3.22.2011

chrome ball incident #613: flower called nowhere









"Looking back, I think I may have actually stepped away a bit too soon." -Bob McKrooks

11 comments:

rthdghuyfy said...

Robbie McKinley is in my opinion the last person that got hooked up with Girl that felt truly OG Girl, even though I think BA and McCrank kills it like C-Murder.
Didn't McKinley invent the ever so popular sk8 dice or something?

Anonymous said...

Great post. Too soon is right!

Backside noseblunt photo is the tits.

Keith said...

Always one of my favourites. Listen part was super sick. I don't know what it is about his style but it looks good to me.

I agree with the quote... he did step away too soon.

Anonymous said...

Met this guy in a bar in Venice. Super nice dude. Offered to by my girl and I a beer and talked to us even though I was fanning out a little bit like a skate nerd. Cool guy with a solid style.

stephen said...

i gotta add to the discussion on robbie since there's only 4 comments so far!!! as someone above me wrote, he's a 'cool guy with a solid style'. kinda reminds me of 'the dude' in 'the big lebowski' (one of his favorite movies'. haha, that's robbie in a nutshell. i was roomates with robbie, and a few other guys, from like '97 till '02 so i know him pretty well. we weren't the best of friends but we used to hang out quite a bit and he's a super mellow cat who just likes what he likes and does what he does. he was always down to hook a dude up with a board, wheels, etc. or even drink at the bar. really a generous guy. he could have gone further in skating, no doubt, but he was always more down to just chill out and skate the beach and then have a few brews with the homies. he definitely wasn't a super go getter when it came to getting coverage/footage whatever either AND he was super picky about what he would pursue getting. more quality over quantity i guess. but he was gifted for sure... a natural. don't get me wrong.... i think he went through phases where he got shit done, like around when 'listen' came out especially, but he wasn't the type of dude who wouldn't go skate without a photog/filmer around. with that said, i've witnessed some amazing shit having skated with him throughout the years around LA. robbie's got one of THE best styles... he just did tricks proper. popped flip tricks caught clean, good nollie/switch steez, total ledge master... couldn't skate tranny to save his life though... hahaha. joking... kinda. anyways, it's been a few years since i've seen him... having moved away from the LA area a while ago we kinda lost touch. i dont do facebook, etc so robbie... if you ever read this, what up mang! you get a solid thumbs up for your contribution to skateboarding and being an overall goodfella from me.

ps - a lil skate trivia... did you know his real name is robert wasilewski? %100 polish. i forget what the story is with the name change.

chops said...

Olof, he did invent skate dice.

anon2, that's really cool. I'm honestly not sure if I could pick him out of a crowd like that. Glad to hear he so down-to-earth.

thanks Stephen, figured this would've gotten a few more comments to but I gave up trying to predict that phenomenon a long time ago. Thanks for the insight and for that piece of trivia. wasilewski? probably a good thing he changed it to something a little catchier.

thanks guys.

Frankie Galland said...

Psyched to see these photos of Robbie again. I shot the crooks on the hubba, Girl front crook ad, nollie front nose seq. and the half cab flip at that shitty East LA bump. If it weren't for Robbie's willingness to work with a virtually unknown photog at the time I wouldn't have had the chance to meet and skate with some of my all time favs. Thanks Robbie! I remember going to Girl early on like super nervous to meet everone, and then getting the chance to stuff a box full of gear, those were good times! Robbie's coming to Miami soon where I live now and I look forward to shooting the shit with one of my fav skaters and friends. Oh and to Steve what's up man. Good times at the Santa Monica crib! Always a new Frenchie staying in the closet space.

uncle buck said...

it's kinda awesome how robbie came in ripped shit and then bounced. there's so many pros/ams that just linger in the industry that need to move along. good shit.

JRog said...

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150421475885644&set=t.567780226&theater

Can you guys see that? I chill with Bob all the time. Word around town is he's skated stoner a few times. Dont expect a comeback though. He takes his leisure too seriously.

Rad fucking style tho. Great post Chops. Still working with Mackenzie on that project man...super busy lately. Hopefully we can get a completed framework soon.

Keep up the good work.

dan77 said...

I'm supposed to be studying for my LSAT but these posts have been so good lately I can't help but comment. Couldn't agree more with the first comment about how Robbie feels OG Girl. That Yeah Right part would have fit perfectly in Mouse. I have the version where he skates to Talib, but Bowie works as well. Mad respect for the skaters who aren't too heavy on the image and just seem down to have a low key session and a few brews. That's funny too about the name, I always thought he was a mick! Anyways, so good to see a Robbie McKinley post, keep em' comin!

Anonymous said...

I read somewhere that he called himself unmarketable. It's sad that the media is so strong these days. If your just a nice guy with talent and smooth style you wont' make it. You gotta be interesting for the media (in short be a dick or have a big character).