Okay, things look, well, freaky. We know. We're working on it. Consider ourselves "under construction". Relaunching soon, looking more, well, readable.
We promise.
Get some wine.
Where the hell have we been?
That's a good question. Been one of those, well, months. Lost cameras. Broken boards. Unfinished interviews. Turkey comas.
Thanks goodness for our friend Mr. Pinot Noir.
We'll be back soon, with a vengeance.
Go outside or something, winter is coming and snow angels are wack.
The Kid Loves His Juice
'Roots pal Jason Adams has signed on with the legendary OJ wheels. Street Razors, anyone? Check out this video part and feel the pure juice!
Blindly Piloted
Went to the Iron Horse to shoot some pics of your new favorite band, Blind Pilot, this weekend. Full review and interview coming later this week, but here's a slide show to hold you over!
New stuff coming, we swear! In the meantime, here's some pics we snapped between spurts of crouching in the mud taking pictures with a real camera...
I don't know why towns would ever bother hiring an actual skatepark company...
You know how every town has that one kid that's just killing it with the most haggard setup ever? We told him he had to kickflip this ridiculous bank to stair contraption, he was boosting like ten feet in the air, didn't make it. Bummer. Gave him a Blood Wizard deck anyway, because he deserved it.
Best spot in town, Nowhere, NH.
Did you know that New Hampshire (Live Free or Die, fool!) has a special tax for property with epic views? That's weird.
My very first martini. I asked for shaken not stirred, just to sound like a pro. Not sure it worked.
Made her look good at the time though... Dang martini goggles!
You know how every town has that one kid that's just killing it with the most haggard setup ever? We told him he had to kickflip this ridiculous bank to stair contraption, he was boosting like ten feet in the air, didn't make it. Bummer. Gave him a Blood Wizard deck anyway, because he deserved it.
Best spot in town, Nowhere, NH.
Did you know that New Hampshire (Live Free or Die, fool!) has a special tax for property with epic views? That's weird.
My very first martini. I asked for shaken not stirred, just to sound like a pro. Not sure it worked.
Made her look good at the time though... Dang martini goggles!
Git 'er done.
Happy Monday.
Hope you've all recovered, or at least begun the recovery process, from Halloween. I know we have. Turns out the secret is to just KEEP DOING the Jello shots. Or something like that.
Since it seems up here in the northeast that aforementioned Autumnal candy fetishist holiday was also the gateway to real fall weather (it's been cold and rainy ever since), we recommend those of you in warmer locales head on out and do something rad in the shorter days for all of us gathered around the glowing warmth of a computer screen today.
That was quite the run on sentence.
We're still getting that Indy Fab story together, but it'll be here soon. In other, completely unrelated news yet oddly similar sounding news, now ex- Indy team manager and rad as all get out photographer Lance Dawes has a feature in the works as well.
Gonna be a good week.
Happy Helloween
Head on over to the Berrics and check out the best Halloween vid you'll ever see, not including Charlie Brown, of course.~
Independently Fabulous
So, what did you all do today? Oh, you toured what is likely the raddest bike manufacturer in the world? Really? That's it? Wow, neat.
Stay tuned - full report, slide show, interview and review rolling out (yeah, yeah, pun intended) over the next couple of days. Our intrepid reporters are on it.
Admit it, you're jealous.
We would be.
You got's no excuse
Our friend Patty is gnarly as hell. She just broke her nose skating, what the hell are you complaining about? Check the slide show below for some of her greatest hits (or misses, depending on how you look at it). Bad ass aviator mustache mask added to protect her from the throngs of paparazzi our blog induces.
Get well soon! And finish your damn thesis already.
JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN...
We haven't had many bike features on here, but that's about to change. Starting the charge is East Coast's punkest bike company, Spooky. In a world of corporate bailout circle jerks and pseudo globalization, Spooky is sticking to their DIY roots and doing it right by keeping it real. Enough cliches, click HERE or head on over to the Features page, and see for yourself.
Wachusett Brewing Octoberfest Ale
Just added a review of a great Octoberfest ale, check it HERE (click there, dude) or head on over to the Reviews page. Sorry for the lack of updates this week, been a bit hectic over here. Got some great stuff on the horizon though, so stay tuned!
