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I'm sitting on a lot of amazing rollerblading video and photos. Stay tuned.

Also, Blade Book Vol.2 begins on Monday.

180: Honkytokin' and Secret Weapons

This past weekend myself and a couple homies attended Chad Anthony's Too cold to Blade Outside Comp in Nashville. It was a pretty radical weekend, unfortunately, there wasn't much filming happening because I did more skating than anything.

The one thing I did want to spotlight in Nashville was Asphalt Beach Skate Shop.

I'm really big into local blade scenes and even bigger into local blade shops and Asphalt Beach was nothing short of awesome. Upon arriving, we were greeted by a slew of Hot Rails and boxes sitting out front of the shop but inside is where it gets even better.

There are so few shops nowadays that don't rely on the sales of skateboards to supplement their income but Asphalt Beach is one of those few places, which I love. The place is wall to wall rollerblading, from rollerderby to the new Nimh video, this shop bleeds rollerblading.

The owner of the place, whose name escapes me right now, is actually a speed skater and a really cool dude. When we got there he was actually out skating but upon arrival greeted Garret with a big hug and rapped about skating for a minute, which I thought was awesome. We got a couple clips skating the box there and I'll post those next time but for now, here is a sweet picture of Seth Tru Mistrialing one of the perfect boxes there:

One of the things I did manage to get a picture of was one legendary Jordan Dale straight jumping off this really high roof before he got kicked out...cape, hairdo and all, it was definitely something to see:

Crowd Reaction

All in all, despite one nasty hangover that kept me asleep in the car for pretty much all of the
comp, Nashville was awesome, can't wait to go back.

But wait...there's more!

Phillip 'The Thriller' Gripper is the name and shredding is this man's business. Phil is that breed of rollerblader that laces hammers...usually for breakfast but mostly during the day and first try. If you haven't heard of Phil Gripper, you aren't doing your homework because this guy isn't on the up and up...he's pretty much been at the top of his game as far back as I can remember. So ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to give you the first, of many to come Phil Gripper edit:

Quick note, I'm pretty sure that its Phil on the drums during the song in this edit.

Phil Gripper Winter 2011 Edit from David on Vimeo.

Adam's Fundraiser event in Greenville this weekend, be sure to make it out, its going to be a wild time. From my understanding, Phil's band, Modern Primitives, will be playing the after show and the mighty Ryan Purcell is supposed to throw down a set to, so do yourself a favor and show up, and make sure you bring a couple extra clams for Mcmanus, that man needs to get in the hospital for sure.

See you doods there.

Snow Blading...SC Style

We got an unusual amount of snow here in SC and Josh snapped this pic of him topsouling a random church rail. According to Josh's facebook, there are zero wheels involved.

That's my fine lady on the framing and Mr. Josh Amacher with the flick.

Also, we're shooting a new edit involving a bunch of stunts, so stay tuned.

See you in Nashville dudes!

The Tim Taylor Interview

Tim Taylor still 360s off curbs. You know what I mean, you lace a trick, and as you're rolling away, up comes the curb so you throw a little spin off just because you're passing it and you can. I've always loved that because it's like rollerblading is already awesome so what can we do to make it more awesome...more rollerblading! I don't know about you guys, but when I was growing up I couldn't pass an obstacle without trying some kind of trick on it. I see a lot of these things in Tim Taylor's skating, to this day after his 15+ years in the industry, Tim still 360s off curbs.

For those you who don't know, Tim Taylor is the definition of rollerblading. He supports/skates/represents harder than any other person I know and you will never catch this dude in anything other than a blade shirt or a blank tee, Tim is rollerblading 24/7. Don't get me wrong, he's been known to get some business blading done, but 4 out of the 5 times Tim skates, there are no cameras, and no competitions, just friends and all the potential you can dream of. Sessions with Tim involve a lot of shit talking, a lot of being amazed and even more laughs. I can't think of a single session I've had with Tim where we haven't laughed hysterically about some stupid inside joke that we're stuck on for the entire day, and that's how I know this dude is genuinely enjoying what he is doing. Hopefully this interview will give you a little insight of the way my dude thinks because Tim is a solid, loyal friend and will still 360 the shit outta some curbs.

DD: Let's start off with the same generic beginning, name, age, years skating, and sponsors?

