Back From Germany

Germany was crazy.  Aside from Ted and myself both being WAY over the job about 2 days into the 6 we were supposed to be there, it was cool.  Oh, and besides the part where we didn't get a single leisure day to experience the city of Hamburg, it was cool.  Oh wait, aaand besides the fact that the agency didn't pick up the tab on anything and made us spend our money pretty much the whole trip so that it ended up costing us our own money, it was cool.  I could go on like this forever with things that were "really cool" about the trip, but I'm starting to shake while typing so I will put that to a halt.  I don't think my neighbors like the sound of blood coming to a boil and steaming out of my ears anyways.  The whistle is a bit deafening.


The one cool thing about Germany was that the girls seemed to really like me over there.  But now I'm back to the land of plentiful shame and girls who don't like me.  It was probably just because I looked so different from what they are used to over there.  It seemed like a lot of people in Germany smoked though.  Nevertheless, the girls there never made leaving lipstick on a cigarette in an ashtray seem so sexy (PS I hate cigarette smoking with a passion).  7 out of 10 girls over there were beyond beautiful...the average girls there were like 69x hotter than the super hot girls here AND they were cool and easy to talk to.  Suck on that American bitches.  Fuck you.  You aren't worth a damn thing.  Nor do you don't make dysfunction fashionable :)


The trip back was kinda neat.  I sat next to a Portuguese guy who skated on the 1 hour flight from Hamburg to Frankfurt which was rad!  Then at the Frankfurt airport someone recognized me from TV!  I thought that was pretty weird.  I guess his kids watch FuelTV a bunch and this dad saw me on American Misfits Season 3.  I was in the process of getting drunk off one huge beer and the dude says to me "Hey, I don't want to sound stupid but are you on any TV shows?"  I couldn't help but laugh and totally thought the had me confused with someone else but he said he recognized me from FuelTV.  I was in mid conversation with some random, pretty girl who had eyes that I felt like high diving right into and take up a temporary residence in, and had an accent that made me want to melt into a puddle on the ground while this was happening by the way.  I wonder if this dude coming up and saying he recognized me from TV made this girl think I was way cooler than I actually am and made her have visions of seeing her hands full of my hair that seems to be stemming from somewhere between her legs as her back arches slightly further and further back...because if so...that would be cool *induce Beavis and Butthead laughter here*


But instead of going into that kinda naughty subject, or the overwhelming inefficiencies of infants how about we can talk about skateboarding?  Because after a 12 hour flight I got picked up by my boy Elliott and we went and skated Culver City park for about 2 hours.  I didn't think that this skin bag of bones and nerve endings could actually skate, but it was all that I could think about during the flight.  That and the horrible nightmares that had been plaguing me for the last 2 weeks.  It's a little hard to go after nightmares though, so skateboarding seemed like the reasonable thing to do.  I stopped receiving a sign that says I'm here anymore...am I getting through at all?  I swear these nightmares are going to get the best of me someday.  But then again, how can you lose what you've never had anyways.  Oh sanity, what a cruel game you play sometimes :)


The day after returning from the trip I went up to Dan's house and tried to skate but the wind ruined that fairly quickly.  We went to one spot on Saturday and that was the extent of my street skateboarding this weekend.  I got a trick though, I heelflipped this 3 stair sidewalk gap in Ventura and I was super glad to do it because the gap is actually bigger than I had remembered it.  You already have to bone out at the damn thing because the flat(sidewalk) is so long and you also have to clear the part where the cement meets the asphalt.  One of my sticks I landed right on that crack and took a hard slam right to my elbow.  It still hurts to this day but whatever, I got the trick despite the wind taking all the speed as I pushed and pushed my little heart out at that damn gap.


I don't even really know where any of this is going and my finger tips hurt from playing guitar for hours and hours for the last 2 nights so I want to stop this at once.  I will end this with a picture of Dan.  At his house I was talking shit about how much I hate his "Gatorade bong" so here is his quote and pic regarding my shit talking:

Dan - "I got a drink out of this...and it's a bong.  You can buy a $100 bong and what does it do besides get weed smoked out of it?  Mine was 3 dollars, I got a good drink out of it and it gets me just as high as someone's $100 dollar bong..."

Fin.

Leaving for Germany

I'm about to get picked up to head to Germany with Ted to do a job out there for a week.  We've been working like crazy here in LA doing stuff for this job.  Hence the lack of posting.  Skated with Rob Maatman, Fred Van Schie and a few other really cool dudes at the Quicksilver TF on Monday night and had a blast. David's part is up also, check it out:





He worked his arse off for that part...show him some love.


Today's best text comes via Moose...he sent me this picture message that bummed me out pretty hard:

<3

Adam Bertolet is the champion of the world.

He really is.  If you have ever heard me, or anyone of my friends saying someone is the champion of the world it's usually mean't to be an insult (especially when I say it to David).  But in this case, he really is.  The story of calling someone "the champion of the world" is a tangent I really don't feel like going down at the moment.  Someday I will though.

