Research In Menace


Menace: A Sociological History - "coming soon"


ps. I would like to also take this opportunity to thank Crailtap management for the link.

The Deferred Dream of an East Coast Industry

Mike Agnew was trying to establish an East Coast industry. He failed somehow.
-Sean Mullendore, 2008

The twentieth century is littered with the wreckage of failed industrialists: Studebaker. Lee Iacocca. DeLorean. Mike Agnew.
If you read this site, you probably also read the insanely prolific 48 Blocks. Perhaps, like myself, you were mesmerized by the Hemingwayan prose of the recent Sean Mullendore interview. Specifically, The mention of Mike Agnew reminded me of Nicotine/Capital/Silverstar/First Division and that whole era (1995-2000) of skating in the mid-Atlantic region. What happened to that dude? Unfortunately, that brand of hard-hitting investigative journalism is beyond the meager capabilities of this site. It could possibly, however, make for an effective two-paragraph piece in TWS Business. In any event, the purpose of this post is three-fold.

A. to sketch an abstract of the history of the “East Coast Industry” concept

B. to briefly elucidate some memories from the aforementioned era

C. to peer into a crystal ball to predict the [bleak] future of the “East Coast Industry” concept

PART A:

First there was Shut. Then Zoo crept up onto the scene in ’94 or so. Oddly enough, the first time I saw a Zoo board was in Intensity Skates in Jessup, Maryland in 1994 (more on that location later). Subsequently about a year later the whole “Stereo East” semi-controversy exploded, fueled partly by the blunt-fueled histrionics of Rick Oyola. Then ADI exploded, then imploded. There was always Zoo, but there was something shitty about the Chapman wood and shapes. For a while, though, ADI was best thing going. The whole reasoning behind Deluxe pulling the plug on ADI and Metropolitan, two brands most renowned for their ad concepts and designs, will forever by shrouded in mystery. Or, allegedly, Metropolitan outsold Spitfire, and, like, that’s a faux pas.

Nicotine had been going for a while, but Capital capitalized on the two superstars of the time—Pep and Andy. I think Pep had hurt his ankle, though, around the time that whole shit started. I think the Newport-inspired Nicotine graphics influenced my choice of Newport cigarettes when I started smoking in 1997. I quit in 2001.The thing about Capital was that the boards were closer to the Prime wood concepts—especially that one with the Nervous Records logo. The main thing that baffled my about Capital was that they never produced a video. I mean, Andy Stone had probably the most prolific year video-part-wise ever from April 1993 to April 1994 (Falling Down, Snuff, Fine Artists). Perhaps after EE3, such a production would have proven superflous? Who knows. Subsequently, and I don't know exactly how this occurred, but Silverstar switched from Zoo to ECU.

I almost forgot about Infamous. I'll never forget--I walked into my friend's birthday party, and---

"Ryan Hickey's starting a new company. It's called The Infamous. "

Truth be told, it would have been a lot cooler if the name had remained The Infamous. Unlike bands, the whole "the" thing never caught on with companies. The main thing I remember about Infamous is the very first night they got boards, most of the dudes were selling them at Astor. That and their extremely consistent ad layout. In addition, they later picked up Ian for a minute. That particular gentleman deserved his own post at some point in time, without a doubt.

Around the turn of the century shit became kind of surreal--the main tipping point being Zoo being taken over by Ecko, leading to a hostile takeover of Aesthetics, and consequently Zoosthetics with Sal as TM. That tripped me out. This led to, of course, Zoo York Footwear and:

Zoo york Surf! To clarify, I would like to state that surfing is fucking rad, and is a lifestyle that, in a way, I aspire to. I know that there are surf spots on LI and in NJ, which kind of makes sense, but establishing a Zoo surf brand reeks of late-00's cynical ASR bottom-line-ism. In any event, I'm sure Snake Plissken, given the choice, would patronize the Zoo York Surf brand.

Zoo York...hmmm....reminds me of that other shithole I escaped from.

Part B:


"Where the bitches at?"
-Maurice Key
Beltsville, MD 1996

Back in 85-86, when my dad drove me to DC to catch a plane to go visit my grandparents in Cleveland, he remarked "D.C. - there's an aura of power in this town." Few things compare to that two-hour drive, the intensity increasing exponentially. The drive from Richmond has a biorhythm all it's own. You start out in woods. Nothing but woods. Could be anywhere. Then you crest the hill of Fredericksburg, one of those towns with KFC signs towering 200 ft. in the air. Beyond Fredericksburg is basicallly the DC area. Once the HOV lanes appear, you're in a different time and space. Then you go over the curve of the highway over Crystal City--an oddly mystical name for an amalgamation of office buildings-- then you have arrived. 14th St.

