The Gonz is weird

[DISTANT RUMOURS]

We all know that, and when I was younger I had serious issues with getting 'it'. I low-key really disliked the Gonz when I was younger.

There I said it.

I didn't understand the stuff he wrote on his grip, I hated the music he skated to, I thought he was weird in interviews and generally thought he was a kook. But my older friends always kept fanning out on him, so I gave him a chance.

It was only later that I really started to appreciate him, I guess I was too young to understand it. The guy is a natural on board he can do whatever the f*ck he wants on a skateboard.

But I was really wondering, WHY does Gonz always skate those weird decks? And what are those exactly? customs? Older decks we don't know about? Prototypes? He owns a board company and has legit sponsors and still digs up the weirdest stuff and boards. From longboards to weird shapes. I can't even remember the last time I saw Gonz on a regular board.

Is it for the same reason that Daewon loses his bushings, to create a bigger challenge?

I don't really get it.

Gonz rules though. Let that be clear.

[TinderBinder]

The Gonz is what skateboarding should be

[bo golden]

i was the same way when i was younger and actually didnt really start to fully appreciate him until Real to Reel.  then I started to go back and watch and really started digging his stuff.  i think i really became a huge fan after Super Champion came out.  that video is still my favorite of all time.

I think the thing with the boards is that they are just fun to ride and keep it interesting for him.  ive done that before with different set ups, just to switch things up.

[Mongoloid]

Weirdos in skateboarding should be celebrated. I think a lot of people tend to forget that for a long period of time skateboarding wasn’t cool, so you had characters, and misfits. As the act becomes more normalized we lose some of our treasures, and the uniqueness they brought to the industry.

The Gonz is great because he exists in his own space. He’s uncompromised by his surroundings, and lives skateboarding.

[TinderBinder]

^ Best thing I have heard all day people over-analyze everything these days

[MASTiF]

It's his way of letting you know that he's been skating longer than you've probably been alive, invented half the shit you're doing, and will probably just do boardslides, wall rides, and thread the needle hippie jump board transfer shit because he's a GOAT and earned every bit of that privilege.

Only the Gonz can ride a bike and it's still better skateboarding than half the industry

[GAY]

I respect what "The Gonz" has done for skateboarding and live in awe at the way he's basically done what he wants with his life. He's a true innovator.
That said, I wouldn't want to ever have to have dinner or share a cab with him.

[jorge]

Calling bullshit on those who say they were around when he was in his prime (starting on Vision) and then saying they "just didn't like him or get him."  No one at the time loved Natas and didn't get Gonz, everyone loved both.  He was hands down the most innovative skater of his time (not even close) and was idolized by absolutely everyone-everytime you saw him he was doing things that either no one had done, or no one had done like that.  There seems to be kind of a revisionist history on Slap by younger people who minimize his importance because they know weird Grandpa Gonz only. 

[the snake]

he's just simulating craziness for decades, he's the best

edit : he's as crazy as you and me haha

[DCLOVE]

He’s insane but in the coolest way. I thought similar things when he did the piece for the first skate , he just came off weird compared to the dude ripping in the blind videos I saw on YouTube. But dude lipslide popped in up a barrier on a longboard at 50. That’s cool.

[Far from relevant]

He is a huge weirdo, but think about his video days part and how gnarly it was for that time. For this he gets a pass.

[feedmeseymour]

weird, yes. good at skateboarding, obviously.

[LeeMarvin]

Gonz rules and I hope he never changes, but I do wonder what his clinical diagnosis would be because there’s clearly some mental illness at work there.

[hermanos racists]

he is obviously a pioneer and all that .... the way he does his kickflips is super ugly almost like making fun of them but they are a totally serious flick.

[bo golden]

Calling bullshit on those who say they were around when he was in his prime (starting on Vision) and then saying they "just didn't like him or get him."  No one at the time loved Natas and didn't get Gonz, everyone loved both.  He was hands down the most innovative skater of his time (not even close) and was idolized by absolutely everyone-everytime you saw him he was doing things that either no one had done, or no one had done like that.  There seems to be kind of a revisionist history on Slap by younger people who minimize his importance because they know weird Grandpa Gonz only.

dont really understand how you can say peoples opinions are "bullshit".  Just because you liked both dudes doesnt mean everyone did.  IMO, Natas looked cooler and had better style and I liked him way more.  He rode for SMA and Gonz rode for fucking Vision.  Then Gonz "quit" and i was a young skate rat without a clue and said fuck that guy.  I know it's silly but I dont understand why you think everyone liked those guys equally.

But to be fair, I never saw Video Days when it came out.  I didnt see that video until years later and by that time if it wasnt a Crailtap company i couldnt care less.

[calvinsdream]

It's his way of letting you know that he's been skating longer than you've probably been alive, invented half the shit you're doing, and will probably just do boardslides, wall rides, and thread the needle hippie jump board transfer shit because he's a GOAT and earned every bit of that privilege.

Only the Gonz can ride a bike and it's still better skateboarding than half the industry

Cardiel too

[Madam, I'm Adam]

It seems to be a common sentiment that you don't get Gonz when you're younger. DR, Heath said the same thing as you did. He didn't get Gonz either.

To me he upholds the idea of originality and individuality that skating needs. Like if skating was just comprised of barney bros who didn't create art, it would suck. He's part of the antidote to this kind of mainstream pressure - how many people who don't skate know how deeply intertwined it is with art? I doubt many do.

But it's funny how everyone thinks he has a mental illness. I was watching his NYC part in Super Champion Funzone with my cousin and an uncle walked in, started watching Gonz, and immediately said "Well there's obviously something wrong with him." I personally never saw it - I have work and family experience with the mentally ill and he doesn't fit that bill per se. He's definitely eccentric, though.  This thread is also making me research the line between eccentricity and mental illness (apparently Oscar Wilde took a lobster out for walks).

