Gary Oldman as Dracula

Makes Twilight look like a kids movie. Oh wait…

Inspiration Series: George Michael

…Because you can’t be perfect in every way. Still selling out Wembley a few nights whenever he gets an itch to do so.

Inspiration Series: Michael Hutchence

D-NICE

DJ, Photographer, Entrepreneur. D-NICE has become one of my favorite people to follow in hip-hop. He photographed Q for Def Jam / TAG Records and was hand-picked by JD to DJ our MTV VMA Official Kick-off party.

His documentary series True Hip-Hop Stories belongs on the Sundance Channel, but you can view the series here.

And follow him on twitter.

His site.

Prodigy – Out of Space (Live)

Aww man, I get goosebumps watching this video. Even though this video was recorded waaaay after it was originally produced, it still throws me into good ol’ days goosebumps mode. They were sick back in the days. I bumped this in my Geo Storm, and you could be assured that any friend was also bumping it in their Escort, Celica, CRX, MR2, Mazda B2200, or Hyundai Excel. And the rich kids were bumping it in their 3000GTs, Supras, and Stealths. Music… bringing the social classes together!

I want Maxim’s job!

Prodigy is poised for a comeback, but what the hell does that mean in today’s music biz? No doubt a tour, and that sounds good to me.

Vintage Skateboarding Pics

Thanks to my friend Fabian for having these around! Click any image to enlarge.

• Looks like my hair was some strange reddish color – likely due to that groundbreaking product called Sun-In or just straight up peroxide.
• Notice the black Vans Chukka Boots with colored socks. Awesome.
• Looks like a Birdhouse Projects shirts, which I do not remember ever buying.
• I am not ollie-ing over that box, but it kinda looks like it.

• This was taken at one of my favorite skate spots in Dallas. This was across a parking lot from a spot called Quorum. I will go head to head with any Dallas skater that thinks they discovered Quorum before us, and I know you are out there. I distinctly remember my friend Jamal and I waxing up all of the appropriate curbs when they were 100% virgin – untouched by metal or urethane. If you disagree, Jamal will shoot you.
• Note the Vision sneakers. They were high-tops that Jamal cut to be low-tops with a huge tongue. He was regular and I was goofy. After he tore up the left shoe, he gave them to me to tear up the right. Poor people have poor ways.

• This is definitely my favorite picture that I have from back in the day. Mainly because I remember the moment so vividly. I stuck this trick so perfectly, I literally get goosebumps thinking about it. It is not even a crazy trick, but keep in mind… this was 1991, pre-digital anything, and getting a good shot with a disposable was very rare. I even remember the flash hitting my body at the perfect moment and pulling it down flawlessly, no sketch. It’s these moments that make you a skater for life. It is these moments that make a 33 year-old still own a skateboard.
• This was one of those nights that we were all on fire. Aside from this trick, I remember landing half-cab late shove-its (both frontside and backside shove-its out of the half-cab) down a small set of like 3 or 4 tall stairs. Jamal pulled this crazy accidental late pressure flip (a backside late shove-it that accidentally flipped perfectly and he landed it like he meant to do it) – funny, I know. Fabian was busting huge ollies and cleared a nice gap. Oh, the memories.   I am sooooo grateful that I remember them like it was yesterday.

Classic: Leaders of the New School – Sobb Story

Reasons why this video is a classic:

• Busta weighed 150 lbs, not 250 lbs.
• They weren’t too cool to ride a tandem bike.
• They weren’t too proud to ask “anybody got money for gas?”
• They weren’t too proud to hang out in their parents backyard.

How must Busta feel going from this:

to

Tattoo of the Year: E.T.

Part of me wants to rip into this dude for this hilarious tattoo. Then I think: E.T. is pegged at the top of my favorite movies of all time. Always stumped when it comes to tattoo selection, I think, maybe we are on to something. As fickle as I am with EVERYTHING, E.T. has kinda been a constant.

People get way worse tattoos that have no significance whatsoever. Remember the Looney Toons tattoo phase back in the early 90s? Back when people would pick the Looney Tunes character that best represented their personality, then have it tatted to their ankle, right above their ankle socks and shell toe adidas. You know, Marvin the Martian looking tough.

No blog post is complete without a Google Image search on the subject. Jesus Christ:

and

And then the downward spiral begins. Remember that big Goonies tattoo phase? Yeah, neither do I?

and

and

That last one is a classic. I mean… Chunk? Look at that smile!

Reebok: Dan or Dave?

Since the 90s are officially ‘in’ and the 80s are now simply the domain of retro radio, let’s take a look back at one of the more ubiquitous campaigns from the early 90s – Dan or Dave? Man, this campaign seems waaaaaay older to me, but I guess that is due to some personal hang up I have with how long it has been since high school.

What would this campaign look like today?  Here is the formulaic Web 2.o plan:
- Dan vs. Dave on Myspace
- Dan vs. Dave Facebook app.  (Think:  Ninjas’ vs. Pirates)
- Dan and Dave blogs,  twitter,  daily inspiration SMS messages
- Dan x Karmaloop custom Reeboks;   Dave x Oakley custom blades
- Dan and Dave’s training playlist on Amazon music, since Apple hearts Nike

Were you a Dan?  Or a Dave?   Thinking back, I can’t remember. In 1992, I was mesmerized by this, which includes one of the best music selections ever!