Stuck where the sun don’t shine
Yakima, Washington has new skatepark built by Grindline, and a problem with the locals getting stuck in the bowls during the winter. There’s video over at KEPRTV.com. Yakima, Washington folks should be used to snow, right? We rarely get snow in Portland, yet we never get stuck in the bowls when they are full of snow. To be fair, kids sometimes get stuck in Pier Park’s deep bowl even when it’s dry. Somewhere MC has a comic or two about that. That rope isn’t for hanging rollerbladers, it’s to help kids crawl out of the bowls. The fire department has been called out three times in 24 hours to rescue trapped kids.
– Thanks to Tito for the tip.
I think people eventually figured it out at Pier. The finish that makes those parks so good for skateboarding is really slippery when wet.
Snow + Skatepark + Stupid Kids = Slow News Day!!
Hopefully one of the kids gets frozen all winter and then reanimated in the spring. It would be like Encino Man II.
Bless their little hearts!
Jeez, I hope this city has a eight foot chain link fence around their lakes and rivers or some kid might think it would be fun to break through the ice and go swimming.
the kids in this news clip are too young to remember a good snow fall like we have had in the inland NW. they are not used to having a nice bowl within walking distance. Yakima should be on my short list of places to skate in the winter. but not this winter yet. last year in richland 3 inches of snow brought out the snowboarders and they built a jump. the snow melted and skating commenced. but we had to dodge a melting glacer for a while.
Kilwag, that rope comment did not go unnoticed… GIVE THEM ENOUGH ROPE!!!
I have a very strong desire to go and dangle the rope right out of their reach. All I want to know is who’s coming with me?
that’s the 2nd to best Clash album. They went downhill with every release.
there’s a 2 or 3 foot section in that bowl. If you can’t shimmy up a three foot transition you shouldn’t be there in the first place.
wussies.
HouseofNeil! No way, Hello, London Calling? I’d even rate Combat Rock higher than Give ‘Em Enough Rope, it’s certainly more original. DOn’t get me wrong, I love it, but GEER is like a b-sides version of the first release.
bend over people, randy knows his shit…
“Stay Free”? B-side? Give me a break. “Combat Rock” was a poor excuse for a Clash album. Listen to it again.
Yeah, stay free and european home are someof my faves, but still, as a whole GEER was pretty much “The Clash” part 2. I listen to Combat Rock all the time. I think you need to listen to it again!
King Kong Cass-ette Decks!
London Calling? The MOST overrated album of all time. I would much rather listen to The Clash Part II as you call it, than to listen to some self-indulgent studio twaddle.
London Calling has some alright songs, but they don’t stand together as a unit. Also, not focused enough. And Sandanista? Don’t even get me started on that crap. They needed to lay off the weed.
Combat Rock just screamed “contractual obligation” to me. I’d have much rather it been the usual live album, as they were still great on stage, even at the end. As a second album, Give ’em Enough Rope showed growth in terms of song writing and musical versatility, in my mind. The first record must have been very tough to follow, and they took some chances that other bands never would have (which led, of course, to London Calling, love it or not. I do). Same goes for that dub/reggae 10″. Anyway, I’ll pull Combat out again and give it a spin. Maybe I missed something. Hell, can’t skate, might as well play records (insane weather here in PDX).
Nothing says “contractual obligation” like “Cut the Crap.” I think we can all agree that album is a steaming pile.
And I still really like Give Em Enough Rope.
Sandanista is an acquired taste, but I really enjoy it, with the exception of a couple of tracks.
Check out the lyrics to “Up in Heaven” off Sandinista …its my newest favorite thing (or ting).
I had cut the cord well before the ironically named Cut the Crap came out. You know, I bought Sandinista the day it came out and I still don’t think I’ve listened to every side more than once or twice. I always found it to be more of a commitment than I was willing to give. A lot of the cuts pop up on my ipod and I do like them. Gonna pull that one out too.
I think one of the reasons that I like Give ’em Enough Rope so much is that it came out before The Clash in the US, so that was my first Clash album. I didn’t pick up The Clash until a few months later, so I was working backwards.
I have to say two things…
1. My favorite song in the world is “Safe European Home”
2. My Favorite album is “London Calling”
Give ’em Enough Rope starts with the biggest bang, but has less powerful songs mixed in. London Calling is one of those albums that doesn’t lose any momentum. The Clash are my favorite band, and I’m pretty picky!
