With the copious amounts of footage flying around on the net, one person you can definitely turn to for inspiration is respected filmer/artist Jake Rosenberg.
Jake ran with some of skateboarding’s biggest names back in the good ol’ days, so check out his You Tube account for clips that are worth their weight in megabytes.
Also, read an interview with the main man where he sheds some light on those epic years spent filmong today’s legends.
Each era has it’s brand leader, and no-one can deny that Powell Peralta led the charge back in the 80’s.
In addition to sponsoring some of skateboarding’s greatest talent, Powell Peralta had some of the sickest graphics ever screen printed onto maple veneers.
Well, today you can relive some of the Bones Brigade’s biggest graphics because Powell has licensed them out under the Pathway label.
Available through Out of Step Distribution.
If you want every generation to step out of the shadows and get their schralp on together, then a good old fashioned Bowl comp can do the trick.
The German skaters got together at Mannheim concrete bowl to crack open a few pilsners and skate the hell out of the local bowl.
Live music blared, a scary ‘woman’ (c.f. Picture ph. Bernhard Scheffold) took out a few of the older contestants, and Sunday had everyone helping out with emptying and cleaning the nearby Ludwighafen Snakerun.
Divided into two groups, the young and old ended up in this order:
Youngsters:
1. Thomas Becker, 26
2. Andreas Krall, 26
3. Chris Maier, 29
4. Rudi Rampe, 23
5. Thomas Zwarg, 21
6. Patrick Gangsta, 29
Jedi:
1. Tino Ditus, 32
2. Alex Frank, 31
3. Duncan Houlton, 42
4. Dietsches, 43
5. Fabrice Correa,32
6. Sandro Correa, 31
More info at the Mannheim Massacre website.
21st Feb 2007
This weeks Freshblood is a true trio of terror. Today’s skaters are savvy enough to know that a good rider can shred anything in his path. Variety and mercurial aptitude shine brighter than any one hit wonders any day.
The 3 skaters we picked for this third installment of Freshblood will come to your best spot and merk it into the next millennium. Rails, ledges, gaps, banks, trannies… You name it- they’ve got something for it. Sit back and feel the fury of Greg Levet, Sam Partaix and Boots..
Feature by Zac Slack and RLD.
Portrait ph. Loic Benoit
If there is one amateur on everyone’s lips in France its Sam Partaix. This fuzzy haired Hessian burst onto the scene with his relentless attack of anything big, quirky and bent. It’s no wonder then that the skateboarding A-Team, Antiz picked him up after one weekend session with the youngster.
Not only does Sam open the brand new second Antiz video, Z-Movie with a funked out global assault, he also opened a skateshop out of Tours called Skate Pistols. Obviously Sam is dedicated and in it for the long run, and that’s why we like him!
Full Name: Sam Partaix
Age: 18
Sponsors: Antiz, Vans, Eastpak clothing and backpack, Doble wheels, Skate Pistols Skate Shop.
Hometown: Tours, France.
How long skating: I would say 6 years.
Favourite tricks: That strange one foot he does in the new Antiz video ” Z movie”
Favourite kind of spots: The sketchy ones. The made yourself concrete madness.
“Sam skates like there is no tomorrow. He skates endlessly anything on any terrain. He does not think of what he should do. He just does. Where ever you will bring him, he will skate and most probably destroy the spot. The great thing about Sammy is that when he takes a huge slam.
He can only smile about it. He is a great humble kid with attitude and goals. He opened his skate shop Skate Pistols at the age of 17. That in itself is quite a statement of his interesting personality. And this is just the beginning…” – Julian Dykmans, Antiz Skateboards founding member.
Watch Sam’s killer section that opened up Antiz Z-Movie.
Blunt in Dog Pisser, Basel Switzerland ph. Loic Benoit
Portrait ph. Nic Zorlac
If you were at last year’s Crossfire Xmas Jam, then you couldn’t have missed a smooth punker with peroxide hair kill the sponsored rail comp in under 5 minutes. When the Crossfire minutes began to countdown, Boots was the first to step up to the obstacle and put down 3 tricks before some of the entrants had even dropped in.
