Giorgio Villone in "Devil's Pocket"

by Jake Todd

We switch his leash at the park and Mars, five now, debuts life on 30-foot lead. We pose at the bandstand then he loops us around a tree in prompt turn homeward. Frozen rain, light hail, blows more than falls, pebbles his black coat, has turned to rain when we reach doorstep. We thank Mars’s forecast as rain continues overnight and Monday dawn wet. I grab my commuting cruiser, step out, throw down. Drops spit cold onto my cheeks and glasses lens as Ricta Clouds hiss. I accelerate and try powersliding, but these Clouds cling wet asphalt so I carve down and around avenue corner, time downhill lights, kick push up past the church, last hook left for last hill cursive carving to reach work atop the hour. I take off my Timberlands and tuck them with my board in the doorway. “You rode here in this weather?” “I’d be late if I didn’t skate.” “Yeah, man. Thanks for coming. Let’s get this money.”

Scrolling on break at some point I see Rugstore Cowboy story-post Giorgio Villone new part so I visit freeskatemag after work, drinking a strawberry Kiwi Vitamin Water eating green tea mochi:

Giorgio Villone’s part appears somewhere in Jake Todd’s Devil’s Pocket full length, which recently premiered at PhilaMOCA and namechecks local boneyard. Giorgio smiles statueside Super 8, then we’re on the streets. Boom bap rap beats signal Newark’s Artifacts (RIP Tame One) “Showing [us] da Way” as Giorgio pops up backlot curb to rough asphalt bank, back nosegrinds across upper stair filmed underneath flexing Girl doll graphic into far side bankroll. Second spot embankment is an older specimen, once grander, now gnarled; here Giorgio nollie front 180s onto switch pad manual enabled by missing guardrail rolling away past abandoned children’s toys. Quick cut super 8 then a third spot’s an even better bank, quickcrete up to broad brick wave, to pop shove noseslide crown down to regs. Giogio used to wear Lakais, now favors Converse Highs.

In Indianapolis at night, Giorgio backside wallies to 5050 atop library ledge then transitions down embankment. In the humid subtropical climate of Midtown at night, he switch front hurricanes CBS ledge drop. When Tame One raps about blowing chests up like asthma, Super 8 cuts to orange steam stack shot. Bronx Courthouse gets nollie noseblunt, then Giorgio sports a Reggaeton lineup before appearing in Saint Louis to back tailslide patchwork bank’s far side, then tumbles in front of a vehicle as Tame One raps about dodging. He switch noseblunts patchwork’s main bank, then back east, upon the Sombrero, Villone switch wallie front 180s to nose manual. Around blue banked ball pit he switch back 180s to fakie back nosegrind revert on a Girl deck, a street tech homage to long hair Guy Mariano with Giorgio’s Robbie McKinley short hair so Jesus Fernandez. More blue, furthermore, backside flip fakie 5-0 to regs, rust belt trapping like it’s his LA schoolyard. He switch back 180 nosegrinds sizable out ledge over stairs like Gideon Choi, then visits Indianapolis Library in daylight for a couple manual clips.

Upper level underpass embankment gets brought to a switch heel, then Giorgio props a grate to front smith a windowsill. He pops over stairs interrupting embankment on concrete front yard, then in glossy Chicago downtown Giorgio switch back 5-0, switch heel, switch back nosegrind reverts Chase Tower grotto. Cellar door to flatbar gets switch boadslide. He switch ollies onto cut marble bench then pinches fakie front crooks on upper ledge to drop. He switch front noseslides to regs down a parking garage exit then he switch crooks to regs at JFK banks. Super 8 cut shows World Trade. He switch front crooks to regs beside Columbia’s chain to bank, nollie front nosegrinds Pittsburgh’s Milliones ledge to bank, then hits Con Edison banks with frontside half cab to bank nose blunt over the hump into the pit. Switch flip front noseslide on a bank to ledge, switch back blunt over bank stairs, return from the opposite side to nollie front 180 switch nosegrind revert.

Someone in the YouTube comments got a DUI the day Giorgio did his switch back tail on big brick bank. Keeping James Reres Long Islander shredding Flushing legacy alive, Villone’s over grate ender brings switch front noseslide flip out to switch. Super 8 shows him leaving the deli with a six pack of Modelo’s, one for every landmark New York banger in here. I first saw Giorgio LurkNYC clips. His clothing style continues to favor loose baggy anonymity built tough, while his consistently sharp buzz cut indicates precision technician that lies underneath. A Theories connection seems somewhat at odds with Girl boards, but Giorgio’s tricks here capture an aesthetic melding on remarkable spots, both landmark and rustic.