"This isn't Yorkatron the Don? "
"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about but please leave me alone."
" ...Turf's up!"
(click)
-an excerpt from a conversation I had last year with a random stranger while in the midst of figuring out that I'd written Mike York's number down wrong.
Slap's '99 York inteview by Mr. Aaron Meza, amongst other goodies.
Be back Thursday.
Mr Mike York.
ReplyDeleteHis Las Nueve Vidas is my all time fave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUW-TTGNPVk&feature=related
"This isn't Yorkatron the Don?" :D
ReplyDeleteHHQ: Why did dude get the boot from Chocolate? Why all the insane all CAPS kanye style beefing with folks at Girl/Chocolate?
ReplyDeleteNever saw that interview. Good stuff. Met dude in Tulsa and talked for a half hour. This guy has so much love for skating...can't hate on that!
ReplyDeleteNice fs nose slide/bs tail slide/crooked grind theme to this post.
ReplyDeleteHe always seemed funny to me. Never a cool guy.
Is that a blonde girl in the bread and butter ad? If so, who is it? I like that some of the footage from when that photo was taken has recently been released by Socrates.
he go the boot probably because a) he's crazy and b) he's not all that good of a skater.
ReplyDeletesorry for the hate but i've seen that guy around in sf / east bay long enough to know when someone is overrated compared to the rest of the bad-asses around here.
"Is that a blonde girl in the bread and butter ad? If so, who is it?"
ReplyDeleteWasn't her name Sasha Clark?
dude had one of the best pier photos/tricks ever below:
ReplyDeletehttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4OE2LlxxWrc/SwN3gm2wfdI/AAAAAAAAGQ0/lfylMjgvilo/s1600/yorkp7chrome.jpg
Saw York skating recently at a SoCal Park. Still amazing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for another great post.
don't wanna hear about how dude wasn't good because he sure as shit was better than me. plus he had great style in photos. double plus he managed to be fun and light and the type of dude you wish was your neighbor who skated with you at the local spot. double plus good he seemed down for the cause, even if it meant speaking first and answering for it later. honesty.
ReplyDeletepersonally, i speculate that his coverage dried up after the move to LA and his lack of prominence at not-EMB spots, and he just faded at the same time that some new unignorable kid showed up.
sometimes, i think it's a drag that a team can support only so many dudes. a team like girl/choc should/does keep dudes like gav/rudy around forever. legacy shit. they may not be on fire, but they're still good and i'd be happy to buy their shit, if it mattered.
I miss the days when mags could run a full-page photo of a switch backside tailslide on an average ledge.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading a recent York's interview where he admitted he was such an asshole with the Girl dudes that he could see why he got kicked out of the team...Turf never lived up to the expectations, even though they have/had (Is turf still arounf?!?) a solid team (Sammy Baptista...)
ReplyDeleteI guess his best skate days are far away from him now but he's still a household name in the skateboarding industry not so much because of his skating skills but because he's been around since day 1.But I guess he must have a pretty shitty personality, that's why nobody gives a f.ck about hilm in the industry anymore.
His part in mouse was great. Skating to Ron Allen rapping? Fugettaboutit. Still an innovator.
ReplyDeleteND- holy shit you are correct about that photo. Perfection.
ReplyDeleteactually, In that article that talks about his departure from girl, Yorkotron says he was physically hurt for some time. He stated he turned to alcohol and became unbearable.
ReplyDeleteAfter enough time he departed chocolate. He stated that he burned his bridges with them but was grateful for all that they did for him. He owned his mistakes and started something new.
To talk crap about someone and his mistakes without mentioning that Gabriel Rodriguez, SEAN Sheffey, Paulo Diaz, and GUY Mariano went down similar paths is an immature thing to do.
People make mistakes, but rarely do they own their mistakes and say i'm sorry.
Thumbs up for York owning his mistakes! Nice nose slide. :)
ReplyDeleteNever really sure what to make of Mike York, sort of like a Tony Fergusson character. Seemed like he knew the right people at the right time. Saw him skate a few times over the years, as I said not to sure what to make of him or his skating...
ReplyDeletethe skate industry is RUTHLESS when it comes to blacklisting people, just ask Danny Gonzales! Guy kickflip melons Wallenberg first try and Thrasher fails to list it as tricks going down over the 4, WTF!
ReplyDeleteTo many SENSITIVE people in the industry!
Wow thank you to person who correctly identified his drinking after the injury being the catalyst. Wild speculation and accusation abound. No one else was doing fakie front crooks like him in 95 or any front crook variation really (good like he was- barely anyone else was doing it at all). Yorkatron the Don 4eva . Style for miles and so crazy that he of all people gets accused of having a shit attitude when he is one of the best happiest, supportive ,funniest and funnest people in skating. He has that plush monster toy company now that rules I want one of those little monsters I hope it’s still around @shmata_monsters
ReplyDelete