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Hot. Reckless. Totally Insane.

Geezer — 2009-11-11T17:36:14+00:00

I Love Hot Dogs just put up a radical post on the 80’s classic Thrashin’. Check it out, dude. I guess every decade shits out a corny skate feature film, Street Dreams is today’s Thrashin’.

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The Real Stretch.

Geezer — 2009-11-10T22:39:29+00:00

Andy and Hal show the rest of us that it really does pay to stretch a little as they pull away from the pack. We spent a lot of hours on scenic country roads like this. It was definitely beautiful, but it got a little monotonous. I still feel more comfortable zipping and dipping around in city traffic.

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London to Paris: Stretch

Geezer — 2009-11-10T15:39:29+00:00

Andy and Hal stretch out while Hime and Artoo bullshit before our last day of riding.

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Well Done Meat.

Geezer — 2009-11-09T14:36:09+00:00

Although the past summer was filled with some good traveling, it was also filled with a lot of hard work. Allen and myself at AKA had the opportunity to team up with our friends at DQM, who were in need of a new online presence that reflected where they were at, and more importantly where they want to go as a brand. It was a good chance to really stop and think about what DQM is, and figure out how to present that in a considered, authentic and honest way. I’ll keep it brief, the work speaks for itself, but the end product was truly a homegrown and collaborative effort. I wanted to thank all of our talented friends involved in making it become a reality: Allen for translating my art direction and design (down to the pixel) and making it a real, working website. Todd Jordan for shooting an absolutely beautiful lookbook. Pat, Ben, Herns, Igei and Carl for gearing up and taking a long ride upstate to get the shots we needed. Julio for the support (technical and otherwise), Chris for the opportunity and letting everyone do what they’re good at, Massan for repping and Kyle for making everything happen. Check out the new site at dqmnewyork.com

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Brooklyn Ride Tonight.

Geezer — 2009-11-06T16:44:17+00:00

Bring your bikes, your crew and some beer.

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Geezer Sr.

Geezer — 2009-11-05T15:09:33+00:00

I grew up with an English teacher as a Mom, and an industrial designer for a Dad. They were both part-time comedians in their own way as well. I suppose no matter how much you try to carve out your own path in life, you really are a product of your parents influence. I remember my Dad teaching me how to draw in perspective when I was pretty young using the trench scene in Star Wars as the subject. And I got it! He had a good aesthetic sense, passing it along to me in so many little ways, maybe without even knowing it. Here’s a furniture set he designed in the early 70’s in Racine, Wisconsin. I still sit on this couch at my apartment today in Chinatown. I’ve had it since I moved out on my own some 15 years ago, it’s part of me and it’s traveled with me from apartment to apartment. I can’t get rid of it, even if I’ve wanted to at times, same way I can’t ever really separate who I’ve become today from what I learned in the past from my Mom and Dad. Love you guys.

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London to Paris: Ted

Geezer — 2009-11-04T15:47:34+00:00

Grace came over from London to show her “London to Paris” film that documented our crew ride from London to Paris last summer at the WNW space. I’m definitely too close to it to see it objectively, but the film just got me missing my month long Euro vacation. Having never been to London or Paris, it was amazing on a lot of different levels for me. At the end of the day, our ride was not about “fixed gear” bikes, although thats what most of us rode. Our ride wasn’t about some super-human physical accomplishment, most semi-serious cyclists could have done it. Our ride was about meeting new friends, seeing new places, having a laugh and of course, causing some harmless trouble. Ted absolutely held it down: always in the front and always the first to crack a beer during a stop. Ted is one of those dudes who just does. A proper bloke’s bloke with a strength and endurance (at the bar or on his bike) far beyond anyone I’ve ever met before. Here’s Ted cracking a Guiness at a stop between London and New Haven, looking like some crazed Russian bodybuilder about to arm wrestle you. Ted’s the real deal.

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WNW Space Tonight.

Geezer — 2009-10-22T15:13:34+00:00

WNW is a companion to the Stages show at Deitch Projects here in New York. WNW is a place for the community to get a sense of what Livestrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation are about and, most importantly to connect people who are stoked on cycling and art. Free coffee and donuts every morning for riders headed to work, offering free flat-fixes and teaching bike know-how classes on wheel building, headset installation and more. Weekly rides visiting all five boroughs of the city will also leave from WNW. The London to Paris film will also be screened in the space this month. Open Wednesday–Saturday from 10/22 -11/22.