There are not a lot of people that I personally consider "a really good friend," and I don't know if that's particularly a good thing, but it doesn't matter when you have friends like Adam around.  There aren't many that I willingly call on the regular to want to hang out, skating, chill, party with...but Adam is on the list.  I remember the first time that I met Adam I was at Santa Barbara park skating with Moose and a few friends when I saw some dude cruising around doing really cool tricks without putting much effort into them.  I'm sure that whenever most people go to skate a park their "good radar" is flipped on and scanning for shredders.  My "good radar" was peaking in the red zone when I saw this fucker riding around.  Adam nollie heelflipped the mini 99 cent dock at the park super clean and I had to give him props and then started talking to him.  We skated about, talked and then eventually exchanged numbers to go skate street at some point.  Big Daddy Perks (aka Aaron Perko) and I were skating and hanging out at lot at that time (while I lived in Ventura) and the next time BDP came over to go night skating he brought Adam...and it's been on ever since!  I didn't even know that they knew each other and then here this dude was standing in my livingroom ready to go skate.  Perks told me he was rolling down from SB with a few friends, but I would have never thought Adam would have been one of them.  This was like a month after our initial meeting at SB park so I was super stoked to finally see this dude again and see what he had for the streets.  I remember it all like it was yesterday.


I quickly introduced Adam to Dan Roberts and they hit it off super good, and just like that Adam is part of the crew.  My circle of friends became his circle of friends.  I've known the guy for 3 years now, and as soon as I saw just how good Adam was as a skateboarder, and how cool of a person he was I quickly wanted him to be a part of Skate Movie (before the video even had a name or theme!).  Adam is one of those guys that everyone likes.  Plain and simple.  It's not easy to be that guy, I'll tell you that right now.  But I have never ever heard anyone say anything bad about Adam, he is honestly on the Theotis Beasley level.  I know Thee-Thee.  I know how nice he is, and how every likes him...Adam's seriously on that tip.  Ask anyone who knows him.

And this may seem kind of strange, but when I think about Adam the movie Fight Club comes to mind.  Not because he likes to fight though.  Adam is a valet driver at a nice, upscale hotel in downtown Santa Barbara.  Like most skateboarders, he gets pretty scraped up and bloodied from the streets.  Hey, it's natural for US right.  Well it's not so natural for most people in the world.  I always wonder what it must be like for Adam to be at work with stigmata's on his hands from skating and having to deal with people and grab keys from random, stupid rich fucks.  People must see how bruised, and battered he is and wonder just what their valet guy gets into in his spare time.  I bet they would never imagine that the guy goes out and skates huge gaps, handrails, front blunts Hubba Hideout and kickflips out of smith grinds.


And that is where the whole Fight Club thing comes to mind because of the fact that Adam works as a freakin' valet driver and all the people that he interacts with have NOOOO idea how gnarly of a guy they are dealing with. They don't know shit.  He is a beast.  So undercover, and nonchalant about it.  But don't put it his mellow demeanor past him because his skill always catches people off guard.  No one see's it coming and when they do they realize they've got a real, hard ass skateboarder on their hands.  Josiah Gatyln was caught off guard, I'll say that much. Ben Cabreana also works at a hotel and is a crazy, skateboarding maniac (who happens to play drums just like Adam...can you say twins?).


People like this is one of the things that I love about skateboarding the most.  That there are people all over this world skating their hearts out just for the fun of it, with no sponsors (or those with flow but that are relatively unknown), skating because they love it and can't live without it.  These people live among us.  They park our cars at hotels, cook our food, make our coffee, ring us up at stores, and are out there working their jobs just waiting for work to end so they can go skate.  I can't remember how many times I've been out in public and see someone and just instantly think "this guy skateboards."  Maybe you've seen him at a spot or park but aren't sure, maybe his Emerica's look a little too beat up (on the left and right foot), or maybe you just sense it.  Like it is an energy of some sort that gets transmitted between two people who may not know each other, but share a common love for something.  You may not always ask the person if they skate, or ever even find out, but you know inside when you encounter a real skateboarder.  A person who knows what it is like to have a genuine love for skateboarding and all that encompasses it.  A person who doesn't just buy the clothes, the shoes, and acts like they relate and know what skating is about.  You come across these moron's a lot more these days.  I hate them, I'll say it.  I don't care.  The dudes that say "skate or die" or drop the name of a trick like they know what's up when you come across them.  FUCK YOU.  Go drink an energy drink, have your bro (lamest word ever), grab the nearest blunt object, and have him smash your stupid face in until all thats left is a pile of mush and bone/tooth fragments.  Reduced to a paste that requires high tech scientific tools to figure out which douche bag you once were and what family blood line of idiots you belonged to.  Alright...I don't hate all the fake, ass wanna be skaters that much...buuuut ;)