I don’t know anyone who can nonchanantly kill a rail with bigspin frontside boardslides, frontside feebles and kickflip boardslides as appetizers. Do you?
Full Name: Boots
Age: 19
Sponsors: Death Skateboards
Hometown: Harrow
How long skating: About 5 years?
Favourite tricks: Anything
Favourite kind of spots: Everything
“Not much of a conversationalist, Boots lets his skating do the talking. Every day. Skateboarding machine. Always down to skate no matter what.
Fearless, technical, precise, and more than willing to take a slam when necessary to get the job done. Add it up. The future’s bright, the future’s… peroxide blonde.”
– Nic Zorlac, Death Skateboards
Watch Boots and the rest of the Death team shred St. Albans into the ground here.
Ollie, ph. Styley
Portrait ph. Mathieu George
Whilst Lyon and Paris battle it out for media coverage, a storm is brewing down South in the coastal melting pot that is Marseille. Whilst most people recognize the town for it’s amazing bowls, Marseille boasts a strong street scene too with Greg leading the charge.
Fresh as a cold glass of Pastis and stylish as the original French Connection, Greg is ready to export a lesson in street skating this year. Class starts now.
Full Name: Greg Levet
Age: 22
Sponsors: Syndrom Skateboards, Globe Shoes, Color 13 Skateshop, Kiuu underwear.
Hometown: Marseille
How long been skating: 10 years
Favourite tricks: Ollie
Favourite kind of spots: Everything is good to skate
“He’s one of my favourite in the team! He’s real and rough, sometimes he talks a lot and talks a lot of bullshit, then sometimes he doesn’t say a word.
His job is hard, he cleans the streets of Marseille very early in the morning, then has a sleep and go skates everything he finds good in the afternoon. He’s my session nightmare because he can skate everything easily.” – Etienne Laude, Syndrom Boss
Watch how Greg gets down in his neck of the woods here.
Ollie transfer ph. Mathieu George
Next week we will drop the 4th viall of Fresh Blood, stay tuned…
As soon as you get these on your feet you instantly feel like either Bruce Lee or Hong Kong Phooey!
The vulcanized soles are slim, the shoe has plenty of movement and they almost feel like slippers once on. This can only be good for board control as there is nothing worse than wearing clogs to skate in and can’t feel the grain of the grip tape doing its job.
Etnies have come up with a classic here, in fact i believe they know it too otherwise they would not have sent the wonderful Slam City Skates tribute shoe into production with these and also would not have bothered with so many colourways.
It’s a simple shoe that has a lot of flexibility, the sort of shoe that if performs well for you, will be back on your feet as a fresh pair once the old are annihilated. They are light in weight and generally they are the most impressive shoe I have skated this year. My only concerns with these are the fact that apart from the addition of the Triple-stitched toe cap, the suede could well go through at the point of wear and tear due to ollies but only time will tell and this is an age old problem any skater has to deal with if you skate a lot.
Even though they are light and thin, the STI Foam™ cushioning footbed and the System G2™ inserted into heel should give you what you need for impact but after riding a ditch in these at the weekend, my heel was giving out a bit – but then again when you are hurtling downhill running out on a crap surface you are bound to run into difficulties whatever you are wearing on your feet! No shoe is going to wrap you in cotton wool completely and if they did, there would only be one company in the business.
But it gets better. After 20 years of service, London’s elite skate shop Slam City Skates were handed the accolade of Etnies producing a collaboration show but the biggest accolade of all is that they used the Faction, so possibly expect Etnies to drop these in leather in all colours at some point as they are simply wonderful on your feet, especially once you have skated in the suede versions. Due to the change in fabric these are the ultimate in skate shoe technology. Light, comfortable, straight out the box for use and big on looks. Fingers crossed they will be the next series although the suede versions are more than capable of bringing a big smile to your face.
