Skate Videos - we love ‘em! Part 1
With the recent passing of Jeff Grosso, I've been watching a lot of his Love Letters to Skateboarding episodes and came across one dedicated to skate videos. He interviewed several people, talking about their favorites, and what made them so memorable. Jeff famously hates skate videos and the only one he seems to like is the first Bones Brigade video, because it's mainly focused on skating.
This got me to thinking about the skate video - where does it stand in the history of skateboarding and where is it's future? So I've asked several people what their favorites are and if they see the video as a necessary part of the culture or if that's been eclipsed by the rise of social media. The response has been overwhelming, so I’ve decided to break this up into multiple posts, to make it easier to digest. This is part one. Feel free to comment below and let me know your thoughts on this.
Rob B., Age 49 (skater):
First Skate Video you remember seeing: Santa Cruz Wheels of Fire in 1987. I saw it at the local skate shop in Littleton, CO.
Favorite part: Natas’ section.
Do you see the skate video as still vital in this era of social media? Yes , I think it’s still vital however, maybe that’s due to my age??? I downloaded Pretty Sweet and Vans Propeller as soon as they were available in iTunes.
I also love the clips of Oskar Rozenberg and Ronnie Sandoval. Even Vans’ clips welcoming Tony Hawk to the team are rad.
I think the full-length video gives us more insight into the styles and flow of riders.
I’ve watched Pretty Sweet and all the end credits so many times. Spike Jonze knows how to film skaters, for sure. He blew my mind with Lakai’s Fully Flared.
I also love DVS’ Skate More and Almost’s Cheese and Crackers, plus all the dvd extras. My kids have been made to watch these over and over. I figured I watched enough Blues Clues and Bear & The Big Blue House. Ha!
Kyle B., Age 35 (skater and illustrator):
First Skate Video you remember seeing: Not a traditional skate video, but 2 movies featuring skateboarding - Back to the Future and Gleaming the Cube. At the time, I thought Christian Slater was my favorite skater and wanted to have a backyard bunker with that pipe.
The first actual skate video I saw was my brother's copy of The Search for Animal Chin. This was his era of skating and not really mine and I wasn't crazy about the acting in it.
From my era, the video I first remembered seeing, and is my favorite, is Shorty's Fulfill the Dream, which came out in '98. I was 14. This was my biggest influence, as it showed a new kind of skating I hadn't seen before. New music and new culture I'd never been exposed to in Texas. Somewhere out there it was ok for me to listen to hip hop and skateboard. Things were different back then for sure.
The first video I purchased was Rodney vs. Daewon, which was cool because it featured a part from Texas' own Mike Crum, skating to ODB, and getting a sick nollie big heel indy. Daewon's part blew my mind.
Favorite part: Peter Smolik, Fulfill the Dream. This got me into ledge skating. His back tail bs flip is still one of my favorite tricks to watch to this day. I used to try to land like him all squatted down and my arms wrapped in a kind of S shape.
Do you see the skate video as still vital in this era of social media? Yes, because everything is so much bigger and better. But not so much of brand-led videos, but rather individuals putting out their own parts, which may be 10 - 15 minutes long. This is the new skate video. Thrashermagazine.com is the outlet for these new types of skate videos. People put out whole parts just for a shoe release. Joslin put out a part for his new kick. Banger all day. And kids get footage in record time due to increased standards and demand for new content. There have been a lot of parts that have come out during quarantine, so that's a nice. Evan Smith's Grimplestix is insane.
Drew D, Age 45 (skater and co-owner of The Point Skateshop):
First Skate Video you remember seeing: My first video that I remembered was Santa Cruz's Wheels of Fire.
The most memorable video for me, and I think for a lot of people, was The Search for Animal Chin. The fact it was more of movie type, with a story line, made it different. Not to mention, it was goofy and I think my friends and I acted the same way, just goofy.
I’m not much of a video guy, it doesn’t get my hyped like a lot of people. I can appreciate it but really has never been my thing.
Do you see the skate video as still vital in this era of social media? Unfortunately Instagram and YouTube have changed the face of clips. It’s an instant gratification thing, a want it now thing. Which is cool, but there is no build up, no anticipation anymore for what’s coming.
But hey, what do I know? I don’t watch many videos anyways. 😂
Kait B., Age 25 (skater):
What is the first skate video you remember seeing? I didn't really start watching skate videos until after I started skating about 2 years ago. I would just see random clips on Instagram and the only skater I knew of was Tony Hawk.
What is your favorite skate video? It has to be Lizzie Armanto's Fire video part. It was the first video part I had ever watched, right after I bought my first board set up at Guapo from Peanut. He suggested I check her out on YouTube since I had her Bones wheels.
Do you feel that the skate video is still vital in the social media age? Yes I think so!
If so, how do you think it differs than the IG or YT clip? I think it differs because it shows a collection of a skaters best/new tricks. A skate video tells more of a story of the skaters progression and hard work it took to land those tricks than what a short Instagram clip would show.