2022 unpopular opinion thread

[Mean salto]

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the name doesn't help.  its sounds goofy.  they were a lot cooler when they were just called frontside 360 heelflips

[close]

They were called that? That means your body spins too though? Or were people just not doing actual fs 360 heels yet so it didnt matter?

[close]

My memory is fucked, but I think Ronnie Bertino was running fs 360 heels before the mike Hayes “lazer flip”

The answer more often than not is Rodney Mullen. Still maybe he didn't invent it but I think he does one at 3:00 in questionable

[j....soy.....]

The strange thing about Rodney is while he invented everything, there are few skaters that mention him as a direct influence or as a favourite skater. 

[FuzzGNU]

The strange thing about Rodney is while he invented everything, there are few skaters that mention him as a direct influence or as a favourite skater.

If a skater says they never went through a Rodney Mullen "phase" then they are either in a very small minority, or a liar.

I think it's hard for him to be an influence because he does stuff that you can't even imagine doing. Like he's not a guy that makes you go "I want to do that!". He makes you go "There's no fucking way I can even begin to figure out how to do that".

Anyone can huck themselves down a gap or stair... But Rodney Mullen is still to this day one of the few people that could ever do some of the stuff he's put on video.

It's also probably because he doesn't have much of a style, aesthetic, or "branding" to him. He's just a guy. A guy who can skate better than you'll ever skate.

[Gab]

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So what about front side 360 flips, 360 hard flip? Bro flip? Who did/does it good? Yes I know you all hate them.

[close]

Albert Nyberg does the best one I can think of

I think I saw a real good one done by gershon in a ledge line

[j....soy.....]

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The strange thing about Rodney is while he invented everything, there are few skaters that mention him as a direct influence or as a favourite skater.

[close]

If a skater says they never went through a Rodney Mullen "phase" then they are either in a very small minority, or a liar.

I think it's hard for him to be an influence because he does stuff that you can't even imagine doing. Like he's not a guy that makes you go "I want to do that!". He makes you go "There's no fucking way I can even begin to figure out how to do that".

Anyone can huck themselves down a gap or stair... But Rodney Mullen is still to this day one of the few people that could ever do some of the stuff he's put on video.

It's also probably because he doesn't have much of a style, aesthetic, or "branding" to him. He's just a guy. A guy who can skate better than you'll ever skate.

I was never bananas about taping my fingers or wearing knee pads….

My point is that he wasn’t relatable.  I’m not saying he wasn’t influential, but Rodney vs. Daewon? It was Daewon… That said, he did hold down a few readers polls…..

He’s a more popular skater in 2022 than ever….enter the retrospective middle aged men….

[FuzzGNU]

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The strange thing about Rodney is while he invented everything, there are few skaters that mention him as a direct influence or as a favourite skater.

[close]

If a skater says they never went through a Rodney Mullen "phase" then they are either in a very small minority, or a liar.

I think it's hard for him to be an influence because he does stuff that you can't even imagine doing. Like he's not a guy that makes you go "I want to do that!". He makes you go "There's no fucking way I can even begin to figure out how to do that".

Anyone can huck themselves down a gap or stair... But Rodney Mullen is still to this day one of the few people that could ever do some of the stuff he's put on video.

It's also probably because he doesn't have much of a style, aesthetic, or "branding" to him. He's just a guy. A guy who can skate better than you'll ever skate.

[close]

I was never bananas about taping my fingers or wearing knee pads….

My point is that he wasn’t relatable.  I’m not saying he wasn’t influential, but Rodney vs. Daewon? It was Daewon… That said, he did hold down a few readers polls…..

He’s a more popular skater in 2022 than ever….enter the retrospective middle aged men….

Yeah, exactly, I'm reiterating your point.

I loved the Mullen vs. Song videos. I always go back and forth on which parts I like more, but fuck I'm still inspired by all the shit they threw down on tables across their parts. Mullens grind-flip-out game on tables was amazing. Song bluntsliding tables and stacking tables was next level. Just such a joy to watch both of them.

