Video: "The Devil's Toy"

A thing of beauty, thanks to my buddy Anthony for sharing it with me.  

"This short 1966 documentary dedicated "to all victims of intolerance” depicts the dawn of skateboarding in Montreal. A new activity frowned upon by police and adults, skateboarding gave youngsters a thrilling sensation of speed and freedom. This film - the first Canadian documentary ever made about the sport - captures the exuberance of boys and girls having the time of their lives in free-wheeling downhill locomotion."

Directed by Claude Jutra, music by Pierre F. Brault.

Video: Epicly Latr'd - Elissa Steamer

I usually shy away from posting older material on the blog or at least save it for Throwback Thursdays but that’s the great thing about being your own boss, you can decide the rules, and today I figured I’d do just that and throw up one of my favorite episodes of Epicly Later’d, 2012’s Ellisa Steamer profile.

I’ve probably watched most of the Epicly Later’d’s multiple times over the years and Elisa’s episode is no different in that it’s a great watch. So why highlight after the fact? I guess this is my way of aiming the spotlight on an issue that’s probably more relevant today than it has been in years, feminism.

Something in the air has changed, maybe for the first time in a long time woman are starting to celebrate each other without the approval of men and I want to believe that most people think that’s great. Woman most certainly don't need my help championing their various achievements and contributions to society but what I can help shine a light on are the woman of counterculture, those who are a minority in a scene made up of minorities.

Hopefully readers get the sense that I do this anyways without the need to highlight it these last three plus years but as always there will be unsung heroes.

For every prime- time news report on the Kacy Catanzaro’s out there there are woman doing equal or greater things with no fanfare what so ever. No division 1 athletic advantages, no sponsorships, and most certainly no support from the mainstream media. Even the powerhouse feminist forums like Jezebel tend to focus on the most vanilla of vanilla in their pop culture reporting, offering a much needed woman’s point of view on topics that unfortunately are as tired as the stereotypes they fight to break. Do we really need another blurb on Beyonce? Speaking for myself I don’t and while some fight to get a female led superhero movie made I’d prefer to see interesting things come out of the movement rather than female driven versions of tiered “men’s staples.” 

So with that here is Vice’s Epicly Later’d profile on skater Elissa Stemaer, watch it, get inspired and go do something interesting and different from your norm.

Part 1 looks at the first female pro skater ever, speaking to her from her home about her Toy Machine years from Jamie Thomas, Mike Maldonado, Brian Anderson, and Chad Muska.

 

In Part 2, we hear more about what it was like for the best girl skater in the world to hang out in an all-dudes world.

 

In Part 3 we find our heroine fully confident in her role as a pro skateboarder. When she was not breaking boards, she was breaking hearts, as illustrated by the love ballad a young skater penned in her honor. Elissa also decides to leave Toy Machine and joins the controversial, but talented, Bootleg team.

 

In the last part of the Elissa Steamer Epicly Later'd series Elissa explains what "life after skate" is like and how surfing may actually be the key to her future.

Video: Riley Hawk's "Shep Dawgs Vol. 4" Part

I originally saw the Shep Dawgs video just under a month ago but am running behind on posts; regardless I figure a lot of people still haven't seen it so I decided to still share it here. Most non skateboarders are familiar with the name Tony Hawk but much like the name Pharrell is now synonymous with radio pop, once mom recognizes the faces and names that define a style that shit is D-E-A-D!

Clip-stacking king, Riley is Hawk’s son and produces so much footage you just have to pick the edit you want. This one showcases his big snaps, smooth style, and gnarly spot attacks. Check it below and watch individual clips from the film HERE.

Video: Epicly Later’d – “Ed Templeton Part 1”

Vice’s Epicly Later’d has been one of my favorite series from ever growing multimedia company and the latest episode is an inside look at skate (and art) royalty Ed Templeton. In this first part Ed speaks on his life growing up in Huntington Beach and the beginnings of his skateboarding career, specifically key influences and the people and places that left a strong impression.  We also get some guest appearances from the likes of Jason Dill, Dave Carnie, and Justin Regan among others and some rad 80’s and 90’s video footage of people who went on to be massive in the sport. 

