SKATE NEWS

For the first time ever, this past April the Zoo Crew embarked on a week-long South African skate safari to session spots in Durban and Johannesburg. Making the lengthy transatlantic flight were ZY Officials Zered Bassett, Forrest Kirby, and Brandon Westgate. Also on tour were ZY team manager Seamus Deegan, photographer Sean Cronan, and videographer RB Umali who was filming for Zoo’s upcoming full-length video, “State of Mind.”

Check out exclusive footage from the South Africa Tour on the ZY Media Channel, and download a free podcast from the iTunes Store.

South Africa Tour on ZY Media Channel:
http://www.zooyork.com/media/

South Africa Tour on iTunes:

"Tony Hawk is my hero. He really is. He's amazing. I want to be just like him."—Andrew Reynolds in Thrasher Issue #339

Still killin' it…All 80s All Day Event
Birdman's got an interview up on ESPN Sports Nation, which is entertaining. I know, I know what you're thinking. For years, seeped in the all-consuming high horseness that is street skating, I remember really laying intoTony Hawk. I would tell people that he was not real skating and that I was not a huge fan and go off on long diatribes about how he was ruining skateboarding. I hate to say it, but no one person can ruin skateboarding. Sure, there's some question about how pure it can remain when there are so many alterior interests, like snack food and energy drink endorsements. But, it's easy to talk sh*t on these things when you're mom's still serving up Poptarts at your parent's house under the warmth of a fully paid heating system.

Pretend for a moment that, after two years of living in squalor on your friend's couch and skating so hard you nearly tear your meniscus, an energy drink calls you up and goes, "Hey so-and-so, we want to buy you a house if you'll represent our product…wear our hat and shirt with our logo on it." Do you think you could turn that down? Think about it.

In the fickle business of skateboarding, even if you do end up snapping that little meniscus of yours in a year or so and disappear into oblivion, you still own a house. Furthermore, you can rip as always. It's not like your big backer is so influential in the way you skate that you'll have to do the skateboarding equivalent of Modest Mouse throwing Johnny Marr in their band while some record producer keeps trying to beat another Float On out of you.

I think of that time I used to bash Tony Hawk and laugh. Some of the things he does are silly, but I don't necessarily blame him. If I had an amazing, eye-catching ability as a writer (and a company cared enough), I would most definitely accept a sponsorship from someone like, say, Monster (hint! hint!).

When it comes to Tony Hawk, the dude's just getting his and i's a little known fact that most skaters, even if you think they're the most down, underground dude, are exactly the same. They might not have Club Med knocking on their door, but Reynolds clearly would do what Hawk has done (see above). And, Ellington, for example, is the principle inventor of the handboard (click on the preceding link and read the "more info" on the right to read about it), the sort of mainstream toy store Tech Deck thing you would never associate with him in any way. But, I say f*ck it. Get it while you can. All of these guys rip and so does Hawk. After watching him recently at the n 80s Quiksilver event, he even swayed that small part of me, deep down inside, that still has the urge to talk trash. But, I don't care what you say, me, I think the Birdman's awesome.