The Superdead team hit the road to Scotland on Sunday May 1st for the War of the Thistles comp and filmed their trip for your viewing pleasure.
Enjoy The Royal Shredding edit and get stoked on the fact that we will have a huge package of brand new Superdead decks, tees and wheels to give away at the end of this month. The new series is sick.
Fotr those of you thinking from the title that this would be a proper game of Chicken across the M40 flyover- sorry but unfortunately this isn’t exactly that. But there is chicken involved.
Bay Sixty 6 Skatepark have rolled out a monthly game of SKATE kicking off from March 24th on selected Thursday nights at the park. Winners will receive Nando’s Chicken vouchers and it’s open to everyone on the night.
Sessions that are confirmed will be held at Bay 66 on:
Thursday 24th March
Thursday 21st April
Thursday 19th May
Thursday 16th June
Whatever stance you have towards the somewhat conservative nature of Transworld videos (the unchanging opening montage – some sections – friend montage – some more sections) you cannot knock them for their as yet unparalleled consistency. Every nine months you can expect your local SOS to stock a DVD featuring five or six skaters with what’s likely to be the best footage they put out all year. The selection is spot on too: the last section will almost always go to someone who is killing it harder than anyone at the time of print (Torey Pudwill in Hallelujah, Sean Malto in And Now, Dylan Rieder in A Time To Shine, Heath Kirchart in Sight Unseen), the first section will often go to someone young, fresh faced and hot off the back of an already banging year cementing their style (Tyler Bledsoe here, Baby Lamb in And Now, Kellen James in Right Foot Forward) and the rest will do much more than just fill in the gaps. New names will be broken and slept-on heads will wake people up.
Chris Ray and Jon Holland are simply incapable of filming anything below a high standard. Sure, the editing may not be god tier anymore, but it’s the highest shelf below it. Hallelujah is the latest release and offers what is likely to be considered the best line-up in almost ten years. I’m sure that was said about the last one, but consider how sought after Tyler Bledsoe footage is after Mindfield, try to imagine how many Slap lurkers will be exceptionally hyperbolic at a new Pete Eldrige section (for good reason) and just think what another closing section from T-Puds could be filled with. A TWS production is guaranteed skateboarding excellence and that’s exactly what Hallelujah is.
This year’s unique-selling-point for the intro is a camera somehow attached onto the underside of the deck providing a dizzying perspective of what an insect would see if it were hanging out on your baseplate. It works, and doesn’t subtract anything from the finished product like intros often have the tendency to do. However, it will be swiftly forgotten upon watching Tyler Bledsoe’s section. Right, how to describe this section… OK! So some of you may be aware of genre of electronic music called IDM – for those who don’t know it’s the acronym for what idiots sometimes use to describe ‘Intelligent Dance Music’, a term that Aphex Twin, his own music regularly described as IDM, has dismissed as total pony. The way Bledsoe skates reminds me of the precision and technical production of an IDM record (having Modeselektor for his Mind Field music was perfect context) but with an inexplicably human feel. His tricks and ledge combos are unthinkable but at the same time they are neither robotic nor cringey. Tyler is one of my favourite skaters to watch, and this section only cemented that; prepare to be introduced to an entirely different but very natural perspective of skating.
Taylor Bingaman is the name that many of you might not have heard of. But if this is a section to wake people up then it does so more effectively than both the terrible brostep business that’s polluting student nights everywhere and that fucking awful alarm tone on my blackberry that goes off every morning because I cannot be bothered to change it. Bingaman has a surname so awesome that it deserves to be mentioned again and kills it on any terrain you can imagine. The section starts a little handrail heavy (which is arguably a change in the 8” ledge, bankle-ridden climate) and then escalates into an ATV assault on concrete parks complete with a backside noseblunt screecher and a mammoth oververt 5-0 grab in. He deserves your attention for that last trick alone but this is a pretty spectacular section even in the ridiculous standard of 2010.
Pete Eldrige is the kind of guy who will be described as a ‘skater’s-skater’, a phrase as redundant as it is impossibly stupid. Pete Eldrige is rad to watch and is just a skater doing his own thing, he’s not out to please those that so often arrogantly describe themselves as a ‘proper’ skater, but is out there getting footage and making me stoked. He choice of trick and spot is easy to relate to, but the way in which it’s executed makes him a very special watch. Comparatively ‘easy’ tricks are done on the gnarliest spots and ‘mess-around’ spots fall victim to absurd trickery. This section is just one big massive treat for fans of the east-coast machine who isn’t at all afraid to rock it to Rick Ross.
Next is the famous Friends montage that TWS not only made popular but continue to make the best in a trend that can only get bigger. Why shouldn’t it? Skating with friends is the whole point of skating, and if they rip then get them in. But above all that, keep this in mind, Ben Hatchell will make your head explode. That’s all.
