Sunday, May 29, 2022

Demos and Careers. May 29, 2022. Mostly Skateboarding Podcast.

This week, Templeton Elliott, Mike Munzenrider, and Patrick Kigongo are talking about demos and post-pro careers. Listen here and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.

Tommy Sandoval on The Bunt
DC Supertour from 411VM #30
World/Blind/101 Tour from 411VM #20
Weezer - Undone
Tim Gavin on The Nine Club

This week, Mike is stoked on bike legs and Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.
Patrick is stoked on Spitfire Wheels, Fender Jazzmasters, Late 90s Sonic Youth, RIP Andrew Fletcher aka Fletch from Depeche Mode, RIP Alan White, RIP Ray Liotta, long bike rides, CSEF Fundraiser Cool-out, Bigfoot Magazine.
Templeton is stoked on all-white adidas Gazelles from the “Clean Collection”and the COVID vaccine.

2 comments:

Justin said...

The only demo I've seen was Toy Machine on the Welcome To Hell tour in late May/early June 1996. They played a Blockbuster parking lot in Buffalo. I think they occasionally had to move the ramps out of the way so a car could go by. It was a couple of wedge ramps and a couple of boxes. The crew was Ed, Jamie, Barley, Maldonado, Elissa, and Adrian Lopez. I don't think Adrian skated and I don't recall Ed skating, but I did talk to him. Jamie threw down the Benihana and Barley was ripping with some huge frontside flips over the wedge ramps. Barley and Maldonado were the standouts. Supposedly at the after party, Elissa pulled a joint out of her hair and said, "I've been waiting all day to smoke this."

You forgot about Wade Speyer and his dump truck.

I think pros with jobs is going to be the new normal, especially for skaters on smaller board brands. Take Austin Kanfoush for example. He's pro, but also works construction. Joey O'Brien on Alien Workshop in 2022 can't pay the same as being on Alien in 2000 or even the Mindfield days. Although he does have the Adidas hookup so that might change things. Louie Barletta was working for the first few years of his pro career because he didn't think it would last. I kind of prefer the skaters who have a real career outside of skateboarding. It's more relatable as an old working dude.

I also kind of romanticize the life of an established pro with stable sponsors. As long as you are on point and not partying the time away, think of all the free time you could have. Skate a couple hours a day and then you would have time to make art, write, read, garden, whatever.

Nate said...

One of the first demos I ever went to was an Iota Demo in Green Bay Wisconsin at Joannes skatepark– Steve Nesser was blasting bs flips over everything and Emeric Pratt kept doing giant kickflip melons and funky grab 180 tricks.
This week I’m stoked on seeing Kyle Beachy doing a kickflip back tail AT the fabulous skateboard event he orchestrated himself in Chicago. I was sad to miss it, but I’m THRILLED THAT the turn-out looked so fabulous.
Nate from Chicago @skatemeyer