Video: “The ATH Documentary”

I grew up skating in Athens, it was a HUGE part of my childhood so I was pretty excited to see a new beautifully shot 60-minute documentary about the Athens skate scene with a focus on how the current economic crisis has affected the people, sport, and city as a whole. Directed by Kostas Mandilas and staring Vagelis Markogiannakis, Mike Vasilakis, Giorgio Zavos, Chris Loupis, Dicky Bury, Thomas Kolousis and Giotis Gordios.

The ATH Documentary from kostas mandilas on Vimeo.

A Visual History of Stüssy's Advertising Campaigns (1986-1991)

Stüssy  is one of those companies that is synonymous with urban fashion, some would call it the godfather of street wear, it most certainly has withstood the test of time and even inspired the launch of other iconic brands like Supreme who’s James Jebbia famously worked with Shawn Stussy for years before forming what many consider to be the industry standard for this generation.

I recall first being introduced to the iconic brand in the mid 80’s when I started to skate, the tribal logo created by founder Shawn himself was instantly recognizable and appealing as where their ads  which applied a great punk rock aesthetic to them with their collage like construction.

I remember flipping through the pages of Thrasher Magazine each month excited to see the latest one, cutting them out and sticking them on my bedroom wall for inspiration. I’m much older now and those torn pages obviously no longer grace my bedroom walls but I am just as attracted to the graphic work as I was when I was a kid and have recently noticed a nod to the past in some of their newer marketing which most certainly put a smile on my face and inspired this piece.

Stüssy has never hired out ad agencies or creative consultants. All ad’s are created in-house with a creative director leading the vision. Here is a breakdown of some of the important folks involved with the campaigns over the years .

Ron Leighton (1983-1986)

Ron met Shawn in the early 80’s when he and his wife, Michele, produced an ad for Newport Surf and Sport that featured some pieces from Stüssy. Shawn liked what he saw and asked Ron to do his thing on some ads for the emerging clothing brand, the two worked together for a period of three years amassing a large collection of photographs hallmarked by the globally recognized grainy black and white aesthetic Stüssy is known for.

Shawn Stüssy (1987-1989)

Shawn himself took over after Ron left in 86 and continued to combine his noteworthy graphic talents with his distinctive taste in humor. Shawn had an eye for ambiguous imagery and when he came across something he liked, he would shoot it, re-purpose it and add his own mark on the photographs often with a hip-hop inspired phrase in his iconic handwriting.

David Dobson (1989-1990)

Outside of California David spent portions of his life in Calcutta, India, Kenya, Egypt, and Sri Lanka, where he was exposed to various cultures that went on to influence his work. As a fan of Stüssy, David cleverly reached out to the brand for a box of t-shirts to take along on a missionary trip just to see what he could come up with. What the brand got in return was a series of photographs that displayed  his unique ability to connect and communicate with the diverse cultures in a natural way that didn't look staged. Most impressive perhaps is that his work still looks just as fresh today as it did two decades ago.

So now that you have some background on the who’s who here without further delay are fifty-four  Stüssy ads from between 1986 and 1991 for you to enjoy and be inspired by. Some might be pretty familiar, but there are a couple of lesser-seen ones in the mix featuring some fun guest models you might recognize, enjoy.

Stüssy 86-91 - slideshow

Video: Red Bull Daily Grind - "A Day At The Office"

© Jesus Arellanes / Red Bull Content Pool

Been a while since I posted anything skate related on the ol’ blog but this Red Bull sponsored video is a whole lot of fun and features some great continuous shots of riders tearing it up in a Chicago office space located on the 23rd floor of a high-rise in the heart of downtown. Featuring Ryan Sheckler, Felipe Gustavo, Joey Brezinski, Corbin Harris, Alex Midler, Ryder Lawson, Gard Hvaara and Sewa Kroetkov.

Thanks to Nicola for sharing.

