July on the Fly

I’ve been busy in England helping out with the amazing R.a.D. book launch, so here’s an abbreviated and even-more-biased-than-normal recap of July interwebbings:

TWO new full-length vids from the unique mind’s eye of Zach Chamberlin: Firstly the Loophole Wheels crew (mostly) in SF..

Secondly, the Areth Shoes crew (mostly) in Japan and Brazil..

..And if that’s not enough Jam ‘n’ Jesse for you (c’mon; never too much), there’s also a new-ish Magenta edit..

(Also: New Traffic video soon..)

Enjoy the sun if you have some..

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June Spice

Well, there was the Polar vid of course, but also..

Frenchmen en vacances, Gore at home.

Oski; what a roll-in.

Rocco interviewed; not nearly as in-depth as it could be, but take what you can get I s’pose..

R.a.D., seminal document of British skating; the long-awaited book..

Rail, hill, speed, traffic, adrenaline.

Happy 60th Lance Mountain..!

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May Be So

Understanding the vibe about skating a rock.

Heitor Da Silva

Kenny Reed

I rarely listen to someone else’s conversation for hours, but when it occurs between two of the best skaters ever, you have to make an exception.

Short ‘n’ sweet: Hopps ‘n’ Quasi..

Exploring the phenomenon of the ‘Cult of..’

Interesting piece here by Ben Powell about the Love Park recreation in Malmö thing, and beyond..

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April Shows

Free Time; the best kind.

NY malarkey..

City Star is no Menace.

Skateboarding is not a sport.. but.. this is pretty fun.

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Marches and Waltzes

The Song Remains the Same

All You Need is Love

Postcards From Scarborough

The Medium Was Tedium

Japanese Whispers

Sour Grapes

Bite It You Scum

Valentine's Cardio

Voted Best Skate Video by my 3-year-old

Boinnggg! or Whoooosh!

Attention: New Mini Ramp Champ in Town

Nio Nitton or Sept Vingt-Neuf?

Lengthy Nerd-Out Now Available

Let’s Twist Again

New Year's Revolutions

Short, Sweet, Slashing, Sliding

Gold in Other Hills

Twenty-FIVE is a Milestone

NOLA No-Complies

No Excuses

War and Peace

Rags to Riches

Gonzo Journalism

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Push Periodical Picks o' the Past Year

It’s been.. what has it been..? Another year. And another year full of skateboard activity. Rather than making a list of the ‘Best’ skate stuff of 2023 (in itself an overwhelming concept), here are the pretty biased, in no particular order, Push Periodical Picks of the Past Year..

LONG(-ER) VIDEO:

Static VI- As usual, an impeccable cast, impeccable editing and lots of nice gritty urban film shots and cutty spots. Kept the legacy alive.

Lenz 3- Mindboggling, in a word. A real labour of love, and testament to the creativity of that rare breed, the Japanese skater.

JIT- WKND are a company (really, crew) putting out consistently fun, quality vids. This one is no exception.

Forever- The surprise Huf full-length was good stuff.

Honourable mentions: Pathways II was intriguing and well-made (again), Philly scene rippers abound in Devil’s Pocket, Chicago likewise in the new Deep Dish and.. er.. there are other things I’m forgetting..

SHORT(-ER) VIDEO

Feels Like Spring- GX. You already know. A revolving/evolving crew that take SF hill skating to new levels.

Simulation- Quasi videos keep something of the vibe of old Alien going. And a tip o’ the hat to Dick Rizzo who seemed to put out a lot of footy this past year; all of it with great style, great spots and great trick selection.

Bandaszellem- Raw and pure; the Rios crew from Budapest.

Deep Fried / FTC- Largely Barca, largely Athans and Coletti; great stuff.

5:36- This crew of Swedes rule. Jante filmer Fritte Söderström shoots and edits with skill. Love watching Vincent Huhta, and Gustav Tonneson is one of today’s best.

THE VIDEO PART

John Baragwanath- In a word: solid. (From Static VI.)

Jameel Douglas- In a word: smooth. (From Magenta’s Just Cruise II.)

Tom Knox- He’s good at skateboarding. (From Jake Harris’ excellent Atlantic Drift series.)

