A true master of the mash up, Dan Leifeld has been bringing new and old blading to our screens in a totally unique way for quite some time now.
Dan’s knowledge of rollerblading history may well be unparalleled. His commitment to the hours spent pouring over classic videos and obscure TV commercials from blading’s 90’s hey day is a marvel in itself.
This particular series of videos was first available as a VOD earlier in the year and we are extremely happy to have partnered with Dan on bringing them to the world in a permanent home. Featuring a lot of your favourite pro’s and some you might have forgotten about. Chapter One is 27 minutes of pure brilliance.
Edited by Dan Leifeld
For more original blading videos subscribe to our YouTube channel http://youtube.com/c/thebooted
Perhaps some of the best moments in life start with a wager.
At some point in 2014 Jon Lee and James Bower had been nominated for UKRA awards, videographer of the year and AM of the year. Hardly the Oscars but who doesn’t want to be rewarded for their hard work and dedication to a craft?
A couple of days prior to the awards I decided that the admiration of their peers and a plaque wasn’t reward enough for my two friends hard work, and so the wager was set… If Jon and James both won in their respective categories The Booted would fly them out to Barcelona to film something.
They both won. Several intoxicated phone calls later confirmed that I was to be a man of my word. Eventually plans were made and flights were booked.
I guess the original idea was to spend the time filming a full James Bower part but an ankle injury looked like that wouldn’t be the case even with months of physiotherapy and rest before the trip. I think it was only some bandages, borderline illegal Spanish paracetamol and cans of Moritz that held him together during the trip.
At some point DRC’s Connaire Skerritt decided to join us and made for a welcome edition to the crew. We enlisted the help of ex-pats Nick Lomax and Sam Crofts as well as the world’s best looking male model who also happens to blade, Carson Starnes, to round off the crew.
The plan really was that there was no plan and to see what we came back with. And I think what we came back with speaks for itself.
Another alcohol induced wager has already been made for 2015 but we’ll talk about that as and when we get there.
Special thanks to Sam Crofts and Nick Lomax for providing spots to rest our heads and looking after us, as well as Dustin Werbeski for skating for his part, MVG, Brandon Calleja, Mark Trebble, Albert Hooi, Mathias Silhan and Jon Matter for keeping us entertained.
Oliver Baker
10 Days in Barcelona filmed and edited by Jon Lee. With additional filming by Oliver Baker.
Starring Nick Lomax, James Bower, Connaire Skerritt, Carson Starnes & Sam Crofts.
Music – Howlin’ Wolf – Spoonful. Shy Glizzy – We Them Dudes. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Carry Me. Ice Man – Grinding My Whole Life. Troy Ave – Bang Bang. Willie Nelson – On the Road Again.
For more original blading videos subscribe to our YouTube channel http://youtube.com/c/thebooted
Being a local of Barcelona, you get to experience a lot of cool people coming to your town to do what we all love most… film blading on the streets. Back some weeks ago, I don’t know, maybe over a month or so, obviously time flies when your having this much fun… Anyways, I heard that all these english folk were popping in for a week & would like the opportunity to film with me for their pieces to be. The main documenters end up being Jon Lee (the infamous Dirt-Box filmer) & Oliver Baker.
They came well equipped with cameras and lens of choice, VX1000&2100 with the mk1. It was so much fun to film with these men. Actually really easy too, even being that they were documenting everybody and everything from both angles, afar and inches away with that death lens. Jon’s the magic making man with that fisheye hand & these classic editing skills. All and all twas an honor to have spent most of those days, joining the crew and adventuring through the old and new hoods of Spain.
With little pain, and what I believe to have been a perfect first go with the new & amazing USD Aeons. I can say that filming for The Booted in these new boots was a full fucking success. Thanks to everyone who was involved, from those mentioned, to the homies who inspired & supported throughout those sessions, lastly holla THC boyeees!
