If you have already seen this on iTunes then you will know it’s a keeper. Cliché’s ongoing Gypsy Life missions will never get old as their team grows worlwide laying down some of the best skateboarding out there and this is arguably their best production to date.
The full team are set a roadtrip to task with small PD’s and goals to see who can last the entire journey. Its far more entertaining than a straight up skate video with incredible skating from the UKs Kyron Davis, Max Geronzi, Paul Hart, guest skater Chet Childress and many more, but we ain’t spoiling it. Go find this in your local skate shop and see for yourself, you may end up on the road this summer as a result, as this book that comes packed with photos shot from the trip and full DVD is one you should cherish.
Rowan Zorilla’s RAW Files are go. He smashed it in the Propeller video but these offcuts are yet again, something else. Once all of these b-roll footage is up, Vans should stitch it all together and release it. Check this out.
One of the best parts of being involved in skateboarding is appreciating someone else’s natural ability to ride one, especially when they are straight-forward rolling like Gilbert Crockett. The Virginian may have been left in Alien Workshop limbo with the rest of the team exactly a year ago, but it didn’t slow down his ability to progress whatsoever. He just pushed faster.
With a killer new part under his wing in the new Vans Propeller movie and launching a new skate company, Mother Collective, he’s had his work cut out, but Crockett’s attitude on and off a board comes across as nothing but refreshing. Chris Pulman spoke with him the week before Propeller hit screens to speak about the good things that have gone down of late:
Looks like you have a busy year ahead. You must be pretty excited?
Yes, I am. I can’t wait to see this video.
I guess filming for the Vans video is pretty much wrapped up by now. Are you happy with what you have for it?
Yeah, we’re all done. I am happy with what I have, it’s been a long time coming.
It’s gonna be pretty epic purely from the list of riders Vans has. Is there anyone in particular you’re looking forward to seeing a part from?
I’m really looking forward to AVE’s and Daniel’s parts, but also just the whole thing. I can’t wait to see what Greg does.
Greg Hunt has some formidable projects under his belt and a real ability for communicating skateboarding in a genuine way. Do you get any direction from him? Do you have a strong vision of how you’d like to be portrayed or is more a case of ‘just get on with it’ and do what you do as best and as interestingly as you can?
I think Greg and I see eye to eye on a lot of things, and I think what you said is true about him doing things in a genuine way, and that is definitely a goal of mine when trying to put something together. So, I think I’m definitely just inspired by Greg, and working with him motivates me because I feel like we have a mutual respect about both of us wanting to do our job well and be happy with what we make.
The feeling I get from watching the Cellout and Bust Crew videos is that you use your talent to skate everything you come across. There’s a real genuine excitement from the act of skateboarding that comes across from these. It reminds me of being younger and street skating and trying to do everything on anything. Do you still get that excitement of real challenges in real surroundings?
Yes of course. Skateboarding for me at this point is sort of an intimate, emotional thing for me. If I’m skating the shittiest ledge you’ve ever seen with my friends and everyone is excited and having fun and trying to do whatever we can on it, I’m going to skate better than when I’m on a more serious session and I can feel everything around me like, “Wow, I called this session out and I’m wasting everyone’s time if I don’t get this”. But even then, I want to try to get a clip or a photo that my friends will be siked on.
Do you think that’s a reflection of growing up in Virginia? I’ve never been there, but I’m guessing, like a lot of us that didn’t grow up in major cities, you have to make do with the architecture that’s directly in front of you.
Yeah. It definitely has to do with that, and also, I think getting older and after you’ve been skating for 10-15 years, you start to want to just fuck around with spots that you’ve driven by your whole life, and just learn how to skate different shit, or shittier shit.
At a time when a lot of media is digested in disposable web-clips and instagram posts, what do you feel is the purpose of a full-length skate film?
I think the full length video is just the real deal. It’s just doing it, really doing it. And when you do it right, it’s unmistakable. You can’t just pump these things out like you can a fucking web edit, they take YEARS to make, and you can see it. Videos that are made like this have an impact for a reason; they live in real skate shops and on skateboarders’ bookshelves — they’re not just taking up space.
Apart from the easily accessible nature of instagram clips, I also think that they’re inherently genuine. In a world where kids are hammered by a lot of shallow marketing, do you think that this genuineness is what really appeals to the skaters?
