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Skateboarding News

Mike Carroll kicks MJ off Chocolate in an interview

marc_johnsonWhen 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.

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Categories
Features Skateboarding

True Stories – Fabian Alomar and the Stiffy Bouquet

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Take a good look at this crew photo shot by Canadian photographer Jody Morris from his 20 Plus book. It captures Fabian Alomar, Keenan Milton (RIP), Mike Crum, Gino Ianucci, Jason Dill, Eric Pupecki (and tour driver) in the midst of a banging era of skateboarding whilst on tour in Nottingham, England, 1994. Steve Rocco’s anarchic revolution was well under way by then, Big Brother was the best mag on the shelf, Sidewalk Surfer was just starting up, DC Shoes and Chocolate Skateboards were also just launching and Gator had already served two of his 31 years in the slammer for murdering his girlfriend and burying her in the desert.

“I was working for World Industries and being very lean times in skateboarding the European distributors had pooled together to do a collective tour with all the World brands traveling together,” remembers Morris. “For many of us it was our first trip overseas, and quite possibly one of the best.”

The influx of American teams over the next couple of years lead to the Generation 97 comp at Wembley Arena in London. This mammoth skate event featured an old Jag dumped in the middle the street course and saw the likes of the Gonz, Creager, Rowley, Senn, Wainwright, Koston, Duffy, Brauch, Vallely, Daewon, Templeton, Reynolds and many more sign a page in the UKs skate history book. To this day, G97 still puts the likes of Street League to shame, which isn’t hard, it was all about skateboarding.

Menace pro Fabian Alomar remembers G97 well and delved into his memory banks for a quick story from behind the scenes. What goes on tour, stays on tour…well, for at least two decades.

Fabian Alomar – Lausanne, Switzerland 1995.

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“OK, so back in 1997 we were in London to compete in a comp there at Wembley, and well, it started off good. I was skating, getting my run down and the rest of the Menace, Girl, Chocolate, World Industries heads were on the course and we were doing our thing. I remember approaching another pro skater who was talking shit about “skaters in LA all wearing gold chains and driving Honda Civics and sagging and shit” in an interview he had done in one of the mags. Of course, me being the person I am, once I laid eyes on him I dropped in from one side of the course to where he was. We won’t mention his name for his safety cause he couldn’t bust a grape then and I’m pretty sure he’s still peeing his pants when he gets confronted. Talk about ‘Turnt Down’.

Anyway, back to the story…

So, I took a break from skating and went outside to grab a hot dog from this truck that was parked out in front and flirted with the Hot Dog Girl who was serving up and let me just say this…by the time I smashed on them two hot dogs with a vengeance, I knew I’d be smashing Hot Dog Girl’s ass with fury. Yeah, I bagged that broad in no time.

So later that night we went to a wack-ass place to drink and smoke. I still remember the FUCKEN MUSIC! There was techno and fucken lazers everywhere! I was over it and remember talking to Hot Dog Girl again, grabbed her and said “let’s go to my hotel” and she followed.

OK, here’s were shit gets kinda fucking weird. I was piping Hot Dog Girl in my room – and believe me, I was really giving it to her “FRANK HURTS STYLE” with the kids in the room (Javier Nunez and Lee Smith) acting like they were asleep. They were too young to go out so they hung out in the hotel, smoked blunts, drank beer and jerked off to porn. Now in the middle of my sesh with this broad, I hear frantic banging on the door to my room, so naturally I pulled out, ran to the door with a stiffy, opened the door, and it’s Guy Mariano standing there.

My lil’ buddy is scared outta his mind (and fucked up wasted of course) and there’s this older, big ass dude right behind him yelling shit out and he looks like he wants to hurt Guy. So Guy gets behind me and throws a fly punch on him from the right and said “fuck him up Fabes”, so I threw a punch too. Naked.

This fucker got nailed twice and that was enough for him. So now Guy’s telling the story and it turns out that Guy stole the bouquet from a wedding reception in the hotel lobby, all drunk and shit. I was like “of course everyone from the wedding is gonna be pissed Guy! I mean fuck dude, you stole THE fucken bouquet of flowers and you still have it in your hand?! Give it back so all these people can get the fuck away from my door, can continue with their wedding, and I can continue penetrating Hot Dog Girl!”

So I threw it back at these fools, and by the way, I am still in my birthday suit (minus the stiffy) but I still wanna bang this broad so bad. So now Guy notices something that I totally missed. Hot Dog Girl has 666 and some Devil shit Pentagram and crazy bat shit tattoos all around her snatch. So now I’m like WTF?! I’m a firm believer in God bro, I ain’t trying to bone the Devil homie. Now me, Guy, Jav’s and Lee are trippin on her tats and this Devil / Hot Dog Girl is spread eagled telling us the story on how and why she got her crazy ass tats around her pie hole.

To make a long story short, at the end of the night I banged her with the lights on with everyone watching and making comments, and I was doing all the positions I loved in porn, even taking requests from the homies too. Yeah, those were the days. The making of FRANK HURTS. Good times!”

Words by Fabian Alomar.

If you have a True Story you want to share, write to us.

Order 20 Plus online or ask your local skate shop to get one in for you.

