a brief glance_issue 56

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56

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Year IX a brief glance skateboard mag / Fragments [ p.16] / Get Your Shine On (the future is yours) [ p. 20] Like a School Trip (Magenta in Italy) [ p. 60 ] / Jake Ilardi Interview [ p.74]


©2019 Vans, Inc.



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"a brief glance issue 56

features and is dedicated to the next generation of rippers.

You guys are the future of

skateboarding;

< Issue 56

keep those smiles

and positive vibes

a brief glance

going forever."

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ISHOD WAIR / ORANGE LABEL ONLY AVAILABLE IN SKATESHOPS NIKESB.COM



Yes, a brief glance skatebaoardmag will be (also) on paper and you will find it every two months at finest skateshops around Europe.





Sylvain Tognelli PICTURE : HENRY KINGSFORD

WWW.CARHARTT-WIP.COM



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Ale Benedetti_Wallie_Photo Davide Biondani


CONTENTS

Fragments Get Your Shine On [p. 16]

{The future is yours} [p. 20]

Like a School Trip {Magenta in Italy}

[p. 60]

Jake Ilardi {Interview} [p. 74] COVER STORY When you go out to shoot skateboarding you never know what will happen. It was the end of a long day, and we headed to a spot that wasn’t that good, but right beside it we came across this white and yellow plastic pole that caught my attention.

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I immediately had a flashback to these photos shot in NYC and published in Slap and TWS in the mid to late 90s, so I asked Cise if he was down to try something over it and he pulled this nollie pop shove-it just as it started raining. While shooting it I already knew it would become the cover of the new issue and it’s funny how randomly it came up.

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EDITOR & CONCEPT_ Davide Biondani. {davide@abriefglance.com} ASSOCIATE EDITOR_ Guido Bendotti. {guido@abriefglance.com} ASSISTANT EDITOR_ Andrew Zolin. TRANSLATIONS_ Jonathan Levin. PHOTOGRAPHERS_ Craig Dodds, Sebastiano Bartoloni, Owen Crary, Robert Christ, Sergio Pontillo, Davide Biondani. CONTRIBUTORS_ Francesco Paolo, Chielli, Mario Torre, Mark Baines, Fabio Montagner. DESIGN_ M. Bod Ciceri {Question Mark, ink!#?} GET ALL THE INFO at: info@abriefglance.com

a brief glance skateboard mag is a bulletin published by Fake Donkey Skateboard asd.

All rights reserved.

Thanks to Canon Italia for the support.

Gianmarco Ciselli / Nollie pop shove-it Photo: Davide Biondani [Canon] Pesaro [Italy] a brief glance

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the permission of the publisher.

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Viktor Campillo

Backside heelflip

Milano [ Italy ]

Photo

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Davide Biondani

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Luca Scarpellini

Frontside boardslide transfer

to fakie

Brescia [ Italy ]

Photo

Davide Biondani

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Robert Christ

Photo

Gelsenkirchen [ Germany ]

Backside hurricane

Martin Schiffl


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Trap Sucks

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The purity of youth is beyond comparison; it's an age which knows no filters, big egos, or ulterior motives. There's just a pure love for skateboarding and the energy you can see shining in their eyes. This article features six skateboarders under or around 20 years old with whom we spent a day each to shoot some photos and have a quick chat. Guys, keep those smiles and positive vibes going forever.

The future is yours, Photography & words Davide Biondani


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@cisz_nocomply

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No skate videos? I just watched Sour Files 10... it’s so dope. In what year were you born? 2002. When did you start skating? 2015, so it’s been 4 years. How did you get into skateboarding? This is kind of funny. I saw Dado (Davide Rossano) skating in front of my school and walked up to him, asking him some questions, so I just tried to skate. He told me to go to skate at Cimi, our local spot. He gave me a board, trucks, and wheels. So I started skating also thanks to him. Where do you live? In Pesaro, on the east coast of Italy. What's the best thing about living in Pesaro, and what's the worst? Uhm... the coolest thing is the piadina mattonella! Ha ha ha, it's a giant piadina (a thin Italian flatbread)! Also, the spots along the seaside where you can bathe when the sesh is over. The worst thing is that there is no skatepark! Is it true that the riviera is a very dangerous place because there is too much partying and too many distractions? Noooo... ha ha ha... well, more or less! And is it true that the riviera skaters are the craziest? Ha ha ha... let's say we have some good role models in this sense! Ha ha. Do you have any sponsors supporting you?

