Skull Skates founder PD appeared on a Vancouver-based TV show called Urban Rush. He had a ton of product and a couple dark silent types from Barrier Kult. I was hoping for more interaction with the Barrier Kult guys, they look so sinister standing on that set, like it’s a hostage situation. A large segment of the skateboarding population knows about Barrier Kult, but I’m sure their presence was shocking and a little disconcerting to the general viewing public, especially in the current political climate. It looks like a hostage situation.

– Thanks to Prickly Pete for the tip.

Nardwuar the Human Serviette had a guest DJ Roger Allen on his radio show to present the history of Skate Rock. It’s was an entertaining show to be sure, but I think Roger confused Skate Rock with music that a lot of skateboarders listen to. He started off on a high note with a soundtrack clip from the 60’s film Skater Dater, and a few good skatesploitation tracks from the 70’s before getting derailed by Led Zepplin, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and a bunch of other bands that certainly were listened to by a lot of the skating population, but can hardly be considered authentic “skate rock,” Bad Brains included. It’s something I’d actually enjoy getting into a scholarly debate about with Allen. It’s a good listen anyway. 80’s centric but bookended by decades on both sides. Check out Nardwuar vs. Roger Allen. I love Nardwuar.

– Thanks to Dale Pidlisny for the tip. [Photo: William R. Jans]

Ryan Jones in Britannia Beach, British Columbia, as shot by his girlfriend Rebecca. Check out the Shot of the Week.

Ride the Giant is a big downhill event in Alberta, Canada that looks pretty fun except for the ICP soundtrack. PDXDownhill went to the event and put together a nice video, with the exception of the juggalo soundtrack. Did I mention how much I loathe ICP, even in an ironic context?

– Thanks to JP for the tip.

There was a little leftover concrete and rebar from the Notre Dame de L’ile Perrot addition that Kevin Cann was working on. Fortunately, he had previously made a mold for a parking block, and had it ready to go. Kevin is really excited to have some famous Tedder Stone on order for the new bowl, and who knows, maybe Kevin will become famous for his parking blocks!

Here’s a nicely shot video of a night session at the relatively new Kensington Park, err, uhm, skatepark, in Vancouver, BC..

– Thanks to Dylan Davies for the tip.

Kevin Cann has been spearheading an effort to expand a small skatepark in a town called Notre Dame de L’ile Perrot, a small town outside of Montreal, Quebec. It started off as a DIY-esque park with the blessing and financial aid of the town, thanks in part to Kevin’s hard work and some open minds in city hall. I had forgotten to put this story up, actually, but I’m going to do this part first. The backstory will come later. Here’s the bottom line, the first stage of the park was a success (see picture here) and Kevin used that momentum and good will to add a proper bowl to the jersey barrier foundation the park already has. Pictures after the jump, thanks to Kevin.

Our Canadian readers are slacking. I was trying to find more info on the Jeans West commercial from the 70’s when I stumbled on this commercial for West 49, which near as I can tell is the Canadian equivalent of a Zumiez.

This week’s shot of the week comes from repeat offender Dylan Davies. Here’s a shot of his friend Jeremie at Bonsor skatepark in Vancouver B.C.. I don’t know if that’s lens flare or a light leak in the lower left hand corner, but it looks great. Check out the Shot of the Week

Call me old fashioned, but friend requests on FaceBook still kind of freak me out when I don’t have any idea who the person is. I always end up scoping out the person to make sure it’s skateboard related. I checked out Michel Skart Poulin and found some really cool cabinets he made by applying fancy veneers to a garden variety skateboards. More pictures at No Damn Good Skate outta Montreal. Congratulations, by the way. You can see some in person at Monde Ruelle gallery in Montreal.