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One in 8 Million.

Geezer — 2009-10-16T20:02:52+00:00

Peeking around on the New York Times site today, I thought I’d share this One In 8 Million feature (if you have not seen it already). Great idea for a series, and although some are better than others, overall really good photography and some compelling individual stories from everyday people in the city that never sleeps. Have a good weekend.

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The Genius of Monk.

Geezer — 2009-10-16T15:58:50+00:00

“Can you turn that off? I can’t concentrate.” That was a pretty common request by a friend I used to work with when the Bop jazz would come on. Especially any Thelonious Monk. It took me a minute as well to tap into Monk. At first, his unusual technique throws you off. There is a lot of negative space in his solos, and something just sounds sideways about it. But then you get it. And its absolutely beautiful. To say that his style is unusual is like faulting a boxer for being too violent. Jazz is, by definition, all about the unusual. I always thought of Thelonious Monk as exactly that, a ‘monk’ of sorts that forged his own world of sound completely ignoring the musical traditions of the past. But a new book in the Times Sunday Book Review tells the story of a Monk that not only studied, but enjoyed and played classical music as a student (Chopin and Stravinsky were said be be his favorites). Like my high school art teacher, Mrs. Frank, told me: “You have to know the rules before you can break them.” and the always memorable “You can’t make steak out of hamburger”. Monk knew his music history (he didn’t start with hamburger, he started with Chopin) and understood the past so well in fact that he was able to break from it in a truly unconventional and original style that was way ahead of its time.

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?

Geezer — 2009-10-01T22:39:02+00:00

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An Evening of Skate Videos.

Geezer — 2009-09-29T01:50:12+00:00

With Spike Jonze at The Museum of Modern Art.

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London to Paris: Lost

Geezer — 2009-09-24T18:25:34+00:00

The last day of our ride was a blast. 125 miles that brought us through a handful of beautiful small towns and squares on our way to Paris. A long way from the tourist-infested Eiffel Tower, it was an amazing way to see the country and get glimpses of normal, everyday French life.

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Yaje Popson.

Geezer — 2009-09-22T15:11:44+00:00

Just another check-out in the back of another skate mag. You see em every month, usually quickly paging past. The hometown rippers who get flow product from the local shop and some occasional boxes from the regional board rep. There is a shit ton of good skaters out there these days. Really, really good skaters who eat, shit and breathe skateboarding. Most of them may never get to go on tour or, much less see a single paycheck from skateboarding and will end up shelving their dreams of becoming the next P-Rod at some point and go back to school or pick up shifts at the local coffee shop. I don’t think Yaje Popson will be one of those kids. Already getting flow product from what would be any self-respecting skaters wet dream: Chocolate, Vans and Spitfire, he’s well on his way down the right path. About 6 years ago, he showed me how he learned backside tailslides on the stoop in front of his Mom’s shop on East 6th Street. Well, now he’s backside tailsliding jersey barriers and has the butteriest backside 180 to fakie 5-0 grinds you’ve ever seen. And that was last year. Yeah, there’s a shit-load of really good skaters coming up out there, but when everyone of them is seemingly just as good as the next, it comes down to trick selection and style, and Yaje’s got that shit down.

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No Misunderstanding.

Geezer — 2009-09-18T20:12:23+00:00

Do yourself a favor and play this song a couple times over the weekend…

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Out & About.

Geezer — 2009-09-15T19:37:33+00:00

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Never Forget? I Haven’t.

Geezer — 2009-09-12T19:37:55+00:00

With all this patriotic “Never Forget” talk being roused again on the anniversary of one of the most horrific, saddening days in US history, my feelings about that day are coming to the surface. Again. Like everybody, I can “Never Forget” the innocent, hard-working, everyday people that unwillingly gave their lives that day. I can’t forget that. Ever. What I will also “Never Forget” is, like the JFK, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King assassinations, we may never know what the real motives were behind September 11th. We’re just reminded, again and again, to “Never Forget” that some freedom-hating, religious-freak huddled in a cave in Afganistan caused all this. Lies on top of lies, on top of lies. If you really sit and think about the immense power the US Government gained because of 9/11, it’s only logical that it was part of their plan. 2,752 innocent human lives, to them, is a more than a fair trade in exchange for unwavering support to proceed with a war on terror that “may never end”. Its just too convenient. Its not about conspiracy theories, its just common sense cause and effect. Here are a couple of old shots of mine taken from the South Tower observation deck, 1998.

