Like Frank Costanza and Jay-Z, Smalls had no choice but to come out of retirement and bring us Who Leg, an unanticipated half-sequel to the Stop Fakin’ series that canonized so much of D.M.V. skateboarding in the 2010s.
Having cited back troubles at the completion point of the trilogy in early 2018, Stop Fakin’ 3 was supposed to be Smalls’ final video, which makes this surprise upload all the more special.
It’s no stretch to say that Milano Centrale and Washington D.C’s Pulaski Park are made from similar strains of skate spot pixie dust. As a youth watching The DC Video, I even remember thinking Stevie Williams’ switch heel back tail was on some lesser-seen portion of Pulaski, given the striking resemblance its white marble upper level has to the composition of Italy’s greatest skate spot.
Words & Interviews by Frozen in Carbonite
Illustrations by Cosme Studio
The history of the [largely extinct] American Skate Plaza™ has been documented meticulously in thousands of hours of video footage, interviews and podcasts.
However, documentarians of #theculture have largely overlooked the ancillary dining establishments that fueled — on a molecular level — the innovation and unforgettable sessions at spots like the Brooklyn Banks, Pulaski, Embarcadero and Love Park.
Until the rise of “foodie” culture, Yelp and the general trend of eating healthy and shit, most skaters’ palates trended towards the most convenient fast-casual options.
With that in mind, and in conjunction with New York Restaurant Week (which is apparently almost a month long ¯\_(ツ)_/¯), we present Quartersnacks Restaurant Week — an oral history of legendary spot-adjacent fast food restaurants. Over the course of conducting the interviews, some common themes emerged, i.e. most skaters favored carb-heavy menu options as an easily accessible energy source. In addition, at most spots the skaters and food service workers formed alliances — an interesting anthropological wrinkle in terms of how different cultures interact.
Photo by Kyle Myles
Words & Interview by Frozen in Carbonite and Recordings of Boardings
Pulaski, for connoisseurs of plaza skating, offers the most authentic experience left in North America. One is out in the open yet simultaneously in one’s own pocket of reality. The Capitol looms at the end of Pennsylvania Avenue, and the White House stands only a couple of blocks away. The locals know the color schemes of the different law enforcement vehicles that encircle the block and react accordingly. The sheer electricity of the overall experience blows away your local park, no matter how expansive or plaza-like.
Like I said here, the power resides in the marble.
D.C. videography dates back to Sheffey’s A Reason for Living part, but exploded onto the scene via Chris Hall’s New Deal parts and the first issues of 411. Dave Schubert’s camera and Giant Distribution’s willingness to feature their riders at the time offered skating writ large a window into an intimidating but mind-opening scene that overshadowed Love Park for most of the early nineties. In 2018, “east coast” is synonymous with wallrides ‘n shit, but Pulaski locals were just as tech if not moreso than their Embarcadero contemporaries.
In addition to producing generations of rippers, Pulaski has produced as extensive a library of independent scene vids as anywhere — back to True Mathematics’ Prosperity², to the seminal Pitcrew (R.I.P) vid Where I’m From, to the turn-of-the-century classic Pack a Lunch. As computer technology facilitated D.I.Y. video production, more essential documents emerged. Along those lines, we recently caught up with Smalls, the dude behind the longest-standing D.C. video series, to discuss Stop Fakin’ 3 — the third in the trilogy of the same name — and the culture of one of the most prolific scenes in the world.
You can purchase Stop Fakin’ 3 along with the whole trilogy here.
Been slow around here, as recent injuries have taken their toll on office morale, but December is always busy. QS holiday 2017 tees are now available at Supreme Soho and Brooklyn. Arriving at other shops this week and next. Online soonish?
Probably one of the most fried concepts for a recent skate video, but in the best way possible — Kyota Umeki filmed an entire skate video on a Nintendo 3DS with a fisheye taped to it. 90% of it is filmed within like, five blocks of the L.E.S. Park. I also have “Groove Is In The Heart” stuck in my head now, great.
The crew behind Newark’s Shorty’s spot (R.I.P.) was allotted a piece of land by the city, in which they have begun to build a bowl. They’re looking to raise money for supplies, concrete trucks, etc. to speed up the project. If you’ve been to Shorty’s even once, please donate whatever you can so they can continue forward with the Shorty’s spirit ♥
People are insane. They don’t wanna see you shining on a nollie crook in Tribeca.
Bobby Worrest has a comprehesive interview with “The Nine Club,” with a detailed discussion re: the lost art of skate spot politics and east coast aversion to wax. (His favorite Bobby Worrest part is also “Looks Ok To Me.”)
“The single biggest casualty of single parts is there’s no extra bullshit.” Abada has an interview with The Secret Tape, the guy who owns every hardcopy skate video besides the premiere copy of Photosynthesis.
Genny, Nik Stain, Andrew Wilson, Nolan, etc. with an iPhone clip from Portland.
Pat Buckley has been posting a bunch of Dobbin Block-era photos of Caddo, Frankhouse, Mraz et al. over on Tumblr.
A minute-and-a-half of 2017 Brian Wenning footage, who is apparently back on DC.
Harry Bergenfield has a six-minute, half-New York throwaway clip up now. A lot of clips have been starting off with fights lately, huh? Angst still running strong ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Kept forgetting to link this one: Miami’s Andrew skate shop crew on the west coast.
^Someone tell 2005 Erik Ellington that this thick shorty is looking for him, insofar as the pork pie hat guy doesn’t get to her first.
Well, this video is going to be pretty fucked…
It gets better every time you watch it. Shout out Australia.
QS Sports Desk: Imagine if the Knicks did a subtler trust the process-esque strategy instead of doubling-down on iso-Melo and then trying to force the triangle onto the modern NBA for the past decade? Eh.
Quote of the Week:
— Charles Rivard
Happy birthday Future. No clue how we’d get through life on this planet without you ♥