Vans hooks me up with some shoes, Blast Distribution supports me with Almost and Tensor Trucks, and Paper Surf which is the local shop. Tell me what this Candy Coast thing is about? Candy Coast is our crew, which was born thanks to Mattia Tommasoli who would come to film Dado, me, and the others at Cimi. He's the genious mind behind Candy Coast! The name comes from the fact that we always bought lots of candy every day and would eat it in 2 seconds and then skate all day. Mattia would film us and post the videos to YouTube. So from the fact we used to buy lots of candy, the name Candy Coast was born! We were morons! Ha ha. Are you filming anything for Candy Coast? We're working on a project of Mattia's called "Bruba Ruba." It's an old project that will come out sooner or later. What else do you do in life apart from skating? I go to an art-oriented high school... I took a makeup exam in philosophy yesterday... ha ha ha. I was worried, but they've never failed me. If you didn't skate what other "sport" would you like to do? Oh God, this is such a difficult question! I wouldn't know, damn, I'd have to find another pastime! "Picking up girls" isn't a valid answer, right? Ha ha. No. Ha ha. Is it true that you always skate without a tshirt on to pick up chicks? Well, yeah, it kinda goes without saying. What do you think the best thing about skating is? First of all, the fact that you do what you want to do with no limits, rules, or someone telling you what to do or how to do it. The fact that there is no real competition with other skaters, you just hype each other up. That's why it's not really a sport. So what do you think of the fact that it will

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Hi Cise, what are you up to? I’m watching Prison Break on Netflix.

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be in the Olympics? I don't think it should. It means skating is being commercialized, and as T-Funk says, how can you judge a kickflip with say, 5 points, with respect to a 360 flip noseslide on a hubba, and maybe the kickflip was super stylish... you can't award points to skate tricks. A street session has more importance to me than a contest.

Wallie over //

Do you ever watch Street League? I do, it's incredible how many tricks they do, it's still skateboarding at the end of the day, but different to how I see it. They're machines. Incredible. Who was your favorite skater when you started and who hypes you the most nowadays? At first I liked Shane O'Neill because the first part I ever saw was his "Shane Goes," but now I find him to be too robotic. Now I really get psyched by Jarne Verbruggen and T-Funk. When you were born, the internet already existed. How do the internet and social networks influence your life and your skateboarding? They are tools that exist and that if are used correctly can surely be useful. For example in skateboarding, to see 3000 new tricks coming out every day, or to be known. If you use it for bullshit as many kids do today, it's really useless. What's your IG name? @cisz_nocomply Why this name? A friend of mine used to use "no comply" in his name, and at the time I used to do many different no comply variations, so I decided to use my nickname "Cise," then modified and added nocomply to it, ha ha. How many followers do you have now? I don't know, around 2040.

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What do you think about those who buy followers? It's useless, if you have 20k followers and your videos have 200 views, it doesn't make much sense. There are people that buy them to be noticed, so what? Ha ha ha.

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What IG profile do you follow the most?

One of my favorite ones is Jacopino's (@ p u f f t u f f a n d s k atestuff) I really like how he skates. Apart from skating do you have other interests? Not really, every so often I like to draw. I do animations at school, like the way they used to do cartoons in the past, drawing them frame by frame. Every now and again I try to do some quick animations. It's time-consuming. Like learning tricks... Ha ha, yes, but the satisfaction of landing a trick is incomparable, even after all the falls you take. Do you have any skate posters hanging in your room? I just made my room anew so I don't have any posters, but I used to have a lot. Now my desk is bombed with skate stickers and the walls are full of decks hanging. I have my first board ever, that I bought myself, a Skate Mental with Tupac.


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Mark Baines | Nollie switch crooks | Menton

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Have you ever bought a skate mag? Yes, I have some mags that I bought or that I found in shops. Do you like printed skate mags? Totally! I really love them!!! I’ve always loved physical things, my room is full of vinyls and CDs. So do you think it still makes sense to print a skate mag in 2019? Personally, yes. You can save it and open it whenever you want to. There are lots of people who don’t share the same view, I’m sure, we are a different generation. On a 1 to 10 scale, how shitty is Trap music? Ha ha ha, 800! I used the hash tag “trapsucks” on my IG for two months. What music do you like? Everything that comes before 2005, so 90’s, 80’s, and 70’s. I listen to everything, hip-hop, soul, reggae, funk; but hip-hop mostly. That which can be considered music. Full part or Insta clip? Full part, no doubt. The effort, the hype, the result of a clip with a P2 at a spot cannot be compared. Are you filming a part? Yes, I’m almost done, but Mattia is always busy. We should be able to release it before the end of the year, I want it to be as complete as possible, even though some clips go back to the beginning of the year and will not satisfy me completely.

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Ollie over to crooks //

That’s just an excuse to film another part. True! Ha ha... you’re right.

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@lil_sugarzz

Portrait Owen Crary //

Hi Sepp, how’s it going? I’m doing good, I just got up and I’m getting ready for work. Did you party last night? Uhm, no no, I’m not a such a big party person, although it might seem so, but I’m not. I probably party like once a year, maybe? In what year were you born? In 2003.

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How long have you been skating? For about seven years.

