William Strobeck | Quartersnacks

The Best Skateboard Videos of the 2010s — QS Reader Survey Results

Features & Interviews November 27th, 2019 · 12:00 pm · 15

Illustration by Cosme Studio

This was the decade that the full-length skate video was supposed to die. We began the 2010s with everyone insisting that Stay Gold would be the last full-length skate video. Then, Pretty Sweet was supposed to be the last full-length video. Some people thought that Static IV would be it — the end, no more full-lengths after that. But I feel like I heard someone say Josh was working on something new a couple months back? Idk.

The experience might’ve changed. We’re not huddling around a skate house’s TV covered in stickers to watch a DVD bought from a shop anymore (if this past weekend is any indication, it’s more like AirPlaying a leaked .mp4 file via a link obtained from a guy who knows a guy), but the experience of viewing a fully realized skate video with your friends for the first, second or twentieth time is still sacred.

Just as we asked for your votes for the five best video parts, we did the same for the five best full-lengths: if you could choose the five videos that defined the 2010s, what would they be? The results were a bit more surprising than the parts tally in some ways, given that it felt like independent, regional and newer, small brand videos dominated the decade, yet Big Shoe Brands™ and Girl + Chocolate still made their way into the list. The top-heaviness of some companies or collectives was less of a surprise, in that certain creators loomed large over the 2010s.

Like the installment before it, this list is sans comment for 20-11, and then via favors from writer friends for the top ten: here are the twenty best skate videos of the past ten years.

Cherry 1.5 > iPhone 6

Daily News September 10th, 2014 · 12:27 pm · 16

sean kickflip joyride

While the rest of the internet spent Tuesday refreshing live update pages about the new iPhone, we spent it checking Bill Strobeck’s Vimeo page for any hint of Joyride, the new video he’s been posting cryptic Instagram memes about all summer. Turns out Vimeo is going down the YouTube circa 2009 route of disabling videos with third party content, so Joyride didn’t make it out in time. It’s on YouTube, a day later.

Though not an “official” Supreme project, Joyride is more or less a six-months-after-“cherry” milestone that shows how ridiculous the current rate at which young kids progress is. (That, and a check-in on growth spurts. T.J. might rival Yaje right now for New York skateboarding’s quickest height spike ever.) Joyride stars Sage Elsesser, Sean Pablo, Nakel Smith, Tyshawn Jones, Kevin Bradley, Aiden Mackey, and Ben Kadow, who has a lot more screentime than he did in the last vid (the gap firecracker is insane.) Most of the 21+ crowd from “cherry” stops in for a cameo, including a rather unexpected Bryan Herman signature move :)

#Boobs are still trending in summer 2K14, and shout out to Bill for joining Josh Stewart in the ranks of elite skate auteurs who refer to skate videos as videos.

…that ender 5050 better be a magazine cover next month. Meatball!

Previously: An Interview with Bill Strobeck

William Strobeck for Supreme: “buddy”

Daily News June 11th, 2012 · 3:49 pm · 6

“I used to smoke a little crack every now and then.”
“Hey, I used to, too. It’s not a big deal.”

There’s never a shortage of weirdos willing to have cameos in Bill’s clips. Unlikely financial advisors, John the Baptist, and (hopefully one day) l*ngb**rders dressed as snowboarders rank among the memorable appearances. Below is a new clip for Supreme, featuring Jason Dill and the 13-year-old Tyshawn Jones (he’s a lot better than he was in his last publicly available batch of footage from last September.) Made by William Strobeck for Supreme New York.

Updated with a YouTube version:

The Quiksilver Video (Kinda)

Daily News May 19th, 2012 · 2:24 pm · 5

You’ll have to pardon this rare Saturday update and it being 19 hours late (!!!), because we took yesterday off to skate and look cute.

It’d be safe to assume that any company removing Jake Johnson and Alex Olson from its pro ranks is disinterested in producing a great skate video, even if some considerable talent remains on its roster. (Since we’re all Pacers fans for the next week: Imagine Indiana waiving Hibbert and Granger at the trade deadline for no apparent reason.) Though the mythical “Quiksilver video,” which was a heavily discussed topic on the Tompkins bench this time last year, may never come out, its would-be creator released much of the footage that would have ended up in it anyway. It even includes the aforementioned names no longer on Quiksilver payroll.

The full-on video project looks like it got deaded, but this combined with the Strobeck section in last month’s Transworld video is a decent enough consolation prize. Naturally, it includes a recurring preoccupation with hair via picture-in-picture. It wouldn’t be a Strobeck clip if there wasn’t some weird shit going on…

UPDATE: There’s now an official Quiksilver version of the clip. In color, and without all the extra stuff going on in the top left corner. Doesn’t feature Olson or Jake though…

Spike Lee Need To Get This Shit On Film

Daily News April 23rd, 2012 · 10:05 am · 7

Nothing like a good front shove. Ishod Wair at some secret gap spot. Photo by Zander Taketomo.

As if Matt Mooney getting busted for the croissant heist of the century after tweeting about it wasn’t enough, here’s further evidence that you should avoid social media after committing ~~idiotic~~ hilarious “crimes.”

Chris Nieratko interviews the judges, skaters, and producer from this year’s mess of a One in a Million series. What are skateboarders who spend an unhealthy amount of time typing YouTube comments going to complain about now? (Full QS interview with Lurker Lou coming this week or next at the latest. Weather has been nice, so transcribing/editing has been slow.)

Called it. Lil’ Wayne inks an endorsement deal with Supra. (Original post here.)

Here’s a New York-based “Day in the Life” clip with Danny Supa. More “lifestyle” stuff than actual skating, but the song makes it great. Any skate clips edited to a song off AZ’s first few albums are more or less guaranteed a link here — maybe even that Tyrone Olson part where he skates to “Sugar Hill.”

Someone is making a documentary about Harry Jumonji. The interviews in the trailer seem real honest and unfiltered, so it definitely has the potential to be great. Watch the trailer here.

Andre Page flatground lines at the T.F., Hawaiian shirts, strobe lights, and an avoidance of the most notorious line off that “Ass” song, all in this GoPro clip.

The VHS aesthetic continues with Twomanji, a video whose description boasts the revitalization of laserdiscs.

Pro skaters giving back to the community, one worn-out ledge at a time.

Some new photos over on the Dunions Tumblr, including one that solves the mystery of what happens to Tompkins’ legendary cones. (A dog ate them. No, really.)

KCDC temporarily moved to 68 N. 3rd for the summer. It’s still off the Bedford stop, but a bit further west than before (closer to the bridge, as well.)

Bill Strobeck recommends some music over on The World’s Best Ever for people who don’t mind playlists that exclude Meek Mill. Oh, and Dreamchasers 2 comes out Monday, May 7th.

R.I.P. Os Dias Do Video, the internet’s leading destination for pirated skate videos.

Quote of the Week:

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FOR THE 21.3% OF QS READERSHIP THAT FOLLOWS SPORTS: In commemoration of the regular NBA season ending this week, here are JaVale McGee’s top eight dumbest plays. The most entertaining player in the league, but not in a Derrick Rose sort of way. We’re eternally grateful that he got traded to a playoff team, because it means at least an extra week of this.