Author: Crossfire

As spring creeps up on us, 411VM drops a new Volume to their deep back catalogue of footage. Issue 1 of Volume 15 arrived on my doorstep and boasts a wide selection of skating so nothing is left to waste. On offer we have Chad Bartie, Terrell Robinson, Derek Fukuhara and Jason Wakuzawa, Nate Sherwood and a feature on New York City. See what I mean by wide selection?

So, it’s Saturday morning 11.30am and I figure a new issue of the highly esteemed video magazine will get the juices flowing for a good daily session. The first thing I notice with this new volume is the presentation- minimal. No more book like features to the packaging, just a
backboard and the DVD. That’s fine by me; I never really liked the free advertising style articles anyway.

The video opens to your usual bangers with the Boxcar track, then it’s straight to Mr. Terrell Robinson. I must say that I admire a kid who has grown out of stereotypes to just skate what he wants. What I’m about to say might stir a taboo pot, but Terrell was raised in the ghetto and dresses like a Hessian. Watch him blast airwalks and kickflip boardslides on spots that don’t look like marble ledges, but more like lengthy gaps and rails. In any case, Terrell rips shit up and looks like he’s having a good time doing it too, so good for him!

Next up is Jason Wakuzawa and Derek Fukuhara who share a part full of smooth street technicalities. I wouldn’t like to play these guys at skate because by the looks of how they’ve got their tricks on lock, I’d be out faster than you can say 411. Some people might find their picture perfect balancing acts too sterilised, but you know that a few of their bangers took some effort. I mean, watch Derek pull a hairy backside 5-0 and wonder what could have happened if he messed up, and then see the exact thought seconds later. Tough tumbles aren’t going to stop either of these two anytime soon though.

Ok, let me stick my neck out again here, but I seem to remember people feeling dirty and ashamed about an era in skateboarding that praised the pressure flip. The afore-mentioned trick was banished and only re-surfaced for mockery and educational purposes. It seems like Nate Sherwood never got the memo. Sorry Nate, but you’re rapping sucks, your style sucks, your stupid skate based glossary sucks and the pressure flip sucks no matter what you do with it. Oh, and never, ever rap to your own part! Skip.

I’m heading out to the Big Apple pretty soon, so the New York City edit had me salivating for the over-abundance of spots the East Coast megalopolis has to offer. This section features skating from street stylers like Brandon Westgate, Aquil Braithwaite and Zered Bassett, as well as sled shredders like Pat Smith, Danny Falla, Darrel Stanton and others. A very well rounded selection of skaters, so these few minutes are worth watching for sure.

Helas, Vol.15 Issue 1 ends with an Australian unafraid of white pants and a mullet, better known as Chad Bartie. Chad is a pretty versatile skater who can take it to banks, rails, ramps and more at the drop of a hat. If he isn’t spinning frontside270 nosepicks to come out forwards on steep hips, he’s flying way out of ditches to axle stalls above the nipple. This part was rather good because I haven’t seen much of Chad since he emigrated back to his homeland. Hopefully 411’s coverage will spark a little sense into the media to get more footage out there..?

That pretty much wraps it up for the new 411VM. Like I said earlier, the format has been trimmed down to the almost bare minimum, and this issue offers a good cross section of skaters and styles. Solid skating from a steadfast sureshot video magazine.

Watch the trailer here.

Ralph L-D
17/04/07