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How did you start skating? When I was a kid, in Veneto where I used to live, my parents would give me skateboards as presents and I would


So you have not always lived in Bolzano? No, I used to live in a small town up in the mountains in the province of Vicenza called Crespador. I would always come to Bolzano on vacation with my family because we had a friend here, then my sister was looking for a private high school and there was one here in Bolzano. Then my parents found an organic food shop to buy - that’s what my mom does so everything just fell into place and we moved to Bolzano. They speak both German and Italian in Bolzano, so you had to learn German too... Yes, I can speak German more or less, but I only speak Italian with my friends. I speak German when I really have to, I don’t like it that much. What’s the best thing about living there, and the worst? The best thing is that the city is very well-kept, and things are fixed very quickly. The worst thing is that there are too many cobblestones and too few skate spots. In fact we’re always at the skate park. Who was your favorite skater when you started skating? Daewon Song, he still is, I don’t know how he can do all those manuals, he skates everything, he skates the strangest things. I really like him, but generally I like to skate in a simple way. Basic tricks,

like a very long backside tailslide for example, rather than an incredibly technical trick. I swear, the skater I love to watch the most now is Jacopo Carozzi. I love him. But I’ve always loved watching Paul Rodriguez, the whole Primitive team too. I like Kader a lot. What else do you do besides skating? I go to school, I flunked and now I’m doing two years in one. Then I’ll attend a hotel management school. My second passion is cooking, I always cook by myself at home. My parents are both vegan, so I always cook lots of different things, I love making sauces for pasta, or cooking fish. You were saying that you worked all summer long at a restaurant in the center, what’s it like to work and skate? For the first three days I’d get to the park and wouldn’t do anything! My legs were stiff. After a week I got used to it. Actually, before I’d go to the park and just chill, wasting my time. Now I go to the park and skate for two hours non-stop. It was a good experience. What’s your IG name? @lil_sugarzz Why did you choose this name? When I used to skate at the park from 9AM to 9PM I used to eat lots of junk food, lots of sweets, so Benjamin, one of the boys there, gave me the nickname lil_sugarzz. He basically made it up himself. What’s your relationship to social networks? I don’t use smart phones that much, I’ll check my socials every now and then, if I get interesting messages I’ll answer. I look at Insta and Netflix from home, when I’m relaxed, but I don’t spend much time on social networks. Do you ever think it’s insane that everybody always has their phone in their hands? Oh yes, often, it’s kinda sad too. When I lived in Veneto I had nothing, only a tape recorder, and I would watch the same things over and over, like the “Lion King.” When we moved I got a couple of phones that I’d get nerdy with, then the Play Station

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take them apart and use them as snowboards because I lived in the mountains and there was lots of snow. Then, when we moved to Bolzano, my mom saw that there was a new skate park and asked me if I wanted to try skating there, so that’s how I began.

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with which I’d play Fortnite a lot. Then I realized how ridiculous it is to waste so much time at home getting mad. I don’t use it any longer. I’m pretty much against social networks, but I use them, I need them.

Do you have any print mags at home? No, I don’t follow videos and mags that much. I’m not too informed about skateboarding in general. I don’t always follow everything that comes out. I watch the things that come out from the skaters I like, when Boo Johnson’s part came out I was super hyped. I know that Sub Shop and Vans support you, how did this come about? With Sub Shop there’s a really nasty story behind it, ha ha ha. All my friends had sponsors so I wanted one too, so I went to Sub Shop and asked them what I needed to do to get sponsored. They told me to film a video at the park and bring it to them, so I did. By the way, it was a very ugly part, and they put me on the team, ha ha. For Vans, I was at the Italian Skateboard Championship and after the contest was over, Vans Italy’s team manager asked me if I wanted to be on the team. Did you know everything there is behind skateboarding when you first began? No way, absolutely not. You know, when I started skating I wore short pants and mountain shoes! It was terrible! Ha ha ha, I had no idea about anything, ha ha.

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What’s the best thing about skateboarding? The fact that everyone says hi even though they’ve never seen you before, even if you meet a famous pro. If you’re out skating you all skate together.

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Have you picked up girls because of skating? No, unfortunately not. Actually yes, I met a couple girls who wanted to try my board, ha ha.

Frontside feeble //

Insta video or full-length video? Insta clips are ok, you get to see new tricks and all that, but a full-length has got a different value, filmed on the street with your best tricks. They’re two different things.


There is a super cool scene in Bolzano. Yes, it’s awesome, there’s lots of skaters, they’re all motivated and happy, we skate together every day, you go to the park and everyone is there.

What do you think about skateboarding being in the Olympics? It’s positive because it introduces skateboarding to a wider public and brings more money into skateboarding. But for how skateboarding was born, it’s not really that good, I don’t see skating that in tune with the Olympics, but it’s an opportunity and opportunities are important. What music do you like? I like Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dog. Do you have any other passions? I love riding my racing bicycle, it was my father’s. I really like it a lot, I love it.

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Did you know that Maznee lost his virginity thanks to skateboarding? Ha ha. Of course I know!!! We were skating in Berlin together, we partied a lot with the whole crew that night. The next morning he came home with a nice smile on his face, ha ha.

