Creature Skateboards Drops the Bladerhater Deck

I have to give it up to NHS and the crew at Creature. They are pretty on point with putting the fun back into skating. Admit it, the Oakland Booty deck from earlier this year was funny. Now on All Hallows Eve (that's Halloween) they are kicking out exactly 666 "Bladerhater" decks. This one is getting the endorsement from Sam Hitz. So from me here at South of the North down to you in Dante's inferno, Happy Halloween. Listen to Ozzy and Slayer not just today but everyday. Have you pets spayed and neutered.



Oh yeah and if you are in Florida SPoT is throwing down. Check it:

Nike SB Future Drops: Newcastle and 720 Dunks

Now, for all the f-bombs I drop this is supposed to be a family friendly blog. OK, so I lean to the left a little with the politics. But, I like to think that the whole freedom of speech thing is fun and kind of snappy when you are looking for a way to express yourself. that;s just my and my opinion so today South of the North will tread where we have never gone before: beer.

That's right, beer and Nike SB's to be precise. I do like beer. actually I quite enjoy it. granted I am able to enjoy it because I am wayyyyyyyyy beyond the legal drinking age. But, I have to hand to to Nike after doing the Heineken Dunk for SB a few years back they are dipping back into the world of suds for another inspiration this would be the now labeled Nike SB "Newcastle" dunk. Check the pics courtesy NikeSB.0rg and one of their members:




















OK, that's pretty rad. However, Newcastle is a piece of shit beer and they bottle it in clear bottles. The only thing worse than beer in a green bottle is beer in a clear bottle. That's just wrong. So they went from the green Heineken bottle to the clear New Castle bottle. Ew. That's just gross.

What's the matter Nike can't you pull it together and get us a Texas Budweiser dunk AKA Shiner Bock? Hell give us a good old fashion Bud or Silver Bullet before you start going the route of crap beer. I'm just saying

Ah, next up conjours up memories of Aladdin's Castle Arcade down on the Vestal Parkway. Situated right next to Taco Maker was the local arcade where we launched many a skate mission to SUNY Binghamton, Downtown, Johnson City and the ditches. I think it was 1985 or 1986. I had a Lance Mountain future primitive deck and occasionally we would play the arcade game 720. Also, getting kicked down from NikeSb.org are these shots of the alleged Nike 720 Dunk. A little something for everybody in this one. I just thought the game was funny then and it's funny now. Oh, and Atari, in case you are listening that round swivel joystick sucked ass.

Birdhouse Premiere and Uh, David Loy?

What a weekend. My house was blazing with a party and a little skating went down. The part was a success and good times were had. Lesson learned though. never discuss politics when you are having booze. Stick to skating. I am now the neighborhood pariah for being the left leaning liberal. should make the neighborhood Halloween party tonight interesting to say the least. But, enough about my whining, bitching, and moaning.

Tonight! Monday October 29th

Washington D.C.

BIRDHOUSE Premiere for 'The Beginning' @ Palace 5ive!
Muy caliente. Be there.




Finally, is that really David Loy?

The Tigard Situation

There’s a saying goes something like this: “youth is wasted on the young”. Some days that may be true and others it may not be true at all. As long as we are being honest, truth be told, I am no longer young and I don't care what they do with their time. But, I do fear for the young. That is to say I’m not afraid of them but I fear for their future. Scary things have happened in the United States the past few years. Some high minded officials feel they can suspend our rights and liberties whenever they please. I am not a fan of this. In particular any time one of my Constitutional rights is suspended, I worry greatly. So should you. That’s why we will now turn our attention to the Tigard Skate park in Oregon.

Thanks to skateandannoy.com I've been keeping close tabs on this interesting development. The park got an interesting rep from the get go with the whole “dino-spine” but what came next was a bit sketchy. Rule #3 on the sign posted as you enter Tigard says by entering the park you will voluntarily submit to a search of your personal property (backpacks, bags, etc). Whoa, hold on I seem to recall a certain Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting illegal search and seizure. I didn’t attend law school but, I am fairly certain that posted sign with multiple rules about skate park behavior and etiquette can not suspend your Constitutional Rights as a citizen of the United States of America. Call me crazy but that seems to make a little sense.

So support the skaters out in Oregon and donate some cash so they can print up the stickers posted below. This will assist in bringing a higher level of awareness to this issue. More importantly, never surrender your rights to anybody. Making concessions to a “good idea at the time” can lead you down a path different from what you originally intended. If a skate park is intended for recreation, enjoyment and expression then the use of the said facility to suspend the inalienable rights of Americans runs counter to everything it once stood for.

A quick FYI from skateandannoy.com

The design and specs of the sticker have not been finalized yet. We’ll post it when it is done.

You can mail in well concealed cash (no checks!), just make sure you include the word “Tigard” somewhere on or in the envelope.

Skate and Annoy TIGARD FUND
3439 NE Sandy Blvd
PMB#666
Portland OR
97232

Or you can donate via Paypal. Important: Your Paypal Payment pages will show up as payments to Cold War Skateboards, but that’s not an error, it’s just how the Paypal account is set up.

Image courtesy: skateandannoy.com

Image courtsy: Earthpatrolmedia.com

Tony Hawk Launches ShredorDie.com

Just when you think the “internets” is going to take a breather, the opposite happens. At first glance and when you hear the name a new site launching called ‘Shred or Die’ would only raise eyebrows as a precursor to the instant flash of sarcastic hell that would rain down about the domain name. But, at second glance the layout is oddly familiar as are the faces. Not to be left in the long running roll out of action sports start ups: Tony Hawk has stuck his foot in the game.

