Getting Them Royalties Dodging Them Bumblebees

It’s heartwarming to see world renown design principles from 12th & A make their way to skateable spaces all the way across the Atlantic.

“Their video Grains, filmed across the soybean belt of Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio, veers far off interstate arteries and urban sprawls to extract tricks from crumbling loading docks in Joliet, dilapidated stadiums in Gary, polished-stone plaza ledges in downtown Peoria.” As most skate content has drifted towards Instagram and nothing has much staying power, the idea of a “video review” has sadly become a relic of skate publications past. That’s a bit sad, considering a resounding, well-written recommendation of a not-so-obvious video (or something you simply neglected to click on) still means a lot. I bought Grains after reading Boil the Ocean’s new review of it, and can’t say I would’ve been compelled to do the same if I saw a part of it on Thrasher or YouTube with a Big Cartel link under it ♥

“The most dominant example of genre loyalty is DGK’s whopping 92% use of hip hop.” Someone culled Skatevideosite’s entire database of soundtracks and put together an infographic-based portrait of #musicsupervision in skate videos over the past four decades — and somehow, despite the fact it has been a recurring joke on here for ~10 years — Big L isn’t the most oft-used rap artist.

Head over to Live Mixtapes R.B. Umali’s Vimeo page to hear the full version of Zoo York’s Mixtape soundtrack with NoDJ tags no skate noises over the music.

Skate Muzik also did podcast with R.B. about how the iconic soundtrack came to be.

The water sports section from Spirit Quest, where they put a condom on a VX, is now online ;) …as is Ben Gore’s hill-heavy Static IV part.

Theories has an abridged history of any and all spot selection trends to take course over the history of skateboarding, though they left out some dismal low-points of recent spots on this side of the planet.

This feels like a clip that would’ve been on 48 Blocks ten years ago. In a good way.

Real is working on a documentary on Chicago’s Uprise Skateshop, and presumably ignoring a mountain of pitch emails from Paulgar about doing one on Autumn.

Jenkem with a lesson on pant sags and nut grabs in skate videos.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: NBA Champion, Nick Young.

Quote of the Week: “It’s easier to catch an octopus here than it is to get laid.” — Francesco

Chief Keef making Seaside Heights boardwalk music (and him sounding the most energized he’s sounded in years on it) is one 2018’s most unheralded developments.

All-Star Fashion Week Weekend

pebbles

Late one today. Weather got things sluggish.

“Skaters in Cars Looking at Spots” cruises around the Financial District with Zered.

“My last name is Baker, so this is called The Baker Video.” Good friend and breaker of four boards in one session, Zach Baker, made a fun skateboard video.

Life is Goodie is dropping on 4/20 fool.

“Rob [Dyrdek] told me, ‘Look, dude, there’s gonna be no pro skaters in the next…I see in the future no pro boards.'” Ride has a great interview with Josh Kalis about China, standalone video parts, GX1000, a declining middle class in skateboarding, and a future with no boards. ICYMI: Hit You Off Management dropped a “Kalis in Mono” remix last week, mentioned in the interview’s first question.

Sorta on that note, Village Psychic got an interview with the dudes who run Mood Skateboards, a company with no team. “In the 80s and 90s, pro skaters were the best at skating, but now everyone is the best. The ‘need’ for professionals isn’t the same.” It’s gonna be a really weird next couple of years, man.

Always a lot of surprises in this dude’s skating: Joel Meinholz time machine mash-up.

Some enviable weather in Gigliotti’s new clip.

The bro Jersey Dave has a photo book up for sale.

Dunno if these are the ten *greatest* spots ever built, but Kingpin has a listicle of ten “what were they thinking when they made this” spots from around the world.

Boil the Ocean compares Big Brother‘s resistance to abiding by the skateboard industry’s self-image to the Slap message board’s similar disposition of today, and uses the word “sanctimoniousness.”

The Helas team’s IG clips combined into one montage, with a mini Ishod and Lucas part at the end :)

“Before the Hubba girls, the Duffs girls, before Erica Yary or Leanne Tweeden, and long before any hot chick would be caught dead in a Thrasher shirt, there was Rosa.” SML Talk reminisces on the nineties most iconic half-naked skateboard hardware company model. Chromeball also had a Rosa tribute years ago, which includes a scan of the “15 Things You Didn’t Know About…” segment from Skateboarder.

Jake Johnson v.s. the D.C. Gold Rail, circa 2010.

Who had the better high fashion backpack ad, Eli or Alex Olson?

Part two of NY Skateboarding’s joint interview with Gino and Dill is now live.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Lebron v.s. Durant won’t be much of a narrative in the NBA soon.

