The industry is down bad, y’all. There are booms, there are busts, and as 2025 gets moving, we’re squarely in the latter. Everyone will tell you so. But is that…bad? Yes, definitely for the people who work in the industry. But what about for the rest of us? Who says we’ve got to make money in order for the culture to be vibrant? And what does it mean that skateboarding has to keep reaching outside of itself for help, always struggling to sell our weird hobby to normies? What’s a contest, after all, if not a way to force a story onto skateboarding and make a quick buck? Well, Kristin and WOF would like a word. So would Alex White, Ted Barrow, Ted Schmitz, Adam Burns, and Kyle Beachy. But you know one way these fools all agree? Thank god for local videos.

Thanks, always, to the following:

Intro music by Roar

Credits music by Dylan Bryne

Logo and graphic design by Michael Worful

Mixed and edited by Adam Burns

Well, well, well–if it isn’t our last pod of last year that’s actually our first of 2025. Alex White, Ted Barrow, Kristin Ebeling, Ted Schmitz, and Kyle Beachy are back and ready to talk mad, mad shit. First, they address a debate nearly as old as time: Emile Laurent or Aimu Yamazuki? Are these dudes somehow hesh and fresh? Or neither? Where’d they come from? Who would you rather have a beer with? In any case, Portland’s got parking for days. Then it’s time for reflection, as the Gregorian calendar casts a broad, massive shadow. The twist around these parts, though, is we’re looking for vids with heart. Soul? The videos of 2024 have that something that tickled our human parts. And hey, while we’re at it, why aren’t we any better yet at talking about women’s skateboarding? Are the ally olympics this year, or next? Anyway, wrap things up with a little talk about the year ahead. Is hopelessness a strategy? Nah. Keep pushing, as the man himself says. All this, plus Shane O’Neill’s secret hack for skate contest attire.

And a new Vent City Trick Challenge: a classic blunt fakie on transition. The tinier the better.

Thank you to our listeners, especially the following four folks who make the show happen:

Intro music by Roar

Credits music by Dylan Bryne

Logo and graphic design by Michael Worful

Mixed and edited by Adam Burns

Come along as Ted Barrow, Adam Burns, Ryan Lay, and Ted Schmitz duck and dodge the fuzzy reality of November 5, 2024, daring to record on the dark and miserable night of our most recent presidential election. The result is a triptych of topics, starting with the institutionalizing of skateboarding at LOVE Malmö and Leo Valls’s Connect Festival, in Bordeaux. Not to be daft, but who are these conferences for, really? Then it’s on to plaza culture, which, is there still plaza culture? Are people out there still top-doggin’ and one-uppin? Is Borough Hall a plaza? Are DIYs actually our new plazas? We got those big questions that you’ve come to expect. As the ender, the fellas take on that bane of contemporary skateboarding, the ride-on grind.

It’s fun, folks. It is fun and healthy to get together with friends and talk through the most inane nuances you can think of. Let’s do more of it, whoever ends up winning this election.

Oh! And! The next Vent City Trick Challenge™ is a tasteful classic, the nollie backside lipslide shuv out. Wow, yeah, say that five times. Nollie back lip shuv. Nolli back lip shuv. Nollie back lip…Sorry. Film one! Tag us!

Meanwhile, Thank you to our listeners, especially the following four folks who make the show happen:

Intro music by Roar

Credits music by Dylan Bryne

Logo and graphic design by Michael Worful

Mixed and edited by Adam Burns

That’s right, Vent Citizens–it’s a new day here at VC headquarters. Dog and Skull have grabbed hold of the reins and there’s some changing afoot. What kind? How about regular, monthly episodes, or at least our best attempt at same? How about reasonable runtimes? More interviews? A brand new internal workflow model with labor distributed among all the humans and 400% more preparation before recording?

Our first ep under brand new management is a doozy. The industry is hurting, so naturally we’re talking all about brands with Alex White, Kyle Beachy, Adam Burns, and Ted Schmitz. Tip toeing that fine line between making product and making art, we cover everything from the logos we doodled in notebooks to genuine professional expertise, including a few actual numbers! What do SNL and Powell Peralta have in common? How cynical is too cynical? And is “heritage” an obvious good, or should old brands get out of the way? Tempers flare, laughter rings out in the night, and by the end, we’re all much, much smarter.

And would you believe it concludes with the triumphant return of the trademarked Vent City Trick Challenge? Do a pole jam, people. Find a pole jam, jam that sucker, and tag @vent.city with the clip.