DON'T STEP ON MY...
Head on over to the Reviews page (click there, dude) to see an old guys review of a new shoe based on an older classic.
KILLING IT SOFTLY (THE REMIX)
Just added some new pics and video to the Aaron Suski interview over on yonder Features page, check it!
SUSKI
Just posted a little interview with all terrain vehicle Aaron Suski on the Features page (click there, dude). Head on over and check it out, then get out there and skate before it's so cold your trucks don't turn.
FALL
Just found this in an old pile of 'zines. Makes me think of Fall. Get out there and get some... No excuses, Winter is coming.
VOX
You know what rules? Trick or treating at thirty something years old, and striking the jackpot. Thanks, Marc.
JOEL HAMILTON ON BLAKROC
We just posted a little interview with Blakroc engineer Joel Hamilton on the music page, CLICK HERE to check it out, and then preorder the album!
SKATE PARK GRAFFITI, PART TWO
Here is our second installment in the ongoing skate park graffiti series. Notice the bright red mushroom, how it seems to have what may be a dollar sign right at the top of the stalk. Perhaps the artist was commenting on the dangerous ways of Capitalism, hinting at the dark hallucinations the lust for wealth can bring. Around the fungus, we have initials SSP in various locations. Normally I would think this to be the tag oif the local skate crew, a la the Daggers in Thrashin', but as this photo was taken at the Sandwich Skate Park, I think perhaps the meaning is much simpler. As for the rest of it, well, I personally like how folks have been writing over eachother for so long, it is as though a subtle pattern of structural disregard has emerged. Lose yourself in the myriad lines and letters, and let your eyes see what they will.
We got this response to the first installment from Mr. Carnie:
"Skatepark graffiti has always been a love of mine. I too have marveled at it all around the world. I remember New Zealand bowls were always WU TANGed. Every bowl. But one of my favorite “pieces” was done on our second ramp in around 1984 in San Jose by this total sketcher dude named Donald. AKA Skull Man. It was rumored that he had tagged every city transit bus (in the hundreds) with his little skull tag. He was a wanted man. Anyway, we came down to skate our ramp one day (it was kind of hidden back in the woods) only to find that someone had spray painted all the way across the sixteen foot width of the ramp right under the coping, “GRIND TOUGH OR GO HOME TO YOUR MOMMY GRRRRR.” It was classic Donald. The grrrr part I thought was a nice touch. There were a lot of Rs. And the best part of it was that the ramp had PVC coping. He was never allowed to skate the ramp again."
Got some skate graffiti experiences you want to share? Perhaps you've even "gotten up" yourself... Well, get off yer hine and send some in, show the world what you've got.
Survival Never Goes Out Of Style
Check the Features page (click there, dude) for an interview with New Yawk Cities Ray Knives of Prize Fighter Cutlery. Shit is sharp!
ALWAYS THINKING
What the heck is that thing up there? Why, just another brilliant invention separating us from the apes. CLICK HERE to read more, and tell me you didn't just get all excited thinking about the possibilities.
I'D RATHER BE FISHING...
These guys (click there, dude) know. That's all that has to be said, and if you don't get it, well, that speaks for itself. Head over to the Features page or simply CLICK HERE to check out our interview with Marc Delellis, AKA Shockus, the team and marketing manager for Vox. Keep your eyes peeled here for some upcoming interviews with some of their team riders as well...
GOOD FORTUNE
So I found this on the ground outside the house a little bit ago:
And while I'm not generally one to put much stock in superstitious things, I have to admit that it put a bit of a spring in my step. Well, what do you know but not ten minutes later I hear the banging and clanging of the UPS man out front, and what does he have? Why, these:
How rad is that? So now that I'm laced up with a set of true Blue Suede Shoes to hit the town with (and by hit the town I mean literally hit it, with my carcass. We're going skating), and my step has gotten light as a feather.
How gay is that?
Thanks to Dekline, for making our day over here, these puppies will be used, abused, and you can read all about it in a few days. In the meantime, what the hell are you doing staring at this glowing box? It's fall, go get rad.