He was huge among everyone I knew when Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 and 3 came out, personally. Everyone was trying to darkslide.

Some of that stuff Mullen does on the top of picnic tables still blows my mind and (surprisingly) has a lot of style to it imo. Half cab to reg crook nollie inward heel out? Jeeeeeze. The cadence and how he maintains momentum during the tricks makes them look so great. That being said, I can watch Daewon treflip to noseblunt all day. Both are so fun to watch.

EDIT: Wow, never seen this before but I just found how Mullen ended up doing those crook bench tricks... how he learned them was as natural as I would imagine... this is like the exact story I would expect based on how natural the trick looks how the momentum carries and such: https://youtu.be/_5dcob-VFzc?t=2769

[Allen.]

Love a good fakie cab, love a good switch nollie 🔥

[j....soy.....]

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The strange thing about Rodney is while he invented everything, there are few skaters that mention him as a direct influence or as a favourite skater.

[close]

If a skater says they never went through a Rodney Mullen "phase" then they are either in a very small minority, or a liar.

I think it's hard for him to be an influence because he does stuff that you can't even imagine doing. Like he's not a guy that makes you go "I want to do that!". He makes you go "There's no fucking way I can even begin to figure out how to do that".

Anyone can huck themselves down a gap or stair... But Rodney Mullen is still to this day one of the few people that could ever do some of the stuff he's put on video.

It's also probably because he doesn't have much of a style, aesthetic, or "branding" to him. He's just a guy. A guy who can skate better than you'll ever skate.

[close]

I was never bananas about taping my fingers or wearing knee pads….

My point is that he wasn’t relatable.  I’m not saying he wasn’t influential, but Rodney vs. Daewon? It was Daewon… That said, he did hold down a few readers polls…..

He’s a more popular skater in 2022 than ever….enter the retrospective middle aged men….

[close]

Yeah, exactly, I'm reiterating your point.

I loved the Mullen vs. Song videos. I always go back and forth on which parts I like more, but fuck I'm still inspired by all the shit they threw down on tables across their parts. Mullens grind-flip-out game on tables was amazing. Song bluntsliding tables and stacking tables was next level. Just such a joy to watch both of them.

He was huge among everyone I knew when Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 and 3 came out, personally. Everyone was trying to darkslide.

Some of that stuff Mullen does on the top of picnic tables still blows my mind and (surprisingly) has a lot of style to it imo. Fakie cab to reg crook nollie inward heel out? Jeeeeeze. The cadence and how he maintains momentum during the tricks makes them look so great. That being said, I can watch Daewon treflip to noseblunt all day. Both are so fun to watch.

In what corner of the earth was everyone trying to darkslide?  Did I say he wasn’t good? Or he didn’t invent anything….

[FuzzGNU]

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The strange thing about Rodney is while he invented everything, there are few skaters that mention him as a direct influence or as a favourite skater.

[close]

If a skater says they never went through a Rodney Mullen "phase" then they are either in a very small minority, or a liar.

I think it's hard for him to be an influence because he does stuff that you can't even imagine doing. Like he's not a guy that makes you go "I want to do that!". He makes you go "There's no fucking way I can even begin to figure out how to do that".

Anyone can huck themselves down a gap or stair... But Rodney Mullen is still to this day one of the few people that could ever do some of the stuff he's put on video.

It's also probably because he doesn't have much of a style, aesthetic, or "branding" to him. He's just a guy. A guy who can skate better than you'll ever skate.

[close]

I was never bananas about taping my fingers or wearing knee pads….

My point is that he wasn’t relatable.  I’m not saying he wasn’t influential, but Rodney vs. Daewon? It was Daewon… That said, he did hold down a few readers polls…..

He’s a more popular skater in 2022 than ever….enter the retrospective middle aged men….

[close]

Yeah, exactly, I'm reiterating your point.

