Linkchasers 3

watson sw 360flip

Karl Watson — Switch 360 flip at Burritoville in 1994. Photo via Ryan Gee.

If you’re in Australia, you can buy QS gear with free shipping here.

Ryan Gee joins the ranks of Lucas Puig as one of two Instagram users producing watch-worthy IG videos. He’s been posting long lens B-roll angles of various notable tricks from the early 2000s, e.g. Brian Wenning’s switch back tail big spin, Stevie’s hardflip front nose, and Kalis’ Rockaway line. There are also some motion sequences on there too, e.g. Kalis’ fakie 5-0 over the three at Love or Kerry Getz at City Hall.

Sigh.

Rob Campbell: Renaissance Man.

You might remember an incredible natural-looking quarterpipe spot from the Busenitz “Euro Lines” video. Well, it’s quite obviously a skate plaza, albeit an insane one, based on this Austrian DC video. As Americans, how crazy is it that a city would allot such a prime swath of public space for the sole use of skateboarders?

Zered Bassett has a “Day in the Life”-type video with some cruiser footage and a photo feature over on the Dew Tour site. Who wants to go half on a Code Red?

Vice has an awesome biographical portrait piece on Brian Anderson, which covers a lot of his life since moving to New York. (There’s skating towards the end.)

Hey, you know that thing about skateboarding’s favorite jazz song? Yeah, it retained its title with the new Krooked circle board clip.

The Accidental Playground is a new book about unsanctioned use of the Williamsburg waterfront in the early 2000s, before it was redeveloped. Just ordered it off Amazon, so there’s no telling how much of its 300+ pages are dedicated to skateboarding, but given that there’s a skate photo on the cover, you’d think it’d be a big chunk.

Eighteen classic video parts are being screened alongside a live classical piano rendition of their respective songs.

Though a photograph of a skater holding a book does not verify literacy, the stories about managing skaters in a retail environment are priceless.

In light of the recent demise of Skateboarder, former staff writer, Mackenzie Eisenhour, scanned a 2002 interview with Steve Rocco, which was conducted five years before The Man Who Souled the World was even released.

If you’re good at skateboarding and like bumps to rails, it might affect you in knowing that the handicap rail on Bowery and 5th Street is gone. They cut the flat part out.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Derrick Rose is still faster than everyone.

Quote of the Week: “I learned more from Andre Page than I did from college.” — Will Carpio

What’s better: Dreamchasers 3 or the new Cam’ron tape?

Skateboarding’s Favorite Jazz Song

Jazz legend Dave Brubeck passed away at the age of 91 yesterday. Beyond being fifty years ahead of the curve in wearing what would become standard issue glasses for hip skateboarders with poor eyesight (see above), Brubeck’s most famous work, “Take Five,” is likely the most oft-used jazz song among skate video editors. There is no scientific tally of recurring skate clip music supervision, but jazz songs are generally few and far between. “Take Five” seems like it pops up in a clip at least once a year, and that can’t exactly be said for anything else in the genre as it pertains to skateboarding. For evidence, consult last year’s 5Boro holiday clip, Kevin Macdonald’s part in Shitiots (9 minute mark), or the last part of the Mandible Claw video. Also 95% sure it was in the old Church of Skatan video that Drake Jones had a part in, but his is the only section available online.

As a change of pace, here’s Damian Smith’s Philly-heavy part from the 2001 Santa Cruz video, Uprising, in which he skates to Brubeck’s “Far More Drums.”

Somewhat related to jazz supervision in skateboarding: Jahmal William’s DNA video part and Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things”