I Don't Know Art, But I Know What I Ride

As mentioned on Monday, skateboarding attracts people from all walks, with all manner of interests outside of, yet often ultimately tied to skateboarding. A good portion of these people are visual artists. Given the abstract, often undefinable nature of both, the combination of the two is oftentimes inevitable, with examples of skateboarding crossing over into one's artwork becoming exceedingly more commonplace, amid everyone from professional artists who skate,

Lance Mountain, Pro Skater who makes Art

to professional skaters who make art, and everyone in-between.

Equally noticeable, of course, are examples of art crossing over into skateboarding; that is to say rather than a canvas being used to depict skateboarding, a skateboard can be used as a canvas. In cases such as this, it's not in any way uncommon to see one skater's art with another skater's name on it.

Mind you, an artist's work, is not limited to canvas, or seven-ply Canadian maple. Indeed, much like in skateboarding, many an artist will use whatever is at their disposal as a forum for their creative drive. Just as their skateboarding counterparts have different decks, trucks, and wheels for street spots, pools, vert ramps, and skateparks, visual artists may have various brushes, inks, paints, and spray cans for canvas, wood, paper, and yes, skateparks.

Shepard Fairey, Professional Artist who Skates

Now, for anyone who has been reading this blog with any kind of frequency, some of you may have caught on to the way I've been writing recently, and the most perceptive will be able to tell that the above preamble now segues into the topic I really intended to talk about in this post's outset. It was spurned by a recent call I got from my friend Brad, informing me that his heavily graffitied local bowl, the notorious Vanderhoof, was in the process of being coated in a layer of matte white paint: a layer of paint that he assumed would be re-covered with graffiti by the week's end. He subsequently sent me the following e-mail regarding the cover-up job:

Out with the old...

"... it defiantly pisses me off of when bowls get graffitied... for reference I sent you the picture I sent on my phone.. I didn't take any photos [with my camera] though. But I did learn the boardslide fakie on the face wall."

Now, I understand, graffiti is inherently rebellious, skateboarding is inherently rebellious. Skaters want to hone their craft, graffiti artists want to hone their craft. I am, by no means, using this post as an attempt to admonish respectable graffiti artists for wanting a right to make art. On the other hand, however, is the case that while not everybody can ride a skateboard, anybody can buy a two-dollar can of black Krylon. The reason Vanderhoof is now coated in a layer of white  is not because of the Autobots insignia carefully crafted on one wall of the hip, nor because of the clever "Vansderhoof" name-tag sprayed along the top of the tombstone's lip. Rather, Vanderhoof is likely looking more like Blanderhoof because some pubescent genius thought they were being clever by coating whatever  free concrete was left with all manner of obscenities and genitalia, likely scrawled with about as much artistic skill as the neanderthal cave drawings scattered amid the prehistoric caves of modern France. Those who aren't offended by the content ought to be offended by the abhorrently poor "artwork".

Let this be a lesson to those of you out there who think that it is cool and clever to go to your local skatepark to spray paint an eight-year-old's representation of Mommy's last gynecological appointment, with a certain four-letter word describing the view: Bad graffiti is not cool or clever, it is a lame, juvenile, eyesore, and will ruin a potentially well-graffitied park for everybody. It could be repainted a dull white, or worse:

The alternative kind of speaks for itself...

Respect your local skatepark.

"It's a Living" or "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love a Paycheque"

Hi, my name's Brandon, and at times, I'm a professional skateboarder.

I'm sorry? Oh, no, I don't have a pro model board..... Yes, I am sponsored by a skate company...... Well, no... you probably haven't heard of them....

But, seriously, sometimes I am a professional skater. Not in my mind, not in video games, but for real.

Around the time of the Copenhagen pro contest, there was a video interview of Arto Saari posted up on the Transworld site, in which he tried to define that ever-so-delicate term in our business: "pro"



Arto Saari CPH PRO trailer # 5 from simon weyhe on Vimeo.

I can, to a degree, understand Arto's sympathies on the matter: the men and women who have pro models out with well-know board companies are some of the most gifted skaters the world over. Were it not for those few screens of ink forming a name on an internationally sold skateboard, there would be no delineation between Daewon Song or Chris Cole, and that local park hero who probably beats kids in SKATE for their lunch money so he can buy new boards. That would be like comparing Sir Ben Kingsley to that guy busing tables in Hollywood, hoping to land an infomercial gig, right?

Okay, so maybe I only name-dropped Ben Kingsley as an excuse to link this video...

And yet, say that actor lands that infomercial gig, and commercials end up becoming his livelihood, he's a professional actor, right? The poor guy may not be the next Ben Kingsley, but he is being paid to act. He doesn't need a production company to tell him so, and he isn't internationally known, but he is being paid to act.

