Spike Jonze
video days

My first skateboard was one of those standard ones, all black and bought at a discount store for 5 euros (...two joints, come on...). Tony Hawk was my idol. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was my drug. The skateboard was my holy grail.

Which is actually nonsense because it broke after one summer. Evidently, like Indiana Jones does in "The Last Crusade", I needed to choose the right one. And so began the falls, the embarrassing failures, wasted ollie attempts... I reached the point of giving it all up. Skateboarding clearly wasn’t my strength, better to stick to chips and pork festivals.

Then, out of sheer curiosity, I watched "Video Days". Half an hour of tricks and acrobatics with skateboarding legends: Mark Gonzales, Jason Lee in particular are always there, at the top among the best skaters ever. And then the direction, as much as it might seem silly, is by Spike Jonze, someone who knows skateboarding culture well; another classic of the genre from him is "Yeah Right!" from 2003, also extremely innovative for its extensive use of special effects, techniques never before used in videos of this kind.

Never let me down, said Depeche Mode. I got back on that skateboard carcass and tried an ollie on a particularly sunny day. And HOLY COW after a while I managed to pull one off like God (The one from Black Sabbath, of course) commands. And immediately started thinking positively like a new Cherubini, only without the lisp! :)

""Of course, now movies don't work miracles, huh! Uncle, stay calm now, take a light run-up, and try again, damn it, as long as your sweat is maxed out! Surprise the kids in the park with your beautiful tricks!"

..."aòò right now bro! Let me get out of this stupid bush 'cause I already fell, allé... let's go!"

There's not much to do, I might even dare to say that Spike and company with these amateur videos even preceded YouTube and similar, at least the pre-2011 one (WHICH WAS BETTER!). Anyway, if you love the art of tricks and skateboarding, you should watch it, since it's an old school compilation of the best, and among the first videos of this kind. But then, how awesome is the soundtrack? Jackson 5, War, and Black Flag among others... so much goodness. ;)

Well, that I still kind of suck on a skateboard is another story, but easy does it... easy does it! (cit. Paolo Bitta)