Now, lets be honest does Tony really need to do this? Does he need the title of media mogul? Not really. But, he can and that means he will. Shred or Die is part of the “or Die” network which you may remember form their first series of funny videos with Will Farrell. Tony might not have a belligerent toddler named “Pearl” as his landlord but he still manages to put up some solid clips. Aside form having a few Hollywood guest appearances most of the vids are good quality action sports tricks, tips and bails. I imagine this will just about crush most other competitors. If nothing else the name is easy to remember.


So, with an ever-expanding empire it’s pretty interesting to see Tony Hawk step into the dot com world. It will also be interesting to see how he fares in terms of success. Before you start saying this will damage his credibility think back for a moment to all the other things he’s done. OK, have all of those things in your head? I mean all of them because it’s quite a large number. Well this is why I call him Teflon Tony. Shredordie.com, success or failure won’t do a thing to tarnish his image. Let’s run through a few reasons why

Tony Hawk has been with skating from the top to the bottom and back to the top. Really, he has seen it all and suffered through the lean times like everybody else. He’s actually putting up good content. Tony is no dummy actually he’s pretty fucking smart. He’s got a sharp sense of humor and this is a great platform for him to execute on. Tony knows who and what he is. Now, its not that Tony doesn’t care but he is going to try and placate to the trend of the moment. Skating could shift in another direction at the blink of an eye but Tony will continue to follow his own path. I’m not saying he won’t evolve or change. That is clearly not the case. He still moves forward but, his agenda is his own. How can you argue with that?

Watch the 'That's Life' Trailer

Commitment and perseverance are painful qualities to have in your possession. Pretty much, it means you are going to endure something over a determined period of time. The next implication is that what you will commit yourself to persevere over this period of time will not be pleasant. As a matter of fact, it will more than likely suck. That's right it will suck, like suck has never sucked before.

Like I said, painful.

I watched somebody recently make a commitment to not drink. They had a moment of clarity and that locked them down. I wonder if the commitment is eating them up inside. I wonder if this is brutally painful.

A trailer recently surface for the documentary 'That's Life' focusing on the lives and history of Duane Peters and Corey Parks. It briefly looks at their lives and Duane's struggle to get sober. I don't know Duane Peters. I've seen a few of his shows and I finally got to see him skate this year at the Pro-Tec Pool Party. During a run DP had a layback that all but looked like imminent death was approaching. However, he pulled it back into the bowl. He was so heavily committed to his line the trick was an after thought. There was no way he could not make it. By the time I scraped my jaw off the floor and jabbering to my friend show amazing that was two more skaters had passed. Commit, persevere and see it through. That's fucking awesome whether it's skating or sobriety.

Memo to Quiksilver: What the Crap is This?

The interweb with a side of Google can yield some strange results. You see, information is commodity in the world wide webs. If you slip up and let something out that shouldn't see the light of day....well, you are pretty much fucked. Trying to get something off the Internet is like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube. Good luck with that. It's messy on both counts at best.
Wow, pretty dramatic lead up right? I must have some wicked hotas Kelly Slaters' girlfriends news. No, well, maybe. Truth is I don't know.

I received an interesting bit of information. Now, before the barrage of questions starts forming let me tell you what I don't know about the Quiksilver "pac-man" phone. I don't know if this is old or new. I don't know if this is a co-brand with boost. I don't know if Quiksilver is starting up their own mobile virtual network operation (MVNO) to push out of their retail stores.

For all I know this could be old news. Here's what I do know. This phone is pretty hideous looking and not so functional. The thing I can't get past is how this will functional and be stable. It appears they want to go after the iPhone but with a design that is even more unique. In other words ... I'm not feeling it. My best guess is that this is a licensing initiative from across the pond in Europe. The fact that euros are light years ahead of us in cell technology and service is no small secret. Getting a Quik branded phone out in Europe should be as easy as buying a Quik t-shirt in the states.

If you look closely enough it appears to be non-US specs on the sheets. Honestly, though. can't really tell.

Now, the next question is ...why do I hope this is real for the United States? Well, OK, the design isn't good but the idea, in terms of innovation, is somewhat disruptive. When things like this happen change soon follows. That is a good thing.

You Need to Know: Catalyst Skateboards

Washington D.C. natives are no strangers to the do it yourself work ethic. From the hardscrabble bs’n in the political world to the positive mental attitude that legions of youth have portrayed through music … in D.C. there is way to get things done. After seeing the Catalyst Chocolate City All-Star decks floating around shops for the past few months I decided to shoot a note off to Catalyst skateboards and see how they were coming along. What I got back surprised me. This isn’t some half-assed attempt at being a skate-scenster. This is one guy going all out and using each of his available means to bring the skate spotlight back on D.C.

Now to bring everybody up to speed here’s the back story. Catalyst Skateboards is a newer brand being done out of Washington DC by Keir Johnson. Originally begun by Joe McDonald, owner of Pennswood Manufacturing outside of Pittsburgh, PA, Catalyst has undergone a new identity in the last 2 years or so.

So far things have been going well for the small brand, who's done out of the same shop as Ricky Oyola's Traffic Skateboards. "Ricky has always been a huge inspiration to me, when he started working with us at Pennswood, it really made me look at doing a skate brand a different way. I highly respect his worth ethic, and he, more than anybody else, is the perfect guy to try to pull off doing an east coast brand actually on the east" Keir said. "My vision with Catalyst is to offer the D.C. region its own branding identity through skating, I was very influenced by Capital Skateboards back in the 90's and I feel with Catalyst I can help continue that theme, as well as break into new ground. I'm very into throwing events and brining outside skate culture into DC. Now that we've got a few shops going in the city things are really starting to pick up!"

