Off The Wall

This Blog Has Moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 03:55:00 +0000

Hey you. You know I've loved you, Little Blogspot. It's not you. It's me. Tumblr just understands me better. So now come look at dumb stuff on THEVANSBLOG.TUMBLR.COM. Got it?

It's younger! It's more tan! It's a great cook! Bookmark it. Follow it. Whateverrrrrrr. thevansblog.tumblr.com/

The Skateboard Cow

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:40:00 +0000

Here's a pretty cute one for all y'all with babies all over your legs. The skateboard cow is a character in the children's book A Crazy Day at the Critter Cafe by Barbara Odanaka. It's about a bunch of rabid animals that appear docile at first glance but eat all your kids when you turn your back. No, it's not. It's about a pack of delightful animal friends that get rad at a restaurant.

In true kid mind-melting fashion, one of the characters from the book, the Skateboard Cow, visits real-life schools. (I don't know about you guys, but when McGruff the Crime Dog came to Oakdale Elementary I tore my face off.) She reads the book and skates. The kids get her autograph. Everything is cool. Days later, your child screams and freaks the eff out when you try to give them a cheeseburger.

But, for reals, though. How awesome is the author's job? She's all, "Hmmm...What do I like? I like, kids, cows, books, skating. How could I ever make people pay me for this?"

Let's See Some High Kicks!

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 07:17:00 +0000

Three people are going to be super hyped on this post. The rest of you, no, you will never understand our devotion to this band. Guided by Voices have a couple of shows with the classic lineup coming up soon. They'll be playing the Mission Creek Festival in Iowa City, Iowa on Saturday April, 2nd with one of my new favorites, Wye Oak. Next up, GBV will be at Sasquatch Festival on Monday May, 30th in George, Washington. Ok, so let's all pretend that we're hanging out in our room listening to records. That would be a lot cooler than what you're probably doing right this second, anyway.

Top photo by Robert Loerzel. See more of his work on Underground Bee.

PS. Here's a cute little cover of GBV's 'Game of Pricks' by Surfer Blood if you're so inclined.

Too Young To Die

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:13:00 +0000

Jamie Perkio from Riverside's dad & brother are mean! Mean, meanies. They nabbed her beat up old checkerboard Slip-ons & burned them alive in the driveway. Jamie, I po'd a 40 for your friends.

A Love Letter for You

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:55:00 +0000

The LOVE LETTER project that Espo did in conjunction with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program & the Pew Foundation is now a film. I haven't found too much info on premieres. I would guess it's probably doing festivals. However, if you're in NYC on February 10th, ARI SAAL says there's a screening at the Sunshine Theatre at 7:30pm. RSVP to info@firstandfifteenth.net.

Synopsis - via GHOSTROBOT.

"A Love Letter For You is a genre-defying new film by director Joey Garfield. A Love Letter For You seamlessly mixes documentary and narrative, love and loss, community and solidarity, art and crime, to paint a compelling portrait of two artists and their impact on the neighborhood they grew up in.

The film documents the notorious graffiti legend, Stephen "ESPO" Powers as he returns to his old stomping grounds in Philadelphia to paint a series of murals on 50 rooftops along the Market train line. The film also weaves in the fictional narrative of FIRE, a young graffiti king who is fresh out of prison on a quest to win back the love and attention of his ex girlfriend. A Love Letter For You mixes a local cast with real-life characters as they rediscover the soul of West Philly and it's dynamic community."

My Life Be Like, Que?

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 21:10:00 +0000

Joel Priez from Jesuit High School in New Orleans sent us this stop motion video he & did with two of his friends. They worked on it for three days for their Spanish class, but only got an 89 because there is no Spanish-speaking in it. What? Robbed. Travesty. The kid could be texting in Spanish!? The kid is clearly thinking in Spanish.

