We've been trying to get an interview with Michael Brooke at Concrete Wave Magazine for some time now. Problem is, Mike has a nasty habit of typing these super-cryptic, one-to-three-word-long e-mails whenever he's replying to a question. A typical Mike e-mail might say something like, "Exactly!". Or, "Yes". Or, "Maybe". Which isn't exactly conducive to getting any sort of in-depth interview done...
Thankfully, when Mikey blogs, he actually uses a few more words. It's here that we have the best chance of seeing where his mind is spinning off to these days.
The thing about Mike is that, he is a really, really smart fellow with very deep roots in both the pastime... as well as, the industry... of skateboarding. He's respected and loved by many. And for some reasons that constantly baffle me, he's also hated by many as well. I tend to think that the reason that he's so ostracized by "the haters", is simply because he actually thinks about things. And therefore, he actually has ideas. "Thinking" and "ideas" usually not being popular amongst many skaters, of course. Nor, are they particularly embraced by many of our "Industry Insiders". Why that is the case, is again, way beyond me...
So: Mikey catches a lot of shit from the smaller-minded elements within skateboarding. In order to illustrate Mike's superior braininess, let's take a look at a few choice excerpts from a recent Mike Blog posting (Which can be seen here: http://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/option,com_mojo/Itemid,108/)...
"One of the things I’ve always stressed about Concrete Wave, is that we want to be as inclusive as possible..."
And, as far as magazines go, Concrete Wave is inclusive to the extreme. Whatever sort of skateboarding you're into, there's a damn good chance that it gets coverage in CW. Which is awesome. I wish more magazines did that... and indeed, many of them used to. Why they don't anymore, is anybody's guess.
"I’ve thought about where skateboarding is, in relation to how it draws people in and how it keeps people out. Clearly, we have no problem getting attention. Many in the media love to cover skateboarding. Do they portray things accurately? I’ll leave that answer up to you. But skateboarding is perceived as something very cool by outsiders. The question about what happens when someone is actually interested in pursuing skateboarding…how are they treated?"
Yeah. Usually, not very well. Skateboarding is pretty "exclusionary" these days. If you're not in the "cool club", then you just suck, and that's all there is to it. Hey, guess what?! News Flash: We're All Dorks. You are definitely not cooler than I am, and I am definitely far dorkier than you'll ever hope to be. This putting-ourselves-on-a-pedestal bullshit can stop any day now, and I won't shed a single fucking tear over it. Good riddance...
"In today’s environment, a welcoming skate shop that embraces the grom, the skategeezer and everything else in between clearly has a better chance of survival than the closed-minded shop. The closed-minded shop is run like [a] high school clique - you know, the cool kids club, the sense of “we’re doing you a favor” [by] even letting you in here. Those shops, sadly, are still there… but, they might be finding times more difficult. Folks are voting with their wallets. By keeping people out, their plan is backfiring..."
Yeah. Tell me about it. Apparently, every skate shop in my area code subscribes to this philosophy. It sucks ass... but really, who cares?! Screw them. I mean, there's always the internet, right...? If Shops A, B, and C don't want my cash, then Mike [Hirsch] at SoCal always will. And, Hirsch is good fucking people. He treats his customers like gold. That's why, I'm happy to give him every cent that I can spare, and then some. Small companies, too... there are some kick-ass companies that are totally worth supporting. Once again: I won't be shedding any tears when this too, comes to pass...
"Which leads me to my next point. The internet is something that by its very nature, has great difficulty keeping people out. Sure, you can block an IP address... but things have a way of creating blow back. My IP address was blocked a few days ago. That’s right: Someone didn’t want me on their website..."
Seriously?! Are you fucking kidding me?! How juvenile are we, to block other skaters from our websites, because they're not "cool" enough?! I mean, come on, already. I've had a few disagreements with Mike over the years, but gawd dammit, he's always welcome to visit my website for pete's sakes. Hell: He can even come and crash on my couch, and drink all my Cokes, if he so desires. Okay: Maybe the Cokes thing is going a bit too far. He can have some of my Cokes, if he likes...
"So, to those folks who spend all their time:
1. Hating
2. Cutting down
3. Trying to destroy fellow competitors
4. Spreading lies
5. Hating some more
6. Blaming others for their misfortune
7. Keeping up barriers
8. Putting down things in skateboarding they don’t fully understand
9. Being contemptuous of other skaters that don’t ride the same equipment they do
10. Putting down skaters who don’t have what they deem “the right” shoes, or clothing, or Lord knows what…
To these people I ask : 'What has all this got you?'..."
Dude! It's all about cultivating the mega self-esteem, and raking in the big bucks, yo! Money and self-righteousness being two of the most basic and enduring founding principles that Amerika was built on, right...?!
Mike, as usual, is absolutely correct. There's no room in skateboarding for this sort of bullshit. Maybe we should all try putting what's in the best interests of skateboarding first and foremost, and maybe try putting "fluffing our own out-sized egos" in the recycle bin, where it damn well belongs.
Yeah, right. Good luck with that...