Elissa Steamer, Kyle Leaper and Ronnie Creager all ride in these beauties and if you add Hong Kong Phooey into the equation then you can work out why you should have these on your feet pretty quickly!
Go to www.etnies.com for the full story.
Chuck Bangers
The cinematic duo, Coan Nichols and Rick Charnoski are about to release yet another gem of a documentary, this time dedicated to skateboarding in New York City.
The New York Skate Movie retraces the history of riding through one of the world’s busiest cities with interviews and anecdotes from local notables such as Hamilton Harris, Keith Hufnagel, Pat Smith, Mike Vallely and more.
Watch the trailer here.
People have been flying around a bit lately with promotions and product being dished out all over the place. Here are a few heads that have been moving and shaking this winter:
Chris Roberts is pro for Chocolate Skateboards.
Guru Khalsa (pictured) got a place on DVS Shoes.
Abdias Rivera has jumped onto Foundation Skateboards.
And finally, Tim O’Connor is the Adidas’ secret rider.
Steve Forstner, Julien Bachelier (Juju), Julian Dykmans and Hugo Liard by Ralph Lloyd-Davis.
All photos courtesy of Loic Benoit.
When I first met the Antiz crew six years ago, you could tell their motivation was being drawn from the roots of our beloved culture. Here was a small group of up and coming European skaters trying to get things done by themselves, on their own terms and in their own time. All the riders were friends and kept in contact as much as possible, using the apartment in Lyon as a base and bureau for the company build from.
With an image that didn’t fit the mould, Antiz gathered support and it wasn’t long before a video – Antizipated – was released to critical acclaim. The company could no longer live as a happy-go-lucky entity, but the boys couldn’t jump the gun either, so an office was found and various team members took turns to hold the fort and demonstrate responsibility in promoting their dream.
The guys at Antiz have to split their time between sponsors that send them off to contests and demos, 9-5 jobs in skateshops, school studies, and deadlines with magazines and other various media projects- but all this helps the team work harder and keep in touch with their main focus: skateboarders.
Antiz have just released their second video, Z-Movie for free and it packs a punch that is sure to get people interested. I caught up with Hugo Liard, Julian Dykmans, Julien Bachelier (Juju) and Steve Forstner as they toured their way through Europe drinking beers and getting their skate on in the process. Antiz are still down to earth, still having fun and still killing it on their boards.
How has the Euro-premier tour been so far?
Steve: (Laughs) Oh, it’s been pretty rough. No, it’s been a lot of fun, but I don’t know why last night I had too many beers in Tours (France) and… I don’t even know why! I threw my jacket and shoes in the river. I’m not too stoked because my passport was in my jacket, so who knows how I’m going to get across the borders now? (Laughs)
Are you happy with how Z-Movie turned out?
Juju: Sure! Polo (Paul Labadie, Antiz filmer) did a great job! We’ve been working with Polo since before Antiz started and he always comes through. It’s good to see that we’re all on the same wavelength when it comes to ideas and joking around.
Steve: Yeah, sure! Polo did a good job.
The video is free and even has “Burn this DVD” written on the jacket- Was this intentional?
Julian: We have it posted up on Youtube, Google, Limewire and all those sites because over the 2 years that it took to make, we saw the video industry crashing big time. By putting the video out for free, we cut our losses.
Juju: We had the possibility to get Z-Movie distributed through magazines, but that wasn’t going to work because firstly, you had to find the magazines, and then the issue would only be out for a month which was too small a window to operate through.
Was the storyline involving film skits Paul’s idea?
Steve: Well we talked about things, but we they had to be possible to do without the use of crazy scenery or anything.
But did Paul know which films he wanted to parody, or did each rider bring a personal choice to the table?
Steve: We all talked with Paul asking, “What would you like? What about this scene..?” All that stuff. For my skit, the Big Lebowski, it was actually Julian (Dykmans)’s girlfriend’s idea. My initial idea was to use something from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas because that’s basically my favourite movie. But it was so hard to choose a scene; we went with the Big Lebowski instead.