Northeast of there, though, Intensity Skates hosted some of the most epic World demos of that time. Definitely worth driving 2 hr for. The first one I went to was a blind/world/prime (including Lavar and Caine Gayle, pre-MMA) production in 1996 that my friend and myself scheduled at the start of an epic EAST COAST ROADTRIP. Maurice Key did like four consecutive nollie b/s heels on the bank--definitely an iconic point in b/s nollie heeldom. The Intensity World demo 1996 also, and I have no idea why I remember this, is notable for the first nollie b/s n/g I ever witnessed, in person or on video, by Gary Smith, one of the most underrated East Coast dudes ever. Anyway, Maurice recognized me from Astor or whatever and quite sincerely asked "where the bitches at?" If I knew then what I know now, I would have directed him to the University of Maryland, just a couple miles away. Indeed, there's this one road that goes past U of M and heads straight for the heart of DC--specifically, MLK (RIP). I only skated that spot once--after the World demo the following year. Anyway, the EPIC EAST COAST ROAD TRIP continued north to the city of Baltimore. Because The Wire had not yet been produced, I did not know to head to the West side of town to purchase drugs! J/K. In any event, we had a place to stay so we headed to the most logical place for shit to skate—downtown/inner harbor area. We found that brick fabrication that Jack Sabback nose manualed in Static II , in addition to some Pier 7-type ledges directly adjacent to the harbor itself. In that area, we skated past some yuppie bar and some dude says “Hey! Skaters... ...alright—do you know Mike Agnew?” Trip the fuck out.
The next day we proceded to NJ for the last show. The girl who said we could crash at her house was nowhere to be found, so we said "fuck it" and just drove to PHILA and slept in the vehicle--an 89 Suburban--on some fuckin' sidestreet. I do not recommend this.
We skated a skeletal version of FDR before proceding to LOVE, a pilgrimage of sorts to a place and time the likes of which will probably never materialize again. A short list of individuals in attendance that one day were: Stevie, Oyola, Gall, KT. Barley and Reese Forbes appeared at dusk. One of my rationalizations for my position that Forbes' coverage has been lackluster of late is his status as one of the most hellacious skaters ever--somewhat of a precursor to Van Engelen's current philosophy of skating ledges as if one is brutally making love to a woman. I recall t/s to fakie at mach 10 on the main ledge, and, just like at Pulaski, a neck-high stage, which he ollied up, stood at the other end near the ledge-over-stairs. By the way, what did they use these stages for? Did they produces plays? Stage protests? Our Town?

Part C:

"Owner Mike Agnew says that diminishing sales forced him to reconsider his priorities."

-TWS Business, February 2000

So, the question remains—Is anyone insane enough to attempt to establish an East Coast industry ever again? Presently, Traffic is doing things, Catalyst is doing things—those dudes rip. But here’s the thing—based on my observations, roughly 90% of dudes ride shop boards. The other 10% includes dudes such as myself with irrational nostalgia-based brand loyalties. In addition, the structure of skating has mutated. In the past, there was a kind of secret network that started at the curb at your local elementary school and spread outwards, yet inwards at the same time—perhaps to the local office building with an obtuse brick “hubba”, to the local college with a smattering of ledges, to the DOWNTOWN AREA, to DC, to NY, to SF. Now, most kids just skate whatever box creation in their driveway or local cul-de-sac or low traffic area, maybe get their parents to drive them to the local park, and watch whatever videos appear on the internet. I'm probably wrong, though. The new futureworld has facilitated a lot of shit, but it's also created a situation where one can insulate oneself from everything--if one chooses to do so.

Both Teams Played Hard.

Allow me to throw my 2 cents into the deafening chorus of disapproval surrounding the new Lakai product line.
Presumably, the "racing" series taps into the same aesthetic that gave birth to this opus.
Truth be told, I am loathe to wear clothing with tons of logos. I even rarely wear clothing with writing on it, period.
However, NASCAR is fucking rad. For example, this one female co-worker of mine attended a NASCAR racing event a few weeks ago and "drank a lot." This, in my opinion, is tremendously attractive. Why? Because it's about as un-hipster as you can get. Maybe this series will gain popularity if hipsters begin ironically wearing NASCAR attire.
In addition to the above IRL-themed Mariano 2, I am partial to moderately tech shoes like any Howard shoe, or the recent Carroll incarnations. I fail to comprehend how dudes skate in shoes like low-top "old-school" Vans. Skating, by definition, kills one's feet. Therefore, does it not warrant footwear that provides a modicum of protection? You don't see Chris Paul wearing Chuck Taylors or Pro Keds, praising their superior "court feel" or some shit. That might not be an apt comparison. However, I've observed Rasheed Wallace sporting high-top AF1's for a few years now. Who knows what rationale he conceived for that particular footwear decision, though.

where the fuck is Bora Bora, anyway?

As apt now as it was then--perhaps moreso. Except for, however, the part about the calling card. I think I used to have one of those...

Greetings from Asbury Park.

Review of Inhabitants now complete. Approximate word count: 3,372.

The third-best Bay Area Thrash band...

