Calvin and Hobbes







Currently Listening: Cage- Movies For The Blind

Panasonic Keirin NJS

Having recently pilfered a friends Olympus point-and-shoot while he was doing something he thought to be more important than guarding his possessions, sucker. Ran back to my place put on The Ramones for the first time in years, and got down with a vengance. Me and the Panasonic gettin' real hot and heavy for a disturbingly long photo shoot; every detail covered down to my shaking hands, harsh florescent lighting, cheap digital image-mapping, a complete lack of natural talent or trained ability, nor the self-respect to give a damn about any of this. The Death Machine: Installment Number One of One.
Late Edit: Jesus I feel like I just came down from a serious bender: the nights a blur and it appears I've whored out my bike to every bike-gallery known to man, I wonder what could have caused that strange impulse?

Pink Bikes are for Fairies
1997 Panasonic Keirin NJS Frame 565mm
Dura Ace High Flange 32h hubs laced to Mavic Open Pro's-Michelin Pro Race 2's
Nitto 100mm NJS stem- Nitto 125b Bar- Soyo Long Grips
Nitto Jaguar 27.0 Post- Selle Italia Turbo Saddle
Dura-Ace 7710 Crank, BB, and 47t Chainring, Dura-Ace Cog and Lockring, ACS BMX chain.








Pad Detail- for those nights I need to roll "full style" or in hopes the BikeSnobNYC might fuck with me, I'm waiting for you motherfucker. To my defense, those are my stitches, not some pre-fab. hipster gear, no I can look like enough of an asshole without ANY help.

The Climate Crisis, and All The Rad Shit That You Missed While You Were Whining About It.


If you don't live in a fucking hole; or if you have at least surfaced from your respective hole recently, you probably are most likely well-aware that half of California is on fire, New Orleans is flooding again, and tornadoes are touching down in Arkansas. From where I stand, shit appears to be REALLY BAD, am I the only one under this impression? Really, WAKE THE FUCK UP! In conclusion: matters seem to be taking a serious turn for the worse, I couldn't care less if you believe in the global warming theories or if you still are trying to justify driving that Tahoe to your office alone everyday by explaining the natural climate shifts as demonstrated in multiple instances throughout history etc etc etc. Whatever, but you can't deny the fact that things aren't exactly peachy, and those are just a handful of examples any jackass who knows how to use the remote to his Toshiba 24" is plainly aware of. from within the borders of our glorious homeland. For all intensive purposes lets boil it down to this: I can certainly think of several thousand other things more awesome than fires, floods, tornadoes, and listening to people whining about them on C-SPAN.
Example:
The Bad Luck 13 Riot Extravaganza- this video is a portrait of my youth, for those that know me, it will probably account for many of your unanswered questions.

I remember seeing a clip of these guys after the final credits of an old Little Devil BMX video; probably at some point during my middle school days, when I thought I was hard because I listened to Slayer, my eyes were open WIDE to a whole new world of fun: HARDCORE.

Continuing with the kick-assedness:
One of the headlining riders in said BMX video was Matt Beringer. In 1998, Beringer was certainly considered a veteran. Today, 10 years after that film was shot, he's still rocking a crazy almost sketchy style, He remains as the guy who will think of something absolutely outlandish, then ride his bike off of it. This is actually his home. I couldn't help but notice how that "shoot line" is so reminiscent of the 1984 rad-to-the-core skate film: The Bones Brigade III: The Search for Animal Chin. Go buy it, like I said: rad-to-the-core, and that is not a phrase i go around using all jocular and willy-nilly, my friend. Not to mention it features Tony Hawk back when he was still singin' falsetto.

That guy is absolutely ridiculous.