And while I'm not generally one to put much stock in superstitious things, I have to admit that it put a bit of a spring in my step. Well, what do you know but not ten minutes later I hear the banging and clanging of the UPS man out front, and what does he have? Why, these:
How rad is that? So now that I'm laced up with a set of true Blue Suede Shoes to hit the town with (and by hit the town I mean literally hit it, with my carcass. We're going skating), and my step has gotten light as a feather.
How gay is that?
Thanks to Dekline, for making our day over here, these puppies will be used, abused, and you can read all about it in a few days. In the meantime, what the hell are you doing staring at this glowing box? It's fall, go get rad.
WORDS OF THE PROPHETS ARE WRITTEN ON THE PREFAB RAMPS
Has anyone ever done a serious dissertation or study on the engaging form of self expression that is skate park graffiti? It's hard to imagine a radder method of teen angst fueled cultural commentary, they're like hieroglyphics from the modern day. Generally falling into one of four categories (sex / girls, music, skateboard brands, or shitty tags / disses), the art of skatepark graffiti is a widespread phenomenon that has found its way around the world. Oddly, it seems the worse the park, the worse the graffiti. Over the next few days we'll be bringing you selections from our personal collections, and we encourage you to send in submissions from your local exhibitors.
I wish we were kidding.
CROOK'D
The guys over at Black Label are down, they just posted Chet Childress' part from their new vid for your viewing pleasure, check it out and then go cop your own copy. Sorry we're having a slow week, content - wise. Good stuff is on the way, trust us.
SOMETHING NEW
BLAKROC
Our friend Joel Hamilton just finished engineering a new project you should know about... Blues rockers the Black Keys have a new album dropping with collaborations between their classic, heavy blues riffs and some of hip hop's finest, including Jim Jones, RZA, ODB, Pharoah Monche, Q - Tip, Mos Def and more dubbed BLAKROC. Head on over to www.Blakroc.com to learn more and watch a documentary style preview on the Video page. Better still, click HERE to hear one of the tracks and whet your appetite for what's to come. It's rare these days to hear about an album this exciting, so make sure to get your hands on one this November 27th, and stay tuned here for more info as we get it.
OOPS POOPS
Well, we thought we had an interview coming. Turns out it was the wrong guy. Long story. Here's a review instead... (Click there, dude.) You can also check out a music review, if you're feeling up to it.
OPEN SEASON
Orchard skate shop and some friends are hosting a skate jam and BBQ Sunday, September 27th. If you're in the Massachusetts region you should definitely head over, these guys hold it down. Also be on the lookout for their first video (click there, dude), premiering sometime in October.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
You know you want 'em... Veering sharply from the Zumiez - infused Hot Topic deodorant BS, Blood Wizard comes correct with American made wood and and more heart than the entire board of directors of every corporate conglomerate trying to rape skateboarding for a couple cents. Support real skateboarding... Get one and get rad.
REBUILDING
Okay, okay, we admit it. The layout of this site could use a little work. Over the next couple days you'll see some changes as we streamline things a bit, but don't worry, we'll keep the content rolling. (No pun intended)
By the way, what do you think is coming next?
KING SHIT
Anyone who's ever seen Jackass or any of its copycats owes a Dave Carnie a beer. From the days of Big Brother to working with the Skateboard Mag and now King Shit, the king (well, maybe jester... How about barbarian overlord?) of skateboard journalism talks history, domestic bliss, food blogging and more. CLICK HERE, dude. Or just head on over to the Feature page.
GET YOUR HESH ON
'Sup evil doers... You may notice the limited edition creepy colorway of our site today. Why, you ask? Well, head on over to the Features page (click there, dude) and check out a little interview we did with Creature skateboard's very own Lee Charron. Brace yourself for the coming blast of evil, and feast your eyes in anticipation of the Hesh Law storm roiling on the horizon.
BIG BROTHER'S A FOODIE
Most of you likely know this already, but if you don't intrepid skateboard journalist Dave Carnie has embraced domesticity as only he could and now has a blog with wife Tanya, about what else? Food. Yep, now those of us who grew up in the warm glow of Big Brother's skateboard coverage can fuel our newfound passion for expanding waistlines in the same humorous vein. Head on over to THIS SITE (click there, dude) and get your appetite on.