Video: “The Revenge of the Beasts”

You know those sports commercial’s that shoot everything so it’s in slow motion and all epic looking once edited? Well “The Revenge of the Beasts” is a five-minute skate film that is composed entirely of such breathtaking moments. Using hypnotic slow-motion footage, Sebastian Linda has created a film that he says tries to bring back the fantasy of skateboarding. Using high-end cameras and unconventional methods of shooting, like eliminating tripods and dollies in favor of a skateboard, a car and natural body movement, the results are top notch and complemented perfectly by Woodkid’s score.

BONUS:
In the making of video below Sebastian shares the though process and vision behind the film as well as some anecdotes about the colored powder and long brutal days of trying to get a trick captured on film under perfect lighting conditions.

14 Powell Peralta Ripper Parodies

Is there any graphic that is more iconic in skateboarding then Vernon Courtland Johnson’s(VCJ) Ripper? Combining the incredible line quality of M.C. Escher with his own uniquely-warped sensibilities the man is not only responsible for the time tested classic imagery that helped launch Powell Peralta and its skaters to become house hold names in the late 80’s but still holds influence with artists making waves in today’s scene. The Ripper has been the focus of many parodies, some by Powell themselves, others by rival skate brands like Blind during the heated and well documented battle for supremacy during the mid-90’s, some just offer tribute while others go for laughs, check out some favorites below…

VCJ at Powell Sharing some graphics with the team.

Powell Peralta Ripper Parodies - slideshow

Video: Kilian Martin – “Internal Departure”

Freestyle street skater Kilian Martin and filmmaker Brett Novak have once again teamed up to create a short film by the name of “Internal Departure,” the latest in their series of collaborations showcasing both their talents. For the shoot Kilian and Brett were invited to work in Austria where they were given free rein to skate an entire art gallery filled with Kay Walkowiak’s work. As always there are lots of whimsical tricks by Martin set to some stunning and dramatic camera work by Novak.

Video: Kilian Martin – “Blank Canvas”

Kilian Martin brings an exclusive short skate film, Blank Canvas, to Ride Channel. Kilian blends freestyle and street skating into his own one-of-a-kind style.

Film & Edit: by Cameron Sanchez

Music by: J.S. Bach - Cello Suite No.1 in G Major. Prelude

Performed by: Andrew Simpson

Recorded by: Don Neumuller

Download: Powell Peralta - "The Search For Animal Chin"

Well here is a little treat, Powell Peralta has decided to give away their 1987 film The Search For Animal Chin as a fee download!  At the time the film was the benchmark for what skate films should be  acting as one of the first skateboarding films to have a "plot". 

The Bones Brigade travels around  California,  Nevada, and Hawaii to different skate spots in search of a wisened old man, Won Ton "Animal" Chin. The movie is of the old-school nomadic, skate-everything-in-your-path genre with interludes of stopping to rip-up a big ramp, pool or kicker. After much searching and skateboarding, they locate a large ramp in the desert. They also find a Chinese character on the inside of the ramp's spine. They conclude that in searching for Mr. Chin, they may have found his spirit.”

Staring Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, Lance Mountain and Tommy Guerrero. Download it HERE in exchange for your email address.

Video: "The Killing Season" A Motorbike/Skateboard Trip Through Vietnam

Skateboarder Magazine’s Senior Photographer Jonathan Mehring got together with the globetrotting filmer Patrik Wallner to plan and film a skateboarding trip to Vietnam. The ambitious trip was especially difficult on old school motorbikes, the only method of transport used while there. But as they say, the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward, which is probably why the likes of Jerry Hsu, Keegan Sauder, Joey Pepper, Javier Mendizibal and Michael "Michi" Mackrodt were game to accompany them on this journey down nearly the entire length of Vietnam despite some of their limited past experience's with doing so." The trip didn’t  produce a whole lot of skating but The lush surroundings that make up Vietnam are the real treat in this very well shot twenty plus minute film. 

Directed, Filmed & Edited by Patrik Wallner

Skateboarder Magazine - 'The Killing Season' from Patrik Wallner on Vimeo.