We’re approaching the EPICLASTPART now so I’m sure you’re expecting something a little progressive. Leave it to Ryan Decenzo of the unstoppable Decenzo clan to flip open your head with stuff you wouldn’t have imagined doing in THSP8 and stuff that wasn’t even possible in THSP1. Give this one a few rewatches to fully comprehend what on earth is going on beneath this kid’s feet. There’s plenty of gnar to keep the heshers gonna hesh crew satisfied too, including and lipslide on a rollercoaster track shaped hubba ledge and a switch 180 down the gap Reynolds kickflips in Stay Gold. Oh, spoilers!
Torey Pudwill tends to polarize opinion because apparently wavey arms are enough to make people hate on a backlip kickflip backlip. Sure, sometimes it does look like he’s giving himself a Mexican wave after landing certain tricks, but I think it makes each mindfuck manoeuvre look even more rad. The way he stamps his deck down when flipping out of any goddamn slide he wants to do makes you wonder if his skateboard called his mother a fat bitch. This is about as epic as a TWSEPICLASTPART can get, that just typing about it is causing the memory of what can only be described as the greatest backside smith grind ever performed to take over this word document and make any further commentary impossible. Seek this one out.
Bellend Sebastian
As I’m sure anyone who has seen his films will agree, Pontus Alv is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating individuals in this strange web of culture, expression and creativity we like to call ‘skateboarding’. Never before has watching a video documenting the lives of others in skating granted the viewer with such personal insights into the filmmakers life and soul.
In his latest film, In Search Of The Miraculous, we see someone more than willing to bare all in the hope to inspire us to make the most of our temporary encounters with all things miraculous. In just a few questions, we learnt more about skating, filmmaking and life than most people ever share with others.
We begin our own search for the miraculous with an interview with Alv himself. How else were we meant to start?
Interview: Stanley
Images: Alv
Some people have noted that In Search Of The Miraculous seems like a consciously straighter and more accessible production than Strongest Of The Strange. Did you have this idea in mind when editing it or is it a coincidence?
It is not easy to make a film, but the main thing about my new film is that I wanted it to be as different as possible from my first film but for there still to be a link between them. In my first film I went into the darkness and I wanted define myself and what skateboarding is to me. In this film I am searching for the light in life, trying to see the beauty and the big picture. I want it to be light, colourful and inspiring. I find it harder to work with classic beautiful elements like a rainbow, a sunset and so on… but I also enjoy the challenge. I don’t like to talk and explain my work cause sometimes I don’t even know, I just go for a feeling and a spirit. If I can feel it perhaps others can too.
My inspiration and motivation is to inspire you to inspire yourself.
Alv at The Barrier Spot in 2004. Photo: Tobias Henriksson
I’d argue that the film simply tells a new story from a filmmaker who’s experienced more than in his past production. Indeed, experience and what we pass onto others struck me as a key theme in the film. What new things did you yourself learn about skateboarding in the process of making ISOTM?
Well like I said I am searching for the light in life, even if we go through hard times there will always be light. For example, some of my social sculptures in the past has been destroyed for whatever reason, and I could either just give up and do nothing, or I could keep going. Beautiful things are temporary and that’s why they are so wonderful. When I start building a new social sculpture I know it will be gone but the process and all the joy involved makes me feel alive and it puts a meaning to my life. I know it will be gone but it just makes it better cause you have to enjoy every moment you have together. If it would be permanent it would just be like a public skatepark which feels pretty dead and boring in the long term. Looking back at the last 10 years it is great that we got used to being bulldozed and it made us do more which gave us different things to ride over the years. And of course it created loads of good memories.
Learn about skateboarding? Well, it is the same rule as always… Skateboarding is a freeform and it is up to you to do whatever you like with it. It is just an instrument and there are no rules what so ever. It’s all up to you to do whatever you like with it. That is the beauty. No matter what direction the industry and world is going you can still do whatever you like. The same rule goes in life.
The Holma ramp on its way to heaven. Photo: Pontus Alv
The way in which skateboarding can give us an escape from the dark corners of our lives is at the forefront of ISOTM and SOTS, I think it’s uplifting and motivational to everyone watching, even for non-skateboarders. How do you begin the process of instilling something so personal (particularly the things connected with your father and family) to you into something that’s to be watched worldwide by people who don’t necessarily know much about you, if anything at all?
Yes my videos are personal and I like to mix in personal elements in my films. For me skateboarding is more than just tricks and I try to define the bigger picture. Everything we go through in life matters, our history and our present, our dreams, our future thoughts, our lovelife, work, friends and so on. How do I feel today? Well, when I step on my board I will know. If my heart is broken or my mind is messed up or my soul is stressed out my board will tell me and together we will express whatever feelings we are going through. That, for me, is one of the greatest things about skateboarding. It is always there for you, faithful and loving almost like a dog. We can always run away together and vent about life, whatever it may be, we can talk about sex, friends, history we can talk about everything and most of the time we will find a solution to almost everything or at least feel better about it. Talking things over with a really good friend helps, and this is why I love my skateboard so much. It’s my best friend and I hope we can grow old together somehow.
