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Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Blog: The Biggest Danger to Rock 'n Roll
Folks, I'm worried. There is a dangerous scepter on the horizon, which unchecked could be the biggest danger to rock 'n roll since Creed. So bad is this scourge that speaking the name makes my buttcheeks squeeze tight. Yes, you've probably guessed it by now, I'm talking about The Jonas Brothers! (SQUEEZE!)
Until recently, I've had the great pleasure of having never seen any of these guys or heard their music. My ignorance sweet, but shortlasting, my musical palette has forever been tainted by America's newest, most favoritist boy-band. (Is boy band hyphenated? The word shouldn't exist.)
There is a loop at my work that plays their music video "Look Me In the Eyes," often enough to make me so unhinged that I feel the need to rant about it here...on my longboarding blog!
Allow me to quote Wikipedia:
"The Jonas Brothers are an American pop-rock band from Wyckoff, New Jersey made up of three brothers: Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas...throughout 2005, the Jonas Brothers went on several tours, including Kelly Clarkson, Jesse McCartney, the Backstreet Boys, and The Click Five.[2][24] They spent the latter portion of the year on an anti-drug tour with Aly & AJ and"
The "and," is followed by the words, "The Cheetah Girls!" AAAARGH!
So that's kinda who these guys are, I could get more detailed by saying that the main attraction, youngest Jonas Nick, cut his chops on Broadway. I think that having been on Broadway at any age is a hell of an accomplishment, but it certainly doesn't qualify you to be a rock 'n roll star! In addition to having been on Broadway Nick's first album was...you guessed it...Christian rock! "Calling all children of the 80's, we've got a Stryper situation!"
So, it was one thing when this Nick Jonas was acting on Broadway, and I wouldn't have a problem with his parent's packaging his two obviously less-talented brothers with him and getting him onto the Disney Channel, touring with Miley Cyrus, if it stopped there. But no! Now, these Jonas parents (imagine the worst stage-parent possible and multiply by a million) have sold children across the USA their sons as rock stars!
The video, "Look Me In the Eye," is the classic rock montage of live concerts mixed with backstage and tour-bus-type footage. About 3 seconds in, the rock 'n roll cliched stage moves begin. The lead singer jumps around like David Lee Roth, dancing with the mic-stand as if he were Axl Rose or Steven Tyler. The guitarists one-legging across the stage pretending to be Angus Young, later spinning and spread-leg in a shameless Jimmy Page mockery! The culmination of the disgraceful concert footage is the lead guitar and singer, leaning back-to-back, a carbon-copy of the famous Jeff Ament/Eddie Vedder poster.
Obviously, these kids were put through rock 'n roll school and packaged together as the next big thing! Forced to watch hours of video of yesterdays rockers, most likely shocked at the things they were witnessing. "Mom, dad, were those girls showing their breasts?," asks youngest Nick. "Why yes, son, the display of breasts is common at a rock 'n roll show, the objectification of women is something we hope to change about rock concerts." These kids have no idea what rock 'n roll is all about! Correct me if I'm wrong, but rock is about pulling yourself up by the bootstraps, cutting your teeth in dive and strip bars, hassling with some ass-hole manager about revenue. After shows, a real rocker has a threesome with strippers, drinking Jack Daniels until sunup. As far as I'm concerned these brats are doing it backwards. They can be role-model Christian dudes after their big post-rehab comeback when their 45-years-old. In their teens and twenties, they need to wreck cars, destroy hotel rooms and generally be a menace to society. I have utter contempt for this squeaky-clean image being sold as rock 'n roll. Rock 'n roll by definition is the rejection of establishment; it's about getting your first tattoo or venerial disease. Rock 'n roll love songs are best embodied by the Guns 'n Roses favorite "I Used to Love Her,"(...but I had to kill her!) When I hear this 18 year-old singing "tell me that you love me," it literally makes my body heave. Kids don't know anything about love! A rock 'n roll band's early albums have to be about hating your parents, losing your virginity or "smokin' in the boy's room." The only silver-spoon a rock star should have any knowledge of is the one he cooks his heroin in! And as a rule, you can't have a ballad until you are at least 25 and been divorced from a minimum of 2 super-models.
I bet some people would argue that a clean image is a good thing and that rock gods as role models is okay...IT ISN'T! I'm with the stereotypical 1950's Baptist preacher when I say, rock 'n roll is a bad influence on kids! It is supposed to be. Parent's, do not, I repeat, do not allow your children to be exposed to rock 'n roll until they are old enough to handle it and realize that all the excess and decadence, while cool, would most-likely ruin their life and may someday ruin that of the rock star they idolize. If your kid can't handle that, let them listen to Miley Cyrus and High School Musical tunes, they aren't ready for rock 'n roll. Don't lie to your child and tell them that the Jonas Brother are rockers...they're not. They're a glorified boy-band that has no idea about the immoral responsibility that comes with being a rock star! Rock 'n roll isn't for 10-year old girls, it's for 10 girls at the same time!
