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Natas, Mike V, and The Gonz - photo by J. Grant Brittain

This is a blast from the past. Three absolute legends and early street pioneers in the same shot — Natas Kaupas, Mike Vallely, and Mark Gonzales. What I love about this photo is that each skater had such a recognizable, individual style. In many ways, each one went on to define a certain niche within modern street skating. Natas would pave the way for the extremely technical side with all his curb wizardry and early handrail exploration, whereas Mike V set the stage for the gnarly, “hesh” stuff like gaps, street grabs and a whole litany of foot plant variations. And then there’s the Gonz who… somewhat defies pigeonholing. But perhaps the Gonz did and still does represent the side of skateboarding that has remained spontaneous, off-the-cuff, and truly innovative.

The point is, back in those days, the only thing that mattered was how good you looked on your board and how hard you ripped — regardless of what kinds of tricks you were doing or on what. That’s all but disappeared these days — today’s street skating has a small minority of eccentrics, but for the most part, there is a herd mentality in terms of what’s cool as far as trick selection and terrain. The footage begins to blend together, as we’ve placed more emphasis on precision and perfection than raw passion. It’s interesting that a subculture that was built by a desire to be individual and rebellious has become so conformist. Skate how you want to skate, not how the magazines tell you to. 

Here’s Natas’ part in Streets of Fire — welcome to History 101 if you somehow haven’t seen this before.

Seriously, and you wonder why I post up ancient artifacts like this. If kids can’t even do their homework when it comes to skateboarding, we’re in some deep shit.

The Gonz, street plant — photo by J. Grant Brittain

There’s a great quote from Mark Gonzales at the end of his Real to Reel part:

I’m an old man. My age has nothing to do with how much fun I have. 

If that’s true about anyone, it sure as hell would be The Gonz. Words to live by, geezers.