2012 was awash with edits made for the web across the board, ranging from the corperate shoe companies to underground skate companies running on a budget. we decided to pick out 10 of our favourite productions for you to primarily watch and enjoy, and secondly, for you to vote which one was the best Company Skate edit of 2012.
There have been late contenders to this party as you will see once you delve into our selection, but don’t forget that a hell of a lot of work went into all of these these edits, so don’t get too trigger happy based on what is fresh out of the bag this month because a lot of skateboarding hit the internet this year that was absolutely amazing and we are lucky people put in the hours to bring it to us.
So here’s our selection. We have not got everything, we probably missed out someones favourite edit altogether.
The Skate Edit of the Week homepage features have now run their course for 2012, so it’s now time to vote whose footage was most impressive throughout the year.
It was obviously very difficult narrowing down 48 edits to just 12, but the featured edits in this vote reflect our favourite individual sections from the UK scene as a whole, whether they were filmed in parks, on street, or wherever. It’s all skateboarding.
HOW TO VOTE:
Vote for your favourite edit by clicking onto each skater’s photo or name, watch the edit, then ‘like’ the videos of your choice. You can vote for as many as you like, not just one. So reminisce the footage that has kindly dropped onto your screens and we will cast the winner on January 10th 2013.
News reached us two weeks ago from a survey carried out by Co-operative Funeralcare that a quarter of funeral homes have a black-list of songs they won’t allow to be played at services because they feel they are inappropriate. The list brought up a few classics that you would expect to make the cut for the crack, such The Trammps’ ‘Disco Inferno’ (“burn baby burn”) and John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ (“Imagine there’s no Heaven”).
With shit pop music being requested these days more than Hymns, we decided that we would run our own list of the Top 5 tracks we reckon would never get played as your casket hits the flames. Delve in for the most disgusting offerings we could conjure up.
#5. MEAT SHITS – GENITAL INFECTION
You’re never going to hear the Meat Shits at a funeral. In fact, you’re unlikely to hear them anywhere. Only the truly disturbed had any time for this utterly nauseating porno grind combo. Their singer Robert Deathrage is a horrible little fucker obsessed with violent porn, gore and anything that could offend. They released endless seven-inch singles, all of which are utterly unlistenable, featuring short blasts of badly recorded violent noise, cut with clips from porn and horror films. It’s safe to say that Robert has probably never had a girlfriend, and probably never will.
#4. ANAL CUNT – YOU WERE TOO UGLY TO RAPE, SO I JUST BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU.
Anal Cunt were the chief influence on the Meat Shits. The difference being that Anal Cunt served their offensive music and lyrics up with a large dollop of humour. That aside, singer Seth was also a horrible, ugly little fuckhead and when he died in 2011 we doubt too many people cried about it. We wonder if any of his music did get played at his funeral? We doubt it, it’s horrible. Some of the song titles are genius though.
#3. AUTOPSY – SHIT EATER.
Look at the album cover! There’s a man with a turd in his mouth! Would you really want this played at your funeral? Oh you do? YOU SICK FUCKS!
#2. GG. ALLIN – FUCKING THE DOG.
GG Allin needs to introduction. He was the ultimate in disorder and chaos and ‘upset’ was his middle name. Crossfire never gets tired of watching ole’ GG roll around in his own poo poo onstage, smashing his face in with a microphone and waving his little willy about. His funeral was very impressive though, like a huge biker-rally that snaked across the country. You can bet GG had his own music played at his funeral, but would you want it played at yours?
#1. JIMMY SAVILLE, JINGLE JANGLE JEWELLERY
The way things are going right now it looks like Jimmy Savile may end up having a second funeral; after they’ve dug him up, sent his corpse to court, tried him for his multiple crimes and then buried him again. The horrible little bastard. This song’s well catchy though!
The Facebook event page to invite guests is located here.
The infamous CROSSFIRE HALLOWEEN MASSACRE returns to London on Saturday 27th October with a frenzied skate jam during the day and a boat party at night for all fiends.
As this year marks 100 years of HMS Titanic going down, we invite you to shred the brand new BaySixty6 Skatepark with guest pro teams and then hail the high seas on the Thames for a nautical themed evening of Hip Hop, Rock, Breaks, Drum ‘n’ Bass and more aboard The Battersea Barge with guest DJ’s.