Go Buy This: Original Jim Phillips Art

Skateboard and Surf illustrator royalty Jim Phillips is offering up some original artwork from his catalogue to the public. Early Phillips work from the 1970’s until 1990 were rendered in pen and ink, pens dipped in bottles of india ink specifically, usually followed by white ink touch-ups. After 1990 the illustrations were generally done in preparation to coloring on a computer, they were usually inked with brush-pens, and other self inking pens, and were cleaned up on computer after scanning. Many of Phillips "new world" works were done on Bienfang artist's paper which is light and translucent, this enabled inking over the sketch page that leaves the original without pencil or blue line sketch lines on the paper. These artworks should be layered or dry mounted on white mat-board which will display quite well. You can see what’s up for grabs HERE including Deck Graphics from Jason Jesse, Screaming Hand Variations, iconic sticker imagery and more.

Video: Skater Kilian Martin Speaks About His Craft

Presented by THE AVANT/GARDE DIARIES and director Brett Novak, KilianMartin speaks about his craft in this short video.  Making waves in skateboarding unlike anyone else, we get a peek into the thought process of the Spaniard as Martin shares his story and history in the sport. Probably the most fascinating aspect is Kilian’s transition from gymnastics into skating, using the skills he developed on the matt and applying them to the concrete. It doesn’t end there though as footage shows us that he methodically plans out tricks, keeping a sketchbook on hand at all times so he can write out his ideas. Once again Novak’s elegant cinematography captures Kilian’s take on freestyle skateboarding with his artful and inspiring take on handstands, helipops, heel flips and more.

Video: "Skate On Film" The History Of Skateboard Videos

I’ve always loved skate films, I’ve been watching them since the mid 80’s from their birth with the Powell Perlata Bones Brigade films to Plan B’s Questionable and on. From those early days of film to the eventual rise of the VHS camera to present day digital recording devices, skate films have always impressed me in their artistry, filming techniques, and spirit.

ESPN and 900 Films have put together Skate on Film, a twenty-minute documentary on the history of Skate films. Likening the skate video to a skateboarder as is an album to a musician is the foundation of what the video bit has done for the skateboard industry and it’s stars.  Before videos started to make an appearance your only outlet to becoming a pro rider was through competitions, furthermore unless you were traveling across the world there was no real way to see what other skaters were doing. With the entrance of Powell Peralta’s skate videos everything changed, soon people began to realize how useful the medium was to showcase their talents and get a pro deal, it also solved the problem of getting some absolutely incredible skaters their just due outside the world of official events. Kids everywhere where introduced to people like Lance Mountain as a direct result of the skate video, the Powell video series not only showed off Lance’s talents but also his personality and humor. Powell where a rare breed in the skate industry at the time though as film was not something most kids had access to, that changed the moment VHS arrived on the scene.

Enter H-Street and their two seminal video’s Shackle Me Not and Hokus Pokus. H-Street, a small upstart skateboard company had a dream of being able to produce their own video, most of the people involved in the company grew up watching the Powell Peralta videos but could never dream of making their own until the VHS tape came along. The guys at H-Street knew they couldn’t just replicate their heroes, they had to put their own twist on things and so they did, launching a much rawer campaign showcasing their talented team with nothing but a handheld cam and a the will to get it done.  Soon skaters like Matt Hensley, who had never placed in any major event was outselling the top ranked riders in the world, all because of the energy and style captured in his video bit. 

By the 2000’s skate videos where showcasing the most incredible tricks imaginable, Plan B released Questionable and it became the pinnacle of tricks both technical and big and brought us the talents of Pat Duffy.  Skaters like Jamie Thomas had an almost mathematical approach to filming with his Zero Videos. Welcome To Hell saw Jamie creating checklists of tricks and locations that he would pass along to the team with months of preparation and research being put into the thought process. Progression had hit it’s peak as had the industry and with innovators like Heath Kirchart retiring after he felt he couldn’t one up his last video, the industry started their new era of focus.

