Dylan Rieder 1988 - 2016

Dylan Rieder died today. He was 28. Cancer. The news is all over Time, Rolling Stone, People, etc. Ozzy Osbourne even tweeted about. Pro skateboarder, and model.

Commenting on the dead is always an odd situation because, in reality, you are commenting for the living.

I was out skating tonight with some friends. My knee started giving me some problems. I became a bit depressed about this; at the old age of 42, I simply can not skate as much, or as hard, I used to. Despite that, no matter how broke-down the level is, I can go skating tomorrow. Dylan can not. Never take what you have for granted. We are all going to die. Enjoy what is here, now, before it is gone.

Roll forever, Dylan. Roll forever.

On Brian Anderson...

By now everyone knows Brian Anderson came out of the closet. Considering previous subject material covered in this blog (here and here), NOT including comment on BA would seem a deafening silence.

But what to write about? Anyone following media has seen the tremendous support BA received. They have seen Brian, and many others, express why it is so important that this finally happened. I have no substantive additions.   

Write about what it means to me, personally? Well, actually, it means very little to me. I mean, yeah, it’s rad to see it happen, but I have been “out” for over 20 years. I am comfortable in my own skin. I don’t need a skate “role model” to help feel more at-ease with myself. If I were a closeted skater in middle of nowhere, sure, it would be huge. But that is not the world I live in, thankfully.

Write about what took so damn long for (another*) pro to come out? It’s a moot point, IMHO.  While that question may merit some substantive discussion, I don’t really want to dwell on past social conditions and hypothetical “what-ifs.” I’d rather just focus on the now.  I’d rather just focus on how Skateboarding responded once someone did come out. And holy fuck, did skateboarding ever respond. Nothing could have prepared me for what followed.  The explosive support has far, far, far exceeded the support ever seen in any other “sport” community (once someone came out). It really is unparalleled.  So, way to go with that one, Skateboarding. You fucking killed it. It might have taken you awhile, you might have been late to the game this one time, but once it did happen, holy hell, your response was better than anything ever witnessed, and you blew the rest of the fucking world out of the water (just like you usually do).  Well done.   

  

But, I suppose that is just it. If anything, the aspect of the entire BA story that has the most meaning, is how Skateboarding responded to BA, and how in the process, skateboarding again affirmed itself as one of the best things in the world. Skateboarding has long been a cesspool for turbo-freaks (I mean that in a positive way). Yet, there had not been overt affirmation that the LBGT crowd was included in that cesspool. Now, there is (although, many of us knew that to already be true on local levels, BA included). Yeah, sure, there will always be a few turbo-clowns who can’t deal with “different” people, but fuck them. They are clearly a minority, and a dying breed. Out of the entire BA saga, what moved me the most, and what resounded the deepest, was the dignity that Skateboarding showed once the news broke. There were hundreds and thousands of comments on all forms of social media that were not just affirmations of BA, but affirmations of Skateboarding (e.g. that skaters are all family, that inclusion is WHAT skateboarding is about, anyone is welcome, etc.). That, THAT, is so much more profound than just giving BA props, and it goes so much deeper than just any one person. BA’s coming out didn’t make me feel more proud, or more secure, or more validated about being some random gay dude. Seeing the response to BA's announcement, however, made me all the more proud to be a skateboarder. I actually look forward to the day that skateboarding is “over the rainbow,” and things like this aren’t newsworthy, and they don’t merit any of my time to write about it. I’d much rather spend the time discussing the metaphysical impact that a good slappy session can have on one's soul. I mean, who wants to get into the mess of identity politics when we could be talking serious curb philosophy/enlightenment? I certainly know where my allegiances lie.     

POST-SCRIPT: Anyone that knows me personally, has read enough of this blog, is friends with me on Facebook, or follows me on Instagram (Lone.Sentry) knows that I am a huge Anti-Hero fan. Maybe I’ll get into the exact reasons for that in some future blog entry. As of writing this post, it appears that BA is about end up as the next pro for AH. Signing a 40-year-old dude, and putting out a deck for the first openly gay, pro skater, who is certainly past his prime? No question—That is one for the history books. That deck, for certain, is going up on my wall. Anti-Hero, you continue to amaze me, and affirm everything that I think is horrible about the world, and rad about skateboarding. Well played. Well played.        