So that's how I really feel about the Jonas Brothers. I know most of you are shocked to hear this from a parent, but like I said, rock 'n roll ain't for kids. My daughter will be eased into rock by her loving father; the trials and tribulations of a rock star such as the Stone Temple Pilot's, Scott Weiland, will make a great bed time story. If you want to keep your kids clean, slowly expose them to the stories of great men ruined by the rock star lifestyle, not to a boy-band of Poseurific proportions! Once you've lost your credibility with your kids, you've lost it for good.
Until recently, I've had the great pleasure of having never seen any of these guys or heard their music. My ignorance sweet, but shortlasting, my musical palette has forever been tainted by America's newest, most favoritist boy-band. (Is boy band hyphenated? The word shouldn't exist.)
There is a loop at my work that plays their music video "Look Me In the Eyes," often enough to make me so unhinged that I feel the need to rant about it here...on my longboarding blog!
Allow me to quote Wikipedia:
"The Jonas Brothers are an American pop-rock band from Wyckoff, New Jersey made up of three brothers: Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas...throughout 2005, the Jonas Brothers went on several tours, including Kelly Clarkson, Jesse McCartney, the Backstreet Boys, and The Click Five.[2][24] They spent the latter portion of the year on an anti-drug tour with Aly & AJ and"
The "and," is followed by the words, "The Cheetah Girls!" AAAARGH!
So that's kinda who these guys are, I could get more detailed by saying that the main attraction, youngest Jonas Nick, cut his chops on Broadway. I think that having been on Broadway at any age is a hell of an accomplishment, but it certainly doesn't qualify you to be a rock 'n roll star! In addition to having been on Broadway Nick's first album was...you guessed it...Christian rock! "Calling all children of the 80's, we've got a Stryper situation!"
So, it was one thing when this Nick Jonas was acting on Broadway, and I wouldn't have a problem with his parent's packaging his two obviously less-talented brothers with him and getting him onto the Disney Channel, touring with Miley Cyrus, if it stopped there. But no! Now, these Jonas parents (imagine the worst stage-parent possible and multiply by a million) have sold children across the USA their sons as rock stars!
The video, "Look Me In the Eye," is the classic rock montage of live concerts mixed with backstage and tour-bus-type footage. About 3 seconds in, the rock 'n roll cliched stage moves begin. The lead singer jumps around like David Lee Roth, dancing with the mic-stand as if he were Axl Rose or Steven Tyler. The guitarists one-legging across the stage pretending to be Angus Young, later spinning and spread-leg in a shameless Jimmy Page mockery! The culmination of the disgraceful concert footage is the lead guitar and singer, leaning back-to-back, a carbon-copy of the famous Jeff Ament/Eddie Vedder poster.
Obviously, these kids were put through rock 'n roll school and packaged together as the next big thing! Forced to watch hours of video of yesterdays rockers, most likely shocked at the things they were witnessing. "Mom, dad, were those girls showing their breasts?," asks youngest Nick. "Why yes, son, the display of breasts is common at a rock 'n roll show, the objectification of women is something we hope to change about rock concerts." These kids have no idea what rock 'n roll is all about! Correct me if I'm wrong, but rock is about pulling yourself up by the bootstraps, cutting your teeth in dive and strip bars, hassling with some ass-hole manager about revenue. After shows, a real rocker has a threesome with strippers, drinking Jack Daniels until sunup. As far as I'm concerned these brats are doing it backwards. They can be role-model Christian dudes after their big post-rehab comeback when their 45-years-old. In their teens and twenties, they need to wreck cars, destroy hotel rooms and generally be a menace to society. I have utter contempt for this squeaky-clean image being sold as rock 'n roll. Rock 'n roll by definition is the rejection of establishment; it's about getting your first tattoo or venerial disease. Rock 'n roll love songs are best embodied by the Guns 'n Roses favorite "I Used to Love Her,"(...but I had to kill her!) When I hear this 18 year-old singing "tell me that you love me," it literally makes my body heave. Kids don't know anything about love! A rock 'n roll band's early albums have to be about hating your parents, losing your virginity or "smokin' in the boy's room." The only silver-spoon a rock star should have any knowledge of is the one he cooks his heroin in! And as a rule, you can't have a ballad until you are at least 25 and been divorced from a minimum of 2 super-models.
