On February 20th 2012 I took some pictures of Lizzie Armanto skateboarding Montclair skatepark. Before on this day we had some breakfast at a place called Flake in Venice California. Afterward we probably drove to Montclair Skatepark. And after the skate/ photo session in Montclair I probably dropped her off at the Combi in Orange California.
Back in 2012 Lizzie Armanto and I would sometimes hit up to 3 skate spots in a day. And probably stopped at at least one tea place along the way. More importantly this was a great time for me to work on my skateboard photography technique. Above all it was just a fun time to hang out with Lizzie.
Here is another photograph I published many years ago from the same session.
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I met magician Michael Weber. I was an elementary school kid looking for the latest in magic (the magician type). The time period was the 1970’s and the locations southern California. Michael worked at the The Magic shop. Michael Weber had a strong impact on my young self. You just don’t meet a guy like this everyday. Weber always made me laugh, amazed me, and was always kind to me. So how do you reconnect from a galaxy far far away (Twitter I guess)? And as you may have guessed Michael Weber is that same force of imagination, creativity and kindness, that he always was!
Lastly, if Michael Weber were to hear this podcast he would gently remind me ” every dance is too long” or “if it can be cut it must be cut”, and of course he’d be correct. But alas my style of conversation (podcast) goes against many of the wise concepts Michael genrously offered up in our chat. Even so, hopefully Michael’s wisdom and good sense will still prevail over my uncut unedited style of conversation.
Finally lets cut through this SEO-bullshit-intro. Michael Weber is someone I looked up to as a kid and still look up to. And I was surprised also very happy to have a conversation with him. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Michael Weber as much as I did having it.
I read on facebook that Skatelab skate park in Simi Valley is going to be shut down.
The first thing I want to say is that I have only visited this park a few times. And during my first visit to Skatelab I felt that unmistakable old school skatepark feeling. If you never hung out at one of the old school skateparks you wouldn’t understand. As a matter of fact I used to get the same feeling when I localized and worked at Skatopia Skatepark (in Buena Park California back in the late 1970’s). And as im writing this post I realize that the old school feeling has nothing to do with the skateboard museum or even the park itself. Interstingly I cannot really pinpoint why the place made me feel like I was in a old school skatepark. Maybe its the person or people who made that place?
Mixed feelings about Skatelabs closure
Surprisingly, I am both sad and happy that Skatelab is closing. The reasons I am sad are probably obvious. Whereas the reason I am happy is less obvious. It has a little to do with old skateboarders passing on the baton.
Why i’m happy about the closure
So I am happy about the closure in more of a changing of the guard sense. Which is to say (in my opinion) old skaters and old skater culture have hindered skateboarding to some level. Look around, old skate dudes run a lot of the companies and events and in my opinion it drag them down. I for one am curious to see what things new skateboarders will come up with. For me skateboard events, products and skateparks could use a fresh perspective. I believe the younger generation will find something exciting or interesting for skateboarding. So will the old skateboarding generation hand down control to the young? My guess would be no.
Skatelab is an important part of skateboarding history
In closing, to be clear I do not think that Skatelab has held back the progression of skateboarding. I mean what I say in more of a symbolic sense. And in a perfect world the place would be preserved in an even more museum like environment. But sadly old school skateboarding history like Jazz (another American invention) will probably slip into a slumber and ultimately fade away, And maybe thats the natural way of things?
Art Podcast i had a conversation Words Push Things Around
Words Push Things Around
I few months ago I decided to give podcasts a try. You might think why podcasts? They are so stark, no pictures, no video, and no text. Instead of all the stimulating visual things that make the internet so fun podcasts rely on sound alone. Thats right, but sound can be very interesting. And why not sound? If I were you I would not underestimate sound. Sound is glorious and the sound of words are not to bad either.
As a matter of fact words have propelled this world forward for a long time. People have used words to do really great things and really bad things. Words can change a student into a doctor, and a single person into a spouse. Words push around so many things in our world. And if you use your words at someone else they might use some towards you. Sort of like a conversation.
Conversations can be very interesting to listen to or participate in. Im not talking about conversations on Reddit, a newsgroup or your favorite web forum. Im not even talking about conversations on text or dm. Im talking about real conversations (the in person type). Conversations that have no reason, nothing to sell, and nothing to prove. Conversations that talk about art of all things. That thing we do or admire that somehow makes sense. That art thing that makes us feel a feeling or elevates us. Art conversations on things like photography, skateboarding, music, poetry, or acting.
If you made it this far you might like to listen to my conversations with my friends. Friends I like and respect. Friends that I believe in. I think they have interesting things to say and you might think so too. I hope you will enjoy a series of podcast I create called “i Had a conversation”
This is a clip from my old band named Shoot The Moon. We wrote songs, played live and lived our lives together for 10 years. For me, this clip sort of lacks what the band was actually about. Im putting it up because it is (as of this writing) the most popular video.
And speaking of video wow did we create a lot of it. I have been spending the last month transferring all of this video to youtube. A task that has resurrected many feelings both old and new. I think my generation were some of the first to have a moving picture record of our daily lives? It was a expensive thing to have a camera back in the late 1980’s. Now with each generation of smartphone being cheaper and better, everyone will have a moving-picture-record of their life. I wonder if it will as strange for my son or daughter to see 10 years of their life so many years after they lived it?
For me, it is a bit strange to see 10 years of your life on video. I sometimes wonder if this is a good or bad thing? I really loved that experience and those days are so fun to watch. But video also reminds me of how scarce time is. And so I feel guilty about looking at life as opposed to living it.
If you want to see all the Shoot The Moon video go here https://www.youtube.com/kenhada
If you want to see the official Moon website go to www.shootthemoon.com