Some things never change:

Intro music by Roar

Credits music by Dylan Bryne

Logo and graphic design by Michael Worful

Mixed and edited by Adam Burns

What's up, Skaters!

This one is more of a comment than a question. Actually it's a lot of questions from Ryan, Kyle, Adam, Kristin, Alex and Ted S about all the mysteries of skateboarding. Is the technical talent in skating dwindling? Would you want a partner that skates? We get into all that and some meandering tangents as always. You're gonna love it.

Intro music by Roar

Outro music by Dylan Bryne

Edited by Adam Burns

Logo and Graphic design by Michael Worful

Oh you went to Slow Impact? No you didn't. That's why you gotta listen to this show!

What's up skaters,

We went back down to the number two city in America, Tempe, Arizona to learn and to lay in the sun. Lie in the sun? Who knows. Probably Kyle. He's on this episode, not correcting the "lay vs lie" debate, but he is joining Ryan Lay, Kristin Ebeling, Ted Barrow, Adam Burns and the person who writes these comprehension show notes. Do we talk about video parts from your favorite pros? No. But here's a link to one if you absolutely need it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gOz7Qt8JVM

From the first panel to the closing session at The Wedge, we walk you through everything that is this "entertainment product." So turn your fuckin' headphones up and do some dishes or drive to work with us.

Intro music by Roar

Credits music by Dylan Bryne

Logo and graphic design by Michael Worful

Mixed and edited by Adam Burns

Skaters,

We'll make this a short intro. We are beyond honored to welcome Palestinian-American skateboarder, writer, photographer and human rights researcher Maen Hammad. We start with a reading from his piece "On skateboarding, solidarity, and Palestine" published by Skate Jawn (https://skatejawn.com/on-skateboarding-solidarity-and-palestine/) Then we talk about his growing up, skating and work in Palestine. Despite some of the sad circumstances we discuss, it really is a good time and Maen's voice and photos in this moment are essential for any skater.

Intro music by Roar

Credits music by Dylan Bryne

Logo and Graphic design by Michael Worful

What's Up Skaters!

Welcome back to Vent City. Today we're talking to esteemed video game writer and full-fledged skater Cole Nowicki on the heels of his new book "Right, Down + Circle" from ECW Press. We get into our past as gamers and skaters coming up in the inescapable wake of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. We also wonder why we never got into skyboarding. It's a fantastic, inquisitive chat with a true Canadian treasure you're sure to fall in love with. And if you've ever wondered what it takes to get Tony Hawk to reply to your book blurb request, Cole lets you on his propriety method.

Ender-season trick challenge: kickflip pivot fakie

Logo and Graphic Design by Michael Worful

Intro music by Roar

Credits music by Dylan Bryne

Mixing and Editing by Adam Burns

What's up, Skaters

We're back with the host and star of the hit urban design and architecture skate history program "This Old Ledge" from Thrasher Magazine—that's right, Ted Barrow joins Ryan Lay, Kyle Beachy, Alex White and Ted Schmitz. We talk about the program, sing its praise and digress into a lengthy chat about the weight of nostalgia. Following that thread, we also talk about the cultural impact of Ed Templeton and his new book "Wires Crossed" that Kyle Beachy wrote about in the Southwest Review. Here's a link to that! https://southwestreview.com/naked-wives-and-surprising-penises/

What a title. After we spend more than 20 minutes discussing what Ed meant to us in our adolescence and what if feels like to watch our heroes age online we talk about a young person, lest we lose the one zoomer who listens to the show. Thank you for listening, Hayden. Yuto Horigome looks good in his hometown and we think it's funny when he skates with Supreme's fashionable French models. The trick challenge is to heelflip off literally anything.

Intro song by Roar

Credits by Dylan Bryne

Mix and Edit by Adam Burns

What's up skaters,

We start the show by asking one question: Is there a doctor in the building?! We answer that by saying yes. It's Theodore Barrow Ph.D. Our distinguished castmember talks about the years-long process of attaining such an accomplishment and credential, then we talk about another academic, Alexis Sablone before getting into Kristin Ebeling's epic trip out to Cambodia to share Skate Like a Girl programming with the scene there. It's fun and we have a great time.

Trick Challenge: LIke as many ollies as you can do in 30 sceonds.

Intro music by Roar

Credits music by Dylan Bryne

Logo and Graphic Design by Michael Worful

Mixed and edited by Adam Burns

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