With the release of Catalyst's new Chocolate City All Stars series, the brand pays homage to 4 of DC's greatest legends, Andy Stone, Brian Tucci, Jake Rupp and John Igei. Lest we mention the series has a great name copped honoring an amazing album from a mind blowing musician? With a visage of the familiar D.C. city skyline and a likeness of the local gracing the deck, the focus on aesthetic bleeds from the wood grain. It’s then that Keir gives up the name of the guilty artistic party and drops that the series was done by Alex Vallcorba.

Gradually, the conversation shifts to the future of catalyst. With a New Year now less than a few months away Keir has bigger plans. The sights set on 2008 focus on gaining domestic and international distribution, continue demos - touring schedule and assembling a nice package of products. When the mention of video comes up Keir simply nods his head and it appears, at minimum, production has already begun.

Catalyst is becoming more and more of a staple of east coast skateboarding. While The current team consists of DC OG's Alex Hansen and owner/skater Keir Johnson, current SF resident Danny Gotimer and the two new am's Brendan Cathcart and Jeremy Murray. But for now, Keir is still selling boards out of the trunk of his car and working towards that next step. With their small and solid team, Catalyst is strong on not just promoting their brand but skateboarding as a whole.

Sacrifice a Scooter & Skate On

A few years back my friends brought by their kids. The dad was talking on and on about how great his kid was. Typical dad stuff for any proud parent. so he was having his son run through all of the stuff he did: football, basketball and then the kid dropped a bomb:

"I'm really into razor scooters."

I nearly laughed my beer out of my damn nose. The kid actually said that. I just bit my lip and tried not to laugh. The kid went to find his mom and after he left I passed along a few bits of advice to the dad. One of them was an old board with trucks and wheels on it. There was no way I could let that kid go through life saying he was down for the scooter.

That would be like getting a shitty Nintendo tattoo.

So save a life and sacrifice the scooters.

Creature Skateboards is down for the cause.

Less Blog More Action: Palace 5ive

Maybe we should strike that or reverse it. Whatever, it turns out Palace 5ive in D.C. is getting onto the blog path while their full site is en route. Check 'em out after the jump. Lots of good stuff from Greg and the crew in the future including the 10/29 premiere of the new Birdhouse movie 'The Beginning.'

If you are in D.C. or just hankering to see what's up...check them out on the web.

Palace 5ive blog

Nike SB October 2007

Praise be to Hypebeast for the tipoff on Monday and to Goods in Seattle for the images.

The Dunk High

Tre w/a nice cement print. Blazer with a little inspiration from a certain flag perhaps

Personal favorites...the SB classic. Clean and easy....

Enjoy

Tuesday Drop: Zoo York in China, Omar Hassan Footage and More

A few quick updates.

Zoo York Goes to China
Zoo is off in the Far East destroying spots new and old. I'm sure they are making tons of new friends and fans out of our eastern skating brothers. Greg W. at Zoo tipped me off to some photos and footage. Per his suggestion I followed a link down the "internets" and was rewarded with an amazing shot of Zered Basset.


Need more? Well, enjoy the footy.



Get Well Soon Omar
Here's footage from the incident where Omar whacked his head.
OK, let's take a minute to reflect on this.
Omar took this hit.
Omar didn't freak out.
Omar returned to the comp from the hospital after getting stitched up and claimed his award.
Omar is a very bad man. I mean that in a good way. Dig?

Templeton Elliot Visits D.C.
No real news here but Skateboard Mag blogger and mastermind behind Mostly Skateboarding was in town for the Static 3 premiere. I couldn't make the event I was busy trying to stay awake. Being a Dad is awesome 105% of the time.

The Holy Sh*t!" Award Goes to ...

Finally, in the event you missed it, Vans own all-terrain ripper Omar Hassan split his head open pretty bad. By pretty bad I mean really bad as in ...really fucking bad. Hassan appeared to be up and moving around when all was said and done. Omar apparently took home the bang your head award but will more than likely have a headache for a few days. Get well soon, heal up and keep on killin' it Omar.

Update: Brink had photo evidence. Be warned: it's not pretty.

Behind the Griptape: Zach Lyons!

Sunday nights (which is when I'm writing this because no chance in hell of me being coherent Monday morning) typically suck. I mean they really suck. Flashback 20 years ago and I was dreading going to school the next day every Sunday evening. However, tonight is bearable. Nay, dare I say enjoyable. Why you may ask? Well thanks god for another installment of : Behind the Griptape. Yup, Rory Sheridan and Two Nine films are back this time Organika Am Zach Lyons is the satirical skate pinata. Thank god these guys take skating about as serious as I took my math homework 20 years ago. The only difference is I still suck at math and these clips are pretty f*cking funny.

Vans DownTown ShowDown Recap

So if you were so inclined to avoid the post-apocalyptic skateboard future of tomorrow over at the paramount studio back lot you could have easily watch the Showdown on a webcast from the fine folks over at 411vm.com.

I did. I managed to saver about $900 in plane tickets and hotel rooms through the power of the "internets". But, I digress, lets talk about the webcast and all it's HD glory. Holy crap, it was little slice of awesome. None of that rebuffering crap. Just straight up skating with only a minor delay. 411 and vans were on top of it. Both the comp and the HD webcast. I have to say. I really enjoyed it all. A quick recap for those of you playing along at home here’s a break down of the best performances of the day and of course pictures go first before numbers ....

I got equal parts Zero and Toy Machine here. I got a Sandoval, a Marks and a Harmony...

Quien es mas macho... ? Rick McCrack mas macho!


Mike Mo off the Girl Gone Gonz Gap

Cervantes and the tre flip...