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Backside kickflip //

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Frontside nosegrind //

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Frontside wallride //

@lorenzo_silvestri


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to skate when he was younger and transmitted his passion to me. My grandfather used to travel a lot and brought him some skateboards when he went to the States. My parents have always been super supportive, they realized that skateboarding makes me feel good physically and mentally. What did you do this summer? I went on interrail with two friends and my girlfriend, we went to Milan, Basil, Berlin, Hamburg, and Copenhagen which I think is the most beautiful city in the world. Do you have anything in store for the next few months? I'm moving to Milan to study at the Brera Academy, in October. I'm a bit scared, I don't know many people in Milan, but I'm happy to go. When were you born? I was born on July 8th, 1999. What did you do this summer? I went on interrail with two friends and my girlfriend, we went to Milan, Basil, Berlin, Hamburg, and Copenhagen which I think is the most beautiful city in the world. Do you have anything in store for the next few months? I’m moving to Milan to study at the Brera Academy, in October. I’m a bit scared, I don’t know many people in Milan, but I’m happy to go.

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When were you born? I was born on July 8th, 1999.

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When did you start skating and why? I started skating in 2011, my father used

You’re from Rome, why do you think there are so few skaters compared to the number of inhabitants in the city? Rome is a large city and maybe people don’t move around that much, there are lots of small groups of skaters that skate in their own neighborhood. It’s a strange scene, it goes through periods. Some summers there are lots of skaters at the Ponte della Musica, while other times there’s just 10 of us at most. I don’t know, I think there are skaters, but they all skate their own spots. Plus the city’s only public skate park is on the outskirts and this doesn’t help the scene to grow. But you’ve got a good crew, you’re very active, right? Yes we have fun, we film and skate together all the time. Who’s the Roman skater from the older generation that hypes you up the most? Jonny Levin is the biggest legend there ever was in Rome, he skates everything and anything, he’s always around on his board, he’s my absolute favorite. Ale Martoriati has always ripped, I saw his videos from when he was my age, incredible. Even Gaspare Gentile when he was younger. Where do you usually skate? At Ponte della Musica, it’s near my house, I go there by bike. Also at the Foro Italico and the Ara Pacis. Sometimes we go do downhills around the city or go in search of new spots. Did you realize all there is behind skateboarding when you first started, like teams, tricks, non-written rules, tours, and sponsors? No, not at all. When I went around on my skateboard and met another skater and he said “hi,” I


would ask myself why he said hi to me. At first I wouldn’t understand... ha ha. Like going to a new city and meeting other skaters that show you around so that you don’t see the city as a tourist, but from the inside, like a local, is cool. The best thing is that you can make friends all over the world in no time. What kind of skateboarding do you like? I like going fast, doing simple tricks full speed. Technical skateboarding is nice to see, but a bit more difficult to do, ha ha ha! Besides the tricks, I don’t see skateboarding as a hobby, I need it to clear my mind. Skating is a mental outlet. Three skaters you like? Mark Gonzales above all, even though he’s not from my era, I’ve always loved watching him. One of the first videos I saw was Video Days and he’s been my favorite ever since. I like Casper Brooker a lot for his fast and powerful skating. Then Jonathan Levin or my friend Antoine. Ben Kadow also hypes me a lot. Do you have any skate posters hanging in your room? Yeah, I have various posters. Grant Taylor, Ishod Wair, and a Hockey/Fucking Awesome one too. Do you like printed skate mags? Yes, I love skate mags, printed mags are super important, they’re the coolest thing in the world because you can touch them, you can find posters inside, maybe some stickers too. Even just finding them in skate shops and checking them out is cool. How much time do you spend on social networks? I kind of hate Instagram, but every now and then it’s useful to post skate stuff. I take it in a chill way, but usually I post funny things rather than skate tricks. One of the saddest things is being on the metro and seeing everyone on their smart phones watching stories forever. When I go out I don’t bring my smart phone, but an old school phone, like the ones drug dealers use. I just use it to make calls, I don’t want to be distracted and waste hours on social networks. I have a smart phone at home that I use to browse the web.

Clothes? Interesting... Yes, I’ve made jackets at times, sweatshirts or tshirts, but not because I want to sell them or make a brand, but just to express through that garment an anxiety or a fear that I’m feeling in that

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Do you have any other interests besides skating? I like painting and drawing, and sometimes I make videos, or clothes.

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precise moment... so that people can actually wear my emotions. Sometimes I put my photos up on the street with adhesive paper. When you come down to Rome I’ll show you. Do you do well at school? Yeah, I graduated with good grades, I studied everything the night before, ha ha ha. What do you look for in a skater? I think his personality is the most important thing, his creativity and style. Who are your sponsors? 7 Hills Skate Co., Taste Wheels, and Vans has been recently supporting me through 7 Hills Store. Soon after we shot the photos for this article they sent me some Vans product.