I Think I need some more coffee, then the real fun will start. Have a good Wednesday kids.
-MT

Gorgeous Ride- Pedal Mafia Gem

I was bumbling along that inter-web contraption when I discovered this pearl among a sea of surly, whored-out looking track bikes. After all, not every "hot whip" in Williamsburg has a sterling-silver head badge. An attention to detail demonstrated in this build up that is a tell tale indicator of neurosis; nevertheless, this is the first track bike I have seen in months that actually commands respect instead of flaunting itself as some sort of two wheeled prostitute.

http://www.pedalmafia.com/bikecheck172.html
This beauty was hidden amidst a degenerate army of hideous track bikes, a diamond in the rough, if you will. Props to whoever bank-rolled this great undertaking, and if you want my opinion: the zebra striped Deep-V isn't necessary, keep it simple stupid, gorgeous bike. I'm jealous.

Download Link:
Music- Lucero- Rogues, Rebels, and Sworn Brothers
Seeing these guys on Monday back in the home town: Chapel Hill, with Avail. Should be an interesting crowd dynamic, good times in store, thats for sure. BUY IT!

Heckling?!?!

Cyclocross has to be the single most miserable event that a collegiate racer can participate in. And just like those poor bastards; we are knee-deep into the season at this point. Being far too poor to afford any kind of bike that would be suitable for the 'Cross season I will be forced to sit this one out, so sad. Don't bother with your sympathies because I am free to have the most fun out of all those motherfuckers! I am free as a bird to heckle and jeer to my hearts content. To my disbelief, no one really knew what heckling was on my back to back championship cycling team! "How the fuck did you do so well so far?!" I exclaimed as i jumped back, horrified with this new realization, that my fellow teammates were absolutely NO FUN. However; not all hope is lost, one buddy has a recently cast-liberated broken wrist, not yet in a condition for riding, and a few other poor S.O.B.'s that dont own a bike that will suffice for competitive cyclocross. I only hope that I may show these kids the joy of heckling as it was presented to be by the great minds at "Dirt Rag" and "How to Avoid the Bummer Life": the unbridled contempt shown for those bastards who were stupid enough to subject themselves to a torturous 'cross race in the first place.

I explained to my poor comrade all the joys that lay within making the miserable, that much more miserable. The zen of being wasted-drunk, shouting obscenities into the ear of anyone who happens to pass by, either friend or foe, cow-bells reverberating in their skulls for laps to follow. Thats right fella's we'll spit on every sorry motherfucker that passes by us, and have a grand ol' time. I cant wait man, I only hope the kids who I convinced to ride out to the next few races to heckle enjoy this experience in the same way that I did when I was first shown the glory in spraying Pabst Blue Ribbon all over the break-away pack. I guess we'll see.

Calvin and Hobbes


-Me too Calvin, Me too.

I'm losing my mind,
"When the Going gets weird, the weird turn pro" -- I can only hope this is true, its obvious that I have no future in the "real" world I gotta go pro baby, sign me up for the draft. 'cause right now im fucking floundering.

Link Dump:
This Gap Sweater is Fucking Awesome- good god, I swear I know this guy.
Lance on Landis- Am I the only one who no longer cares?
RASH- (video) just good clean fun.

Music Link, because I've been slacking:

Oingo Boingo: Anthology
yes thats right, all of it. No more whining.

Calvin and Hobbes




Studying, reading, being a punk, fuck school.

October Nights: Fun in the Dark.

WORD UP.
The weather is cooling off, scarily slow, but we'll try not to let that steal our fun. We bike-riders seem to get the urge to go out and ride at night when it gets dark early and is the coldest time of the year, go figure. I know its time for me to dust off the NiteRider lights for my mountain bike and hope they still hold a charge. Not to mention strap on the sweet miniature top tube pad that should be shipped to me shortly from Yanco Pads Its pretty silly but I would rather not tarnish the neon-pink top tube of my Panasonic Keirin frame with those steel bars while im out sprinting drunkenly down the icy streets on these mountain nights. This of course will all be in the name of Alley Cat Racing! I love alley-cats, and if that makes me a poser because I'm no paid messenger; then fuck it, call me what you will. I'm just looking forward to fun.
Alley Cats of Note:
For all you real hip kids get out to the final installment of the 5-boro Generals NYC Race series, probably the most exciting of the five races the Battle For Brooklyn, in you guessed it folks: Brick-Town, NYC. Last time I checked registration is still open although you won't beable to race for the series victory, of course. Get to NY and match yourself up against the best in the country, should be a rockin' time.