24 track!
“Still great on stage”? Hmm. I saw the Clash 5 times, maybe 6. From the 16 Tons tour in 79 up through the end. They were always a blast, but musically often a mess. They were never what you would call tight. Strummer was always playing faster than everybody else, and sometimes they would have to start singing before you even realized what song it was! Of all of the original punk bands (and I saw most of them) they were the worst live, at least in terms of playing.
“We went inside the bowl and then we got stuck and the only way to get out was to take off our shoes and socks and clothes to get out for grip,”
Hahaha! So funny! Some dorky kid freezing his arse off decides to strip to climb out of the bowl, for “traction.” Tell me this isn’t hilarious!
“Okay everyone, piss on you handkerchiefs!”
They got the weed/they got the taxis!
I have to agree with Neil about the albums going downhill after the first one but there are some great songs on Sandinista. Could you make a good single album mix out of it?
sandanista is a commitment, but one I’m glad I made. 3 albums worth of material should have some filler, and I belive that sandanista came out within less than a years time from london calling. so thats five albums worth of songs in a short time. sandanista is better described as a reggae album than a punk one. while I only care for real rootsy old school reggae, and I am verry picky about what punk music is worthy… sandanista is proof of how great the Clash were, it stands tall in my mind, while punk and reggae both have become so borring and lame to me…. I don’t know…. i came across sandanista at a time in my life when I was a X on my hand straight edge kid… but Mac… I suggest smoking a big bowl of weed, get that Ipod all hooked up on sandanista and go cruse on your skateboard.. I wanna thank those Yakima fat kids for getting the Clash conversation going… more snow in EA WA today. give sandanista a chance, it is the only clash album I would put on my top ten if I was on a deserted island list
conahan…. fuck that!!!! sandanista is the way it is because in my personal opinion (and I know that I am unique and a individual and almost no one agrees that sandanista is the best) sandanista is when the clash peaked. you can make a mix of the best clash songs and one or two might be off sandanista, and I would not be so silly as to debate sandanista VS. the slimmer trimmer leaner meanner London calling…. to me they could be one five(!) lp album…… I do know the in’s and out’s of the music industry, and I’d be willing to bet that the clash made no (as in zero) money of sandanista. I did not buy it new but my copy had some sticker on it that made me feel like it cost just as much as the new (single disc) Cars album of the time.
in my humble egotistical opinion Sandanista is the greatest album for your money of all time! Clash or whoeever…. sure I have a few records I like more, but none of them match the creative output of sandanista! dude!!! give sandanista a chance, or quit your job
I’m sorry I take my “fuck that” comment back, because I do realize that within the three albums worth of material there is room for DJ’ing.(and that is probably what the Clash had in mind)….. you could take the “best” (and that would be your opinion) songs and make one album….. you could also take the “filler” and it would be a fine album on it’s own…. sandanista is one of the coolest rock records ever because they give it all to the listener. all the gems that other dead bands would have you buy long after they were broken up.
now back to those kids who are stuck in the grindlanddreamline bowl in Yakima… this is a topic that should be discussed for future skatepark issues here in eastern washington (and oregon idaho, etc.)
this stuff needs to be made accesssable in the winter months…. the citizens of Yakima do not expect this kind of winter. roofs, retractale like the one in Konans “part” (how fucking rad is Konan!?!?!?!) should be considered in any skatepark buit in the NW … Richland and Irrigon are the best winter parks in the NW. they could have been made better with “RADIANT HEATING” built in….. but they were built in skater paradise, dry winter EA WA (/OR). lets spend less money on the cement and more on systems that keep us skating thu the winter
Actually, from one of the books or documentaries, It took them something like 10+ years to see a profit off Sandanista because they did insist on selling it at the single lp price, there was a battle with the record label, and it only counted as one LP against their contract. As self indulgent as they may have been, they made sure their fans didn’t have to pay for it. (Unless they bought Cut the Crap, that is…)
self indulgent yes, but that, to clash fans, that should be so much better than a record with all the natural in-between stuff removed,, and then we have to pay for it later in the form of “box sets” etc. 10 yrs is a long time to “re-coupe” and I give the record label some credit for going ahead with “sandanista” seriously,,, do you have any other three album sets???? I don’t … I personally have read almost nothing about the Clash, but you, kilwag, have proven one of my points… sandanista is the clash album of choice for the political/economimical message… but in my opinion it is also the best music they put out.
