I'm not about shit talking. There's far more than enough of that being generated on the internet on a daily basis and it's pretty lame. So I'm not going to talk shit. I'm just going to say there IS one pretty rad segment on the Berrics that I find consistently getting me psyched. Off the Grid is a pretty cool idea and with the dudes that have ended up being involved so far they've ended up being pretty tight little web clips that are motivating in that they provide the viewer with (in my case) a much needed reminder that creativity breeds skateboarding, and you don't need a pristine skate plaza in your town to get some day in and day out. Cole, Timtim/Brown/, Rodrigo/Curtin, Kalis/McClung, Johan Stuckie, Castillo,Koston, Malto, Anderson/Nesser, Pappalardo, Ishod Wair, the list goes on and on and it's a pretty amazing who's who of some of the more interesting skaters doing it today.
I love the current state of skateboarding, I really do. I eat up all the media content and look forward to the release of new videos just as eagerly as I did when I was a grom just starting out. I love the big videos that we as skaters anticipate for years (stay gold, fully flared etc) and have a profound sense of respect for the work that goes into them. With that being said however, I still pine nostalgically for the days the older pros and retired pros describe when the speak about filming video parts in a weekend or a few weeks. I think that sense of lightheartedness and the inclination to not take skateboarding so seriously is pretty cool and don't necessarily see as much evidence of it these days. That's what these Off the Grid segments do for me, they remind me of the aura of spontaneity that must have permeated the filming process for those older video parts. Accomplishing that is quite a feat in itself.
I've always been a bit curious about the filming process with these edits. Are they actually spontaneous continuous lines or is any of this shit re-filmed. That's pretty irrelevant all considered though, the skating is nothing insane but that's not necessarily a bad thing in the video game turned reality landscape of skateboarding these days. The videos are short and feature rad skaters cruising the streets of randomly picked locations.
The first one I saw was the initial Off the Grid the put out which was Koston's. Being co-owner of the Berrics himself it comes as no surprise that he got the jump off, and it turned out pretty tight. I think their have definitely been better and more interesting ones since, but the initial clip still set the stage for what was to become in my mind one of the coolest web segments out there.
The majority of the Off the Grid videos take place in or around L.A., but for the most part my favorite ones end up being the clips filmed in different cities outside of California. Pretty much every single one of the segments is worth watching from start to finish but there were definitely a few that stuck out to me as being extra tight.
Rodrigo Tx/Jack Curtain: As I re watch this sitting here in Toronto in the middle of March and looking at the gray sleet of shit outside, I'm reminded that although I love skate footy outside of California, I can completely understand why the majority of it is generated there. In this clip the combo of Rodrigo/Jack + A Tribe Called Quest + sunny California skies = a clip that not only is super entertaining to watch, but also makes me jealous as fuck.
Benny Fairfax/Raymond Molinar: Being a big fan of all things British, Benny Fairfax in particular, I knew this one would be a favorite of mine before I even watched it. It looks like a nice spring day in this clip, and both these dudes are beasts. They skate sooooo fucking fast, and Raymond Molinar is one quick footed bastard. Benny Fairfax's nollie heel off the bank to flat was really sick among a bunch of other awesome shit in this clip.
Josh Kalis/Taylor McClung/Dane Vaughn: Anything with Kalis in it is bound to be awesome and this segment is no different. You can't go wrong with Josh Kalis and a Nas track. And oh yea, Dane Vaughn is really fucking good at skateboarding.
http://theberrics.com/off-the-grid/josh-kalis-taylor-mcclung-and-dane-vaughn.html
Eli/Zered Hurricaine Irene Edition: This one is pretty awesome. Filmed on a rainy day in the middle of the summer during Hurricaine Irene on cruiser boards, this segment, more then any, is a huge reminder that at the end of the day skateboarding is and always has been about having fun. The fact that these dudes can skate waaaaay better then me while in the rain and on cruiser boards, then I ever could on a dry day on my normal setup is also pretty awesome and hilarious.
The intro the Chaz Ortiz one is pretty hilarious, injecting the scene from The Wedding Crashers where Owen Wilson goes to visit Will Ferrel's character Chaz, only to be welcomed to his Mother screaming "Chaz move your fucking skateboard." That and the loooooong ass back tail he does in his segment are both pretty grimey.
So if you need a brief yet refreshing respite from the daily onslaught of oft overproduced and overwhelming skate media these days, take a look at these Off the Grid videos, they're a reminder that skateboarding can be fun, no matter where we are, we just have to make the best of our surroundings.
