The Kids Are Alright: Part 3
We are back with the third installment of the segment where I get a peek into the minds of the adolescent skater boys who occupy the deck at Melbourne’s City Park.
Trying to answer the question that old heads have been asking for generations: Do kids even know anything about skateboarding anymore?
Three of these in, I’ve found an answer to that original question. Some kids still care about skateboarding, but most don’t. Most don’t think twice about it, never even watching a skate video or knowing any skateboarders. Their outfits are less thought out than I originally thought. They just wear whatever pants are baggy mostly, usually Butter Goods. They also don’t have any regard for the weather conditions, especially not the heat as can be seen by Alex, who was sporting a Ushanka on a Melbourne summer's day.
Even if they don’t care about skateboarding, they are still funny. So, yeah, the kids are alright.
Max & Eddie
How old are you?
Max: 15
Eddie: 14
When did you start skating?
Max: When I was like five or something.
Eddie: Five too, I think.
What pants do you wear?
Max: Carhartt. Carhartt is beast.
Eddie: Dickies or Quicksilver Boardshorts.
What’s your favourite trick?
Max: Front feeble, front crook or switch back tail.
I said one.
Max: I don’t care… front crook then.
What about you Eddie?
Eddie: Back tail, front blunt, front crook.
I said one.
Eddie: Which ever one, just pick one when you’re writing it [laughs].
[Laughs] Who’s your favourite skater?
Max: Either Deedz or Josh Sabini or Curren Caples because that cunt is fresh.
Eddie: Zion Wright
What’s your favourite company?
Max: Supreme [laughs].
Eddie: Pass~Port.
What’s your favourite skate video?
Max: Emerica - Stay Gold or what was that one called… ughh how do I keep forgetting it?
Eddie: It’s the drinks pal.
Max: Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Eddie: Mine is the new Sk8Mafia video.
What’s your favourite video part?
Max: Deedz, Deedz, Deedz or Curren Caples’ Vans part.
Eddie: Oh, Miles Silvas’ new one was pretty cool.
Max: Oh, my favourite video is Sorry I’m Bad.
Thanks, Max. Do you guys have TikTok accounts?
Max: I do
Eddie: I do, it’s so dead.
What is the most views you’ve got on a TikTok?
Max: I had an Instagram reel that got like 500 or 600k views of me eating shit trying to boardslide Flinders and I just got bullied in the comments.
Eddie: [laughs].
Who invented the kickflip?
Max: Rodney Mullen
Eddie: Rodney Mullen
Who did the first 900?
Max: Nyjah Huston
Eddie: Tony Hawks friend.
Max: No, he thinks it’s Tas Papas, it wasn’t Tas Papas they were battling both for it but Tony got it first and then there was beef between them.
Eddie: So, it was Tony Hawk.
Max: It was Nyjah.
Do you guys want to watch a skate video?
Max: Sure.
Eddie: Ok
Max and Eddie’s review of Bam Margera’s part in Toy Machine’s Jump Off a Building [1998].
Max: Guys, Josh is so old.
Eddie: Josh was like 15 when this video came out.
Max: Yeah, that’s awesome. That’s so cool. They’re fresh cunts I’m telling you.
Max: This music is from Josh’s era, early 1900s.
Max: Mr Jackass, Bam Margera with the stacks.
Max: Man, that was fucking radical he did an ollie melon.
Max: Why are they slapping each other man? It’s like a jackass video skate part, just choose one.
Eddie: This guy has a good kickflip.
What did you think of the song:
Max: It sucks.
Eddie: Sorry, but what is this music?
What song would you use if you were going to edit a skate video?
Max: I would use like a 90s pop song… actually, I’d use Flava in Your Ear by Craig Mack.
Wow, how original.
Max: Bro, it’s fire. Actually, drum and bass would be fire for a skate video low key.
Eddie: Yeah, I’d use a drum and bass song, I don’t know the song but that’s the genre.
What year do you think it was made?
Max: So, Bam Margera is like 90 now so if my calculations are correct, it would be 1988.
Eddie: 1998.
What do you think of his outfits?
Max: Yeah, they were pretty steeze. I like the drip back then.
Eddie: They are pretty Fitzroy.
What did you think of the part?
Max: It was pretty fucking boring; I didn’t really watch it.
Eddie: It was pretty good; pretty short.
What would you have done differently if you were Bam Margera in 1998?
Max: I wouldn’t have used Telstra hold music.
Eddie: I would’ve filmed more clips.
Alex & Linus
How old are you?
Alex: 15
Linus: 15
When did you start skating?
Alex: Like a year ago.
Linus: Yeah, a year ago.
What pants do you wear?
Alex: I’m wearing Butter Goods, but my favourites are JNCOs.
Linus: I’m wearing Butter Goods the Smurf edition.
I see you guys are both wearing big puffy shoes. What got you into wearing those?
Alex: I just wear them because they’re chunky and I hate heel bruise. Slim shoes feel off, they feel weird when you skate them.
Linus: Because they’re sexy.
Alex, it is the middle of summer right now, what’s the inspiration behind the hat?
Alex: I want to keep my hair out of my face because my hair goes in my face when I skate.
Why did you choose that?
Alex: Because I look dumb in beanies and hats.
Damn, that’s actually so good. When did you work out that’s what looked good on you?
Alex: I don’t know, like five months ago.
Have you worn it every day since?
Alex: Pretty much, yeah.
Do you not get hot in it?
Alex: Yeah, but it’s the same thing as people who wear beanies like do they get hot? It’s the same thing.
Who’s your favourite skater?
Alex: Shit… I don’t have a favourite skater.
Linus: Willis Zomer, this man right here.
What’s your favourite company?
Alex: Evolve skate shop.
Linus: DC Shoes.
Do you have a favourite skate video?
Alex: Nah.
Linus: Nah.
Do you guys watch skating?
Alex: Not really.
Linus: Sometimes, like random videos that come up on YouTube.
Do you guys watch skating on TikTok or something?
Alex: Yeah.
Linus: Yeah.
What sort of stuff do you watch on TikTok?
Alex: It’s like the guys who make the videos showing how to do tricks.
Linus: I just see people's clips.
Is that how you learnt a bunch of tricks?
Alex: Yeah.
What is the most views you’ve got on a TikTok?
Alex: Not much like a hundred.
Linus: Like a thousand.
Who invented the kickflip?
Alex: No.
Linus: Rodney Mullen.
Who did the first 900?
Alex: Tony Hawk.
Linus: Tony Hawk.
Do you guys want to watch a skate video?
Alex: Yeah.
Linus: Yeah.
Alex and Linus’ review of Heath Kirchart’s part in Transworld’s Sight Unseen [2002].
What did you think of the part?
Alex: It’s pretty dope.
Linus: Yeah, cool video.
When do you think this video was made?
Alex: 2010.
Linus: Early 2000s.
What did you think of the song?
Alex: It’s a good song.
Linus: Yeah, it’s alright.
What song would you use if you were going to edit a skate video?
Alex: I’d use, And I Love Her by The Beatles.
Are you a big Beatles fan?
Alex: Not really.
What about you Linus?
Linus: My TikTok favourited audios.
What’s in there?
Linus: I don’t know just some random stuff that I like, there’s rap and hip-hop in there.
What do you think of his outfits?
Alex: Yeah, his fits are hard.
Linus: They’re clean