Drink Tickets!
The second annual TransWorld Readers' and Riders' Poll awards party took place on Thursday, May 11 at West Hollywood's El Rey Theater. Hundreds of people showed up, and some quality drama went down along with a few-thousand drinks. Highlights from the awards party include Muska's surprise frontflip to body slam over the podium, Brian Anderson's Best Street Skater acceptance speech (which you can watch on skateboarding.transworld.net), and the premiere of the new TransWorld video Modus Operandi. Here are some our snapshots from the chaos:
Steve Berra Trivia Contest
Back in late 1997 Steve Berra costarred in a Fox show about troubled teens and a place they could go to cry and commiserate. Steve's angst-ridden HIV-positive character was everyone's favorite, displaying the widest dramatic range of all the characters. Unfortunately, the infinitely stupid television audience didn't see the beauty in the show, and it was canceled after a mere ten episodes.
The first five people to correctly tell us the name of the show and the name of Steve's character in said show will get a pair of Berra's new DVS pro model shoes, which are scheduled to be released in September. If you know the answer, write it down, and send your entries to: Steve Berra Trivia Contest, c/o TransWorld, 353 Airport Road, Oceanside, CA 92054.
(Hint: The show isn't Felicity¿it was before that.)
Broken
Micah Mattson breaks it down.
When we go out and participate in America's least-favorite pastime, we often screw up our bodies more than Hunter S. Thompson screws up a hotel room. Not being able to skate because of an injury sucks. Being skateboarders, a lot of us probably don't have jobs¿so what do we do with all that spare time? First, you have to accept that you are not going to skateboard for a while, and then think of what you did when you weren't skateboarding.
Television and movies are good, but they get old pretty quick, and excessive Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is like shaving your hand with a dull razor (my game is on pause right now). A word of advice¿never do a demo down in Mexico two weeks before you're supposed to go to Europe, because those Mexican ramps fall apart, and when they do, you'll shatter your foot in twenty pieces. I would like to personally thank the person who built that ramp¿thanks.
It's hard not to mope around and feel sorry for yourself, but that will only make it worse. I talked to some friends I thought would have a positive outlook on injuries and asked how they deal with them. Jamie Thomas had this to say, "Most skaters try to isolate themselves from skating because they don't want to think about it. When I'm hurt, I try not to get out of touch with it. I watch videos, play Tony Hawk, film, and take photos. Being so involved with my companies, it can be hard to find time to take care of my other responsibilities, so when I'm injured I try to treat it like a blessing in disguise. I get to visit family, spend more time with my wife, and build up my faith. The downside is that when you return to skateboarding, it is like a harsh reality, you have to let it occupy your life again. But I guess it's just something you have to deal with in our line of work."
Being skateboarders, we should be able to think of some other creative things to do. Here're some suggestions that might help you through the tough times:
Make Fun of People¿It really makes me feel good about myself. You can go people-watching and make fun of numerous amounts of different people, whether they are males/females brandishing mullets, ravers, lurkers, carnies, Trekkies, or those people who walk around in suits and ties and try to tell you about some supreme being in the heavens. You can also do this with little fear of catching a beatdown, I mean, what are they going to do? Beat up a guy on crutches?
Master the "Crutch and Cast Mob Flip"¿Check the sequence¿I'm going pro.
Read¿A good bo is a great way to pass the time. I'm not some cool intellectual who reads all the time¿I hated reading before I got hurt. I found that a lot of the old-timers are great, like William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, John Steinbeck, Oscar Wilde, and Charles Bukowski. Their books are really good ways to put your mind on other things.
Kick It With Your Homies¿Who can say no when your homies call you up to "chill"? I make the mistake of saying yes every time.
Get Sympathy Jobs¿Call up your friend Shad at TransWorld and ask him if you can write stupid pointless articles.
Get Sympathy Chicks¿Girls love helping crippled dudes. I guarantee that if you fall down near a cute girl, she'll help you up. Then she'll ask how you got hurt, and then you ask for her phone number.
Flicks¿Although I said movies get old quick, there are a few classic gems. These are some of my favorite cinematic masterpieces to watch while experiencing uncontrollable swelling.
Time BanditsThe Good, The Bad, And The UglyCKY 1 & 2 (the CD is the nutter, too)The Dark CrystalFear And Loathing In Las VegasTilt ModeHeavy Metal Parking LotFight ClubEvil Dead TrilogyThe Big Lewbowski
MTV¿Stay away from MTV, 'cause you will end up getting some pretty awful songs stuck in your head. A few of my personal favorites are Britney Spears' "Oops, I Did It Again", N'Sync's "Bye Bye Bye", and who could forget the timeless classic Cisqo's "Thong-Thong-Thong-Thong-Thong" song.