Okay, so the acting world may be a little different than skateboarding, which can be considered an art as much as a sport. In terms of professional sports, then, what makes a professional golfer professional? There are literally hundreds of  professional golfers the world over, who are simply good enough at golf to be paid for it, be it from sponsors, competitions, or courses where the pro might give lessons or seminars. He or she may not have a Nike driver with their name scrawled across it, but they are paid to golf, or teach golf, and are ergo professionals.

In the premier episode of Mike Vallely's Drive series, Mike talked with Lance Mountain, in which Lance said, succinctly, and with his typical humble wisdom, that a pro skater's job was to "make kids fall in love with skateboarding". To me, this has no bearing on whether someone has a top-selling board the world over, but someone who is paid to make kids fall in love with skateboarding, whether it be through giving lessons, doing demos, filming video parts, or getting in Thrasher or Transworld every month.

That's why I can say, comfortably, that I am, sometimes, a professional skateboarder.

Super Bowl Party! Part IV: The Afterparty

Well, I hope everybody enjoyed their weekends; I'm happy to report that my good friend's annual "Pro-Tec Pool Party...Party" was, again, a success. Those of you who got a chance to watch the contest are fully aware that it was, indeed, a sight to behold. Those of you who were unable to watch, however, allow me to break down my personal highlights (and lowlights):

The Masters' Division:

The Masters', as always, was a treat to watch. It was really cool this year to see 75% of the original Bones Brigade vert stars (Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Lance Mountain) skating a contest together for the first time in a couple of decades. Tony, who I had assumed was going to be a shoo-in for first, wound up placing fourth behind Chris Miller, Cab, and Lance respectively. In hindsight, this isn't entirely surprising, given Tony was a last-minute entrant. Granted, Tony had his 540s on lock the entire night (as did both Tony Mag and Sluggo, neither of whom made the finals), but his technical use of the bowl was simply not on par with the three guys who bested him. Regardless, Tony seemed to have had a good time, and his runs were entirely entertaining to watch, namely his circa 1985 Rage at the Badlands 360 slide and roll through the square corner. It's genuinely difficult to pinpoint a favourite part of the Masters' contest, though Chris Miller's zero-gravity high speed frontside air transfer into the round bowl will forever be tattooed into my psyche. Notable disappointments include a lack of Hosoi for Tony's big return to the combi, and a distinct lack of Jeff Grosso....



Well, except for this commercial, which incited a good laugh every time it aired between heats.

 The Pro Division:

I genuinely feel for the judges on this one. Even in spite of Bucky not being present to throw nollie flip madonnas alongside mceggs and flying vs, the pros put on a show that had everybody out of their seats and up on their feet (author excluded, broken ankle and whatnot). As expected, Pedro Barros mimicked the recent shuttle launch with his straight airs, and tossed more 540 variations than most of the other pros combined. Andy MacDonald, who deserves way more recognition than he has ever received as a professional, mixed in the new and the old, added a heaping helping of consistency, and managed third place behind Pedro and Rune Glifberg respectively, with a particular standout being his repeated attempts at a FREAKING BACKFLIP BACKSIDE BONELESS TRANSFER ACROSS THE PENINSULA!!! God, I wish he'd made that one....
Ben Raybourne was a noticeable absence from this year, though it seemed that Tony Trujillo was put in place last minute to fill that "padless and unplanned" niche, though to be honest, I think Raybourne would have skated a bit better (no offense, Tony).

End of the day, I cannot say enough good things about the Party this year, but you really need to see it for yourself....

For a full archive of the entire 2011 Pro-Tec Pool Party, head to Vans' official site.

For a more abridged summation, check out the edits over at the Thrasher site.

Super Bowl Party!

There is an event, an annual sporting event, that my close friends and I try to mark off on our calendars. Every year, you know how it goes, the boys get together with some burgers on the barbecue, some frosty refreshing beverages, and the excitement of seeing our favourite athletes clash for top-dog status, slugging it out in the big one, the only one: The super bowl.

Y'know...the Combi Bowl, in Orange, CA... It's a super bowl, well built, I'd kill to skate it one day.

Alright, so horrendous puns aside, I and my good friends are all genuinely excited for this year's Pro-Tec Pool Party, held of course at the Orange, CA Vans Skatepark's Combi Bowl. We are planning to have our second annual "Super Bowl" party in which we plan on grilling some burgers, cracking a cold one or two, and watching some of our favourite athletes skate their hearts out.

Seriously, I think Duane Peters is one hospital visit away from having his heart actually outside his chest.



In all seriousness, though, I think the Pool Party is worth being excited about, for a number of reasons, reasons that I will all-to-happily share with you, because really, why would I be writing this otherwise, right?

