Gino – 101 – Trilogy

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Dill’s Bobshirt interview, with a sprinkling of Miles Silvas executing a mid super-line LA gap switch back tail, got me hankering for some vintage Gino.

Let’s travel back to the golden afternoons of 1996 for a little 101 Trilogy action:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6967M1wb8rc?rel=0]

There are only a few skaters who have earned single-name status. Perhaps somewhat from having possession of an uncommon first name, sure, but truly carving out an undeniable mark in history with undeniably enviable style and talent. There is only one Gino, and it ain’t Gino Perez.

Caleb Barnett in Hockey III

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYjh7P4cXXY?rel=0]

The first 2 minutes of the Hockey III promo are monstrous. The cinematic doom soundtrack (a mix of 2001 monolith and Jóhann Jóhannsson) and slow-motion wind-up makes Caleb Barnett seem ten feet tall, tossing pop-shoveits over city blocks and making the earth shake when he casually bails an after-hammer flat ground heelflip. Melting ledges with a sideways stare down we haven’t seen since a bald Brian Anderson in 1996.

Kick to Kill – watch Machotaildrop on the internet

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Back in 2009, Corey Adams made a feature length narrative skateboarding movie. I heard it was kinda like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but with Rick McCrank as the nemesis and Steve Olsen as the local skateboarding cake shop owner. Machotaildrop never got released, and other then a trailer here and some Manwolf apparel there, it seemed to be lost to obscurity and bootleg status forever. Read all about the tragic saga in this 2016 Vice Sports article.

After reading that article and doing not all that much internet searching, I discovered you can indeed watch Machotaildrop, or even purchase it for download, through Vimeo. The rental is 3.99 and download is 9.99. Warning, the Fuel TV watermark in bright yellow on the lower right corner is on the entire thing, though. Still, for less than the cost of a pint, you can finally watch Machotaildrop.

For right now, let’s revisit the best shoe commercial ever made.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW3CwVtLtHY?rel=0]

Marisa Dal Santo – Strange World

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A recent interview with Marisa Dal Santo over at Jenkem got me back in the loop of watching this part over and over again. It’s interesting to read her story of refilming tricks, broken wrists, and turning down professional status while collecting $40,000 contest purses.

Although skateboarding is embarrassingly several decades behind where it should be in the realm of gender inclusivity (with a lot of work to go), it is good to see a lot of deserving women are getting signature models of their own this year. Regular skate parts, as well as filler park content and bearing sponsor promos, from women is finally becoming more routine and less novel.

Still, I consider Marisa’s 2009 part in Zero’s Strange World the reigning champion of skate parts from a women thus far. The opening slam on the backside flip roll away, the surprise no-comply heelflip one footer, smith grind tail grab, the Stranglers song, the Chicago Bears jersey… this part may have been the been what broke Marisa’s enthusiasm for hammers, but what a part!

Evan Smith – Time Trap – 2016

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With all respect to long quintuple-kinked handrail 50-50 grinds, Evan Smith was robbed in 2016.

While not quite on the scale of the handing of Guy Mariano’s trophy to David Gonzalez back in 2012, Evan Smith handed the world a basket of amazing skateboard parts in 2016 (plus lots more) and should’ve been crowned. More footage than many pros will log in a career. On Thrasher’s website alone he dished out three full parts that year.

While Evan might not seem to care about the missing trophy for his mantle, we are blessed to witness the psychedelic innovation, baggie shirts, street 540s, and Kenny G hairstyles over and over again. Even better, the carnage continued into 2017, and Evan finally seems willing to drop parts he didn’t score himself. [Note: that linked Spitfire part came out on the second day of 2017, and can practically be grouped with the rest of his dominance of the previous year.]

For your consideration, the opening volley of Evan Smith’s assault on 2016 AD, from January: Time Trap.

the (brief) return of Henry Sanchez

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60C5eK8Sm2Y?rel=0]
For my money, Sight Unseen is at the top of the Transworld video pile. Not a bad part in the bunch, only a few dull moments, pretty much the only non-Anti Hero bro-cam part from Cardiel, and sweet Heath skates entirely in slow motion to the Moody Blues.

But don’t sleep on Henry Sanchez’s part. Emerging from a half decade in non-Blind promo obscurity, Henry drops a surprise resurrection in 2001 to show he still has the moves to hold his own at all the turn of the century SF spots… 3rd and Army in particular.

Throwing in 3/4 Cab BS Tailslides (a trick I would love to see more often) and chunky ledge 360 flip 5-0s into lines was ahead to the game. And don’t forget Marcus McBride’s sheer decimation of Pier 7 in there. Perhaps do forget Marcus’ mumbled introduction, though. Those Transworld video intros were just brutal, and this part has one of the worst.

In conjunction with this part, Henry was tagged to be the flagship rider for the Lucky board brand that mercifully didn’t last very long. Other than sharing another part with Marcus in Chomp On This, the Sight Unseen part was basically the extent of the comeback for him. He really should’ve been taking under the protective embrace of the Girl/Chocolate wing at some point in the nineties, but alas, such is the tale of Henry.

 

Bobby Worrest’s Hometown Turf Killer

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Tom Remillard’s recent Thrasher video filmed entirely at the Los Angeles Court House brick transitions got me thinking about the time back in early 2014 that Bobby Worrest filmed a full legit online part for Krooked entirely at Washington D.C.’s Freedom Plaza.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N9mjjDY4_0?rel=0]

Known mostly for Pepe Martinez, Reese Forbes, Eastern Exposure 2, and a few tricks here and there since, I was pretty confident Pulaski Park had been remodeled or skatestopped or somehow rendered completely useless for skateboarding long ago, but not a damn thing changed.

Hometown Turf Killer is a unique concept for a full part and stands up as a strong part and not just a novel gimmick.  It was the #1 video part of the year according to Boil the Ocean and, I thought, combined with the Quartersnacks and Luxury & Loudness parts from that year, he had a legit shot at SOTY in 2014.

What other parts feature more or less one skater at one spot?

Tom Knox’s part in the Eleventh Hour video

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y_v5m85goI?rel=0]

Dreary overcast skies, crusty brink banks, quick footed half cabs, and other unexpected tight fitting drop-ins. Let’s enjoy Tom Knox (mk II) from Jacob Harris’ Eleventh Hour video from back in 2013.

Parts like this make me think my city is probably just cram-jam of interesting street spots, if only I had the eye to spot them, big wheels to roll up to them, creativity to find the lines, pop to reach them, and talent to not kill myself trying. Alas…

Mike Rusczyk – Foundation Art Bars

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grDnTLFk0H8?rel=0]

Mike Rusczyk stomped a memorable part in Foundation Skateboard’s 11th (!) video… Art Bars, Subtitles and Seagulls from 2001. The title of the video suggests all the abstract art film nonsense is sarcastic, but I get the feeling all that interstitial editing hoopla is a genuine attempt to get in on the Manzoori / Memory Screen stylistic party.

However, the  skating proves forward thinking for the time with non-comply heelflip step-hops, tweaked nollies over the rail,  and an overall well balanced trick selection that feel straight-up street. It could’ve used a few less animated Lego men, though.

I liked the post-Daniel Haney  pre-Duffman-dominant era line-up for Foundation with Rusczyk, Strubing, Ethan Fowler, and even a little Markovich thrown in there before Tum Yeto gave him his own board brand.