The Events That Defined New York City Skateboarding in 2011: 15-11

This week’s installment. Going to finish out the remainder of the list next week. Previous editions: #25-21, #20-16.

15. Luis Tolentino Skates on High Things

Though Aldrin Garcia may have set the new highest ollie record in 2011, Luis went his own route and created an alternate, more conceptual category: Highest Average Obstacle in a Skate Part. The average height of every object he skates on or over in his Everywhere We Go Part is estimated to be 40 inches, shattering any previous records (likely held by Darren Harper and Brandon Westgate) by at least half-a-foot. This new record has lead to a variety of bizarre theories from YouTube comments, most notably that Luis has a black person in each leg.

He also started off his part with a trick at a Waffle House, so that’s always a plus.

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Shut Down Champs, Did the Fool in Prada

Today marks exactly five years since the release of The Inspiration, which is the second most important motivational masterpiece to come out during this website’s existence (first here.) In honor of this sacred date, above is the limited edition 1-of-10 Quartersnacks x The Inspiration custom griptape sheet. On a side note, the mixtape prelude to this album, had some serious bangers that QS will happily cut a thousand-dollar check for, provided they are CDQ versions without DJ Drama yelling nonsense all over them. If only Jeezy still made music like this…

Apparently, the school/park has began removing the “real” ledges from 12th & A, and threw out all the portable obstacles. One less place to skate during the day without getting kicked out. Great. R.I.P. 12th & A.

The Flipmode production house released a short, purple-tinged b-sides clip featuring their standard roster. Kids seem to really like Spaceghostpurp and lean references these days, huh.

If you started skateboarding around the time Photosynthesis came out, you’ve maybe wondered what happened to Pat Corcoran. Well, he dropped by a recent Chrome Ball post dedicated to him, and set the record and rumor-mongering straight with a detailed, yet completely punctuation-less comment.

Skateboard filmers who take themselves serious enough to make memes about filmer faux pas are probably the worst thing about skateboarding. We mix SD & HD, stretch SD, and chop it up to Rihanna & 2 Chainz, all in one clip.

The crew over at Seasons Skateshop in Albany uploaded a clip from deep in the archive of some of our homies. Wonderful soundtrack choice, and the only place online you’re going to see Ben Baptiste do a kickflip backside tailslide.

Strobeck clips tend to get re-blogged heavy, but in case you missed it, a remix of some older ones from the mid-to-late 2000s went up on YouTube yesterday.

Quote of the Week
Observant Gentleman: “Yeah, 2008 was a good summer.”
Alexander Mosley: “Of course it was a good summer, every summer is a good summer. You never hear anyone say ‘Yeah, that was a good winter.'”


Thanks to everyone who reposted our Best of 2011 Clip: Yaba Zoo, First Cut is the Cuttiest, Huckstep Life, Wheelbite, A-City-Crew, Handsome As Fuck, Trilogy Tapes, Humidity Skateshop, Waters & Army, Street Feed, Playboard, Network Skate, Dank Mag, Recordings of Boardings, Le Boom Blog, Grey Magazine, Hella Trill, Cream Mag, Domliebe, Throw Up the Horns, Le Site Du Skateboard, and 48 Blocks.

When you’re in the club and you see me – High five!

The block said, ‘Dro you need to drop.’ Well, here it go…

Attempting to out-do the infamous MTA montage, the Mandible Claw crew put out a “Rush Hour” clip centered around skitching, and skating on motor vehicles. Considering there are no Jackie Chan or Chris Tucker cameos, they should’ve just named this “Arrest me, please.” Cops seem pretty content to kick people’s asses for no real reason these days, so God bless Colin and the rest of the crew for risking themselves for our entertainment.

The underground king of Queens, Rob Campbell, has a new “Day in the Life” clip up for his company, New Breed skateboards.

Will skateboarders ever get tired of editing things to songs from Jeru the Damaja’s first album? Probably not. Back tail stall at the Bubble Banks is real sick though, and Future’s debut album, Pluto, drops on 01/31/12.

In an effort to remedy “soft music” criticisms stemming from their first throwaway clip, the “Death Video” crew called upon the services of Cameron Giles and put out an “ignorant edit” promo. Why would anyone want to ollie off that small hut at the Queensboro Bridge downhill ledges?

Late, but insane: You apparently cannot skate the Thomas Greene Park spot (a place designated built for skateboarding) unless you are accompanying a small child. Good to know that the NYPD has its priorities in order when it comes to Brooklyn.

Events: 1) If you’re into art and stuff, the Gonz is having an exhibition of photos and illustrations from the past year starting tomorrow and lasting through January 7. 2) The Shake Junt video premieres at KCDC this Sunday. 3) Jeremy Elkin’s new, NYC-based video, Poisonous Products premieres tomorrow at 74A East 4th Street at 8:30 P.M. Flyer here.