-Dustin Werbeski
Filmed by Jon Lee and Oliver Baker. Edited by Jon Lee.
For more original blading videos subscribe to our YouTube channel http://youtube.com/c/thebooted
It gets cold in New York during the winter. And it gets cold in the mountains of North Carolina. So in an attempt to avoid the misery of February, I once again joined forces with my favorite Yankees and fled to somewhere warm.
Unlike the Puerto Rico tour of last winter, Justin Brasco anticipated a month of constant ridicule and resisted the urge to shave his entire body in preparation for the trip.
But for some reason his Long Island posse member, Alex Karayannis, could not fight that same temptation and all I heard across the aisle during the first of several 14 hour flights was Austin Paz yelling, complaining, and threatening each time a spikey and stubble-ridden arm brushed against him from the middle seat.
When we landed in Abu Dhabi, a man who spoke minimal English held out a paper sign with Austin’s name printed in all caps. This man quickly grabbed Austin’s luggage from his hands and left the rest of us to fend for ourselves.
This was especially difficult for me.
I received all new Rollerblade brand suitcases for the trip but after the first flight and the violent handling by airport personal, my checked bag was never to roll on two wheels again.
So I dragged my luggage on its one remaining wheel through the airport parking lot where we loaded up in a truck and were taken to Dubai. There, we were introduced to a man named Mr. Sam. (Sam to us, Mr. Sam to all the private drivers, groundskeepers, and hotel attendants that surrounded him.)
Sam had a mohawk and provided us with a house, food, mattresses, drivers, desert safaris, club access, beer, and Burj Khalifa tickets.
Obviously, our time in the UAE would have been drastically different if it wasn’t for Sam.
The next stop was Melbourne. And for me, Melbourne was a blur of hot days, capped ledges, and urban naps while Matthias Ogger continually suggested we stop blading and head over to a brothel he frequents know only as “The Korean Barbeque.”
From there we flew to Sydney with Gav Drumm who warned us all it would be necessary to remove the frames from our skates in order to carry them on the flight. I, riding flat rocker, declared I’d be goddamned before taking out all the wheels required to access my frame bolts and of course, did not make it through security.
We got to Sydney late in the night and met up with our drunk and drug fueled Air B&B host who slurred words and showed us around the penthouse suite we called home for the rest of the tour. While enthusiastically bragging about his speakers, this man dropped several bills from his pockets that were quickly confiscated and put to use throughout the week, hosting rooftop barbeques for the local bladers.
Sydney has a great crew. One of the best I’ve had the pleasure to blade with. Each member is essential, bringing something unique to the cohesion of the group. From Vonny with the jam box to Rian Arnold with the $600 shoes, varying personalities blend seamlessly creating interactions that consistently remind why we all continue to do this.
I had damn fun in Sydney. Grilling snags at Bondi skatepark, drinking beers while mobbing through the city at night, and staying up to see the sunrise on a 3 day camping trip to Jervis Bay are all my best memories of the tour.
Granted, Sydney also gave me a kangaroo attack, an arm slice on the sharp walls of a cave, and AM faceplants flipping around on the beach when I could barely stand.
But even so, when time came to leave, no one was truly ready. There was a half-assed attempt at calling the airline and extending the trip. But when Justin’s fast-talking, mortgage broking, manipulative Yankee speak could not procure amended tickets free of charge, everyone just gave up and accepted the inevitable 40 hours of travel back to the cold, back to the jobs, and back to reality.
Words by Thomas Martin.
Video filmed and edited by Austin Paz with additional footage from Dom West.
Lost Dingos stars Austin Paz, Thomas Martin, Justin Brasco, Alex Karayannis, Ivan Narez, Matthias Ogger, Gav Drumm, Tommy Scofield, Josh Butler, Dom West, CJ Wellsmore, Rian Arnold & Tien Nquyen.
For more original blading videos subscribe to our YouTube channel http://youtube.com/c/thebooted
Blade Blog 2015 – Chapter One
