Wheel Bite

J and Ted dive in to talk about the heroes we have lost recently (and not so recently), how aging in skateboarding is a beautiful thing, and how this community and culture truly make life and the world more enjoyable.

Skate Parks...the used to be rare and now they are everywhere. J and Ted sit down and discuss the good, the bad and the rad about skate parks popping up worldwide. 

What does it mean to be underrated in skateboarding? Is it a product of time and place? Is it how history remembers you? Is it all about the coverage? J and Ted debate these very questions in episode 5.

The most special of guests, and Ted's personal WOW guest: Todd Swalla, drummer of the Necros, Laughing Hyenas, Misfits (briefly). The three dudes dive in and discuss the cultural link between punk rock and skateboarding. From the fashion accessory, to the lifestyle, the two have always gone hand in hand, and who better to discuss these matching ideologies with than one of the guys who was on the front lines of this symbiotic relationship?

The topic they've been WAITING for: skate video soundtracks. What works? What doesn't? What makes a song choice GREAT? Why are others so forgettable? J and Ted debate one of skating's greatest facets; the music we, as a culture, all wind up loving.

On an adventure to the Lowcard warehouse, J and Ted sit down with Rob Collinson and Sean Sanford, two of Lowcard's fine staff members. Rob and Sean take these nerds down the rabbit hole of quality merch, life on the road, and running a magazine in 2019. This was one for the books, enjoy.

With it being so late in 2019 after a long hiatus, J and Ted dive right into the best content of the year - to get season three rolling.

In the season finale, J and Ted look back on the last half of 2018 and talk about what made these six months in skateboarding great. There was A LOT of stuff that came out, so the guys try to sift through it and analyze where we are going into 2019 for skateboarding.

Transworld videos have always been the highest quality and featured the best skaters of the moment. So many of them are considered “masterpieces.” This week, J and Ted dive in to dissect the Transworld formula and how after 30 videos since the mid 90s, they continue to make art that keeps us engaged.

Now halfway through the season, J and Ted discuss summer’s finest cable television programming: Thrasher’s ultimate contest, King of the Road. From it’s DVD-in-the-mag beginnings, to everyone’s television set, this off-the-rails road trip had evolved and pushed skating whether the viewers want to accept that, or not. Mystery guests, one-upping the biggest spots, and skateboarding’s competitive nature have continued to keep the show interesting, so the boys discuss where it was, where it is, and what could they possibly think of next.

This week’s episode features a close friend to us here at Wheel Bite, Big Pauly Harper. Pauly has been a filmer in San Francisco for several years, worked with some of the greats, and has now gone on to work on film and commercial sets around the Bay Area. Because of his background in skateboarding though, Pauly still feels the need to pay it forward to the subculture that shaped him, and pushes for skateboarding to be represented accurately when the shoot, and position allow for such things. Through this, Pauly, Ted, and J all explore films about skateboarding, how it is often portrayed, and how we can authenticate the image of skateboarding in the mainstream media.

After some Black Friday mishaps, J and Ted set their sights on Supreme, the mega brand that has the whole world buzzing apparently. The boys talk it’s Manhattan roots, why Bill Strobeck was the man for the job of media portrayal, and why shirts entitled “18 and Stormy” are cool. Tune in to this episode if you are in some sort of current events class and need to cite a couple of street kooks.

It's a classic debate for any subject: gangsta rap, gangsta movies, punk scenes, vacation destinations, and of course, skateboarding. This week, in true coming together for the holidays fashion, J and Ted discuss the subtle differences between each coast's skate scenes and what made each of them special.

The first installment of "Defunct" brings a guest into the conversation: local legend/skater/influencer Shawn Connolly. In this installment, and episode, we discuss Shawn's time with Think Skateboards, a classic Bay Area company who's time in the 90s left a small print in the grand design that is skating. Hear Shawn's experience with the brand, and how they shaped his path on this week's episode.

Board sponsors used to mean everything. They defined your identity as a skater, and which team you were on said a lot about who you were and how you skated. That has all shifted now. Shoe companies are the main source of sponsorship money, as well as the leaders of content. Shoe companies have less of an identity statement, but now they are how skating is seen by everyone, and have become the most important element of a skater's identity. In this episode, J and Ted explore how we got to this point, and what it means for skating as a whole.

In the season one finale, J and Ted set out to figure out who truly reigns supreme in the mag game. Is it Thrasher, aka the Bible? Or is it Transworld, artistically inclined mag boasting the highest caliber staff in skate print? Tune in and decide for yourself.

Ted's been waiting to discuss this one, so he and J dive head first into photo longevity. They explore how photographers have made careers off of skateboarding, and how certain photos stand the test of time beyond their physical shelf life.

Ted and J break down the nature of contests, from the Savannah Slammah in the 80s, to the speculation of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Skateboarding has always had a competitive side, and this week your humble hosts dive in head first.

It's time to focus on the now, as J and Ted take Episode 6 to dive into what's happening in skateboarding at this moment. From the underground sensation of Pizza Skateboards, to the Converse video, and even putting money down on the King of the Road champions, this episode tackles everything the guys have seen up until this point in 2018. 

Trends have always been a dominant force in skateboarding. Some stick and last forever, while some fade into the sunset ever so gracefully. This week, J and Ted discuss trends that attracted them to skating, which trends these days they love/hate, and how the skateboarding community analyzes trends in general.

As massive fans of the show, J and Ted dive in to discuss the ultimate nerd's documentary show in skateboarding in all forms. They discuss its past as a web series on VBS/Vice, its present on cable television with a timed format, and its future and which skaters will be blessed with an episode.

Hubba Hideout. The name alone strikes a certain emotion into the hearts of those who know. The skaters we all looked up to conquered it, and we flipped through magazines and waited to see it in video parts. Who did what on Hubba? That was always the question. J and Ted discuss the spot and the tricks that turned many from skate rats to superstars on this week's episode.

J and Ted talk about one of skateboarding's most hot button issues: social media. Everyone has an opinion and these two consumer bastards are no different, except maybe they are a little less salty than the average die hard.

Ted and J discuss who had the best ollies, and what having the best ollie means in skateboarding in the year 2018.