I’ve been skating my cruiser almost exclusively since June, with all the smooth silent riding that entails. On Sunday I take my street board to Lower Flat to pop tricks for the first time this year. Shawn’s arrived already, stretching by the northern soccer goal. I recognize and acknowledge an old Asian man walking perimeter laps. On the southern half, a community group of Chinese sword dancers holds court. An old man uses a sweeping broom to duel a sword-wielding old woman while a youth captures documentation and the rest of their crew observes the pageant set to music which we watch too.
This performance was their finale; as noon arrives they pack up so we and the perimeter walker have the space to ourselves. My form returns at a reverent Sunday pace: nollies, switch ollies, ollies, front 180s, nollie front 180s, nollie back 180s, switch pop shoves, pop shoves, nollie pop shoves, fakie pop shoves, kickflips, switch flips and nollie flips proceed without pain as I push around the polished painted quadrant in up and down loops growing more comfortable on these tighter Ventures. An Asian grandfather and boy arrive with a soccer ball and grandfather plays goalie, guarding a net in the southern pit. I heed Max’s advice to land three switch flip body varials, then I ask Shawn to film me do one. Within ten tries I land my fourth and best today in a line before front shove-it.
I am content with this clip and we post up by our piles alongside the net-less northern soccer goal. A white man in his 30s wearing jeans, Clarks and a button-up enters the court holding a medium sized stick and begins doing moves at midfield west. Shawn wonders if he’s homeless but I guess he has a job that pays six figures. His stubble beard looks maintained, though this stick, that he probably sourced locally, is incongruous. He soon removes his shirt to better continue exercise bare-chested, then comes over and tells us that he saw a skate deck, not even used that much, and not the wheels and trucks, just the deck, but in pretty good shape, set out a block away toward where he points. He would have picked it up for himself, but he has a flight to catch later. Fair enough. We thank him for the knowledge and Shawn compliments his stick practice. He thanks us, says it’s Filipino, and that he’s at a beginner/intermediate level. “And the best thing is, in the absence of the stick, the hand becomes the sword.” He leaves us with that to consider and resumes with a renewed vigor. Minutes later he has removed his desert boots and is training barefoot.
One person who passes more time at Lower Flat than I do is the guy who boxes with a tennis ball attached to his head by elastic band. He’s in the background at the end of Sidekick and we nod to each other as he arrives. He’s grown more toned in the past year and sets up a speaker to accompany his routine at midfield east across from the stickman. Shawn shares some sunflower seeds as we talk about the future, then we see John jump down over the fence and wall making his way toward us. He tells me my handshake needs to be firmer and karate chops Shawn in the neck. He’s free after 67 days in Rikers for injuring someone in a fight on those benches up there, breaking their nose and jaw. He’s still drinking, but sober otherwise and in the best shape of his life at 45. He has a belly but he is pulsing with strength and energy in a navy Neff t-shirt with a rainbow hand forming peace sign logo. His hair is dyed pink and pulled into buns on top and back of his head.
John turns in the direction of the visiting stickman and gestures at forms to match up, as the stickman crouches to oblige. In one fast flash, John pulls the stick from the man’s hand. He shakes his head, dismissive of his slow opponent and drops the man’s stick for him to retrieve. Now John turns his attention to the tennis ball boxer. They are familiar with each other and spar for a few, then the man with the stick wants to challenge John again. They square up as John shifts sides and shadowboxes, keeping his challenger on the defensive until soon enough John lands a shoulder job and backs away. This visiter is not on John’s level and acknowledges that. John says goodbye to us and jumps back up the wall and over the fence to accept congratulations from some bench dwellers who watched his display go down. The stick man chats briefly with the tennis ball boxer, then his woman arrives soon after. He gets dressed and leaves with her and his stick.
Shawn’s out to Queens as I dip to Brooklyn. In my girlfriend’s backyard while birds chirp, I scroll the clips released while I was writing Max’s review. On FreeSkate Mag I see Adilson Pedro returning hot on the heelflips of his potent part in OK, BET with this here “Quattru,” uploaded through his personal YouTube. Much like Ryuhei releasing two hot parts in quick succession for two reviews, here we are again with Adilson:
“Rasta! Rasta man,” says the nocturnal courtyard denizen, a well-styled spectator from an older generation addressing the sweaty, seated, bucket-hatted Adilson, who gives a right fist bump with his phone in hand to the man’s requested shake. Both are bathed in the golden green light of midnight in the cathedral plaza while Adilson receives further words of respect probably regarding some trick that he just did as QUATTU titling appears overlaid in white. My girlfriend looks over, sees the title and says, “Quattu” beautifully.
