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Crack open a six and let's go down memory lane...

A classic video is something you will take with you to the grave. It's not about exceptional filming or the craziest technical riding, though that certainly doesn't hurt. It's about the clickety-clack in your head when you're done counting sheep, and it's all about the feeling you get when these warm documents of skating grace our VCR's. Innovation and enduring appeal. We present the first installment of the Classic video section.

Enjoy - Barbarians at the Gate......

Foundation Super Co. (and Steve Rocco's Blind) delivered a skate video a few years back that was unbelievably groundbreaking. The video was directed by Spike Jonze, well before he ever glued a mustache for a Beastie's video, or directed a major motion picture. At the time, Foundation took out ads in the big skate mags letting people know they were doing a cross america tour, and inviting kids to write back to foundation letting them know about their little scene and their town.
Well, Foundation literally went and knocked on doors and surprised the hell out of more than couple of kids along the way.The video is about the places and faces in big league skating, the down time, the travel time between demos, between the scenes, outtakes, stuff we rarely see. Whisky and Shit offer fist fights, broken glass, hookers and puke. Foundation offers a PG version the whole family can enjoy (save for a few nubiles showing bare breasts toward the end of the video). It's like mild Tom Green stuff without the menace and insults. Literally trespassing and playing with matches and aerosol cans type kid stuff.
We meet Josh Beagle and Ronnie Creager. The movie is styled after American Vacation and we follow these lads cross-country. Juvenile hijinx and pure laughs all the way through. Josh Beagle is standing in front of a large dam and he’s asked by the videographer where he is. In his best Hee-Haw voice he drawls, “We’re at the Grand Canyon!” A road weary Beagle then shakes his head and corrects himself (The Hoover Dam). At the real Grand Canyon the guys lug a set of golf clubs to the edge and fire a volley of shots into the abyss. The boys pick up some young girls and get them liqoured in a limo and go pick up a very young Heath Kirchart at the airport. Heath looks embarassed as the young ladies welcome him with a round of kisses. Scenes later he’s driving the jeep like a madman through a cornfield and then in another funny scene he’s buying crack in the bad section of town. (All of this is obviously set-up).
The soundtrack includes Sonic Youth, CCR and Louis Armstrong.Well rounded in every respect. I showed it to people who don’t even skate whatsoever and they had a blast. You feel sad that it’s over but just as you see Josh and Heath click and discover each other as new best friends for life, you also will never forget the sickly sweet thrill that is seeing the truly all american sport of skating done up in such grand fashion. It is truly a movie for everyone, and one that stays in your head for a long time.

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