the Freestyle Podcast

We are finally back, and in the midst of the 2020 pandemic! Michael, Tony, Simon, and Bob talk freestyle! Join us!

Denis Šopović of Sweden joins Tony and Bob to discuss the 2019 European Freestyle Championships, in Brandenburg Germany. This is part 1. 

In this episode we discuss the 2019 Paderborn contest that happened back in July (was it really only a couple of months ago?), the demise of Broken Fingers Mag, and some other stuff. 

Behold! Or...rather...listen! Tony Gale interviews Dan Garb! 

Tony interviews Josh Dunstone on a train. 

In summer 2018, young Nick Beaulieu made the trek from the United States to England and endured a car ride with British people to go to the legendary and mystical land of Paderborn, Germany!  Here's Tony Gale's Interview with him!  

In this episode, Tony, Nathan, Michael, and Bob catch up after quite of few months of not podcasting. We cover the upcoming contest in Japan,  new products, freestyle as it relates to bank skating and longboarding, and various other things.

Tony recorded this episode on his way to Paderborn this year, with hero of freestyle and driver-supreme Alex Foster, of LateTricks.com. So get something to drink, sit back, and pretend you're there in the car with them, Nathan Hill, and Nick Beaulieu.

Tony took a trip to skate with Marius, in Romania. Here is the interview!  

We recorded this pretty early in the morning Texas time, so that's why I sound so slow and weird. It's been a looooong time since we talked. We yammer about various gossipy happenings in the freestyle world, and Tony relates a class Fairbro story. So good.

Ahhh yes, friends, Paderborn 2017 has happened! As always it was a glorious celebration of freestyle skateboarding. Tony, Bob, and Simon traveled from just south of London to Paderborn, Germany with the elusive Scaife and our driving hero, ripper, scholar, and friend, Latetricks.com's own Alex Foster. There we met Michael, who had traveled there by train and later hitching a ride with a non-English-speaking German man who kindly gave them a ride.  This podcast was recorded on the return ferry from Calais, France, to Dover, England, by Simon Mroz. Surely the first ever skateboarding podcast recorded on a boat.  

Once again, Nathan Hill joined me (Bob) to do commentary of the Pro finals at the 2017 World Freestyle Roundup. It was fun. Listen while you do something else. 

Tony interviews Monty Little. 

The first of Tony's recordings as he and most of the other Brits head over to the World Freestyle Roundup 2017, in Vancouver.  Listen to it. Sounds like you are THERE!

A few weeks ago the lads in England had a jam at Southbank. Simon was there with the digital audio recorder, and here is the resulting sound file, raw and unedited!  

In this episode we talk about various different things, with no real direction, but it was a lot of fun and we hope you will enjoy! Oh, here's the picture of Mac that we discuss...not doing freestyle but being a badass. So rad. 

We talked to Terry Synnott - the LEGENDARY Terry Synnott - for over 2 hours. I cut a lot out. We still have a lot to discuss. Terry is certainly one of the top 5-10 freestylers in the world. Though he's been plagued by injuries for the last few years, he is also one of the most well-rounded freestylers. Spins, handstands, rail tricks, imaginative footwork, difficult shove-it variations and combos - dude can do it all. In this episode we really got into some of the technical aspects of making skateboards. Terry has learned a lot about this topic, and it shows in the great quality of both boards and graphics with Mode.  In Part 2 we'll talk about the actual act of skateboarding with Terry!  

In which we discuss freestyle stuff as usual - such as... Some cool new wireless headphones that are great for FS practice. Young Alex from London's quick development as a freestyler and why Tony should fear him. The new Powell board with some funky glass laminates. Tony's recent demo. Michael's absence this week, in order to attend a Rubic's Cube festival. Board gimmicks. Etc, etc, etc...

