Brian Krans's Blog, page 11
February 3, 2016
#42: Jeremy Raff & John Vossoughi
Jeremy Raff and John Vossoughi are rollerbladers currently living in San Francisco.
Their video, Citizens, debuted at the Blading Cup and will be available soon on VOD.
On this episode of the Rock Town Podcast, we talk about the various skaters featured in Citizens, including them, Neil Chen, Brendan Tidd, and Czar.
Raff also talks his fledging career as a journalist and his upcoming trip to cover the New Hampshire primaries for Al Jazeera News.
You can also directly download the episode here or listen on iTunes or Stitcher.
The music on the break is “The Primary Color Movement” by Black Moth Super Rainbow. It’s the intro song featured in Citizens.
Check out Uncle Dad Productions, as discussed on the episode, the animator for Creatures.
Arsonists Get All The Girls – Beast Fist (Official Video) from Uncle Dad Productions on Vimeo.
As always, the Rock Town Podcast thanks our Patreon supporters: Trudy, Dustin, Edward, and now BladeorDie.com co-founder, Jose Fuentes.
Use the promo code PODCAST on RockTownPress.com to get 10 percent off your entire order.
Blade or Die,
— Brian Krans
January 21, 2016
#41: Erick ‘ESG’ Garcia
Erick Garcia is an American rollerblader and photographer.
Erick is a staple of NorCal rollerblading, from history-making stunts during Bay Area traffic to shooting photos for FilthJuice.
Known better as ESG, he’s “El Presidente” of the Juiced Sucka Foos, a crew formed in the Battle My Crew days.
On this episode, we talk about his experiences working for his parents carpet cleaning business, how cess slides are a sign of financial independence, his relationship with K2 skates, getting into photography, and, of course, smoking weed.
Follow him on Instagram: @juicedsuckafoos
Erick in Valo V:
Ringbone:
Humble Beings:
Break song: “Juiced” by Zyme (Jared Majors)
If you’d like to know more about the JSF crew, read the article I wrote for AggressiveMall.com when they launched the JSF/AM Juiced line.
Blade or Die,
— Brian Krans
P.S. — Use the promo code ‘PODCAST’ for 10 percent off orders at RockTownPress.com.
January 18, 2016
#40: Kevon Thompson
Kevon “Biz” Thompson is an American rollerblader, musician, filmmaker, and creator of the 2013 blading documentary “I’m Still Here”.
We discuss NorCal and SoCal, Black Market, Big Wheels as a gateway drug, making instant best friends with Gregory Preston in a middle school English class, who was behind ThemXNiggas, white dudes in dreads, how poetry and hip-hop intertwine, open mic events, and trends in Southern skating.
You can listen here, thanks to the fancy new player:
In 2013, he made the blading documentary “I’m Still Here,” which has more than 32,000 views on YouTube.
Follow Biz on Instagram as @TheBizOne.
A video posted by Kevon Thompson (@thebizone) on Jan 11, 2016 at 7:28pm PST
Check out his music on SoundCloud or Bandcamp.
Thanks to Patreon supporters Trudy, Dustin, and now Edward Gryspeerdt.
Blade or Die,
— Brian Krans
P.S. — Use the promo code ‘PODCAST’ for 10 percent off orders on RockTownPress.com.
January 6, 2016
#39: Pat Lennen
Wonder what happened with Pat Lennen?
Most known for his stunt skating in videos like Leading the Blind and Drip Drop, Pat got his start by flipping over Ferraris.
A pro for the K2 skate brand fresh out of high school, Pat talks about his purple pro skate, how he pulled off the tricks he does, and what he’s been up to in the last six years. He’s also looking for a ping-pong table.
You can directly download the audio file by clicking on this sentence.
Pat’s purple pro boot from K2.
Support this podcast, if you can, by contributing on Patreon, which keeps the Rock Town Podcast and BladeorDie.com free of advertising.
Otherwise I have books and other merchandise available at RockTownPress.BigCartel.com.
Blade or Die,
— Brian Krans
December 25, 2015
#38: Ivan Narez and Valo 4Life
Ivan Narez is an American rollerblader and filmmaker.
We talk about the making of Valo 4Life, what skates spots are off limits, acquiring music rights, and other topics.
Following the Q&A portion is another installment of the Blade Video DJ (#BVDJ) series with Valo 4Life, featuring music from Free the Robots, Jeff Stockwell, Sage Francis, and others.
Check out Ivan’s latest film, “Hermanos,” available soon.
