Mike York | Quartersnacks

Thank You, Mike York

Daily News October 16th, 2014 · 11:01 am · 10

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This guy is still putting out full parts…but what else do you expect from perhaps the only first generation Girl/Choc rider to contribute a full section in literally every one of their projects that he was a part of. Makes you wonder why the 30+, people-just-wanna-see-you-skate guys don’t lighten up and throw something out there more often. Gino sorta started to oblige us after Pretty Sweet, and hopefully the guys who share that special category follow suit.

After last year’s “two 360 flips in a row” / FTC part, York is back with a four-minute section for a company that most of us out east have probably never heard of. The dude is writing the book on how to make the third arc of a skate career fun and relatable to people whose ability is a few million notches below a Plan B rider’s. Even the current no comply and wallie renaissance makes its way to York — a dude who spent most of his pro career with those tricks being underutilized — so it’s rad to see him toss those in between the noseslide and crook combos.

The part’s brief stop in New York makes us wish he paid Three Up Three Down a visit, as the potential for an on-brand York line there is huge. No, he’d know not to wax it ;)

Tied with Scott Kane’s comeback part as 2014’s best underdog film.

Previously: Ayo For Yayo – A Tribute to Mike York, an Icon of Low Impact Skateboarding

The Chillest Lines in Skateboarding History: 1993-1999, 2011-2012

Features & Interviews October 4th, 2013 · 5:02 am · 49

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Perhaps the only point in Alex Olson’s recent interview that did not polarize skateboarding’s sea of opinion, was his belief that nobody cares how hard tricks are anymore. We’ve all said “he’s good, but who cares” or written someone off as “a robot” before, so what do professional skateboarders have left to aspire to?

The line has long been the backbone of street skating. Skateboarder even published a print #listicle in the mid-2000s showcasing the best lines of all time. Appropriately enough, the latest entry belonged to P.J. Ladd, because his debut part was when progression really took off, and the “Everyone is Good” movement began to accelerate our numbness to incredible skateboarding.

“But what about style?” Sure, Ray Barbee looked amazing when only doing slappies and no complys, in a way that legions of art students have failed to replicate. Even Carroll’s library line — quite possibly the best thing ever done on a skateboard — wouldn’t be the same if it was performed by some midwesterner visiting San Francisco. Style plays a role, but remember when people would say things like “He’s so smooth?” None of that matters when everyone in a major skate video is “smooth.” Stylistic hallmarks have become less palpable because everyone skates and everyone is good. Everything was the same #drakevoice :(

A wise man once said “I don’t care how ‘good’ a video part is, all I care about is how cool it makes the skater look.” This list features the most timeless lines that were made so by the skater’s ability to make himself look cool, and not just “good.” They will stand out a decade down the line, even when each trick in a Micky Papa part is a go-to for fifty Stoner Park locals.

In a word, these lines are chill.

Ayo For Yayo: A Salute to Mike York, An Icon of Low Impact Skateboarding

Features & Interviews March 13th, 2013 · 8:28 am · 15

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“All of my video parts, I had fun. I tried to be realistic so if you saw me, it wouldn’t be a letdown. I’ve seen video parts then seen the dude skate in real life and been like ‘Wow, he’s a video skater. He don’t really do that stuff for real.’ I wanted to be honest. This is my level. Yeah, my toe dragged. Yeah, that wasn’t high. Yeah, it was kinda sketchy. Yeah, I didn’t slide that far…But there it is. When you see me skate, I’ll probably land another one like that and you’ll be able to identify with it.” — Mike York

Certain corners of the QS office have long contended that Mike York had one of the best parts in Yeah Right! Though this may be a tall distinction in a video that ends with a 360 flip noseblunt down a handrail, our bias for low impact skateboarding is widely documented on the pages of this website. Noseslide-heavy trick repertoires are infinitely relatable; skateboarding will progress to bigger and techer feats, but for many, our ceiling is a shove-it and noseslide combination (or two 360 flips in a row.)

In sports, there is always talk of “good locker room guys” — role players and veterans who provide personality and intangibles that build the character of a team. That’s something that isn’t as apparent with Girl/Chocolate in the Everybody-is-Good Era 2.0, at least from an outsider’s perspective. While the new riders are likely all great kids, positive, fun to have on trips, etc., a big piece of Chocolate’s appeal in the pre-E.I.G. era was how it had more blue collar skaters like Chico, Richard Mulder and York to fill roster spots around guys who were unequivocally the best skaters on earth. Nowadays, it’s only the latter, and yeah, it does get a bit exhausting watching seventy minutes of tricks one cannot even begin to comprehend.

(There is also the argument that the average skill level of a young skater today is way higher than it was ten years ago, so the skaters in videos that they find immediately relatable might just be unrecognizable to those of us accustomed to, say, the aforementioned three. Plus, please keep in mind that this is being written by someone who believes Ben Sanchez had the 3rd or 4th best part in Mouse…)