frontside half cab kickflip aka 12 oz Pumpkin ale bottle

I haven't been around in a while. I know I promised a bunch of stupid skateboard related shit. The truth is I haven't kicked the tail since July 4th 2011.

I was listening to a lot of ZZtop since 1987?

The last trick I did was a fakie ollie. I fakie ollied my way out of so many lame situations.

I have no one else to turn to.

In the upcoming weeks turned months, years- I will be interviewing and reconnecting with One Larry Burns.

Switch heelflipping into oblivion once more.

Piss pedalin'

Enjoying the Epicly Later'd Ricky Oyola episodes even more than I thought I would. Great to see early footage of some Philadelphia spots that have changed over the years or disappeared altogether. Something tells me the rat curbs won't be making an appearance in any of these episodes. It was one of my favorite spots but it was basically just a square ledge around a defunct fountain. Pretty small. Not the type of place to go out of your way to get to if you've got City Hall and Love park to skate. Not saying heads didn't skate it but... I skated that spot and the sundial and the rest of Penn's Landing for the first time around '92 to put the time period in perspective. I liked it because there were less people crowding the spot and nobody cared if you skated there. I don't remember ever running into a police or pedestrian incident. Police Or Pedestrian? There's your new band name.

So... people can be pretty judgmental in the case of Ricky Oyola. I've seen some harsh words in the comments pages on some sites and everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion. I can see how he could be coming across as a self righteous asshole, but that's not what I'm feeling.

I remember walking to the Mellon Bank at 9th and Walnut to make a deposit for my job everyday. Everyday I would imagine a line around that corner, where there was a marble bank meeting a giant window. It was a bank that started a foot off the ground so you needed to ollie onto the bank and carve, kickflip or whatever. One day I was on my route and Ricky and a few other dudes came hauling ass down the sidewalk. He ollied onto the bank, frontside wallride on the glass, then came down the bank and kept pushing. No cameraman in tow. Moving forward and never looking back. Just onward... a continual forward and onward, ever pursuing motion of perpetual aggressive onslaught apreggio .

I moved to Philadelphia the same year the Sub Zero shop video dropped. There is just a special place in my heart for the dudes of that era. Not to mention he has killed it in every one of his parts. That New Deal 7 Year Glitch vid is an all around all time favorite.

The Epicly Later'd stuff is good for a few laughs. Talking about the act of pushing mongo when in the switch stance and other "gay" styles. Fortunately I never had the switch mongo push because I started as a mongo pusher in my regular stance. After a couple years of skating I realized I looked like a stupid idiot and forced myself to push regs. So pushing switch looked identical to my regs stance. Cause I had already been there. You know what I mean?

spaghetti whorehouse?

This was a title for a post that I thought of way back in April. An April Fool's day sort of thing.

That movie. That's the same chick from the "ASo you married an axe murderer." right?

It's no joke that my new favorite local brew is Sly Fox in a can. I love this stuff. I used to barely like it. What happened? Something wild. I realized their pils was running rampart. The pale ale was a pale comparison to itself in a mirror, rendering it double positive. Their version of the hefeweiss had some kind of canned glory in mind. ....

I can't even remember what I was getting at. Am I looking for a beer sponsor? Hey man. As vice squads go, the beer squadron is pretty good. Hanging out next to wine snobs? It's a pitfall sort of approach. You never know when a good thing will start sucking, or a sucky thing will blossom into a beautiful flower. Case in point: frontside bigspins vs bigspins in general, front , back, flip, shove...

Lordz Fieldz

I hate to keep bringing up age and weight etc in regards to my maneuverability on a skateboard, but I have to do just that. Yet again! I noticed a flat tire on my bike five minutes before leaving for work and decided to ride my skateboard. I barely ollied unless to go big or go home in

centimeters, clearing cracks in the sidewalk. I decided to hit up the metal L bar covered curbs on the 30th and Market bridge. Whatever you want to call it. I noticed it was a little more waxed since the last time i had skated it: January 2009. There was so much foot traffic blocking the runway, but I managed to attack it frontside a few times.

