A work(wear)manlike approach | Simply Ranked
Plus: Dickies' "Honeymoon," Cordano Russell does it for the 'gram, Limosine gets cheeky, and more.
The definitive weekly ranking and analysis of all the skateboarding and other things online that I cannot stop consuming and how it makes me feel, personally.
A work(wear)manlike approach
Rank: 1
Mood: 👷
The immediate takeaway after watching Dickies first full-length skateboarding project, Honeymoon, is that it feels like what you'd imagine a Dickies-branded skateboarding video to feel like. It is a straightforward, cut-and-dry affair that follows the prescribed beats of the skate video to a tee. There's b-roll and some well-shot 16mm to fill in the gaps, but it's not extensive or overbearing. There are no skits or extended segues. What you see here is what you get — much like a pair of Dickies.
The most significant stylistic leap is in the title cards, which feature each team rider's name stitched into fabric. It's a fun take and ties into the greater theme of Dickies... being a clothing company.
This work(wear)manlike approach bears out in a nearly 45-minute, non-stop rush of high-level skateboarding. From watching Guy Mariano figuring out how to skate the insides of nooks and crannies, Mike Anderson doing patently absurd Mike Anderson things (those Con-Ed enders are shocking), Tom Knox weaving through your apartment complex, Jake Hayes getting credit-carded in crisp HD, Vincent Alvarez finding and building the crustiest spots, Dylan Jaeb continuing his technical domination tour, Christian Henry powering through combos, Franky Villani making magic happen wherever he winds up, Ronnie Sandoval forgetting his shoes, Frankie Spears putting forth his best effort yet, and Jamie Foy reminding us in video parts released in back-to-back weeks that he is one of the best to ever do it, there was a lot to take it.
Watching Honeymoon felt like reading the above paragraph — there was no room to breathe. It might seem counterintuitive to criticize a skateboarding video for doing exactly what it's supposed to do, which is showcase skateboarding, but Honeymoon doesn't try to do anything beyond that. It is emotionally flat. The soundtrack struggles to connect with the skaters and action on screen. It doesn't so much inspire but update us on what ridiculous new heights professional skateboarding has reached.
That doesn't mean it is a bad video, far from it. Joe Monteleone and Bobby Bils have produced an exceptional work. Structurally, it's one that's well-shot, executed, and highly polished. However, when something is so polished, it loses the grit and grime that gives it character. Honeymoon looks and feels like a commercial, which it is, but the magic comes from being able to forget that. This doesn't mean it's not memorable, though. The skateboarding in it is jaw-dropping. Jamie Foy is a shoo-in for taking home another SOTY trophy. Frankie Spears authors a career-defining performance. Everyone in the video did themselves proud; their years of hard work on display. The video just lacks flavour.
Blandly competent is perhaps the most fitting, brand-aligned outcome for Honeymoon. The Dickies team put on their workwear, clocked in, built an impressive, well-constructed product, got paid, and called it a day. It's a thankless job, but I'm glad someone's out there doing it.
#Calagry
Rank: 1
Mood: 🀄
Not to be overly dramatic, but time is a merciless thing. It demands we keep pace, no matter our circumstances. Eventually, we lose track. We always do. Then, one day, we'll read a headline or see a sudden flashing video clip on our phones that doesn't compute. The first of many. These become constant realizations — or reminders — that things can and will change.
Those changes aren't universally bad or good; they're just, by definition, different. They require adaptation. Sometimes physically or in one's comprehension. Last Friday, I struggled to make sense of what Instagram was showing me: 20-year-old skateboarding phenom Cordano Russell, half-cab-bluntslide-180-to-backside-lipsliding the Canada-famous Stampede Rail (its namesake, the Stampede Grandstand, changed its name to GMC Stadium in 2022).
The shock of seeing this came with multiple dimensions, the first being the historical. As a young skateboarder growing up in Canada, I was first introduced to the — in that era — monstrous Stampede Rail while watching the timeless(!) classic(!!) RDS FSU 2002. The video ends with Cranbrook's own Paul Machnau flawlessly frontside-nosesliding nearly its entire length on a board that looks like a SK8MAFIA mini by today's standards.
That was peak skateboarding. The envelope had been pushed so far that the video could not reasonably continue. A generation of RDS-clad skateboarders would regale one another with just how level and steady the slide had been. This trick is likely directly responsible for the pockets of RDS-clad locals that still exist in the interior of British Columbia.
It's not surprising that 22 years later(!!!), skateboarding has advanced to such a degree that a hellacious combo like Russell's is possible; what is surprising is seeing it done with such little regard for what it means. That trick could cap off any major skate video today. It would cause any other skater to be a breakout star if Russell wasn't one already. Yet, he does it for the 'gram. Does that mean he landed something even more mind-boggling and this is just an off-cut? That's a very real and frightening possibility.
