He's not just driving, he's dropping in
Plus: the X Games bring action-sports themed excellence and oddities, the Berrics is back(?), Walker Ryan is cross-promoting careers, 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.
He's not just driving, he's dropping in
Rank: 1
Mood: 👹🛻
Over the weekend, the X Games brought its roadshow to Salt Lake City, Utah. As is expected, that came with all kinds of action-sports themed excellence and oddities. The series, throughout its 30-year history, is responsible for hosting and promoting some of the most iconic feats in skateboarding, from Tony Hawk's 900 to Jake Brown's 47' drop of doom. While nothing on that bubble-piercing level transpired last weekend, there were still moments of awe, like Primitive Skateboard's AM-who-should-be-PRO, Filipe Mota, taking gold in Men's Skateboard Best Trick with a flawless Caballerial-kickflip-backside-tailslide.
There were also the strange undercurrents that come with a highly corporatized sporting event. Rivian, the electric vehicle company, sponsored the Skateboard Vert and Skateboard Vert Best Trick competitions. At the same time, the Moto X events outright banned the use of electric bikes, which Patrick Evans, last year's Best Whip gold medal winner, had used. A contradiction that many commenters on the YouTube stream took note of.
This merging of the athletically wild and culturally confusing is where the X Games excel. Will you see some of the most impressive competitive skateboarding imaginable? Yes. Will the United States Army also be on site to recruit and do TikTok challenge sponcon? Also yes.
It's that blend of overt commercialization packaged under the guise of action-sports greatness — a partnership where the former has, realistically, made much of the latter possible — that makes the long-running series so compelling, at times off-putting, and the perfect place for Monster Jam, the big-truck-go-vroom-and-smash event, to debut its newest competitor, the Tech Deck Wreck Deck.
Wow! From the Monster Jam website:
The full-throttle, ramp-smashing powerhouses of Monster Jam and Tech Deck came together to launch Team Spin Master’s newest truck. And who better to unleash it than the fearless Bryce Kenny! He’s not just driving, he’s dropping in.
Inspired by the fearless world of skateboarding, this Monster Jam truck treats the stadium like a massive skatepark, catching big air like it’s hitting a vert ramp, stomping landings and going for the coolest tricks. Get ready to witness a full-throttle, ramp-smashing, adrenaline-pumping ride.
Who better to preview that gigantic wrecking machine at the X Games than skateboarding's own gigantic wrecking machine, Cordano Russell?
Honestly, great brand awareness by all parties. This is the kind of twisted synergy that only the X Games can provide. Now, the real question: is Wreck Deck supposed to be a monster truck-sized skateboard or a monster truck-sized fingerboard?
Conscious decisions
Rank: 1
Mood: 🥇
Not that it wasn't apparent at any point in the last 30-40 years, and it's almost silly to even type this out now, but it becomes painfully, devastatingly obvious when you watch the stunning progression in skill and ability of someone like 15-year-old Chloe Covell — who last weekend won X Games gold with a first-try nosegrind-nolliekicklip down a handrail — that all it would've taken to foster the healthy growth of women and non-traditional skateboarders throughout the preceding decades, in regards to creating professional careers, stars, and, in turn, expanding the overall user base and consumer market, was to simply provide them with the same opportunities as men. The ones they're (mostly) getting now. Instead, they were kept at the margins or outright ignored.
Yes, times were different, but not that different. It was a conscious decision by the industry and media at the time. Just as our current political and cultural backslide is a purposeful effort. The advent of social media and skateboarding as an Olympic sport has helped usher in more coverage, sponsorship dollars, and overall opportunity for women and non-traditional skaters, but in those dark periods, it was the intentional effort, longtime advocacy, and community building of those like Lisa Whitaker, whose projects Meow Skateboards and Girls Skate Network served (and still do) as a lifeline for an untold number of skaters around the world when the mainstream couldn't be bothered.
Again, these aren't novel observations, and Natalie Porter's excellent forthcoming book documents this in much greater (and more interesting, cogent) detail, but what comes to mind when I see 15-year-old Arisa Trew landing a kickflip-body-varial-540 to win her record-breaking 7th X Games gold medal in the women's skateboarding field or Nelly Morville creating fantastic chaos in the streets, is how tenuous things had been up until the mid-late aughts, how fast they changed, how exciting it is, and how uncertain it remains.
It's fantastic that the (still limited!) support is here now, but all it takes is for some dopes in a boardroom to decide those demographics are no longer marketable, or those dopes cave to political pressure from an incumbent government and political movement bent on the subjugation of women and all minority groups, and we return to the dark ages.
That's a bleak prospect to consider, and hopefully it remains a doomer thought experiment, but, when it comes down to it, if you're interested in and care about these skateboarders, their stories, and want to see them continue to flourish, buy their signature products, watch their video parts, and contest appearances. Post about them, interview or write about them, make sure the world knows how much they rule — that's the language those holding the purse strings understand. And as an audience and consumers, those are the conscious decisions we can make.
Rebirth, coming soon?
Rank: 13
Mood: 🎢
In November 2023, the Berrics, the indoor skatepark and video production facility that first began churning out popular intraculture internet content in 2007, announced that it was moving from its second physical location, which it had occupied for 13 years. To commemorate the occasion, the Berrics, in collaboration with Mike Mo Capaldi's ABD Collectibles, sold pieces of detritus from the skatepark's demolition.
