take it

 

point and shoot
Now Playing: My Morning Jacket

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.

    
 

 

 

 

 

Unhappy Anniversary

This week marks the one year anniversary of the passing of Glenn Seals.  I still remember how stoked Glenn was when I told him we were moving back to Kalamazoo.  He was excited to have another person to ride with.   It's really sad that there is one less person now.   You're forever in our hearts, Glenn.  We miss you.

 

Out with a bang
Now Playing: Joy Division: Interzone

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.

I remember when Tyler Brichard was real small and all over the place. One time I ran into him really hard and I felt so bad.  He remembers it too, apparently, because he brought it up at Rays.  He's big now and going big as well.

Tyler's Dad James blew out his knee two weeks ago playing dodgeball (not making that up) and wasn't going to ride.  Tobaggan with a three-way knee against doctor's orders.

Benny and Kelly Baker lead a hot lap through the most popular section (at least for us this day) at Rays.

Chris Yankee with the patented Shrimp Cocktail air.  Chris is one of the most unique individuals I've ever known and he is awesome.  I can't get enough of riding with him.

Solan took time out from passing dudes in the turns to vibe the camera.    Photos were taken by whomever was not riding at the moment so I have no idea who took any of these.

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.

And here's Benny's pops, Kelly, lip-sliding the bowl at Derby Downs in Akron.   It was cold as crap, but totally worth the price of admission.

Jason Burton made the drive down on day two to ride Chenga Brook Park.  Unfortunately for him, he got there after all the kids, but he got right to work getting radical.  His wife is due with a new baby any minute now.  She wins  "most understanding of her husband's obsession" award for sure.

Benny, Kelly and I got to Chenga right when it opened and there were only a few people there.  Here's Benny, charging one of the many hips.

The first time I hit this hip I did a table that felt so awesome.   I saw the flash go off right when I left the ground, so I'll just have to remember how cool that first one felt and might have looked.  I cracked under pressure every time afterward.  Oh yeah, Kelly took this shot.

Here's Jason with a styley 180 up the box.  One second later a kid on a Next with four pegs slid out in front of him and asked Jason what kind of bike he was riding.  The End.

 

 Also, please check out the link in the "comments" in the post below.  It is amazing.

 

Pay up Pal
There has been an awesome response to the new tees and lots of requests to purchase them.  You can send $20 (that will cover postage) for one shirt and $15 for each additional shirt, via Paypal to posie@charter.net  and I'll ship them out. Please specify size.  thanks!

  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 Surrender

All 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.

 

 

Worst video yet

I've reached a new low in video production.  The following riding, which is amazing work by Dave Moon at Kzoo, was filmed with my cell phone.  Noah and I were there watching and I got the big idea to film some clips with my phone.  Just keep the window small and it's bearable.  Dave is amazing...Moon Patrol

Joy Division
I love Joy Division.  I might even be a little obsessed (this is just part of my shrine)

The obsessed Joy Division fan is the gloomy goth nerd in me that rarely shows on the surface (and definitely not in my dressing habits).   The emotion and vibe of their music evokes a fondness and intensity that I can't describe.  There is a movie coming out about the band and life of it's late leader (he hung himself on the morning of what was to be their first US tour), Ian Curtis, called Control. 

  For some lighter viewing, go here...Russian halfpipe
 

Pool service
Now Playing: Jay Z: Change Clothes
Chris Hollyfield found this pool a year ago.  He, Dan Closser and Fro dialed it in.  I was made privy of it's locale and was invited to a session.  The pool was located in a abandoned hotel by Detroit Metro.  It was very eerie and unnerving to be there.  The pool was somehow uprooted and elevated above the floor.  You could see down underneath it and it was very surreal.  The day I was there, it was insanely slippery.  I only took a couple runs, but Chris and Fro were ruling it...

Haz mat clean-up

Chris, over the light.

Fro, up in it.  This shit was sketchy (in twenty different ways).

 

 

 

Zaxxon
Now Playing: M.I.A.: Paper Planes
Catfish is one of my favorite people ever and this video confirms that he is much more than just a pretty face with a sharp tongue and rap skilz.