In the North Carolina corner we have Hallowheels on October 27 this should be a fun race put on by some cool guys; without fail, this one should be a devil of a time. In our fine states capital of Raleigh. Holla if you see me rollin' with my crew (You Will spot us rollin deep on the ill scraper bikes)
DO IT:

Finally; If you want to spend the eve of the day of the dead racing pro level roadies who take this sort of thing way too seriously and then party hard to the point of illness for the rest of the evening, then come out to beautiful Boone, NC for the (not officially related, this must be stressed) Appalachain State Halloween Alley cat. Bring a $5 entry free to race and line-up alongside drunken members of the back-to-back Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Cycling team, not mention drunker, dirtier, and slower people like myself. I'll have the messenger bag full of micro-brews, and you will be able to trace my route by the trail of destruction, fire, and mangled carcases of boat shoe clad fraternity brothers.
No flyers for this one, this shit is under the radar.
Be sure to stock up on illicit substances and firearms for said events, because after all people; If a thing is worth doing, then god dammit! It's worth doing right!

Fall Break

I'll try to keep up over the break, but heres a couple albums:
Cilvaringz- I(1) one of the most recent additions to the Wu-Tang; great album, a little heavy, but really good, nevertheless. What most hip-hop releases lack, Cilvaringz has it.








Punk Fucking Rock: Zegota 7" Zegota is amazing, a few guys from Greensboro (keeping with the local theme today) this only a 7" vinyl release (2 songs) A.F.S. (Anarchist Fight Song) has to make you want to tear it all down, or else you probably don't have a pulse.

Once again you will need unarchiving software (downloaded safely and easily for free) and PLEASE support these artists. Without our support, we have no scene, no music, no movement. Go down to your locally owned record store and pick something up, be a good guy/gal.
Rock On People.

NC Scene: Tributes and Updates

Well its been years now since they closed the 401 trails, it's amazing to think that they really are completely gone, without a trace, I guess they are a parking lot now as far as I know. It's sad to think both Chris Doyle and the trails that defined his style, NC misses you bud, the world has never seen a turn-down executed with such power and grace as the huge airs over the big line at the trails. Chris Doyle is really a riding hero of mine, not to mention a really great guy, always down to earth, and always exuded a passion and energy that made everyone want to ride like it was the last session of their lives. There was never any hint of superiority with Doyle, at the park or the trails- he just made you want to ride like hell.-Hope to see you around the spots in the future man. An old clip from 2001: Intuition

I have never been able to voice what I find so fascinating about Chris's style, the closest thing I can think of for now is that it's "gimmick free" it's the tried and true formula: Talent+Passion+Vision+Applied Physics= Doyle's explosive airs and graceful style.
A much more recent clip, shot at a small park in Pittsburg, Doyle's new home. A really a great sample of his incredible talent, fluidness, and speed, yet technical and demonstrating an incredibly creative way of linking tricks.
Note: the unmistakable turn-down at about 00:42seconds in.


In the grass-roots movement, props to my man Peter Mill's a dear friend and incredible rider, this kid brings so much energy on the daily, while the rest of us are nursing a hang over, Peter is out on the bike, getting one day closer to landing tail-whips to the pedals. I've watched this guy progress so much over the years and he has provided a great deal of inspiration. Peter has been throwing down steadily in competitions and has built a daunting jump line behind the Industry Nine head quarters that it seems everyone else is too intimidated to hit. Peter recently withdrew his sponsorship with the Nemesis Project Team and is riding self-supported currently and kicking ass, how's that for keeping it real? I promise to get a real clip of his riding up soon, this in no way does the kid justice and I know he's going to be pissed this is the clip representing him, oh well.