Conor Charleson- This part by Dan Magee was a dream for anyone who likes little banks and transitions.

Tiago- I mean, one of the best for sure. Obviously. Doesn’t even need a surname. This part by Kyle Camarillo.

AND BY THE (W.W.)WAY

A consistently enjoyable read on the interweb is the Blog wing of London’s Slam City Skates shop site. Also if you’re feeling extra nerdy and perhaps a little sentimental, you can’t go far wrong with the Chromeball Incident.

Lastly, the omnipresent Instagram.. Aaaaand (>drum-roll) fave clip of the year comes from our old pal Strubing..!

..And Sully Cardenas apparently spent the last year filming everyone he could find doing switch flips. Fun. (And isn’t that the whole point?)

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SHOP

The SHOP is back..!

At long last. See tab above. Now based (back) in the US, so cheaper postage if that’s where you are..

New stuff.. new hats from Falcon Bowse and a newer zine too.

Also when going through boxes, I found a couple of copies of PP9 -previously sold out. And now down to the last few copies of PP11, 14, 17 and the zines too..

Thanks.

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Decemberists

Does it feel like there have been a lot of New York videos this year? I thought so.. Anyway, two more good ones recently: Sam Zentner’s Chrome Zone with a strong Ty Beall part, and This is a Window from Jeff Cecere with yet another top-notch Dick Rizzo part..

John Baragwanath’s part from Static VI is online (also featuring NY); one that has been a long time coming. Incidentally, our PWTII video with John (and Worrest/ Coakley/ Barlow/ Krebs etc.) has been re-uploaded too.. Photo above from that and PP8.

Mr. Static himself, Josh Stewart, was interviewed over on the Slam site.

And another OG videographer with an aching back, 411VM’s finest, Mr. Anthony Claravall also had an interview recently..

Staple of the San Francisco skate scene, FTC’s very own resident photographer and all around good vibe maker, Ando, is the subject of this inspiring short film from Transworld.

Magenta put out their Brutalista vid featuring.. well, Brutalist skate spots in the Paris and Bordeaux suburbs, with the crew finding creative ways to approach them. Lots of Jameel Douglas too, which is always a good thing.

More creative approaches to unusual spots with Budapest’s finest, the RIOS crew! They’re back with a new one; great raw street, as ever. These guys rule.

Lastly, from unusual spots to.. well, things that aren’t really ‘spots’ at all in the conventional sense of the word. But nothing is really conventional in a Gou Miyagi video part. Open your mind..

That’s it for now, Happy New Year.

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November Spawned a Crookie Monster

The first excerpt from Static VI to hit the interweb is Trevor Thompson’s part. Semi-retro DVDs are available now I believe, as well as incredibly retro bricks called VHS tapes.

Meanwhile, one of Tokyo’s favourite sons was in San Francisco- check out Hiroki’s new vacation part.

A cool new Aussie edit from Carhartt WIP appeared..

..And the Atlantic Drifters washed up in Bangkok.

Lastly, an interview with Pat Smith touching on everything from Coda skateboards, drugs, cancer and DIY spots, to Phelps..

My October Teacher

Couple of nice new video parts from British shredders, lately- Tom Knox has one, filmed in and around Paris by Jacob Harris. Some skater/filmer duos really work well; these guys grew up skating together and you can tell. (Photo above from PP9.)

..And Conor Charleson has another; this one featuring some pretty wild harsh/tight bank/tranny attacks at lots of interesting spots, from Southampton to Sofia. Edited by the masterful hand of Dan Magee.

One of the best infrequent- but always interesting- skateboard publications is Fluff from the Netherlands. This little film follows Fluff mastermind Marcel Veldman around for the day.

And if you were a fan of Spirit Quest (and how could you not be?), there’s a new interview with the creative mind that is Colin Read; charting his endeavours since, and thoughts about skating these days..

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Sept-ic Dearth

Nine years in the making, Shinpei Ueno’s magnum opus Lenz III is now online, featuring a whole slew of Japanese rippers you’ve probably never heard of. Settle in with a drink and snacks; lots to digest here. The baggiest, quickest-footed video ever? Features Shogo (pictured above from PP16).. And check out Josh Stewart’s interview with Shinpei too.

