What is the Underlying Philosophy of Skateboarding? Big old question aired by Jeff Grosso today whose Letters return with a top feature alongside Mark Gonzales, Steve Caballero, Jason Jessee, Tony Hawk, Peter Hewitt and more.
Leave your answer to the question in the comments below.
You’d have a tough time trying to pick just 10 amazing tricks from Daewon’s huge bag of goodness but Manolo’s done a good job here.
The Skateboard Mag have a new interview with Daewon Song and Marc Johnson today who discuss their latest switch from skater owned brands to a billion dollar sports shoe brand. Press play for their own reasons why.
A rad new deck series from Habitat Skateboards should be heading towards your local skate shop soon made from handmade puppets. Watch how the Squallis Puppeteers come to life in this new clip.
These two are always on the schralp, always impressing and back with a new edit from Parisian street sessions via Sosh. Enjoy.
For those of you who love seeing a glimpse of Gonz on a deck, this is his latest YouTube edit.
When the news came through Twitter that Marc Johnson had been seen in a new sports skateboarding video this week, we did ponder if it was true as his name as bold as the Eiffel Tower on the Lakai website.
Could MJ have sneakily cut a deal with a billion dollar sports brand after coating off their tennis shoes in a recent interview? Yeah, of course, because that’s sadly how pro skateboarders do their business today after long time friendships in the skate industry. It has become a joke, but today it became even worse.
Mike Carroll has just responded in a very open and cutting interview on Jenkem, the same site that ran MJ’s anti-sports brand rant a while back:
“I’m mad that he told me, point blank the night before the premiere, that there would be no announcements and that he would talk to his lawyer and we’d figure all that out. All the people that work hard for him, that design his shoes, the sales people, production people, the team – everybody that works for Lakai was there and for them to show up to the premiere and get blindsided like that… We didn’t do anything to him to deserve that. For them to find out that way? It just makes us look like fucking idiots, because this dude is a pathological liar. He couldn’t be man enough to tell me straight up.
The night before the premiere, when Marc and I talked, he could’ve told me… I would have been mad but at least he would’ve been honest and I could’ve called the team and told them instead of them finding out like that. He recently had things come up personally and I respect his privacy and distance. I’m just truly disappointed how he went about this. I’m curious to see what he has to say for himself. I can’t wait to see what type of lie he is going to say to justify his action.”
Read the full thing here but good on you Carroll, it’s about time people started discussing how these billion dollar companies are setting themselves up to ruin what skateboarders have worked tirelessly for. Choose skateboarding.
Less Than Jake
Kingston Hippodrome
May 2nd 2016
“You’ve been coming to see us for 15 years?” barks Less Than Jake singer/guitarist Chris Demakes to someone down the front, shortly before trombonist Buddy Schaub scales a stage-side wall to parp out the intro to a supremely groovesome ‘Nervous In The Alley’. “Well, whose fault is that – mine or yours? Don’t pin that one on me!”
Guys, it’s always a pleasure to have you back. Around the turn of the century, Less Than Jake’s smart ska/punk tunes and colourful, hi-octane gigs were a welcome antidote to the dourness of nu-metal, and after all these years (and some great records to boot), their appeal remains much the same. Tonight is their first ever show in Kingston, and although LTJ certainly have the songs and stage presence for a Big Rock Show™, this feels more like an oversized gathering of friends to rock out, bounce around and generally have a blast.
So that’s exactly what happens, and frankly, it’s hard to tell whether the band or crowd are enjoying themselves more. Predictably, classic cuts like ‘Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts’ and ‘All My Best Friends Are Metalheads’ dominate the set (the latter inciting utter pandemonium in the crowd), but a supercharged run through recent gem ‘Good Enough’ indicates a band with their foot still firmly on the gas. What more could you want? Some large balloons? Some toilet paper guns and a confetti cannon? The crowd bouncing halfway to the ceiling during an anthemic ‘History Of A Boring Town’? All joyfully present and correct.
Like all the best shows, tonight seems to pass far too quickly, although it ends in fine style as an increasingly sweat-drenched crowd almost drown out Chris and co-vocalist Roger on ‘Gainesville Rock City’. Less Than Jake might not be able to pack out the likes of the Brixton Academy like they did about a decade ago, but when they’re on such great form, you can’t help but feel sorry for the folks who didn’t want to stick around for a party that was – and is – far from over.
Alex Gosman
Ph: Madars Apse – Boneless © Alexey Lapin
Patrik Wallner’s latest voyage into uncharted skate territory features Pat Duffy, Madars Apse, Barney Page, Walker Ryan and Gosha Konyshev cruising through Amenia to find new spots.
Street sessions in the Big Apple continue in Lurk NYC‘s latest video blog: nobody’s alley. Get the teas on for 12 mins of it.