I like the fact that Curtis argued with himself through 3 posts!
if it took 10 years to “re-coup” Sandanista, then for real, the Clash made sandanista for just you and I… seriously, they were getting taken care of and getting a check each pay period (but you know they were getting screwed out of half the money anyway) . and then they made sandanista regardless of the hourly wage. and if it took 10 years to recoup then you have also got to take into the fact of inflation of the 80’s, and the fact that I curtis, never gave a dime to the Clash. I got it all used. and I think I might be Sandanista’s biggest fan…. I also like skateparks you can skate when there is 3 feet of snow out side
dude I can argue with myself all day but never about sandanista
I ain’t daddy yo… I don’t need liberals from the coast or places like Chicago to start a argument. I am going to have an opinion. smoke a bowl. take a run. basically I’m looking for a communion with the flat bottom. and then my opinion will be stronger. sandanista is the best Clash album.
I had a horrid shin Injury last year due to the slickness of the Kettle Falls park. my line petered out and when I was climbing out of the bowl I slipped and fully ripped open my shin on the copping.. not only did I get hurt, but my jeans became shorts… snow could only make this situation worse…
I love Sandanista, the dub stuff, plus Police on My Back, It’s a weird album. Not my favorite, but I still say essential. The Clash Album I want to hear most is Mick Jones’ original mix of Combat Rock that they threw out, supposedly the Bootleg “Rat Patrol from Fort Brag” was supposed to be it, but I remain unconvinced, mostly because it’s not that radically different, and not all there.
weird is right. sandanista is weird and perhaps that is why it appeals to me. but also because it was a massive album that represents a time for me. a time post combat rock. a time that was important for my skating, and that record opened my ears up further. sandanista could also be the music to BEEZ… I dig Mick Jones voice the best… and I dig everything he has done since……. I think the best stuff is joe Strummer’s stuff near his end
“curtis Says: – I ain
Sandanista is not an album. It is a collection of “songs” put together by some drug riddled dudes who by that point couldn’t tell which end was up, and had no quality control anymore. Nothing was cut or changed, every little bit of farting/talking/drug induced rambling makes it onto the vinyl. If some other lesser known band had have released this mess then it would never have seen the light of day and they would have been laughed off the label. Essential? Essentially bad perhaps.
There’s way to much Cult of The Clash on here: “they can do no wrong”. Sorry guys, I’m a huge Clash fan too, but by the end they were releasing far more shit than good shit, and the problem was they were too stoned by that point to know the difference.
Sandanista is my favorite “collection of
I don’t think people even consider cut the crap a Clash album.
roofs, radiant heating (it’s not that expensive), and proper siting are all thing that can make parks better around here. I would not put a roof over a park in the dry inland north west.. we get very little rain. alot or most of the moisture comes in the form of snow. Prosser (not far from Yakima)is an example of a great bowl that is in a bad winter spot. it’s in a park that is kinda shady in the winter. and some of the walls stay shaded. last year i went there in the winter and it was frosty, while richland 30 miles away was dry and rideable. the Prosser bowl is small and to heat it with radiant tubes built into the concrete would probbably cost the city something like the cost to heat a house…(I’m not a expert I’m not totally sure) I’ll be checking out the worst park in the northwest today. Spokane’s “under the freeway” park. I don’t know, I’m not connected to the skate scene in Spokane. they built a nice park in the north end of town when “UTF” seems unfinished. it’s basically a bowl turned inside out, 4 1/4 pipes connected like a pyramyd. 3 of these 1/4 pipes face walls (that is to say walls with no tranny). I push as hard and fast as I can and I can only get about 2 feet below the coping… but I’m going anyway. thanks for reminding me about burnside, it’s godlike because we owe it for all our good parks we have… we all know the story… but burnside is a 9 hour drive (in good weather) from here. daddy yo I’m trying to be nice, I knew you could take the teasing in stride, but I do recommend for your listening pleasure the Clash’s “Sandanista”
Burnside has a roof of sorts, highly elevated and not enclosed on the side. If there is any sort of wind, it carries rain (or snow) into the park.