These Friends 2 at THIS Los Angeles

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 19:57:00 +0000

The folks at THIS los angeles have a lot of friends. Fortunately, all of them are wildly talented artists or the show opening Friday 2/4/11, These Friends 2, would not be nearly as much fun as it's going to be. I'd say at least half of the artists in this giant group show have worked with us at Vans in the past or present (or they work with Girl, Chocolate or Lakai). The first These Friends group show was a huge success=total mob scene, so I'd suggest getting your tail over to Highland Park early. Or late. Just go. Dude, Andy Muller says its a sure thing.

If you can't make the show, have a look at THIS BLOG. The gang is doing a post on each artist involved in the show. It's a great way to find something new & beautiful to get into.

Louie Gong's Chinese New Year Customs

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:40:00 +0000

Yeah, whoooo! It's almost Chinese New Year. It's the time to celebrate how the Nian, a mean liony-dragony-monster, isn't going to eat villagers anymore (especially delicious children) like he did back in the day because now we have shit tons of firecrackers & red stuff to scare him off. It's the time to hit all of your Chinese friends for money because their pockets are jam packed with these red cash envelopes.

Most importantly, however, this is a very special time of year where no one in China answers the phone or email for, like, a month. To celebrate, our friend Louie Gong rolled out with these beautiful custom Vans in honor of the year of the rabbit. Yeah, it's the year of the rabbit. And you know what rabbits symbolize...wink, wink. If you'd like to have Louie make you some of these totally badass kicks, contact him 8TH GEN.

Heroes and Zeroes - Photographs by MRZ

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:59:00 +0000

Our friend Ray Zimmerman aka MRZ has his first solo show of skate photography opening on Saturday January 8th, 2011 in Long Beach. Knowing that Ray has a couple of decades of work to sort through, I'm sure the edit was a daunting task. He has chosen to focus on work from the last three or four years showing approximately 50-75 prints. Added bonus: Ray Barbee is going to play. Here's everything you need to know about MRZ's Heroes and Zeroes:

"I am a skateboarder. I have been one for as long as I can remember. I am also a photographer. These two identities frequently intertwine, resulting in images such as the ones shown here.

There are people who ride skateboards, and then there are people who are skateboarders. There is no spectrum between the two, no gray area. Black or white, red or green, yes or no. For a skateboarder it isn't a lifestyle choice or a trend to follow, it is simply who and what they are. Skateboarders see the world differently. They see obstacles as challenges, and restrictions as invitations. This is the nature and evolution of the species. Un-natural selection.

Being a skateboarder is much like having a lifelong addiction. Certainly the spectrum of experience from severe pain to absolute pleasure is nearly identical, along with that undying need for a fix. There aren't enough hours in a day or years in a lifetime to satisfy that burning desire to get out and ride until the wheels fall off.

Documenting this species is always an adventure. Sometimes the adventure requires trespassing, law breaking, and getting in harm's way. All for the sake of capturing mere instants in space and time. Some of the subjects are heroes, and some of them are zeroes, but they are all undoubtedly skateboarders and that's all that matters."

I Will Tattoo Your Face On My Face.

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:57:00 +0000

Oh, it was an idea I had about the ultimate disguise. You get it, right? It's like how that weird lady that had 15 babies also had a lot of plastic surgery to look like Angelina Jolie, but the real solution would have been to get Angelina's face tattooed on her [baby lady's] face. Problem solved. That divagation has nothing to do with these Vans tattoos. Whoa damb.

There's a story with this one. Icham's Vans tattoo used to be his girlfriend's name. Unless your life is shorter than your relationship, this is not a good idea.

Later. I have to hop on my hoverboard & shoplift some ironic beer.

Chrome - Nope, the Bags Not the Google.

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:57:00 +0000

Chrome Bags in San Francisco likes a lot of stuff we like...this dope-ass MOTORHEAD MESSENGER BAG, and we hang in the same circles. A moment of love, shall we?