I bet some people would argue that a clean image is a good thing and that rock gods as role models is okay...IT ISN'T! I'm with the stereotypical 1950's Baptist preacher when I say, rock 'n roll is a bad influence on kids! It is supposed to be. Parent's, do not, I repeat, do not allow your children to be exposed to rock 'n roll until they are old enough to handle it and realize that all the excess and decadence, while cool, would most-likely ruin their life and may someday ruin that of the rock star they idolize. If your kid can't handle that, let them listen to Miley Cyrus and High School Musical tunes, they aren't ready for rock 'n roll. Don't lie to your child and tell them that the Jonas Brother are rockers...they're not. They're a glorified boy-band that has no idea about the immoral responsibility that comes with being a rock star! Rock 'n roll isn't for 10-year old girls, it's for 10 girls at the same time!
So that's how I really feel about the Jonas Brothers. I know most of you are shocked to hear this from a parent, but like I said, rock 'n roll ain't for kids. My daughter will be eased into rock by her loving father; the trials and tribulations of a rock star such as the Stone Temple Pilot's, Scott Weiland, will make a great bed time story. If you want to keep your kids clean, slowly expose them to the stories of great men ruined by the rock star lifestyle, not to a boy-band of Poseurific proportions! Once you've lost your credibility with your kids, you've lost it for good.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Blog: Sorry about the advertisement now at the top of this blog
I'm broke and had to sell out. You try having a 10-month old!
Blog: 4th of July Memories
Reminiscing on 4th's gone-by, many things come to mind. Of course, fireworks, but going with that would be as redundant as saying gonorrhea makes it hurt when I pee. Nope, for me the 4th brings to mind drunken fistfights, unprotected sex and bodies (of water).
In my youth, the 4th was about going to the country club with my family. Always a great fireworks display over the driving range. We'd soak ourselves in OFF! and relax on a picnic blanket, enjoying the show.
As I got older, the 4th evolved into its present form, a drunk fest of reprehensible debauchery.
When I turned 9, started drinking and chasing women, the 4th took new meaning. It became about making memories I wouldn't remember! If it weren't for cameras I wouldn't even know I'd been awake on a 4th of July for the past 15 years or so! Who am I kidding? I lost those cameras in a condition many experts refer to as a "blackout."
Some of my best 4th of July's as an adult have been spent at the beach in Del Mar, California. If you have the means, I highly recommend checking this out. Three miles packed toe-to-toe with people from all over Southern California and Arizona. The crowds are so thick we would park at my dad's apartment or Pizza Port and carrying bags, towels and coolers of beer walk about 3 miles to get to the beach in Del Mar. So much insane behavior goes on all over the place that it's tough to wrap your head around it all. Usually companies like DC, Vans or Rusty have tents set up with DJ's, chicks getting naked, the works. On a typical 4th, by the time 7pm rolled around, you'd have a small-scale riot on your hands complete with pepper spray and police helicopters hovering over the surf. People hadn't even eaten their mushrooms yet! I've never seen a more diverse gathering spot than Del Mar at the 4th. Talk about the "have's" and the "have not's." But, you find that everywhere in Southern California. However, Del Mar on the 4th is the epitome. CEO's, dirty-hippies, soccer mom's and drug-dealers all call Del Mar home on the 4th! And sometimes they arrive in the same hybrid vehicles.
Lake Texoma is kind of like the Del Mar of the Red River on the 4th of July. Every douschebag with a tribal tattoo from Texas heads North, while Oklahoma tards waving the horns down sign drive South for one big blackout along the beaches of such cleverly named hotspots as "Party Island," and "Big Island." Thank god for all the hard-bodied women there or some of these meatheads might decide to wage a tug-of-war.
Texoma is the shit, plenty of girl-on-girl action, if that's your thing, which it is mine! However, look out for drunks driving boats. Especially the one's who've been eating Oxycontin.
I hope that everybody gets piss-ass drunk and enjoys their 4th of July. Cops get a real hard-on for DUI's around drunk-fest type holidays, so don't let 'em get ya'.
Namaste!
In my youth, the 4th was about going to the country club with my family. Always a great fireworks display over the driving range. We'd soak ourselves in OFF! and relax on a picnic blanket, enjoying the show.
As I got older, the 4th evolved into its present form, a drunk fest of reprehensible debauchery.
When I turned 9, started drinking and chasing women, the 4th took new meaning. It became about making memories I wouldn't remember! If it weren't for cameras I wouldn't even know I'd been awake on a 4th of July for the past 15 years or so! Who am I kidding? I lost those cameras in a condition many experts refer to as a "blackout."