Is that Johnny Layton? Is that a Melon? Did Creature recreate Lord Helmet from 'Spaceballs' ?

On with the numbers!

Creature’s The Darkest Passage into the Depths of Doom and Despair
1. Tyler Mumma (Black Label) - $2,500
2. Tony Cervantes (Zero) - $1,500
3. Al Partanen (Creature) - $1,000

Foundation’s Former World’s Biggest Skateboard
1. Tommy Sandoval (Zero) - $2,500
2. Johnny Layton (Toy Machine) - $1,500
3. Rick McCrank (Girl) - $1,000

Girl’s Girl Gonz Wild
1. Billy Marks (Toy Machine) - $2,500
2. Mike Mo Capaldi (Girl) - $1,500
3. Sean Malto (Girl) - $1,000

Real’s Sacto Rebate -
1. Rick McCrank (Girl) - $2,500
2. Alex Olson (Girl) - $1,500
3. John Rattray (Zero) - $1,000
Top Am Performance – Alex Olson (Girl) - $5,000

Top Pro Performance – Rick McCrank (Girl) - $10,000

Overall Team Winner – Zero ($30,000), Toy Machine 2nd ($15,000), Girl 3rd
($5,000)]

If you missed the webcast he Vans Downtown Showdown will air on December 24 at 8 pm EST/PST on the FUEL action sports network.

Vans is Taking You Down Town This Weekend

Now was that so hard? I know the work week can be a bitch but c'mon five days shouldn't kill you. Try skating and getting caught in the rain when the temperature drops form 75 to 56. That'll mess you in all sorts of a "bad news" way. But, enough about the trials and tribulations of a young man and his skateboard, let’s talk about the weekend. There's a lot going on and in particular one of my favorite events. That’s right it’s going down and place this Saturday: The Vans DownTown ShowDown.

The name alone actually conjours a vibe of the old skate comps and this one is pretty unique in my book. The Vans DownTown ShowDown. Yup, just saying it actually makes me smile, a solid company giving back to skating. Why do I like it so much? Well, I'm Glad you asked that very question. You are pretty much guaranteed to find weird obstacles to skate. The comp breaks the trend and bucks a little bit of the norm but still manage to put up some highly skateable terrain.

This year Vans upped the ante and offered up a design contest for user submitted terrain. So one lucky auto-cad knucklehead should have their obstacle along with features designed by a few skate teams you might have heard of: Girl, Creature, Foundation and Real. Actually, the lucky winner will not just get shop and drafting class bragging rights but they'll also get an exact replica of their obstacle built where ever they want. I know.... I should have submitted my "mullet man pool coping wave ride."

Speaking of obstacles here are the rumored company obstacles:

Creature: The Darkest Passage Into The Depths Of Doom and Despair

Girl: Girl Gonz Wild (a replica of the Gonz Gap at EMB back in the day)

Foundation: Former World's Biggest Skateboard

Real: Sacto Rebate

On top of the terrain comp Vans is going to be webcasting and running give aways through the competition. There are more moving pieces of this everyday. So, why all it the blather? Simple, this is worth watching. I have yet to find good footage other than from the webcast but then again I am also not in the Hollywood skater elite. Peep the competition on October 13th. You won't be disappointed. If you can't make the competition do not sweat it...it will all be on Fuel TV in the coming months.


Annnnnd Drop!

Coming on the Heels of 'Tony Hawk's Proving Ground' is Dustin Dollin's Limited Edition DD-66. Last year Vans dropped a custom Tony Hawk's Project 8 No Skool. Now while the shoes might not give you the same wild man bravado as DD you will get a code code to unlock the shoes in the THPG and slap them on your character. Another highlight of the game... guess where you can skate? That's right, The DownTown ShowDown is included as a level. See how it's all coming together? It's like Vans planned this from day one. Good time

VANS Taka Pack
Finally bringing up the middle for this uber long update is the Vans X Taka Hayashi Skate Pack. This month, Vans has a special pack coming out with Hayashi's art emblazoned on their newest styles, the Rowley Shambles, AV Sk8-Low, the DD-66 and the TNT III Slip-On, as well as four t-shirt styles.

Well-known in skate and street circles, Hayashi was born in Yokohama, Japan and transplanted to Santa Monica. Taka grew up in a defining era and locale in skate history and was influenced by the Venice pros who were regulars in the area.

AND Finally: Vans Opens Their New Doors

I have worked some crappy jobs in my life. I washed dishes. I processed vacation pictures in a photo lab. there was a time I stocked grocery store shelves. I even cleaned repossessed restaurant equipment. Lucky for me I've had some good jobs and now I get to do some really fun things with writing, skating and snowboarding.

I've never worked for a skate company directly. there's really no direct knowledge and I'd like to think every day is fun. Maybe it's a challenge but you have to enjoy who you are working for.So when Vans opened their new doors I figured why not let you see it with your own eyes. OK, why read my gibberish when a picture is worth a thousand words?


Vans should be easier to find these days. Real easy. Actually a pretty cool exterior if I think about the crappy places I worked in the past.

Yeah and this would be the interior. Splurging on dimmer switches I see.

History. Lots of history. Most of it good, some of it rad and all of it skating.

New digs means a new ramp! Escalators and a bowled in pocket. Now that's good stuff!

OK, enough hot dogs, hamburgers and tours. Time to skate.

About Last Weekend...

Have you ever stirred from a deep sleep Monday morning only to realize Friday through Sunday actually happened and wasn't a dream? I'm talking full-bore flashback of the "I-punched-a-flower-vendor-in-the-head-and-urinated-on-a-cop-car" type weekend that my friends all described having in college. Yeah, me neither. At least not that I'm going to admit to but it's nice when people document weekends skating and arm wrestling at the very least. Lucky us, right? Check out what went down in D.C.s surrounding area this past Saturday and Sunday.