*Jarret Berry and Tim von Werne were way ahead of their time.

POST-POST SCRIPT: Jenkem Mag just did a great interview with Jarret Berry, as can be seen here. There is a great quote at the end of his interview that I would also like to end on.

"The internet has been blowing up after Brian’s interview, and everybody is saying shit – there’s been a lot of gay shit coming out in the past few weeks. (Can I say that?) Now this interview is going to come out and people are going to be like, “Fuck, still? Why don’t you let this gay shit rest?” I get it, let’s get back to watching Guy Mariano or Brian Anderson footage. Let’s get back to skating. But the thing is, this is skating. People say politics don’t belong in skateboarding, but we became political a long time ago just by riding a skateboard. They said don’t go here, don’t skate that. They called us fags. They always put skateboarders down. But we were rebels because we didn’t follow their rules, we were going to go be ourselves and fuck what the world thinks. Skateboarders have always brought up social issues. So this has everything to do with skateboarding — we’ve been freaks forever."

Summer's Twilight

Walking is a little hard this morning. Almost all great mythology and religion teach spiritual redemption through physical pain. Skateboarding is no different. Especially when you are old. Last night was, what will probably be, my most remembered skate session from the summer of 2016. For that, I am limping around today, but it was worth every last second. In late August, the nights are starting to become a bit cooler. The days are beginning to grow noticeably shorter. That black day, the first bell of the 2016-2017 school year, is less than a week away. Summer is in twilight.

A few of us gathered at the local community center skate shop. We have made a regular thing of Wednesday Night Slappy Sessions (or "old guy skate night") for the last 2 months or so. We got a bit of a late start because we were trying to (unsuccessfully) convince Joe to put leopard print grip tape on his new deck. We eventually left. Todd (shop owner), Joe, Ben, and I made our way over to our favorite slappy curb. Josh, Nick, and a friend of Nick’s, met us over there. Seven guys, all in their 30s and 40s. A few of our other regulars couldn’t make it out, unfortunately. Once there, we got down to bid’ness, and by bid’ness I mean heckling. It’s far too absent from modern skateboarding, and can provide for side-splitting laughter. After about an hour, a security guard came out. He was probably in his late teens or early 20s. The irony of someone that young, kicking out skaters twice his age, was not lost on any of us, including him. He was actually quite sheepish in doing so, and even apologized. 

Some months back, a few of us made a DIY spot out of two jersey barriers that were nearby. We went over to fix an angle iron one night, and ran into these two other guys skating there. We skated with them for a bit, and then I asked them if they had been to our other DIY spot just up the road. They had not. I gave them all the info. In return, one them asked us if we had “ever skated the slappy curb around the corner.” We all said that we hadn’t, and that we were unaware of any such curb. They took as about 2 blocks away, and showed us a little slice of heaven; a long painted curb, that was just slightly slanted, making it a perfect “west coast” slappy curb. Slanted, skateable, curbs in New England simply do not exist. This was only the second one I have seen in my 31 years of skating around the east coast. Hence, Wednesday Night Slappy Session were born that evening.

After the teenage security guard kicked us out, we headed over to the DIY barrier spot, as it was close by. We ran into two other kids skating over there, and quickly made friends with them. When you hit a real skatepark, you always run into other skaters. Usually, you don’t end up talking with too many of them. When you hit a small DIY, and run into other skaters, you almost always end up becoming instant friends. The vibe, and the people, at DIYs are just different. Joe is a professional photographer, and he broke out the camera equipment, and started doing the whole photo thing. Some of the photos he took last night are at the end of this post. The skating isn’t all that impressive, but the photos certainly are.