Enjoy this G97 footage:

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Photo: World Industries, Blind, 101, Menace, Plan B – Euro Tour – Amsterdam, 1995. Standing L to R‭: Fabian Alomar‭, ‬unknown‭, ‬Kelly Bird‭, ‬Henry Sanchez‭, ‬Keenan Milton‭, ‬Yves‭, ‬Colin Mckay‭, ‬Pat Duffy‭, ‬Chris Hensley‭,‬‭ ‬Eric Pupecki‭, ‬Kareem Campbell, Joey Suriel‭, ‬unknown‭. Front L to R‭: Ronnie Bertino‭, ‬Gino Ianucci‭, ‬Matt Hensley‭, ‬Jeremy Wray‭.

For more Fabian Alomar stuff, watch this Vice documentary.

Categories
Skateboarding News

Guy Mariano leaves the Crailtap family for Nike

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Guy Mariano‘s name was taken down from all Girl Distribution Company websites from sponsors Lakai, Royal, Girl and Fourstar last night fuelling a load of speculation that has just been confirmed on social media. Mariano is now officially a Nike SB team rider.

With over 20 years of friendship in the history pot between both parties, Guy has jumped ship from the warm arms of the Crailtap family into mainstream sports brand territory that has shocked many and excited some. The Nike SB instagram from the announcement is awash with joy and equal disappointment and hatred as seen in the comments below.

A video posted by Nike Skateboarding (@nikesb) on

Categories
Skateboarding News

12 year old girl Alana Smith pulls McTwist

This year could well be the year of serious progression for the nippas as yet another feat is broken by upcoming rippers. 12 year old Alana Smith hit the history books this week as she became the 2nd female in history to land a 540 McTwist in a comp over in the US called Exposure 2012. Bones Brigade member and Mctwist originator Mike McGill saw it first hand. Watch this.

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Skateboarding Events Skateboarding News

The ladies of Rogue to hit the road late October

The ladies that make up the Rogue Skateboards all-female skate team will be hitting the road this month, their first tour in 2 years. Join their facebook event page for more info as it drops.

Saturday 27th Oct:
Ealing Skate Park
‘Anywhere Road’ – Female Skate Exhibition (see below)

Sunday 28th Oct:
London Street Shred (Various and dependent on weather)

Monday 29th Oct:
BaySixty6 Skate Park (London) Mile End Skate Park

Tuesday 30th Oct:
XC Skate Park (Hemel Hempstead)
Pioneer Skate Park (St Albans)

Wednesday 31st Oct:
Cyclopark (Gravesend)

Categories
Preview Skateboarding News

The new Girl Chocolate video is Pretty Sweet

The upcoming Girl/Chocolate DVD title has been announced today and it’s called Pretty Sweet. Get hyped on what will be dropping in November this year!

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Categories
Home Skateboarding Skateboarding Product Reviews

Line Check July 2011

UK skate shops are stacked with new decks, wheels, clothing, shoes, hats and more right now so here’s our monthly gathering of what we think are the best options throughout July. Explore below for a selection of products available from Skate Mental, Girl, Superdead, Heroin, Drawing Boards, Volcom, Foundation, Unabomber, Chocolate, Crayon, Toy Machine, Fourstar, Altamont, DVS, Lakai, Kr3w, éS and Emerica.

If you would like your product considered for inclusion in this zine, get in touch here.

Categories
Skateboarding Product Reviews

Line Check June 2011

We have been sent a mammoth amount of product for inclusion in this month’s Line Check so enjoy June’s selection that you can find in your local skate shop this month from Death, Blueprint, Superdead, Witchcraft, Girl, Pig, Addict, éS, Emerica, Dekline, Etnies, Lovenskate, Unabomber, Heathen, Volcom and Fourstar.

If you would like to send us product for inclusion in next month’s round up, contact us from the link at the bottom of the page.

Categories
Skateboarding News

Watch: Crailtap’s Year In Review!

Yes! If there was one edit (other than Andy Evans’) that was guaranteed to be super fun and filled with good vibes then it was the inevitable round up from the Crailtap camp.

“Carroll said if we got it out before February we’re good.”

Just about. No one would care if it was late anyway. This is must see shit so watch it and feel good about the weekend. Skateboarding is fun yo.

Categories
Skateboarding News

Cory Kennedy tests the Crailboard

Cruisers are the shit. If you don’t have one then you’re missing out on something fundamental to skateboarding and the general notion of getting rad. Thankfully the good folk at Crailtap have released a new version of the Crailboard for both connoisseurs and noobs alike to get their shred on. You can see the deck in all its glory in the new Wallride Catalogue. Inside is an exciting page that simply reads ‘New Girl and Chocolate Video Coming Soon”. Now, we all know how ambiguous Crailtap are with dates but we’re stoked to be reminded of it none the less.

Cory Kennedy gave the stick a test-spin and you can see below in a rad little edit what’s capable on that badboy. Whether or not you’re as abnormally talented as Mr. Kennedy, this new deck looks like heaps of fun. On top of that, is that some sunshine we can see in this edit? One can only dream the UK will start bucking its current cloudy and miserable trend and get all happy and sunny again.