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How crappy is Trap music on a 1 to 10 scale? Ha ha ha... from 1 to 10 I’d say 10! All those stories about guns, money, Thrasher tees, the music is all the same and they say the same things.

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What music do you like? Thanks to my father I listen to a lot of different genres of music, I like old school hip-hop like Public Enemy, Afrika Bambaataa; but I also listen to rock, punk, 30s music, r’n’b. I like all good music.

Wallie //


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Hi Ruben, what is your year of birth? I was born in the year 2000.

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@Rubenalles

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When did you start skating? In 2012, I was in 7th grade, but I've been fascinated by skateboarding since I was young. I used to watch videos even before I started skating. How did you get into skateboarding? There was always a skateboard in the house, and every now and then I'd go to Piazza Castello with my mom to push mongo back and forth really fast! Then a friend of mine told me about these skate lessons they held on Saturday mornings and convinced me to go. It was the only way to skate regularly... from there, I discovered piazzale Valdo Fusi and I started going there practically every day.

Turin was one of the first skateboarding was practiced the 70s. It has always had a so tradition, do you know anything about the history of the Turinese scene? People have always talked to me about Turin's scene as being totally hardcore, maybe because Turin is one of the cities with the most punk attitude... in any case, the guys I consider "old" like Tappo (the owner of Skateboarding's Finest skate shop), Pivot and Burgos, have always told me all these stories about the fact that you always had to be careful not to cut people's lines or not being in the way or you'd get your kicked!! For sure, one of the mos tant guys of the Turinese scene around is Mario Marinelli and his know there's much more to Turin's but I'm not too informed and the o mind is that of Paolo Nelzi.

What's the scene like today? The scene right now is awesome study and immediately fall in lo decide to stay; unfortunately ther new generation, meaning those bo There are few guys who start skat say whether they will be the new g birth of the park things are gettin they don't give up, the first step is a

Who do you usually skate wit I skate with everybody! If you go ways someone there, and that wi Nardi, Pepe, and Beffa! In any ca though I think the best sessions a who being my peer, we're always h he weren't living in the valley it wo


cities where d since olid -

Pop shove-it over the rail //

t r ass st imporsince I've been s El Santo Skateboards. I 's skate scene of the past, only name that comes to

th? to Valdo Fusi there's alill surely be Palla, Icaro ase with my team! Even are with Eugenio Nardi, hyping each other up! If ould be easier, ha ha.

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e! Skaters come here to ove with the scene and re are few skaters of the orn from 2000 onwards. ting and it's still early to generation, but since the ng better, let's just hope always the most difficult.

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Do you have any sponsors? My only sponsor at the moment is Skateboarding's Finest and I hope it will be forever! Even though something's moving lately!

During what skateboarding era would you like to have lived? In the 90s for sure, I find lots of inspiration in the style of that time!

Do you think skateboarding is still an act of rebellion? I believe it is fundamentally a form of rebellion, that is part of the reason I skate! Unfortunately it's more and more accepted and I've always been driven more by the illegal side of skateboarding! It has lost its rebellious side for the fact that brands out there have commercialized it and people consider it a sport more and more, which in a way is good, but on the other hand it loses the appeal of being born in the streets! And people see it as a trend, which makes me pretty mad!

What did you want to become when you were little? Ha ha ha, when I was small I liked to draw, as I do now, and I hoped to become an "artist" even though I then came across skateboarding, so I stopped thinking about it.

Do you watch full-length videos more than once? I must admit that I don't watch full-length videos many times, but "I like It Inside My Mind, Don't Wake Me This Time" is one of the few videos I watch over and over and I never get tired of! Does it still make sense to print skate magazines in 2019? It is absolutely one of the things that keep skateboarding real! If this aspect disappeared it would be a step backwards, online magazines will never compare to paper ones. What's your IG name? Rubenalles

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What IG profile do you follow the most? Freeskatemag is the one I like the most!

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What influence do you think social networks have on our lives? I think social networks have had lots of influence on us! I don't feel influenced by them at all, even though one of the positive things is posting a video and seeing many people liking it, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. It's bad when posting a clip becomes a priority to get likes and people's approval. Plus, we're losing the fact of having to wait for a video to come out. Often, Instagram spoils the ender of a video and I believe it's just not right!

Where would you like to live? Copenhagen, absolutely. I think it's a city that can give you the most in every way, both work-wise and skate-wise. Plus, it's a 10-minute train ride away from Malmo, which is another great city for skating! Is it true that you can pick up girls with skateboarding nowadays? Ha ha ha, actually it's never really helped me much in this regard. Lately though, I've noticed that girls are attracted by skateboarding by the fact that they come to Valdo Fusi to watch skaters... I should take more advantage of this. What type of skateboarding do you like and who are three skaters that hype you up the most? I really love old school skateboarding from the 90's, but I also like transition skating. I'd have to say Dane Brady, Cory Kennedy, and Tony Trujillo. If you didn't skate what sport would you be doing? Ha ha it's strange but I really like ping pong, I practiced it for a year before skating and I play whenever I can! Apart from skating do you have other passions or interests?


