Don’t Look Like That: End of Summer 2013

dre roof 360 flip

We’re three weeks past our Labor Day deadline for End of Summer clips, Dre is back to wearing colors besides white, and we’ve been experiencing some 50-degree mornings, so this is more like a Start of Fall clip.

The past summer was weird. Our research of recent visitor trends revealed a massive increase of Brooklyn readers, so we were advised to up the wallie and wallride count in this video by a whopping 80%. In fact, Josh Velez took it upon himself to enter the wallie arc of his career some seven years earlier than he initially anticipated to remedy this disconnect between the site’s content and its readers/viewers. Also, there are an inordinate amount of Jersey Shore spots in this clip to add to the weirdness.

Features Zered Bassett, Atlanta Shane, Haffa, Galen Dekemper, John Diaz, Ron Deily, Josh Velez, Pryce Holmes, Elijah Cole, Lui Elliot, Kadeem Walters, Ritch Homie Swain, Torey Goodall, Shawn Powers, Andre Page, Matthew Perez, Lurker Lou, Brendan Carroll, Tyler Tufty, Quim Cardona, Gavin Nolan, Paul Tucci, and Alexander Mosley.

Have a good weekend.

Alternate YouTube Link

Previous “End of Summer” Editions: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006

Quim Cardona: Non Fiction 2

quim ob

This is perhaps the most glowing example of “How-did-I-not-know-this-existed?” in recent QS history. Our 2011 re-edit was somewhat of an unofficial addendum to Quim’s section in Non Fiction, but this part is the closest you’re going to get to an official sequel, and quite obviously put together with that original video in mind.

Overground Broadcasting is a Japanese video from 2008, edited by Morita Takahiro. Some word of its existence made it over to the States, except they didn’t promote the fact it had a five-minute Quim Cardona part nearly as much as they should have. The footage comes from two month-long Tokyo trips made in 2003 and 2006, with some bits of early-2000s, Zoo York-era Quim footage sprinkled in towards the end. (Some of it wound up in issues of E.S.T.)

As a guy whose more-discussed stylistic hallmarks have always been oddball spot and trick selection (e.g. heelflip body varials), pop, and “drunken monkey” arm gestures, it has been easy to forget Quim does some of the best-looking flip tricks in skateboarding. Even with three candidates for “Best Switch Flip Ever Done” to his name (off the curb cut in Non Fiction, over a concrete barrier off the curb across from Union Square, and the one where he was the only dude to get air off the bank at Riverbank Park), he still gets left out of the “Best Flip Tricks” conversation, which, as you may notice, we have on this website a lot. The fakie flip on flat, not to mention the backside flip and switch flip over the metal bar in this part, are reason-enough to merit more frequent inclusion alongside Kalis, Stevie, J.B., etc.

Nice of this to surface a week after we discovered Quim was originally supposed to have a full part in Eastern Exposure 3.

Started From the T.F. Now We (Still) Here

india

QS shirts have been spotted in some odd locations: “Holi Thirteen” by Brandon Kuzma. (P.S. If you’re still trying to get an early order in, e-mail quartersnacks [at] gmail, though quantities remain limited. Otherwise, our webstore will re-open in June with new product. Supreme New York and Exit Skateshop in Philadelphia also have them in stock.)

Don’t you guys miss when the Green Diamond was more #street? :(

These guys are still mad street.

The French blog, Café Créme, has a new interview with Quim Cardona. His 2011 Chrome Ball interview goes deeper on some of the topics they discuss though.

The Wall Street Velvet Rope Bail. Worth watching two or ten times.

NY Skateboarding rounded up New York-related bits from recent magazines, which include the photo side of Adidas’ New York barge last year and Walker Ryan’s insane trick at the Courthouse.

Black Dave has a “First Try Fridays” segment with Eric Koston over on the Berrics.

The new Cliché video, Bon Voyage, is out on iTunes today, and most shops have the DVD in stock. The video is what you expect (though a bit less European given some recent roster additions), including a solid part from every grown-up’s favorite skateboarder, Lucas Puig. The line he does at Pulaski Park is likely the best line you’ll see all year (seeing pros just do a simple, not-Torey-Pudwills-long backside tailslide on a ledge is awesome, especially in 2013.) Also, “Best Line of 2012” title holder, Pete Eldridge, continues to skate with cigarettes and has a solid shared part with J.B. Gillet. If anyone at Cliché is interested in producing an American rap re-edit of Puig’s part, we’re all ears.