WICKED HOT
Was stuck behind that thing up there all the way to the skatepark the other day. The clear indicator strip in the middle kept sloshing up and down, up and down. I wonder if my shrink would consider that half full or half empty?
In other, less random news, we now have a Facebook thingy. I guess just go to Facebook and search for Muddy Roots? No idea how to link it, sorry. We're not quite exciting enough to warrant full on Twitter status like so many other publications, but what can I say? We live in the sticks. Do you really want blow by blow posts of drunken fishing trips and repeated rock to fakies on rotting plywood? I didn't think so.
Hey, what the hell are you doing reading this? It's Saturday night. Go get radical.
Oh, and in case you didn't know, congrats to this guy, well deserved!
THE KID'S ALRIGHT
Head on over to the Features page to check out our chat with the one and only Jason "the Kid" Adams, where we touch on skateboarding, art, family life and more. Click HERE dude. And check back often, more great stuff is coming!
Sometime.
No, really.SECRETS OUT
Okay, now it was wack when Sheckler got his corny little body spray infomercial, it's true. We won't even bring the "fantasy factory" up. But you have to hand it to the PH balanced set for coming clean with a solid ad. No bs, no image. Just skating. Is it sad when a women's anti stink company is blatantly far more core than two talented pro skateboarders? Talk amongst yourselves.
Think it's fake? Feast your eyes on the footy, fool. (You know the drill, click there, dude.)
I said it once, I'll say it again -
I wish there was something I could quit.
ABANDONED SHIP
Okay, so there hasn't been a lot to feast those eyes on here, but we have some great stuff in the works. Labor Day weekend is one of those kinda vague holidays that even though it doesn't involve fairy tale like fantasy creatures, huge feasts (unless you count cookouts and beer) or bizarre rituals somehow tends to take up quite a bit of what would normally be productive time. I blame the aforementioned barbecuing and even more so the beer.
Well, we're back in the saddle, guns blazing so to speak, and will have a bevy of new features in the coming days. Until then you have a new Roger of the Month to entertain you, or you could Boil the Ocean. Or just talk shit.
Did anyone else watch the Nike documentary on the programming unit last night? Whoa.
LIKE, WHATEVER
Sorry, no big updates in the past couple days. We're still working on the stories we told you about last week, and a couple of other ones too. Some people are in Mexico, some have disappeared, and others, well, they just drink too much and get lazy. On a lighter note, look at the spider I found at the neighbors house:
Let's see, what else is going on... Set up a new board the other day, pretty rad. Best shape in a long, long time. I love it when you find a board that seems like it was made especially for your feet. And yeah, those wheels? OG A1 Meats Sex Cells. We're not fucking around.
We'll be more entertaining tomorrow.
Maybe.
Let's see, what else is going on... Set up a new board the other day, pretty rad. Best shape in a long, long time. I love it when you find a board that seems like it was made especially for your feet. And yeah, those wheels? OG A1 Meats Sex Cells. We're not fucking around.
We'll be more entertaining tomorrow.
Maybe.
THE REASON
It's Sunday. Time to get ready for whatever lies ahead this week, can you believe it's already freaking September? Can't wait for fall, personally... Cool weather, skating with a hoodie on, not sweating for every push. Ahhh, good times. We'll leave you to daydream about that with this video from the deservedly legendary Matt Reason...
BE THERE
We guarantee that if you're within one, no, two, hell make that three hundred miles of San Franciso this weekend, you have nothing better to do than head on over to ye olde Potrero Del Sol skatepark. What could be more enticing than gurgling cauldrons of chili and more fronstide grinds than you can conveniently shake a stick at?
I WISH THERE WAS SOMETHING I COULD QUIT
You ever have one of those moments where you just want to throw your hands up in the air, sigh, and walk away? Preferably into some form of dramatic lighting, a sunset perhaps? Well, those moments seem to be coming more and more in the skateboard world. If it weren't for folks like these (click there, dude), some days it would be hard to lace on the ol' skate shoes. Now, normally we'd never let something like the above video onto the site, refusing to perpetuate such absolute ridiculousness, but it was my feeling that this particular instance was so preposterously pathetic that it served better as a good bad example. You'll notice that we also have below this text another video to watch, this time something damn good with which to detox your retinas and help purge the preceding foul images from your memory.
