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Mike Carroll Talks About the Beastie Boys’ Influence on Skate Culture

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The Beastie Boys recently released a book, which was followed by a capsule collection with Girl that features photos of the band shot by Spike Jonze. The Beastie Boys influence on and perpetuation of skate culture is undeniable. Anthony Pappalardo delves into topic in his latest piece for Highsnobiety in which he gets Mike Carroll’s insight on how Mike D, Ad-Rock, and MCA played into his matrix during that pivotal time when Plan B’s Questionable was released in 1992.

After a string of successful singles, the Beastie Boys made a meaningful connection while working on a promo video for “Time For Livin’.” Even though the under two-minute hardcore punk track wasn’t a proper single, it was edited and featured “out of focus” live footage shot by a young skate photographer, videographer, and writer “put on by Yauch,” named Spike Jonze, who they had previously met in 1991 while he worked at the short lived magazine Dirt. Jonze fused the black-and-white and color performance footage with raw skate footage taken from Plan B’s “Questionable” video. Heralded as a superteam, Questionable was the most innovative skate video released at the time and featured three Beasties tracks during pro Mike Carroll’s part.

“I got an advanced copy of the album from Lance Dawes at Slap Magazine,” Carroll told Highsnobiety when we discussed the video. “When it came time for the video we used the music from that advanced copy – I didn’t think anything of it, because the album wasn’t even out yet. So yeah, we didn’t get the rights and the album didn’t even come out for two weeks after Questionable. It’s pretty fucked up. [laughs] We were recently on a Lakai trip in Japan and Tony Hawk actually asked us if we got permission to use those Beasties tracks. Years ago he was snowboarding with MCA and Tony asked him if Plan B had gotten permission. MCA told him we didn’t but said it didn’t matter because he thought the video was ‘sick,’ well… he used some other words, but getting that sign off was all that mattered.”

“I’ve always tried to figure out how it all started [the retro craze],” Carroll says. “It was going on before Check Your Head but that album – the cover, the videos, especially ‘So What’cha Want,’ that whole style is where it started for me, really set it off. Stop dressing like a goofy boy and get back to normal. When I first started skating I had Puma Clydes, then I saw Cab [Steve Caballero] wearing them, then a few years later this was happening. I got a pair again at a place in SF called Famous Footwear, but when we traveled to England on a Plan B tour I must have bought 10 pairs of shoes because we couldn’t get those old shoes in the US. There was a store in SF called Kaplan’s that would sometimes have Campuses or Shelltoes, but I don’t think I ever even got any there. Later on Nick Tershay [Diamond Supply Co.] met Paul Shier [Pro skater and current team manager for adidas Skateboarding] and he’d start sending shoes to him, and for me too.”

Head over to Highsnobiety to read the entire piece.

Image Via Jacob Rosenberg

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Get Behind the Scenes of the Red Bull Bowl Rippers

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In September, Red Bull Bowl Rippers brought pro skateboarding action back to Marseille’s famous beachside Bowl Du Prado after a two-year hiatus.

As thousands of enthusiastic French spectators witnessed the action-packed event, Marc Churchill and Corbin Harris interviewed the participating skaters, as well as industry veterans such as Greg Poissonnier, Chris Gregson, and Bryce Kanights. They also spoke with the event organizer, Jeremie Grynblat, and local hero Vincent Matheron to understand what makes this unique proving ground so special and why people keep coming back to it for decades.

The first Bowl Rippers was held in 2016 at the iconic park to celebrate its 25th year. Now on its sixth edition, The Red Bull Bowl Rippers continued the Bowl Du Prado’s legacy of enshrining legends into a new era.

The Bowl Du Prado, designed by Jean-Pierre Collinet, has been visited by every great skateboarder to leave their mark on the sport. Along with famous names like Cardiel, Speyer, Trujillo, and Petersen, there are also local legends like Molinier, Benoliel, Salah, and the Matheron clan who have all contributed to the skatepark’s worldwide notoriety.

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CULTURE

Atita Verghese: India’s Top Female Skater in ‘Skate Tales’

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In this episode of Skate Tales, Madars Apse visited Bangalore to meet Atita Verghese, India’s leading female skater.

Atita was introduced to skateboard culture by the Holystoked crew, who constructed India’s first DIY skatepark in Bangalore. Her life was transformed when she stepped onto a skateboard, and she has never looked back.

In 2014, Atita established Girl Skate India, a non-profit organization that encourages young women to pursue skateboarding. Atita is a source of inspiration for women worldwide, particularly in India, where skateboarding is still in its early stages.

She has been involved in the construction of the majority of skateparks in her home country to this day, having learned how to mix concrete and shape transitions with the Holystoked collective.

Skateboarding has led her to appear in numerous advertisements, a TED talk, movie roles, and even a cameo in the Netflix series Skater Girl.

Atita has created a one-woman movement beyond providing boards, pads, or lessons. In a society where opportunities for girls to be free of social constraints and have fun are limited, Atita’s work is definitely worth checking out.

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Andrew Arthur: From Sponsored Skateboarder to Fashion Photographer

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The Transworld Skateboarding crew catches up with Andrew Arthur in this episode of “Brain Floss.”

Andrew Arthur was raised in Oceanside, California, surrounded by some of the best skaters who eventually became pros. Although he once pursued skateboarding and even reached the amateur level, his career took a different path when he found his niche in fashion photography.

Fast forward ten years and Andrew now resides in New York City, where he continues to skate and stay connected with the local scene. His latest photo project, which will be compiled into a book, is a unique take on the sun bounce setup popularized by Peter Lindbergh.

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