Another Leo Interview

Keeping on the Toy Machine news here's a interview with Leo about grinding up El Toro, fighting Andrew Reynolds and learning how to ride a motorcycle.
Click here

Matt Bennett pro for Toy Machine

What happens when you turn pro for Toy Machine? - you get a giant cookie and an axe from Leo stupid!
click here for more pics

Sustainable Art

Hey I saw this link on the Manual site this morning- soooo damm cool. Some sculptural artwork made from old skate decks by skaters. Nice work Manual!
click here to be blown away.
It got me thinking about how broad skateboarding culture can be. You have individuals doing motivated, original and creative things like this and then at the other end of the spectrum you have Jereme Rogers rap career (no disrespect to hip hop/rap intended) and Ryan Sheckler in pop videos that can't help me taste vomit in my mouth when I see it.
But then again who am I to say one is better than the other? I guess it's all just personal opinion, you like what you like. It's just so hard not to be cynical of peoples intentions and motivations at times... or maybe I'm just getter old and bitter.

Jereme Rogers...He's back!!!

um... yeah.
This dudes back...
with some park footy....
and a rap....
sorry.
Click here to see the video... or not.

PHOTOS

The photos have started coming in for the CJ13 photo comp. Scott sent these killer Polaroid ones in today- thanks Scott! (NB: not sure if these are 'real' Polaroid pics? - there is a really cool free application you can download from the Polaroid website that lets you drop normal pics into the application and it spits them back as dope looking Polaroids) Just remember though, the winning entry must be at a spot that has been featured on CJ.

Hank review

Last Monday my good friend Shane and I went along to the Henry Rollins (author, former Black Flag vocalist, vans sponsored cult icon) spoken word performance and were blown away yet again. This was the third time I had seen him on a spoken word performance over the years and as always it was awesome. Shane has written a review of the show for a music site but has also passed it onto CJ13 for your reading pleasure, enjoy!

Monday night. Not widely regarded as the best night of the week but, much like the Warriors, it can occasionally produce a stunner. And last Monday night was that proverbial stunner.

This was due mostly to a spoken word performance by one Mr Henry Rollins (although good company and a mean Mexican feed beforehand certainly didn’t hurt either). Here on the back of his Frequent Flyers tour, nearly two years to the day after he last graced these shores, Mr Rollins delivered a fantastic two and half hour set of spoken word mastery.

Blue collar and high school educated (even making jokes about going back to cleaning toilets when he finally runs out of words) Rollins is, by his own admission, an ordinary man. What make him extraordinary are his drive and his burning desire to know, see and do. Working a schedule that would exhaust a person half is age you have to wonder how long he can keep it up (and hope to God he finds a way to make sure he does!). You inevitably leave a Rollins show feeling both inspired and disheartened. Inspired because his ideas, enthusiasm and energy are contagious. Disheartened because tomorrow you know you’re getting up and trucking off to another day of routine while this 49 year old dynamo will be tearing life a new asshole.

If you’ve been to one of these performances before you know pretty much what to expect. Henry clad all in black and taking his attack stance (which looks like he still thinks he’s in Black Flag; ready and willing leap off the stage and attack the entire audience if they give him the slightest provocation), diatribes on war and intolerance, pot shots at well known republicans (along with some fairly hilarious impressions), travel anecdotes and touching human interest pieces.

In the hands of a less skilled speaker knowing what to expect could easily equate to boredom. Fortunately Mr Rollins is not a less skilled speaker, always finding ways to take these expected themes and personalise them, making them relevant to his audience.

Take war for example, he could easily speak on the wrongs of Iraq (and does) but heck, he’s down under, so he throws in a piece about ANZAC day. Intolerance, why not throw in something about a mongrel Aussie calling the First Lady a monkey? (This, sadly, isn’t even a blip on the radar of things she gets called in her own country). His monologues are always well researched and show some understanding of a country’s history, cultures and tradition. And it’s this sort of effort that makes the difference.

But it’s not all serious stuff. Rollins knows the value of humour and sprinkles his set liberally with it. Whether it’s a strange tour guide from Laos yelling mangled English phrases like “What’s your life!?” and “Make biologic on tree!” Or discussing his masturbation habits (in almost uncomfortable depth) he’s got the experience and stories to pull humour from almost any situation.