I like Curtis’ deft blending of Clash (well, Sandinista) and skate park commentary. Way to stay on topic, Curtis. Oh, I do have one request before I bore all you to death. Would it be too much to ask that we start spelling Sandinista correctly? Call me a nit-picker, but if the record(s) and the band mean that much to us, you know…
One observation that I’ve made is that we all seem to have a soft spot for the Clash album(s) that we found or that connected with us first. I like GEER more than most probably because it’s the one that my local record shop had, so that’s the one I heard first. Blew me away. So did The Clash and London Calling a few months later, of course, but you never forget your first time, eh? Neil was obviously on to them very early (in the UK?), so he’s going right back to the beginning (he’s lost count of how many times he saw them?! Wow) and nothing quite stands up after that. Same with MC. Randy, you couldn’t have been more than about 13 when Combat Rock came out, right? Younger? That was their “hit” album, and there were 2 huge songs that were, and still are, on the radio a lot. You heard “Should I Stay or Should I Go” in the car and had to have it. Curtis told his own story…
Ok, so I’m probably mostly wrong (including with my own, since there’s a lot that I don’t remember from the late 70’s/early 80’s…), but I’m betting that I’m kind of close, right? Aside from Cut the Crap (I still can’t believe that they called it that), most bands would sell their souls to have made any of these records, so it’s down to personal preference and what they mean to us individually, eh? Just like everything else in life.
Now, let’s get some covered skate parks in Portland. Heating the cement won’t work ’cause it rains too much here, but it would be great everywhere else. Speaking of heating cement, let’s get one bowl/pool skateable asap, huh? Now, if I only had one of those weed-burner thingys…
Curtis- check out Mikey Dread’s African Anthem LP if you haven’t…
“Police On My Back” is the best thing on that album and that tune is an Equals cover. The original is way times better than the Clash version anyway. In case you don’t know: The Equals lead guitarist and songwriter was Eddy Grant. Yes, the “Electric Avenue” dude.
“Versions” were tracks stripped of vocals to test recording levels at the pressing plants. They became natural b-sides as cost was always an issue with mafia producers in the 3rd world economy. (Jacob Miller got paid 20$ to record the classic vocal on “Tenement Yard”). The clash made a real dub record with Mikey Dread and including filler like “Version Pardner” kept it true to the genre. Imagine if they never released the record like some suggeted. If we found out in 2008 that there was a pot-laced triple dub album it would be coolest find ever. We can’t think of this record in terms of the other Clash releases. Ultimately, all of this output is vital.
I like Brad’s answer.
WINNER: BRAD!
Mac–good observations. I’d like to sit around with a beer or 2 and discuss this with all of you in person. Can we arrange that?
As it is I’d rather listen to Cut the Crap than Sandinista. At least its over in 30 minutes. And This is England is better than anything on Sandinista.
Maybe this summer Neil?! Anytime, you know that- your room is waiting.
Neil, that’s crazy talk. What about Charlie Don’t Surf, The Call Up, Washington Bullets…
There’s lots of (more traditional) great songs on Sandinista!, even if you feel the dub stuff and other tidbits are filler.
We can arrange that discussion over a few pints here in Portland. Mac, Brad, Conahan and myself are all residents, you’ve got an open invitation and many places to stay. I’ve ben trying to get you out here for ages!
What about The Clash just flat-out sucking?
Geez Fitz, i thought you were somewhat intelligent.
The Clash sucks?! Sure, pick on the dead guy.
Fitz? Micky Fitz from The Business? Cool.
Randy, I don’t think there’s a “great” song on all of Sandinista. Like sea cliff says above, Police on My Back is the best song on the album, and that’s a cover. The rest goes from blah to crap. Like I said before, if it said anybody else but The Clash on the front of the album you wouldn’t give this a second listen. Be honest.
It’s like the Carbon/Silicon stuff. When I heard that Mick Jones and Tony James had a band I was excited. Then I heard them. Average to just plain horrible. It appears that Mick Jones has no filter anymore. If he records it he puts it out.
and thanks for the invites guys. This year I’ll probably do it. I actually get 3 weeks vacation this year, so should have some extra after my yearly trip to england.
i looked at Sandinista wikipedia (I did have to learn to spell it first) what I thought was interesting was that the label issued a single lp version, sent out to radio, magazines and other music industry types. it had the most straight forward Clashesque songs. as a 15 yr old skate punk all I listend to was “hardcore” and “crossover”. the Clash were too soft and slow for my tastes. Sandinista was fresh air, and it opend me up to check out the rest of the Clash’s (more punk sounding) catalog.
more snow coming down, this is my first winter where I have given up on snowboarding. I’ve decided that it is too dangerous for me and I NEED to save my body for skateboarding.
