If you've ridden a skateboard in the last 30 years, you've heard of Rodney Mullen. In the late 70's he began as a dorky freestyle skater from Florida. Along the way, he invented the flat ground ollie, the ollie kickflip, the double kickflip, the 360 flip, and a slew of other tricks that the entire skateboarding realm is now based on. He was the freestyle skating world champion for nine or ten years in a row. Then freestyle began to fade, and with much coaxing, Rodney took his board to the street, and completely redefined the young genre of street skating in the early 90's. Now in his 40's, Rodney Mullen is not only still progressing as a skateboarder, but he's also featured in several TED Talks, speaking about the culture of skateboarding and the nature of creativity itself. He's a really, REALLY smart guy.
I was lucky enough to get to know Rodney in 1986, and have been a fan every since. This trick, the ollie melancholy, is basically Rodney trying to do the highest, most tweaked ollie possible. The original photo I drew this from is a classic in skateboarding. This drawing is up on my wall. Sharpies on paper, 12" X 18".
No comments:
Post a Comment