TT: Timothy Scott Taylor, 29, 15 yrs ++ Rollerblade and Denial

DD: Speaking of sponsors, it seems like you've been riding for Denial and RB since the dawn of rollerblading. Why is it that after all these years you've remained loyal to these companies?

TT: I have stayed loyal because I became friends with the guys running these companies years ago. Tom Hyser doesn’t pressure me and neither does Chris Majette or Adam Killgore. These companies have hooked me up and I appreciate it so much. But when it comes down to a contest or just whenever it was time to represent I keep in mind who has my back and skate my ass off for them. Business is Business and I am thankful they keep me on their OG/flow rosters.

DD: So you've been rollerblading for a long time, 15+ years. You have consistency of a robot and the trick vocabulary that closely resembles the number of definitions in the dictionary, tell me, can we expect a Tim Taylor going for pro edit in 2011?

TT: Haha oh yes. No need for the pro tag, I get paid blading all the time haha. Back flips for a dollar at your local skatepark.

DD: Hahaha that's perfect. So its 2011, a brand new year, and we've established that you're only limited in the rollerblading world only by your imagination, ultimately, what do you want out of rollerblading this year, what do you plan to do (with rollerblading)?

TT: Good question. 2011 has been good to me so far. I want progression out of rollerblading, I want all the dedicated guys in our industry to get paid. I want success and respect for rollerblading. As for myself, i just want to skate smarter in my old age.. definitely learn new tricks= progression.. you can always learn a little something…lots of aspects to get better at. Shit I might take up skating vert or something..I could learn so much just from that.

DD: Thus far in your rollerblading career, what has been your most gratifying accomplishment?

TT:Denial Tour 2002 Filming for Underestimated. Roces Europe Tour. Traveling with friends having a blast skating.

DD: And what has been your least favorite moment?

TT: All the injuries and sitting in hospitals. Friends quitting, seasonal bladers.

DD: Now on the more personal side of things, a lot of people don't know the sheer amount will power that Tim Taylor possesses. For instance, rumor has it, that you sometimes go months at a time without grinding just to see if you can...is there any truth to that? If yes, explain.

TT: I possess something. Will power is all. The not grinding thing is easy. There's so much you can do on skates and not grinding just helps you progress in different ways. There's times when all I want to do is grind stuff constantly cause I been on the no grind tip for so long. So it all balances out. You gotta be moderate with what you do is my advice.

DD: So rumor also has it (there are a lot of rumors about you Tim) that you have a gigantic collection of rollerblading paraphernalia including but not limited to, unopened skates, senate combs, clothing, etc...is this collection real?

TT: My collection kills. I have supported hard over the years..still buying skates just to collect when I was getting free skates. There's a few thousand dollars worth of skates. Clothing and stuff is just what I have picked up or acquired over the years. Senate comb yes I own one and can do some tricks.

DD: What is the one most coveted rollerblading item that you own?

TT: Hard Question. Guess some prototype Xsjado style Roces Graals. Walkable style liners. super comfy. Fiziks Frames.

DD: Are you ever going to let me get in there with a camera to take pictures to show the world your collection?

TT: Maybe one day. I have thought about it a lot and my world is small and who I let see my collection is even smaller. To this day only 4 to 5 people have seen it. Usually people geek out cause its pretty intense. Looking at it now I think holy shit I got problems or should be on Hoarders. Then I realize I just love rollerblading a shit ton and that’s that.

DD: What, if anything, what does the rollerblading industry need right now?

TT: Money ( takes it to make it) For the younger next generation crews/groms/skatepark kids to keep multiplying and turning over and over and over. Blade population needs to grow in a big way. More and more local events to keep these younger kids excited about skating also.

DD: Sticking with the subject of youth in blading, growing up, who inspired you to get out there and blade? Who got you juiced?

TT: Dustin Latimer Jon Julio TJ Webber . VG’s Suitable Material All my friends from school that got me started.

DD: So if you had never found rollerblading, where might we catch Tim Taylor on a Tuesday night, let's say around 7pm?

TT: Working out, In school, Hanging with my girlfriend. Its so hard to say cause there’s so much to do and seems like not enough time. Hell reading. On the Internet. Watching sports. Watching some series like Dexter or Sopranos etc. Chilling with a smile on my face. working somewhere trying to stack paper. Getting hassled by the police.

