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A busy ass week is back under control and I'm finally taking a breath. I did get to ride the new and improved TRP on Sunday night. There is lots of new, fun stuff in the street area and more on the way. Michigan legend Jason Suchen is the head mofo in charge now and seems to be doing things the the right way. There were tons of people riding and skating so things are looking good so far.
That bike would fetch a mint on Ebay. Dang.
I like to practice taking photos with the pause button. I've done this for years with bike and skate videos, where you try to pause the shot at the peak of action, just like taking a photograph. You can't cheat and slo-mo it either. With DVRs, you can do the same thing. This shot of James Stewart was taken during the season opener for this year's AMA Supercross series.
James finished an astounding 2nd place after going down in the first turn. Lucky ass Chad Reed won. I guess there's more to luck to winning the Anaheim Supercross but he's lucky Bubba went down.
Davey Coop, Joe Gall and Rusty Keys took a trip to Austin during the holidays. Apparently, it didn't go so well. Here's Davey's summary:
2 bruised hip and road rash
separated clavicle
partially torn ligaments
bashed out drivers side window
stolen radio
stolen ipod
stolen rusty keys 4 day old ipod
stolen joe gall 6 day old $700 tomtom navigation system
Keep in mind that the broken into car was Davey's new (to him) Audi. Shitty New Year to you too. Get well soon, buddy.
Happy New Year amigos. 2007 was crazy and I'm looking forward to starting a fresh new year. We ended 07 with a bang by taking a little trip to Ohio. My wife is understanding of my BMX obsession and I thank her for that. A lot of other wives are too, apparently, because a whole crew of us descended upon Ray's in Cleveland on Thursday afternoon. Kelly Baker and his son Benny came in from Newark Valley, NY, Solan, Chris Yankee, Phil Race and their buddy Deano came in from Detroit. Big James and Getting big Tyler Brichard came in from the Eastside of MI as well. Afro Pat rode his bike there. Jim Hill and Tommy Riggle are locals but definitely bros. Rays is so fun and it was great to get out and get some riding done with some of my real deal friends. I made the trek by myself but the drive was nothing. I look forward to driving sometimes. Here's the story in photographs...
A solid crew, (L-R) Yankee Peddler, Benny Baker, S. Foster, captain bumble bee.Although I think Phil took this one of me.
And I'm pretty sure James took this one of Friendly Phil, front-flippin' into the foam. Not bad for a 39.9 year old father of two.
Pat's helmet is older than Solan but his style is timeless. Pat is good at flatland. At least he was in the 90s.
One of the best things about trips like this is seeing old friends and making new ones. Here's my new buddy, Benny Baker. As cool as they get. Akron outdoor in low-temps.
Also, please check out the link in the "comments" in the post below. It is amazing.
I was fortunate enough to visit the Beautiful Losers art exhibition in Cincinnati a couple years ago. It was a full-on museum exhibition of artists from the skateboarding community, people who have influenced me more than I can put into words, my people, and it was incredible. There were drawings and wall paintings and paper zines and skateboards and sculptures and wooden installations by people like Mark Gonzales, Andy Jenkins, Chris Johanson, CR Stecyk, Raymond Pettibone, Ed Templeton and Neil Blender, among dozens of others. If you google some of those names and check out their art, you just might declare Deliverance a total sham. The first time I went to the exhibit, it was crowded and there was a skate demo going on. I wanted to see more. I was back in the area a month later and went again, by myself (the only way to take in such a spectacle, in my opinion). I felt moved and inspired and even a little bit proud. I'm not on the level of these people, but I am involved in it. I have some of the skateboards, some of the art and even a couple of the zines from the 80s. I have it all in my head and it comes out in sharpies and spray paint. There is a movie about it all, and you can check out the trailer here.
The new Deliverance shirts are here. It's been over a year since there has been a new shirt design. Some clothing company I have going here, huh? Hence the change to "Project". Every shirt, hat and sticker that I've done in the past, when I first see the finished product, I immediately find something (or lots of things) about it that I don't like. You are your own worst critic, you know? I've learned a lot over the years and beyond that, have a really good printer now, in American Icon (same dudes that print FBM, Animal, Shitluck and tons of others). I couldn't be happier with how these came out.
Never SurrenderAll I know
The "Never Surrender" graphic is one of the very first designs I did for Deliverance, back in 2002. I cleaned it up and straightened it out (it was really lop-sided) and added the motto at the bottom as a kind of celebratory statement regarding five years of existence and a lifetime of giving a shit about this stuff. The "All I know" design I scribbled on the back of an envelope a long time ago. My friend Todd Britton asked more than once if I was going to use it for a shirt. Sometimes I overlook the obvious, I guess. I like the asthetic and the "This is all I know" part is lifted from Robbie Morales in Road Fools 2. I always think of that line. When my wife saw the shirt she said "that's appropriate". Ha ha. I'll have to send Rob-O a shirt.
For some lighter viewing, go here...Russian halfpipe
Chris, over the light.
Fro, up in it. This shit was sketchy (in twenty different ways).