Some of my best 4th of July's as an adult have been spent at the beach in Del Mar, California. If you have the means, I highly recommend checking this out. Three miles packed toe-to-toe with people from all over Southern California and Arizona. The crowds are so thick we would park at my dad's apartment or Pizza Port and carrying bags, towels and coolers of beer walk about 3 miles to get to the beach in Del Mar. So much insane behavior goes on all over the place that it's tough to wrap your head around it all. Usually companies like DC, Vans or Rusty have tents set up with DJ's, chicks getting naked, the works. On a typical 4th, by the time 7pm rolled around, you'd have a small-scale riot on your hands complete with pepper spray and police helicopters hovering over the surf. People hadn't even eaten their mushrooms yet! I've never seen a more diverse gathering spot than Del Mar at the 4th. Talk about the "have's" and the "have not's." But, you find that everywhere in Southern California. However, Del Mar on the 4th is the epitome. CEO's, dirty-hippies, soccer mom's and drug-dealers all call Del Mar home on the 4th! And sometimes they arrive in the same hybrid vehicles.
Lake Texoma is kind of like the Del Mar of the Red River on the 4th of July. Every douschebag with a tribal tattoo from Texas heads North, while Oklahoma tards waving the horns down sign drive South for one big blackout along the beaches of such cleverly named hotspots as "Party Island," and "Big Island." Thank god for all the hard-bodied women there or some of these meatheads might decide to wage a tug-of-war.
Texoma is the shit, plenty of girl-on-girl action, if that's your thing, which it is mine! However, look out for drunks driving boats. Especially the one's who've been eating Oxycontin.
I hope that everybody gets piss-ass drunk and enjoys their 4th of July. Cops get a real hard-on for DUI's around drunk-fest type holidays, so don't let 'em get ya'.
Namaste!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Photos: Saturday's pics
Bill has a new board
OKC skyline from top floor of my beloved playground
View from backside of top floor
Me fiddling with my Ipod. Rod's on the right.
Blog: Life these days...
I suppose it's time to address my feelings about my new hobby and how they relate to my life today...boyfriend, father, son, among many other distinctions.
I've been rejuvenated by my new pursuit. Out skating with my friends, whether in the parking garage or anywhere else, feels appropriate at this time and place. My duties as a father always come first, but when I'm able to schedule some free time for myself, it seems to revolve around meeting up with Bill and the fellas to go to the garage.
There's been many good by-products of my skating other than the obvious pleasure it brings me. Case in point...would anyone really think I'd even know what power-cleans are? Well not only do I know, but I directly relate their severity and frequency to the harder carving-faster skating I'm now able to do. I regularly find myself on the elliptical, swimming or doing some sort of sweat- inducing activity. I guess what I'm saying is that my skating has lead me to strive to be a better person, physically and mentally than I felt like being beforehand.
Having a hobby makes everyone easier to tolerate. I firmly believe that many relationship problems, whether peer, parental or any other kind, can be prevented by both parties engaging in personally fulfilling pursuits. Whew, try saying that 5 times fast! People with hobbies get more out of life...I'm not afraid to say it. It's redundant.
I do understand the thought that this is some sort of early-midlife-crisis. Possible...I did just turn 30. However, I think that this whole aspect of my life, and by that I mean longboarding, has been a long time coming. This may seem childish in many respects, but I haven't felt so alive in a long time! I guess we all accept growing older differently. It's a choice to become stagnant and out-of-touch. That's not what life is about in the time we live in. Life's about impact...whether to yourself or others. Do something that stands out from the crowd and screams everything that you are about! For some it's shopping, golf, or many other activities that get our blood pumping and help us forget about our troubles. For me, right now-at this point in my life, it's longboarding.
I intend to post concerning last weekends' session, hopefully tomorrow. Quite a bit of fun, including personal injury and a visit from OG&E's finest!
Thanks for reading.
I've been rejuvenated by my new pursuit. Out skating with my friends, whether in the parking garage or anywhere else, feels appropriate at this time and place. My duties as a father always come first, but when I'm able to schedule some free time for myself, it seems to revolve around meeting up with Bill and the fellas to go to the garage.
There's been many good by-products of my skating other than the obvious pleasure it brings me. Case in point...would anyone really think I'd even know what power-cleans are? Well not only do I know, but I directly relate their severity and frequency to the harder carving-faster skating I'm now able to do. I regularly find myself on the elliptical, swimming or doing some sort of sweat- inducing activity. I guess what I'm saying is that my skating has lead me to strive to be a better person, physically and mentally than I felt like being beforehand.
