SKATE NEWS

I'm definitely not one to blow up spots...especially skate spots. A sacred spot found, is just that. Sacred as hell. But usually, without fail, a good discovered spot will be infiltrated over night and often times, ruined by those who come in packs to skate it. There's nothing wrong with this systematic turn of events. It's just the nature of the skate game. Seek, find, destroy and move on. It's all about adapting people.

With that said, I don't feel bad about blowing up this particular spot, mostly because 12th & A is a public space which welcomes skateboarders. Yes. Welcomes them! As most of you know, after 3pm, the Open Road Park yard is open to any skateboarder who's down. For the past couple of years, kids have skated mostly the obstacles stored in a nearby trucking container. Now, I'm psyched to let you all know that there are three buttery-as hell, perfect height, marble ledges, permanently existing around the perimeters of the 12th & A Open Road Park. I told you this marble business was going off. And if that wasn't enough to have you already jotting down your lines, there's now a 4 foot mini ramp there too. So sick.

This is also the spot where high school skate class is going down. How ill would it be to skate those ledges while in school? The answer: Pretty g'damned ill.
The Drama Of J. Strickland

And The Continuation Of The Ongoing Baker Beef

Recently 48Blocks went and published what has already become a highly controversial Q&A with the infamously mysterious man himself, J. Strickland. For those who don't know, Strickland was one of the founding fathers of Baker Skateboards. Alongside Andrew Reynolds, Strickland built the brand from the ground up via a marketable image, graphics, a strong team and the now classic videos, Baker Bootleg and Baker2G. Somewhere along the line, hefty beef occurred and Strickland split from Bake, going on to start the now defunct, Bootleg Skateboards out of the NHS camp. Before long, a very public beef emerged between the Baker and Bootleg squads. Courtesy Deathwish Skateboards

Twuan's No Stranger To The System.
Each company released countless ads, dissing each other anyway that they possibly could. To me, the story was always confusing because a bunch of the Bootleg riders were down with the Baker heads from the start. Non of it really added up in my eyes, until now. In this interview, Strickland tells about his days with Baker & Bootleg, his blotched partnership with Andrew Reynolds, living in New York and so much more.

After reading this interview straight through, I thought to myself, "Wow, there is bound to be some hard feelings from some of the many names mentioned throughout this thing." I guess it didn't take long before some sh*t went down. A few nights ago, right here in New York, Baker/Deathwish family member Antwuan Dixon was arrested for allegedly going at J. Strickland with a hammer. Whether Twuan's actions were a result of this very interview is tough to say for sure, but regardless, it adds a sh*tload of gnarlitude to this already dramatic story. One thing's certain...Antwuan Dixon still does not give a f*&%.

Deluxe

Lost Days & Throwaways
In the old VHS days, salvaging "throwaway" footage wasn't easy. If a teamriders footage was good, but not quite good enough for their part, it might end up in the credits section, and even that was extremely limiting. Then came skate video DVD's and the introduction to the "Extras" portion of the disc menu. It was there that outtakes left to rot on the cutting room floor would live forever. In todays golden age of online immediacy, it's the throwaway that not only gets internet play like a motherfu*ck, it's the perfect way to hype a team video like nobodies business.

Real Skateboards has just posted a section on Deluxe site entitled, Lost Days And Throwaways. It features tons of amazing footage that's damn good, but not quite good enough for the new Real Video that will be dropping sometime in Spring 2009. At this minisite, there's tons of amazing footy from Real's roadtrips to NY, Denver, LA, the East Bay and more. Watch it now and give me one good reason that Dennis Busenitz shouldn't be crowned Skater Of The Year. Don't have a clue as to who might win? Don't sweat it, this Friday at 9am PT, Thrasher will announce the 2008 SOTY. It's on folks. It's on.