...according to Meza, released their first record in 9 years today--with the fucking original lineup (except for Paul Bostaph from Forbidden/Slayer on drums). From what I heard on the Sirius it seems to be a more modern interpolation of the Bay Area Thrash sound, with none of the death metal vocals of the mid-to-late Nineties releases. They will assault North America this summer with Priest, Sabbath w/Dio (who call themselves Heaven and Hell for legal reasons, I suppose), and fucking Motorhead. Holy crap.

Skouse interior decorating tip #4,080

Do you live in a skouse? Does the decor in said skate house scream "I do not live with a woman?" If so, or even if this is not the case, here is a fun project you can do with one of the most common skouse design elements: the pile of old, shredded-all-to-fuck decks in the corner.
First, some background: When we moved here we got some shit from Pottery Barn Kids for our kids' rooms, so I have been receiving the catalog in the mail ever since. So today, I laughed when I saw this spread therein. The funniest part is the description for the deck-shaped chalkboards.
"Fuckin' skate kids--always "tagging" everything!!"
This shelving unit, though, seems like it would be a cool idea if fabricated with actual decks--you know, not the kind from bizarro world that have the (main) graphic on the top. I guess one could get some cheapo shelves from wherever, un-grip the decks, and just drill holes through the decks before one mounts the shelves. Or one could place 2x4's or some shit behind the decks so one could mount the unit on the skouse wall graphics-out.
Fuck, I might actually do this over the summer when I don't have to work.


ps. Just to clarify, if any of my kids get into skating, I will not redecorate with a "skate" theme. I will, though, encourage the classic "wall collage"--the only thing mags are good for now.

The Smaller the Text, The Closer to G-d.

" 'definitly' considered the 'Nerds' of skateboarding."
Look at how small the text is in that "timeline." It has to be what, like 2 point? Unbelievable.

Living on the Edge of Time: The Lighthouse Keeper

If you went to high school in this country, you read The Great Gatsby. In that book, the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is a symbol for Gastby wanting to fuck her, thus recapturing the past. The year I read the aforementioned work was the year that Snuff came out. Books, like video parts, metamorphosize over time. The meanings change. For example, when I read Catcher in the Rye in high school, my main reaction was “that’s fucking awesome—he ran away from school and went to nyc and stayed in a hotel by himself and did all this shit.” When I reread/taught it a couple years ago, my impressions were, of course, slightly more nuanced.

Video parts are the same way. Over time, dudes skate slower. Ledges shrink. Pants get bigger, wheels get smaller. More importantly, the psychological connections to spots and individuals change. Snuff, Trilogy, the switch flip over the table, Lockwood, the Cube, the small banks, the passage of time mutates all these places, people, and images.

The other day, while performing a rudimentary search for an illegal copy of Gino’s part in the Nike video (which shares the title with an epistolary YA novel), I found this. At first, I didn’t know what to make of it. Who is the documentarian? What is he documenting? Why? In any event, it’s the most mystifying, perplexing, completely fucking devastating internet video I have seen in quite some time. Then I took a step back and viewed it through the prism which helps dudes like me give meaning to the meaningless: literature. Pro skaters are for, us at least, mythological figures in a Joseph Campbell sense. However, This internet film, for myself at least, transforms Gino into a literary figure.

Although Montauk is on the Eastern, not Northern shore of LI, and the lighthouse is an actual lighthouse, not a fucking green light at the end of a dock, the symbolism and characterization are strikingly similar to Gatsby. This is when Gino become a Fitzgeraldian character. Driving around LI, playing hockey, drinking beers, having some kind of existential crisis. Then there is the lighthouse, which Iannucci notes is on the Easternmost edge of New York. Iannucci feels as if he a passenger on a galleon, constantly teetering on the edge of the world. “How many days can I keep this up?”

A more productive literary prism through which to view this conundrum might be To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. Truth be told, I don’t remember much of this from college. However, in a rudimentary internet search for literary criticism, I found the following quote:

“the lighthouse is an instance of the way in which we provide (or project) a sense of order, meaning and purpose to the contingent, provisional and inchoate nature of 'Life' itself: Mr Ramsay's final journey to the lighthouse provides shape, order and significance to his life at that moment.”

www.newi.ac.uk/rdover/lightho.html

At that moment in time, the lighthouse occupied whatever psychic space Iannucci need it to. And it will occupy a new space and perform a new symbolic function in the future. As I'm sure they told Iannucci in rehab, "One day at a time."

Of course, Fitzgerald said that there are no second acts in American life. Did Guy disprove this?

In conclusion, oddly enough, the only Iannucci deck I ever had:

I literally sold for a beer.

Trip the fuck out.

ps. I am shocked that no one has used the above Islanders logo as a graphic. Apparently, the team only used it for one year (96-97) because it was so g-ddamn offensive. I don't know why--what could be more badass than an angry fisherman with a hockey stick? Another reason to back the Islanders: a few years ago when they had just acquired Alexei Yashin and Michael Peca to become a legit team after a few years of shit, Meadow Soprano sang the national anthem at the home opener. epic.