Some Things You Might Want to Know About...

Skate News to Me: Branson Ban

Nothing like capturing two full nostrils of skating early in the day. Pops yours eyes right out of the darn sockets if you are jonesing hard enough. I hope you had a good night. Mine was splendid and you may ask yourself...."why was his night so good?". Did I finally get out and skate for more than 20 minutes.? Nope. Did I relearn some long forgotten trick? Not a chance I tell you. No, I am excited because at the very least I love putting bringing you some news. So, pour yourself some black coffee and settle in. we are going to be here awhile.

Branson, Missouri Prepares a Skate Ban
The fine folks down in MO aren't so down with the skateboarding. Apparently a few
skaters have been making use of their available resources and putting skateable assets to good use. I don't call that reckless I call that maximizing use of public
space. Looks like the County Alderman are going to laying down the dreaded "no skating" law.

My thought is this: so we don't end up with another over zealous law enforcement officer like the cop in Hot Springs AR. You remember him right? Please tell me you remember Officer Joey bag of donuts who put several kids in headlocks because they upset his temper. Here's a scary thought: that man carries a gun. OK, I digress. Lets make sure our buddies down in Branson at least have the voice of skating behind them.

Feel free to call the Mayor or Police Chief. You see here's the great thing: when you become and elected official you are accountable for your actions and the actions of others. I highly recommend the following when you contact them:

1. Question the motives and options in this ban. If you ban skating then where will they skate? Is the public park open around the clock? is it free for public use?

2. Please define how skating become illegal downtown. Does this outlaw tricks? skating from point A to point B. All of the above? At the bare minimum outline the new rules.

3. If somebody is ticketed for skating treat them with respect and decency. Bottom line: don't be an ass. Just because somebody is on a skateboard they could be a future doctor, lawyer or CEO and believe me ... karma is a motherfucker.

Branson, MO Chief of Police
Caroll McCullough
417-337-8532
cmccullough@cityofbranson.org

Branson, MO Mayor
Raeanne Presley
417-334-4129
info@bransonmayor.com

OK, I turn the power of e-mail and speed dial over to you and remember 'Roadhouse' rules ... Be Nice.

A Wednesday Quicky: ABC Montage #2 and Olympics Minus Skateboarding Equals 2012

First up some Video!
Don't start your nursery rhymes just yet. It's the second ABC Montage from theforgottencity.com. Filmed by Allen Danze, Bradley Rosado, & Charlie Church. D.C. street skating at its' finest. enjoy



Zach Lyons Firecrackin


Next up....

Olympics Minus Skateboarding Equals 2012
Chris over at skatedaily.net has a nice little wrap up going on in regard to skating not being included in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Well, this would have more than likely been a nice feather in NBC's cap. Dick Ebersol continues to drive towards 2012 as it is openly referred to as the all-english (language/travel/broadcast ratings etc) Olympics. Adding skateboarding would have been a nice reason for lots of Americans to tune in and watch skating get its Olympic cherry popped. But, there was really no way to shoe horn it in and I can all but guarantee it would have been the same debacle snowboarding was in 1998 at Nagano. Get the full scoop from the UK's Evening Standard.

Shop Check: Kickballers DC

I've been on lock down lately and it's tough to get out for stuff happening in the locally. I have enough trouble making it out to skate due to work and family stuff. But, I squeeze in time here and there to check out a premiere or a local shop. This past weekend though I found myself with about four free hours of the now mythical "Nothing to Do" time. I could have grabbed a 24oz can of delicious "adult pepsi" but instead I made my way out the door to go check out a new shop in Georgetown.

First up was to get transportation straight. Knowing I had a few blocks to cover quickly I grabbed the 202 deck and made for the door. That's when the heckling began.

"Hey 1987 called and they want their skateboard back."
"Animal Chin said he'd meet you at the Rosslyn metro."
"You better hurry up Doc Brown and Marty McFly are gassing up the DeLorean."

For the record, this was my wife heckling me and she might know a little too much about skating. I'm not so comfortable anymore but that's my issue to deal with. So I bailed amidst the catcalling.

After a quick train ride and skate over Key Bridge I was right there in the heart of Georgetown, Washington D.C. First off ,the people watching in Georgetown is amazing from the ultra-prepped out quad-collar popped University douchebags to the Euro's smoking more than a perp in the interrogation room. Simply put: it's cultural anarchy. With so much foot traffic and commerce clashing while classes intermingle on the red brick sidewalks. After watching the legiosn make their way down commerce central I hit up the brick quarts. I still have zippy on blunts ... so much for skating into my 40's. Time to suck less at life and skate more.

After skating a few blocks through traffic I rolled up to my destination: Kickballers DC. Kickballers DC wraps it up really neat on their site:

"Kickballers is a high grade retail shop, specializing in apparel, sneakers, skateboards, designer toys, luggage, jewelry and accessories. Our Washington, D.C. location is designed to help conceptualize our focus — a new home for playful adults and cutting edge fashion in the Georgetown shopping district."

What I was really digging about Kickballers was the strong skate focus. DGK decks on the wall, etnies, Vans and some more unique skate brands are made availble. On top of that is their strong desire to bring in more skate brands. One of the partners onsite Carlo is in the head space of wanting to pay his dues and bring in more brands.

So why is this good for skating? well, Kickballers is thinking about getting into the contest/demo/jam scene and those events plus having accessible skate shops grow a local scene stronger than any video game ever could. I'm stoked they are here and if you are ever in D.C. check them out.

