4.01.2012

chrome ball incident #770: my ship underwater














"THAT'S THE GUY!"

Bones Brigade week on the Chrome Ball Incident begins with legendary 'twist aficionado and unsnakable skatepark impresario, Mike McGill.

Skateboarding's undisputed king of questionable shirt customization, no one has been allowed to wear their own shirt since.

Not sure kids today realize just how goddamn huge the McTwist was back in the day.

...though the Wicked Twister never quite caught on.

A lot of copers on this one, right?

In a related note: Staab is killing these.

And get that new Transworld vid if you haven't already. Super good.

21 comments:

Brendan said...

"Twist,Twist,Twist,Twist"!!!

Can't wait for the documentary.

bugs said...

good stuff. i'm still holding out for a Bucky post before this blog dies.

chops, did you disavow Powell as kid stuff at the dawn of the Rocco era like so many other skaters I knew?

Anonymous said...

Is the Tracker ad a Christian Slater double?

Chrome Ball Super Fan said...

I'm fully backing Bones Brigade week!

The Truth Shouldn't Hurt said...

Wish someone would tell that note about "wearing your own shirt" to Eli Reed

Bansaipipeline said...

Chapter Seven remains the worst company in skateboarding history.

Post some of those fry kid graphics.

Genuinely hideous.

Anonymous said...

Yes, he became immortal when he was the first to land the McTwist, but that doesn't change the fact he was a total kook. I remember some article on the history of the McTwist and someone (could have been Holmes?) said that all of the vert guys were gutted that McGill got there first as they perceived him as a jock. I think they were all rooting for Lester to land it first.

Kris Gurley said...

I wasn't around back in the day so I can't speak all that much about Mike but I can speak to my experiences with the man.

One of my first trips out to California(1998), we stopped by his shop in Encinitas and he gave us some free pizza even though we hadn't bought anything. He seemed like a cool guy to us then. Later after I had moved out to SD, he would be up at the YMCA park quite a bit. He was so stoked on whoever was skating no matter how "good" they were.

I had some fun sessions with the guy and that makes him okay in my book.

dude said...

mcgill was and still is the worst. that tracker ad with the snake and the poorly cropped photo is the worst. dude is a kook and has a shoe in walmart.

Skately said...

We used to beg my friends mom to drive us down to McGill's skatepark every couple months. Such a rad park and McGill was always super friendly. Much respect.

Matt said...

Rad post, but I'm pretty sure the chorus/title to the song you're referencing in the title is "my ship on the water". But I could be wrong.

chops said...

that would definitely make more sense, Matt. you're probably right.

thanks guys. I've honestly never been the biggest fan of McGill's either but with this being Bones Brigade week, I felt it was time to give the guy his due.

chops said...

bugs, yes to both.
but to be honest, Stacy leaving right as Rocco rose to power didn't help Powell much either.

Anon1, that is indeed a Christian Slater stunt double.

Bansaipipeline, yeah Chapter 7 was pretty rough. Didn't Matt Rodriguez ride for them as an am?

Anonymous said...

We use to call chapter 7, chapter goose. I live in Australia and Mumford and Bartie use to skate for Chapter 7. Think they use to cop a bit of flac over it...

E.Y. said...

While McGill was generally considered a kook by most, his legacy is still important to skateboarding. The skull and snake is one of the most iconic graphics ever and the Bones Brigade wouldn't be the same without him.

Also, Gleaming The Cube made Thrashin' look like the greatest movie ever made!

Anonymous said...

Calling McGill the worst? Maybe the worst on Powell which still made him a hell of a lot better than the vert pros for other companies...most of them had a career based on a cool haircut and graphics, and little/nothing else.

mikebythesun said...

Love that carve at Wallows.

McGill wasn't my favorite either but I always liked him and heard good things about him. I prefer that any day to finding out my heroes were dicks in person.

stephen said...

Whatever ...do a 540 in a cement bowl first and then we will talk about who is a kook. Oh yeah, you better be riding a 9" deck with some soft ass rat bones too. I can't stand people disrespecting legends because of some tasteless business deals done way after the fact. The guy was rad and he is just trying to live, fuck. If you don't like his Walmart shoe then go ahead and buy some shitty $100 sneaks from your local 'core' shop and vibe your way to stardom. Cool guy status ...

Anonymous said...

I agree with Stephen. An individual who says Gill is a kook is entitled to his or her opinion. One must give him credit...he landed the 540. One of the biggest kooks in the history of the sport is a Kettering native. Certainly not Gill.

Bansaipipeline said...

Who hasn't landed a 540?

Keith said...

Christian Slater stunt double pic is awesome lol

Frosted tips never look cool on anyone.

The skull and snake graphic was/is iconic, but then again, all the PP graphics back then were.

I'd be stoked if I invented the Mctwist.