A more lengthy independent (US) production, the latest in the Threads series, is now online too. Also there’s an interview about this one on the Theories site.

Another recent Theories interviewee is Eric Swisher, better known as the man behind the excellent (read: nerdy) Chromeball Incident blog.

WKND put out another mid-length edit with a strong Tom K part.

Sweden’s finest, Gustav Tønnesen made a little video of his friends; good stuff.

One last quickie from Cernicky; a new Krooked edit.

And finally, a little something from our old pal Greg Gardner; skater, artist, musician and teacher (who drew the illustrations for PP17’s interviews). Greg made a kid’s record on his favourite label Folkways, with an old friend he grew up skating with- singer Cass McCombs. Check out this video of one of the songs with animated drawings (and try to spot Greg’s old roomie, bluntsliding BA)..

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August Augmentation

Exciting news: Static VI has officially been announced via trailer. One of the featured skaters will be Brian Powderly, pictured above from the cover of PP16.

Another independent US full-length with a non-West Coast bent also appeared recently; the newest in the excellent Deep Dish series hailing from Chicago.

If you follow skateboarding and use the internet, you’ve probably already watched the Lakai and Quasi videos, right? Support skater-owned shoe companies and more artistic board brands because if you don’t, there won’t be any.

Speaking of cool board brands, Grant Yansura, the mastermind behind WKND is the subject of this short documentary exploring his method/madness..

Meanwhile in New York, Gonz and friends cruise around.. while the latest guest pro for Krooked is legendary Bay Area Fun/H-Street shredder Ron Allen. Watch his celebratory video part and try to wrap your head around the fact that Ron is SIXTY years old. 60.

More skate history in Thrasher’s new series exploring classic (so far) SF spots like Embarcadero and Hubba Hideout, etc. (But at some spots you might have to watch out for more than just security guards..)

Going back (way) further, there is an upcoming event celebrating ‘70s UK skating: London Calling. It’s reassuring that skateboarding remembers and celebrates its past more, nowadays.

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Más Patinar

The new Deep Fried vid is a collab with FTC and stars Chris Athans and Mason Coletti, mostly shrrrrredding in Barcelona.

And, still Spanish-speaking and still shrrrredding, but this time in Mexico, the new GX1000 offering.

Less adrenaline-soaked but no less enjoyable, is the Ben Gore & Jesse Narvaez section from the latest Magenta, shot in Paris and Bordeaux. Oh, and wait- today the Shogo Zama & Casey Foley part appeared too… Is that the whole video now, piecemeal?

A beer sponsor for a trip is surely the Holy Grail for most skaters. Antwerp’s fine shop Lockwood achieved just that, with their new Duvel collab and video.

For those of us unsure of the status of Isle since losing a chunk of the team, there was a surprise dreamy video announcing new pro Kyron Davis (lots of Chris Jones in there too).

In other British news, there’s an interview with Kevin Parrott, longtime filmer and.. well, lots of other roles too; from Jake Sawyer on the Slam City site.

And lastly, like a wise elephant, a reminder that skateboarding never forgets…

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June Bug

The Loophole friends headed to the crusty hills of Marseille with filmer Zach Chamberlin at the helm; good to see our old pal Mátyás Ricsi from Budapest’s Rios crew up in the mix. And since Zach accidentally left Santi’s name off the credits, above is a picture of him (that originally appeared not in Push but in Free).

Paris’ Romain Batard continues his periodical Giddy series with this section starring Oscar Candon. An interview with whom appears here.

Ace Trucks and Theories made some collab goodies and of course there is a nice little accompanying edit care of Jake Todd.

As I’ve said before, I’m a fan of the Jante series from Sweden’s Fritte Söderström. Great filming and creative skating. The newest, 5:36, comes to us from the Lisbon area.

Ah, Soy and Vivien, the dynamic duo behind Magenta skateboards, ignore their aching ankles and screaming children (respectively) and come through with some graceful moves. From the new full-length Just Cruise II which I’m told is now available on DVD..?