what do you mean snowboarding is dangerous, I hit a tree the other day, it was about like slamming on the ten foot wall at Newberg.
curtis, chill bra. snowbroinggg is the best, a few cold ones and straight down i go, hittin all the pow and always mackin’ the ladies. last time i checked snow is a little softer then concrete. (unless its ice ice baby).. well enough internet fag shit. im gonna go skate san jose because i am in california and it is sunny oh what a day. bong rips in the a.m. surfing in the a.m. and now im gonna go grind the nasty. hail satan and go ride something.. even if it is a rain board or a dildo with trucks mounted on them. sweet air 24/7. love it, live it. taste it.
“too dangerous FOR ME”. that’s a decision I made within a hour of breaking a bone skating last year. the average person would assume skating is more dangerous, but to me it’s a lot funner and it’s free and pure. last year I missed out on snowboarding (but not skating) due to my broken bone. I gotta feed my kid, so I have to stay in the game. I am not that different from the Yakima fatties stuck in the bowl… I see snow, and it gives me a green light to get into situations over my head. also, I have mostly been a back country loner. no one is there to save me. I am happy to puss out in my old age.
if people want to pay the big bucks to Sonny Bonno, that’s up to them.
There are two types of music in this world: That which sucks, and that which does not. Decide for yourself which is which.
I usually try to make that decision for other people as well, they just don’t listen. I’m curious about your musical tastes, I’d like to know what I’m up against.
Oh, that’s a twisted tale.
Being born to young parents in Scotland, and moving here when I was seven, I got a heavy dose of Britian’s best from my folks.
Predicatably, Mum loved The Stones, The Beatles and The Moody Blues, while Dad dug Sabbath, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, etc.
Upon arrival in America, we moved to a semi-rural trailer park, where I ingested ’80s metal, a library of punk, classic country, hip-hop and mucha salsa y cumbia, along with the usual smattering of commercial pop-crap. The saddest day of my young life arrived in the form of Beavis and Butthead: Prior to the inception of that cartoon, my brothers and I simply sat around baked making fun of MTV. Of course they still payed videos back then…
These days, I can listen to almost anything, though I’m pretty stoked on Calexico and Drag The River (even though they broke up) when I cue some music.
As far as The Clash, The Smiths, Violent Femmes, etc are concerned, they never really did it for me. They seemed like soft-punk, and even then, punk generally struck me as a bit too manufactured. It was all about uniforms, poses, the same three chords… The Clash just seemed like more of the same.
Sometime around ’88 I remember listening to Suicidal’s Join The Army and my dad came home, sat down and listened for a bit, and then said, “Not bad, but the last real punks died in 1976.”
“Whatever,” I told him, thinking I’d discovered something new. “Punk’s just getting started.”
“Tell me that in twenty years,” he answered.
Dad was right. When I listen to the current spate of emo-esque, pop-punk, all I hear is the same old stuff.
And I hate thinking I’m supposed to like a certain type of music because I skate. Metal? Punk? Been there. Done that.
Calexico and Drag The River, not familiar. What’s the genre? As far as been there, done that goes… Good music is good music, regardless of when it came out. Some stuff does well with age, other seems dated, but to deny the past just because it’s past… Good music doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
drag the river broke up? shit, i’m behind the times. i just got their latest album. (fyi kilwag, drag the river is alt-country-ish. calexico – indie-ish. broad genre labels that only partly apply. find them online.)
punks not dead. punks dead, you’re next. punks is hippies. everything has already been done before.
you don’t know what punk is today unless you’re in a sweaty basement or tiny club space rockin out with the kids.
Calexico is indie-ish with Latino flavor. Their older stuff is better, I think. My brother calls it “music to drive across the desert by.” Pretty accurate.
Drag The River is made up of remnants of ALL, and sounds like what Lucero wants to be. To again quote my brother,”it’s getaway music for people running from their lives.”
Neither is punk.
Bit honestly, am I going to convince you the Clash suck? Sounds like a waste of time.
Punk never really was my cup of tea. It hit my high school as a fad, and I never realy saw the appeal. Glad you dig it. Shine on you crazy diamond.
I think you’re hung up on the word “punk.” A lot of what you are describing sounds like Strummer’s post-Clash solo work and Mescaleros output. Godd music is good music. I was never able to dig All, didn’t give them much of a chance either, in the beginning it seemed likethe descendebts, only not good.