Film¿You might not be able to skate, but you could always try taking pictures or filming your friends. If everything goes right, they'll get hurt trying to get the shot, and you'll have a fellow injured person to chill with.
Gamble¿Go to Vegas and gamble all your disability checks.
Try To Stay Happy¿Remember, "The positive mind can do wonders for the body."
Mandatory Info
Darvocet
"Senior" Associate Editor Tania Moyron has been walking around the office high on some serious opiate-based painkillers for the last couple weeks. Being the athletic, outdoorsy type, she was teaching some friends how to surf in Mission Beach, California, when she had an unfortunate accident. It seems she was wearing a brand-new wetsuit and forgot to calculate the stretch factor when she went for her back-handspring dismount. She lost her balance and fell, landing head-first on the bottom, causing her to experience a momentary loss of consciousness. Complaining of numbness in her extremities, Tania was rushed to a nearby hospital, where numerous expensive tests were run. Doctors informed her she'd compressed a vertebra and prescribed rest, shopping, and heavy sedation (not necessarily in that order). But don't fear, she's recovering quickly and is already back in the San Clemente happy-hour circuit. Our entire staff is very relieved.
Helmets
TSG, makers of protective gear, have announced the addition of Mike Vallely to the team. Mike will be getting a professionally endorsed helmet. It would be hot if his was a hockey helmet. With all the public skateparks popping up requiring full-body padding, making (or screen printing your company's name on) helmets has becoming a lucrative business. S-One Technology¿possibly the first company in history to produce pro-model shoe insoles¿has thrown their proverbial hat into the helmet ring. S-One will offer pro-model helmets endorsed by Peter Smolik, Karl Watson, Dan Drehobl, Lavar McBride, Clyde Singleton, Quim Cardona, and Paulo Diaz. We don't know about you, but the first person who comes to our minds when we think "helmets" is always Smolik.
MTV Sports Game
Skate games for home-gaming consoles are such a hot commodity it's almost becoming annoying. It seems like everyone and their brother has a game in the works. We do (due out around Christmas of 2000), Activision is working on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, and some developer called Darkblack is making a game called MTV Sports: Skateboarding, Featuring Andy Macdonald. Other skaters you can play in the MTV game include Rick Howard, Colin McKay, Josh Kalis, Stevie Williams, and Jen O'Brien, but we know you want to be Andy. The game will be released in the fall.
Adrenalin Theater
A group of capitalists called On Board Entertainment have partnered up with AMC Theaters to launch Adrenalin Theater, which will show a series of "alternative-sports films" in their extensive chain of movie houses. Beginning August 4, you'll be able to go see skate, surf, snowboard, freeski, and motocross videos on the big screen. Adrenalin Theater will be a weekend thing, and the skate video will be shown from August 25 through September 15. No word yet on which skate video(s) they'll be showing, so check your local paper for more info.
Nutso Canada Park
Jim at Spectrum Skatepark Creations Limited e-mailed us some shots of the crazy skatepark being built in Calgary, Alberta, Canada close to downtown, as part of a larger city project called Shaw Millennium Park. According to Jim, "it's gonna be nutso." Judging by the plans, we think he's right. You can check out www.mountain-inter.net/spectrum-sk8 for updates on the project.
Videos
Giant Skateboard Distribution's Steve Douglas phoned to tell us about ON Video, which is a new video magazine from the people who created 411. Normally, I don't think we'd mention ON Video because it smells strongly of competition, but the idea's good ... so what the hell. ON, as Douglas described it, is sort of a VH1 Behind The Music meets A&E Biography meets 411. It'll focus on the elite pros, the criminally neglected history of skateboarding, and in-depth perspectives to skateboarding's more interesting stories. ON Video will be in shops in July.
Speaking of new videos, June 30 is the scheduled release date for Photosynthesis, the new Alien Workshop video, which will feature Rob Dyrdek, Josh Kalis, Jason Dill, Anthony Van Engelen, Pat Corcoran, and Anthony Pappalardo, as well as Habitat's Kerry Getz, The Tim O'Connor, Fred Gall, Brian Wenning, Rob Pluhowski, Danny Garcia, and Mark Appleyard. F'rget about it. Check out Alien's Web site (www.alienworkshop.com) to see video clips.