How to Win a Signed Copy of Valo 4Life (and five beer coasters)
To be entered into the raffle to win a DVD copy of Valo 4Life (signed by Ivan) and five beer coasters from the Valo 4Life world premiere, upload a screen shot of your favorite trick in Valo 4Life to Instagram. Tag me, @citizenkrans, and use the hashtag #BVDJ.
That’s Bravo, Vagina, Donut, Jose.
Once this episode reaches 200 downloads, I’ll pick a winner and send out the DVD, coasters, and other things I find lying around the Rock Town garage.
Here’s where you can snag some screen grabs:
The Rock Town Podcast is made possible because of support through Patreon (and we love everyone for their support).
Blade or Die,
— Brian Krans
December 17, 2015
#37: Korey ‘Sneaky’ Waikiki
Korey Waikiki is an American rollerblader who recently received his first pro skate from Razors.
We talk about Korey’s blading childhood in NorCal, his travels, brotherly influence, oversensitive people, having “stones,” and why Korey isn’t very competitive.
You can listen to this and other episodes on iTunes and Sticher. Or you can directly download the episode by clicking here.
His pro skate edit:
Here’s some clips of Korey skating in Australia:
Here’s Sneak’s edit from when he first went pro:
Buy his new pro skate at AggressiveMall.com and follow him on Twitter as @KoreyWaikiki.
Check out the interview I did with Sneaky in 2012 when he was first named pro: http://bladeordie.com/blader-digest-thanks-for-kids-like-sneaky/.
The Rock Town Podcast is made possible by our supporters on Patreon, a way creative people can make cool stuff. So thanks Dustin and Trudie for your support.
December 15, 2015
#36: Joey Scannella
Joey Scannella is a rollerblader from Staten Island, New York. After taking a break from blading, he started back up in 2009.
As I took a break in college, we talked about what we missed, New York blading history, the Mushroom Blading influence, the radicalization of rollerblading, the radical directions it can take, and many names we couldn’t remember.
You can directly download the podcast by clicking here.
Don’t forget to check out Joey’s latest edit:
Support the podcast on Patreon. Every little bit helps.
December 10, 2015
Blader Digest: Casey Jones on Rollerblades
I didn’t even know another Ninja Turtles movie was coming out. I thought the last five or six Michael Bay perversions of fond childhood memories had been enough.
First Bay made Transformers horrible and then he turned Shredder into a Transformer. Why? Because shiny things and BOOM! That’s why.
So the trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows went online yesterday. Play close attention to the glorious few seconds after the 1:55 mark, if you’ve missed it this far.
That’s right, kids. Casey Jones, one of our all-time favorite childhood characters, is back.
Most radical is that they have him cruising through New York City. More on that later.
The Blades Finally Come Out
Casey’s rollerblades aren’t just another attempt at grasping at 90s nostalgia as original fans of the franchise try to entice their own sons and daughters to hop on board.
Casey’s skates are actually part of TMNT canon. Variations of him in the past—at least those in animated and toy form—have had him on skates, but with a few added features.
The Casey Jones I know and love from the 1990 Turtles movie was played by Elias Koteas, a Greek Canadian who studied acting in New York City, home of the Turtles. (No, that’s not the guy who plays Det. Elliot Stabler on SVU.)
The guy was a bad ass in the role.
The latest person to take up the mantle is Stephen Amell, who plays a very serious version of Oliver Quinn on CW’s Arrow.
To me, he seems too clean-cut for the role, but he will be playing Megan Fox’s love interest, so it’s a step up from Shia.
For those of you who don’t know, here’s a brief biography of Casey Jones: as a child, Casey’s father was murdered by the Purple Dragons and his mother and sister were taken hostage. He went to free them and got his ass kicked so bad it damaged his brain, leaving him prone to violent outbursts.
If Casey Jones lived at the old Shredweiser house, even when Gumby was living there, he’d always be the craziest dude in the room.
Seeing his beloved city overrun by the filth that is crime—and after watching too many bad cop shows on TV— Casey become a vigilante, donning his iconic goalie hockey mask.
His choice of weapon is an Eastman hockey stick, but he’s also been known to use baseball bats, cricket bats, golf clubs, and even a croquet mallet, all kept neatly in a golf bag on his back.
He’s essentially what someone would outfit themselves with should they be locked in a Big 5 sporting goods store after the dollar collapses.
His skates, at least as they’re portrayed in the 2014 animated reboot, are retractable three-wheeled skates with a claw-like blades for the toe. (Blades on blades, right?)
There’s a hinge at the heel, so he can kick forward to put them on at a moments notice.
But this embarks on the first time when a live action Casey Jones has strapped up for the big screen. Normally, when Casey has appeared with blades on his feet it’s the teenage version of himself.