With things like image and personal style being what could set you apart from the others, a new batch of video stars like Geoff Rowley and his Sorry video part had the goods in both tricks and attitude. Spike Jonze and his Girl videos launched the directors career and before the masses where enjoying Jason lee’s acting chops kids everywhere loved him for his bit’s in films like Video Days.

Skate On Film decides to end off with Nyjah Huston’s story, a truly incredible contest skater who until he filmed a video didn’t get the respect of his peers that his skills and style deserved. The skate video has become an essential part of the skaters career, with the internet, footage is filmed and distributed to the masses faster than ever, and if your footage isn’t at the level of what’s already out there you need to keep practicing.

Featuring interviews and footage from the likes of pros, photographers, directors and more including Tony Hawk, Ty Evans, Pat Duffy, Matt Hensley, Lance Mountain, Kirk Dianda, Tony Magnusson, Jake Rosenberg, Danny Way, Andrew Reynolds, Heath Kirchart, Atiba Jefferson, Ed Templeton, Geoof Rowley, Torey Pudwill, Erik Ellington, Jon Miner and Nyiah Huston this film is a must for anyone interested in skateboarding. 

Check out the Jared Prindle directed film HERE.

Video: TED Talks USC – Rodney Mullen –“How Context Shapes Content”

Rodney Mullen is the bomb, no other skater has done as much for street skating as Mullen and his vast bag of original tricks. Notoriously shy and also kind of goofy it is with excitement that we share this TED talk with the skate innovator at USC campus. Rodney discuss’ inventing some of the most fundamental tricks used today as well as (as the title suggests) how context shapes content. Rodney also likens skateboarding to hacking and open source computing communities where individual’s take something and through a deeper understanding of it make improvements and give it a new context. 

“What do skateboarding and innovation have in common? More than you might think. A successful entrepreneur and innovator, Rodney Mullen is widely considered the most influential street skater in history, inventing most of the tricks used today. By the time he was 23, Mullen had already set new milestones for skateboarding winning 35 out of 36 freestyle competitions. He studied engineering at the University of Florida before co-founding World Industries, the largest skate company of the 90's, which was acquired for more than $20m. He continues to skate, innovate, and design some 30 years after he won his first world championship at the age of 11. Mullen spends his spare time thinking about open source communities, hacking the urban terrain, and transforming the mundane into something new. He'll be featured in the upcoming documentary, "The Bones Brigade: An Autobiography."

Video: Kilian Martin – Altered Route (a Skate Film)

Freestyle street skater Kilian Martin and filmmaker BrettNovak have once again teamed up to create Altered Route (a Skate Film) sponsored by Mercedes-Benz. The short conceptual video is full of spectacular moments as Killian adds a lot of fun and whimsy to his tricks. Check out the Spaniard interacting with his environment at an abandoned water park, inspirational stuff for sure.

Video: Raiders Of The Archives – The Skateboard Museum Part 5 of 5

This week brings part five of Skateboarder Magazine's five part video series entitled Raiders Of The Archives, featuring NikeSB sales rep, Nick Halkias’ skateboard collection. Episode five continues to focuses on original art work in Nick’s collection. Nick shares some illustration work from Neil Blender, Mark Gonzales, Big Brother Magazine as well as his massive collection of skate stickers. Once again Nick has some fun stories to share in regards to the collection including one about some amateur porn he found rummaging through his neighbor’s curbside trash.

Video: Raiders Of The Archives – The Skateboard Museum Part 4 of 5

This week brings part four of Skateboarder Magazine's five part video series entitled Raiders Of The Archives, featuring NikeSB sales rep, Nick Halkias’ skateboard collection. Episode four focuses on original art work in Nick’s collection. Nick shares some illustration work from issue two of Transworld Skateboarding comic strip, Wrench Pilot, some Big Brother magazine cover art, and the infamous Mark Mckee graphic, “Sleeping Negro,” that was used for Jovantae Turner’s 1993 World Industries pro model. As always the pieces come with some fun stories, enjoy and see you next week with part 5 of 5 in the series.