click on the image above to enlarge.
photo: shahidil saleh
this is probably the only cleanest image of me jugglin' my plank, that i can find captured on a still camera in the longest time.
this was taken some time back, on 26th march 2009, of me doing a half cab heel flip to drop at a not so secret location. but the ledges at this particular spot are rough as fuck to be slid or ground on. it'll eat your planks like cookies, if you attempt to slide it and practically mince your trucks, if you grind them.
no matter how much you wax those bloody ledges, it'll still eat your skateboards up. f'n hell! this spot is only good for attempting jugglin' tricks to drops and manuals. but also beware, 'cause the ground is laid outta bricks. so, it's a gore fest, if you bail/spill and scrape your skin and flesh on it.
the big man's architects are seriously doing a marvelous job narrowing down and minimizing all the great spots and locations that are suitable for the art of street skating. there're always hassles one way or another when pushers find comfortable spots to session at. we seriously don't need any more skate parks, please. ecp, com'on... it should be rated as one of "the wonders of the world" for wanting to achieve great heights as an "international standard" skate park. what a waste of tax payers money for an overly ambitious and elaborated project. what we really need are hassle free real street spots.
i mean how bad can skateboards thrash on granite or marble ledges? they have placed stoppers on beautiful ledges and marble curbs and what's worse, some of these ledges have been ground down to act as blockers. some of these spots have been skated on for decades and have never been ground down as bad as how the park authorities' contractors did. these people are the ones who should get fined and summoned, not us. we are just tryin' to have some fun, mr. man.
a fine example is "memo". where skaters have been sesh'ing that spot since the early 80's. it's built outta granite blocks, weighing tons but it's still looks good as new, 'cept for the wax covered darkened areas. isn't drilling holes and locking in stoppers much more an "act of vandalism" to the monument? and let's not get started on cbd/raffles place. that place is almost baron now. we seem to be losing our playgrounds one at a time. it's a form of urban reconfiguration and that's sad news for us who have never caused any trouble, what so ever at these spots.
we are all public citizens, aren't we? so why are we not allowed to have fun in public spaces and places? and further more, we are tax paying citizens too! am i right? lets claim our streets back!
hammers, chisels and portable hand held power tools are our keys to unlock the doors. liberating one spot at a time.
peace.
the mailer.
the magazine.
