So this post was inspired by a little video that I came across recently, which includes Ian MacKaye (amongst others) talking about how life as a skateboarder changes your perception of the world around you.
It’s funny because it’s this exact same conversation that I’ve had with so many other people (BMXers mainly) through the years. For example, once you’ve been riding for long enough a kerb is no longer just a kerb; you go through a mental checklist of all the qualifying critera necessary for a successful boost of said object. Is it transitioned or merely flat? How tall is it? Is it short and tight, meaning it’ll pop you right up, or long and mellow needing some speed and a slow huck to loft anything out of it?
The everyday mundane street furniture that ‘ordinary’ people see takes on a whole new meaning and is interpreted in an entirely different way by both skateboarders and BMXers alike. A bench, a rail, a bank to wall. In most cases the original architect or whoever built the obstacle would have been totally oblivious to such potential, but every once in a while you have to wonder exactly what that person was thinking when they decided to building something like Dusseldorf University (RIP).
I think everywhere I’ve ever lived has gone through some process of mental categorisation by how much ‘street’ there is to ride. Seriously, finding a wallride tucked away in some obscure part of town ranks in my mind far higher than, say, a decent shopping mall or a Starbucks. In fact, I’d swap all that shit for a decent kerb to session.