It's also a reminder of how much has changed. What would once be eternal now gets treated as ephemeral. A maneuver of such magnitude is already lost in the algorithmic churn. This doesn't seem great in the long term, but I could very well just be behind. Stuck in an old way of understanding, unable to grasp how fast this new reality moves or what matters to it. Not so much an old man yelling at clouds, but one in awe of the sun as it sets.
Not for friends
Rank: 20
Mood: 🍑
In Kyle Chayka's New Yorker column this week, he writes that "Nonchalance achieved chalantly is nothing new, but the way it is being encouraged on social media today reflects increasing structural limitations to life online." He was speaking to the proliferation of "photo dumps" on Instagram, but I think the same logic can be applied to skateboarding in the social media space as a whole.
In the section above, Cordano Russell casually posts the most formal appeal to the skateboarding audience: the hammer. A big trick by any other name. The manner in which it was uploaded, captioned with a simple "#Calagry [sic]," the typo fixed days later, has the effect of saying to the viewer that this monumental achievement of human movement is an ordinary thing. Something to post when you remember it's in your camera roll. By all accounts, this is an everyday thing for Russell, but for him and skateboarders of his calibre, their careers often hinge on the level of their posting.
Remember when professional and amateur skateboarders used to post normal? When Eric Koston would share photos of Brad Staba's bare ass and poorly-filtered shots of his friends with nary a skate clip in sight. Those feeds felt personal and relatable and easier to connect with. Now, to hard post is a commitment. It must be a quality clip or relevant promotional material or risk personal brand damage.
Well, to be fair, that is normal now, as Chayka writes:
Social media is no longer meant for connecting with friends; it is designed almost entirely to facilitate the following of brands and the monetizing of personalities.
Trying to mark life moments or maintain a photographic diary in the midst of such rampant commodification is, at this point, almost an act of resistance.
And we must resist. Post photos of your friends' asses, hurry.
You cheeky buggers
Rank: 917
Mood: 📆
We see what you did there, Limosine Skateboards! Releasing your latest edit, 50 Flower, as well as a product drop, on September 17. Obviously, this date is a reference to the day Pope Clement VIII recognized Henry IV as the King of France. Or, was it a shoutout to Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, the Dutch scientist who announced his discovery of bacteria on the day in 1683? It can't be a subtle appreciation of the series premiere of Hogan's Heroes on CBS back in 1965, right? What about M*A*S*H, which debuted on the same day in 1972? September 17 is Alex Ovechkin's birthday, and he's a surefire hall-of-famer, so that's gotta be it.
Wait... Alex... 9-17... Eh, I'm overthinking it. It's nothing.
What is something is this video, though, amiright! It continues to be Karim Callendar's year. It's also nice to see Max Palmer go full-on freak mode on every wall in his immediate vicinity. Cyrus Bennett: that guy good. Nelly! While only clocking in at just over four minutes, it is a thoroughly entertaining and satisfying watch — wait a minute! 9-17! I get it, you cheeky buggers. That's the day the Miami Dolphins retired Dan Marino's jersey in 2000. Respect.
47 years young
Rank: 1
Mood: ⏳
Remember when I was whining about time being a merciless thing? It seems to have been pretty kind to 47-year-old German Nieves, who put out a ripping new part via Quartersnacks on Wednesday.
Something to consider:
David Roth
Good thing:
Name *
Another good thing: The Skateboarders for Palestine Alliance panel "Resistance and Palestinian Existence" taking place at Vladimir Film Festival on Saturday will be livestreamed. You can sign up for that here.
Yes, another good thing: The PLANK webstore is live!
A good friends getting theirs thing:
A good podcast round-up:
A fond farewell thing:
Danny Chau
Until next week… take the time to celebrate your friends and the things your friends do. They deserve it, and we all deserve to know someone cares.
Laser Quit Smoking Massage
NEWEST PRESS
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My new collection of essays is available now. I think you might like it. The Edmonton Journal thinks it's a "local book set to make a mark in 2024." The CBC called it "quirky yet insightful." lol.
Book cover by Hiller Goodspeed.
Right, Down + Circle
ECW PRESS
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I wrote a book about the history and cultural impact of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater that you can find at your local bookshop or order online now. I think you might like this one, too.
Here’s what Michael Christie, Giller Prize-nominated author of the novels Greenwood and If I Fall, If I Die, had to say about the thing.
“With incisive and heartfelt writing, Cole Nowicki unlocks the source code of the massively influential cultural phenomenon that is Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and finds wonderful Easter-eggs of meaning within. Even non-skaters will be wowed by this examination of youth, community, risk, and authenticity and gain a new appreciation of skateboarding’s massive influence upon our larger culture. This is my new favorite book about skateboarding, which isn’t really about skateboarding — it’s about everything.”
Photo via The Palomino.