Start planning your travel arrangements and book two days off work to recover.
The Skate Jam at Bay Sixty 6 will be open to all from 12pm-5pm and will feature guest pro riders from Witchcraft, Creature (UK), Lovenskate, Kill City, Heroin and Death Skateboards. Expect an open, all day skate jam with best street trick comps in the new hydraulic street section, plus a Zombie bowl sesh in the new 6ft beast. This will be a day of total carnage in the new park where NBD’s will be on display all day from the session.
Confirmed guest riders include:
Heroin: Questions, Rogie, Casper Brooker and Tom Day. Lovenskate: Ewen Bower, Matt Ransom, Chav Dan, Lucy Adams, Alex Barton and Lee Santer. Witchcraft: Arbel Samsanov, Max Roton, Mikey Joyce and Jamie Morley. Death: Rob Smith, Dan Cates, Nudge, Adam Moss, Sam Murgatroyd, Alex Lally and Radman. Kill City Sam Pulley and Sox. Creature: Salar Kooshki and Carl Potter. Stand Up: Aaron Sweeney, Marcus Adams, Jeremy Jones, Adam Collingburn, Doug Parmiterm, Evan Knight, Hector Barnett, Caspar Barnett, Jamal Bendriss.
ORDINARY MADNESS SCREENING!
We will also be screening the Death Skateboards ‘Ordinary Madness‘ DVD on the big screen from 1.30pm. Don’t miss it!
We invite you to come in Halloween fancy dress. It is of course optional but please note that most will make an effort including the guest riders. Prizes will be awarded to the very best fancy dress outfits on the day.
Tickets for the jam are £10 for the full day out and available on the door at the brand new BaySixty6 Skatepark, 66-67 Acklam Rd, London, W10 5YU from midday on Saturday 27th October.
This year’s Massacre party in association with Front is now sold out. The party will be held on The Battersea Barge, Tideway Dock/Tideway Walk/Kirtling St, London, SW8 5PZ from 8pm until late. (3am ish)
We welcome special guest DJs Eddy Temple Morris (XFM Remix show), Stereotype, Johnny Doom & Matt Stocks (Kerrang! Radio), Talita Two Shoes (Total Rock), Phoebe Winter (Planet Rock). Expect a serious mash up of classic tunes to make this the best night out you will have this year.
Don’t forget that the best part of the night is that the clocks go back at 2am meaning you get an extra hour of partying!
The address of the boat is The Battersea Barge, Tideway Dock/Tideway Walk/Kirtling St, London, SW8 5PZ. For some, this boat can be hard to find, so look out for a small alleyway next to the Thames Water Company building on Nine Elms Lane (A3205). Walk down this alleyway and at the end of it, you will see the boat. It’s down the road to Battersea Dogs Home, so if we have any casualties to deal with amongst the Zombies that are on board, we will drop you off there at the end of the night.
On a serious note though, knowing that the boat is moored and not sailing, please be aware that your safety is our main concern and also in your own hands at this party. Crossfire will not take responsibility for your actions once you are on-board the Battersea Barge. When you arrive, the likelihood is that the boat will be beached, but by 1am, the tide is scheduled to rise and be 18 metres in depth. Yes, that’s extremely deep. It will also be freezing cold, windy and very dangerous, so look after yourself and your friends and we will all have a fantastic night out as usual.
When you reach the boat you will need to bring your ID to confirm your tickets. If your ticket is in someone else’s name, then make sure you have their full details and booking code as they will match the names on the list at the door. Our friendly security guys will greet you, please give them a hug as they are there for your safety. The boat takes all sorts of credit cards etc but note that there is no cash point on-board and none nearby so plan ahead.
Please note that there will be no tickets available on the door. but tickets may become available on the FB event page if people pull out. See you there!
John Peel would have been 73 years old today. I’m not sure if some of our younger visitors would remember this legendary UK DJ but he introduced so many amazing bands into the ears of many for decades and we miss him loads.
His voice was so endearing that I found myself encapsulated, listening in to what he had to say. The bands he picked for his Radio 1 Show were so sporadic that I would sit with my tape recorder waiting for anything that sounded vaguely punk or indie and capture it for use on the way to school. He had a tendency to throw in all sorts of random music in the mix such as Reggae, African and even Hawaiian music, so I had many taped compilations of tracks that have the first bar cut off the front end! Bands such as The Smiths, Electro Hippies, Dinosaur Jr, Intense Degree, Napalm Death…the list runs as long as your arm. It was a lottery, but such a great one that no other DJ has come close to over the years.