Juju: Me and Polo are both big Tarantino fans and I was in my Reservoir Dogs phase, so it was cool to be able to pay homage to one of our inspirations. Polo managed to capture each of our amazing talents as actors- not an easy task! (laughs)
Do you think you can take Hollywood on now?
Julian: Oh sure! (laughs) I’ve got a lot of confidence in my acting skills now.
Hugo: Did you notice how little I spoke? (Laughs) You can tell I hate my accent! We were all such amateurs, but Julian (Dykmans) was the only one who actually thought he could do better on the next take! (laughs)
How long did it take to make Z-Movie, from start to finish?
Steve: Paul edited it super fast actually, because we only just got back from a tour in the States, in Oregon, and he got to work. Paul spent about two weeks just getting everything together, starting to edit and ask people what they wanted in their parts. We took one last trip to Barcelona, and then Paul worked on it for 3 weeks or a month, editing all day and night- vampire style.
Did you guys go out of your way to get as many new spots in it, or was it just chance?
Steve: When you go on tour you always find some crazy stuff. When we go to Barcelona, Julian (Dykmans) lives there so we try not to go to all the famous spots because we’d rather find new stuff to skate.
Hugo: A lot of the time we’d roll into town and stumble upon a spot and be like, “Whoa! Look it’s that rail, or that bank” And we’d just break out and session the thing. We didn’t go to places on purpose, or with definite ideas of what had to be done. We just skated. Obviously, in Barcelona, you can’t help it if you end up at a well known spot, and that always makes it easier, but we’re down to skate anything. One rider might want to skate a ditch or something, so we all go there and see what it’s like, maybe film a trick, maybe not.
Do you guys get to travel together a lot?
Juju: We try and hit the road every couple of months or something. Not all the countries we visited were through Antiz trips though. Sometimes it was on another sponsor’s trip, or just with a couple of friends. We went to the Canary Islands, Dubai, all over Spain… It was good.
Do you ever feel pressured at spots?
Steve: Nah, it’s mellow. We just want to skate, you know. Like some days, one of us will be hyped to film something so we’ll tag along, go cruising, and if the feeling is right then maybe we’ll film a trick too. Skating together is good.
What was the best place you visited whilst filming for this video?
Steve: Ah! The best place has to be Oregon (USA). All those concrete parks… Orcas Island is the best park ever. We were just out on that island, camping and skating. Good times!
Hugo: Oregon! I mean, you’ve seen all the parks that are popping up in Europe nowadays, but over there it’s something else. They have a park in every town almost!
Juju: Any travelling is good. Italy was pretty good, but I have to agree with the others and say Oregon.
Are there enough skaters for all those parks?
Julian: You have to realise that skateboarding is huge in the States. It spans several generations; you’ve got parents skating, young women using their boards like it’s some new age tool for stretching and stuff. It looks strange at first, but when that girl drops into a bowl or something, she kills it! (laughs)
How many of you were there on that trip? You were quite a lot weren’t you..?
Steve: The first week there was 13 of us or something, with Fred (Demard, editor of Freestyler Magazine (RIP)), Benny (Gonselin, Lyon WallStreet skateshop owner), and in the end we were down to 9 or something like that.
Not everybody made it then?
Steve: (Laughs) Some people got lost and others had to leave after the first week.
What was the worst place you went?
Steve: Man! When we were in the States, we arrived in Lincoln City and it was raining like crazy. It was raining so much, and so heavily. It was dark so we couldn’t see where to put the tents, all the tents were leaking… We rolled out of the tents all wet and tried to take cover at the skatepark under the cradle. The concrete was so cold that everyone felt sick the next day.
So you guys were camping the whole way? There was no big budget behind that trip?
