Lev Tanju | Quartersnacks

The Origin of the White Rapper

Features & Interviews May 9th, 2014 · 5:00 am · 21

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…

Erotic Skateboard Fiction

Daily News May 5th, 2014 · 12:17 pm

Is it safe to say it’s finally spring? J-John the Don — Nosegrind in L.I.C. Photo via GX1000.

Happy Cinco de Mayo.

Tees still available in the webstore. Now available at Solstice in New Bedford, MA. Also available at Supreme NY & LA, Seasons, Humidity, One-Up, Exit, NJ and Commissary. UK: Go to Lost Art or Palomino. Rest of Europe: Cali Roots has it online. Japan: Swingin Market and Apple Butter have it online.

Read the first ten pages from Roctakon’s work of erotic skateboard fiction. (Note: there isn’t a single mention of skateboarding in the first ten pages though.)

Most commonly asked question among people who skateboard this past weekend: “Did you see that trick Lucas Puig did on his Instagram?”

Jordan Trahan joins the 360 flip hall of fame with a co-sign from the head chairman.

Pop Trading Company distributes QS gear in Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg, and they probably still watch Eastern Exposure a lot.

Kingpin has a dual interview with Lev Tanju, the mastermind behind Palace, and Pontus Alv, the mastermind behind Polar, regarding their tour through Denmark and Malmö. “That’s the problem: you start a skateboard brand and then you just get fat.”

Some other quick interviews: Street Piracy interview Clem from Recordings of Boardings, Chris Nieratko interviewed Sage Elsesser for ESPN, KCDC interviewed Jahmal Williams, and Bedford + Bowery interviewed Josh Stewart about Static IV.

As far as the kids-in-or-around-New-York-who-skate-handrails sub-genre goes this Julian Lewis part is pretty impressive. Dude does Grecco’s Deathwish vid 270 noseblunt ender on some rail and then decides to 5050 a 27-stair…in the snow.

The guy who invented the ollie works on Porsches now.

This Ain’t California is now on Hulu for free. QS review from last year here.

Mike O’Meally on one of the more iconic New York City skate photos (the shot of Jeff Pang, Todd Jordan, etc. skating down Broadway on September 12, 2001.)

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Damian Lillard sits among John Stockton and Michael Jordan as one of the few players to end a playoff series on a buzzer-beating shot, all while giving his franchise their first series win in 14 years. P.S. Rooting for a “New York” basketball team with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on it is not rooting for a New York basketball team. On the plus side, *if* Dolan is capable of feeling stupid (massive if), he should feel pretty dumb right now considering the Nets made the second round and the Knicks didn’t even make the eighth seed. P.P.S. How funny is it that the Sixers, Bobcats, Wizards and Raptors all have a considerably brighter half-decade ahead of them than than the Knicks do? Draft picks > Phil Jackson.

Quote of the Week:

element grip

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Did everyone make it through Saturday’s T.F. closure scare okay?

Postseason Links

Daily News April 22nd, 2013 · 5:23 am · 16

Who wins: Mariah Woodson’s selfies or Mike Woodson’s expressions / lack thereof?

Update: J.R. Smith won Sixth Man of the Year.

Supreme New York has QS tees back in stock. This includes the Monk’s, Noseslides and both colors of Snackman tees. 274 Lafayette Street. They will be available at Exit Skateshop in Philadelphia this week as well. Our webstore should be online sometime closer to the summer with other new product. If you want a shirt now, send an e-mail to quartersnacks [at] gmail [dot] com and we could arrange an order if your size is still available. Quantities are limited for now. (Sorry we cannot accommodate international special orders at this time. Yes, Canada = international.)

Taji goes skating in lower Manhattan with Ryan Hickey (and Peter Huynh.) File under: Things nobody expected to happen in 2013.

A glimpse into what life is like when you sort of look like Eric Koston.

No clue what the concept behind these Skateboarder “Cruising” videos is supposed to be (a hastag-ized “Day in the Life” series?), but the new Eli Reed one is solid.

In the realm of skatepark lines by skaters with seemingly unhuman consistency, this is quite impressive, but there can only be one king.

Billy McFeely skates Tompkins obstacles from 2013, but in 1991 though.

Just so everyone knows: “The government made this dude so everyone else would stop skating.” — Billy McFeely. (P.S. That link might get deleted.)

Yet another interview with Palace Skateboards mastermind, Lev Tanju. Also, if you haven’t signed the petition to preserve Southbank, do it now. Multi-generational street spots are few and far between these days, and it’d be a real shame to see such an iconic piece of skate history destroyed in ~~favor~~ favour of retail space.

Is “The Redneck Skater Hall of Fame” a “thing?”

Spot Updates: This resurfacing may fix a noted good ledge / bad ground scenario.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Got to be Andre Miller’s game-winning drive. The awful news about David Lee (not to mention Faried, Gallo, etc. injuries) really puts a damper on one of the Sports Desk’s most anticipated playoff match-ups.

Quote of the Week: “Y’all can’t use this railing to play your stunts.” — A Security Guard Referring to a Ledge

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How do you feel about the current darkslide phase of Greco’s career arc? It’s pretty tight.

So Arizona, Get Your Act Together & Hail the King

Daily News January 21st, 2013 · 1:49 pm · 2

carwash

“But what I can’t understand is why people in a hot-ass desert town like Tucson, Arizona, wouldn’t want a day off work. It’s not like you have to do something black on that day. You know, you don’t have to read Ebony magazine. You don’t have to watch Soul Train. All you have to do is not work.”

Might want to read this instead of lurking the Slap board today: Playboy’s full January 1965 interview with Martin Luther King Jr., which happens to be the longest and most in-depth interview he has ever granted any publication.

Rest in Peace Lewis Marnell. Manolo already came through with a great five-minute tribute edit of Lewis’ footage.

“I’d rather watch Busenitz ________.” Today, that blank is filled with “cruise around mostly low-impact European spots and drive home the fact that America sucks for skateboarding.” Those spots look incredible.

Skateboarding Bloopers: Handrail Edition

It only took an hour after Dece Vid‘s release for somebody to rip Yaje’s standalone part to YouTube. Let’s all hope this isn’t Yaje’s final part. (Fun Fact: Most of the footage in that part is ~two-years-old.)

New Iron Claw iPhone montage featuring crowd favorite, Phil Rodriguez.

Jordan Trahan, Jimmy McDonald and Rob Gonyon (another crowd favorite) rip around Tribeca and the West Village in the latest Berrics “Off the Grid” segment.

Slam City Skates has a quick interview up with Lev Tanju, the architect behind Palace Skateboards, about the company’s future, sense of humor and Southbank.

Brooklyn Banks contest results from April 4, 1998.

ICYMI: Aaron Herrington is really good at skateboarding.
QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Ish Smith JUMPS OVER John Wall, turns around, and blocks his shot. Also, his name is Ish.

Quote of the Week:

— A girl’s review of the new Green Diamond video. (Via Mike Heikkila)

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Time to watch basketball. Enjoy this cold-ass week.