This might be the first Saturday night dispatch from the QS office ever, but this one slipped under the radar before we clocked out yesterday, and is way too good to throw in a Monday Links round-up. Thrasher has it on the sidebar, but not sure why it isn’t all over our other colleagues’ platforms.
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.
R.I.P. Donald Byrd. At the very least, rap nerds can easily recognize Byrd’s music via the sample Premier chopped up for “N.Y. State of Mind” or the loop from Black Moon’s “Buck ‘Em Down.” He was also on Guru’s first Jazzmatazz compilation. Though not a skater favorite like Dave Brubeck, check out the 2002 Uprise Skateshop video, Suprise, which features two Donald Byrd songs (“Change” and “City Life”), not to mention Ryan Giese and Steve Nish appearances.
Black Dave made it. No, he really made it. B.D. will be opening up for Project Pat on Tuesday, February 26th at Santos Party House. Congratulations to B.D. on this monumental step in his career. And don’t worry, we’ll remind you about this sixty times between now and the end of the month.
Sign of the times: Skateboarder magazine will no longer come in print form.
With the demise of Gravis, Ripped Laces speculates on hypothetical Dylan Reider shoe sponsor scenarios. Skater free agency is not as fun as NBA free agency.
Slicky Boy sighting in the Stefan Janoski “Off the Grid” segment and a New Jersey-based (!!!) Jason Dill sighting in the montage from the Feelin’ Friendly video.
Speaking of Jersey, Jersey Dave got back behind the lens and made a Jersey City junk spot montage. Always fun to use the word “Jersey” three times in one sentence.
Diamond Days #66. “What’s that Chief Keef song where the hook is about his squad and there are like gunshots going off in the background?”
CNN (the news network, not the duo behind the top five all-time rap album), has an incredible set of photos by Mike Belleme showcasing the skate scene in Asheville, North Carolina. If you recall, Jake Johnson had a lot of great things to say about skateboarding in Asheville.
Hey Marc Jacobs, if you guys need consulting help on, say, simple things like putting trucks on facing the right direction, our services are available in exchange for huge suitcases of American currency.
Is this art or something? Rihanna’s song is rad, dude.
Palace eBay Watch: Ironic parody shirts now available.
QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Danilo Gallinari’s “[Circus] Shot of the Century.”
Quote Tweet of the Week:
