1.11.2010

chrome ball incident #406: charged









on the personal tip, I played one last season of little league after I started skating. I signed up outta force of habit and immediately wanted to quit after my first practice. My mom could've cared less whether I played or not but she didn't want to just let me quit something so easily, so she made me see it through and play out the rest of the season on principle... And after a few weeks of my relentless 12-year-old bitching, she had to bribe me with that Thiebaud "Avenger" board so I would just shut up about it.

i was the worst player in the league... but that board ruled. thanks mom.

never played sports again.

stoked on this strange notes Thiebaud article i found the other day... probably just about the only thing worthwhile that 'zine ever ran.

always on the humble, I love how Jim was always giving props to other riders by wearing their shirts and putting their stickers on his boards, regardless of the brand... not enough of that these days.

special thanks to DLX.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

this guy seems like he would be such a rad boss, a REAL genuine fella.

Old School Sammy said...

Jim gives back more to skating than almost anyone---follow his Tweets if you're into that stuff--this guy is genuine, thoughtful--and yeah---REAL

smorales said...

he just seems excited about skating, back then and now. I really enjoy skateboarding, so it is weird to see people with so much more natural stoke.

David Wagner said...

Speed Freaks, man there's a blast from the past. First time I ever saw anyone railslide a curb and kick it to 50-50 before the dismount. I was stoked on that back in the day. Also tried those crail snatchers forever. Never could get them smooth. Nice endless manual as well.

Good post, as usual.

GRIP FACE said...

epoca de patín & destrucción, el espiritu del skateboarding!!

haztelo tu mismo

E.Ricks said...

One of the coolest guys in the industry...
Back in 97-98ish im thinking i was on a quick tour with Fresh Jive..We were just kinda passing through when we had the idea of skating his ramp..
Well no one was skating and it was closed up..So Jim came down to open it up for us to sesh for a few hours...Way cool..
Thanks Jim....

Skate Nazi said...

His frontside wallride on that launch ramp to wall in Animal Chin is my favorite and probably the best trick in the whole video.

grimcity said...

Jim's philosophy is the same now as it was back in the day... super good retrospective on a proper fella. Roll forever!

goldchain said...

His January '87 Thrasher cover by Mofo is an all time fave of mine.

Unknown said...

that sma lineup thiebaud, stranger, natas. some of the most influential dudes ever. from style to music to doing business to creativity. inspirational.

thiebaud,guerrero and natas were like my eighties holy trinity. only boards i rode. i think julien was the first board that wasnt.

iSapien1956672 said...

Had the top picture taped up in mai locker in 8th grade, I always liked staring at that Hurricane picture too.

chops said...

thanks guys.

yeah, jim definitely seems to a genuine, mellow-type fellow who just happens to be really stoked on skating. i think this shines through with DLX and is another reason why the whole enterprise is so amazing.

what's up E. Ricks!

skate nazi, i agree. that or lance's nightmare air.

thanks guys.

Keith said...

One of the nicest pros I've ever met. I remember he was always drinking coffee.

There was so much hype about him, at least in my town, when he was am... then he had (iirc) a Powell Experimental ad and then went pro for SMA with the comic board. He must have made a killing off that one. His first Real board (Hanging Klansman) = best graphic ever.

Sleezy Bone said...

the style on that bs hurricane is awesome, he's pretty much perpendicular to the curb

Anonymous said...

Jim was and will always be one of my heros... Coolest guy you could ever meet...

Hummm... Let's see... highlights...

-Nightmare on Elm street (# something)... ha.
-Oh the Jim and Tommy retirement ad... The first time I ever went in to Eddie's soul food cafe I damn near shit myself as I bellied up to the bar... (and felt the same damn way each time I walked in, 3 or 4 times a week for a while).
-Jim wrote a book yearrrrrrrrs ago of short stories... it was called 'Do the Distance'. small paperback on some indy label... I read it and it meant a great deal to me at the time... it was just really about hanging out and making observations... It meant enough to me me that I got a huge tattoo of the title on my stomach... When I finally met Jim at DLX years later I couldn't resist showing him... Thought he was gonna shit his pants... still not sure who was more stoked, me or him....
-Stayed with the Real team down in SD for the trade show one year... Wasn't anyone... but... Before we left SF Jeff and Jim made up fake business cards for us to use to get in the trade show... I still have it somewhere(said we owned some shop somewhere). Had a room with Joey and Drake(side bar, Drake pissed the bed and bet he will deny that till this day), remember Jim coming in to raid the mini bar (and we thought he was gonna be pissed we drained half of it before hand, he wasn't). Remember on the same trip all of us getting kicked out to of the hotel bar after few hours (Jim signed the 20 person tab)... Oh and the trip home... Real van, ugly after we dropped Dune off in LA.... Jim was driving the other one an I was with Mik-e, the two of them tossed shit out of the vans at each other the whole way back to SF...
-Years later I saw Jim at the 'king of the road' in Carbondale CO... He remembered me like it was yesterday, as I bet he would tomorrow too...

Big big, big ups to Jim T and DLX on a whole, they know what skateboarding is all about and always will...

Art said...

At the first Slam City Jam (Vancouver, spring '94), I was with a crew of friends and we were in awe of all the pros we were spotting. Saw Jim on the sidewalk, asked him if I had his last name pronounced right, and asked him if he had any boards to sell. He said, "no, but do you want some wheels?" and just handed me a set.

I was blown away and my little posse was super jealous.