In this episode we discuss toe spins, Broken Fingers magazine, and various other freestyle-related things, including a great new website. The intro music is of course Black Sabbath's Neon Nights.   Here is Simon's G-Turn Toe Spin...   G-turn toespin A video posted by Simon Mroz (@simonmroz) on Oct 7, 2016 at 3:14pm PDT  

In this episode, we discuss freestyle skateboarding, with some additional discussion of psychology, opiates, and mega-church preachers. Laziest intro I've ever made for a podcast!

Part 2 of our 2016 World Roundup episode. In this part we are joined by Simon Mrozinski, and we talk, and a good time is had by all. 

This is the first part of a 2-hour talk we had the other day, in which we debriefed Tony on his World Round experience. Apparently, fun was had by all and skateboarding still rules. Give it a listen. 

We took a break, then came back to comment on the awards ceremony, and now YOU can listen to it over and over and over....

This year we did a live commentary of the World Freestyle Roundup via streaming audio. This is the unedited file from the Pro semi finals on May 21, 2016.

This year we did a live commentary of the World Freestyle Roundup via streaming audio. This is the unedited file from the Pro finals on May 22, 2016.

We begin this episode with a discussion of the new Bear "Polar Bear" truck, in the smallest size (105mm), which is well-suited to freestyle board width, and which Tony has procured for his own enjoyment. I then edit out massive amounts of technical talk about trucks and bearings, and we move on to the actual act of riding skateboards and doing freestyle!Tony is working on a very detailed review, with precise measurement, of the Bear trucks. Look for that soon on the website. 

Simon Mrozinski and Michael Erskine join the podcast crew. This is an unusually short episode, due to the hour of technical talk about trucks we decided to put into a separate, supplementary episode (22-a), which will be up soon. We briefly touch on the greatness of Mode wheels, and Bob looks forward to riding the new 95a wheels. I'm glad we have hard and softer version of the wheel, no matter what the Brits say! Then we discuss potential dates for the 2016 Paderborn contest, as Bob tries to firm up travel plans. Next, we discuss issue 5 of Broken Fingers: Freestyle Skateboarding Quarterly. A really great issue. If you are a freestyler, you need to be getting each issue, period. Case closed. You even get to hear us discuss what the hell we're gonna do with all the stuff we recorded for this episode! Music: The intro music is Ty Segal, with the song The Connection Man. Buy it somewhere. The closing music is of course the great David Bowie with Starman. We let it play out. Crank it up and let the ethereal beauty wash over you. Thanks for all the great music, David.

This is our first ever holiday episode. Yes, it is shorter than the last one! yaaaaaay! Links to check out:Moonshine SkateboardsLateTricks.comBroken Fingers Freestyle Skateboarding Zine

What happens when we don't talk for 2 months? Well, we talked for 3 hours. I cut this down to just under 2 hours. Forgive us, but listen to us! We discuss the Mode Mike Rogers board, flat single kicks in general, the Tyranny of Concave, Mode FS wheels, Kevin Harris FS wheels, Seismic FS wheels redesign, and lots of other stuff. Yeah, this one is a bit long, but I didn't feel good cutting out too much. Listen in a couple of sittings if you like, but for episode 20 I thought we'd leave it long.

In this episode, Tony and Bob discuss recent freestyle skateboarding events they've participated in and/or organized, including their fun and epic trip to the legendary Paderborn contest! Plus tales of skating in London. Fun for all! Give it a listen. In this episode we also go on about the brilliance of Alex Foster and LateTricks…which you can find at LateTricks.com!!!  

Yes, we are still alive, and yes this is a new episode, and yes, we discuss the following stuff! Cirus freestyle deck Bob's upcoming London/Germany trip Upcoming Events 2014 Philly Freestyle Connor Burke vs. Darryl Grogan fantasy skateboard cage match. Broken Fingers Freestyle Magazine The opening of this episode sounds quite majestic, so play it on some good speakers. This is kind of a long episode, so get a nice glass, cup, mug, or bottle of your favorite beverage and stay calm. The opening music comes from a couple of Godzilla movies, and was found on The Monster Movie Music Album.  The closing music is the Bars, from Black Flag's Slip It In album.