I met him once in a tent at Glastonbury. We both stood there whilst the rain bucketed down chatting away about hardcore punk, D.O.S.E, Mark.E.Smith and much more whilst Euro 96 football played on a screen in the tent. He was a gent and had plenty of time to chat about music to anyone. Something I will never forget. Please raise your glass tonight to this man as he graced so many people like myself with quality music knowledge that no fanzine back then could deliver regularly.
John Peel RIP. You can find his archived radio shows here. Have a look and download some brilliant sessions and shows of the past as there’s some amazing stuff in here.
This year, Axe Distribution rolled out a comp inspired firstly by Thrasher’s annual King of the Road jaunt, and an Irish comp of similar name. The competition’s aim was to involve small underground skateboard companies who do not usually get to compete in such events in the UK. It was never about the end result, but all about skaters getting involved and have a laugh, i’m sure you will see this reflected in the six video edits below. Various tasks were set for each team to complete, as you will discover in each edit.
The winners of King For The Crack will be decided by popularity via facebook likes. Remember, you can vote for as many edits as you like, just click on the red links below to find the videos for each team.
The South Coast of England is spawning some great skateboarders right now but with its rich skate history etched into the books it’s hardly a surprise. The scene down in Brighton has never been tighter, the urethane is getting worn faster than ever and this vibrant coastal town keeps throwing up more talent than ever before.
One of Brighton’s lurkers who has always graced our Crossfire events is Isaac Miller. He sneaked a perfect switch flip into the unsponsored comp at last year’s Xmas Jam and took the dough until we released he repped for Drawing Boards, one of the UK’s most creative skater owned companies out there. This month we decided to visit Brighton to catch up with him and find out what makes him tick. Isaac Miller is this month’s Fresh Blood.
Thanks to AD, Ranny, Smay, Rich West and Ginge for their help to put this together plus the Level Army crew who are still fighting for as decent skate park down there. We’ve got your backs 100% here.
How is life treating you Isaac?
Life is good, as always! I’m just at college studying carpentry right now. I have been skating loads and filming for the forthcoming Drawing Boards video (Draw the Line) and Ed Hubert’s ‘Like’ video.
Before we get into a few questions, we see you have been at the Velodrome for a few tricks. Want to shine light on this little Olympic edit?
Well, we were on tour around the South Coast and Ed took us to the Velodrome cycle track so we just walked in! 10 tricks went down!
So, with Brighton being your home town, would you say you are you addicted to skating at the Level?
The Level is like a magnet so it’s hard to stay any distance too far from it! I have leaped a few years at the Level. I like skating there because it’s easier to skate without hassle and abuse from the general public. I started skating there when I was 12 and have been there and round a-bouts ever since. On a bad week I get there 5 out of 7 days. Haha!
What are your thoughts on the new plans for the park?
They keep promising a skate park with plans, meetings etc and have been for the past decade or so but nothing has happened as of yet. I’d love to see the new Level finished by the end of the year though like everyone else.
Who’s your favorite Level local of all time?
There are a lot of Levelers! Over the time I’ve spent down there everyone one and everything I have seen has been a real inspiration. So many tricks have been conquered at the Level is hard to underline any skater in particular.
Tell us 3 good things about Brighton.
La Vida (sandwich bar close to the Level), Skateboarding and that there’s loads of stuff to do, day and night.
Tell us 3 bad things about Brighton.
Level, Level and Level. Haha!
You were hooked up pretty young by Pasty and Pig City, is that correct?
Pig City was one of the first Brighton companies set up by Justin Ashby and a dude called Simon. It was really good going places with Pasty and getting to know as well as being inspired by the likes of Andy Scott, Josh Parr and Pete Dossett.
Who are your influences you in skating?
I like to taste the rainbow. Level Army! Sunshine, Transworld, Enjoi and Drawing Boards of course.
Do you watch skate videos?
Yeah, I’m into Transworld videos, Flip ‘Sorry’, Enjoi vids, Tilt Mode Army, 411 and stuff like that.
