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Soundtrack
Intro: Billy Squier – The Stroke
Morgan Smith: Nas – Represent
James Craig: Peter Frampton – Show Me The Way
Danny Cerezini: The Whitefield Brothers – Rampage
Grant Patterson: Jeru the Damaja – Ghetto
Jake Brown & Rob Lorifice: The Whitefield Brothers – Sol Walk
Ronnie Creager: Tears For Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Filipe Ortiz: ASG – Win Us Over
Jake Duncombe: Earth, Wind & Fire – Boogie Wonderland
Jani Laitiala: Duran Duran – Hungry Like The Wolf
Credits: Alberto Feliciano – Download (Lola Garrett remix)
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Credit to skatevideosite.com for soundtrack listing.
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Introductory Musings
Once a maker of classics, more than a decade has passed since Blind’s last industry-significant offering, although their 2005 release What If made some waves among the industry due to it’s surprise-factor, and strong parts from Corey Sheppard, Evan Schiefelbine, Grant Patterson, and Jake Brown, not to mention the then-thought retirement part of Ronnie Creager’s. Four years down the road and the only returning roster-members from their previous installation are Jake Duncombe, Jake Brown, James Craig, Patterson, and Creager. Gone is the gnar-baby minus talent personality of Carlos Ruiz, the 90s steez of personal standout Aaron Artis and his amazing basics, the variety of Sheppard and Schiefelbine, and the speed of Markovich. Today’s Blind is a younger, untested Blind, trying to rebuild it’s legitimacy much like Powell. However, their video comes in as a quiet, subpar summer offering in a post-Fully Flared world, delivering a mostly solid video with rewatchability, yet no true ability to leave an impression.
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Intro
The intro is quick, and startlingly simple, again reminiscent of Powell, yet it holds a bit more of a cohesive feeling, and is watchable due to it’s cool vibe. About this part in the video is when I realized Grant Patterson grew up with some sick short man steez and beautiful nollie frontside variations. More on that later. Also, Duncombe looks like a trashy drunk, and it’s hilarious. Reminds me of more than a few of my friends.
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Morgan Smith
Morgan Smith comes through with a first part (of both the video, and his industry career) and easily claims title of my favorite part. About three tricks in he rips a tremendously long tailslide, in fact giving Jordan Hoffart a little something to think about through his obvious-yet-differently-applied mastery of the front tail. Morgan likes to land bolts, and skates to a somewhat boring but otherwise fitting rap song. Take note of the switch fs tailslide heelflip out, on the same bent ledge Dyrdek only managed switch front lipslide on in Mind Field. Ah, the sadness. Midway through his part, Morgan manages to massacre many maddening manual manuevers, and then returns right back to his steez hammers and ledge tricks. I could have wished for some transition in his part, but amidst massive bigspin variations and lots of nollie heels, I forget to gripe. I don’t know what Canada has in their water these days, perhaps it has something to do with their healthcare system, but a Creager-esque third from last trick drops the jaw, as does his nollie big heel down the triple set of Keenan switch-flip fame from Yeah Right
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James Craig
Starting out with a possible alcohol joke and a lucky line in front of a curious friendly guy, James Craig the veteran skates to an odd, outdated sounding song, and has a part mixed with sleepers and screamers. Craig has had some knee issues, last I checked, but still pulls out some surprising stunts for someone of his history, showing his ability to progress despite age and poor circumstance. Frontside and heelflips seem to be his new foray, but watch out for a long-ass boned kickflip in the first third of his part. I’d like to add how much of a fan I am of this guy every time I watch his part, and in previous videos as well. I like how his style feels so normal, like he works for his tricks and just doesn’t care about them past landing them. It works for him. Surprisingly un-Craig-like ender, as well.
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Danny Cerezini
Back from skating to Biggie in Flip’s Really Sorry six years ago, Danny is all grown up and generating some industry notice from his contest appearances as of late. Additionally, he’s developed a quite noticeable addiction to bluntslides, the likes of which I quite enjoy. Unfortunately, he reminds me of a sketchier P-Rod still, although his potential is undeniable. All ridiculous bluntslide vaiants aside, check out his fakie flip over the rail that Lamare Hemmings already did, but more importantly his kickflip fifty on the ledge from Kenny Hoyle’s And Now part. The bluntslides are the highlight of his part for sure, but Anthony Shetler would be proud of his tricks twin in this video as well. Unfortunately, his part feels like an excerpt from one of the horribly soundtracked eS videos from lately, with a clustered, street concert reminiscient song much like those usually slapped on the underrated Javier Sarmiento’s parts. Ugh.
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Grant Patterson
Quick like his last part, Grant does what you expect of him, in the form of flawless nollie flip tricks and some kind of ‘fresh’ or ‘gangsta’ steez (am I licensed to use those phrases? dunno). He’s grown up into a nice smooth style, and goes noticeably faster and still remarkably big. I felt his fs shuv down the triple set was a bit weak, but perhaps he wanted a trick there. Odd that it hasn’t been done. Grant owns the first legitimate transition clip in the video, but watch for a deadly gap to ditch nollie frontside flip, followed by a flurry of better-than-solid clips. His song is generic rap, worse than Morgan Smith’s song for sure.
