Nicky and I went to X-Games IX at Staples Center last week. Now I'm not an action sports fan at all, but here's a few things I figured out:
1. Vert Skating is inefficient: The day we went started off with the best trick competition for skateboarding. These world class skaters stick maybe 10% of their tricks. When you watch these competitions on ESPN2, you are seeing the highlights.
2. Inline and BMX Vert is must better to watch: These guys fall less than 10% of the time. The Tasutoko brothers simply kick ass. They are the top two inline skaters in the world and #3 is distant. Think of the Williams sisters, except make them guys, Japanese, and put roller blades on them. BMX is fun too. Mirra was great, but Bestwick was better.
3. Staples Center rocks: I've been to plenty of Kings games and even made a Laker game too. Staples is awesome for event. Now, if they could charge less for food...
4. Jake Brown will reach the 900 by 2004: This skateboarder tried for 45 minutes straight and was only a few degrees short of the vaunted 900.
5. Tony Hawk is still the man: He nailed a mute 900 after 2 tries.
6. Los Angeles is hot in August: We headed outside to check out the park events. We toured the booths and headed back indoors. Staples is air conditioned. See #3 above.
7. Women skaters: OK, hear me out. It's great that women are allowed to compete in a medal event of their own. But watching them skate is anti-climactic after the men's best trick comp. One day they'll be able to get over 3 feet above the coping. Until then, it's slow to watch.
8. I can kick their asses: TV broadcasts always display the height and weight of the athletes in a game. You know, "Jason Allison, 6-3 222lbs." X-Games people should keep quiet. It's just bizarre to see on the jumbotron: "Some Skater, 5-6 132lbs."
9. Moto-X is nuts: Think flying 15' off a vert ramp is stupid? Try jumping 75' and pulling a backflip in the process. Fucking nuts.
10. Punk Rock: It was good to hear old skate bands being played. I know these sports have gotten huge and include a lot of people from different backgrounds. But it was cool when the announcers would hear a new song start and say "This is SNFU, some of the best skate music ever created." Got to educate the masses.
Ed at work making spicy tuna roll. Ed says, "Ooooh, more sake!"
I just read that my all time favorite punk rock guitarst died recently. This is the guy who made me (and a lot of others, I'm sure) want to play guitar.
RIP Kevin
For all the criticism I've directed at the current "peace punk" scene, I am still floored by some of the music created back in the day. Last night I acquired some old Mortarhate material (Potential Threat, Liberty, etc.) and found the tunes to still hold a lot of power. Bitching about Thatcher may be a bit dated, but the energy is undeniable. I remember listening to Nth generation cassestte copies, full of that lovely analog hiss, and hanging on every chord. I felt the same way last night.
Maybe it was just nostalgic. Maybe I'll be over it by next Sunday. Maybe raising yourself on this culture means your stuck loving sloppy four chord songs for life.
1, 2, 3, 4...
OK, not to sound stuck up, but this is truly funny. Check out who made #98 on OC Weekly's "The 129 Greatest OC Bands Ever." Yep. You read that right. My first band, Resist & Exist, actually scored better than No Doubt and Lit.
At least they put TSOL, the Adolescents, and Dick Dale in front of us. But how could they forget Media Children?
This must be a joke.
I've recently witnessed two things in the media that just pissed me off. One was Jack Osbourne's discussion about his drug addiction. The other was speculation on Kobe Bryant's rape trial.
Jack Osbourne, spoiled teenage fatass extrordinaire, whined on and on about how stressful his life is. Afterall, he is the least liked member of the family circus known as the Osbournes. His only way to be accepted in the clubs of other spoiled celebrity kids was to dose up on powerful drugs that have nearly killed people he knows. Performing stupid human tricks while on the verge of sudden death helped him feel accepted.
I could be somewhat sympathetic to this chunk of lard by reminding myself of his age. Teenagers go through incredible amounts of pressure. Admitting this on national television may help other addicts become healthy before it's too late. But the way he talked about it, the way I felt like I was supposed to feel sorry for him just turned this into a joke. The way he whined about his plight made me want to say "Shut the fuck up you spoiled little bitch. Most kids deal with the same stress without becoming addicts. Most kids survive without multi-million dollar backing. You have far more than entire cities of average teenagers."
I hope he gets healthy and stays that way, but don't try and make me feel sorry for him.
Kobe Bryant is accused of a very serious crime. If he really did do it I hope they throw the book at him. Not because he's an NBA star, but because rape is such a horrible crime. On ESPN radio a broadcaster (whose name eludes me) said that this whole ordeal is a serious tragedy for Kobe. He went on to say that such a promising young star, who is destined for greatness, may have his dreams squashed by this trial. Not once did he mention the woman in question. I'm not saying Kobe is guilty. I don't know and I don't really care if he is or not. I just hope the verdict equals the truth. But all the sadness from this asshole (and all the callers as well) went to Kobe without even the slightest thought that a horrid crime may have taken place. People went on and on about poor Kobe.
Isn't being raped a tragedy? Isn't that more tragic than a superstar paying for his crime? Of course, I mean this if he is guilty. Say he did do it... will anyone say it's sad that a woman was violated? Or will they just mourn a public figure?
Every once in a while I hear an old PiL song that just makes sense. You know, a random sight reminds me of a song whose lyrics are appropriate for the moment. Of course, my erratic thought processes lead me to replay the entire back catalog. "Disappointed" seemed to play at least a 100 times during the day. The live version of "Rise" was a close second. When I saw two kids looking like throwbacks to 1992 grunge, "Angry" and "Seattle" came to mind.