11.13.2011

chrome ball incident #721: skittles











"Kenny is supposed to be on skateboard. That's what he is supposed to do."

bjork's personal breakdance instructor, kenny anderson.

best style going.

conducting an interview tonight, be back Wednesday.

anyone see Nyjah? thoughts?

32 comments:

Joshua Ballew said...

Its funny how even in still images of Kenny Anderson you can tell he is a natural wood pusher. The fatty frontside crooked and switch back smith are my top two outta the bunch.

Nyjah's video was...exactly what I expected, and that was a letdown. He is unarguably talented on the board but I just can't get excited watching 8 minutes of handrail skating. I think there was ONE line in the whole thing.

Mika said...

Kenny Anderson- dope as fuck. Love the style and approach to the woodthing we all love. Proper Skater. 100 % down with him.
Thoughts about the "Rise and Shine" thing?! Well the skating is 100 % hard as fuck. Bang, Bang Bang, but what said in 1993 Mike Carrol: "It`s all about the fucking lines" I can`t dig this robot style banger skating. Dosen`t get me stoked at all. Thank god Nyjah didn`t start to cry, but that would have given the thing at least some soul. Summary: Super gnarly bangers, no soul, dosen`t get me stoked. Result for me one watch is enough- Fuck that shit. Now I go and watch "Questinable", MC rocking EMB. That vid has soul since almost 20 years.

Anonymous said...

What's up with ABD chops? Is that already done? Keep it up! You guys got a good thing going!!

Anonymous said...

quit whining about lines, granddads. skating has to progress. do you expect kids to skate pools to please middle-aged dudes who can't hack it anymore?

Jeff Turner said...

hahaha, how the heck is anything he said whining? He's talking about doing back to back tricks, not layback grinds in a pool. I agree with him, too many one-off bangers. Nyjah is a beast, and we know that he's more than capable of putting together a sick line. Hence the disappointment. And if you think that 5 minutes of 1 trick bangers is progress, maybe you should just give up now.

Mika said...

MY dear Anonymous#2,

you are welcome to e-mail me anytime, so we can sort that thing out. The comments section on CBI is not supossed for this action at all.

ffl.zine@yahoo.de

With the kindest regards of an old fuck, who is not turned on by back to back bangers.

Mika

Anonymous said...

Nyjah seriously needs to loosen his trucks. I had tight trucks the first year I started skating but that was it. I honestly think it would improve his style and cut out that tic-tac crap. Yes he is technical but it looks awful and forced. I think Anonymous #2 is completely wrong about Nyjah keeping skating progressive. Pros should be able to skate everything not just handrails. Skateboarding is moving in the direction of the All Terrain Ripper. You can't skate a pool or bomb a hill with tight trucks. Also flip tricks and street skating look so much better with loose trucks. You are given some room to be flexible and smooth when you land.
P.S.
Element needs to bring back Andy Howell

chops said...

nah, the comment section is for voicing opinions. I'm curious as to what everybody thinks about this part: good, bad or whatever. that's why I asked.

keep 'em coming.

Sean said...

I can't say that any of the tricks in the Nyjah video were "bad". He put his life on the line and that is always impressive. It also obviously takes a bunch of skill. But, there was no element of spontaneity in my opinion, and combined with the tight trucks tic-tac stuff it just doesn't get me inspired to skateboard. Which, along with a list of things that probably change everyday, are my criteria for a good "video part".

clug said...

I find it fkn funny that a Kenny post (mr fluid) ends up being a Nyjah post (mr robot).
I'm amazed that some of the Nyjah shit is possible. Especially slamming like that and getting back up.
I skated a curb for 2 hours on the weekend and today I'm walking like a cripple.
It really is all about the lines and getting from a to b, otherwise it just turns into some kinda treadmill thing. Jump fall down get up. Jump fall down get up. Still, good to see a kid turn things around. Shit seemed to be a whole lot worse for him a year ago.

Keith said...

frontside hurricane on the red rail is beyond amazing. Same with that distant sw back smith shot.

I was super stoked when Kenny got on Chocolate. I felt he was overlooked for years before that. Super style and flow.

I've never seen that interview before. Thanks!

