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Skateboard & Guitar in Hand...Part 1

To the crew at the Brew...Witches Brew Coffee House in West Hempstead, NY...Skatin' thru life...Dylan, Alvaro, Danny, Jules...any other riders I missed???


Seems like a looooooong time ago I said I was gonna send you some tunes from a few of my favorite music makers and skateboarding was gonna play a part. Before we get into some music for life's roads...let's listen to the wisdom of this 70-year young skater from France. He skates with his son and grandchildren...


[from the description] ADDICTED TO THE FLOW tells the story of Franck, a 70 years old surf skater from France who still inspiring and motivating others with his unique style and charisma. This short story was filmed in just two days and is geared to those who gave up a hobby or a sport that they once loved because of the feeling of being too old. It also celebrates every OG surf skaters out there who never gave up, those who still pushing against time regardless of what the system may throw at them.






Dylan, this one's for you...


Readers, Dylan is one of the crew at the Brew. A few days ago, while on my daily walk around West Hempstead, I met Dylan walking his pooch ROY - a mix that includes a type of bulldog.




As you watch, notice at around 00:26 how Otto uses his right front paw to keep the board in motion and break the world record.




Music for Ridin' with the Wind..."1 if by land...2 if by sea..."


This is the Xavier Rudd song that inspired my offering. I love this Aussie guy and other musicians he hangs with, like Trevor Hall. Here's an ode to life's paths that include both road and ocean. The skater/dancer just flows through her moves...and selects her "ride" based on the conditions of the day...at the sea and on the roads...





Here's another - While his "Road Trip" trip includes brief skateboarding "footage"...it also "feetures" some ocean-riding boards.






Here's me with my homemade wave rider...fabricated with some help from a friend. In my apartment...but not sure on which coast...Also, short hair...could have been a job requirement or one of my transitional stages...like the second head shot...from my NYC taxi driver license...




Found along the Road



[from the article] It was almost exactly two years ago that Brian Holden got the call of a lifetime.

A student at the University of Colorado-Denver, Holden picked up his phone in February 2012 and received an out-or-the-ordinary request from his cousin, skateboarder Corey Lucero.


"Would you want to fly to Iceland and work as a longboard stunt double in a Ben Stiller movie?"


Fortunately for [Brian] Holden, Stiller was a natural. The 48-year-old Stiller relied on his experience skateboarding around New York City as a kid in the 1970s.


After just two lessons with Holden, Stiller was able to reach speeds of around 35 miles per hour, no small task for someone who had never longboarded before.










Emergency Essentials for Road Trippin'



In case your gas- or solar- powered ride fails...keep one of these in your trunk for driver and each passenger....along with phone and headphones...That speaker will slow you down...


Skatin' B4 my 20's: DIY


We'd make our own with a "borrowed" milk crate then attach it to a 2x4 or other piece of scrap lumber...add a handle at the top for steering...separate a metal roller skate and mount one half on either end...and then customize it...Bottle caps, streamers...



Just found this podcast...Some history...



Did you know that the first skateboards didn’t come from a store? Kids had to make them from scratch! And they made for a bumpy ride…


This week, Joy Dolo and twelve-year-old pro skater Minna kickflip their way through skateboard history with help from reporter Chris Greenspon. We’ll get the scoop on low-tech early skateboards that were made with roller skate wheels and scrap wood. And we’ll hear stories about the skaters who innovated their way to a smoother ride.

Plus, an interview with Neftalie Williams, a skateboarding professor who wants to change the world with four wheels and a deck. You can learn more about the Cuba Skate project and skateboard diplomacy here.


You can find photos and videos of co-host Minna skateboarding here. And here is a video of her doing her favorite trick, a backside air, on a “mega ramp” at just eight years old!

[Note: "here" links are in the story below]




The 1980s and 1990s saw the advent of skateboard videos, providing an outlet for a new pool of music that resonated and still does with us! I’m talking about the videos where we heard fresh music and had to hear more from the band.


Skateboard videos gave rise to iconic bands such as The Odd Numbers, Kinghorse, Drunk Injuns, Big Boys, and JFA, just to name a few.


In addition to the legends I just mentioned, Skateboard Videos also brought attention to some of the best rap music created during this time. But since I grew up mainly on Punk Rock and Thrash, and I’m writing this piece, that’s the focus! (Just a little humor for you.)


Iconic videos like The New Deal’s “Useless Wooden Toys” and Santa Cruz’s “Streets on Fire” and “Risk It” featured these phenomenal bands.



Skatin' in my 20's: Part 1



The comedian begins his tale by explaining how the kids often had to "borrow" (steal) stuff to make their go karts...



Skatin' in my 20's: Part 2


Make it yourself...or buy it here...Central Skindivers in Jamaica, Queens was one of the first places to get skateboards and surfboards. By Hobie...a "leader of the pack." Check out the gear and other accoutrements...





After singing (lip syncing), the boys give a demonstration. Here' "grabbing the rail":




Skateboarding to City Hall


Signage at Witches Brew putting the city fathers and mothers on notice:



And in Callie, where it all began...


Here's a piece about how skateboarders in Los Angeles worked together to get city officials to legitimize a skate park that they had built themselves with permits years before in a rough part of town. They reached out everywhere to get support for the park, including construction material. Pro skater Tony Hawk was a supporter.


FYI - The article has lots of links to other skateboard-related articles.






History of the Sport



I found this next article when I came upon the milk crate skateboard image above.



This article includes this amazing video:


The adult version of Hot Wheels:





Here's my friend Greg's adult version. He's got a stable full of cool cars with vanity plates to match.



Skating and surfing use some similar terms...




For A.J. "There's a Grateful Dead song for every occasion..."


So says my friend Steve - a fellow surfer from my youth, we're still friends. Steve also taught me, as he called it "to play with cars"...in our cases, VW's, his Beetle, my Bus, my sister's Karmann Ghia...and eventually, my future wife: Eileen. "Can I give you a tune up?" Pretty cool pick up line, Right! Repairing vehicles and then training others to do this fine art became my CAReer.


I'm adapting his wisdom by including "board" with "song"...



In the Dead's hometown...










Skateboarding home...


Post's title is influenced by Simon & Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound"...


I'm sitting in the railway station

 Got a ticket for my destination, mm-mm

 On a tour of one-night stands

 My suitcase and guitar in hand

 And every stop is neatly planned

 For a poet and a one-man band


So, at this late hour, I go looking for "skateboarding and railroad tracks" and find this:




...which lead here...






Skateboarding into Recovery


READERS: One of the ways Witches Brew gives back to our community is by hosting a closed AA meeting every Thursday from 11:00-11:55 AM. They open for the AA folks an hour before they open for the general public.


So, this next article seems like a good place to conclude our look at this sport.




Changed my mind...Here's our closer...(This is what I love most about my posting...It's finding new ideas...new music...


Think I'll medicate right now

With good music and a one hell of a hill


Look for the lightning strike near 00:19...










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