I like to draw and I like graphic design in particular. This is the reason why I chose the school I'm attending right now! I like to drink and spend time with my friends too, ha ha. How shitty is Trap music? What do you listen to? It doesn't all suck, if you look hard you'll find a couple good songs, but most of them are complete shit. Too bad it has influenced skateboarding as well. I listen to Italian songwriters and punk music mostly, but also dance music, and any song attracts my attention! Any project you're working on? Yes, I'm working on my video part, which thanks to Alberto della Beffa I'm sure will be dope!


Ruben

Luzzatto

Wallie

over the gap

photo

Davide

Biondani

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[Canon]

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Photography Sergio Pontillo //

@michelino.it

Backside noseblunt slide //


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Frontside boardslide pop out //

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Hi Michele, how old are you? I'm 23 years old. When did you start skating? I'd say 2007/08... even though I'd go out to play on a skateboard when I was little. Where do you live? I'm fortunate enough to live in Barcelona, but I'm from Pescara, which is on the east coast of central Italy.

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Pescara is like an Italian Miami, can you see yourself going back there to live some day? I'm not sure it's the Italian Miami, ha ha. I kinda miss my city, but every time I go back I feel the need to escape after a few days.

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There are various historic skaters hailing from your city and area, who do you know and why? When I started skating Ale Ciattoni was surely the most famous. Lots of people would go out skating together... it was insane. Regarding Pescara, Matteo Di Nisio has always been talked about, even though he was already living in Milan at the time. People talked about him as if he were a divinity... ha ha. Even Luchetto (Luca Dell'Elce) has always been someone I looked up to for his flow and style. Oh, I almost forgot about Daniele Tarantelli, I bumped into him a few times in the evening, I've never seen him skate in person but they say he was really good... I believe it. What's your IG name? Mikelino.it As a skater, what importance would you give Instagram and social networks nowadays? It depends, for sure they're not essential for skating. But lots of people give them importance including brands and the whole skate biz. If you want to be part of this world it's hard to make believe they don't exist. What's your favorite skate video both from the new generation and old generation? Fully Flared is certainly the video that has influenced me the most. The old ones I saw years after they came out, so it's hard to say... just seeing the year Mouse or Menikmati came out is shocking.


How do you think being born in the X-Games and Tony Hawk Pro Skater era has influenced your skating? Tony Hawk underground 2!!! I've wasted lots of time playing it, ha ha ha. But I wouldn't say it has influenced my skateboarding. I have to thank all my older friends who have always shown me the right things. Do you read or buy skate magazines? If so, which? No, unfortunately when I was younger it was impossible to find a newsagent that had anything skate-related. When I started using the internet you could already find lots of skate content so I stopped looking for paper mags and the like. I check out everything I can on digital versions, Thrasher and Free are probably the ones I follow the most.

What hypes you up before going skating? Skaters pushing a lot and going fast. We all know Trap music sucks, what's playing in your Ipod when you're out skating? I never skate with music. Anyhow, apart from extreme and crappy genres, all good music hypes me up. There isn't one type of music I prefer.

What's the first skate magazine you ever read? Transworld Skateboarding.

If you had to choose a period in skateboarding you'd like to live again because you have only heard people talking about it, which era would that be? I've heard of times spent playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater at the skate shop, or of copied VHS videos sold for a few bucks... it must've been fun.

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How many of the friends you started skating with still skate? When I was 11 a friend of mine and I would involve the whole school class to go out skating, but now I'd say it's just him and I left, ha ha. It's normal, lots of people start and stop skating continuously. You always know those who keep skating in one way or another... I guess that's how it has to be.

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Hi Andrea, how’s it going? It’s all good, we’re skating a lot, so it’s ok. In what year were you born? I was born in 2001. I’m 18 years old. When did you start skating? I started 5 years ago, when I was 13. How did you get involved in skating? I started skating in Davide Rossano’s garage, we would drop down the slope! Dado already knew how to do kickflips on flat, and we used to go to “Cimi,” our spot. Dado was the first guy of our crew to skate. Of your original crew, does everyone still skate? Almost all of us, some more or less intensely. Lately I always skate with Cise, Gibbo, and Mia, Mattia’s sister. She’s in London right now and is starting to rip. Where do you live? Pesaro. Of all the places you’ve been to, where would you like to live? This place in Germany I’ve been to recently, near Wuppertal, next to the border with Holland. It’s a relaxed place. I really liked London a lot for skateboarding, but I couldn’t live there, it’s too chaotic for me.

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The skater who hypes you up the most at the moment? Maxime Geronzi is my absolute favorite skater, and I like Tiago Lemos too. When I started skating, Marco Lambertucci was the best skater there was in my eyes. Once, when I was small he gave me a pair of shoes and made me the happiest kid on Earth. I don’t follow many skaters, I don’t spend much time on social networks, I just look at my two or three favorite YouTube channels and that’s it.

