I have noticed that around 2pm and extending to 4pm, after a productive day of librarianship and listening to the punk rock, I have an overwhelming desire to go skateboarding. However, it is never really possible, as I must continue my work. Biorhythms can be a problem.
My friend Paul clued me into this video on Facebook the other day (video embedded at the bottom of this post). I was never a huge Tony Alva fan back in the days of the Dogtown articles in Skateboarder magazine and all that. As a nerdy kid from the Dallas suburbs I loved his skating, but the image didn’t really speak to me. The whole Dogtown/Venice Beach, vato-style art, and all that — I had no reference point for it. It didn’t connect with me at all.
I read the Alva interviews, and the whole ego thing he had going on kinda bothered me too, I think.
All this is simply to say that later in this article, as I seem to gush over Tony’s style, this isn’t intended as a hero-worship post. Rather, it’s simply an old skater appreciating the skill of an even older skater. Skill hidden in the subtle spots of a ride.
Alva, street flowing.
Anyway, this video describes Tony’s somewhat recent “transformation” (I put that in quotes not to question it, but because I don’t know what else to call it). He talks about the value of doing things for others rather than being centered on one’s self, and his discovery that living life that way is more fulfilling. Apparently there is some religious component to Tony’s new way of life, but he doesn’t go into that in much detail, which is probably just fine.
So there are my comments about the transformation.
Now a few comments about the skating in this video. There really isn’t a lot of great footage of Alva actually skating. Back in the old days people didn’t have video cameras in their pockets all the time. So I really love the skate footage in this video.
The opening shots of Alva just flowing down the street — love it. The essence of skating, right there. It’s the little things that matter. In the shot at :45, where Tony carves into a driveway and then slides to fakie as he comes back into the street — check his feet. As he does the carve, rear foot is in the middle of the board and looking all stylish. As he comes back in, look at how his foot just naturally shifts back to the kicktail for the slide, smooth and naturally. Stuff like that is really the mark of an experienced, master skater.
The skatepark footage is nice too. Nothing fancy, but just some really smooth skating. Speed and confidence. There are skaters out there — thousands of them – who can do all sorts of flip tricks, but who can’t skate these simple lines with style and speed, much less grace. The shot where he does the backside pivot indy-grab on the pool wall extension on rad — that little split second of weightless pause at the top of the wall.
Watch…
As I was finishing this book the recent nuclear power plant melt-down problems in Japan were increasing in severity, making Nick Rosen’s examination of the off-grid lifestyle accidentally timely to be reading.
Off the Grid, by Nick Rosen
First, let me say that Off The Grid is a strangely structured book, jumping all over the country to visit and interview off-gridders in many locations. Perhaps this would have made more sense in the form a documentary film, but it doesn’t quite work in this format. Rosen organized the book based on the motivations and “types” of off-the-grid people he met. This isn’t a bad idea in itself, but the result can be a disjointed jumping from one part of the country to another.
But let me back up a bit. Nick Rosen is a Brit. He wrote a previous book called “How to Live Off-Grid: Journeys Outside the System”, which I understand deals primarily with a similar off-grid odyssey in the UK. Nick is a documentary film maker, which could explain the structure of the book. Nick describes himself as a part-time off-gridder.
That being said, it is a fun and interesting read. I enjoyed it. The author writes with wit and honesty, and he has a genuine interest in off-grid living, himself being a part-time off-gridder. He visits off-gridders of many varieties, examines their methods and motivations, and gives each a fair shake.
If you click the links to the book, you will see the amazon.com page about the book, including a short promotional video for the book. Check it out!
So if you are interested in this kind of thing I do recommend this book. I respectfully disagree with those who found the author mean-spirited. He does give his opinions, and doesn’t hold anything back, but I didn’t get the feeling he had a ax to grind with anyone. He was probably harshest with the “inventor” of the Earthship, but from what I gather that guy probably deserves it.
At Rock The Cradle 2010 – 10.23.10 Houston.
While at the Internet Librarian conference, and in transit to it, I have…