I could go on about how I am glad to have a friend like Adam in my life, but I won't because he knows that he's my friend till death already.  If you ever see the guy out and about introduce yourself, talk to him, and find out for yourself why people just can't help but like the dude.  Ask him his views on girls with 80's butt...that would be a great ice breaker, or just buy the man a Coor's light because he loves those cold activated Rocky Mountains.  And with that I give you Adam Bertolet's part in Skate Movie:

PS today's "Best Text" comes via Adam himself when I told him I was doing a write up on him and it goes
a little something like this:

"I hope you mention how I'm a prestigious diamond collector, and also discuss my extensive and
numerous accomplishments in the field of marijuana studies...j/k"

His accomplishments in that field of study are intimidating to say the least.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Remake

My dad was always a huge movie fanatic and I have fond memories of watching a lot of movies with him while I was growing up.  Movies like Space Balls, Bill and Ted's movies, The Fly, old western movies, the Star Wars trilogy, and of course Nightmare on Elm Street movies.


My mom didn't have a problem with me watching the movies so much, but I think what she had a problem with was the nightmares I would have as a result of them.  I remember being super young (maybe 7 or 8) and watching the 5th Nightmare on Elm Street movie and that night having one of the craziest nightmares I had ever had.  It scared me so bad that I told myself I was not going to be watching these movies anymore.  That didn't last long!  Despite the nightmares, I could not keep myself from watching movies of this nature.  To this day I've loved Freddy, and all that he stands for.  I've always wondered what it would be like to be him!  Feared by all, deranged, able to do whatever the fuck he wants, and down to just butcher the fuck out of people.  I personally wouldn't do any of this obviously, but who wouldn't want to dawn the razor blade fingers and slash up some people that you down right despise.  You may think I'm crazy myself for thinking this, but I really don't care...just telling the truth.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who has ever thought this.  There are other villain's out there that hold it down, but none like Freddy.


The movie is not as good as the original, but I sure as hell enjoyed every single minute of it.  I'm always a fan of remakes because sometimes you just want to see how things can be done with the new technology that we have.  I didn't particularly like the scene in the remake where Freddy comes out of the wall over Nancy's bed.  The CGI was a little much. The original version of that scene just gives that scene a way creepier feeling.  But enough of the comparisons.  JUST GO WATCH THE MOVIE!  I went with my friends Aryeh and Danny and we both came out very pleased.  Aryeh was super freaked out most of the time and jumped like a mad man during every scene that surprises you...I was envious of his fear.  I think I've watched too many horror movies and my tolerance is up super high.  I was surprised and caught off guard for sure at times though, don't get me wrong!  Come on, who doesn't like a good scare?


On a side note, what a coincidence that Clint Walker's movie title for Skate Movie turned out to be not only a movie that I personally love, but also a movie that had is opening night the same night as the Skate Movie premiere.  It's like a dream come true. Clint's part has been getting a lot of play as of today.  Ambiguous rolled out his part earlier today and it's already gotten blasted off to the right people.  I was planning on putting up the parts on my youtube page one at a time, but I may just put the whole video up on Google video or something that way you can watch it in its entirety if you don't have the actual DVD.  I'll figure that stuff out soon enough.


I'm not really stoked that some random dude that I don't know already put it up, but fuck it...it's inevitable right?  I'll probably upload it to my own youtube page later tonight since it's already out so whatebbzzz!  I'm leaving for Germany for a side job next Wednesday, I think the Ambiguous dudes may even be selling the DVD online so yeah, if you want a copy ASAP I will be dropping off a stack of DVD's with those dudes hopefully Saturday, if not sooner because I want them to get that shit before I leave for this trip.


Thank you to all of you that made it out to the premiere...I was a nervous wreck the whole damn time.  Once more people started showing up I really began to lay low and didn't want to be seen or talked to really (besides my really close friends) because I had such anxiety.  Before the major crowds showed up I was stoked, skating the park, had a great time hanging with Donovon and his Dad Anthony Piscapo (among others), but yeah...when things started to get a little more hectic I just kind of wanted to hide!  Because of this I didn't get much of a chance to hang and talk to a bunch of the homie's that came out...but know that it meant a lot to see you guys there and have you come to support the crew of dudes.  I wish that I could convey the message the way I want to but I fee like it's not really coming out right.  The neurological connections in my brain seem to not have the strongest link to the motor skills currently powering these fingers of mine right now.  But know that I am very grateful for you all coming and sharing the night with us all.  And a special thanks to Clint Walker's parents for coming all the way out from Oklahoma for this!  I had a great time talking with them and was just happy to finally get a chance to meet them (and see just who it was that produced the beast that is Clint-On).  I told his mom that the dress code for girls was a Marilyn Monroe look, haha!  I think she believed me.


Thank you all and sweet nightmares :)