Skate and Annoy

Apple hearts skateboarding and iPods

Another day, another iPod, another skateboarding video. iPod Nanos now have the ability to shoot video, among other things, and the video recording information page features skateboarding. The actual video footage shown is decent enough, with the exception of the overacting by the guys in it. It’s kind of funny, actually. Someone at the ad agency has watched some skateboarding clips on YouTube, or possibly looked over their offspring’s shoulder as they watched a skate video. You can almost imagine them advising the cast of the shoot on how to make it “realistic.” It has a little bit of that cellphone video quality, probably due to the liquid lens the camera uses. It’s a bit warpy when the camera moves, but it’s not bad for an mp3 player. You can watch it on the Apple site. After the jump, view the iPhone 3Gs TV commercial that features a miniramp.

I Tattoo

It’s “I” day. We covered the I Tattoo a back in 2006, but I’ve been getting a lot of repeat tips on this one, and this picture is actually different from the advertising we featured before. The original source on this is something called People of Walmart.

– Thanks to Brock Essick, Thomas Roszkowsk and others for the tip.

I hope nobody skates well tonight.

Please stand by

I stacked pretty hard to the flat at MC’s bowl earlier tonight (Wednesday) so I’m self medicating instead of compiling Thursday’s posts. BTW, this post is fueled by Vicodin and Strongbow cider in a can.

Media horde

Oregon to Skatopia

Dave Tobin drove a motorhome full of Oregon skaters back to Ohio for a Dreamland pour at the Skatopia complex. Dave says Brewce seems well and it looks like a fun trip. Mark Scott, Little John, Q-man, Jay Meer are along for the trip. Dave Hupp is documenting the trip for a forthcoming secret PowerRider project but Tobin managed to sneak us a few phonecam shots of the trip.

Another private bowl in Minneapolis

You know a scene is pretty healthy if there are not one, but two private warehouse skate situations. Joining the Hiawatha is something called OTC. The Old Timer’s Club has about 16 guys, all with families and a median age of 34. They’ve been working on getting this thing going since last spring, and now the coping has just been welded on. In case you are wondering (because I was…) :

We had a pipe bending company come in and measure it, then we welded it. It took some doing, some massaging, but it was pretty close to perfect from the factory.

So add the OTC to the Hiawatha and something called the the root beer barrel (?), as well as the public facility known as 3rd Lair. It looks like some guys will have their winters covered in Minneapolis. Construction photos up on Flickr. Plus two new ones after the jump.

– Thanks to Luke Leonard for the pics. ( I hope they don’t kick you out now…)

GVK #50: The Mayor of Skatetown

I went to my hometown in Michigan on July10th and hooked up with my old friend, David Scot Campbell. He is by far the biggest skate influence in my life. In Michigan in 1986 he was doing stuff you would see in California skate magazines with little or no live example. He has weathered all of skateboarding’s highs and lows riding through the whole mess, and I mean from the beginning. Dave enjoyed a little notoriety at the end of the vert era when he was picked up by Santa Cruz skateboards. His talents are showcased in the video “Troops of Tomorrow”. Even though vert skating died, Dave kept skating underground because there was no upper ground. He continues to ride to this day and will ride until it’s physically impossible. I’m proud to have him as a life-long team member of Cold War Skateboards.