So what I am trying to say is that everything in life is linked, skateboarding is linked to everything else and vice versa. Most videos focus on the things within skateboarding… what happens at the spot and around the spot perhaps a coffee break inbetween, but most videos never deal with life itself or talk about. Don’t skateboarders have a life outside of skateboarding?
Move on and start again…
The video, like your last is dedicated to your father. His words of inspiration that you pick up on are reflected in how independent and influential your direction is. What do you think his reaction would be if he could see the film?
Who says he is not watching my films? They are here, I see signs and they guide me. I personally think they did most of the editing by controlling my thoughts and soul.
Torsten and Märta Alv
Your films regularly shun the typical conventions of skate videos by selling a narrative instead of a product or team. The skaters in are connected to you in a way that transcends sponsorship deals and stuff like that. In your editing technique you tend to stray away from standard time lapses and montages and instead borrow influence from cinematographers and magicians of the past like George Méliès. Who, or what in particular inspires you when making your films, and what does each skateboarder bring to the finished piece of work?
I find inspirations everywhere in life. My inspiration can come from anything and from nothing, from small little things you pick up here and there. I have a huge inspiration from the Alv family archive. It is a huge film and photo archive that starts around 1900. I grew up with it and I think this influenced me a lot. I also like everything from the beginning of photography and filmmaking, especially during the years 1900-1930. I am a big fan of Hans Richter.
And yes you are very right I am not trying to sell a product, I just want to show wonderful skateboarding of all types young old tech street pools ramps etc. I love it all and I want to give back as much as possible to skateboarding as possible because skateboarding gave me everything. I think it is the least I can do after all the things skateboarding gave me.
Pontus on the wall again. Photo: Jean Feil
As you’ve pointed out in the past, skateboarding has an inherent feeling of joy, freedom and creativity that’s almost inexplicable, but these feelings we associate with skating can often be crushed by the skate industry, sponsors, deadlines and the like. Sadly, I find it hard to imagine a world where skateboarding can exist independently of those factors for countless reasons, economical and otherwise. But your films still capture that freedom even in 2010. How can we, as skateboarders who love what the pastime has given our lives work together to make skateboarding better?
One thing that we all have to remember is that skateboard industry and business is not skateboarding, it is business. Skateboarding is really simple. It is what you do when you and your friends go skateboarding and have a wonderful or horrible time. The people that are involved with the industry or belonging to the elite skateboarding is just a very small percentage of the world’s skateboarders. We can be controlled by them or we can control ourselves. Like I said earlier, skateboarding is a freeform and it is up to you to do whatever you like with.
Briefly, where is the miraculous?
Right in front of you.
Watch the film in full here:
For a full review of In Search Of The Miraculous then head here. And stay tuned as we continue searching for the miraculous with Mr. Danijel Stankovich in an interview coming soon…
Here’s something a little different. A couple of months ago, Nye Vaughan teamed up with the most underground skater in Wales, Steven King, to produce the Time Stretched promo.
Steven King footage is notoriously hard to come by, but when it does then the champagne comes straight out. His style, approach and obscure trick selection have turned him into something of a reluctant legend in Wales. Have a look below to see why.
Big props to Nye for spending four grueling months meticulously editing this, it’s a compelling watch…
Daniel Lutheran has now been confirmed as a full-blown Toy Machine am and you can join Leo Romero and Johnny Layton who celebrate with him in his sweet Welcome edit below.
Use this as a perfect reason to remind yourself that Brain Wash, the next video to come from the bloodsucking skateboard company, is coming…
The Converse team have hit up a small park in Mexico City whilst touring the Prevent This Tragedy premiere with some very special guests providing the music.
Watch below as Raymond Molinar, Nick Trapasso, Sammy Baca and Julian Davidson hit up a wooden park for a rad change of scenery of all the usual smooth concrete malarkey while Matt Costa and Danny Garcia provide the jams.
Karma recently went on a three day skating bender and Andy King has just finished editing the lot!
See below for all three days of Owen Hopkins, Tom Shimmin, Channon Wallace and Joey Hurst shredding Truro Plaza, Mount Hawke and some street spots too.
Cliché and Etnies rider Charles Collet recently celebrated the launch of his new collab shoe Eurostyle by travelling like a gypsy for ten days, skating in three different countries.
You can check out his One Man Band Tour video below, and watch carefully because the question that follows relates to the clip. Answer correctly to be in with a chance of getting all those sexy looking products above.
The deadline for this competition is September 13th.
Charles Collet, The One Man Band tour from etnies europe on Vimeo.
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