pad (not Roslyn) and probably the first trick down that kinked 57th Street rail in this Frankie Spears “Video Check Out.”

New northeast-encompassing video from the Mood NYC crew.

#weird skaters v.s. the 181st Street park.

“Don’t try to impress the old people. Be yourself. I think it’s the duty of all young artists — no disrespect — to say ‘Man, fuck y’all’ to the people before them. That keeps the music going.” — Andre 3000. Why couldn’t this interview be an hour longer? (“Nah nah nah yo real hip-hop yo NYC yo.”)

Quote of the Week:
slicky

New Thug and Quan in a few hours, btw.

The Greatest Guest Tricks in Skate Video History

cameos

(Plus their guest verse in a rap song counterparts.)

As America’s premier inventions, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that both rap and skateboarding have similarities. For example, guest verses on rap songs and guest tricks in parts virtually operate in the same exact way: they start careers, they rejuvenate careers, give way to friendly competition on the same spot/beat, and sometimes, they simply provide material for the nerds to nerd out over.

…and yes, this is maybe the nerdiest thing ever posted on this website.

Putting your team on is the most hip-hop shit you could do in any realm of life, even if it often results in bankruptcy. We dug through the rich dual histories of putting other dudes on your song, and other dudes in your video part, seeking comparisons whenever they were applicable. This is rather Transworld video heavy because they embraced the power of the cameo far more than other institutions. Think of them as the Hypnotize Camp or Wu-Tang of skate videos…or something.

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Run, Skate, Chill, Run, Skate, Chill

kalis stevie sixth sense

“I think it’s kinda fun when the cops come.”

For two dudes who probably don’t get a chance to skate with each other like they used to, Kalis and Stevie remain inseparable in mind. While filming Parental Advisory, Kalis was probably at J. Kwon or in Chicago while Stevie was in Barcelona or Shenzhen, but seeing one on a skateboard is still synonymous with the other. It might be due to a childhood spent burning a hole through their respective sections in The Sixth Sense, The Reason, and Anthology after 1,000 viewings. Try finding someone that doesn’t know the “big ledges, little ledges” bit by heart. It’s the highlight from dozens of cheesy Transworld voiceovers — well, that and “Some handrails? Oh shit.

Though they don’t skate a single spot together here, we mashed them together with some inspiration drawn from the aforementioned classic videos. No telling when either of them is going to have another section out, but a small, shared part in whatever the next DGK project is would be nice ;)

Alternate YouTube Link

The Origin of the White Rapper

white rapper

For a group that considers itself so creative, skateboarders sure suck at naming tricks. The sex change, benihana and even salad grind have all fallen out of fashion, and so have fun trick names altogether. Skaters have grown into stringent conservatives about trick names; QS is routinely lambasted for use of the term “nollie half cab” for nollie frontside 180s, as if 90% of the T.F. doesn’t call it that already. Even seemingly clever names e.g. “the fishhook” for the nollie frontside 180 switch nosegrind revert point to mechanical similarities rather than any hint of playful nomenclature.

But one name has stood strong over the past decade. Maybe it’s not an official name, but the “white rapper” B.K.A. the switch varial heelflip is still keeping the fun in trick names up and down the eastern seaboard, and evidently abroad as well. (Some corners will contend that it also refers to regular stance varial heelflips…more on that in a bit.) What genius came up with this name? Who did it refer to and where did it originate from? We decided to find out.

The most common origin story comes from Philadelphia, some ten-plus years ago. That is where we will begin our journey…

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Quartersnacks Is For Lovers

qs vanity plate

There’s officially a Quartersnacks-themed vanity plate on the streets of Los Angeles. We got Virginia down (#QSisforlovers), now we need the other 49 states. Maybe not Florida though…

Jerry, George and Kramer watch a sponsor me tape.

Dime rounded up a minute of the best flatground tricks ever done in the Dime Flatground Open: Masters Series, though oddly no Kalis or J.B. to be found. The tricks over the Love can and Newport fakie flip go without saying, but always been a fan of Kalis’ turnaround then 360 flip in Stevie’s Reason part (3:18).

You’re going to be seeing a lot of interviews with Bill Strobeck about “cherry” these next few months: Transworld has one and Live Skateboard Media has another one. (ICYMI: Here’s the one we did, though it came out before the video and had to avoid talking about certain things in detail, given our #spoileralert-sensitive culture.) There’s also some speculation on post-“cherry” developments over on Boil the Ocean.

Another LurkNYC “New York Times” throwaway reel.

This could be a cool series: “Skaters in Cars Looking at Spots.” The first edition is with Mike Anderson. The world desperately needs a Fred Gall one.

Kingpin put together a #listicle of ten great “no push” lines. Torey has two really good ones and Jason Spivey deserves some recognition for filming a “no push” part.

Leo Heinert’s intro part for Torro Skateboards is solid. He’s gotten way good over the years, and the kickflip into the knobbed bank at Fort Greene Park is one of the gnarliest things done at a New York spot in recent memory.

Route One Mag has an interview with one of the few Manhattan-born pro skaters.

In honor of its rebirth, the Green Diamond released a 20-minute B-sides reel.

Best #musicsupervision of any “New Yorkers in Puerto Rico” clip thus far.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: J.R. Smith was put on this earth to break the NBA’s “most threes attempted in a game” record, with 22. (He made 10 of them, by the way.) Also very happy the Knicks aren’t making the playoffs, so we can avoid all the 1999 playoff “8th seed, but we have a CHANCE!” montages. This team doesn’t deserve to be in the playoffs, and if you’re rooting for them to make it, you are rooting against the concept of America as a whole, plain and simple.

Quote of the Week: “Yo, you have chest hair, you’re too old to be in a product toss. It’s quiet for you.” — T-Bird

Because man, you deserve it.

Been saying this song would go great for an NBA postseason commercial ever since Pluto came out. Or at least a hell of a lot better than Will.i.am or whatever else they have been using.