Skateboarders are skateboarders and pedestrians are pedestrians and never the twain shall meet. Now, for the benefit of the pedestrian’s ankles I would testify that this grossly re-contextualised Rudyard Kipling argument is probably for the best. But exclusivity outside of whose ankles your board is smashing into isn’t necessarily as cool as you’d like it to be. Element have unashamedly and routinely scoffed at social barriers in a way that would make Andy Warhol stoked. I could be sitting on the tube, this Muska Finger deck in hand and a businessman opposite me could be counting the tens and twenties he can barely fit into his wallet with the same logo on it. He knows that his wallet isn’t going to fall apart today, and I know my deck isn’t either.
Element consistently provide skateboarders with good, solid wood. The lightness and insta-pop was a big relief from the unreliable soggy fishes I’d been riding previously. The wild welsh rain and terrain was obviously too much for them. Durability is a big deal for me, and Element don’t disappoint. The guy in the suit probably doesn’t even realise that the same company that made his wallet made the plank of wood that the smelly dude sitting opposite him is clutching. He could afford a new wallet if he wanted to, but if this deck says anything about their other products, he won’t need to.
What’s cute is that this business dude is getting shown the finger by my deck, courtesy of Chad Muska: that guy that you either hate to love, or love to hate, or more likely than not, both. So as he packs his big bucks into his wallet, the same company that’s keeping all that moolah snug is flipping him off. That’s skateboarder mentality for you. I love it. Don’t let those extreme suits with hair that’s a little too dude for the office fool you, Element material is constructed from a skater mindset. If the excellent Trio didn’t sway you in their direction, then the regular high-grade shit they’re pushing will.
Stanley