You can find them at:
KICKBALLERS
3285 1/2 M St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20007

or just hit up their website: Kickballersdc.com

As always, support your local skate shop.

Fucking Awesome x Etnies collab?

I've mentioned shop-eat-surf.com a few times and I have lots of respect for that site. Lucking into a good read like shop-eat-surf.com is like finding a diamond. A perfectly cut 10 carat diamond at that. You are guranteed a behind-the-scenes look backed by smart questions at the world of actions sports, retail and restaurants.

Lucky for us and we do mean "very lucky" they are digging on our scene as well. It's a big sandbox and witha little respect there's lots of room for everybody to play. On that note, Tiffanny who heads up s-e-s sent over these shots from Etnies GvR contest this past weekend. It turns out a certain Sole Tech marketing exec was rocking some unique shoes during the festivities.

Do we smell a Fucking Awesome x Etnies collab?

Are these "one of one" ?

Is this old news to everyone but me?

Why are yous till here? Go read shop-eat-surf.com ...duh!

Etnies GVR from the "Internets"

But wait there's More GvR....
Watch Alex Olson finish this one out over on Brink's page.

Update: GvR'n it with skateparkoftampa.com

The Sunshine State SPoT crew held it down in Lake forest this weekend. They have a darn fine bowl wrap up and photos from their sesh at the STi lab. Read all about it. the crew made their way back to check out qualifying on Saturday and then party it up during the Yeah Yeah Yeahs show. Lots of photos and words after the jump...

Bowl standings

Reports are starting to flow in from the Etnies Goofy vs. Regular comp out in Lake Forrest, CA. Sounds like Benji Galloway's reign of concrete terror continues for the heads over at Bacon skateboards. Benji took a win in the Bowl pro division. On the masters side Glen Charnoski walked away with it beating out Cab and a host of others. Glen repping Allentown, PA. On the women's side Julie Kindstrand beat out 13 other ladies for a win in the bowl. There were a host of names I didn't recognize in the women's competition. That's a good thing. More people skating: man, woman and child is a very good thing.

For the latest news and all the GvR updates check out the Goofy vs. Regular website.

Rolling into the Week.

Monday morning waits for no man! Luckily for me fellow skaters on the East Coast have decided to keep me on my toes and for that I have to thank Adam Turrisi. Who is Adam Turrisi? Adam is a local skater in the D.C. - Virginia - Maryland area. Topping it all off (aside from being a solid man to have behind the lens of a video camera) he's involved with Convoy skateboards. Oh, you forgot already I mentioned Convoy last week in a D.C. update. He pointed out a few things such as ...You don't have to search for Convoy on the web. You can find them right here and over here on their Myspace page. Oh yeah and let's not forget their flickr and youtube pages. Wow, that's plenty of Convoy skateboards on the "internets". I recommend you visit it all. Consume, digest, discuss, go skate.



Watch. Listen. Enjoy. That's good stuff!

The Weekend Skate Wrap

I don’t believe there is a number you can put on the number of times I wanted to be skating this week. I lost count after 72. Don't be led astray here. I love my job I love my family. I love my life. It's just that I don't love "not skating". I plan on remedying that this weekend though. Me and my trusted stuntwood will be making our rounds through the District of Columbia. So watch out ... old man rolling through. OK, lets get into some stuff I was enjoying while not skating.

Tim Brauch Memorial Contest Wrap Up:
The results went a little something like this:

Men
1. Benji Galloway
2. Josh Mattson
3. Jimmy the Greek
4. Taylor Bingaman
5. Tyler Martin

Masters
1. Steve Caballero
2. Pat Black
3. Steve Steadham
4. Mike Rogers
5. Jesse Martinez

Ladies
1. Julie Kindstrand
2. Amelia Brodka
3. Apryl Woodcock
4. Holly Lyons
5. Amee Jay Papelera

Locals
1 Tommy Wernere
2 Nate Linford
3 Chris Henderson
4 Jerry Gurney
5 Anthony Anaya

Watch the video. You’ll get the picture.
Mainstream News: Part One
Looks like the Gothamist is doing a good old fashioned ball hang on skaters. A few snarky and witty comments later they’ve managed to name check Tony Hawk and the AARP in the span of several paragraphs. I can’t really say anything about the content since the extent of my skating this week was a beer run. However all of the longboarders who are busting our your heart rate monitors…stop, just stop. That hurts me more than the group of 19 year old kids who show up with decks from 1980 at my skate park Sunday morning.

Shaun White Fans are Freaky
I actually have nothing to say. I thought this stalker fan site was funny.

Mainstream News: Part Two
Looking for your breaking skate-surf-snow fashion news? The Salt Lake Tribune has your back with a one month late report from ASR. Doesn’t matter, their up and coming designers include Big Black footwear. Yep, the same guy from MTV’s ‘Rob and Big’. Clearly, we are dealing with people in the action sports fashion inner-circle. That blinding white flash? That was sarcasm.

The Wild Ride Gets Later'd
Patrick and Neckface (yes, that Neckface) hit the road with the Emerica crew on the Wild Ride. Apparently this will be rolling out over the next few weeks. You can expect some heavy hitter appearances and the skate road trip trifecta: Harleys, camping and skating. Check the episodes:

Wild Ride Part One


Wild Ride Part Two


Wild Ride Part Three - Chris Senn!


Wild Ride Part Four -- The Sabre Master


F-Troops KOR Peview and Vote Your SOTY Ass Off
The F-Troop as in Foundation Skateboards has dropped a little teaser trailer from their epic ‘King of the Road 2007’ adventure. After you get done watching go vote for Thrasher’s skater of the year 2007. I’m guessing Jake Brown gets the write in vote.