I don’t know, everything is so clouded. It’s hard to tell who is keeping it real anymore. But I try really hard to not hate and just pay attention to the people I like.
I’ve heard that you’re very details-orientated when it comes to footwear especially. Do you have any reasons for this that you’d like to share or do you suffer from the same level of OCD that most skateboarders have when it comes to their gear?
I mean, I can’t just wear whatever. It’s got to be tested and approved to be a part of “the uniform” which is what AVE calls it. A lot of skateboarders work like this: you find a pair of jeans, a couple shirts, and usually some sort of hat that works for you, and you just run it into the ground until it falls apart or until you have your next gear crisis.
I’ve also heard that you like to look at authentic things and processes, be it footwear or tattoos. Personally, I love to know how everything works from making skateboards, footwear construction, leather-working and carpentry. Do you have any other skills or interests that you pursue as doggedly?
Yeah, I definitely pay a lot of attention to detail and how things are made. I paint flash and have messed around with making some clothes recently, but I don’t really pursue any of it. Hopefully one day.
Ph: Anthony Acosta / Vans
Your first Vans pro shoe is looking great. The Wafflecup seems like a perfect way to bring a little more consistency to a vulc-style shoe without losing any of the qualities that make that construction perfect for skateboarding. Have you had a lot of say in the development of that construction? There look to have been some subtle developments since the earlier Vans Stage IV shoes.
Yeah, it’s great. I really love it. My shoe is just the next generation of the waffle cup sole, we just found ways to improve it. I can’t say enough good things about the shoe and about Vans for letting me design a shoe that I love.
You’ve also included a mid-top version, which looks to be based on one of Vans’ longest running shoes, the Half Cab, do you wear either style in preference for any kind of terrain or do they both feel equally as good to you?
I usually skate the lows, but I always get into a mid phase like once a year or so where I’ll wear them for a while. I love both.
Ph: Greg Hunt / Vans
Now that Mother Collective has launched, it must be a relief to end all the speculation after the AWS sabbatical. Is that how it feels?
What happened with Workshop was inevitable. AVE and Dill knew that, but here we are, and I’m happy that it did.
Lastly, I spied your Vans team page quickly before I started these questions and noticed that you mention ‘The Four Agreements’ by Don Miguel Ruiz. It’s a good philosophy for making the most of one’s lifetime. Is philosophy something that interests you a lot?
I don’t really pay much attention to it, but I do love that book, a lot of things inspire me, that was one of them.
Any philosophy on skateboarding that you’d like to end this with?
Have fun with your friends, stay up late and eat pie.
Been waiting for this? You will not be disappointed. Chris Pfanner went in hard for his part in the Vans Propeller flick. The backside ollie before the flip attempts is ridiculous…and those flip attempts, jesus.
Even more of Gilbert Crockett‘s unseen footage and alternative angles from his Propeller part dropped online overnight, this time from Will Rosenstock’s archives. If you want more raw footage from Greg Hunt’s lens then head here.
Three whole minutes of raw Gil’ footage with tons of alternate angles and pure spot destruction from Vans’ first full length video “Propeller” brought to you by Greg Hunt. What a treat.
Check out photos and footage from Propeller’s London premier here and look out for an interview with him on here very soon.
Get yourself ready for a real northern (UK) scene video starring some of the North’s most highly regarded rippers as Adam Todhunter’s Coast to Coast is made up of footage spanning across the gritty northern land and his travels further afield.
Todhunter may be a name you know from the recently released Supertoxic video, ‘We’re Working On It‘ but this production sees full parts from a variety of skaters, including three friends montages which take this video to an explosive 50 minutes of mind bending, non-stop skateboarding.
It kicks off with a rousing intro sequence, showing many spine tingling slams and slow-mo steez, exposing the viewer to only a margin of what is to come. Sun-tangled chimes fill the air and first in frame is Graham Anderson flowing his way through the streets. This part is shared with Rory Muirhead, both skaters complimenting each others style as they carve with nimble feet through many tight spots that others may disregard completely. Rory finishes off this part with a pristine wallie over a gap and into the street below.
