glad i could fit this one in before my trip next week. classic kaupas.that 101 joint was one of the first times i saw a nollie being incorporated into another functional trick. it was also unfortunately one of the last natas sequences before his tragic ankle injury that ended the golden era of his career.
such the innovator, i really don't think dude gets enough credit these days for the huge impact on skating that he really had. easily one of my all-time faves.
so far ahead of the curve that most really couldn't wrap their heads around what natas was doing... as a result, they'd usually just drag shit out for him to ollie over.evidently ornate cows were a popular item.
p.s. i always wanted that natas haircut with the long strands when i was a kid... which in retrospect would've looked absolutely ridiculous on me. good lookin' out mom.
14 comments:
Natas is my all time favourite skater. The style, the energy, the innovation and the fun. Makes me wish I was a kid again growing up in LA and skating.
That foot plant is so ill! Natas kills it. That nollie 50-50... he's rocking his Etnies pro model?
oh yeah! Have a great time at MoMa.
I loved that Interview B in the D, had the Indy Fastplant on the wall, had the 5050 w/coper on the wall, had the strands too, on my head, I think I learned a lot from watching and reading Natas, I took a lot of that interview to heart. thanks for the post.
Powell videos might have introduced me to skateboarding, but Natas' part in the first Santa Cruz video showed what was possible on a skateboard- and you didn't need a ramp or a pool.
It's remarkable how much influence, on so many people, one guy riding a skateboard in Santa Monica had.
the left cow ollie was from an event in ohio in '87 or '88. i remember the article about it in transworld i think. it reported that in addition to ollieing the cow natas did some other cool stuff: half cab kickflips over things i think. does anyone know if there's footage from that?
Natas killed it!
Gonz killed it!
Hensley killed it!
Guerrero killed it!
Four reasons why I started skateboarding and are still at it...
Such a weirdo, but in the best possible way. Some great quotes in that article you posted - "I've got to get first in another contest so I can tell people how meaningless and worthless they are." Haha, ahead of his time in every way.
Was this ankle injury that bad? I know tons of people (me included) plus pros with plates/pins/screws in their ankles and they still skate. I wonder if it had to do more with ligament damage which is worse than breaking a bone.
What year did he break it?
How the hell did Steve Olson nosegrind that cow?
thanks fellas.
Coals: Powell videos might have introduced me to skateboarding, but Natas' part in the first Santa Cruz video showed what was possible on a skateboard- and you didn't need a ramp or a pool.
^couldn't agree more
giles, i know there was an ohio skateout video but i don't really remember natas in it. plenty of gonz, blender, tg, and sst records goodness though.
andy b, he broke it in '91. i know this is pretty commonplace now but i don't think it was so much back then... plus i think the fact that skater's retired at age 23 then because they were "too old" had a larger part to do with it.
i think it might have been a different contest. is that possible? i seem to rememebr the article having stuff about jesse neuhaus doing sick stuff, and mike v. doing a streetplant to drop off of the quarterpipe.
everything looks bad "in retrospect"...baggy pants and small wheels look stupid in retrospect, but at the time they were the sickest thing ever, for real, they were...
Chops, thanks so much for posting all of this great material. I was about to say "you have no idea how much I enjoyed this", but judging from what you and others have posted about your love for Natas, it is clear you DO have an idea! I just spent the last two days studying every Natas interview, ad and photograph that you posted and I enjoyed it so much, I don't know how I'm going to get my mind ready for work on Monday! Thank you.
Everyone's got their story, but for me seeing Wheels of Fire for the first time - and watching it over and over and over after school on a crappy, grainy VHS tape - was life changing. Anticipating and finally seeing Natas' part in Streets on Fire left me speechless. His style in skating, music, and art put me on a new path and still influences me to this day. Though I'm sorry that Natas had his injury, it really is great that he retired from being pro while being at the top of his game. (Sure, Gonz is still at it, but so few skaters know who he is that his under-appreciation is a bummer.) So for me, the lasting memories of Natas are from that late 80s era when I would scan every new issue of Thrasher, Transworld, etc for the latest glimpse into his world.
There are a couple of items that I didn't see up here that I'd be happy to email to you (Style Eyes ad with close up of Natas holding his Panther mini; interview from Slap - I think - from 1988) If you'd like these, just say the word and I'll email them to you. I'm sure your site visitors will appreciate them.
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