[jorge]

Expand Quote

Calling bullshit on those who say they were around when he was in his prime (starting on Vision) and then saying they "just didn't like him or get him."  No one at the time loved Natas and didn't get Gonz, everyone loved both.  He was hands down the most innovative skater of his time (not even close) and was idolized by absolutely everyone-everytime you saw him he was doing things that either no one had done, or no one had done like that.  There seems to be kind of a revisionist history on Slap by younger people who minimize his importance because they know weird Grandpa Gonz only.

[close]

dont really understand how you can say peoples opinions are "bullshit".  Just because you liked both dudes doesnt mean everyone did.  IMO, Natas looked cooler and had better style and I liked him way more.  He rode for SMA and Gonz rode for fucking Vision.  Then Gonz "quit" and i was a young skate rat without a clue and said fuck that guy.  I know it's silly but I dont understand why you think everyone liked those guys equally.

But to be fair, I never saw Video Days when it came out.  I didnt see that video until years later and by that time if it wasnt a Crailtap company i couldnt care less.

If you didn't see Video Days when it came out you were either too young or a kook or not that into skating.  People didn't stop talking about that video for years.  You kinda made my point for me.  Everybody who was old enough and was seriously loved skating was basically only talking about BOTH Gonz and Natas.  It was that or watching Bill Danforth do bonelesses or whatever.

[Baron Samedi]

You young fellas know you don't have to like him, right? I know it's one of those unspoken rules in skateboarding, but I promise nothing will happen to the first person to say he sucks.

[jakeumms]

I think it's worth pointing out that skate media didn't seem to like him much at first. The intro to that first Thrasher interview is maybe a joke but 32 years later I still can't tell. Also, good luck finding much footage before Video Days. That Gonzo Goes to New York clip was pretty hard to find on YT before Transworld wrote a piece on it last year. Other than that, some contest footage here and there and a few clips in some pretty dire Vision videos there wasn't much to even see. Compare that to how Santa Cruz put Natas out there and it's easy to see how people weren't sure what to make of Gonz. Of course, we're still debating his relevance so maybe that's part of the allure?

[8.125]

Only the Gonz can ride a bike and it's still better skateboarding than half the industry

All hail cardiel

[MASTiF]

Expand Quote

It's his way of letting you know that he's been skating longer than you've probably been alive, invented half the shit you're doing, and will probably just do boardslides, wall rides, and thread the needle hippie jump board transfer shit because he's a GOAT and earned every bit of that privilege.

Only the Gonz can ride a bike and it's still better skateboarding than half the industry

[close]

Cardiel too

Touché, forgive me for my sins

[GAY]

It seems to be a common sentiment that you don't get Gonz when you're younger. DR, Heath said the same thing as you did. He didn't get Gonz either.

To me he upholds the idea of originality and individuality that skating needs. Like if skating was just comprised of barney bros who didn't create art, it would suck. He's part of the antidote to this kind of mainstream pressure - how many people who don't skate know how deeply intertwined it is with art? I doubt many do.

But it's funny how everyone thinks he has a mental illness. I was watching his NYC part in Super Champion Funzone with my cousin and an uncle walked in, started watching Gonz, and immediately said "Well there's obviously something wrong with him." I personally never saw it - I have work and family experience with the mentally ill and he doesn't fit that bill per se. He's definitely eccentric, though.  This thread is also making me research the line between eccentricity and mental illness (apparently Oscar Wilde took a lobster out for walks).

I love this reply. The part in bold is wonderful.

I couldn't watch Super Champion Funzone more than once because of Gonz. He drives me nuts. I'm about as exciting as watching paint dry, though, so...

[Pigeon]

(apparently Oscar Wilde took a lobster out for walks).

Shawn Powers was doing an homage.

[GAY]

Expand Quote

(apparently Oscar Wilde took a lobster out for walks).

[close]

Shawn Powers was doing an homage.

Or he was doing some weird fag bashing gesture. What a homophobe!

[jorge]

I think it's worth pointing out that skate media didn't seem to like him much at first. The intro to that first Thrasher interview is maybe a joke but 32 years later I still can't tell. Also, good luck finding much footage before Video Days. That Gonzo Goes to New York clip was pretty hard to find on YT before Transworld wrote a piece on it last year. Other than that, some contest footage here and there and a few clips in some pretty dire Vision videos there wasn't much to even see. Compare that to how Santa Cruz put Natas out there and it's easy to see how people weren't sure what to make of Gonz. Of course, we're still debating his relevance so maybe that's part of the allure?

Good luck finding much video footage period before Video Days.  He was constantly in the magazines.  Almost no one is debating his relevance.  https://skateboarding.transworld.net/features/the-30-most-influential-skaters-of-all-time/

[Matthew_James]

The only thing I don’t like is that people act like EVERYTHING he does is genius. Yeah he’s done a lot of cool shit, but the people who act like some of the bullshit he’s done that’s been lame was golden are trend hopping kooks who are no better than anyone who’s had an orange beanie that’s been collecting dust for ten years.

[Thrillho]

I laughed pretty hard when Fat Bill said Gonz was mad at him, to the point where Gonz told him, "I wish you woulda gotten run over by that bus."

[SHIREFLIP]

[cilantro]

Gonz is a real one when it comes to the spontaneity n fun that is romanticized in skateboarding.
That being said, that museum shit from a few weeks back, homage or not, was kooky as hell.
I’ll fuck with video parts and occasional ig clips but I’ve already accepted that most of my heroes are probably just some fuckin dude.

Also when I first heard about him, all my friends believed he had some brain injury or something. It was just always passed around as fact, I dunno. I think I just used to be friends with some vanilla ass people