I watched the Nyjah part. Lots of insane tricks... the majority could have been enders for any other skater. Nice to see him eat some shit in order to illustrate that he earned some of those tricks. I can't really relate to that style of skating (I'll never do tricks down rails and gaps of that size at my age)... just like I couldn't relate to vert skating in the late 80's, early 90's (no vert ramps in my area). I appreciate his skill though and his consistency. I'm happy for him that his crazy ass dad is not controlling him anymore. No teenager should have to deal with shit like that.

Anonymous said...

Re: Nyjah

It's REALLY hard to argue with the kid's skills. He's insane. Just insane. Yes, I'm an old ass man...but come on, that was NUTS. As mentioned, most of these would be enders on others parts.

As far as lines vs. straight bangers...yeah, agreed. BUT this this is 8 minutes long. There are a couple lines and he does link a few tricks. In a world where bangers are the norm he's doing it right...

The amount of times I shook my head in disbelief? Many. Head in my hands? A few times...

Pools, vert, young or old...that's what matters.

.: Chris

BD said...

Didn't see the video but I think Street League defines a line as two tricks strung together - he had to have at least done that! ;)
I'd love to watch an 8 minute Kenny part.

Anonymous said...

I cannot wait for his part in the Chocolate video. I don't care that he skates more transition now, he still has fluid style.

Nyjah, his video was impressive but robotic. It wasn't creative or fun, it was just really gnarly. Editing the part to Lil Wayne didn't help either.

Anonymous said...

KA is one of the best.

E.Y. said...

Kenny is what skateboarding is all about. Nyjah is a big business marketing tool. I'll take a one minute Kenny part over an 8 minute Nyjah part any fucking day of the week!

E.Y. said...

Seriously. Element(Billabong) is the wackest company this side of Nash. I will never give two shits about anything associated with the black hole of skateboarding, the place where pros go to cash a few checks and die.

Mika said...

Dear Anonymous#7,

I read your comment carefully and came to the conclusion: What is your fucking problem DUDE? You are bashing me for not being stoked??? If you would have read carefully what my opinion is (even skateboarding allows me my own free will and opinion, you would have realized that I`m not turned on by back to back single banger video parts, no matter by which skater performed.
"motherfuckers get under my skin with all that pretentious bullshit." Ahh that one is good. Isn`t there kind of judging in your quote, mate?
To admit all the critics and personal opinons expressed here, were never about bashing Nyjah for not being real skateboarding. Would love to know where you read that, when you are on CBI for ages. Might you had a bad day and I hope you are feeling better now after you mugged of a couple commenters. BTW next time you are bashing some blokes for not being stoked on a skate video part- write your fucking name like man.
Still not stoked on "rise and shine- back to back bangers"

Mika

P.s: not your dude- MATE!!!!

Leiv said...

It's funny how heated these discussions about Nyjah's part get.
The opinions expressed about the part seem to be pretty similar all over. However the people who feel the need to defend his part seem to misunderstand a little criticism as complete dismissal and then proceed to over-react.

Show a little respect Chops please and keep this civil. Save the name calling for Slap.

MINER said...

i really like KA - one of the best
i was stoked to see the Nyjah vid but it reminded me a little bit of the old Zero vid w/ super fast editing and not many lines. not one of my favorites. Nyjah will develop a more creative and interesting style over time though.

Joshua Ballew said...

Anonymous #7,

Stop talking all that jive and accept that other people (cats, fags or any other names you have for them) will inevitably have different opinions from your own. You should be thankful that Chops has offered a place for these varied opinions to be heard.

Furthermore I'm still looking for the pretentious or philosophical comments here. All I am seeing are people being honest about how they felt about Nyjah's part. I don't think anyone here has made a personal attack on the kid (unlike YOUR comment) nor denied the fact that he is a talented skateboarder. Go watch the "Why Style Matters ON VIDEO Magazine" and then let me know what you think the beauty of skateboarding really is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSLSTrBuBqk

platinumseagulls said...

The Nyjah part is just straight scary. Lines or not, he innovated (bigspin frontside hurricane to straight, kickflip backside nosebluntslide on big), got broke (many times) and he, who looks pretty goddamn casual riding away from really big shit, accentuated that big-ass-smithgrind with that barely-holding-on-ride-away. I'd thought before that he was no style icon, but when I think about how easily he handles the stacks and the 18 stair rails that seem to be no problem for him, that goes away. There just aren't that many people that will ever do the things that he does so nonchalantly, so if you're crying robot, well maybe I'm laughing elsewhere. I went in being a critic, left a believer; I love a cellar door but when some 17-year-old kid does things that are truly unimaginable to me, I take it in and enjoy it.