The first of three friends montages commence with Josh Cobbin cruising with a pleasing bag of tricks including: a bs flip, clearing cobbles and a hefty gap with a big flip – all executed beautifully. Rob Mckinney then enter the fray with a humongous nose rag at Berlin’s famous Alexanderplatz banks, alongside Robert Sanderson and Daniel Le Maty whose lines through some rough wasteland terrain are notable. Danny Abel then demonstrates some smooth late shuv action whilst Dale Starkie stomps down some tricky manoeuvres before Lewis Johnson ollies over everything in sight.
Ph: Mani Haddon with a fs tailslide.
Next to step into the spotlight is Lancaster’s Joey Hurst, who is no stranger to a manual pad; filling it with personality as he performs bewildering variations displaying a impressively composed manner. A highlight from this section is a backside flip over a planter. Joey flips the board catching and spinning around at the last moment, making it look simple whilst traveling at speed. This flows through to a shared part showcasing three skaters.
Leading the way is Phil Steavenson bumping his way over railings and lipsliding over gaps and through hedges. Lloyd Hodgson bombs on to your screen, opening strong. He slaps out an extended no-comply over a grass gap, rolling away effortlessly and making it look like child’s play. The flowing nature of Lloyd’s style and his apparent east coast influence is captured well throughout this section; whilst he seems as though he is coasting comfortably, in reality he’s probably fighting the need for his wheels to bite into the ground. One trick that gave me the compelling urge to go and skate was when he slappied up a ledge into a nose slide on the one above it, popping clean back over to flat. Something that I’ll never be able to comprehend.
Stepping up to this standard is Thomas Miller with his similarly smooth style, cutting his way up the brickwork as he wallrides into a nose manual down the bank below, not something I saw coming at all. Dan Hallam shows skill with his long lines and, by the looks of things, his ability to 360 flip out of most grinds with ease. Blink and you’ll miss that flip! Dylan Sewell displays long grinds and longer lines. Dylan pushes the limits with a noseslide of momentous proportions too – over a shrubbery shaded gap and exiting with a 360 shuv to seal the deal and firecrackers an 8 stair. The crackle as the board quivers down each step will fill you with an ecstatic warmth.
Ph: Dan Hallam back lips in front of a cycling bird
Someone’s got to film the filmer, right? Of course they do. Adam Todhunter is as strong a character on the board as he is behind a lens and he serves up the goodness before the second of 3 montage parts. Unwrapping itself with Danny Moore hauling himself over a hip height handrail and Lloyd McLeggon, one of Manchester’s most progressive skaters, with mental manny action and a stupidly high fs noseslide that would put us all to shame. Matthew Smith skims over jersey barriers and Krishna Muthurangl, Aiden Smith, Conor Charleson and Sean Barnes show a wide variety of skill and style, nonetheless showing how fun these four wheels can be.
Johnny Haynes bombs banks, power sliding his wheels into squares followed by Fraser Irvine, whose feet can’t keep still, constantly readjusting for the next trick as soon as the board is under his feet. Helder Lima slides into a laid back line ahead of Jake Veitch and Reese Singleton, who kill it with their clips and are only a small sample of the home grown talent showcased within this video.
Sprays of light divagate their way through the screen, the beat drops and Dan Main smiths into the shot. Bringing the hype from the very first clip as he does a three-piece line featuring a backside flip to switch manual. Dan’s part will definitely make you want to indulge yourself in his laid-back style as he makes delicate manual variations look simple. Intertwined within the precarious manoeuvres are the clips we all undoubtedly love, equally as much, such as carving through cobbled streets and ripping walls as his wheels rebound off them. So British.
Harry Veitch and Connor North are both on their way to becoming well known names within the British scene and share the next montage. Harry has pulled through, blowing up the most awkward of spots with raw enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Connor can be seen charging the streets with flamboyant lines and long slides. Both lads have a clearly distinguished style, definitely two to keep your eyes on. Oh, spoiler alert… Harry has a close call with death in the final clip.
Ph: Ross Zajac gap to noseblunt.
We enter the final montage section with more cram packed four-wheeled goodness than the previous two. Myles Rushforth slashes over a few lambent ledges, not messing around with the quick fire lines featuring the standard DIY pole jam. Making a drive-by appearance, James Headford feebles fluently. This leads into Paul Regan’s pristine pop that nearly knocks himself out with his own knees. Josh Bentley has a few clips unearthed within this montage too. Snapping a no comply down a set is no problem. Sean Tracy gets on that night time mission thing, rolling worry free through the streets leading to Adam Thurtle who power slides across streets and rams off of every angle possible.