I loved the Mullen vs. Song videos. I always go back and forth on which parts I like more, but fuck I'm still inspired by all the shit they threw down on tables across their parts. Mullens grind-flip-out game on tables was amazing. Song bluntsliding tables and stacking tables was next level. Just such a joy to watch both of them.

He was huge among everyone I knew when Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 and 3 came out, personally. Everyone was trying to darkslide.

Some of that stuff Mullen does on the top of picnic tables still blows my mind and (surprisingly) has a lot of style to it imo. Fakie cab to reg crook nollie inward heel out? Jeeeeeze. The cadence and how he maintains momentum during the tricks makes them look so great. That being said, I can watch Daewon treflip to noseblunt all day. Both are so fun to watch.

[close]

In what corner of the earth was everyone trying to darkslide?  Did I say he wasn’t good? Or he didn’t invent anything….

At least here in the midwest.

Somewhere around 1999 to 2002 everyone wanted to darkslide. Rodney vs. Song, THPS 1-3, and then Geoff Rowley's in Sorry. People were waxing and/or sanding the top edges of their griptape just to try to get one. Only a few people were able to throw them down, but everyone was trying. People around here were so hyped on darkslides. It was like the holy grail trick.

https://youtu.be/m8HpdD8EZDc?t=228

[Madam, I'm Adam]

Thing about Rodney Mullen - I think - is that he lacked flavour and style, while simultaneously doing tricks that were so next level that you couldn’t really relate to them, as mentioned.

I’m not saying his skating wasn’t on point, or that he didn’t have good looking memorable clips, but it was easy to pigeonhole him into a novelty/aberration and have him remain in that space.

I don’t mean that disrespectfully, he’s just the type of pro I’d watch to see what he did, but not necessarily get inspired to skate by, or even emulate when I was younger.

[newguy]

^ I second this.

Eternal praise for rodney mullen, I mean shit he literally had a huge role in making skateboards and trucks the way they are today, that alone puts him into goat territory; however in terms of style I’m not really a fan.

I reckon that’s because I started way past skateboarding’s tech era where rodney mullen is untouchable and more the flowey and high pop era where tricks are mastered and done clean and high off the ground. Different era, different tastes but always respect and praise for the Mullen, his plan B part is a mind fuck like god damn

[Burt Ward]

Fakie cab

Sheesh

[Mean salto]

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Fakie cab

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Sheesh

Fakie cab not as bad as full cab

[JugeL]

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Fakie cab

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Sheesh

Switch nollie 360

[KGB]

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Fakie cab

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Sheesh

So would that be like nollie? Since you would have to go forward to be fakie? 

[jorge]

^ I second this.

Eternal praise for rodney mullen, I mean shit he literally had a huge role in making skateboards and trucks the way they are today, that alone puts him into goat territory; however in terms of style I’m not really a fan.

I reckon that’s because I started way past skateboarding’s tech era where rodney mullen is untouchable and more the flowey and high pop era where tricks are mastered and done clean and high off the ground. Different era, different tastes but always respect and praise for the Mullen, his plan B part is a mind fuck like god damn

I third this and will take it even further-not only did I not care about Rodney Mullen, I didn't really know anyone who did.  This was late 80s Gonz and Natas were literally inventing modern street skating, so seeing Rodney with his pads barely moving doing freestyle on a tiny board that shops didn't carry had nothing on seeing handrails being done noseblunt slides for the first time etc.

[IpathCats]

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Fakie cab

[close]

Sheesh

[close]

Fakie cab not as bad as full cab

I ACTUALLY know someone that says "fakie full cab" I hate to be that guy, but I correct him every time. This verbal violence needs to stop.

[j....soy.....]

But I do accept fakie frontside flip…..it’s easier to say than frontside half cab flip and the current emphasis on frontside flips allows me to accept the change in the language……fakie fronside flip…..I accept thee!

[pizzafliptofakie]

I know calling a cab "fakie" is redundant but I find myself having to explain the the trick in games of SKATE whenever I do one. So sometimes just to speed the conversation along, I will call it a "fakie full cab" just to move things along.