What made last night’s session one of the most memorable of summer 2016? Hard to say. Like I mentioned in my last post—about the intangible elements that make up a good skate spot—there is also an undefined “mix” that makes up a good skate session. I had just set-up a new deck that afternoon. Nothing beats a new deck. There was a fun group of people, all of whom were in a good mood. The curb was grinding really well. We taught someone to do slappies, for the first time, ever. The weather was great. The heckling was hilarious. The skating was good, and fun. The irony of getting kicked out by someone half our age. Making new friends at a DIY, and telling them about the slappy curb, just as someone had told us about it. The laughter. Joe getting some cool pics to document part of the night. All of this, plus more. We’ve had sessions very similar to this almost every Wednesday night, but this one was just different, at least for me. Ultimately, it just comes down to the basics. Rolling around, with friends, and laughing. That, is the real essence of skateboarding, and the only one that really matters. And for that, I am limping around today. My old man Achilles and Patella (knee) tendonitis are bearing the brunt of last night’s fun. I prolly won’t skate again for at least a week, while things heal a bit. The pain I am feeling today will be gone at some point. The memories from last night…those, those are here to stay.

I don't know his name. He was one of the people we ran into at the barrier spot.

Me. Popping out of a backside blunt, on that crisp new deck. 

Ben, getting rad.

More of Ben getting rad.

Me again. Frontside pivot, in tribute to Neil Blender.

Austin. He was one of the other people we ran in to at the barrier. Frontside ollie.

Nose stall backside revert, by a person who remains unnamed.

Best for last. I love this photo. Ben, with the frontside boneless.

              
  

SALEM’S LOT: A Black Altar, and DIY Worm Holes in Time

A few days ago I cooked-up the idea of building a small platform/ledge that I could keep in my car. I could tote it around, and set it up at different spots. The possibility of throwing it atop some local banks, creating a make-shift bank to curb was quite seductive. I planned on constructing the platform to be 42” long, 30” wide, and about 9” high. These are the dimensions of old railroad pallets. In the late 1990s, one of these pallets appeared at a local skate park, and it was super rad to skate. The idea of a portable skate toy sounded fun. It was time to make it happen. I figured I could build it for pretty cheap, too. First, I snagged some “free” 2x4s at a nearby site (all these years, and still a “plywood hood”). A few hours later, I was at my local skate shop, and the owner told me he had some left over Masonite. It just happened to be 30” wide, and 48” long. Too perfect. I decided to make the platform 48” instead of 42”, as it would just require less work cutting stuff to size. I purchased a 4’ length of angle iron, and a 4’x’4 sheet of ½” plywood, and 4 cinder blocks that were 8” squares (to raise platform off the ground). I also had an old iron bed frame, which could be cut up and used as angle iron. I built the platform, and installed the real angle iron on one 4’ side of platform, and the bed frame angle iron on the other 4’ side. The Masonite went on as a top surface, flush against the angle iron. Everything had counter-sunk screw holes, so the entire thing was smooth as butter. As a final step, I spray painted everything all black (inc. the cinder blocks), and stenciled the name on top. Total cost, including spray paint: About $30.00. The free Masonite, 2x4s, and bed frame angle iron certainly helped reduce the cost.

I live in Boston. Middle of the city. Not much space to set-up something like this, without bothering others, or disrupting traffic. There is, however, one industrial/office park not too far from where I live. It is quite isolated. At night there is a very large parking area that becomes empty and vacant. I have named this place “Salem’s Lot” (I’ll let you ascertain all the implied meanings and symbolism of that). The area is surfaced with very level, smooth, fast, blacktop. Lighted. No one around. Woods on three sides. But more important than any of this, the place has energy. A feel. A good vibe. Something skate-spiritual. There is an intangible element that makes some spots much better than others. We all have that one favorite curb, ditch, hill, ledge, ramp, etc. What makes it a favorite? Often it is more than just the object itself. The surroundings, the context…the feel of the entire area and setting often play huge roles. Skate spots are as much metaphysical as they are bare existence. The ledges at EMB would have a very different “experience” than skating a ledge of the exact same dimensions behind a Walmart in the middle of Iowa. Salem’s Lot has that magical element to it. Prior to building The Black Altar, I would frequent the Lot when I was in the mood for a midnight flatland session. Now that The Black Altar was built, the area was about to enter a whole new realm of enchantment. 