An overarching theme of the show, and one which really struck a chord was that we should view this decade as our child. It’s only ten at the moment and, while it has some bad habits and has been hanging with the wrong crowd, it’s young enough that with care and positive influence it can be helped to grow into something we’re proud of. Engaged effort on our part can rid it of bad habits (racism and intolerance, injustice and inequality, y’know, all the bad stuff) and make sure it’s exposed to people who are a positive influence (Obama (and shit, Henry too) being a good start).

So gone are the anger and cynicism of youth, replaced by a respect and the arms wide open world view of an elder statesman. Rather than have our differences keep us apart he wants to find out what we have in common and use those to bring us together. The passion remains, but, rather than punch you in the face, Rollins wants to assault your brain with his words. It seems strange to say it folks but Henry’s become a hippy. And damn if it isn’t good.

Place your bets gentleman.

So how many tries did Coles legendary 360 flip down Wallenberg take? Place your bets and put down the cash before you click play, just ask Kenny Rogers!
Click here
DEDICATION

Transworld best of April

The good folks over at Transworld have a post of their most popular stories of April- check it!
Click here

Photo Comp!!

A new feature on Concrete Jungle is the photo comp.
Every month I will be sending out a prize from ABC or Cheapskates Khyber for the best photo sent in each month from a spot featured on 'crete jungle. The winning photo will be posted on the blog so fame and riches will surely follow for that lucky dude!!
Get clicking and good luck!!!!

WE NEED YOUR SPOTS!

Concrete Jungle HQ has a big box full of prizes (ranging from tees, hardware, wheels, posters etc) from ABC and Cheapskates KP waiting to be sent to readers but there's a problem... no ones sending in spots any more (I know you haters are loving this!!!)- lazy bloody skaters!!
On average over 80 people check out the blog everyday and on a busy day over 100, one of those 80 people must have at least one spot to send in!!
If you have ever learnt about a new spot from here its time to give back to the scene... all you need to do is email me the location of the spot and I will do the rest- you just sit back and wait for your prize. Simple.
For the next few months I will be sending out prizes for the following:

• Top 3 spots sent in each month

• Best skate photo taken at a spot that's been featured on CJ13

So if you use this blog it's time to give a little back- sent that shit in!!!

Plan B United Nations

Concrete Jungle is back! Sorry nothings been posted for ever! but shit should improve over the next few days and CJ13 will be back to its former glory taking over the interweb!!!
Check out the Plan B team at the berrics. This is kinda like watching someone play video game skating (skate 3 demo up in playstation online store by the way nerds!) with all the flip in flip out tricks. Enjoy! Bring on Berrics 3!
click here to watch

Tuarangi Road Flat Bar

This flat bar/carpark was sent in by furniture designer extraordinaire Mark (check out his blog: http://madeprogress.blogspot.com/). This is a classic square low flat bar attached to the side of a nice carpark perfect for games of s.k.a.t.e (don't forget about solos s.k.a.t.e comp!!) and plenty of weird concrete block things to do tricks over. Its in Grey Lynn on Tuarangi Road (click here for wises maps link)
Score: 4/10

Hallelujah

The folks over at Transworld have posted the Trailer of the new film by Jon Holland and Chris Ray starring Ryan Decenzo, Pete Eldridge, Taylor Bingaman, Tyler Bledsoe, and Torey Pudwill. This should be out later this year and looks promising. The backside tailslide to flip out at the end is so freaken ridiculous!!!!!
Click here to watch the trailer.

Inspiration

Check out this really cool little video showing that sometimes it just takes a good idea and some hard work to create something amazing! School holidays are almost here so go out and do something creative and productive when you're not on the board. Click here for inspiration.

Converge

photos:Marms
My all time favorite band CONVERGE played three shows here in Aotearoa in the weekend. I watched them destroy the Kings Arms on Friday night, then hopped on a plane to catch their Saturday night show at Bodaga Bar in Welli. The highlight of the Welli show for me was the super extended version of their epic Jane Doe song at the end of their set. So sick! I was fortunate enough to take their bassist Nate for a skate at the Wellington park then a push through the streets. Nate has a pretty sweet layback frontside rock and the loosest trucks this side of Boston!!
I hear the Sunday night show in Hams was pretty mean too.
Shows of the year...decade...ever!!