Adilson’s clothing size matches the ambition he broadcasts, and any fan of Adilson knows of his affinity for that global symbol of the aspirant - New York Yankees flat brims. Next clip shows self-aware Adilson with twisted locks place a Celtic’s colorway Yankees pinstripe fitted hat into their vehicle’s backseat. He fastens the safety belt to buckle in his gold-stickered New Era, careful to smooth out the strap situation. BoilThe Ocean was just musing on the role of skits in skate videos and here’s one fresh example distilled down to a five second gag that at once inflates and deflates Adilson’s ego while reflecting on the nature of his performance artistry. When Adilson appears draped in stuntman finery, he is assuming that mantle with a smile perhaps unanticipated in the face of such powerful bravado as their windows-down vehicle’s sound system loudly plays a rap song about having a big dick. Adilson pats his hat while his name appears onscreen and he closes the car door to song stop.
First clip begins in plain European air with Adilson wearing grey backwards NY fitted, white Cash Only Hench tee under a wavy navy, red and white track jacket, loose denim and candy cane DCs as he throws down goofy and flows the sidewalk onto a ramp toward a buttress filmed backside from a distance. Drums start kicking along frontside bank off the bump as Adilson flashes Cash Only Dollar deck logo varial heelflipping over the sidewalk to cushioned landing street skeet. B-r-r-r-r-attt.
His Carolina-blue Kangol visor cocks right over braids with blue two-tone Lynx and a blue on black short-sleeve unbuttoned halfway down shiny chest on a sunny day, shoestring belt, boom boom boom boom boom stomp 360 flip downhill as backside filmer pans through Adilson’s shoulder carve, pop and lock into front tailslide on the same air vent ledge he slammed on without an included make in the DC video, as a woman says “Griselda” he slides to the end dropping to fakie. On rollaway, his rightward visor tilt makes him appear to be regarding the camera more than he actually is, a subtle engagement with facial perspective a la mode Cocteau that re-engages jabs at perceived vanity. On “Easter Gunday 3” Westside Gunn’s voice reminds me of Shyheim as I see glimpse of Bastien Salabanzi in Adilson’s sightline when same-stationed angle shows single front 5-0 popped off same ledge, same session with the same mates cheering along building’s shady backside. I imagine this part’s two filmers, Telmo Gonçalves and Odilio Santana, are Adilson’s Portuguese hometown friends who accompanied him filming for OK BET with these clips from same timeframe.
A small gap to drop-ledge-spanning front noseblunt shove-it crosses screen first in fast and blurry wide angle, then in crisper closer fisheye. Pedro catches his exiting shove with the same tail-centered pounce apparent in his half-cab heelflip rollaways as his olive bucket hat matches olive cargo pants while sweat stains darken the back of his stone grey short-sleeve button-up over a black tee.
At night he’s clad in black tee and sweat patterned forest green cargo pants for half-cab crook reverted with the last twist on some bottom-half only like Antuan Dixon affair as line continues switch mongo pushing for flatground fakie front shove, more Mitch Swongo hooked around pillars past an illustrated illuminated moon to approach 7-stair where fakie back heel spans the grid to landing.
From a thin elevated walkway amid drought parched grass, Adilson heelflip crooked grinds the second, taller, tan electric box wearing a DC #94 black satin basketball jersey stomped down toward comrade watching for cars on the street. Next clip he half-cabs off a two-stair into front 5-0 across a white metal storage bin bursting into new syllables like bubbles off-drop revert to fakie.
At night in the same plaza from Rasta Man intro, Pedro starts with shooting star speedy front noseblunt across a bench, flatground back 180 scooped into fakie pocket for finishing his line by chiseling tall half-cab crooks kissed on a planter’s lip showing Cash Only logo across back of blue jeans complimenting two-tone blue DC Lynx again as soundtrack hype man accentuates enthusiasm. Adilson’s wavy red white and navy track jacket returns as swirling swath in front-facing bird’s eye angle down onto white petal-pocked concrete and his fakie approach for another half-cab heelflip twisted and flutter-flipped to springstomp over a plant bed to drop.
Fakie front nosegrind revert at bench-end begins the next seaside plaza-traversing line through a bright white blue afternoon. While sunlight bellows towering stained-glass menhir sculpture aglow, Adilson backside tailslides for considerable distance to regular dismount then 360 flips on flat in earth-toned Bronze56K x DC Lukodas and a black DC logo tee. Come on fam, line continues toward parade’s end, glimpse Adilson’s energetic smile in encouraged side profile as he pops frontside ollie onto a lower bench level, following filmer points up at the DC soles popping into front tailslide along the second level ledge, compressed stretched to fakie down past bench level showing big DC photo incentive sticker on green stained blank deck.