Earlier this month their marketing dude, Sharkey, sent out this email so 'ey, yo, eh I am posting. It's the internets:

'In October Gabe Morford (responsible for the videos linked below) and I flew out to NYC for the weekend to ride bikes and push skateboards. On Saturday we met up with Cardiel and Igei and decided to just cruise around Manhattan and Brooklyn. Cards was on the hunt for some vinyl...got some fresh squeezed juice from a spot in Crown Heights and ended up at Prospect Park for beers by the lake.

On Sunday Cardiel went his own way and we skated from Igei's spot in Brooklyn to the subway into Manhattan, hopped a train at Penn Station and headed to Philly to meet up with Bobby Worrest for Game 2 of the playoffs between the Philies and the Giants. Bobby got his East Coast victory for the night...but we all know what happened in the end. (the track on this one is a Tommy G. original)

All of us believe in the companies we work for and the products we're pushing...otherwise we should find something else to do with our time. One of the greatest benefits that comes with this is being able to spend a couple of days with good friends and talented people. Good to see you all fellas...Till next time.'

Check out what Chrome has going at CHROMESF.

Vibing On Some Homie Videos

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:57:00 +0000

Matt Payne is an aspiring surf filmmaker in SoCal. He posted this afternoon spent with his brother and friends farting around Venice Beach. They hit up the skatepark, looked at crazy people, the usual. It's a nice way to spend a couple of minutes. Matt says it's for his Art 110 class. Hope he ditched so he could 'spend the day scouting the location & filming.'

Here's the trailer for the short film he's working on. According to his vimeo page, this 8mm piece will be done soon. Obviously, Johnny Depp will be narrating the whole thing.

Completely unrelated but who doesn't like a self aware dude, here's the best deal in town via these kids Primary Flight who'll be painting up Miami for Art Basel.

The Slog Movie & Desperate Teenage Lovedolls

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 02:07:00 +0000

November 21st, 2010 The Cinefamily in West Hollywood will be showing a double feature of both Dave Markey's The Slog Movie and Desperate Teenage Lovedolls. Both are solid lessons in the SoCal punk scene shot on Super-8 in LA in the early 80's.

The Slog Movie is an amalgam of scene kid footage and live clips and interviews from every seminal hardcore band when they were young bucks: Circle Jerks, Wasted Youth, TSOL, Fear, Black Flag, the list goes on. In the actual film, there's commentary from Keith Morris and his ilk as an added bonus. Here's a clip.

Desperate Teenage Lovedolls is a fictional narrative about a couple of bad chicks who go the sex/drugs/rr/breakshit route to put together their band.

Buy The Slog Movie & Desperate Teenage Lovedolls from WE GOT POWER FILMS. If you're in LA, head to the screening at CINEFAMILY, & I'll see you there.

The Selby is in Your Fish Taco

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:32:00 +0000

Crown prince of how to live hip & weird on a roof or posh & with a pet chicken named Rodrigo (or Valencia if the fowl is a ladybird), The Selby made a little short film on how the surfers in Rockaway Beach, NY are making positive change in their community. "I thought youse guys was a buncha dirtbegs and I was going to kick your ass, but your bullshit hippy tacos are so good...fuhgetdaboudditt."

Rockaway Taco, A Selby Film from the selby on Vimeo.

Odd Future: Photo Uno Momento

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 04:30:00 +0000

Good for the Odd Future crew that they sold the eff out Webster Hall in New York last night & represented LA, appropriately. And also appropriately, by all accounts, they literally told everyone who was at the show from the record industry (and there were many) to 'fuck off.' These guys are doing something interesting. If you haven't downloaded any of their stuff you can get it all for free on Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. Photo by Marksman Turner.

The Nonsince

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:00:00 +0000

The drip's dead, but this guy ain't doing too bad at making it work for him. The artist Nonsince throws a some hard lined structure into his work that makes it look fresh. Looking forward to seeing more custom Vans from this kid. See his work at The Nonsince.

http://www.thenonsince.webs.com/

No Hats. No Trainers.