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Jake Brown and Rob Lorifice
Predictably starting off with the bail you’re all so sick of, jake has an unfortunate surprise in store for you in the form of a shared part. I actually enjoy Lorifice’s footage more, and I like the mixed nature of the footage. Skateparks abound in this part, but watch out for Rob’s tendency to do kickflips on big trannies and pools, notably a backside flip across a pool roll-in gap. Amazing. They use a song you don’t even notice, to the point where you forget there was even music in their part. Did I mention quick? The part flies by without offering any of the stunningness you wished for from Jake Brown, and then it’s over.
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Ronnie Creager
Apparently NOT retiring any time soon, as I had mistakenly assumed following his What If ender part (which in retrospect strongly resembles Guy Mariano’s Fully Flared part, which came out later. hmm.), Creager delivers a part that seems to challenge his previous offering strongly in terms of variety and style, yet he goes a bit lighter on the Daewon vs. Rodney tech circus I’ve known him for. Still notably smooth and sporting the unfortunately dated forwards-cap look, Ronnie flips and slides his way through his part as usual. Perhaps it’s just me, but I feel like he skated more legitimate spots in this part, as opposed to the setups that were so prevalent in some of his previous footage. His song sounds like something out of a Harold and Kumar love scene, but it works alright, reminds me of Kyle Berard’s music video part from consolidated’s Goin’ Bananas. I could go on forever about the specifics and little things I noticed about his part, but I really just want you to watch his nollie hardflip manual body varial out, and his surprising and steezy 9-set fakie flip shortly thereafter. Mullen failed at skating sets and gaps, but Creager pulls it off with a flourish of his own. His ender, however, I feel has been outdone multiple times before.
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Filipe Ortiz
Much like other industry young’ns with the letter ‘z’ at the end of their name, Filipe goes big with style and rather tight pants. In fact, I believe he rented Chris Cole’s style for this particular part. Or Cole himself, with a few inches shaved off. A catchy song invades his part, one that fits moderately well, and is ipod-worthy depending on who you are. Watch out for a sketchy tre flip before a monster frontside flip, a retardedly sick front tail (what’s with this trick lately?) and some killer flip to rail clips. Not to mention his Koston-esque tre to something, and his lined ender. In a LINE. You’ll understand when you watch it. A part I like more every time I watch it.
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Jake Duncombe
This guy is out of shape, and frankly, his part was a disappointment. I was expecting more of the jaw-drop factor, but perhaps his best side comes out in guest clips rather than actual parts. Wacky clothes and lazy style combined with a parents’ high school reunion musical escapee give this part its heart, and duncombe still pulls off some feats despite the lame clips contained within, such as feeble to 5-0 (pointless trick) and a short-ass ledge to crook across. I was expecting more transition, I feel he’s much better and more remarkable at it, but still keep an eye on his channel-to-nosegrind and his bluntslide to nosebluntslide. Ignore his ugly second to last trick.
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Jani Laitiala
Damn. First word that comes to mind. A fan since his Digital Get Tricks Or Die Tryin opening part, Jani delivers once more as he digs a nice spot for himself in modern and American skateboarding. His song is feel-good, his tricks fast, his pushes full. One of those parts you should just watch, instead of read about. Personal highlights are his surprisingly strong transition clips, and the immaculate catch on all his flips. Definitely deserving of last part. Watch for a boned out frontside flip, if that’s possible. I’m rather happy that for once, we get a single-song ending part. Shows what can still be done in the length of a normal song. Also, the tricks from his Skateboard mag interview are in here. Thank God.
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Credits
Typical, too long, bails and alternate angles, and random clips with an instrumental song that reminds me of Moby. Skippable.
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Outroductory Musings
Could have been a classic with a little more fine-tuning and production, but still interesting none-the-less. The video stands out most when you’ve just watched it; the next day you won’t remember a whole lot other than Jani and Morgan, but rewatch for fun. Keep your eyes on these guys for the next couple years, because the majority of them are still young guns at best. More to come from the Blind squad? I do believe so.
As with most videos I review, save perhaps Skate Mental’s pitiful Am Chowder, The Blind Video is easily worth a rewatch, particuarly for Morgan Smith and Jani Laitiala, both of whom should rise to be significant forces in skateboarding’s future, unless I’m completely off the mark or something awful happens. Good skating mixed with some decidedly less-good skating, a mediocre soundtrack, and no defintive feel rob the video of the reputation it could have attained, given a little more thought and time. A step in the right direction for Blind: yes indeed. A potential resurrector, like Powell’s Fun: no. no indeed. Check out the dvd, pitch some money their way in the hopes for giving them a better future (whilst America crumbles from the inside out), and spin the DVD a few times in your computer or something. Complete satisfaction might not show it’s face, but there’s some talent and footage afoot in this video that’s surely not-to-miss.
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