Steve: Well, we were camping most nights, but every third night or something we’d get one Motel 6 room so that we could charge the cameras, take a shower and stuff. The rooms were for 4 people, but all 10 of us would cram in there. There was only enough room to bring in the camera bags, everybody would be sleeping on the floor, so if you got up in the middle of the night to piss it was mission like, “Oh! Sorry. Oh, sorry again… Coming through!”(Laughs)
Juju: After that first cold night, we went round the back of super markets and nicked a load of cardboard to sleep on because it insulated really well from the cold. Ah! We had some funny experiences on that trip. (laughs) When you plant your tent in the middle of the night, and get woken up real early the next day to find yourself camping out in the middle of busy building site, it’s pretty funny! (laughs)
You didn’t get in any trouble with the law?
Juju: No. We only got busted once- in a skatepark! Sam (Partaix) was skating in his boxer shorts because it was really hot that day, but the police didn’t approve. I guess we were looking for trouble, and we found it!
The way you guys support one another without taking the easy route or chasing money, are you trying to point out the fact that something might be wrong with the current trends in skateboarding, or the industry?
Hugo: We are stoked to find skaters that think like us and don’t just expect everything to be handed to them on a silver plate. Too many people are happy to be fed sterilised product, whilst we’re trying to offer something that they might actually enjoy. Just because you don’t have all the major sponsors doesn’t mean you can’t travel, meet new people and have fun.
Julian: We are not pushing an image of skateboarding like it’s some sort of sport with trained athletes competing for fame and fortune. We just want to promote skateboarding as a culture and something with which you can have a lot of fun.
Juju: We’re just a small company with a passion for skateboarding. But when you cross the line between just skateboarding and actually stepping into the business side of this industry, it gets a lot darker. We sell skateboards, but it could be tires or bananas, either way at the end of the day it’s all about shifting units, targets and making money. It’s sad to say that but it’s true, and when you see three big companies running the entire operation- and I say three just to simplify the facts- we end up in a Big Brother Orwellian state where everything is controlled and people no longer have a choice.
Where do you think skateboarding is heading? Where are the new places people will try and skate?
Steve: I don’t know really..? It looks like the things that are really blowing up are all these crazy spots people are building to skate. Especially in the States where they build all these crazy parks- they’re massive. Some of these street-style transition parks are even better than street spots sometimes!
Hugo: It looks like it’s turning into a sport! I mean, open a magazine and all you see nowadays are these ads showing Team X or Team Y with their beefed up riders, not even skating, but lined up like it’s the playoffs or something. (laughs) Back in the day, you saw a team and they had a skinny dude, a short dude, a fat dude… Today skateboarding teams are ‘cookie cutter’ to say the least.
How’s life changed for you since the last video, Antizipated, came out?
Steve: Not much. I live with my girlfriend now, instead of the skate house. Basically, we’re trying to take care of Antiz more, and everyone tries to work and help out. Instead of skating everyday, some people have to stay at the office in case the phone rings. (Laughs) Except for that, it’s been pretty mellow.
I saw you guys arrive in a car; it wasn’t the team van..?
Juju: Oh! We haven’t got a jaguar yet, but it’s a Rover, so we’re at that intermediate stage (Laughs). For me personally, I moved to Lyon from Paris to be closer to the others and get more done. Antiz started out of the skatehouse and now we rent a little office downstairs.
Is the Antiz skatehouse still up and running?
Steve: Well, Hugo (Liard) still lives at the old apartment with his girlfriend, but its way different. Antoine (Bellini, Lovebite pro and Cliché webmaster) lives there with his girlfriend, so that’s 2 couples, and one other guy…
So, since the women moved in, everything has changed?
Steve: (Laughs) Of course! It’s not as ghetto as it used to be.
Tell me a bit about the new guys on the team: Sam Partaix and Tom Derichs?
Julian: Sam Partaix is a young kid from Tours, in France who met the team when he passed through Lyon one time to shoot a photo or something. He’s only 19 years old, but he’s rad and skates everything.
Juju: He came down to Lyon with a friend of ours, Bertrand Trichet the photographer, and I joined them from Paris. Went skating together and by the end of the weekend Sam was heading home with a few photos and a couple of boards under his arm.
Steve: He’s a little machine with so much energy, skating every day all day.