I went over to the Lot spot a few nights ago for The Black Altar’s christening. The first thing I noticed was how different the bed frame iron and the “real” angle iron were from each other. The angle iron was a harder metal, had a sharp 90 angle edge, and was unpainted. The bed frame iron was a bit softer, had a slightly more rounded edge, and was coated with some type of paint. With my first 50/50 on the angle iron, my board stopped dead in its tracks. I threw a slight film of wax on it, and added a lot more speed. It grinded, but it was clear this was going to take a bit to really break in. I would certainly need to get a layer of aluminum laid down on the edge before it was really “functional.” As the bed frame metal was softer (I knew this from drilling screw holes in both of them), I expected it grind even slower than the “real” angle iron. I could not have been more wrong. It was slick as ice, right from the get-go. After thinking about it, this made some sense. It had a more rounded edge (e.g. didn’t dig into trucks), and it was painted. So, take note, anyone DIYers who may want to build their own version. The contrast between the two made for some fun, and it was nice to have a little grinding variety. The Black Alter proved to be a total success. I may have to get additional cinder blocks, to allow for more height options. I am really happy with how it turned out, and I can’t wait to fully tap all its potential. 

After skating for about 45 minutes, I sat down to take a break. Sitting in the warm night air, with the cicadas droning on in the nearby woods, I suddenly realized how much Salem’s Lot physically resembled a night spot from my distant youth. Maybe that was why this place had that certain sense of magic to it. Then, it seemed as if the fabric of time began to unravel. A distant memory experience came flooding back to me. A hot summer night, when I was about 12-years-old. I was skating in an empty parking lot. I had found some wood, and some bricks, and made a small platform. 12 am. Age 12. Empty Lot and a platform. 12 am. Age 42. Empty Lot and a platform. Suddenly, I was 12, and 42, at the same moment. The continuum of time had collapsed. Generally, we experience our “now” in terms of our future short and long term goals and possibilities (e.g. take the next left turn in the road, meet a work deadline, retire at 65, find the mounting hardware bolt I just dropped on the floor, etc.). How we comprehend and interpret those goals and possibilities is contextualized in/by our prior experiences. Our “now” is future orientated, but guided by our past, all of which fuse into a present understanding of our “now.” Here, in Salem’s Lot, all of this was breaking down. The past was guided by the future, 30 years ago was now, and the “now” was a lived-memory…all at the very same instant. The experience of past, the future, and the now, became a single, seamless, timeless, experience, in which it was difficult to parse apart one from the other. My mind swirled. All I could do was look at my skateboard, and smile, for it…it… alone was the single string which fused the past, present, and future together in this one moment. It alone was the portal.

My friend Ben made a home-cut board a few months ago. It flashed in my mind. Part of the graphic were the words “Lot Lurker.” Flash to Kyle’s blog post. Flash to a previous night I had. Flash to Luchaskate comments about parking lots. A collective unconsciousness. A shared experience. A skater’s transcendental truth. 

Salem has many lots.  They all have a lurking magic.

One In The Chamber

At some point in the distant past, my deck broke. I don't remember the circumstance, but for whatever the reason was, I wasn't able to get another deck for almost two weeks. Since then I have always had "one in the chamber." By that, I mean I've always had a brand new deck at home, just waiting to be set up. If my board breaks, or I just decided it's "done," there is no waiting hit the local shop, etc. I always have that spare, just ready to go. Once the spare gets set up, I buy another deck to keep on-hand, and the process repeats. I've done this for close to 20 years at this point. As a teenager I couldn't really afford to do it. As an adult, not really an issue.

A new deck, especially one that you are stoked on, is always a magical object. Despite how many hundreds of decks I've gone through over the last 30 years, I'm still always spellbound when getting a new one. Having "one in the chamber" keeps that new-deck-magic alive on almost a daily basis. Last year when I had a bad ankle injury, and was off the board for 3 months, that crisp new deck sitting in my room always brought a smile (and hope). "I can't wait to ride that thing." I'd stand on it almost daily, in admiration of both it, and the future-fun it symbolized. Potential is one of the things that makes a new decks so special; you know there is much fun to soon be had.