Wow, looks like Fitz managed to completely miss/ignore early-mid punk. No one’s saying that you have to like it, but at least understand what it was. If you’re comparing The Clash to The Smiths (who I also happen to like…), you’re not even close. Sounds like your Dad knew what was up (even though 1976 is a bit off).
If you’re into Derivative Country, you might want to check out The Silos, Uncle Tupelo, and The Jayhawks, if you haven’t already. And where did “alt. country” really come from? Try some Gram Parsons. Been there, done that. As Randy said, good music is good music.
I thought I was the only skateboarder that liked Gram Parsons…talk about heroic doses…
Alternate Country is just hippie country and is as bad as Alternate Bluegrass. Why not just listen to real country (i.e. country prior to the
i always like old pricks getting all worked up about music they think is the only REAL one… . theres no such a thing as real cuntry or real punk or whatever stupid labels you might try to put on someones creative outlet. it either works for you in the particular part of day,month or life or doesnt. pretty simple. unless you are self-righteous prick who thinks that he knows better than others… i bet you do, hmm?
There is a definite generation gap that separates a lot of us, as far as skating and music. If you skated in the late 70’s- early 80’s you pretty much only listened to, (let’s just call it) Punk Rock, and DEVO. That was it!
( I will make an exception for the freestylers who liked “Falco” and the one older guy that was stuck on 70’s rock.
If you saw someone with a skateboard back then, you had 2 things in common, Skating and music. 1 type of skating, and 1 type of music.
Some of us had broader musical tastes and progressed as time went on, but skating and punk music went hand in hand back then.
I think there’s a lot more diversity in most skaters’ musical tastes than some of you are willing to recognize. I grew up skating in the late 70’s and early 80’s, but my friends and I listened to pretty much whatever we liked. Yes, that included “punk rock” and “new wave”, but also “art rock”, just “rock”, “arena rock”, “alternative/college rock”, reggae, ska, and even, yes, disco, for a few minutes. Maybe it was because we were also musicians, but there weren’t limits around what we listened to, and for me, there still aren’t any. Screw the categories. If you like it, then it’s good. Who am I to say otherwise?
If, as Fitz said, there’s only music that sucks, and that which doesn’t, determining what lands in the ‘sucks’ or ‘doesn’t’ columns is an individual choice and shouldn’t be open to criticism from others. I do think we should be open enough to recognize that we might have missed something along the way, though.
Of course, Marek managed to say all this in 5 lines… “Edit” is back on my New Years Resolution list for ’09. I promise.
Marek said it best. Punk–any of it’s incarnations–rarely worked for me.
marek–maybe you didn’t mean to, but you sound more like a “self-righteous prick who thinks that he knows better than others” than anybody else in this entire thread.
neil, it did cross my mind when i was writing it. but i thought that only people i was writing about might get offended and point it out. sorry buddy. also i gonna be the first one to say i am indeed very judgmental asshole. feel free to rip me a new one with something relevant to discussion of (or ways of discussing) music.
Yes Mac, your right, there was more diversity in musical tastes for some back then, escpecially if you were a musician. I was being sarcastic in my description, but I was pointing out a certain time when I felt things changed.
I have very eclectic taste in music, and I would rather listen to Calexico all 3 days of the trifecta rather than ACDC. (no sarcasm)
I’m with you KC. Metal at skate-sessions, in videos, at contests, etc. is just utterly played out.
I know, I know, just another opinion…
It kills me at the Trifecta every year, three solid days of the same AC DC, Slayer, and Iron Maiden songs. Hang the DJ!
It’s all part of the identity. Skate/Metal/Tattoos/Vans/PBR/etc…
Nothing inherently wrong with any of those things, but fuck the raft of jock-like crap one gets for pointing out the uniform similarities in skating today.
None of us are different. We’re all followers to one degree or another. Skating is a subculture, and like any subculture, we’re simply emulating the umbrella culture from which we fell. Uniforms, soundtracks, teams, sanctioning bodies, scheduled competitive events…
Where have we seen that before?
Rejecting any part of it is a step in the right direction. Little good can come from groupthink, and very little creativity.
Without that crucial element, skating suffers.
At times, it seems being a good skater equates to being a good sheep.
Fitz, I take issue with your statement, in particular: “Nothing inherently wrong with any of those things”
PBR sucks!
I agree, though I’ve certainly consumed my fair share.
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