Defining moments

Discovering the skateboard was the life's blood for this social misfit at age 12. It was an outlet, led me to like minds and made for many nights of looking for great spots to skate. It was a defining moment in my life to get my first skate board. It was a board from the defunct Town and Country...they may still shape surf boards but they are well gone from skateboarding....

Although I was glued to Thrasher mag and Tranworld of Skateboarding, living off the still images of various skaters of the days, it was not until I saw Future Primitive on the VCR, which was so alien for a Luddite kid like myself whose parents only recently dropped the smoke signal and have opted for the telephone. The video was groundbreaking not only in terms of the way it was filmed but for the footage. It was my first hand viewing of "rad" skating.

It was here that I saw Hosoi skate for the first time and just the way he turned was so style. It was fast and aggro and yet so smooth. It was the first time I understood what style was and what little of it I had.


It was embodiment of the rock n'roll, as if I had been going through life only seeing black and white and now I could see in full technocolor. It was like the first I heard "God Save the Queen" by the Sex Pistols: you could help but say "Fuck yeah!"





Future Primitive has a DIY sensibility in comparison to today's bigger budget, well produced products...this video was just skating and was originally designed for kids who may have a chance to see the bones brigade do a demo. Where else was somebody from Iowa going to see the moves, the style and attitude? No where because these skaters would go a long way to defining pop culture as we know it now. It was punk rock when punk had died or become a fashion statement. Even the Stacy Peralta flash of him riding old school style, even though his expiration date had occurred many years prior called for a hushed silence in the room.

I was reminded of my hero worship earlier today when I came across an old Belgiumkneewarmers.com post about style and being pro. Style is looking relaxed while riding right on the edge. They were the edge and style making them the most pro ever.