Hugo: The kid takes care of himself, and runs a skateshop in his hometown called Skatepistols.
What about Tom?
Steve: Tom was introduced through Julian (Dykmans) via some Carhartt tours they went on together. He’s from Germany. Julian told us about him, so we watched his footage and we thought it was rad. We met him and then we decided to put him on.
It’s always the same; like when Sam came to Lyon, everyone skates with the new guy and then we all decide together to put them on the team or not. We want to make sure that if they come on tour with us, they don’t have an attitude or problems with anyone. Young kids nowadays expect sponsors and money, because they get it shoved up their ass and brainwashed by the media anyways…
Julian: We needed someone on the team with competent nollie and switch skills, so Tom was perfect! (laughs)
You guys have got the Yama team in the video. How did that come about? Who are they for those who don’t know?
Steve: Ah! In the first place, Yama are my good friends from Austria, Muki (Rustig) and Chris (Pfanner), David (Martelleur) from Belgium, and all those guys. They are really good friends and they have a company with the same sort of spirit as Antiz. We had so much footage from them for the Friends part, but that was getting so long already, so we decided to just make a Yama part. Antiz has done tours with them and they are cool.
Talking to you personally, I know that Zero got in contact with you, Steve. Do you want to talk about that?
Steve: Oh, I just talked to Jaime (Thomas) on the phone the other day.
Was he still asking you to ride for him?
Steve: No, he wasn’t asking that much anymore. For me, it’s like I ride for Antiz and I don’t look at it like a company or a sponsor. We, the Antiz team, we are like a family, and I’m definitely not going to quit it for a handful of dollars.
But how did Zero get in contact with you in the first place?
Steve: That guy, Seth Curtis from England, who does the whole Zero Europe deal emailed me, and then Jaime (Thomas) called to try and persuade me, but I turned him down.
Does it ever worry you guys, that after all this time together; a big company comes along and tries to take one of your riders away?
Hugo: On the one side, you’re pretty amazed to see someone like Jaime Thomas take an interest in one of your friends. He’s trying to launch Zero Europe much like many other American companies because they want a piece of the pie too.
When we heard that Steve had said, “No”, we were all shocked, but super stoked too to see that kind of loyalty. Nobody tried to persuade him otherwise, especially when you look at the fact that riding a deck is your only means to make money, we told Steve he was free to do what he felt best. When he decided to stick with Antiz that gave us all even more motivation to continue what we’re doing!
Julian: The American market is stagnating, so to keep things fresh, they look abroad to us in Europe. You see European companies gathering support which turns the market and America has seen that. The Americans have realised that they need to support what’s going on abroad, but this new Euro phase is their way of keeping control of the market.
Juju: We all really respect Steve’s choice and thank him. Obviously we’ll never be able to offer any of our rider’s massive pay-checks, but what we can offer is our heart and good fun.
So where are you heading now?
Steve: Eindhoven tomorrow, Amsterdam, then Germany…
Hugo: We just want to try and help our riders and keep supporting them to the best of our abilities.
Juju: Keep growing and support our riders. That would be best!
Does Antiz get involved in other areas of skateboarding? I saw you guys were going to put out a new board featuring the BRUSK (Belgian benevolent skateboard activist association) slogan and logo…
Juju: BRUSK is from Brussels, but it’s also connected through Julian (Dykmans) because his older brother, Ian, is a key member of the group. I’m part of a similar organisation in Chelles (France) called Cosanostra, and these organisations are what help skateboarding stay alive. They aren’t money led lucrative groups; they are just a vocation to help the culture and passion that drives all of us- skateboarding.
If we could mention any of these organisations then it’s a like a nod of approval and thanks in regards to what they have and are doing for skateboarding as a whole. When we use the BRUSK logo on one of our new boards, it isn’t to make a profit off their back, but more of a gesture sympathizing with the movement, and hopefully raise awareness for the cause. These groups are the basis for our movement, much more competent than any company could try and be.