Having a hobby makes everyone easier to tolerate. I firmly believe that many relationship problems, whether peer, parental or any other kind, can be prevented by both parties engaging in personally fulfilling pursuits. Whew, try saying that 5 times fast! People with hobbies get more out of life...I'm not afraid to say it. It's redundant.
I do understand the thought that this is some sort of early-midlife-crisis. Possible...I did just turn 30. However, I think that this whole aspect of my life, and by that I mean longboarding, has been a long time coming. This may seem childish in many respects, but I haven't felt so alive in a long time! I guess we all accept growing older differently. It's a choice to become stagnant and out-of-touch. That's not what life is about in the time we live in. Life's about impact...whether to yourself or others. Do something that stands out from the crowd and screams everything that you are about! For some it's shopping, golf, or many other activities that get our blood pumping and help us forget about our troubles. For me, right now-at this point in my life, it's longboarding.
I intend to post concerning last weekends' session, hopefully tomorrow. Quite a bit of fun, including personal injury and a visit from OG&E's finest!
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Blog: Things are more fun in the darK
In the past few weeks my skating has achieved new heights. Thanks to more activity, mainly more skating , but also a few power cleans from time to time, I'm carving tighter and skating longer.
My buddy Dave scooped a longboard and it's healthy to have a new person in the crew. Dave was always an accomplished shortboarder, as I presumed he picked it up well. Last Saturday afternoon he, Bill and I all rode the parking garage downtown. Dave picked up the nuances well, however that only led to Dave becoming dangerous. Over 75 runs under my belt at the time and not a fall yet...then came Dave. Dude was trying to squeeze both of us through the tighter turns at the same time, usually without me being aware he was right on my ass! On level 4 he forces me to go too wide and I basically ran between two poles! The worst injury was to the camera I was filming with, but I did stub the hell out of my toe and it bled! Dave ended up doing it again later, which caused me to fall-but not as bad as the first. Dave is smart but when it comes to having that "Hey I actually give a shit" type of attitude, Dave doesn't. He has no regard to safety or any other crap he thinks is lame. He was apologetic though, through his laughter. He finally calmed a bit and we ended up staying for 3+ hours, a ripping session and a great workout!
When you're skating you're not sore, but when you hop off the board to walk you notice how tight you've gotten. Riding and carving is taxing work, don't kid yourself! Combine that activity with my power cleans I'll be putting people in their places in no time!
Since that day I've decided that I'm not falling enough. If I'm going that many runs with no falls I should try to add some new difficulty? I love just cruising down the garage, it's fun even when your not trying difficult maneuvers, however I'm in this for the pleasure and the pain so I should be tasting slightly more pavement.
So last night, after a rousing day on the lake with my buddies John and Reed, John and I had gone to get a few beers and hang out. I'll spare all the details, but phone calls were made, decisions executed and next thing I knew John, Bill and I were in Bill's truck headed to the garage at around midnight.
John has a boarding background but this was his first time on a longboard. The three of us split time riding the two boards we had among us and went about it. John was impressive for his first time at the garage and being at night. Several floors are almost pitch black! You really have to have a feel for the place and I was surprised that John held it together...especially considering the alcohol! Actually, he mostly held it together. He did take a bad spill on the top floor and skinned his palms and knees; he also t-boned me on the 3rd floor but miraculously we both were able to run it off with no fall, so oh well!
Skating the garage at night is one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life! Standing up on the top floor waiting my turn to go again, I was mesmerized by all the buildings surrounding me. They were shining and lit-up and some were so close I wanted to reach out and touch them. I don't know if I enjoyed the skating, the scenery, or the homeless lady sleeping in the elevator the most? Staying until after two o'clock, this was truly an epic session. I cannot wait to go back at night again... I'm hooked!
We now have four of us in the OKC group and we seem to be growing weekly. All it takes is one visit and anybody who can ride a board is hooked! Coolest thing going on in Oklahoma right now...period!
We also have representation in Eastern Oklahoma now, with Jiz picking up his very own longboard. Talk about a big fish in a small pond...he skates alone while people follow him in vehicles...filming! That's cool, hopefully he can get to OKC and the parking garage soon. We'll try to head that way as well.
One last thing. I traded boards with Dave and I now ride a 43.5 " Arbor Koa Pintail. I love the pin shape, it really is the best for carving hard and maintaining speed.
Thanks for reading. Have a happy Father's Day and a memorable week!