THE WAITING GAME
Still finishing up some stuff for the features page, for now you can check out a couple new music reviews over in yonder, ahem, music page. Stay tuned. No pun intended.
Ugh.
OBLIGATORY BLOG RANT
Why do we skateboard? Is it just an excuse to rock women's jeans and out cool each other? Since when is life more fashion than function? Since when does being a skateboarder mean spending more time lurking on message boards putting each other down than actually riding a skateboard? Is there really a “right way” to skate? Doesn’t assuming that reduce us to the level of the uniform wearing jocks we pride ourselves so much on differing from? Sure, the mainstreaming of skateboarding as a whole is going to have it’s collateral damage, talented skaters like Ryan Sheckler will sell there souls and give in to the consumer culture media parade, becoming mockeries of themselves (and skateboarding as a whole) and seemingly a majority of skaters will become limited edition shoe collecting hipsters who know more trivia than tricks, but that doesn’t excuse it. At the end of the day, aren’t the true skaters the ones who keep on riding no matter what? It seems to me that these days the fat kid on the Wal-Mart Andy Mac board with generic shoes and hand me down clothing throwing himself over and over again at a curb trying to ollie is far more a real skateboarder than the image - obsessed, hyper critical elitists who seem to stand aloof at every spot, making sure their corduroy is brown enough and their deck has all the right scratches on it. Does trying to switch big spin crooked grind flip out over and over again ad infinitum without actually knowing how to actually kickflip a skater or an actor make?
I think the answer is self-evident.
This isn’t to say that almost all those caught up in the wave of underground mainstream culture don’t love skateboarding itself; it’s simply (and sadly) that they feel they must somehow use it to elevate themselves above not only the world around them but their peers as well. Singly, you can’t place blame on them. It’s the culture as a whole, through Internet chat rooms and multi- million dollar marketing campaigns (cleverly made to look “core” and “raw”) that has evolved into a self-destroying merchandise machine, churning out cookie cutter images and the assorted flair needed to fit them. What would happen if everyone got off their $120 jean encased asses and instead of logging on or superciliously looking for a way to debase their comrades, they simply got that shiny, super rare collab deck off the wall and hit the streets, actually using it to (Gasp! I can hear the eBay collectors crying already) go skateboarding.
Now there’s an idea.
* Lettuce Bee image borrowed from the great Andy Jenkins.
MARS MONDAY
Just posted an interview with counter culture art icon Joey Mars over in the Art department. Check him out for some mind expanding images to start your week, and stay tuned for lots more to come as the days pass! Also, just a reminder that we want your contributions, be they art, stories, reviews, photos, what have you. Get on it!
NEVER FORGET
Over on Epicly Trife they have a video in tribute of the one and only Phil Shao, who passed eleven years ago today. Skateboarding has lots of rippers, it's fair share of legends, and only a very few who shone like Phil. A master of all terrains, he embodied what it means to truly be a skateboarder. For those young 'uns out there, and as a reminder to those who may be a bit older, here are a few things to watch. When you head out to get your skate on today pop a few ollies for a brother who left us too soon. Photo up above courtesy of CaliSkatz.
CHRIS SENN INTERVIEW
Remember we mentioned earlier this week that we'd have a Chris Senn interview up? Well, it is! Head on over to the Features page to catch up with one of skateboarding's finest.
BREWCE MARTIN BENEFIT
Brewce Martin is gnarlier than you will ever be. Well, a while back he was injured in a freak accident, leaving him with mounting medical bills, and there's a benefit coming up to help him out. Spread the word and help a guy who has literally managed to carve out his dream of a skateboarding utopia.
JUST IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING
Venerable news source the BBC has reported that a group of highly trained scientists have been conducting some very important research. Looks like all those hours playing Resident Evil could finally pay off.
New music interview!
That's right, we just added an interview with none other the Clif Hanger of the Freeze... If you don't know who that is, CLICK HERE. For the rest of you who haven't lived such deprived lives, skip to the music page and check it out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