Autumn in New England is best time of the year for skateboarding. Cool, crisp days, where you don't get too hot, or too cold. The leaves turn brilliant colors, and there is a stark, but beautiful quality to the sky, air, and landscape. There is nothing like it. The injury mentioned above, when I was out of commission for three months, that three-month period was mid-September through mid-December. I didn't get to skate, at all, last fall. It was a devastating blow. I greatly look forward to autumn 2016.

Boston Common, in its autumn brilliance. No filter.

Over the last year or so, I have had 3 of the Anti-Hero "larger" Classic Eagle decks (32"x8.25"x14.25"). It's one of the best dimensions/shapes/graphics decks I've ever ridden. I was horrified when I learn that Anti-Hero recently changed the dimensions of the "Classic Eagle" decks. My favorite board, maybe ever, is no longer being made. That said, I just managed to score one as my "one in the chamber" deck. It will probably the last one those specific decks that I ever ride, and it happens to have my favorite top stain color, too (black/gray). Plato's Theory of Forms has no greater perfection. I will probably be setting it up in mid-September, just in time for the full bloom of Autumn. The magic of skateboarding is not just in the act of skating, but also anticipation of it.

In the mean time, every time I look at that deck, I can't help but smile. Good times are on the horizon.

Currently in the chamber.

Skate Videos. Why I Hate and Love Them.

I grew up with skate videos. Or rather, skate videos and I grew up together. From the first efforts of Powell in the 80s, to the recent Adidas high production premier, it’s been an interesting trip. In the early years I was stoked to see a new video. They were watched over and over again. They inspired people to go skating. Now, skate videos are worse than a scorching case of Panda AIDS, Zika, and SARS all combined into a neat 20 minute advertisement.

Modern skate videos are a tedious bore. A tragedy to make Homer jealous. Skateboarding has become hard to watch. Golf might offer more excitement. Skate videos are no longer inspiring. They don’t make you want to go skate. They don’t spread the stoke. It’s more like watching someone doing algebra. The specific problem dovetails into two (well, maybe three) issues that make contemporary skate videos a soul-crushing nightmare.

First, is saturation. In order to maintain market relevancy, everyone is releasing 3x video clips a week. Combine that with the sheer number of companies in skateboarding right now, and we’re talking Old Testament floodwaters.

Second, is predictability. Before I even watch the newest video, I know what I am going to see. Super tech ledge tricks. Something gnarly down a handrail. A big gap. **Yawn** It’s just become so, so, fuckin’ predictable. Once you’ve seen footage of Jaws skating gaps, everything else becomes pretty mundane. How many more combos can Shane O’Neil string together on a ledge? It just all passes a point of absurdity.  Maybe I am just old. Maybe I have just seen too much skateboarding. How many kickflips over an X can one man possibly be expected to endure before utter madness sets in? While I may not be able to predict the exact combo, when I see Nyjah skating towards a ledge, I know what is about to happen (it will be something like a Tre flip to nose grind to nollie flip out). I just can’t watch it anymore, and still be moved by it. Yes, Nyjah has absurd talent. Yet, he is also absurdly uninspiring to watch skate, which brings me to the last issue.

The fun factor. Watching a lot of modern stunt-man skating does not look like fun. It looks horrifying, or so tech that it’s just…goofy. Olleing down 25 stairs? I mean, like, HOLY FUCK, that is sooo gnarly, but it screams shattered bones before it even approaches something that looks like fun. Bigflip to f/s railslide to kickflip out. Yeah, crazy hard, nothing I’d ever be able to do, but it just doesn’t speak to me. Modern videos document, but they do not inspire. Sure, some may be inspired by most modern skate videos. I am just not one of those people.

Yet, not everything falls into the “unwatchable.” There are still a lot of videos out there, which simply rock the world. The only videos I can watch these days are ones where I have absolutely no fucking idea what is going to happen next. A few examples are below. What makes these special is, well, watch for yourself. I don’t need to explain it.

The Pyscho Killer / Glenn "Glenzig" Davidson video, which can be seen here.

Any video made by Fancy Lad.

The Magenta Guys have this radness going.

Jerry Gurney. This one takes a bit to get going, and then, wow. The real fun doesn't start until about 45 seconds in.

Richie Jackson. This is simply amazing stuff.