DD: As mentioned before, you've been rollerblading for a long time. Rollerblading definitely takes its toll your body, more so than most passtimes, so how have you kept going for so long? And what advice can you give to other dudes that aspire to rollerblade for as many years as you've managed to?

TT: Stretch a lot before and after, its hard cause, still to this day I wanna just laces up my skates and get to doing tricks. I wish when I was younger I took days off more often and stretched. My body is falling apart esp my feet from mistreatment. Nowadays I skate less often but when I do I try to for longer. For the older guys its about staying in shape.. so your days you don’t skate take thirty minutes and exercise..break a sweat and you will feel better. Eat healthy and take vitamins. Party less.

DD: Ok, switching gears, because I'm sure the world is dying to know about this unicorn of a legend, but tell me about the Junk Edit.

TT: Junk Edit just started out me and Johnny Ray filming messing around getting creative with objects in a skate park we both worked at. Getting creative on the blades. Have to thank J.ray for keeping me motivated and coming up with all sorts of ideas and set ups to skate. It was Johnny’s idea and vision.. I just bladed and filmed, helped as needed. It progressed into the Junk Edit and we both just kept it under wraps from everyone. This edit will happen man. Still to this day Johnny has a camera and we skate junk at Union St. Park and Noname Skatepark Ximeno just where ever. So to this day even we still film for it kinda hahaha even got some street junk edit stuff. So one day man.

DD: Do you think the junk edit will ever be made?

TT: Honestly I think it will. The tapes are available. The footage is logged. It’s sitting on the back burner just waiting. I am not in control of this. But I believe someone is going to take up the project and make it all happen. The junk edit is like a wine just waiting, getting better and better, aging.

DD: In finality, I heard Benke schools you in some Tiger Woods.

TT: Oh man that game. T woods is the man. I am waiting for him to get his golf game back on track and watch all the haters jump on his nuts again. Benke is a fierce gaming competitor, scary at times haha. He didn’t school me. I schooled him and don’t even own a wii.

DD: Hahahaha, shotouts and shit?

TT: All the S.C. dudes that keep blading hard no matter what they got going on in their lives. Dodge for always putting in work and taking photos/filming. Adam Killgore and Majette & Tom Hyser.

Well there you have it folks, a little more of what makes my dude tick. Now for you viewing pleasure here is a fresh new Tim Taylor Edit. We shot this thing over the span of 4 or 5 days just having a blast doing what we do, hope you enjoy!

Tim Taylor Winter Edit 2010 from David on Vimeo.

Stay tuned, Phil Gripper edit is on deck.

First check in of 2011

Well, my life has been crazy this past few weeks. I spent Christmas day on a couch throwing up and not hanging out with family, which sucked, but New Years Eve proved to be pretty radical. I can't believe its 2011 last year just went by so fast, here are some cool things on the Internet.

My buds Ian and Michael came thru on their buddy tour and made a pretty solid edit of their tour the two of them made around many parts of the the East, yours truely drops a couple hammers, so be sure to check that out! hahaha

BuddyTour 2010 from Be-Mag on Vimeo.

You can read the excerpts from the 30 page essay Kraft wrote HERE on be-mag.

Sideshow Rodeo is now shipping and if you haven't ordered a copy you can do so HERE.

Sideshow Rodeo - Trailer from Sideshow Rodeo on Vimeo.

I can't say enough good things about this video. Jamie did a damn good job and its definitely worth your money, so do yourself a favor and buy this video and support an awesome cause, then hopefully they'll pay Jamie to start doing this kind of thing regularly.

And lastly, I got some new ninja tools to help up my photography game:

I've really been itching to take these bad boys out so expect some new pictures etc soon, like this one from Garrett:

Not the best use of my new fisheye, but I'm learning.

On deck we have a profile of Mr. Tim Taylor featuring an interview, photos, edit, the whole 9, I'm thinking that should be up sometime this week so get excited about that.

I also have a brand new Phil Gripper edit which I'm really excited to release. Phil has been shredding so hard for so long and I'm hoping this year people can get a glimpse of how its paid off.

Also, I'm doing a little logo bumper for homie Chad Anthony over at Southern Scum, be sure to keep up with their blog, those dudes are always up to some scummy goodness. And speaking of SoScum, they have a rad competition coming up that myself and several homies are attending and you should do the same check it out:

TooColdToBladeOutside Promo from Chad Anthony on Vimeo.

Stay tuned dudes, blading this weekend!