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A Millennial who doesn’t use social networks??? Are you crazy? Ha ha ha. Ha ha, yeah of course I use them, I also spend time on them, but not that much to be honest. I’m just not that active on social networks. What’s your name on IG? @freshparis_ Why this name? When we were younger, each member of the crew had a strange name, so I had to find one for myself! Ha ha @freshparis_ sounded good so I kept it. Insta clip or full-length video? Full-length, absolutely. Instagram is our ruin. How often do you manage to watch a full-length video with multiple video parts? I’ve watched many full-length videos numerous times, if I like a video I’ll even watch it 20 times. The first skate video you ever watched? A local video called “Locum” which was really cool. What videos do you watch before going out skating? Any video with Max Geronzi, I must have watched his part “Max is Pro” at least 50 times. Same for the part where he skates an 80s board. I’d like to skate like that. Even the “Gypsy Life” part for Cliché hypes me up so much.


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@freshparis_


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Nosebonk backside out //

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What do you think is more important in skateboarding nowadays, the tricks or the image? I think tricks are more important, but every skater has his own style, there are some who tie it better to the trick they do, then some do fewer tricks but super stylishly, and then there are those who do a hundred tricks, but with a less smooth style... tricks and style are essential. Do you have any sponsors? Big Air Lab, and the skateshop in Camerano supports me with some boards and product. How shitty is Trap music? I think they should erase it from the face of the Earth! Ha ha ha. What music do you listen to? Old School Italian hip-hop, but Italian 70s and 80s music too; I like Jazz, but I listen to everything really. What else do you do besides skating? I go to school, I want to finish that, then I’d like to work in skateboarding, I’d like to open a skate shop. Have you bought more boards online or in skate shops? Skate shops for sure, I don’t like buying boards online, I need to put my feet on a board, pick it up, look at it, feel it.

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What do your parents think of the fact that you skate? My mom wasn’t too happy at first. I tried many different sports, from football to fencing, but skateboarding was the only one that really caught on. I don’t think it is a sport, I can do it whenever I feel like it, it’s something constant, I can go skating at 3PM or at 3AM, that’s what I love about skateboarding.

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out! Ha ha. Have you ever picked up girls thanks to skateboarding? Yes. This one girl who used to come to our spot and check us out from afar, then through IG we hooked up.

Do you like contests? No, I don’t feel at ease when I skate in them, I feel much more at ease falling on the asphalt and destroying my back or going out with a filmer and a photographer to a street spot to wreck myself. Do you like filming? Yes, very much, we are very fortunate to have Matty Tommasoli who films and motivates us, he has always hyped us and brought us around to skate with older dudes like Lamby or Skiro, guys who know the deal... when we were younger. It’s thanks to him if we skate like we do today. Did you realize all there was behind skateboarding? The tours, teams, the non-written rules, the tricks? Absolutely not. Football is nothing compared to skateboarding, where there are thousands of things, and as time passes you learn more and more. There’s always something new to discover in skateboarding, that’s why I love it so much. You don’t get bored with skateboarding, especially if you’re stubborn and try a trick until you’re exhausted, ha ha.

What did you dream of doing when you were small? When I was small I wanted to be a juggler. I know how to ride a unicycle, I know how to spit fire, I know how to do lots of things with flaming skittles. I wanted to work in a circus. Then I realized it wasn’t for me. Who’s the most stylish Candy Coast skater? Conve, who’s a young kid that’s been skating for a year and a half and really rips. His motivation goes beyond everything else, he wants to skate 24 hours a day, he’s almost 14. I met him one day at Cimi and since then he always shows up, he learned how to kickflip in one week. Do you have any projects in the works? Yes, we’re filming lots for a video part, but with Matty, who is always busy. I’ve saved up some tricks, but I would like to do a good job so I prefer to wait some months and do something dope. We should be done within the end of the year or by the beginning of 2020. The video we filmed during the tour to Germany some months ago should also be dropping soon.

Backside 50-50 //

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You can’t just fake it or skate every now and again. When you skate you think about it all the time, my mom sometimes says, “You’re bonkers” because when we’re in the car I always tell her to stop all of a sudden because I see a spot and have to check it

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{Magenta in Italy}

}

Words Mario Torre | photography Sergio Pontillo

Glen/

first to wake up every day, he did nollie 360 flips the moment he stepped on his board in the morning.

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Ryan Barlow | Ollie |

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{Magenta in Italy} This past April I had the pleasure of driving the Magenta Skateboards team around Rome, Naples and Salerno. It was not the classic tour where everyone is on a mission to get tricks. It was more like a school trip to the countryside.