My buddy Dave scooped a longboard and it's healthy to have a new person in the crew. Dave was always an accomplished shortboarder, as I presumed he picked it up well. Last Saturday afternoon he, Bill and I all rode the parking garage downtown. Dave picked up the nuances well, however that only led to Dave becoming dangerous. Over 75 runs under my belt at the time and not a fall yet...then came Dave. Dude was trying to squeeze both of us through the tighter turns at the same time, usually without me being aware he was right on my ass! On level 4 he forces me to go too wide and I basically ran between two poles! The worst injury was to the camera I was filming with, but I did stub the hell out of my toe and it bled! Dave ended up doing it again later, which caused me to fall-but not as bad as the first. Dave is smart but when it comes to having that "Hey I actually give a shit" type of attitude, Dave doesn't. He has no regard to safety or any other crap he thinks is lame. He was apologetic though, through his laughter. He finally calmed a bit and we ended up staying for 3+ hours, a ripping session and a great workout!
When you're skating you're not sore, but when you hop off the board to walk you notice how tight you've gotten. Riding and carving is taxing work, don't kid yourself! Combine that activity with my power cleans I'll be putting people in their places in no time!
Since that day I've decided that I'm not falling enough. If I'm going that many runs with no falls I should try to add some new difficulty? I love just cruising down the garage, it's fun even when your not trying difficult maneuvers, however I'm in this for the pleasure and the pain so I should be tasting slightly more pavement.
So last night, after a rousing day on the lake with my buddies John and Reed, John and I had gone to get a few beers and hang out. I'll spare all the details, but phone calls were made, decisions executed and next thing I knew John, Bill and I were in Bill's truck headed to the garage at around midnight.
John has a boarding background but this was his first time on a longboard. The three of us split time riding the two boards we had among us and went about it. John was impressive for his first time at the garage and being at night. Several floors are almost pitch black! You really have to have a feel for the place and I was surprised that John held it together...especially considering the alcohol! Actually, he mostly held it together. He did take a bad spill on the top floor and skinned his palms and knees; he also t-boned me on the 3rd floor but miraculously we both were able to run it off with no fall, so oh well!
Skating the garage at night is one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life! Standing up on the top floor waiting my turn to go again, I was mesmerized by all the buildings surrounding me. They were shining and lit-up and some were so close I wanted to reach out and touch them. I don't know if I enjoyed the skating, the scenery, or the homeless lady sleeping in the elevator the most? Staying until after two o'clock, this was truly an epic session. I cannot wait to go back at night again... I'm hooked!
We now have four of us in the OKC group and we seem to be growing weekly. All it takes is one visit and anybody who can ride a board is hooked! Coolest thing going on in Oklahoma right now...period!
We also have representation in Eastern Oklahoma now, with Jiz picking up his very own longboard. Talk about a big fish in a small pond...he skates alone while people follow him in vehicles...filming! That's cool, hopefully he can get to OKC and the parking garage soon. We'll try to head that way as well.
One last thing. I traded boards with Dave and I now ride a 43.5 " Arbor Koa Pintail. I love the pin shape, it really is the best for carving hard and maintaining speed.
Thanks for reading. Have a happy Father's Day and a memorable week!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Blog: Shout out to OKC Longboarders!
Thanks for reading my blog. Hopefully if you've found me you are into longboard skating.
One of my buddies and I have recently rekindled one of our favorite old hobbies, skateboarding! However, older and wiser, our boards are now longer, wider and faster. Of course we both were skaters as kids, ollie'ing down stairs, grinding handrails and the like (some of us better than others, me being the worst) but somewhere along the way we grew up and left skating behind.
Well, I personally moved to San Diego with some buddies in 1998 at 19-years-old to learn to surf, specifically, and basically transform myself into some sort of extreme-west-coaster that used cool words like "gnarly," and "sick." Move accomplished, transformation complete, I was broke as hell and had no ride to get my butt down to the beach to surf! Being the "outside the box," thinker that I was, I decided to pick up one of these "long-ass skateboards," that I'd been seeing people ride. Seemed like the next best way to get around besides a car.
(For all my Oklahoma brethren, I would have chosen a bicycle but around North San Diego county, a young person riding a bike or rollerblades is risking serious bodily harm!)
Anyway, I shelled out about a bill-fifty and picked up a 3 1/2' Sector Nine and set about learning not to kill myself!
Long story short, I ended up enjoying my new transportation about as much as surfing (who am I kidding, notice the "about"), and in time became pretty adept at handling speed, carving down steep hills, and riding about 2 miles to work and back everyday. Looking back I really felt free, if I was going far I could take the bus, whenever I hopped off I was instantly mobile and looking for "pavement waves." Anyway, I loaned that board to a buddy once and never saw it again. A few months later I was back in Oklahoma to finish college, my longboard an ever-increasing distant memory.
Fast forward 7-8 years.
