Rewind: Mini Video 16 – MPLS

Rewind, Skating Videos

Mini Video 16 from Josh Ellis on Vimeo.

For true completionists only!

On the same Hi8 tape that I found “Gone Wild”, I also found this piece of ancient wiskate history, thought lost forever.  This was a weekend trip to Minneapolis in Y2K (we survived) where we skated such illustrious spots as the two stair in front of my girlfriends’ house and the old 3rd Lair.  Surprise guest appearance by Chad Benson doing a nollie hardflip stinkbug fakie.  I’m not sure how he came into play, but I’m glad he did.  Also starring myself, Mark H, and Boban.

This was the first mini video to use music.  Quite an evolutionary step.

Rewind: Mini Video 0 – Gone Wild

Rewind, Skating Videos


This is the first(ish) complete edit I ever made. I thought it was lost forever for a long time. Earlier this year when the ‘rona hit I spent a bunch of time capturing some old Hi-8 tapes, and by miracle(?) this video was on one of the tapes.  This is essentially unseen, because in those olden days there was no way to easily share a video of this length via the internet.  It was functionally impossible.  The reason I thought the video was lost was because it was transferred onto some unlabelled VHS tape, which has since gone missing.

The whole thing is completely embarrassing.  I suppose something you made twenty years ago should be.   I did choose the song as a joke, I remember that much.  It is sort of a compilation of a lot of the footage from the earlier Mini Videos that were posted in the early days of the site.  These actually are lost for good.  Let’s say contains footage from Mini Videos 1-15.  Plus additional content.

This was edited using a program called Ulead Video Studio Pro. It was an unsuccessful competitor to Adobe Premiere. The only reason I used Video Studio was because it came with the video capture card one needed back then to get video clips onto your computer. Yeah, you needed special hardware to get video onto the hard drive. Uphill both ways in the snow, etc etc.

Congrats if you watch the whole thing, it’s pretty painful. Featuring the antics of Ben Vance, Pat Gaynor, Mark Heiderich, Greg Lutzka, Boban, Pat Forster, Jon Bunch, and Nate Heilberger.

Here are some period appropriate photos that exist in the same timeline as the above video:

“There’s one more thing…it’s been emotional.”

Skating Videos

I recently moved from Milwaukee down to Chicago. In the midst of a national uprising and public health crisis, I definitely got really emotional. Now as I settle into a new life, and as I write this, scramble to get myself ready to start my new day at my 9-5, I’m feeling a lot of things. But the beauty of skateboarding is that it challenges your emotional and physical responses in the most intricate ways. Not to get too heady but shit hits different, ya know?

I initially wanted to wait to post my video until the right time but you know what? The people need something to make them smile, yell, gasp, or downright loathe at the 11 minutes of footage the boys and I compiled in a matter of 3 months.

I present to you…”Emotional Fashion.”

Which Area Code Has The Highest T?

Skating Videos

Over the last few months there has been a lot of debate about which local area code has produced the most well rounded skateboarders. Well, I’m here to stoke the flames of this debate in the form of photographic evidence over the last few months. I must caution, as I’m only one man with one camera, the below evidence is not all decisive.

We will begin with area code (262)

Pat Murphy, Pivot Fakie
Vince Stranc, Switch Wallie Crook
Tavis Schulz, Wallie
Jacob Mumford, Ollie
Alex Keck, FS Nose slide

Ok, damn. Didn’t realize 262 kinda goes until I uploaded all the above photos to this post. Let’s not forget that this is an ongoing debate though! Here’s a couple photos from Brett Favres favorite area code, (920)!

Drew Rickaby, BS Smith
Sean Hanley, FS Lipslide

Now we may only have one photo for the next area code, but the man is a beast and some would say could likely push his area code to victory on his own. Below is (608)

Nick Mistele, Switch Front Board

Now it’s time to travel to a couple area codes that are near and dear to my heart. As a former FIB you could say I’m a little biased but as I’ve said before, this is a on going debate! Let’s start with someone else who is more than capable of pushing his area code to victory all by his self. (779)!

David Gackstetter, Nollie Crook

And here are a couple guys who I think may help put their area code in the running for top code, (847)!

Cory Stubing, Crook
Tyler Luth, Ollie

And as this is a website based out of Milwaukee we travel back up north to the one and only (414).

Max Murphy, Ollie
Max Murphy, FS Fence Ride

I hope you find the provided evidence helpful in this ongoing debate. Thanks for your time.

Andy Lutzkas Bedroom

Skating Videos

But have you ever actually crossed the threshold?

Max Murphy, Fs Bluntslide
Drew Rickaby, Ollie
David Gackstetter, Bs Smith
David Gackstetter, Fs Bluntslide
Vince Stranc, Crook
Cory Stubing, Fs 180 Nosegrind
Drew Gricar, Fs Tailslide
Sean Hanley, Boneless
Payne Counihan, Bs Smith

Playing in Traffic Episode 5: James Rewolinski

Serious Art, wiskate.com

I’m pleased to bring you another episode of Playing in Traffic. I was very fortunate to interview James Rewolinski, owner and operator of Labor Skateboard Shop in NYC. James grew up in Milwaukee, skating as we all normally do, then went on to work at multiple established skateboard shops around the city. After obtaining his Bachelors and Masters degree, he moved out to NYC, where he worked countless jobs, surviving the 2008 recession, all before opening Labor in 2012.

In this episode, we talk about growing up in Milwaukee, skating with multiple crews, slamming, working in shops, going to school, moving to NYC, opening Labor, keeping his business running in the midst of a pandemic and much more.

Strap in people, it’s a good one. Like and subscribe, yo!

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