Mike V. and the crew are also putting out clips that is just pure fucking fun, and make you want to go skating more than anything else. Just how it should be.  


EDIT/POST-SCRIPT: A few comments about this post were made on Facebook between a friend and I. They should probably be included.

Jose: The 1 8 makes rad videos that still inspire....when they make a video!

Me: I debated mentioning the 1 8 in this post. I left them out because, well, like almost everything else they do, it's in its own world. Fucktards was so raw. Tent City to Destination Unknown, to the recent "Landfill Contributors" clips on the AH web site...all amazing stuff.

Jose: They never tire cause it's real skateboarding. Hanging out with your bros capturing those moments sometimes when you're actually filming and not just on a filming mission.

“Man, I wish I had lived a less authentic life.”

Well, it’s June. That means gay pride events/parades around the country. For the last week or so, for some reason, I have felt compelled to write something about this subject. I am not quite sure why. Actually, compelled isn’t the right word, “obligated” is. Again, I ask why. The gay pride parade in Boston is this Saturday. I have a lot of mixed feelings about it.

The first “pride” event, in June of 1969, was a bunch of liquored-up transsexual/transgender/drag queen prostitutes who started an actual riot, in retaliation of/for/to police brutality at a local gay bar in NYC. That night they decided to vote with a brick. Three nights of riots followed (sounds a lot like modern police/race relations, actually). Today, gay pride parades are family orientated events. They are often nothing more than advertisements for corporate banks, local politicians, and churches. People march down the street in pretty rainbows, behind a nice little banner with assorted corporate logos, as if they are walking commercials. Street League for homosexuals. Is this what we fought for all these years? To walk behind a bank’s advertisement? I know I am oversimplifying the issue, but at the same time, I am absolutely not.

I suppose I feel compelled obligated to write something about “pride” because I know how important it is to be “out.” It’s a lot harder to be a homophobic asshole when one of “those people” is someone you “know.” That, in turn, helps make the world a more livable place for everyone. Part of me wants to touch on that issue, especially in the context of skate culture, because I am indeed one of “those” people (and skateboarding could certainly use it). Or maybe I could talk about, how what I learned from skateboarding, helped me to actually “come out” some 20+ years ago (I covered this in some other posts, anyway). But, I am so over per se identity politics (even if the GOP seems pretty obsessed with us). I’ve been “out” for over 20 years. At least in my life, being queer is mostly a moot point by now. It’s just like…*yawn*. Big fucking deal. Do I need to rehash this, again? Can't we go get tacos, or skate a curb? To those who think of me, or anyone, as lesser person because of their sexual orientation, I'd be more than happy to take the claw side of a hammer to your face.

And yet another part of me just wants to unleash on everything I despise about so-called gay culture. Because of skateboarding, I grew up dirty, bruised, bleeding, in the streets, running from the police, listening to crazy-ass music, and hanging out with crazy-people, as we did crazy-ass shit. The world of high-fashion, fancy cocktails, show tunes, rainbows, some pop-diva wailing about some bullshit, and overall fabulousness makes me want to cut off my own arm, and then fist myself with my own severed limb. Ok, maybe I’m being a little bit dramatic (I am gay, after all. I mean, we’re supposed to be dramatic, or something). That said, I don’t really want this blog to be focused on negative stuff, so I am really hesitant to totally unleash. I also don’t want a skate-based blog to be focused on what I hate about gay culture. It just doesn’t fit. I mean, there is nothing inherently wrong with all of that stereotypical “gay” stuff I listed above, it’s just not a world I can relate to, at all. Glitter, rainbows, Armani, and Madonna? Fuck that. Blood, bikes, skateboards, and punk rock.

   

So, in terms of what to write about all this, these reservations just leave me with a void. A void that I still feel an obligation to fill. I guess the only thing I really have to say, which I learned from both being a skater, and from being “queer,” is to be who ever the fuck you are, and tell the rest of the world to go fuck themselves. One thing I know or sure, is that no one, NO ONE, on their deathbed is going say, “Man, I wish I had lived a less authentic life.” Be who ever you are, and rock that party as hard as you fuckin' can.

My gay ass, nollie backside lipslide up the block at a local DIY spot.