Static III Premiere
Friday Night
10/12/2007
Palace 5ive
Yup!

'Nothing But the Truth Hype'

The power of Nike (SB) descended upon Hollywood again and is making it's cross country tour. Sneakerheads are having a collective fit as they find out through the Hype beast grapevine that shoes are dropping in select cities. Remember Nike, just because you can design something ... doesn't mean you should create it. I'll reserve comment on the movie until I see it but nice to know the stars come out in the Hollywood night.

The nice things about the interwebs is that photos always pop up. Thrasher's Burnout had a few pics from the premiere.

Chris Ortiz doesn't do business cards. Not his style.


Lance and Lance


Omar and waiiiiiiiit don't we know that guy?

Better Than Black Coffee: The Ruts on a Thursday Morning

I must confess my music selection is not as wide and diverse as it once was. I wrote a few days back about The Ramones and the impact they had on me as a young one. maybe it's the massive shift in my priorities but I no longer search out music. I used to seek it with a passion. I would obsess over bands and who to pick from the D.C. - NYC - Philly trifecta along the East coast corridor. I could easily fill 30 days and call over 2/3's of them a massive success in terms of attending shows. Now I rely almost solely on recommendation without falling into my dinosaur rock trappings. The other night I caught Henry Rollins pulling in his second night of spoken word right outside of D.C. More on that later (hint: it was great) but he called out a story about getting to play with one of his favorite bands: The Ruts.

That triggered a switch in my head. Once flipped I started thinking..."wait didn't Rich B. recommend these guys to me when we skated Menlo Park last December?" I hauled ass home from work today and once I had a free minute pulled up ye olden iTunes and sunk myself into looking for The Ruts. Once found and immediately purchased I bagan to enjoy it wayyyyyyyyy too much. The song 'In a Rut' begs, nope it pleads "Play me at 11! Don't stop! play me! more! more! more!"

Ahhhhhh and I am 2o years old again through the power of music. Good times indeed.

'Your Logo Here' & 'Vice Photo Book' !

I have one fear. It’s not death. I know death is coming so I pretty much have accepted that. Eventually I will die. Taxes are more of a pain in the ass than a resolute fear. But, that’s just the man bringing me down per the norm. Nope, my fear is for my daughter. My little 13 month old daughter sends shivers down my spine. I get terrified when I flip past channels and see the vapid boys and girls of ‘The Hills’. I worry that she’ll go down that path of trying to be part of something akin to the "airhead mob mentality." You can catch Ryan Sheckler’s buddies putting forth the same brain dead effort on ‘Life of Ryan.

After attending most every action sports crapfest I have an even bigger fear: I fear that one day I’ll walk off a ramp from skating and see my daughter getting a logo spray painted on hear body like the youth portrayed in Deanna Templeton’s new book ‘Your Logo Here’. Holy crap now that give me nightmares.





The book itself is an amazing photo study of how companies have begun marketing at events by spray painting their logos onto the bodies of young men and women. Check the photos and track the book down. It’s worth the purchase from the standpoint that brand co-option has long existed in action sports with stickers and stencils but this was primarily applied only to the board and helmet level. We've upgraded to human bodies and i don't know if this humanizes products or dehumanizes people. of course if you can't beat them. Join them. You’ll soon see a South of the North spray paint stencil coming soon, please apply to skateboards only.

13 Year Later Vice Rolls Out the Photos

One of the magazines that isn't afraid to get down and raw with the real is of course, say it with me, Vice Magazine. After a decade plus of mind blowing and often numbing imagery V ice books is dropping The Vice Photo Book. Not only do they throw in their select pics from the cream of the crop that will provoke, titillate and stir (dare I say mix?) your emotions but you will also get a few added features. Looks like they are lining up to include interviews with shooters of the like: Richard Kern, Terry Richardson and Ryan McGinley. A solid 336 pages from the finest youngin's behind the lens.

Just in time for Christmas. yep, convenience is king this year. Now you can tell everybody to my you something other than that dead stock pair of Nike SB "Wheats" in a 10.5.

"Ramones - It's Alive 1974-1996"

Back in 1992 I had the opportunity to interview The Ramones in Pittsburgh when they played with Social D and Overwhelming Colorfast. While the rest of my college radio compatriots were happy spinning MC hammer and the occasional Grateful dead fused jam band rock, I wanted more. I wanted Shock Treatment. I wanted to be Sedated. The sequence of events that led me to Duquense University social hall 15 years was due to the fact that my college was not a bastion of punk rock. For that matter it still isn't and it never will be. The whole thing came about when the music director of the college radio station asked if anybody wanted to go interview and get station ID's from The Ramones.

Hearing that question my damn jaw nearly hit the ground. Week one of college and we can interview The Ramones? This place was going to be fucking awesome! Then reality set in. Nobody was raising their hand. Why? They didn't know who The Ramones were. My hand shot up like a bottle rocket and I could see said music director looking, no, pleading with his eyes saying: "Anybody other than the freshman? Anybody? Please?" I was it, he was dealing with a an audience geared towards Richard Marx and Garth Brooks. There was no hope outside of yours truly for the blitzkrieg bop seque ways of "1-2-3-4" from Joey himself.

The road trip uneventful. The concert memorable. I remember jumping around like a spaz in the crowd with the 'Burghs finest gutter punks and drunk college kids. For a brief moment punk rock was no longer being sold as grunge. Teen spirit was not commercialized. Kurt Cobain was an afterthoughts and the surging electricity of the crowd was driven into a near soccer hooligan state by the boys in the black leather coats as they wailed about Rockaway Beach.