1. The Masters' Division:
Alright, so I'll be the first to admit that my personal enjoyment of the Masters' contest stems largely from my own inner skate history nerd getting a chance to watch guys like Lance Mountain, Steves Cab and Steadham, Lester Kasai, Duane Peters, Chris Miller, et al skate the Vans Combi the way I wish I could have watched them skate Upland a few years before I was born. There is, however, just as much value in it to me as to those of you who haven't spent rainy days reading online back-issues of Thrasher trying to figure out the names of every hot handplant from 1982.
For one thing, a lot of the maneuvers being performed by the Masters' competitors are becoming something of a lost art. Anyone who watches Jeff Grosso take a run will see anything from a boosted boneless one to tail, to a statuesque sadplant, to a slide and roll that covers more coping blocks than most people will frontside grind in one year!



The fact of the matter, however, is that these tricks don't win modern vertical competitions, and while seeing someone like Ben Raybourn show up and do his own thing his own way, the majority of the young bucks in the pro division compete like they need to if they want to place (no sleight to any of them, everyone has to eat). Point is, watching the older guys pulling the older tricks is important to remind everybody that while, yes, 540s are an incredible feat, there's nothing wrong with styling out a sweeper every now and again.
Secondly, there's no shame in admitting that a group of forty-plus year-old men are more talented and fearless on a skateboard than yourself. If anything, it's actually pretty amazing, inspiring even. Truly, it helps legitimize the fact that the activity we all hold so dear is not merely a young man's game; that there's no more shame in hitting the local park after work as there is the local rink, diamond, or alley. It is so easy to forget that skateboarding is still so young, and that while it will always maintain that inherent rebelliousness of its younger participants, skateboarding will continue to mature, along with those who skateboard, and while hanging up on a backside air could prove more dangerous than getting hit with a pitch in your local beer league, seeing a bunch of middle-aged, devoted husbands and fathers get together and skate really warms the heart.

It seems to me that this post is getting altogether too long. Stay tuned for the next two posts leading up to the Pool Party, and the recap of all the action following thereafter.

Good Morning, Mr. Mountain.

For those unaware, Transworld SKATEboarding released the nominees for its annual TWS awards a couple weeks back. Most of the nominations are what one would expect from a mainstream skateboarding periodical, though one name took me genuinely off guard, and was a pleasant suprise: under the "Best Transition" category was listed the one and only Robert Lance Mountain.
Now, I'm not going to lie, here, when I was a teenager, and I was watching Animal Chin for the first time, I thought Lance was good, but I didn't like his style... Something about his indy airs in the final scene...

I know... in hindsight I had no idea what I was thinking... (For those who don't know, Lance is the one in the blue shirt and pink shorts).
I think what really made me a Lance Mountain fan, and I'm sure a lot of people, many almost twice my age, will concur, was watching that first Powell Peralta piece, The Bones Brigade Video Show (1984). Everyone I can think of who's had the pleasure of watching that video can tell you the importance of Lance's skating, in that, not only was the skating itself remarkable (I will forever envy the man's lien to tails in the Alien Pool) but there's an accessability about it.

Anyone who has about a half an hour to kill should watch this, now...

This brings me to a few reasons why, in my humble opinion, Lance ought to win this year's award.
1) As previously mentioned, accessability. I mean this as no slight to either of the other nominees, Grant Taylor and Taylor Bingaman, but Lance's skating is different to watch. Let me put it this way... Taylor and Bingaman are ridicuously talented, and watching them skate will make you want to go skate, but if you saw either of them at your local park you'd be liable to just want to sit and watch. Upon watching a Lance Mountain video part, you want to go skate as well, and yet one gets the distinct feeling that, should he ever happen by your local park, you'd be just as stoked to join in on the session as he would be to have you.

2) Age... I don't want to throw the age card out there, but Taylor and Bingaman are 19 and 20, respectively. Lance is coming up on his 47th birthday, and managed in the last year to release a video part that was just as impactful as those released by his fellow nominees, whose combined ages are still younger than Lance.





Last video link this post, I promise.

3) It's not every day that a recipient of the TWS Legends Award (2008), an award that basically says "Thanks for the great stuff way back, it's pretty cool you still skate in your free time", gets nominated for one of the awards meant to signify acheivements in the last year, and wouldn't it be cool if Lance managed to take it?

4) Acheivements - Again, not to downplay his fellow nominees, but of the three, I think it's safe to say that Lance was the hardest working nominee in the last year. Aside from filming the aforementioned video part, which was delayed on account of a broken arm, Lance managed to travel with the rest of the Flip team for demos, skate last year's Rumble in Ramona, and take third place in last year's Pro-Tec Pool Party Masters division.

5) Lance Mountain is my girlfriend's favourite skater, and it's always good for me when she's stoked.