Switch gap ollie on a beach where Mods and Rockers once clashed. Photo: Rich West
What’s the best trick you’ve seen to date?
I saw Ben Raemers pull a boneless to noseblunt in the massive bowl at Penzance skate park in Cornwall once. That was pretty mental. Liam Teague eating concrete and Matt (Potter) Hill’s stepping up a ten flight first go. Haha! Ummm, Sam Beckett flying high on a vert ramp as well. Oh, and Black Thong (Jak Tonge) skating in odd shoes with a late night muffin!
What are your thoughts on Benihanas?
Don’t like ’em.
Then why do them?!
Cause they feel good at the time!
Aha, I’m sure Potter can relate to that feeling. So, you’ve been on a fair few trips with Drawing Boards including Barca, what was your favourite spot on that trip and spots in general?
The park in Clot, Besos, but no faves, just too many good spots. I like going on missions in Brighton to the schools and local spots on nice sunny days. Also the Beach front (West Pier) kickers and blocks.
A trip to the infamous Bloblands produces a large ollie fakie. Photo by Ranny
How’s your part coming along for the Drawing Boards DVD?
I’ve been filming for way over a year now, so should be about soon. There will be some surprises in there for sure so keep your clogs intact for this one! AD has been a real help. It’s so good not having to worry about the next board.
And the ‘Like’ video part?
The fact that it’s another Ed Hubert production means it will be rad. Ed’s a joker, Bill’s a piper, James is a juggler. It should be sick.
Who do you skate with down there?
Bare brehs, The Level Army, Drawing Boards and Brighton heads.
What do you do outside of skating?
Get paralytic, chill, run, walk, cycle, fish with my dad and go from A to B socialising. Mainly socialism and pushin’ woodism.
What direction do you see skateboarding going in?
Mate I don’t really know – left, right, anywhere and beyond.
Any shouts?
Shouts out to Mum, Dad and bro for all the support and all my mates from the Level. Fin is on (cloudnine), George, Connor, Dyllan, Cob, Amir, Pasty, Stevie, The Level Army. AD and all the Drawing Boards team. Black Thong you know who you are. No equal.
Enjoy this backside flip. Photo: Ranny
AD will leave you with his personal lowdown on Isaac:
“Isaac consumes more cheese and fish than any man I have ever met. Perhaps this is the secret to his boundless energy. Isaac is pretty much on fire right now. Filming 2 video parts as well as steadily destroying parks and street all over the shop. Although he is still young, in the big scheme of things he’s put some serious time into his skating. So when you see him floating round the Level and ask yourself “how the hell did he do that?!” The answer is simple, he put his mind to it. However mad he is off a skateboard, the second he steps on it he becomes fully focused (even at midnight after a trip to the boozer). Stoked to have Isaac repping Drawing Boards. So much more to come…”
Watch Isaac’s Royal Warm Up at Meanwhile 2 filmed by Ginge.
Every year there are characters out there who give their all to our beloved skate scene. I’m talking about the characters that our scene cannot live without. The hardened, the driven few who have chosen their paths to document what goes down. The dedicated who barely get a chance to actually skate themselves all year round.
If there was one person this year who surpassed this level of commitment in skateboard filming, we would surely all be on the same page with the results. Henry Edwards-Wood has spent most of this year either searching for new spots, gazing through a viewfinder, pushing hard to keep up with the mandem rolling in front of him or sat in front of the computer, cutting up footage and meeting deadlines. His video edits this year have captured the true essence of skateboarding, fueled by a desire to document speed and free flowing skating that we all feel when we push down the street.
A combination of Henry’s imperturbable demeanor and a passion to make honest films has led to his work being recognised worldwide even more this year, so it’s a pleasure to award 2011’s contribution to filming single handedly to Hold Tight Henry who also managed to find time to make an exclusive ‘All Stars’ video edit for this feature.
It’s been a busy one but was there a personal highlight from 2011 that comes to mind overall?
I don’t think I can really narrow it down to one. The main highlight for me was going fully freelance, leaving Kingpin and getting to work with some amazing skateboarders from all different corners of the world who I’m totally stoked on. Creating videos was also the highlight.
Before we go any further we should drop this Best of 2011 edit that you have put together as I’m sure our readers are probably wondering who’s in it….