Ben Armson and Lewis Elleden join the mix right before Charlie Munro gets hot, hot, hot; speed and power seem to be this man’s forte. Charlie’s team mate Mark Radden doubles up in Berlin with a hip-height crooked grind, knees tucked tightly to his chest. Brandon Justice hops from footpath to footpath, tweaking his nose right the way out. Little Saul Crumlish backside boneless’ a quarter about five times his height. So much so, that it gave me a chill. Sam Pendlebury offers a monster ollie from flat to flat. Ben Larth jams off a broken bollard into the street followed by a steep five-o fakie on a curbside wall. Similarly Calum Adams opens his clips with a wallride 180 out and a front blunt up and into a tight brick banked quarter. Will Sheerin then closes this powerful montage sequence, nollie flipping freely down a four block. You have to see it.
Ross Zajac went to the zoo to open his cameo with penguins and giraffes, reminding you street skating is never short of strange happenings. Karma skateboards rider Ross has definitely been working hard with this offering of big gaps and quick-fire clips, this is shown when he fires a fifty down somebody’s front steps. Highlight from the section include a fakie full cab over a bin launching him into the street. Ross flows incessantly throughout, showing he can skate an obstacle in any way. Whether it is backside flipping a set or a wallride down the side, he’s got it. His laid back attitude makes his style massively addictive too, flipping or doing a 270 out of anything although it was a complete afterthought.
Ph: Will Creswick – Bs Heelflip
Descent and Story Clothing ripper Will Creswick builds up for something big as he storms the penultimate part. This Newcastle local has a ferocious style that comes alive in his night time missions to perfect his no comply combinations. As well as the one-foot action there is plenty of quick-fire tricks too, juggling his feet in-between each movement. Will’s gaps to lipslides got me psyched in this part. Nothing out of the ordinary – until he bonks the trick into a nosegrind within a blink of an eye. His quick footed flair is well on point.
Right before the credits roll, Mani Haddon takes the light, blowing it out in style. Mani’s innate excitement to skate radiates from this part as he bangs out clips in quick succession. Seeking the crustiest northern grit to destroy seems to be his intention, as he Switch Bs 360’s over a cobbled street gap. Mani and his catalogue of tricks delve deeply into this one and come out with some true gems before waves roll over his final piece, which will surely send you into a head spin.
With Coast to Coast being a project spanning over two years, it’s amazing to watch these talented skaters and their tricks transform as the film progresses. Adam encapsulates the individual styles of each skater perfectly bringing their personalities into view, making this a must-watch British scene video and a vital addition to your DVD collection.
Support true skateboarding and check out Adam’s webstore where you can buy the DVD as well as a zine documenting the filming process.
I don’t know about you, but one of the most recognizable aspects of skateboarding for me are Vans skate shoes. The patent waffle-gripped rubber soles have been supporting skateboarders for almost fifty years. Say that again: supporting skateboarders for almost FIFTY years!
Vans is a skateboard culture heavyweight with riders spanning several generations, commandeering all sorts of terrain and actively sponsoring events across the Globe. You’d think that the day Vans decided to release their first ever feature length film, Propeller, video dedicated to the skateboard team, they would be shifting the gears on the hype machine for at least a few years prior to it’s screening. Apparently not. They don’t have to. Everyone knows their team is a legit band of brothers that go to war at every spot they skate and the filmer they hired for the job, Greg Hunt, is about as dedicated and craftful as it gets.
Propeller clocks in at about one hour of just skateboarding. Albeit the short introduction featuring the older gods (Tony Alva, Steve Caballero, Omar Hassan, Jeff Grosso, Christian Hosoi, Ray Barbee, and John Cardiel etc…), the rest of the video features a full part from each of the riders – except for Jason Dill who moonlights a couple of tricks in Anthony van Engelen’s amazing ender. To quote a fellow skateboard enthusiast, Ben Powell of Sidewalk, speaking about the last part: “Best over –Thirties part ever. Basically do some good skateboarding or fuck off!”
I think everyone knew Anthony would get the curtains seeing how much time and effort he put into his section, but Propeller still has 45 minutes of bangers from the likes of Chris Pfanner, Elijah Berle, Tony Trujillo, Pedro Barros and others to gawk at. I have to give Elijah and Chris double thumbs up for the raw power they exercise on their boards; Tony has matured a lot over the years but he’s still just as reckless as he was when he was young – more so even, especially in this incredible section; and Pedro bears the ugly stigmata of being the ramp dude, but when you see the lines he threads together on cold concrete mountains, you’ll respect him nonetheless.