I kept going for classic frontside 50-50 and was landing smitty. Just tweaking. I could feel my weight on the board... bending it. The only reason these trucks were moving over this seasoned ledge was fresh wax and 190 plus lbs. dude. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol_75jFEpck

I did two 50-50s and got the hell out of there. People are like, "Oh you live in Philadelphia! How do you like it?"

And I always answer, "It's fine."

Naw, wait... sometimes I say: "It's just a certain kind of vibe."

I've met so many nationalities in Phila. Asians, latins, whites, blacks and even latin americans!! Case in point: Enrique Iglacious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Hye2EhzKY

paradiddle-diddle

I'm a big fan of Terry Bozzio. I remember my drum teacher talking clinic drummers and among the pepperings of studio timers lay dudes like Gadd, Figg, and Fagg. And then there was Bozzio. Missing Persons. Fucking great. Sick band, sick vocals, sick drummer. Whatever. I saw David Letterman's drummer, Anton Fig do a clinic at a music store in West Chester, PA. It wasn't West Chester Music. I forget what it was called. I'm sure he did a parradiddle or two. As a drummer, I realize it takes a long time to see that there are drummers with soul patches just like the harmonica players and flutists. Flute players, trying to play their soul patched way through a relationship with an otherwise complex woman. I want to be there to pick up the pieces of that failed relationship. Because, as a drummer who can connect to the burning desire of woman on a prehistoric level.... drums. Chicks dig drums. I haven't eaten fast food in six months. Is that good? Fuck off, man.

fonky family

I'm not surprised that this is the first double post within one day, however... I have been searching for this fucking french hip hop band's song (which played backdrop to a sick J.B Gillet part in that Rodney Vs. Daewon Part 2 VHS) for twelve fucking years.

"la furie et la foi" by fonky family. Look it up. J.B Gillet has been around for a few. Was he on Axion? Sure he was. He does a varial heelflip off some sculpture. Is that safe to say, nerds? My mind is blown. It's a great song. Great French rap. France is known for its bread and butter.

I was lucky enough to have visited Francay back in 2000. I was approaching the Eiffel Tower with a close friend. He happens to be the very same friend who is responsible for the title of this blog. It may be why I get a bit teary eyed when I see Tommy Sandoval do it down a handrail. Of course, it was a ploughman's lunch sort of trick on the lips of backyard miniramps across America for over twenty odd years.

I remember passing this skateshop on the way to the great landmark. . They had a Kris Markovich Foundation, Eiffel Tower Frog deck in the window. I could never keep track of his sponsor jumps. Crazy Kris Markovich. He's a great though. I mean., pffhhhffhhtthh! Personally, I like the super long line in the & Stun Video. G&S. It reminded me of skating in Wildwood , NJ . Just 180 over a chain link fence, to ollieing all up, down and around the sidewalk. All over the place, guys. I mean. One minute we were attempting 360 flips down two stairs, and the next we were playing street Fighter 2 whilst eatin vanilla soft serves with rainbow sprinkles.

Munchhausen's Grind

This dude told me my beard was epic. It was kind of a weird situation. I had gone to the bank to deposit a check. There happens to be a Brueger's Bagels next door to the bank. I've been eating at this Brueger's bagels bi-monthly since it opened a couple years ago. They do a great tuna and swiss with lettuce, red onion and tomato on an everything bagel, side of pickle and Rachel's Salt and Vinegar potato Chips. A GREAT one. They really do. Seriously though, there's never anyone in that place. It's a ghost town save for one or two dilligent office workers sitting in one of three booths, tapping away at a laptop while forgetting to give their turkey melt the time of day.

I was making my way to the napkin counter for some napkins when Three large men entered the front door. They were really big and tall. The last one looked at me through the glass wall and eventually, the glass door. Once we were face to face he offered up this compliment: "Nice Beard. That's epic, bro."

I thought, "Do I relate to him because he also has a beard? or do I simply understand what he is trying to say, because essentially his beard is of a lesser power?"

I can only hope that tomorrow brings me an ollie or two... it's been so long.

Actually I'd be happy to sit back with a latte and a viewing of Resident Evil: Afterlife. Maybe a toasted bagel with smoked whitefish.