Spot Updates: 1) Who’s the genius that decided to knob the ledges — yes, the ledges — at Brick Nine? “Why are they still skating here? I thought they were supposed to stop skating?” 2) You obviously can’t skate World Trade anymore because of the protests, but Chase is also blocked off on account of them.

Quote of the Week: “Yo, Chinatown is crazy. I feel like I’m in Tokyo.” — E.J.


P.S. People in Jersey are real smart. Well, maybe not as smart as this guy.

P.P.S. Payless has a knock-off of the Dylan Gravis shoe on sale for $13.

An Interview With Black Dave

As we approach the end of the year, the Quartersnacks Rap Desk‘s vote for “Rapper of the Year” is torn between 2 Chainz, Future, and Black Dave. On Monday night, Dave performed at some random lounge in the Financial District (appropriately a block away from C.I.A. Ledge…it wouldn’t be right if it wasn’t next to a skate spot), as an opening act for some members of ASAP Rocky’s crew. This performance may be the tie-breaker that puts Dave ahead of the competition. Torey Goodall claimed that “watching Black Dave perform was like that last scene in The Karate Kid where he kicks everyone’s ass.” Switch Mike equated the event to seeing your own child accomplish something great. Taji Ameen interviewed Dave and was kind enough to send it our way.

Photos and Words by Taji Ameen

So what the hell were you thinking when you decided to dress up in a suit and call yourself The Black Donald Trump?

I have a lot of ideas going on in my head that I’ve been trying to expand on. The whole reason I decided to enter the music world was to release them for people to see and have a good laugh to. I’ve been skateboarding for nine years and it has been a great way to express myself, but with music I can show a bit more of my humor and personality. Being The Black Donald Trump consists of balling out on a budget, missing cabs, going to the chicken spot, drinking 40s, and smoking blunts on your homie’s roof.

Yeah, we have seen Heath Kirchart and Jeremy Klein skate in suits in Birdhouse’s The End, but never Black Donald Trump shredding Tribeca in one. What is the story behind that baller-ass suit?

Well I called myself the Black Donald Trump because I’ve always seen myself as an entrepreneur, which just makes the suit necessary for the video. I needed a fucking wig, but I blew it, and couldn’t find one in time. His crazy hair style wouldn’t work too well while I was skating anyway.

The video kind of reminded me of Harold Hunter raps from old Zoo York videos. I was backing that.

I most definitely look up to Harold Hunter as a New York legend, as a role model in a way. Not only because he was a great skater, but he had a successful career in acting at a young age with his role in Kids, and that’s something I always wanted to be, a well-rounded person who did it all, and had a damn good time while doing it.

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Lockout Wall Street, Occupy the NBA

E.J. added some new lifestyle-ish photos to his portfolio site, Tomorrow’s New Happiness. Covers various points of interest: the T.F., M2M, Supreme, Black Donald Trump, the fact that “Lil” Andre is taller than all of us now, and how Tru Religion jackets are going to get big in skateboarding after that 2 Chainz tape drops tomorrow and changes everyone’s perspective on life.

As you probably heard, November is a wrap for the NBA. The most spoiled professional sports league in the world has robbed us of a Knicks v.s. Heat season opener at the Garden, which would have been on Wednesday. Our friends Adam Abada and Gabe Tennen printed some “Lockout Wall Street, Occupy the NBA” tees and are selling them for $15 to cover medical bills after Gabe’s recent ankle surgery. Hopefully, the slogan turns true, so Melo could stop playing pick-up games in Williamsburg, and drop his membership to the Under 40 Jewish League.

Never knew Frank Gerwer kickflipped the double-set at the Garden, like, fifteen years ago. Dude’s a legend.

The Times ran a brief article about Allen Ying’s 43 Magazine, with a slideshow of some sick photos. This one of Brian Delatorre switch olling the rail-to-bank on 33rd Street is a real standout. (To non-New Yorkers: That spot is literally a three-second bust.)

Happy Halloween. 4th Annual Naysayer Halloween Clip, Halloween-themed post on The Chrome Ball with old ads inspired by horror movies, etc., and an artsy Opening Ceremony Halloween skate clip. Below is our Halloween clip from four years ago (time flies.) We should have kept doing these in subsequent years, but we didn’t. The 2008 one was, uh, lazy.

Autumn has a re-stock of “NYC Man” Bart Simpson tee designed by Jerry Hsu.

Jason Lecras is having a photography show at Holmes & Co. this Saturday, November 5, from 7 to 9 P.M. Jason is one of the best people I’m fortunate enough to know, the greatest skateboarder from Long Island not named Frank or Gino (maybe), and a talented photographer. You can check out some of his work here.

This video, and everyone involved with it, set western civilization back fifty years.

Quote of the Week: Shawn Powers sends some pretty odd “Are you skating?” texts in the morning.

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