As a British native, I can’t forget my fellow countryman Geoff Rowley who has been a figurehead for Vans since the early Nineties. Geoff has a reputation as a notoriously gnarly skateboarder with little regard for personal safety and most of his tricks support that point. I can’t help but get the feeling that after watching Geoff roll down the last of many hellish ditch spots, this section may be an honest farewell and passing of the guard to the next generation of gnarlers. If that is the case following the multiple injuries sustained filming for this then our hats are doffed to a British legend.
Gilbert Crockett and Andrew Allen take care of business in the streets and will probably increase their popularity among the skateboarders who feel they need someone to relate to when watching skate videos. That is by no means an understatement to both of these guys incredible talent, nor is it meant to undermine the likes of Curren Caples, Chima Ferguson, Rowan Zorilla, Kyle Walker or Daniel Lutheran who embody the modern skateboarder, born and bred to rip every kind of spot be it a quirky transition, a kinked rail or a curved ledge. All of these players put down seriously solid parts.
Propeller is a pretty good name for product with a sole purpose to push things forward. Vans kept everyone pushing hard when they introduced their skate shoes to the world, and several decennia later the skate team are leaving their mark on the future generations of skateboarders. Cliché as it sounds in the free internet era, this really is a skateboard video worth purchasing. Vans have supported you for so long, it’s only right that you should show some gratitude.
Download it from today on iTunes. It will be tough call to find a better full length skateboard video this year.
Ralph Lloyd-Davis
Enjoy this drunk phone cam footage of Caballero and Hosoi after the Propeller video premiere in London’s House of Vans.
Let’s kick this off by saying that the hype surrounding this film before it aired at the Prince Charles cinema in London was completely justified. It’s an incredible production that has zero filler and parts that will leave your jaw on the floor. Greg Hunt obviously worked his socks off to get this completed at the highest level and left no stones unturned. It’s so damn good that it feels like everyone has the ender.
At the world premiere, Geoff Rowley mentioned that Propeller “is a raw video, like one you grew up with” and he’s spot on. Doused in fast moving rock n’roll, each section is peppered with incredible skateboarding, packing gnar and tech from a crew who broke bones to make it special. Let’s hope that those skaters who grow up with Propeller see full length production as the norm, and bring back the full length as a priority over web clips in the future. It’s night’s like these where you wished the internet never existed.
The premiere itself was packed to the gills and over subscribed with people who had travelled from all over the UK. There were no seats for us, so we were asked to watch it upstairs where we joined Sidewalk’s Horse, Henry from Grey Mag and about 10 others and watched it with a Rob Smith introduction instead of the full cast. I’m sure the atmosphere downstairs was electric though, as each part just takes the piss. No spoilers of course as you will have to downnload it and watch it on iTunes on May 5th when it drops worldwide, but it’s a ridiculously impressive skateboard video and one to keep.
Plenty of booze was consumed at the House of Vans afterwards, where Steve Van Doren made burgers for everyone and was joined by Lutheran, Zorilla, Hunt, Rowley, Trujillo and more of the pro team. At 1am, Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi decided it was time for a bowl sesh. Enjoy this drunk cam footage and snaps from the phone. Go get Propeller as soon as you can.
Get the teas on for this and roll a fattie. The Gold Wheels crew’s full video Gold Goons is up with skating from Eli Reed, Derrick Wilson, Lenny Rivas, Boo Johnson, Luan Oliveira and many more.
Do you think that’s a reflection of growing up in Virginia? I’ve never been there, but I’m guessing, like a lot of us that didn’t grow up in major cities, you have to make do with the architecture that’s directly in front of you.
I’ve heard that you’re very details-orientated when it comes to footwear especially. Do you have any reasons for this that you’d like to share or do you suffer from the same level of OCD that most skateboarders have when it comes to their gear?
I don’t know about you, but one of the most recognizable aspects of skateboarding for me are Vans skate shoes. The patent waffle-gripped rubber soles have been supporting skateboarders for almost fifty years. Say that again: supporting skateboarders for almost FIFTY years!