This edit features footage from some of my favourite projects I worked on over the last year and documents the people I think smashed it the most, or at least are my personal favourites to watch. One of the best things about my job is I get to work with my favourite skaters, whether it’s London locals like Lucien, Rory and Tanner or living legends like the Gonz and Lucas. These are my personal favourite clips of those guys based on their aesthetics or just undeniable dopeness!
Was there a specific skate trip that you were on board to film that stood out the most?
I would have to say the Converse x Grey European road trip. It’s the longest trip I have been on to date and was made by having such a great crew on board. I managed to see so much of Europe I would probably have never seen otherwise. Two weeks in a van could drive anyone against each other but we just had the best time and produced a phenomenal amount of high quality footage. Harry Lintell blew my mind on a daily basis. Ches bossed it the whole way. Rory smashed it as did Charlie and Phil, it was just the funnest time with the most rewarding end product.
What edit are you most stoked on from everything you’ve filmed this year?
I think that would be the ‘One Week in Paris’ edit with Tanner. It came out way better then we imagined when we got on the Eurostar to Paris. It was a combination of finding that perfect tune, having great footage and of course Tanner’s undeniable flare on a board. I think I like it the most because I got the balance between making an edit that features pure street skating and also appealed to a wider audience. A lot of people tell me their Mum’s love that edit, which is funny but amazing!
I’m pretty sure that quote will end up on a t-shirt mate! Haha! So what about tunes as they hard to clear, but obviously make video edits come to life. Has there been a specific song you felt that worked best from one of the edits that you have out together in 2011?
Yes, that would be this one. ‘I C Sky’ by The Shutes. I used it on the Uncommon Places video for Rory’s section. I shot a music video for them earlier in the year on the Isle of White where they record and they gave me their unreleased album and that track was on it. Their sound was fresh and powerful and I instantly wanted to make an epic section with it. 2 months later, the opportunity presented itself. The best part is that the band are stoked on skating, some of them used to skate themselves, they came to the premiere and were super stoked.
What about other people’s edits, any music you personally thought worked really well for their footage?
Lev always smashes it music wise. The Palace NY and Battle of Normandy edits had banging soundtracks but I couldn’t pin it down to one.
It must be frustration to get footage filmed for promos sometimes, what trick was the most torturous to film?
Tanner’s last 2 tricks in the Cliché Flow part we did at the beginning of the year were probably the most painful for me. It was the day before we needed to finish it. It was early January, so bloody cold and I was super ill. He was battling with this boat ledge that went into a wall and he got a switch 180 5.0 revert into it which took a while. I was delirious with the cold and could barely speak – just so ill. I thought we were done but he wanted to try a backside 180 nose grind revert, which I know is a trick he’d never even done on a ledge before. It was another hour of struggling in the cold with busy traffic but we got there in the end! That was an ordeal!
Did you have a specific ‘”shit, I wasn’t recording” moment that springs to mind?
Touch wood haven’t really had one yet. I try to never miss anything. Usually I get them when something funny happens and or someone does something really funny when they aren’t trying the trick so I’m not recording. I love all the funny stuff that happens when your out so I’m gutted when I miss random occurrences.
So on that note, what made you laugh your ass off the most whilst out filming?
So much stuff happens when your out on the streets. I guess making the Stella Supply Co. promo was the funniest project. The Karim security beef had me in tears but everything about that project was fun and there’s a lot of clips in there that make me laugh. It’s just always fun when your with a good crew.
Best thing about the internet and skate videos?
The internet gets it out there in everyone’s faces almost instantly. You can get great feedback by seeing the views and comments. There’s also minimal production costs and no waiting for a DVD to get duped, plus you can show people on the other side of the world what’s happening in your scene.
Worst thing?
Quality control seems to go out of the window. A lot of stuff gets put out that lacks any real substance. What’s hot one day is gone tomorrow, people seem more interested with the quantity of content they put out then how impacting it is. Also with the almost instant turn around, spots and tricks in long term projects can get blown out by some web edit, its getting harder to sit on footage for bigger projects
What’s the best scene video you’ve seen this year?
I’m ashamed to say I haven’t seen any this year. Not by choice but I have just been so busy working on my stuff that I haven’t got round to getting copies of them. As soon as I finish the Slam Video I’m gonna catch up. I especially wanna see Pusherman from Manchester plus a load of others out of Sheffield and London.