I have to give big up's to the skaters back home, you kids are killin' it. Peace to: Greg and Futch from the special needs crew at school(thug life), Ricky from Glenwood Elementary school, and Ricky M. from little league baseball, haha.


Links:
Carolina BMX
Snakehawk's Blog -Brand spankin' new, --looks promising
Endless Bike Co. -Asheville's own, no frames right now, but some top quality single speed components
Flipside crew throwing down on NC street- I can't believe these are the same spots I used to ride.
Negative Source Kids - NC's own

Calvin and Hobbes



I'm Trying to study for my economics exam. These economic history classes are incredibly depressing, from the crusades to colonization: it's ALWAYS FUN learning history according to the statues set by the bourgeoisie that comprises our most esteemed academic community.
My thoughts for the evening and subject matter, expressed in "haiku" *chuckles*

Many sites I surf,
White folks will go straight to hell.
I need a stiff drink


Currently Listening: Choking Victim- No Gods, No Managers
Assigned Reading: Collapse- by: Jared Diamond (not part of my required econ. class texts)

Groing up Gonzo.

Hunter S. Thompson blew my mind, not because I thought drug references were "totally trippy" but because when I read his work, it consumed me, swept me up from the paperback pages in to a world of Gonzo; where reality was no longer a constant, everything was to be questioned, analyzed, and dissected, only to discover that there is no answer, only the burnt remains of what might have been one. The estranged, twisted, and passionate lenses that I view the world through are a product of Bad Brains, Hunter S. Thompson, Bill Waterson's Calvin and Hobbes, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. I flip through Rolling Stone's exclusive preview of the book: Growing Up Gonzo: Excerpts Form the Oral History Of Hunter S. Thompson; and I am drawn back to a jumbled pile of books, some tattered from traveling others left without a single page turned, I find the first few of Hunter's books I spot and start to read back. I find certain pages violently underlined, notes crammed angrily into tiny margins, my unprocessed blue scrawl across the page seems so desperate juxtaposed with the tight aerial font text. What exactly was going on I wonder? But as I read starting with a paragraph, it all comes rushing back with the force of a freight train and the unstoppable, disorienting, yet painfully sharp intensity of a long line of crank. But what created this both terrifying and beautiful creature? Hopefully this new book will give some insight in to both "Raul Duke" and Thompson himself, we'll see.

Slackin...


Sorry People, I know I fell off there this past weekend; I was back home for a couple days to see some good people and have a good time. I'm told it was awesome!? Lot's of drinking got done, Got to take it easy away from serious rides and work (chuckles.)
Did you know they make clear (rather, Klear) Blunt wraps? Well just discovered them at a friends recommendation, and they are pretty nifty/disturbingly mysterious. Ask your local tobacco shop for: Kingpin Klear Blunts They seem really questionable when you first feel and see them, but they roll up quite nicely and smoke extremely clean in comparison to a normal blunt.
Now its time to get back to work, lets see how the "Blueberry-Bomb Klear Wraps" treat me on tonights group ride.
Peace.
-Derisory Velo.

Calvin and Hobbes


Can't Sleep: Late night C&H posted for you when you wake.