Team Changes
Jason Ellis is riding for Dragon. DVS is gearing up for their fall release of Steve Berra's pro-model shoe. Want to win a pair? Check out the Berra contest on page XXX to find out how. Justin Roy from Lafayette, Louisiana is the newest member of Foundation's am team. Kris Markovich and Chris "Dune" Pastras are riding for Pig Wheels. Sluggo and Adam McNatt are riding for Sens shoes. Northern California's Amy Caron and New Jersey resident Lauren Mollica are the latest additions to the Gallaz roster. Dave Hupp is Airwalk's newest pro, joining Bucky Lasek, Andy Mac, Jon Comer, and amateur Eric Shelley. Frank Hirata has started a new company called Optimus Skateboards, whose team currently consists of Frank and Toebee Parkhurst. If you want more info on the startup, email them at: optimisk8@yahoo.com. Kerry Getz and Colt Cannon join Bucky Lasek on Clive's skate team. Corona, California's Austin Stephens is the newest member of the Toy Machine team and its only am.
Corrections
In our September 2000 issue, we published a review of some skatepark wheels produced by Powell, but they were, in fact, Bones wheels. In the Sightings section of that same issue, we wrote that Phil Mackie was doing a tailslide when he was really doing a switch tailslide. In the Skateboard Buyer's Guide 2000 we accidentally labeled a Globe shoe called Sanction as the Gershon, and we put Accel's Cat 2 wheel in the Acme wheel section.
skateboarding.transworld.net
We know our Web site isn't exactly evolving at the speed of light, but that'll be changing shortly. In August, right after the Euro contests, Skin Phillips (the best thing to come out of Wales since Ryan Giggs' left foot) will be returning Stateside to take the reigns of the digital monster skateboarding.transworld.net. During the Great ring Andy Macdonald. Other skaters you can play in the MTV game include Rick Howard, Colin McKay, Josh Kalis, Stevie Williams, and Jen O'Brien, but we know you want to be Andy. The game will be released in the fall.
Adrenalin Theater
A group of capitalists called On Board Entertainment have partnered up with AMC Theaters to launch Adrenalin Theater, which will show a series of "alternative-sports films" in their extensive chain of movie houses. Beginning August 4, you'll be able to go see skate, surf, snowboard, freeski, and motocross videos on the big screen. Adrenalin Theater will be a weekend thing, and the skate video will be shown from August 25 through September 15. No word yet on which skate video(s) they'll be showing, so check your local paper for more info.
Nutso Canada Park
Jim at Spectrum Skatepark Creations Limited e-mailed us some shots of the crazy skatepark being built in Calgary, Alberta, Canada close to downtown, as part of a larger city project called Shaw Millennium Park. According to Jim, "it's gonna be nutso." Judging by the plans, we think he's right. You can check out www.mountain-inter.net/spectrum-sk8 for updates on the project.
Videos
Giant Skateboard Distribution's Steve Douglas phoned to tell us about ON Video, which is a new video magazine from the people who created 411. Normally, I don't think we'd mention ON Video because it smells strongly of competition, but the idea's good ... so what the hell. ON, as Douglas described it, is sort of a VH1 Behind The Music meets A&E Biography meets 411. It'll focus on the elite pros, the criminally neglected history of skateboarding, and in-depth perspectives to skateboarding's more interesting stories. ON Video will be in shops in July.
Speaking of new videos, June 30 is the scheduled release date for Photosynthesis, the new Alien Workshop video, which will feature Rob Dyrdek, Josh Kalis, Jason Dill, Anthony Van Engelen, Pat Corcoran, and Anthony Pappalardo, as well as Habitat's Kerry Getz, The Tim O'Connor, Fred Gall, Brian Wenning, Rob Pluhowski, Danny Garcia, and Mark Appleyard. F'rget about it. Check out Alien's Web site (www.alienworkshop.com) to see video clips.
Team Changes
Jason Ellis is riding for Dragon. DVS is gearing up for their fall release of Steve Berra's pro-model shoe. Want to win a pair? Check out the Berra contest on page XXX to find out how. Justin Roy from Lafayette, Louisiana is the newest member of Foundation's am team. Kris Markovich and Chris "Dune" Pastras are riding for Pig Wheels. Sluggo and Adam McNatt are riding for Sens shoes. Northern California's Amy Caron and New Jersey resident Lauren Mollica are the latest additions to the Gallaz roster. Dave Hupp is Airwalk's newest pro, joining Bucky Lasek, Andy Mac, Jon Comer, and amateur Eric Shelley. Frank Hirata has started a new company called Optimus Skateboards, whose team currently consists of Frank and Toebee Parkhurst. If you want more info on the startup, email them at: optimisk8@yahoo.com. Kerry Getz and Colt Cannon join Bucky Lasek on Clive's skate team. Corona, California's Austin Stephens is the newest member of the Toy Machine team and its only am.