#Art Updates: 1) Jeremy Elkin put together a video of Jahmal Williams’ recent Hopps installation at Labor Skateshop. 2) “Eastern Suns,” an art thing which features Jahmal, Dan Drehobl, Bosco, 30 Pack Pat, and others will have an opening reception at Da Fish on Sunday, May 5th at 7 P.M. Flyer here.

Trife Moronic Look of the Week: They actually knobbed this “sculpture” on Houston and Broadway.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Nate Robinson (yes, Nate Robinson) came one point shy of Michael Jordan’s record for post points in a playoff quarter in a triple overtime win over the Nets on Saturday. Is Nets gear 80% off everywhere yet?

How insane is it that the President of the United States walked out to DJ Khaled as intro music?

The 360 Flip’s Less Attractive Sister: A Study of the 10 Greatest Varial Flips in Skate Video History

top 10 varial flips

The varial flip occupies a strange space in skateboarding. It’s pigeonholed as a little kid trick — a midway point between the kickflip and 360 flip, and sometimes even the first flip trick learned by a kid who found the shove-it motion easier to land on than a straight up kickflip. Beyond that, it has a far better looking, more shapely and marketable sister trick: The varial flip is the Khloe to the 360 flip’s Kim and Kourtney.

Even when you run an image search for “varial flip” (every result is hideous), Google is right there with “360 flip” as the sole related search. Except when you Google “360 flip,” the term “varial flip” ceases to be relatable. No need to backtrack.

google varial flips

As observers of professional skateboarding, an eternal question burns in our minds every time a pro does a varial flip: “Why wouldn’t he just do a 360 flip?” Whether you agree or not, 360 flips infallibly share the “you can never have enough of them” category with ollies, kickflips, backside tailslides, or anything else you’ve seen Keith Hufnagel do several times in each his Real parts, while the varial flip remains a lumpy oddity that sets alarms off for critics of trick selection. No company would dare introduce a new rider with a varial flip ad, and Skechers certainly had no intention of calling Khloe for their Super Bowl commercial if Kim was unavailable.

Surely the most standard of 360 flips is superior to the greatest varial flip — if such a thing were to exist. Is there even such thing as a “great” varial flip? We set out to find an answer to this question. Here are the ten instances in which the Khloe Kardashian of flip tricks looked jussst right, by ten of skateboarding’s Lamar Odoms.

More »

It’s Warm Again

g man

Chrome Ball came through with a sick compliation of Four Star ads from the late-nineties and early-2000s. Keenan’s switch pop shove in Australia is super chill.

After hours with Black Dave by Taji Ameen. He 5050s the top of the metal bench at Grace. The guard looked mad though…

Want more mad security guards? Quim Cardona and Billy Rohan shred around Times Square and midtown for their Berrics “Off the Grid” segment. Light wash denim is definitely making the #trendwatch.

Speaking of which, what new spot is going to #trend for this summer’s wave of pro skater visitations, now that the green ledge in Harlem is gone? Or is the stockpile of footage on it enough to keep its memory going?

Guy Mariano offers some wise advice that should be common sense, but unfortunately isn’t for a lot of people: Don’t spend your time in skateboarding bitter and resentful, especially at a young age. That “bitter at 23” shit is the worst. Also, all due respect to Guy, but it’s tough to take his observation about “Skateboarders getting smarter” seriously after skimming through the comments of the Jenkem Mag “New Alien Workshop Rider” April Fool’s video. Then again, YouTube Hella Clips comments are one of modern society’s low-points.

Parts from the Mama’s Boys video are getting uploaded one by one each week. Kevin Maillet’s is the first to go live. Cyrus Bennett and Loose Trucks Max eventually?

For whatever reason, it’s easy to forget about Organika sometimes, but their new promo is great. They literally skate trees in it.

Spot Updates: 1) That new building at Astor is going to have stuff to skate. You can also count on it being knobbed or a six-second bust. 2) With the St. Vincent’s triangle slated for demolition, the actual bank has seen better days. 3) There’s a new box at T.F. It’s high and short. The green wallie thing is almost a wrap, too.

Did we travel back to 2006? Papoose’s album seriously just came out. Though the infamous “WorstPapoose” Tumblr got deleted, you can find the archive here. The stakes is high like the top shelf in the meat market.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Easy. J.R. Smith off Felton’s fumble with two seconds left. Is it too early to start getting scared about some team offering J.R. a better contract next season and him passing on his $2.8M option with the Knicks?

Quote of the Week: “Who hangs out with a girl on a Saturday afternoon? Girls are for rainy days and nighttime.” — Sweet Waste

Thanks to everyone who linked the Eli edit. Enjoy this wonderful week.