Here are some quick fire questions: Which of the following 3 skaters would you find most suitable to ride for Antiz, and why – Rob Dyrdek, Scott Bourne or Sean Sheffey?
Steve: (laughs) Sean Sheffey, just because he’s crazy! I guess we could take Scott too.
Juju: Oh! Just for the fun of it I’d say Rob Dyrdek, but I think Sean would be quite a character too! (laughs)
Ok, if you had a movie made about the team, which of the following 3 comes closest to the true thing- Clockwork Orange, Ghostbusters or Wiseguys?
Steve: I’d say Clockwork Orange because I’m down for ultra-violence. (laughs)
Juju: Ghostbusters! The others are far too serious! (laughs)
Did you guys send any copies of Z-Movie to the Stanley Kubrick estate, or Quentin Tarantino?
Steve: (laughs) No!
If you had all skate a spot together, would you pick a ledge spot, a rail spot or a backyard ramp?
Steve: It would have to be the backyard ramp. Nothing beats that!
And what would be the favourite era for the team- the 70’s, 80’s or 90’s?
Steve: I’d have to say the 80’s because we’ve been joking about that period quite a lot recently. Hugo’s motto is “Shredding! It was all the rage back in the 80’s!” (laughs)
And finally, what is your favourite movie?
Steve: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is number one. Best quotes ever! (laughs)
Juju: I really dig Brazil by Terry Gilliam. That’s my favourite movie, otherwise, Jim Jarmusch’s Night on Earth.
Hugo: (Laughs) Cannibal Holocaust! There a few of them but they’re all wicked!
Julian: Please don’t let your kids watch Cannibal Holocaust- you’ll have nightmares! (laughs)
Watch the entire Antiz Z Movie at Google Video and individual parts at YouTube. Visit www.antizskateboards.com for more.
Take one look at these Beerhunters and tell me you don’t want a pair? GO ON!…See, told you so – silence…
I was the same when they arrived at HQ, i felt the animal in me come to the fore and reach for my shotgun, although we don;t actually have one here at all, but the thought was there all the same.
I suppose you came here looking for an honest opinion? Well let me tell you these ain’t no ordinary skate shoe, oh no. These are Vox and so far this newish company have done a splendid job in bringing proper skate shoes with attitude to a market place that can become stale and boring. My feet with these on explode, i wanna be Hewitt, but as i found out when i arrived to my local bowl, i was still just the same old Chuck that tries his best and wasn’t gifted like the people that ride for companies like Vox. It felt good though until the Back D hung up…
That herringbone tread pattern does a splendid job at the bottom of the vulcanised outsole and my griptape could be felt under my feet which is a must. The suede seems to be lasting out from ollies so far and i was surprised as it’s not the easiest fabric to have on the side of a skate shoe, but as i said, it’s holding out to date.
Overall, these are a winner and to be honest everywhere i have gone people have asked me where i got them. So thanks Vox, i have not been too popular since i came to, taking a whoopee in a phone box on New Years Eve – thanks to you, my life has now changed…
Chuck Bangers
16.02.07
Yesterday i was opening the post as usual and noticed a new Vox Footwear promo peeking out of the corner of the envelope.
This DVD features the whole team of Peter Hewitt, Justin Strubing, Neil Blender, Dan Drehobl, Ricky Oyola, JT Aultz, Darren Navarette, Adrian Mallory, Emmanual Guzman plus Alex Horn, Sage Bolyard, Mark ‘Red’ Scott and the Dreamland Crew, tearing apart Dreamland Skateparks in the US and although it is short in length, you want to watch it again and again.
With Cockney Rejects, Ian Dury and 999’s best tune ‘Nasty Nasty’ providing the soundtrack, you know this concoction is pretty gnarly.
Look out for this in a few weeks when it hits skate shops, i guess it will come free with shoes if you buy a pair. If you can’t wait though, go here and download the Thrasher Oregon trip video…
PS…Have you seen the Vox Beerhunter’s yet? Don’t miss this these..
Z-Ed