Back in Oklahoma, I increasingly found myself missing surfing and boarding like I did back in San Diego. I'd seen kite-boarding and it looked cool. However, as a young, new father I'd had trouble justifying enough cash to get set-up, take a lesson or two, and go out and not get tangled lines and have to resort to fisticuffs!
(I remember being 21 and learning to surf, Extremers are territorial and not necessarily welcoming to newcomers,"watch your ass kook," is not an uncommon thing to hear in the water and fighting on the beach just goes with the territory.)
Anyway, my buddy, let's just call him "Bill," who had never really gave up shortboard skateboarding, showed up at my house one day with something I had not seen in years...a long skateboard. Now his Sector 9 wasn't near as yachtlike as the 4-footer I'd had back in my Cali heyday, but it was alot more like what I used to ride than anything I'd seen in awhile. "Didn't you ride one of these when you lived in San Diego? Let's look for some hills this weekend. " Just like that I was in... I was "going to look for some hills to bomb this weekend." Two months shy of 30-years-old, older, fatter, less tan but who cared, I was about to get back to being that 21-year-old kid, riding his board to and from work!
That was about two months ago. Since then I got my own board, (a sick 4' Arbor that could have been cut from my old Sector 9 template!) from Chris at Flip'd Action Sports in Edmond. "Bill," and I have been riding every weekend since! We started out at Lake Hefner, found it too flat and moved on; now we search every weekend for new places to skate. Mitch Park in Edmond has some hills and wide trails, its pretty good for crusing around, but other than that, OKC has few accessible hills that aren't out in traffic! Like I said I'm 30 and a father, I can't afford to fall down and get my head ran over like Phil Leotardo in Sopranos!
Luckily I'm in sales and spend my days driving around to appointments, so I 'm able to basically be in constant search mode. I say "luckily," but my search has brought me anything but, OKC is flat, flat, flat!
Over Memorial weekend I ripped a few biggies while in Tahlequah where I went to school (my buddy, we'll just call him "Jiz," took a nasty palm scraping spill; I don't know how he didn't crack open his head going 40 mph!) and I was more psyched than ever to find some new thrills to quench my longboarding thirst.
Saturday May 31, "Bill," and I went out like we do every weekend looking for places to skate. Finding few options, we decided to head downtown and look for hills, maybe skate a few parking garages. Oh brother! Did we find the OKC longboarding mecca! We found an 8-story parking garage downtown that on the weekends is completely empty! 50 yards wide all the way down, 35 degree angle, basically perfect! Even better, we start on the 8th floor right by the elevators and end up in the basement directly 3 feet away from the same elevator! It's like my own mountain right in my backyard complete with lift!
We took about 15 runs, each time getting braver and braver and trying to go faster and carve harder! We figured out that you can really carve hard and make it down in about 2.5 minutes or you can bomb the bitch and make it down in the exact length of "She," by the Misfits (thank god for Ipods!) 1.2 minutes!
So, my intent for writing this blog is to find other OKC dudes that like to ride longboards. "Bill," and I have recruited a couple buddies who are going out with us this weekend, but we'd like to find other like-minded skaters to go carve it up with, share favorite spots, tricks and the like. I'd tell you in this blog where to find my parking garage, but I'd rather save it for those I end up skating with!
We really think it would be fun to meet in groups, grab a couple of cases, and go find places to skate! We've dedicated our summer free-time to doing so. Last night I could barely sleep in anticipation of going back today and I am constantly wanting to go skate. Not just in the garage, but at the park, the lake, wherever; every day, every night, all the time!
If you too enjoy longboard skating and would like to join our "OK Skate Club," please read and respond to my blog. I nominate myself (and "Bill," seconds it, although he doesn't know it yet) as honorary chairman and I will take care of getting word out to the group as to where we will be and so on and so forth.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope some people search for "OKC Longboard skateboarding," and find my blog. If you do and you want to go skate, hit me up and I'll get back to you.
One of my buddies and I have recently rekindled one of our favorite old hobbies, skateboarding! However, older and wiser, our boards are now longer, wider and faster. Of course we both were skaters as kids, ollie'ing down stairs, grinding handrails and the like (some of us better than others, me being the worst) but somewhere along the way we grew up and left skating behind.
Well, I personally moved to San Diego with some buddies in 1998 at 19-years-old to learn to surf, specifically, and basically transform myself into some sort of extreme-west-coaster that used cool words like "gnarly," and "sick." Move accomplished, transformation complete, I was broke as hell and had no ride to get my butt down to the beach to surf! Being the "outside the box," thinker that I was, I decided to pick up one of these "long-ass skateboards," that I'd been seeing people ride. Seemed like the next best way to get around besides a car.