What about company videos?
I prefer to watch old videos, the classics. So maybe WTFTW, First Broadcast, Static 2 etc…
Out of all of the videos that have dropped online this year, what’s in your top 3?
1. Neil Smith’s pro part. I couldn’t wait for this to come out as I knew it was going to be ridiculous and I wasn’t disappointed. Smith is probably the gnarliest bastard in English skating but not in the most obvious way, the spots he skates in this part are rough as hell.
2. Brian Delatore – Welcome To Habitat part. I don’t really have to say much about this, it’s raw as fuck. He’s one of my favourite guys to watch from the other side of the pond. So raw, so fast and very well done.
3. Tom Knox – Blueprint/Emerica promo. Another great English part that probably opened a few eyes this year. Having seen Tom from being a little skate rat years ago to bossing it like a man, I wasn’t that surprised as I knew how good he’d got, but it was great to watch and obviously very well produced too.
Who is your UK Skater of the Year?
Harry Lintell. Everyone knows by now, dude is next level. I got to see a lot of it close up. Kids the future.
What are you looking forward to most in 2012?
I’m looking forward to finishing City of Rats, the Slam City Skates video. It’s been so intense filming lately that I’m looking forward to it all being out of the way and watch the end product at the premiere. It’s hopefully gonna do really well as it features the best skating I’ve ever shot in my opinion. So yeah, that’s basically all that I’m looking forward to, finishing it and being a free man so I can go skating myself a lot more!
Watch the trailer here and look out for premiere details in the New Year.
The man who kicks off 2011’s ‘Reflections’ end of year features needs almost no introduction. The feral Scottish ripper who should pick up an award this year for nailing every transition like a raging bull has spent this year hitting the trail in California and living the dream.
Enjoy some of Div’s memoirs and get hyped on his out of control chariot entertaining your eyes and ears in 2012.
Best personal moment of 2011?
Skating the best parks in the fuckin bizz.
Favourite skate trip?
Scotty and the Scots, cause there wiz a Scott and a couple a Scots kickin aboot the States.
Most satisfying trick made?
Every time I go skate!
Best song you listened to most in 2011?
Dystopia – Stress Builds Character
Story of 2011?
I hud a garage sale this year and this vet dude cruised to get some shit told me he used to do underwater rescues for missing persons. He used to free dive, nae breathing apparatus! They were looking for this Asian dude and he says he found him in the shallows stuck in a cave in Mission Bay. When he seen him he was clenching on to his chest. So he tells me they pulled his body out and and opens his fist and he was holding on to a lucky rabbits foot!
Newest trick?
Breaking back trucks like a mother fucker!
The trick that got away?
Hurricane fakie over/round the love seat at Washington Street. (WSVP)
The 9th annual Crossfire Xmas Jam is confirmed to take place on Saturday 10th December at Bay 66 Skatepark in association with Slam City SkatesPlan B, Flip and Superdead Skateboards who are providing best trick £comps during the afternoon. Look out for the schedule that will be announced soon.
Tickets are £10 for the full day on the door from 12-6pm. The unsponsored jams will kick off at 1pm with Slam City Skates vouchers up for grabs for best tricks. At 2.30pm the pro jam will commence and £600 cash prizes awarded on street and mini ramp. Also, look out for the product toss at the end of the day courtesy of our sponsors Flip, Superdead, Plan B, Heroin, Death, Drawing Boards, Science, Crayon, Kill City,Lovenskate and Blueprint Skateboards.
The after party will be held at Mau Mau Bar on Portobello Road with party tunes and a UK skate video premiere of the ROOKIES DVD from Kill City. Get your your travel booked and get ready for some amazing skateboarding as usual. There’s a facebook event page set up, invite your friends and watch last year’s video below.
Bay 66 Skatepark can be found between Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park Tube Stations at 66-67 Acklam Rd. Map here. If you need accommodation for the night, the cheapest and nearest place to book can be found at www.hostel639.co.uk.
The South Coast of England is spawning some great skateboarders right now but with its rich skate history etched into the books it’s hardly a surprise. The scene down in Brighton has never been tighter, the urethane is getting worn faster than ever and this vibrant coastal town keeps throwing up more talent than ever before.