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There were no teachers though, only students, skater-students. The tour was magical, the guys were all super open with the locals, no rock-star attitudes, and this means a lot to me, because I could just skate with my favorite skaters that I had only previously seen on video. I'll briefly describe all the guys one by one with some words that I associate to moments of the tour:

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Ben / when I first asked

Richard about him (I’m a big fan of his skating), he said, "Well, Ben is Ben he doesn’t talk too much." In the end he was really fun to be around, he got lots of photos, and took a bad slam on the last day, but he also had great tricks, Ben Gore style!

Sergio/he was constantly laughing everywhere we went. He also had a G style for miles.

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Ben Gore | Frontside kickflip |

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Leo/Leo is Leo. He

knows what he wants to skate and what he wants to do. He’s really into architecture and trying to put in as much skateboarding as he can. He skates differently and you can definitely see it.

Zach/he's the filmer, but not your average filmer.

He can film everything, everywhere, even going downhill at 50 km per hour. He was kind and thankful all the time.

Gunes/we had him on the trip only for three

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days. He’s the clean guy on the team, always on point with his clothing and trick selection.

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Ryan/

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I saw Ryan sleep everywhere, ha ha ha. But a minute later he would ollie higher than you could ever do.

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Ryan Barlow | 360 flip |

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Jimmy / I've

been watching him skate forever. He was one of my favorite skaters and after this tour he still is. Super kind and respectful, has a hiphop knowledge, and is patient and smooth. On the last day of the tour he gave lots of goodies out to the locals (thanks for the package you sent me after the tour)!

Ryan Barlow & Jimmy Lannon | Ollie |

Ruben /

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he is like his skating... casual. He spent his birthday in Salerno with us, I hope you felt at home, G!

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Soy Vivien

I left the last two guys, and , for last. Well, thank you guys! It was amazing to share a trick with Soy and it was great to see Vivien get mad at dinner for the infinite amount of food we had! I also remember a moment on the train from Rome to Naples, when most of the guys were sleeping and I was talking about skateboarding with Ben, Soy and Richard. Do I need to add more?

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Thanks to everybody, to the locals in Rome, 7Hills Store, Ntsf crew in Naples, Pontillo, Hoppy Ending, etc.

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{Magenta in Italy}

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Soy Panday | backside nosegrind |


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[ INTERVIEW ]

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Photography & interview | Craig Dodds.


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Pupecki grind _


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Backside smith grind_


How is living and skating in California compared to Florida? Florida will always be home but California is by far more productive. More spots, more parks, and it's easier to make connections. Whereabouts in California do you live? I live in Lakewood, CA. What do you get up to on an average day in Lakewood? Usually I go skate and try to stack footy if the opportunity arises. If I’m not skating, I’m chilling at the house watching skate videos. How did you first come into contact with skateboarding? My grandmother got skateboards for us on our 4th birthday. You have a twin brother who also skates but films as well, how was it growing up together? It was great growing up with Nate. We went everywhere together and skated every day! It was the perfect combo. I skated and he filmed me all day! Was there anyone in particular that inspired you while growing up? I was inspired by Danny Way, Colin McKay, Ryan Sheckler and Felipe Gustavo.

You’re a popular contender in the contest game, what’s your thought process before entering one, if any? I just skate every day and get my tricks that I want to do in the contest consistent. Then I try not to think about it too much because at the end of the day it’s just another contest, it doesn’t really matter how you do as long as you’re having fun. You’re not professional but yet you skate in the pro contests, can you tell us how that came about? I got invited to a bunch of “OPEN” contests last year and then SLS invited me to the Open at the World Championship in Rio De Janeiro. So after that contest I placed high enough to make the SLS 2019 Tour! Then I just got the invite to a bunch of other contests after that. With so many hungry skaters out there and with so much skate media content being injected into our phones on a daily basis, how have you found a way to carve a name out for yourself in such a hectic age? I’m just skating every day and enjoying life, if you pay attention to my skating and myself that’s fine. If not it doesn’t matter to me. I’ve seen you tear the streets but have also witnessed you giving transition the same treatment. If there were a gun aimed at your head right now leaving you no option but to choose the one you preferred the most, a brief glance

Where do you originally hail from Jake? I’m originally from Osprey, Florida.

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360 flip_


which would it be? Growing up I preferred transition but now I would definitely say street.

Boardslide yank out_

You collect a fair amount of air miles these days, anywhere in particular you’ve enjoyed travelling to? I would say Prague and Barcelona are up there. Was this your first time in Barcelona when we shot these photos for your interview? It was my second time out there! Any projects in the works at the moment? I’m working on a street part with one of my good friends Bobby Bills. Any plans for the rest of the year? More skating!!! Currently back in Florida visiting the family and stacking some footy on the East Coast. Then I have a few more contests coming up this year.

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I can only wish great things for you Jake, I really love your outlook. Any last-minute shout-outs before people turn to the next page? Shout-out to Gaspar, Nate, Eryk, Tyler, Craig, Ryan Clements, Porpe and my Grandma.

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[ INTERVIEW ]

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Hardflip backside lipslide_


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Kickflip_

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Issue 56


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