As for KA he's a consummate pro and one of the best styles in the game. He can continue what he's doing for the next five years through clean living and I wouldn't be surprised if he makes it for ten, into those 40's. I saw him do a stationary ollie on the flatbottom of a miniramp this summer and geeked out. It's funny that he and Mr. Huston came up in discussion on the same CBI post because I like apples and oranges equally.

Chip Van Ham said...

I think the only bad part about Nyjah's part is that he wasn't Kenny Anderson. ;)

But seriously, the only thing that I don't like is that they filmed that bs smith at la jolla at an incredibly shitty angle.

But I do think that his tricks are a lot more underwhelming when I have seen him do a good portion of these tricks already (on youtube Street League footy). And you can say that those contests aren't real street, but they sure as hell look like it, i.e. SCARY AS FUCK. I've seen the 270 noseblunt done there; I've seen the bs nollie heelflip lipslide done there. Both amazed me on youtube, and both amazed me in his Rise and Shine part. BUT, it's just a lil bit less impressive, cause I've seen it before. Perhaps minutely.

Guess that's part of the problems of 24 hr media, constant content-producing professional skateboarding these days.

Furthermore, KENNY.

Skately said...

Kenny rules and is one of the nicest guys out there. Gotta appreciate someone who can amaze you with technical wizardry all day and then destroy your mini ramp at night. So stoked he got on Chocolate and finally got the shine he's always deserved.

As for the Nyjah part, I appreciated it. Dude is definitely helping raise the bar as far as gnarly tricks on big obstacles go but felt a similar sentiment to everyone else in that most kids these days lack having a style their own and seem robotic. Not sure how this started happening? Back in the day everyone had their own style or was emulating someone else's style and now everything just seems textbook. It's amazing to watch but doesn't have the same feel as watching Kenny, TNT, etc.

tictac said...

With age comes wisdom or in the case of skateboarding with age comes style.

Anonymous said...

There's a discussion similar to this going on at SLAP. Interestingly enough, it's a lot of the same rhetoric. Personally, I recognize and appreciate Nyjah's skill, but for me it was a boring.

Anonymous said...

I was thinking today about how Kenny is one of my favorite skater's then jumped on your site an he he is! He's one of the only unfuckwithable pro's (in my humble opinion).
Thanks all the way from NZ Chops!

Fro said...

Kenny Anderson- always rad.

Nyjah's part...
I see it as him telling his dad "Fuck You." At first I felt the part was like an older Zero video or something of the like,but the tricks just lay down what the future skaters have coming for them. This kid is only 16/17 and has a LONG skate career ahead of him as long as he doesn't pile out or get super injured and I'm sure his style/tricks/choice of terrain will change over the years. It's a good part, especially since he filmed everything within a year or so, but it's going to be tossed into that internet wasteland just like every other web video due to the ADD of this generation of skaters, and become just another part/video.

dan77 said...

Sure the special effects in the Transformers movies are "impressive", but it doesn't change the fact that the movies are big blockbuster generic pieces of corny bullshit. The same could be said about Rise and Shine. And yes, I am intentionally using a movie about robots to compare with Nyjah's skating. I could watch Kenny's footage in Yeah Right a million times and never get tired of it. Nyjah's part, I'll watch it once, be impressed with it just by the sheer knarliness of the tricks, and never watch it again. I'd rather watch less than one minute of solid stylish skating (ie: Kenny's footage in Yeah Right) than 8 minutes of big stunts done with poor style. It's quality over quantity. But, as the On Video section shows, there are people who can do big, gnarly shit (Heath, rowley, Arto, etc.) and make it look incredible. It all goes togtehr to make this big melting pot that is skateboarding

Dill said...

Kenny Anderson is fake indy

Diabolics .|. said...

I think what is missing in this discussion is "why".

Why did he put this part out, with himself, instead in a "team" production? To try to get some street cred after gazillion hours of competition coverage? if so:

Why did he put out a part with no lines? Everyone knows that lines equals cred. And although impressive, running back up the stairs for a "first try", it does not constitute a line. Clearly the guy is capable of lines.

I feel sorry for the guy. Such immense talent and he seems to be shoved to the skateboarding sideline by general consensus.

Travis said...

Skateboarding is the best!