If you don’t know who the Bones Brigade is, you either don’t skateboard or live on another planet…
The inventors of many tricks, and the creators of actually making money as a Pro Skater, the original Bones Brigade was built of 6 amazing people. The true Team was Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, Tommy Guerrero and Lance Mountain, with the early addition of Freestyle Master Rodney Mullen. They were a team built by Stacy Peralta – not because they were the best of the best, but because he saw the potential for them to be that. Each one of these members brought something unique to the table, and they were all creators.
Yesterday, July 15th, 2012, Mike McGill came up to hang out in Vancouver and skate the pool at Kensington Skate Park. Like a veteran Vert Skater, he showed up, escorted by Craig Williams, with his duffel bag full of pads, a helmet and a bunch of giveaways, took a quick look at the pool, strapped up and dropped in. In the matter of a few runs, McGill already had the lines figured out and was shredding the coping. The crowd got bigger throughout the day and there were many Vancouver Loc’s having great times, great laughs and great fun with the inventor of the McTwist, Mike McGill. A lot of sick skating went down from everyone, including Eve Feaver, Adam Hopkins, Wee Wong, Chris Steggles and of course “The Frontside Kid” – James Clarke. The weather held out from raining, and the Pool got shredded. Thanks for coming out McGill!!
Everyone headed over to The Rio Theatre on Broadway afterwards for the Video Premiere of The Bones Brigade Documentary presented by Mike McGill and Kevin Harris. They got onstage before and after the showing to answer questions and tell a few funny stories from the over 40 years of skateboarding they’ve experienced. The theatre was packed during both showings, mostly with older dudes and dudettes who were actually around during the era of the true Bones Brigade. It was great to see the one on one interviews with so many legendary people who helped to change the world of skateboarding to what it has become. Craig Stecyk, Steve Olson, Glen Friedman, Christian Hosoi, even Duane Peters, to just name a few of the guys talking about their times with the Bones Brigade, and what it was like in the Skateboard Industry during the 1980’s. It’s awesome to hear the real stories behind things like the outrageous advertising, the competitive nature created by the public, and the hard times these guys lived through. My favorite part of the Documentary is how it outlines Stacy Peralta’s mindframe towards people. I think The Search for Animal Chin movie was actually about Stacy’s life when it came out without him planning it that way. We look back at this Original Powell Peralta Team and think, “man, that team was stacked.” But if you listen to the reality of it, it was Stacy who made these guys who they are today. He took 5 kids, that weren’t at the top of the game, and gave them the chance to prove themselves and gave them the push they needed to succeed. Anyone can start a Skateboard Company and pay the guys that are already known as the best, and make money, but that’s not what the Bones Brigade was all about. These were guys that were up-and-comers, and had potential to be amazing if given the chance. If you don’t know the story behind Rodney Mullen and how he would have quit skateboarding forever if he hadn’t received the publicity he got after Stacy took him to his first contest, then you need to learn. If it wasn’t for that day, and for Stacy’s visual foresight, Rodney Mullen probably would have quit skateboarding, and who knows what would’ve happened. The entire world of street skating revolves around the tricks that Rodney Mullen invented and displayed across the world. Without him, skateboarding probably wouldn’t be around today. We have to thank Stacy peralta for that. The video goes on to show the creation of Street Skating, the invention of the Skateboard Video and The falling apart of Powell Peralta. It is definitely a “Must See” for any skateboarder, but especially for these young kids that don’t understand what it was like to be a skater throughout that 1980’s era. You need to get to know these guys and what they were about.
The Animal Chin is inside us all, find it and love it…
