Skatepunk

What does being a skateboarder mean to you? Does it mean the same thing to the new, current generation of kids who grow up skateboarding? I don't think so. More soon on that.

For maybe the first time in my life, I feel like I'm not completely prepared for things at work...so much crap going on and I'm just out of the loop and that small part that I could always b.s. adn then go learn about isn't cutting it anymore! Not that that's all I've ever done, but in the past I've always been able to go read something to learn and grasp a situation. These days there is so much to learn about the "business" of marketing and skateboarding that I'm overwhelmed--I'm having trouble keeping up! And it's keeping me up, too--sleep is always the first thing to go for me under stress... so I'm treading water and reading and learning and doing everything I can to keep ahead, but man, oh, man, I do feel like I'm drowning, and that maybe the best thing to do is to get out of the water. But that's always been a strength--never quit. So what to do? (Answer: keep on keeping on!) Ever get the feeling I'm using this damn blog as a pep-talk for myself?!

I visited Rome for the first time, and man, that city is cool! I’ve never been to a place where every corner I turned led to something of some epic relevance, and so many things are so impressive. My friend Hagop is living there, teaching for a month, and lives right up the block from the Pantheon. We took an evening walking tour through about ten piazzas of all kinds, and Hagop and his lady Andrea were excellent tour guides. They’re both art teachers who have spent a lot of time in Rome, so I was incredibly lucky to have them as my guides. We hit nooks and crannies with Bernini sculptures, street artists, blue ice, and amazing architecture, people, and things to look at everywhere. They also explained a lot of the culture that would’ve taken a lot of time to learn and understand without such insider info! Thanks, Hagop and Andrea! The next day I was able to explore a little more, in a car with friends, and solo, walking and on the subway. Rome is like DisneyWorld or the Louvre—it’s impossible to see everything unless you have lots of time. And the driving? The driving is crazy—nobody pays any attention to speed limits, lanes, red lights or stops signs… actually, I don’t think I saw any stop signs! The girls, of all ages, seem to go out of their way to look great, and they were very friendly. The skate spots were ok, and things are fairly cheap to boot! My visit was way too short, but Rome is definitely a city that I would love to visit again soon.

Down there I wrote that I was going to write about how the hotels in Europe are either too small and cramped and claustrophobia-inducing, or else they're $450 per night. I guess space is at too much of a premium to allow for any sort of sensible sort of room size... oh god I sound ridiculous...enough of that.

What's up with the autobahn? I thought there was no speed limit, but it was 120k/mh the whole 120 miles I was on it... And there was traffic! I've always held out that the autobahn was one of those perfect things we've all always heard about, and it was kind of disappointing that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Bastien Salabanzi won Dortmund for the third time in a row. Although he still seems a little bit full of himself, I think he's really outgrown some of the bad image that he had a few years ago, and recently I've experienced just how talented that damn kid is. Bastien went to Japan in January, and while he was there he got a guitar and his friend Mark showed him three songs on the thing. Well, when he came back he played Arto's guitar for a while and then got one of his own in late May or early June. So he came by not long after that to play and to maybe learn a few things from me. Yeah, right! He's been playing guitar for six months and already has better finger skill and independent control of his fingers than I do after years. So my point is that Bastien is talented at a lot of different things, and things just seem to come easy to him. Hearing him describe how he does caballerial flips is ridiculous--just turn your shoulders, at the right time, flip your board, and just do it... yeah, if it was only that easy, we'd all be that good. I really like Bastien these days! He's grown up a lot and is a good guy, besides being on of the best in the world...

This is pretty damn funny! It's a cartoon (as usual for this site, it's kid-friendly, PG13) about our President and his opponent in the upcoming elections. It takes just a minute or so to load but is worth it.

Chris Senn did the loop! (Well, sort of. Check the Emerica site, I heard there's a photo of it there.)

Yet another update to remind myself of things to write about in the future: Bastien won Dortmund again; the autobahn isn't all it's cracked up to be; hotels in Europe suck, either they're too expensive or small and crappy... being a skateboarder has changed--it doesn't mean to a lot of kids what I think it meant to almost every skateboarder just a few years ago (but you gotta change with the times.) What else? Oh, yeah: why is what I consider to be fun so much different than what other people consider to be fun? I guess that's all for now. The playlist whilst in Europe: Refused, Inch, The Clash, The Specials, BoySetsFire, AnnBerreta, The Cure, Nirvana, Swing Kids, The Locust. Anything else that annoys.

If you've read this column very much you know that I have written a lot about the band Inch from San Diego. They're one of my favorite bands, ever. But they've gotten there subtly. It took a long time for me to remember, sort of, to listen to their records. Whenever I would put on their records, I loved 'em, but if they were away in the shelf, I would go a long time without listening. Well, Cairo Foster is the same way with skateboarding, for me. He's got this low-key aura about him or something, that is just so amazing. When I watch him skate, he makes it look so personal, and like he's having so much fun, it makes me want to skate. His photos in the mags, his interviews, his footage--everything so perfect and understated, that sometimes I forget how much I like his skating. So when I wrote that list of favorite skaters a few weeks ago (down there\/) I forgot to put his name on it. But once I was reminded, it's like, "How could I have forgotten.?" So anyway, add Cairo to my list of favorite skateboarders. I just went down and did it.

Speaking of Inch, another band in that same mind frame for me is the Scrimmage Heroes. As far as I'm concerned, their singer's voice is one of the most expressive in "indie rock-dom." So much feeling without being whiny... I love their last record. Too bad they're done... however, if you live in Orange County, you should check out anything you see with the name Analog Tan on it... a bit more experimental, but just as much good songwriting and poppy fun as you could ever want...Analog Tan. Check it out.

Now playing: Analog Tan A Veteran Dummy.

Duncan, the man who does the site for the Hobart Bowl in Tasmania, just wrote to let me know about this site and the updates to it. The Hobart Bowl, which is down in Tasmania, Australia, is that gnarly snake run into a bowl that the AntiHero guys always destroy. It's super burly, and definitely separates the men from the old men and boys, so to speak, although anyone can go there and have fun...Anyway, check out the site, it's got a bunch of good stuff! Hobart Bowl.

Now Playing: The Faction, Collection

Randumb Notes, July 2004 Check Out