Next clip cuts short as stationary angle shows the following filmer suffer a hard, unanticipated, full-throttle slam while saving the camera; always nice to underscore that the speed and finesse displayed depend on multiple moving parts that can crash to a stop at anytime. Salute to all filmers! Peace to Little Shaun; Peace to Bernadette.
Onward to next clip under white skies where Adilson wearing all white front tailslide heelflips to fakie an all white ledge with speedy switch artery carve past a parked line of all white cars.
Sweat soaks his garments in many clips, here zoomed camera scans damp shouldered Pedro’s downhill approach toward a blue railinged handicap ramp on hexagonal cobblestone rollup. In Cash Only Millionaire white tee under a grey and fatigue green fit, he pops hardbody ollie filmed straight on with back wheels pummel-pumped onto ground slightly before front.
Lifestyle shot training like Al-Qaida, now passing Pac Man at a mirrored version of the same blue bump-to-bar, carving frontside this time to pop fat heelflip over and down onto crusty landing. Have no concern of this being B-roll from OK Bet; Adilson has plenty to share as he hops between parked cars dismount delivered.
Through more stately gardens he frontside half-cab noseslides marble seating to fakie then carves switch through an archway in red Yankees fitted with extravagant white stitching to fakie heelflip the long five-stair fronting this long-standing forum. Next single clip that has a skater in ted tee hyped to bear witness is another fakie heelflip, this time popped and lofted over a perpendicular railing to drop wearing a cast on his right arm.
As first song ends, Adilson channels SriKala to stunt double heelflip with room to spare over a plaza’s flat gap wearing an 8-ball jacket.
En route to more clips, while a filmer records from backseat, Adilson riding shotgun puffs tough from a sizzling spliff. “Ayo,” he says, then offers the joint to his hat that’s still riding buckled in behind him.
Fakie ollie down a handful lands voluminously on dark swirled marble as the second song’s beat drops luxuriously on impact, floating alongside Adilson’s switch marble carpet ride through covered buildingside corridor, soon crouching for half-cab heelflip over six stairs and tiled sidewalk to banked street rollaway. “Busting shots at his vertebrae / We make his white tee burgundy.” His signature trick shows again as a single and Pedro runs back up to camera to stunt wearing Heart is a Melody Butter Goods tee.
Candid clip shows him in the Benz trident Cash Only tee as he makes a funny face.“Yeah you know this shit I live it.” 8-ball jacket reappears for heelflip back 50-50 around the corner pocket ledge he and Ryhuei have skated. “No I cannot move my pivot.”
“Life is a gamble, roll that dice.” Adilson scorpion slams when attempting half-cab crooks up the ledge Thomas Dritsas front tail flipped for the first clip in OK BET. “Can’t hang with bigwig if you never took a life” while twisting half-cab to nail crooks upon the escalating ascent in unzipped white fleece vest over black tee, khakis and a bucket hat.
Adilson drops to slam elsewhere, then drops to an almost-landing at the same spot, then he runs back up and now he’s crooked grinding a white ledge popping out into ride off this overhead-high drop we’ve seen challenging him. He lands clean this time and slaps high-five as he pops a further down-chute ollie and his celebrating friend wiggles a dance move. On another session, shirtless Adilson pumps a fresh Cash Only bulldog deck like an arm weight. He brings half cab heelflip into a nosemanual turned back 180 with a breathless whisper and wrapped cast again. Lyrics end, letting spacious piano keys float in lofty echelon. Adilson heelflip crooks a square six-stair handrail. Grey hoodie under his black DC 94 basketball jersey heralds heelflip off a large two block to street under big blue skies, bringing it all back home with bright smile of success as heelflip shows again for emphasis.
Adilson’s ender is fakie heelflip into front tailslide down a mellow balustrade over 8 long stairs dismounting to regular on cobblestone tiles shown from backside and frontside angles.
4:04 part ends with the beginning plaza spectator and Adilson engaged in further conversation. Stars look beautiful shining in the sky far away, but their appearance up close and personal prompts further consideration even from outside the skateboarding world. Adilson appears both as impactful icon and humble participant in street ecosystem, ready to put in the work to make spots fulfill his pictures of grand success and bring us along for his ride, nary a kickflip in sight.