Good Shit:
Aesop Rock- None Shall Pass (released august 28)
Send Space Link

Album Review- Riverboat Gamblers: To The Confusion of Our Enemies


Riverboat Gambler's full length album hit stores on August 20 after painfully long delays. The band originally formed in 1997 in Denton, Texas; "To The Confusion of Our Enemies" through Volcom Entertainment Labelis the Gambler's forth full-length release. I saw the Gamblers when they opened for Against Me! sometime during the fall of 2006, the Texans brought an aggressive, no holds barred, truly punk-fucking-rock attitude that was so refreshing to experience in a music scene rife with timidity and an infuriating helplessness. The Riverboat Gamblers hold one firm first thrown bravely to the sky, the other hand gesticulating a passionate "FUCK YOU!"
"To The Confusion of Our Enemies;" a 14 track LP, kicks down the door and bursts through with one of the best introductory tracks I have heard in awhile titled "True Crime." The album is full of passionate anthem-like tracks that will inspire, lift up, anger, and most of all make the listener want to jump, move, throw-the-fuck-down! Don't let the hard edged and upbeat tracks that I very hesitantly compare to a "Party Rock" sound that other reviews of this album have compared to an Andrew W.K.-like feeling; this is not all just mindless rocking, the Gamblers have a very defined social and political stance that comes through without weighing down the music itself.
"To The Confusion of Our Enemies" is truly a rocking album; I want to stress the fact that the ALBUM is great as a whole, no real filler tracks here. Something i feel has really lost its value since advent of napster-like downloading where listeners download single tracks at one time. Highlights of the album for me included: True Crime, Don't Bury...I'm Not Dead, Rent Is Due, The Curse of The Ivory Coast and Uh-Oh
Check These guys out 8.5 out of 10
Recent Edit: Because I like you so much (the people who take your valuable time to read this) I have provided a link to download the album as a zip. file. you will need un-archiving software (can be downloaded free) to extract the file, the album should download extremely fast with a decent connection. I will say, if you enjoy the album; please, please, please take a small amount of your time and hard earned money to go down to your locally-owned record store and purchase this album, bands like this need your support!
Send Space Link:
Riverboat Gamblers- To The Confusion of Our Enemies

Vinnie Sammon: Dans Comp Cover



Big up's to Vinnie Sammon- A hard mother-fucker from New Jersey, for years I have admired his intense, and super raw, brakeless-thrash style, that always made me think of old Ice Cube and the Gorilla Biscuits. Ill crooked grind for the cover of "Wal-Mart BMX." Vinnie's just putting in work. Props.

To Fill your hood quota for the day:
Zoo York BMX team (2006) -Video
Fly Kicks- Notepad out and ready
Anson Wellington on Hatin' -this kid is dope on a bike
The Street Spot Blog- these kids keep me in the know

Calvin and Hobbes


Its October; once it starts getting dark early, It will be alley cat season! I'm pretty stoked for those drunken glorious pursuits through traffic in the frigid cold. It's really hard to explain why we ride those silly two wheeled things when we could be watching cable isnt it? ah well...
I Finished building up my Panasonic Keirin Frame today with most of the parts and some crap to fill the voids in my build untill the fly parts I spent way too much money on, are delievered to my shop. Its a fun ride; although, those Nitto handle bars whipping around and locking a new frame up to street signs really makes one consider a top tube pad. I guess I've finally sold out. Pictures of the bike should be up before too long, I know you are all on the edge of you seats in anticipation.
Out on the whip, peace.
-Derisory Velo

Currently Listening: Minor Threat: Complete Discography (straight-edge owns)

Oh Snap: Richmond Hood Co.

Redman and crew's new boutique in Staten Island, NY. -"It's fiyaaa"-Red


Opening Day Video

"Where flavor is served daily... Richmond Hood Company is a boutique dedicated to the
celebration of NYC action sport lifestyles & culture (i.e. NY Skate, NY BMX, NY Mountain Bike, NY Snowboarding, NY Hip-Hop, and NY Arts). Richmond Hood Company carriesvery limited edition lines from major footwear and apparel giants includingNike, Vans and DC Shoes; classic brands Shut, 5 Boro, and Zoo York; and popular independent brands such as Fillmore, Spitfire, Independent, Venture, Thunder, Animal, Bulldog."


Representing the WU, word up.

Currently Listening: Black Out!(1999) by: Method Man and Redman