"When I skate, I push around, and look down at my shoes. If my shoes don't look right, I get bummed and can't skate. Sometimes if I try to get all artsy fartsy and get some killer design on my skateboard, I just can't skate it. I'll take it apart and give it to somebody. Or I'll have a totally good board and I'll sticker it all up perfect. I'm just into that, you know? It's the only thing I do, I skateboard, so putting my skateboard together is like putting my house together. I just put my stickers on and go, "OK, that looks killer." I just go down the line of my sponsors. "OK, cool. This is rad." I put the grip tape on right, slant it just perfect, everything's looking killer, and then I'll get the paint pens out. I'll ride it for a day and I'll be stoked on my set up, and then I'll draw some stupid looking thing that blows it all, and I have to give it away."
Matt talks about the madness. I'm the same way with grip tape art. Sometimes I would draw stuff, but I would always end up hating it so I stopped. It's been the same grip job for ages now - two pieces with a thin line in front of the back truck. Ideally none of the top graphic is showing, but sometimes a little bit slips in. I think it makes the skateboard look fast.
This poster was on the wall of my bedroom for a bit. I think I even took it with me to college for my freshman year.
A few things I dug about skateboarding in 2017:
1. Ryan Lay's part in Welcome's Fetish video
2. Nikola Racan's Solsticij video
3. The Pass~Port section in Transworld's The Cinematographer Project: World View
4. Ben Gore's part in Transworld's Riddles In Mathematics
5. Nora Vasconcellos' part in Welcome's Fetish video
6. Raven Tershy in Lakai's The Flare
7. Gilbertt Crockett in Venue's Gospel video
8. Lizzie Armanto turning pro for Birdhouse
I got skateboarding 257 times in 2017. Some of those were long sessions at the park, other times it was 15 minutes on my lunch break or pushing around in the street, and a couple of times it was a few ollies and a 43 on the front porch. February was mild so that was nice. I had this goal of no double digit days off this year and I was successful, although it got dicey at the end. Hence the porch skating. The winter is here now and I'm not sure when I'll get to roll next. I'm hoping it clears up enough to hit up an indoor park next weekend, but that might be asking a lot.
Vert Is Dead is going on winter hibernation until Monday, January 15th. Have a safe and happy calendar change.
Daniel Harold Strut was the photographer.
For the quote: Transworld - August 1990 Volume 8 Number 8
This is from a 1991 Transworld Poster book.
5 comments:
I'm in the office for the last time this year so will ask a quick question before I head home. Is that the first time you've ever put a pic of yourself in the blog?
Have a fun and safe New Years everyone.
Love the blog. Keep sharing your personal stories. We are reading them.
Yeah, man. Cool stuff. I dig the frontside grind photo.
Hensley even made gullwings cool!
Thanks for the support.
Yeah, this is the first time I've put a picture of myself on here. I didn't realize that. It's a grab from a crappy video. Gotta keep it early 90s. I'd like to redo this for somebody who knows how to use a camera. It's also downloaded from my Facebook page since I didn't have the original file at work so that knocks it down a few more DPI. Hey, it works for Palace.
Is Matt on Indy or does he still ride Gullwings? That company has inspired some serious loyalty over the years.
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