9.16.2009

chrome ball incident #344: limelight







right now an incredibly-talented skater is sitting in his parents' basement with a camera crew looking through old boards, reflecting on the past and bagging on his former sponsors. he's currently filming another one of his website segments which will include shooting guns, tagging stop signs and making bold predictions about a relatively-uncertain future... the day's skateboarding will be brief and boastfully done in workboots.

and for several reasons, i'm just not okay with this.

respectfully.

12 comments:

Keith said...

Fuck he was good in those Alien/Habitat years. He skated amazing when he was thin.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant posts Chops

Nigel said...

Pappalardo, then Wenning... I should have known you had something up your sleeve, Chops.

My second-rate philosophizing take is sometimes that's just the way it has to be. The obsession you can have with skateboarding when you're young can't be maintained when you're an adult. You HAVE to do other things. And I think a friendship between two guys who seem to be completely opposite in every way, and have completely different interests, is going to end sometime.

That's just life. Another example is having a girlfriend, and it's really great for a while... and then things happen, you grow apart, and there comes a point when it's just not the same anymore. Skateboarding, friendship, love... sometimes you just can't feel the same way you did in the past, but at least you felt it at one time.

hairfarmer said...

That Newport sequence blew my mind so hard, such a surprise and perfectly executed. Switch b/s smith is so good too, I don't think anyone else has done one that proper to this day. Great post, and I agree that it isn't right that Wenning seems to be(is)fading out.

Anonymous said...

To see someone come onto the scene so strong and inspire you, then find out they're such a kook...bummer.

K said...

i rememember when these two started blowing up. used to ride the red & tan down to NY; skate down to Newport/South Street Seaport and just watch them dudes around the time that the hype was building. crazy times in NY . I think Muska and Dill were living in the city around the same time.

Agostinho said...

shame how he turned out :(

Royce said...

In an ideal world, Nate Compher would just step in and take his place and the world would be a better place for everyone.

Old School Sammy said...

Just curious---does anyone know where Wenning posts his silliness? I'm guessing it might merit a quick peek, you know, in a car crash scene kind of way...

Keith said...

google "heavyhittas.com wenning" or "dayinthelifeofbrianwenning" and be amazed at the douchebaggery.

Old School Sammy said...

Douchebaggery is really one of the best words going these days. I enjoy it nearly as much as I yell "Dickhole!" at idiot drivers.

I will now head over to dayinthelifeofbrianwenning
and watch the douchey goodness unfold....

Oakland Pete said...

I never knew Wenning had fallen so low. A quick look at his blog makes Fred Gall's landslide career look a lot less depressing. Why do the best East Coast kids grow up to just be clowns. And even if they grow out of it, those job-stopper tattoos ain't going away.

I guess I'll have to go to Steve Durante for my New Jersey Hunchback fix.