A decade and half later I occasionally fall asleep thinking about that show. about 24 hours ago i got a note from a friend who gave me the heads up on new Ramones release from Rhino Records called It's Alive. To my shock and wonder this is what I dug up:

Split and Rhino Records have partnered to introduce the release of the new Ramones documentary "Ramones - It's Alive 1974-1996" - a two disc DVD set featuring over 4 hours of footage from the earliest performances at CBGBs to international festivals in front of 100,000 fans. Corey Duffel was one of the lucky few Ramones fans to get his hands on an early release, and here is his review and one of his favorite Ramones stories.

That's right Corey Duffel. The man fresh off his thrasher cover and with balls big enough to jump off the damn bridge into a massive incline. Check out his video review:


Bottom line is this: In today's hot topic mall-punk musical landscape I doubt we'll ever see another music force like The Ramones. But, with individuals like Corey Duffel carrying the torch who knows what may happen. I just have to keep my music collection intact long enough to educate my kids about one of the greatest rock bands ever.

Static III in D.C. -- 72 Hours of Reminders Part One

OK, so it's Friday night in the Nations Capitol and you have nothing to do.

Haul ass to Palace 5ive for the Premier of Static III

Y' Hear?

See you there.

The Rest of the Story: Nike SB Summer 2008 part Two

No time for words. To get the full scoop peep the good folks over at NikeSB.org. They've got the scoop on these.

Enjoi 1, Etnies 1, Sheckler 0

OK, not too much to say here. I wonder how many ads will actually run or if this is just the skateboard industry thinking it's cool again. Nah, skating isn't cool. Ordinarily, I would say something here about damage control but it's fucking skateboarding.


The original enjoi ad.




Etnies response with a little commentary from enjoi.

Useless Crap Part 1

There’s something funny about the world of mainstream news coverage and their treatment of action sports. Perhaps it's the fact that they see everything in black and white when it comes to anything sport related that doesn't involve a ball or a massive steroid use. I mean how many moral gray areas are there within skateboarding, really? Moving along, I stumbled across something from the San Diego Union Tribune that made me chuckle. Apparently, staff writer Jennifer Davies dug into this Pulitzer award winning piece with a fervor usually reserved for war crimes and cataloguing our current administrations gross incompetence in office. Here’s the sound bite I picked up on

“For action-sports enthusiasts who crave the rush of adrenaline with ever-more-demanding and gravity-defying feats, the question has long been: What's the next big ride?”

Oh, that’s the question I’ve been long asking. The question hasn’t been “how do we get more funding for public skate parks?” Nor has the question been “How do we make skating more accessible to the masses?” certainly the question certainly wasn’t “why do tax paying citizens get ticketed in Binghamton, NY skating from one part of down town to the next?” Nope, it’s “how do I get a new adrenaline rush?”

Aside from the obvious issue I have with her "portrayal" of skaters and surfers as adrenaline junkies, the article takes it one step further. Here is the answer to her question. I present to you straight from the skate toy aisle at ASR: freeline skates.



Yes, freeline skates. I weep for the future.

Since I am all for D.I.Y and invention my only defensible point is this: you can’t recreate the wheel. I stand by this in many ways but it boils down the simple fact that in and of itself the skateboard is a near perfect creation. The object is mainly comprised of one board, two trucks and four wheels. However, this simple object transcends the obvious transportation use and has moved into a place where action and energy create a new beast. I have no clue how or why people keep trying to come up with something better. Even Handstand Man knows this. Wow, Handstand Man. Now I've sunk to a new low.

If you want to really chuckle check out the following links to get a good in-depth look at more of the skate toys from ASR.



Colin Bane's Skate Blog

ASR With Old Man Army

Skater Owned Part 1: Wolfpack & Convoy

That’s right, another weekend down and another few days closer to winter. Got the good word on a future”key holders” skate club that might be local to D.C. coming up. You have got to love the D.I.Y. scene that evolves from skaters. Skate parks, clothing, boards, videos all of it is attainable inside the world of skating. Even more unique is how it can go on and feed into the larger “scene” component. What would skating in Portland or Philadelphia be with our Burnside or FDR? Would it be quicksilver and Volcom battling it out for retail supremacy had Richard Woolcott not started screen printing t-shirts? I caught glimpse of the up and coming this weekend in D.C. from a few local clubs and scenes. If you want to show some support to real skater owned, skater driven companies check these out:

Wolfpack
Back when the Vans Park in Woodbridge was open I met Chris Jordan. Chris would skate the kidney bowl mid day due to working a night shift. I was an unemployed writer at the time. I figured skating was good way to spend my afternoons. Beat the hell out of sending out 20 resumes that would never be answered. Eventually Chris went on to found Wolfpack skateboards. During the first few years Chris hustled the decks at Vans and went on to have an amazing group of skaters across the board. You couldn’t turn your head and not see a Wolfpack board. But, life gets busy and eventually Wolfpack took a break. After being on hiatus for a few years Chris has returned with a new series of t-shirts and the word is wood is on the way soon. During the coming months I have my eyes wide open. As soon as these boards hit they will be sure to sell out amongst Washington D.C. skaters.





Check out Wolfpack over on their myspace page: myspace.com/wlfpcksktbrds





Convoy
A new addition to D.C.’s skate scene is the crew from Convoy. I witnessed first hand how they are coming into the skate world swinging. A demo went down this weekend in Arlington, VA and like most great pieces of the skating all were welcome. I give these guys credit for pouring everything they have into this project. On their radar in the next year is getting their team video out and that means good things for D.C. skating.



I’ll be knuckling down and getting an interview with the crew. In the meantime check out some footage from Convoy skater Spencer Brown







Of course these are just two of the things happening in D.C. Stay tuned because in the coming weeks more will be surfacing.