Quote of the Week: “Johnny peaked with Space Heater.” — Max Palmer

If you’re stuck inside and need a good time-killer, I was recently put onto the fact that a lot of episodes of Insomniac with Dave Attell are on YouTube. It hasn’t been the best for productivity, but is really fun to reminisce on the drunken world of the early millennium that most of us had yet to experience (still recognized the venue for the “goddess” party though hehehehe…) The two New York episodes are here and here. Playlist with most of them here.

First Post of 2015

twa wallride

The Grand Central of the jet age.” Photo via Paul Young.

Happy New Year. Last week was a wash. Not much happened, nor did a lot of #hot #new #content appear on the skateboard internet. If you want to catch up on stuff you missed in 2014, beyond the standard year-end sources, check Slam City Skates’ list of favorite parts from British skateboarders of note or your “favourite” European skateboarder’s “favourites” from the year.

Discovering how fun and unrefined Hungarian skateboarding looks was one of our “favourite” developments of 2014, so here’s the new one from Budapest’s Rios Crew.

This is cool, but where’s the footage of the Trahan Washington Square kickflip?

ConEd Banks seems like a horrible place to spend prolonged time at during a summer (or fall) trip to New York. Three Up Three Down is a great place for a nap though.

Sean Malto, on the struggle of only being romantically admired by 15-year-old girls.

Ripped Laces’ annual list of the year’s best skate shoes. No Supreme Foams?

Even though you’d wind end up sharing it with a bunch recently divorced, “skating past a mid-life crisis” art directors, they should build one of these in Central Park.

Like most things, uptown is a lot more fun in the summertime. Cool kickflip, btw.

Unswayed by the fact that no storied skate company has ever come back from the dead to come close to its glory days, Alien Workshop announced yesterday that it will be joining Habitat under the Tum Yeto umbrella. Seagullllllssssss…

Rob Mathieson may be the quietest British person I know. Here’s a video of him skating around Boston and New York for Krooked’s U.K. division.

The crew behind the Tuesday vid got the urge to re-do the entire video, rendering it Tuesday-free as an attempt to distance itself from that day’s popularity spurt.

Has Bieber been channeling The Muska all along?

A compendium of the tricks that have gone down the Clipper Ledge, likely 2014’s “Spot of the Year,” in .gif form. Clipper #listicles r mad hot yo.

I watched that movie The Notebook. You ever watch that?” — Mike Tyson

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Nick Young is the frontrunner for the Sports Desk’s S.O.T.Y. Also, people on Twitter are already calling this the dunk of the year.

Quote of the Week:

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If you’re curious as to where we were at before this year (or bored…yeah, you’re probably bored), here are the first posts from 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

In the Back Playing the Guitar

tony montgomery

No idea who shot this photo (it comes from the creditless abyss known as Tumblr) the photo was taken by Andrej Tur, but it is amazing. Tony Montgomery, a long time ago. Also: watch this.

Nobody should have any issues with this year’s skater of the year selection — unless your issue is that Pat Pasquale got robbed, in which case, you have a valid point, and should go vote for his Theatrix part as the best part of the year over on the TWS site.

BTW, Wes Kremer met his connect in Costa Rica.

Jerry Mraz is a true American hero who has contributed to skateboarding in this city in many ways. Credit to Jenkem for shining a light on his untold story.

An interview with Antoine Asselin, Real teamrider and one of the main minds behind modern skateboarding’s greatest thinktank.

Found this really interesting: How the business of clearing music rights for skate videos works. (Though I personally would’ve asked how the hell Plan B cleared Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” for Torey Pudwill’s part, since she worked on the clearance for True. Clearing a Stones song for a skate video seems almost as impressive as a 20-foot-long back noseblunt pop-out.)

If riding a shaped board in 2014 is akin to using a flip phone in 2014, when is Rihanna for Welcome going to drop? Fwiw, Nokia bricks > flip phones.

Wow @ the 5050 transfer (3:10) at Love Park in this “Lawrence of Gnarabia” edit. Never really see anyone skate that ledge. Shout out Peter O’Toole.

The Broadway Bump was one of the funnest midtown spots ever (Keenan Choc Tour opener), though by today’s standards, it’d barely be considered a spot for most kids.

J.B. Gillet bought Makaveli on cassette the first day it came out.

Can’t wait for Beastern Exposure.

Lottery Boiz II, a new NY-based video from some guys who really like Chief Keef.

Sick line at Chase — not at the three-up-five-down — in this Coda crew clip.

So much for that remark about Houston Street construction yielding less popular spots as of late

Rich..Gang throwaway tracks omg.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Need to embed this.

The QS Sports Desk is an anti-Lakers establishment #2011mavs4ever, but wow Nick Young is perfect (even though he stole the opening bit to his interview from Kosmo Kramer.) Kobe will probably strangle him by the end of the season.

Quote of the Week:

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Thanks to anyone who purchased something from the webstore last week. We should be caught up with shipping out orders today, or Tuesday at the absolute latest.