I’m pretty much the only person that does this.

Last night at the private Anthem Skatepark lets-test-out-the-new-renovations session I slammed off of the corner of their east bank (lower case it’s nothing special it is just the only way I know how to describe it) onto literally the only fucking step in the park. It’s just one simple step up to get you onto ground floor and my lower back met the edge of it. Lol, oh the humanity. I’d say it was about a 6 foot fall directly into Hell and from the expression on the Archangel Noah’s face when he said “I’ll get you some holy water” told me it was pretty horrific. He didn’t say that but I wish he had because I sure needed a laugh. Anyway, when a twenty something angel offers to get you a water, quickly, as in this is just a step away from calling 911 because after that there’s nothing else we can do, shit is bad. I prayed the rosary and then asked my friends to look at my back. They said it was fine. Just some road rash. It was not fine. I felt like I had shredded every muscle in that spot. I have three weird abrasions on my left arm that I can’t even account for. After 15 minutes of pretending I was going to skate again I finally said I had to put some ice on it and I walked home. The whole way home I kept saying to myself, IF I MAKE IT THROUGH THIS WITHOUT ANY MOBILITY ISSUES I WILL LIVE A RIGHTEOUS LIFE. Anyway, after some ice and a lot of ibuprofen and Delta 8 I feel somewhat better. I feel like I’ll be out of commission for at least two weeks. That sucks. I hope the PTSD isn’t too bad, I mean later on when I decide to skate again. Lol.

Skater Type

A gallery of skateboarder portraits taken with various instant cameras at local skateparks in Minnesota. The name of the skateboarder and the location is typed onto the instant photo with a Smith Corona Coronet Electric 12 typewriter.  Each piece becomes an indelible moment in time when the two analog processes are joined together. Portraits are currently from spring and summer 2018.

Thoughts before my next flight around the sun

Hey there – the untimely passing of pro skateboarder Dylan Rieder hit me hard and I just about damn near wept later that day listening to his Jenkem playlist featured a few months ago. I kept the playlist rolling for a couple of days ensuring interruption free listening by keeping the continuous loop setting activated on my player. After awhile I started to loop particular songs on the playlist. Pitseleh by Elliott Smith was one of them. Elliott Smith I thought. Never heard of him.

IMG 0070 1024x768  Thoughts before my next flight around the sun
Everybody understands, everybody cares

Historically- the last two decades of alternative music make a lot more sense to me now. Death Cab for Cutie makes more sense to me. The National. Bright Eyes. The list grows and continues as I pick through my music collection.

Elliott Smith’s heyday was the 90s. Music was generally shared and discovered through mixtapes gifted by friends. It would be easy to miss someone as influential as Elliott. Still easy to do so now.

I think of the gifts that Dylan gave to skateboarding. His power, speed and style were undeniable. You felt good about life when you watched him skateboard. The fast and strong lines of kickflips over tall stair sets followed by Smith grinds on the tops of picnic tables. I also think about the music Dylan listened to and shared with people. Like a good friend saying, “You need to listen to this. You’ll thank me later.”

Broody songs by Elliott Smith flutter into my ears as I walk through the remaining days of my 43rd autumn. The spent leaves crunch under my feet. The air unseasonably warm and lush with decay. The days are darker, quicker. I feel quieter. Elliott Smith lulling in my background as I think about growing older and what I’ve gained and lost. One thing I still know. I am thankful for the people that still share and open their arms to the life around them. My family. My friends. Skateboarding by Dylan. Songs by Elliott.

This sick interlude, with all of my heart, part II

While putting together a couple more sequences I thought, how can anyone put together the three hour bowel clenching mega drama Titanic much less a five minute skateboard video? After two minutes I feel that my ideas are shot and I’ve dug deep in my bag of tricks and came up short to keep the viewer’s interest and well, my own.

Nonetheless, I push forward- actually I’m pretty sure what I need to do in order to get the show back on track. I have three more sequences to shoot and it should be good.

1. Memory Lane

2. Eyota

3. Silver Lake, again.