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 19:36:00 +0000

This little fashion vid has both hats & trainers. I guess they're being clever. This clip starts out a little rough, but what I like about it is the use of the track in the shots. Nice idea. You can see more of this gang's UK tips on Lemonade Money TV.

Being Good at Skating Gets The Chick

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:32:00 +0000

She looks impressed. And they have matching pants. Ooohlala. Thanks to Jared for the link.

House Party in the Hamptons

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 22:35:00 +0000

I'm getting ready to head to Montauk & NYC for the next couple of weeks. Why not get in the mood with The Rapture at The Kanon House? Video by Alexander Klein.

Photos by Zac Sebastian. MORE HERE. It's not winter yet. I refuse.

Ultimate Custom Vans Van

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:32:00 +0000

Kate Port & her husband Mike are a couple of our Vans facebook buds from Bristol, England. I cannot believe this love. Here's the story of their Vans Van:

"My husband and I have had this van since 2001. When we got it, it was a plain red and white. Over a couple of years it needed some work done on it so my husband started the body work and decided to give it some personal taste detail. Mike has surfed and skated since he was a young lad and has always loved the vans brand. Because the van was built in 1966, and vans was founded in 1966 this was the perfect match. Mike has done all the work himself.

We have a little girl of seven, and she is a true Volkswagen lover. Her dad is teaching her to surf and skate; the skating I think comes naturally to her. We spend most weekend of the year away in the van and go to many Volkswagen shows. We are going to one of the biggest in Europe on Sep 10th - Vanfest in Malvern, England."

We need this whip for a Euro Tour. Come on expense account, let's rage with these guys.

Back Over the Bridge & Through the Tunnel

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:28:00 +0000

CHRIS NIERATKO loves New Jersey. He basically hates everything else with the exception of tits, skateboards, and his wife's retarded uncle Lonnie. With those parameters laid, have a look at his New Jersey Fashion Week Shoot on VICE. It's a little less spray tan/muscle dance/clear plastic heels and a bit more finding a diamond ring in a turd.

Interview with Brendt Barbur of BFF

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 03:52:00 +0000

KPCC interviewed Bicycle Film Festival founder Brendt Barbur recently during the tour's LA stop. The piece is presented as a photo essay while Barbur narrates. He covers the origin of the festival along with the impact that BFF is having on the communities where it plays. Barbur's portrait is by Michael Green.

Getting Sad On A Longboard

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:40:00 +0000

Here's a video about a cute girl in Massachusetts sad dancing around all over longboard to Florence and The Machine. She gets sad at sunset. She gets sad in the middle of the day in the street. Somebody sad rides by on a bike. The on board camera mount is not sad. That is cool.

Between Yellow Lines from Max Esposito on Vimeo.

All About Some LA Film Premiers

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:27:00 +0000

This week has a lot of good stuff happening in LA. You should come over. We have both the LA Skate Film Festival and the Bicycle Film Festival going on at the same time.

Here's the trailer for Trafik film, To Live and Ride in LA, essentially pointing out that you have to have a deathwish to ride a bike here. But we have a lot of fun.

BFF has a block party on Sunday, September 5th. Go bunny hop for free shit.

It's the first annual LA Skate Film Fest so make sure to give them some love so they can do it again next year. It's your chance to see everything you missed so far this year in skate films on a big screen. Plus, you can see the one and only Steve Olson in Machotaildrop.

C.R. Stecyk for Arkitip

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki S.) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:19:00 +0000

Arkitip curated for Incase a nifty combo by C.R. Stecyk. The iPhone 3GS case has one of his signature skull heads whilst the Jay Adams back-in-the-day photo is printed on the 15" laptop sleeve. Rats. What? No iPhone 4? I'm trying to get fancy. Get these gifts for you (because you deserve it) at ARKITIP.

While you're at it check the newest issue from Arkitip featuring Vans art alum, Parra. It's nice.