08.17.2011
Smoke my Sk8pole
Here are a couple of skateboarding-related items, gleaned from the chaos of the Internet, that have caught my eye recently.
This particular clip is a few weeks old by now but, in my estimation, it didn’t receive nearly the attention it deserved. I mean, I only saw it reblogged on, like, a couple Tumblrs. That’s basically the Interweb-equivalent of eating alone in the cafeteria! L-7 loser status, big time.
However, I cannot stress how undeserved this neglect is — the clip is essentially a commercial for thesevideodays.com, in the form of re-edited bits of legendary skate footage, past and old. The best part is the grainy, black and white treatment of the film, making the piece that much more nostalgic and, better yet, that much more raw. A friendly reminder, perhaps, of how our beloved industry has lost sight of that potent three-letter word. Skateboarding worries me sometimes, that is, until I step on my board and stop wasting my thoughts on other peoples’ skateboarding experience. And while this video is, in many ways, a tribute to other peoples’ skateboarding experiences, it’s the kind that also motivates you to personally participate, as opposed to merely spectate.
Despite two clips to the contrary, the world of skateboarding can hardly be contained in black and white. Nonetheless, skate videos sure look good under those same limitations. In the last clip, it helped tie together a pile of disparate footage from a multitude of eras. This time… I’m guessing it’s to make this so-called “Fall 2011″ clip 5Boro released in the middle of summer seem more autumnal? Or perhaps it was an attempt to glamorize the truly crustacular nature of most New York spots.
I assume they’re aware that it’s only halfway-through August and posting up videos with supposed “fall footage” is not only misleading but also just kind of depressing. My guess is that most of these clips were filmed in the early spring due to the high ratio of hooded sweatshirts and dead-looking trees. Anyway, it’s actually a really solid edit… can’t go wrong with a grip of NYC footage. I guess I’m just a little mystified on the timing and titling of this thing. Nonetheless, I love videos like this so I probably shouldn’t complain so much.
After all, it could always be worse…
Although, I think it’s safe to say it doesn’t get any worse than that.
Just when you thought longboarding couldn’t get any lamer… sk8pole!