In real life, Amell is 34, like me. Still plenty of years left to blade.
The Skates Themselves
In the new movie, Casey Jones will be wearing the Valo V13.DS, better known as David Sizemore’s all black pro boot.
Our good friend at Rollerwarehouse David Hirt says the prop woman from Paramount purchased eight pairs and a bunch of pads a while back. (Daves on Daves, right?)
Maybe the production company needed eight pairs to trial-and-error their way to making the retractable skates.
In the trailer, however, it looks like they didn’t do too much fucking around with them other than some scrapes and white laces.
No Casey Jones I know would ever let a good pair of skates go without some quality wear and tear.
Personally, I don’t think there’s a better skate for Casey Jones. It’s cheap, it’s black, and David Sizemore is a TMNT fan.
David was pretty pumped to hear about this skate being used in the movie. (“Whattt!!!? That’s so wild!” was his exact expression.)
While David wasn’t a fan of the first one like many of us, he did say this little bit of new information might coax him into the theater to see it.
Oh, and David’s a Michelangelo fan “because he probably eats the most slices.”
“Pizza’s the base of my food pyramid,” he said.
Trying to Out-Skate a Rhino
Before we go any further, I would like to say Bebop and Rocksteady look great. Just top notch visuals so far.
So, there will be a scene where Casey is skating while being chased by Rocksteady.
I know Casey doesn’t have any super powers or mutant abilities, but if you’re going to try and out run a rhino, you better be good on the wheels, which it’s always smart to be a vigilante on blades.
Considering the average rhino’s top speed is around 31-34 miles an hour, and none are as agile as Bebop, it’s not impossible that he can peak around 40 mph. And then, of course, there’s always Bebop on his motorcycle right behind him.
Casey’s smart to use his smaller size and agility when it comes to those guys. Cut through cars and stuff to slow them down. Good call, bud.
On skates, well, I know I couldn’t get up that fast on my own. Hopefully we see Casey skitching or at least using the full advantage of his skates. What that means, I don’t know.
Will there be a trick? Most likely. Will he say “cowabunga” or “radical”? Well, it’s not in the character’s repartoire, but who knows how bad this could all be mucked up.
Sorry if I sound like an absolute pessimist, but fool me once…
Overall, it’s a good thing.
I’m pumped the movie put Casey on blades, that David’s skates are the ones the production company chose, but I can’t trust Michael Bay—whose not even directing this one but had to be sure his name was seen first in the trailers—with anything I love.
His movies make me feel like he’d start flirting with your girl the second you left to take a leak.
Overall, having Casey on skates and making them an affordable option will, without a doubt, open some kids eyes to blading, even if it’s just to cruise around.
And if they’re in New York City, all they need to do is find Jon Ortiz. He’ll get them started.
Now, if one of you would let me know who was the stunt double, I’d love to have him on the podcast.
Blade or Die,
— Brian Krans
P.S. — Don’t forget to check out The Rock Town Podcast, available on iTunes, Stitcher, and soon Google Play. We’ve got lots of great guests in the works.
If you want to get me something for Christmas, check out my Patreon account.
November 12, 2015
#35: Chris Haffey
Chris Haffey is one of the best rollerbladers ever.
Before his Nitro Circus stop in San Jose, Chris gives us the full story behind his newly-revitalized “Bone Crusher” nickname, the good ol’ days of watching VHS skate videos until the tape broke, and talking about the one thing he hates most about rollerblading.
He also answers questions the /r/rollerblading community on Reddit.
If you haven’t already, buy his Vibralux VOD on Sellfy for a mere $3.99.
Here’s what happens when Chris’ Nitro Circus family found out about his old nickname.
You can support this podcast by pledging to Patreon or shopping at RockTownPress.com.
(If you can support, I can fix my phone’s camera lens and get pictures without the JJ Abrams lens flares.)
Blade or Die,
— Brian Krans
#222: Chris Haffey
Chris Haffey is one of the best rollerbladers ever.
Before his Nitro Circus stop in San Jose, Chris gives us the full story behind his newly-revitalized “Bone Crusher” nickname, the good ol’ days of watching VHS skate videos until the tape broke, and talking about the one thing he hates most about rollerblading.
He also answers questions the /r/rollerblading community on Reddit.
If you haven’t already, buy his Vibralux VOD on Sellfy for a mere $3.99.
Here’s what happens when Chris’ Nitro Circus family found out about his old nickname.
You can support this podcast by pledging to Patreon or shopping at RockTownPress.com.
(If you can support, I can fix my phone’s camera lens and get pictures without the JJ Abrams lens flares.)
Blade or Die,— Brian Krans