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Easy.

Geezer — 2009-09-11T19:21:02+00:00

Jagger really is a bloke’s bloke. Early morning Tube ride, London 2009.

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Seriously?

Geezer — 2009-09-09T13:15:50+00:00

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Luidgi & Kevin.

Geezer — 2009-09-07T15:07:34+00:00

After the ride from London to Paris, I had a chance to link-up with Luidgi (left) from 5boro and get a few days of good skating in. Paris was a blast to push around in and the crew that Luidgi rolled with ripped. Luidgi is the man, the mayor of Paris to me. Even bringing me to the good Phở spot for the perfect (and affordable) dinner with the crew. Kevin (right) was the little Parisian ripper. Such a nice kid; it was fun watch him rip around at the spots with all that energy that you have when you’re seventeen-years old. He was riding a 5boro graphic that I had done and told me that it was his favorite board. As he was trying to pull his trick he’s like “This one’s is for you Ryan!” Fuck dude… gonna make a grown man tear-up at the skate spot. Thanks Luidgi, Kevin and Martin for everything.

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Commercial of the Year.

Geezer — 2009-09-04T14:52:32+00:00

In one minute and thirty-seven seconds, my man Marcus managed to capture the reasons why nothing beats skateboarding in the summer in the City. (See the full commercial here.) Proving that you don’t need big budgets to execute great ideas, Marcus and Jahmal have done some really good pieces together. This one makes my brain rattle. Jahmal has a really good thing going with Hopps, can’t wait to see more… I’m going skating!

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Once Upon A Time…

Geezer — 2009-09-03T14:43:50+00:00

Before hipsters gave track bikes a bad name, there were just rad dudes like this that rode, well, because thats just what they did.

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Fan Out.

Geezer — 2009-08-30T01:13:32+00:00

Fans of Lance Armstrong fully fanning out when he appeared at the Stages event in Paris, 2009.

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Really?

Geezer — 2009-08-27T15:34:31+00:00

Wowzers. This one gets filed under the so bad its just plain bad. (See the rest of the New York Times Style Magazine shoot here.) At least in the 80’s, the art directors had some class when they appropriated something they knew nothing about.

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The Madonna Nudes, 1979.

Geezer — 2009-08-20T14:30:55+00:00

In London, I came across a gallery that was showing the original photos that Martin HM Schreiber shot of a then-unknown 20 year-old model named Madonna. The prints were way out of my price range, but I did get this postcard for a buck. Wow, thats a really nice, uh…uhm…cat you have there.

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Wallie Out, Bro.

Geezer — 2009-08-19T14:16:11+00:00

Dave is one of those people who can always get me psyched on skating again. No matter how old and stiff I may get, there are no excuses good enough for him when he asks you if you’ve been skating. And thats a good thing. Like myself, he’s coming off a ankle injury this summer and is now out and about rolling again. Hey, even if the tre-flips aren’t back yet, you can still get out have some fun. Wallie up and out from behind the ledge; Dave rips. Always has and always will.Photo: Frank V.

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London to Paris.

Geezer — 2009-08-17T20:04:04+00:00

Kyle has been putting up some photos of our journey from London to Paris last month. Nish has got some coverage on his site as well. I could write a novel about the trip, but I think “we fuckin’ did it” will do just fine for now. You guys are rad and I wouldn’t have wanted to be suffering on my track bike for 220 miles with anyone else. I mean really, what could possibly go wrong?

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The Axelrod Experience.

Geezer — 2009-08-17T16:35:55+00:00

Music inspires me, maybe more than anything else. Lionel at Sixpack gets that and gave me one of the best assignments of last year when he suggested that we do some David Axelrod inspired t-shirts. What could be better than locking yourself in a room, experiencing “The Axe” and coming up with some visuals? Thanks Lionel.

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Time Warp.

Geezer — 2009-08-17T16:29:37+00:00

Spotted this retro-ripper was pushing around South Bank in London. Either he just stepped out of a time machine from ‘76, or his mom is a stylist. Either way, he’s pretty rad.

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PWBC: Now You Know.

Geezer — 2009-08-14T15:00:33+00:00

The only place I get my news from: PWBC Global Skateboard News. This shit is brilliant, Lev. Thanks to Joey, Lev, Danny, Benny, Rory and the rest of the Palace blokes for some well wicked times in London.

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