Corrections
In our September 2000 issue, we published a review of some skatepark wheels produced by Powell, but they were, in fact, Bones wheels. In the Sightings section of that same issue, we wrote that Phil Mackie was doing a tailslide when he was really doing a switch tailslide. In the Skateboard Buyer's Guide 2000 we accidentally labeled a Globe shoe called Sanction as the Gershon, and we put Accel's Cat 2 wheel in the Acme wheel section.
skateboarding.transworld.net
We know our Web site isn't exactly evolving at the speed of light, but that'll be changing shortly. In August, right after the Euro contests, Skin Phillips (the best thing to come out of Wales since Ryan Giggs' left foot) will be returning Stateside to take the reigns of the digital monster skateboarding.transworld.net. During the Great Talent Grab of '99, when "action-sport" Web sites opened up their dumpster-sized wallets and enticed lots of talented people away from boring old print magazines, we managed to hang on to Skin, and we can't wait to get him back in the office.
The Pit Gets Peaced Out
Remember all those graffiti-covered ledges and walls in Venice Beach that the Girl, Chocolate, World, and Blind guy used to destroy regularly in videos? Sure you do. Muska had an ad there in our May 2000 issue. Well, it was called The Pit, that is until the city destroyed it a month or so ago. Pissed skaters, tired of having their spots skate-proofed and made illegal, recently held a protest/demo at the site of the ex-spot, which is scheduled to become a public roller-skating rink. Huh? Los Angeles police officers were on hand, though strangely no one was beaten with batons or strangled to death (LAPD must be slippin'). The rally drew the attention of local media, and city officials have already promised to allocate land for a city skatepark to be built in the near future.
Black Cat
Maple Video Premiere
When was the last time watching a skateboard video made you want to jump up and go wild? It was June 2 if you're anything like the standing-room-only crowd that showed up at La Paloma Theater in Encinitas, California for the premiere of Maple's new video, Black Cat. The much-anticipated video release and the after-party that followed gave those in attendance proof that skateboarding is still about having fun.
Without relying on the usual barrage of hype associated with today's videos, the Maple team¿along with an easily recognizable cast of friends and family¿breaks it off proper. From Dave Coyne's circus-stunt style, to Jesse Erickson's technicality, to Jerry Hsu's MVP status, the whole team makes their mark. And for the kids, the adventures of the black cat are enough to make any mom angry. The way that cat boozes, you'd think he was heading for the after-party, too.
And speaking of the after-party, when they give you a bottle of custom-made Black Cat Brew at the door, you know something's going down. DJ Kien Lieu cut it up, the crowd broke it down, and security ran around trying to make sure the place didn't burst into flames. So even though the official premiere is over, you can still grab a copy of the new Black Cat video, call up your friends, send your parents away for the night, and "let the cat out of the bag."¿Jared Loveless
Modus Operandi
TransWorld SKATEboarding
Jon Holland and Ty Evans know how to make skateboard videos, and I'd have to say Modus Operandi would make Martin Scorcese jealous. As an avid couch-potato video watcher, I'm going to break this down into the four aspects of a good video: filming, skating, music, and editing.
Filming¿With Ty's and Jon's camera techniques, the exposures are always perfect, and the angles are never boring. I bet they could even make Arlo Eisenberg look like the shit!
Skating¿Mike Carroll, Marc Johnson, Chany Jeanguenin, and Brian Anderson all have full parts. Mike proved that he will never make a bad video part, Chany proved that he's an all-terrain machine, Marc proved that he's got style and tech skills that could battle Daewon, and Brian Anderson put the fear of God into every ledge and rail he skated. There's none of those whatevs "filler" tricks in this video either¿the guest skaters take care of that. Rick Howard, Scott Johnston, Chris Lambert, Stephane Larance, Brandon Beible, and Brad Staba all throw down the goods.
Music¿I'm usually a bitch when it comes to music in videos. But I think Ty knew I was going to review this because he used a Built To Spill song. Some of the music I'm not into, but it fits the skating perfectly. But what it all comes down to is Atiba's "Ah Yeah 6" and Muska Beats "Crazy"! How are you going to f¿k with that?
Editing¿Sometimes I drive past TransWorld around three in the morning and say to myself, "Isn't that Ty's truck? What the hell is he doing there right now?" Well, he was editing, and I think this proves how seriously Ty and Jon take this stuff. I think I would e