In this very long episode (We haven't talked for quite a while), Tony and Bob discuss various topics such as fingerflips, Tony's new Instagram Trick Tips, the Texas Freestyle Massacre, and various other topics. Tony's trick tips can be found on his Instagram account: http://instagram.com/coldkennels The music in this episode is from the band Red Hare - check them out and buy their music, from Dischord Records. Mentions in the episode: Mike Osterman skates for Mode Skateboards. Jesse Whalen is now riding for Bustin Boards. Congrats to both of these great skaters.  

In this episode we welcome special guest Simon Mrozinski, from England. Yes, Bob is outnumbered by Brits this time. We discuss Tony's demo at the London Edge event with Callum Bowran, Bob's trip to the 2013 Philly Freestyle contest, and various other freestyle related babble. In this episode we refer to Tony's supplemental video from episode 4 – click here to see it.  The video from the London Edge event is in two parts… Part 1  and Part 2

Matt is on leave, while Tony and Bob discuss the upcoming (in September) Philly Freestyle event, the new 1-minute run format that seem to be gather steam, bearings, etc. In this episode Bob mentions Pleasure Tools Bearings and Tony discusses Seismic Tekton Bearings. Videos mentioned in this episode include… Mike Osterman at the 2013 World Roundup. Hippy Mike's videos from the Roundup.

In this episode, after discussing various tricks, the Small School freestyle Jam (from mid March), and various other topics, we discuss the role that creativity plays in the lives of freestylers. Bob asks the boys about their other creative endeavors, and of course we relate such activities to our skating. As promised, here are a few links: Matt's Stuff:Reach Megamix (Push the Feeling). Trick Matt discusses at :36http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juQ9QN0RrP8 Tony's Photographyon Flicker…and on Tumblr Some of Bob's stuff… The music on this episode is the Big Boys, of Austin, TX, and their song Self Contortion, from the new vinyl reissue of their album Where's My Towel?/Industry Standard, from Light in the Attic Records. AWESOME!

In this episode, we discuss the four upcoming freestyle events, Bob announces that he has high blood pressure, we talk about flowing and transitioning well from one trick to another, and go over a a fun list of tricks to see who can do them. Videos mentioned in this episode: Guy in Zimbabwe, or other country…http://youtu.be/Fvaryy8eAYc Bob's Longboarding video:http://youtu.be/V8qZnXwKT9Q  Sean Burke's rear-handed 180 fingerflip (grabbing the tai), as at 1:35 of this video:http://youtu.be/u7lJA4Y2gOA Tony's M-80 Video:http://www.freestylepodcast.com/?p=119  The Kilian Martin video mentioned…http://youtu.be/pd3TlkitmAk 

In this episode, we talk about finding the right setup for how YOU ride, Bob announces that he's learned a new trick (a rare event for the old man), we discuss learning 540 Shoveits, the boys discuss their recent skating adventures, and Bob has joined the Seismic Army.

In this episode, we discuss a number of fascinating topics, such as freestyle-street skating on softer wheels, Matt's recent massive demo, possible contest in Texas, and Tony's ramp-riding adventures and their effect on his freestyle. Bob's Zip Zinger Video: http://youtu.be/JgiCQSQeKTI Matt's Japanse Video – “2013/1/1 Nagai Park Freestyle SK8 Session”:http://youtu.be/jN7n8FVO7OM 

In this episode we interview Stefan “Lillis” Åkesson, one of the greats of Freestyle. A huge thanks to Lillis for taking time to talk to us, and we look forward to doing it again!

In this episode, Tony, Matt, and Bob discuss and stereotype various national and regional styles of freestyle, discuss their love of the Seismic freestyle wheels (again — Tony give an update of how they last), etc.