On a slightly different note/vibe, Jersey’s Luka Pinto sent me a link to quite a unique video from his little isle. Made by Xander Dawes, it’s a soothing watch; a love-letter to Jersey as much as it is to the simple act of riding downhill on a skateboard.

Look Back Library is an initiative from Kevin Marks, aiming to preserve the culture of the physical magazine in the skate community, by making 'libraries’ available in skate shops. This article isn’t directly about that, but is more of a personal take on the influences which led him there. Keep print alive!

Speaking of which, after a tumultuous few months/year, the Push SHOP should be up on the site again soon as we are finally re-situated (back in the US). So if you’re looking for a back issue, check here again in a week or two. Cheers.

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Uphill Grinds and Downhill Glides

Alexis Sablone has a shoe out on Converse for which, somehow, the release party was at the Guggenheim in New York. How far we have come. Cool little ad for it was made by Colin Read (Spirit Quest).

WKND have a lengthy (for these days) new vid showcasing the young bucks on the team; plenty of skits and shenanigans too, of course. Great stuff, as usual.

GX1000, in case you missed it, put out a new one too with some bonkers rainy hill bombs. Also great stuff, as usual.

One of the Push Periodical Corporation’s favourite skaters, Jameel Douglas, has his part from the new Magenta Just Cruise II video online. Buttery smooth.

And there I was, thinking that The Heated Wheel was gonna be an art project from one of skating’s most wonderful minds, Neil Blender; turns out it is a full-on board company with a team and pro skaters, and they jump on handrails and stuff..

Rather more disturbing than all of that lovely shredding, is this article about a distinctly right-wing video website joining forces with one of the more mainstream parts of our world- Street League.. Hmm…

Also intriguing but a lot more positive, is this article on Jenkem about a program for kids using skating to help deal with trauma and stress. Something which I suppose we’ve all done, to some degree..

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Worldwide (Web)

There’s a new short Krooked vid out, called KayArKayDee but could add ‘EssEff’ to the end of that. Photo above of Bob, sans beard, from a zine which came with my Krooked guest artist board, a few years ago. And the newest one comes from none other than Jahmal Williams..

Lenz III, which seems to be something of a masterwork from visionary Japanese filmer Shinpei Ueno, continues to have excerpts appear..

Meanwhile, from the rugged streets of Philadelphia, Jake Todd’s scene video Devil’s Pocket is online in full now..

And the tiled streets of Lisbon get a pounding care of our pal Adilson Pedro.

Lastly, London’s Slam City Skates have an interview with Scot skate archivist Neil MacDonald about his forthcoming book Elsewhere, chronicling the UK scene between the important years 1987-2002.

Oh wait- and speaking of London; as I was typing this, I saw there is a brand new Charlie Munro part, hot off the presses..

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Vision Blurs

See John B (above) and the rest of the Picture Show crew in their new edit. Full JB part coming.. sometime..

Being British and a fan of Krooked, their latest is an obvious recommendation. Southbank Gonz? Yes please and thank you.

What else..? Something from the fringes of the Japanese avant-garde perchance? Interesting, perplexing. From Lenz III, copies of which are finally becoming available around the world now..

Another skater in Lenz III is ledge-tech styler Ryuhei Kitazume who just came out with yet another part, this time filmed by Anthony Claravall, mostly in Barcelona. (He has an interview here, too..)

Anyway, arigatou, ja na, toodle-pip.

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Devil John; Path Balance Hero

Philly filmer Jake Todd has a new full-length vid out called Devil’s Pocket (featuring Feist, above, from PP16) which you can own in good old-fashioned physical form. One of the parts is here in new-fashioned virtual form, too.

Do I need to plug an Anti-Hero production? Prob’ly not. Great stuff, as you would expect.

Fans of the obscure spot, the skateable sculpture, the cuttiest nooks and crannies (and VX and Super-8 documentation) will love this Bay-Area-heavy new Pathways 2 full-length from Brett Nichols.

Somehow, the Internet pointed me in the direction of this Lucero interview which I now see is eight years old. So, not exactly a new recommendation, but a recommendation nonetheless.

And if you haven’t already seen it, this Tiago part is a must-watch. It is, as usual, incredible. Clever editing from Kyle Camarillo too- watch close.. Then watch again..

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