(For all my Oklahoma brethren, I would have chosen a bicycle but around North San Diego county, a young person riding a bike or rollerblades is risking serious bodily harm!)
Anyway, I shelled out about a bill-fifty and picked up a 3 1/2' Sector Nine and set about learning not to kill myself!
Long story short, I ended up enjoying my new transportation about as much as surfing (who am I kidding, notice the "about"), and in time became pretty adept at handling speed, carving down steep hills, and riding about 2 miles to work and back everyday. Looking back I really felt free, if I was going far I could take the bus, whenever I hopped off I was instantly mobile and looking for "pavement waves." Anyway, I loaned that board to a buddy once and never saw it again. A few months later I was back in Oklahoma to finish college, my longboard an ever-increasing distant memory.
Fast forward 7-8 years.
Back in Oklahoma, I increasingly found myself missing surfing and boarding like I did back in San Diego. I'd seen kite-boarding and it looked cool. However, as a young, new father I'd had trouble justifying enough cash to get set-up, take a lesson or two, and go out and not get tangled lines and have to resort to fisticuffs!
(I remember being 21 and learning to surf, Extremers are territorial and not necessarily welcoming to newcomers,"watch your ass kook," is not an uncommon thing to hear in the water and fighting on the beach just goes with the territory.)
Anyway, my buddy, let's just call him "Bill," who had never really gave up shortboard skateboarding, showed up at my house one day with something I had not seen in years...a long skateboard. Now his Sector 9 wasn't near as yachtlike as the 4-footer I'd had back in my Cali heyday, but it was alot more like what I used to ride than anything I'd seen in awhile. "Didn't you ride one of these when you lived in San Diego? Let's look for some hills this weekend. " Just like that I was in... I was "going to look for some hills to bomb this weekend." Two months shy of 30-years-old, older, fatter, less tan but who cared, I was about to get back to being that 21-year-old kid, riding his board to and from work!
That was about two months ago. Since then I got my own board, (a sick 4' Arbor that could have been cut from my old Sector 9 template!) from Chris at Flip'd Action Sports in Edmond. "Bill," and I have been riding every weekend since! We started out at Lake Hefner, found it too flat and moved on; now we search every weekend for new places to skate. Mitch Park in Edmond has some hills and wide trails, its pretty good for crusing around, but other than that, OKC has few accessible hills that aren't out in traffic! Like I said I'm 30 and a father, I can't afford to fall down and get my head ran over like Phil Leotardo in Sopranos!
Luckily I'm in sales and spend my days driving around to appointments, so I 'm able to basically be in constant search mode. I say "luckily," but my search has brought me anything but, OKC is flat, flat, flat!
Over Memorial weekend I ripped a few biggies while in Tahlequah where I went to school (my buddy, we'll just call him "Jiz," took a nasty palm scraping spill; I don't know how he didn't crack open his head going 40 mph!) and I was more psyched than ever to find some new thrills to quench my longboarding thirst.
Saturday May 31, "Bill," and I went out like we do every weekend looking for places to skate. Finding few options, we decided to head downtown and look for hills, maybe skate a few parking garages. Oh brother! Did we find the OKC longboarding mecca! We found an 8-story parking garage downtown that on the weekends is completely empty! 50 yards wide all the way down, 35 degree angle, basically perfect! Even better, we start on the 8th floor right by the elevators and end up in the basement directly 3 feet away from the same elevator! It's like my own mountain right in my backyard complete with lift!
We took about 15 runs, each time getting braver and braver and trying to go faster and carve harder! We figured out that you can really carve hard and make it down in about 2.5 minutes or you can bomb the bitch and make it down in the exact length of "She," by the Misfits (thank god for Ipods!) 1.2 minutes!
So, my intent for writing this blog is to find other OKC dudes that like to ride longboards. "Bill," and I have recruited a couple buddies who are going out with us this weekend, but we'd like to find other like-minded skaters to go carve it up with, share favorite spots, tricks and the like. I'd tell you in this blog where to find my parking garage, but I'd rather save it for those I end up skating with!
We really think it would be fun to meet in groups, grab a couple of cases, and go find places to skate! We've dedicated our summer free-time to doing so. Last night I could barely sleep in anticipation of going back today and I am constantly wanting to go skate. Not just in the garage, but at the park, the lake, wherever; every day, every night, all the time!
If you too enjoy longboard skating and would like to join our "OK Skate Club," please read and respond to my blog. I nominate myself (and "Bill," seconds it, although he doesn't know it yet) as honorary chairman and I will take care of getting word out to the group as to where we will be and so on and so forth.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope some people search for "OKC Longboard skateboarding," and find my blog. If you do and you want to go skate, hit me up and I'll get back to you.
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