In this episode we discuss the attainment of “flow” in your skating and beyond. We are also treated to some Gokey guitar playing… Freestyle Podcast Supplement #8: (from Tony) If you've listened to it (or are listening to it now) and wondered what I was on about, here's the material I referenced. First, the video Matt and I discussed:http://www.eengoedidee.nl/videoz/download.cgi?fil_direct=direct&fil_filename=cocos_at_nass.mpg A bit on Wu-Wei that I quoted:http://www.taoism.net/living/2000/200005.htm And finally, Zen and the Art of Skateboarding:http://www.dansworld.com/zen.html

In this episode we discuss, among other things, skateboarding in the Olympics and trucks.  

In this slightly more freeform episode, Tony, Matt, and Bob discuss various freestylers (see videos below), Bob confesses that he recently felt the anger while trying to practice, Matt's cell phone causes interference, we hear about Tyler Self's visit to Texas and his skate session with Bob, and skateboarding in Cuba. Videos referenced in this podcast: Matthew Smithies http://youtu.be/D3rQwE2ETl8 Alex Rademaker http://youtu.be/bMxcfAyrRbM Darryl Grogan's video of World Roundup Highlights http://youtu.be/vb2xI92nc8w Suzuki's video of the Ams… http://youtu.be/puZ5ZvOyXt8 Tyler Self's latest video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcCuHodoapk&feature=colike

In this very special episode of the Freestyle Contest we are joined by kickass guest, Darryl Grogan, long time awesome skater and winner of the Pro division at the recent Freestyle World Roundup contest in Vancouver, Canada! In the podcast, Tony mentions Darryl's part in the Casper video. Well, here it is! Huge thanks to Darryl for being our first guest.

In this episode we give our very preliminary thoughts on the Freestyle World Roundup that happened this week in Vancouver. We discuss some Eastern European freestyler whose name we do not know but we all agree rips (or at least did rip in the late 1980s), we talk boards, high trucks, and lastly the boys give Bob some advice on learning M-80 Kickflips. The video mentioned in this podcast – regarding the dude riding freestyle on an 1980s street board, can be found here: http://youtu.be/Fvaryy8eAYc The great Ray Barbee, whom Bob mentions during the show, can be seen in classic part in Powell's Ban This video, here:  http://youtu.be/AKT0T_DJ80U Tony filmed a bunch of M-80 variations as supplementary material for this episode. Very nice stuff!  http://youtu.be/elykMLy4SRs Thanks for listening. Bob

In this episode, we hear about Matt's adventures as a freestyle pro during demos in Texas (including tales of sexy girls attempting to wrestle a bull to the ground), discuss spinning 360s, Freestyle: Sport or Art?, and we have some laughs looking at old freestyle board graphics in Witter's Museum. Please note: up until about 7:30 in the show, Matt's microphone is a bit sketchy. Just turn it up. His story is worth hearing! The Freestyle Museum page on the Decomposed website can be found at: http://decomposedsk8.com/id82.html Next time we should be recapping the results of the Freestyle World Roundup: http://www.freeworldroundup.com/.

In this episode Tony reveals his new setup, we analyze and discuss three excellent freestyle videos recommended by Matt (see below), Tony leads a discussion on breaking down tricks for maximum learning, and Bob leads the boys down the twisted and wrongful path of making predictions about the upcoming World Roundup contest in Canada. The videos we discuss are as follows: Sebastian Heupel http://youtu.be/O6dTswJ3vcQJesse Whalen http://youtu.be/5v2tsrHrQQkStefan Albert http://youtu.be/tvVrXwe2tzwInformation on the Freestyle World Roundup can be found here: http://www.theworldroundup.com/

In our first episode, Tony, Bob, and Matt introduce themselves, discuss the new Seismic and Decomposed Synnott freestyle wheels, talk about the benefits of actually rolling on your skateboards, praise the skills of the amazing Günter Mokulys, and have a nerdish discussion of the exact nature of freestyle. In this episide, we mention wheels found on the following site:http://decomposedsk8.com/id68.html