The reams of content they produced to pay tribute to the genuinely impressive amount of content pumped out of that building, week in and week out, came with an implicit promise that the Berrics would return in some form. This farewell took place less than a year after Steve Berra and Eric Koston, the founding portmanteau of the Berrics, celebrated regaining complete control of the company after a tumultuous tenure under the Hypebeast umbrella following a 2018 acquisition.
In a since-deleted post, Berra would describe that relationship as such:
Contrary to popular belief, it’s been almost 5 years since we’ve effectively had any influence over what we created, how it was run, what we made and what it stood for. Five years forced to the sidelines, largely silent, being told what we can and cannot do… or else suffer the consequences. Suffice to say, it was painful watching and experiencing some of the things that transpired.
Following the separation, not much changed. If anything, the Berrics' content strategy degraded further. Overtly clickbait-y, it focused on recycling previously produced content and pushing even more Cariuma-related riders and videos, as Berra was serving in the role of brand manager for the shoe company at the time. Berra himself would stay busy getting into feuds with fans, former employees, and volunteering with his local Scientology chapter and LAPD precinct.
After the physical Berrics closed, they teased what was construed by many to be a new park, which ultimately turned out to be a single-day pop-up contest. In the time since, the large extent of original Berrics content has been related to DVS team riders — most of whom are former Cariuma riders — where Berra has now moved on to be a brand manager of sorts. That was until this May, when Berrics announced the "FUJI BerriQs SKATE PLAZA."
Many people have asked us, “What’s next?” We can finally break our silence. There is no secret that some of the best skaters on earth are currently coming from Japan.
It was only natural to start putting some focus on this beautiful country. This project has been in the works with @fujikyuhighland for well over a year and we’re excited to tell you that it’s coming this summer.
And summer is going to be here before you know it.
Lookout for videos about Japan and our journey to building this incredible street plaza. Coming soon! - sb x ek
"We can finally break our silence" and "It was only natural to start putting some focus on this beautiful country" are some unintentionally hilarious things to say for what looks to be a brand-licensing arrangement, because otherwise, it's unclear what the Berrics' involvement in the design, construction, or facilitation of this new street plaza at a Japanese amusement park entails or means for the future of the Berrics as a content producer. A press release from Fuji-Q Highland doesn't offer much more clarity (via Google Translate).
Fuji-Q Highland (Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture), an amusement park with free admission, has teamed up with THE BERRICS (California, USA), a web media outlet that promotes skateboarding culture around the world, to open the skateboarding area "FUJI BerriQs SKATE PLAZA" in the summer of 2025. This facility is the first skateboarding area in Asia produced by THE BERRICS, a Los Angeles-based company that handles skateboarding content and web media, and has a strong influence both domestically and internationally in a wide range of fields, including fashion and music, as well as in the skateboarding industry.
With the support of Amuse Sports Agency Inc., which is engaged in the agency, production, and planning of sports content and athletes under the concept of a "culture complex (multicultural space)," Fujikyu Railway and BERRICS have collaborated to create an open space where various people, such as skateboarders, people who enjoy watching skateboarding, and people who take photos, can gather and spend time, and Fuji-Q Highland, the hub of Fuji Five Lakes tourism, aims to become a base for disseminating new culture.
Okay, but it's still not clear what the Berrics will actually be "doing" in this situation —
"Street culture" is popular among young people. It refers to free self-expression and community culture on the streets of the city, and skateboarding is a symbol of this. Skateboarding is not only a sport, but also connects with various fields such as fashion, art, and music, creating new values and movements. This facility will fuse street culture with Japan's natural and historical culture, such as Mt. Fuji and Japanese gardens, and become a new "CULTURE hub" born from the intertwining of diverse cultures, thereby developing the area around Mt. Fuji, which attracts many people both domestically and internationally, into an even more attractive region.
You're creating a "cultural hub," I get it, but will the Berrics regularly produce content in the park, like they had when they established themselves as a "web media outlet that promotes skateboarding culture around the world?"
Nowadays, many skate parks in Japan are surrounded by fences, and are designed to give the impression of being spaces isolated from society. Based on the concept of a "Culture Complex," this facility is based on the idea of a "SKATE PLAZA (an open space where people gather and interact with each other, centered around skateboarding)" and aims to create an open space that is in harmony with society by dividing the area with plants and verandas instead of fences.
Alright then. Being in harmony with society sounds nice.
Now that's good marketing
Rank: 1
Mood: 📚🛹
What better way for a professional skateboarder and novelist to subtly promote each endeavour than by releasing a new video part and a new book in quick succession? On Tuesday, Thrasher uploaded Ryan's latest skateboarding effort, Siesta, which is a bit of a misleading title since if you watch it, he is clearly not taking it easy.
August 7 will then see the release of Ryan's next novel, and his third after Off Clark and Top of Mason. That timing means he'll still be top of mind as one of the best skateboarders out there when he starts promoting the book. Ryan would tell me via email that he'd timed this out purposefully. Now that's good marketing! What can't this guy do?
Will the book's ending be as explosive as Siesta's? You'll have to read the thing to find out!
Something to consider:
Federica Marsi
Good thing:
Bonus Ted:
Adrian Parr
Another good thing:
Farran Golding
Good thing about a weird thing:
Jeremy Appel
Good pod round-up:
Justin
A good book thing: If you're in the area, I'll be moderating a chat between Natalie Porter and Amy Mattes at the Vancouver Public Library in September. Should be a nice time!
Until next week… find a nice tree with which to sit under and watch the day go by. As the sun sets, make your way home, too. Then watch Barking at the Knot and Hockey IV.
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 called it a "local book set to make a mark in 2024." The CBC said it's "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.
Photo via The Palomino.