I don't like it but that's show business, baby!

[IpathCats]

But I do accept fakie frontside flip…..it’s easier to say than frontside half cab flip and the current emphasis on frontside flips allows me to accept the change in the language……fakie fronside flip…..I accept thee!

Fakie fs flip is totally fine, so is fs halfcab flip, but cab and fakie should never be in the same trick name. its the redundancy that irks me. Cab implies fakie, and vice versa.

I know calling a cab "fakie" is redundant but I find myself having to explain the the trick in games of SKATE whenever I do one. So sometimes just to speed the conversation along, I will call it a "fakie full cab" just to move things along.


I don't like it but that's show business, baby!

The real solution is to not play with neanderthals with underdeveloped skateboard vernacular. Throw a fit about it like a baby man to show them how core you are.

[Frank]

I know calling a cab "fakie" is redundant but I find myself having to explain the the trick in games of SKATE whenever I do one. So sometimes just to speed the conversation along, I will call it a "fakie full cab" just to move things along.


I don't like it but that's show business, baby!

my buddy refers to nollie 360s as nollie cabs, whereas a normal cab going fakie is just a cab for him XD he knows nollie cab is incorrect, but at the same time i know what trick he means, so i never actually correct him. also who fucking cares. 

[Mean salto]

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I know calling a cab "fakie" is redundant but I find myself having to explain the the trick in games of SKATE whenever I do one. So sometimes just to speed the conversation along, I will call it a "fakie full cab" just to move things along.


I don't like it but that's show business, baby!

[close]

my buddy refers to nollie 360s as nollie cabs, whereas a normal cab going fakie is just a cab for him XD he knows nollie cab is incorrect, but at the same time i know what trick he means, so i never actually correct him. also who fucking cares.

That is how I do it. Cab, nollie cab and Nollie 3, fakie 3 for the blindside way. So cab didn't do the nollie cab therefore it's wrong? He also didn't do literally every other trick with his name in it but has no prob taking credit for those. I don't say nollie half cab tho that's for the super olds and the whole point is to save time.

[j....soy.....]

I accept nollie cab on the grounds that you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.

I know one thing though, I refer to the nollie back 3 as the hellipop giving a solid nod to one of skating’s most directly influential skater…..often duplicated (in the Midwest) Rodney Mullen.

[FuzzGNU]

Lol didn't realize I wrote fakie cab. Posting while sleep deprived: not even once.

Meant to write half cab, came out as fakie cab somehow. The mysteries of a tired mind.

I'm surprised that no one else's area was enamoured with darkslides during that era. I think I saw some videos online of other people talking about the same phenomenon in their hometown. Sounds like a few of you were probably too old by the time that stuff was hitting teen skaters... It was the type of shit people would learn on homemade boxes and rails.

[j....soy.....]

Why did those tricks for the most part, die there? (Short of a single in a 7 minute Rowley part) That’s my point……

Conversely board shapes…Rodney refined the shape of a deck to the popsicle, world was the hottest brand at the time, everyone followed…..today…we all ride popsicles.  Directly…..influential.

[manysnakes]

The strange thing about Rodney is while he invented everything, there are few skaters that mention him as a direct influence or as a favourite skater.

Rodney is a bedrock, foundational skater. Mentioning his influence is almost redundant - it’s inherent is being a skater.

[BurgerCop]

Mike Vallely is Mike Vallely's biggest fan.

[35mm]

I sometimes browse reddit. When something skateboarding related is posted there is always the typical Tony Hawk comments (the most famous skater due to the videogame, whatever) and sometimes comments about Rodney Mullen, like some truly skating connaisseurs, praising him like a god. Those irk me a lot for some reason. I can help but think about the person that comments "Ok, you skated one year during middle school in 2002."

I admit that Rodney has done some crazy shit but I think his skating is too appealing for the people outside skating or just starting skating and that makes it uncool for people that have delved more into skating

[Mean salto]

I sometimes browse reddit. When something skateboarding related is posted there is always the typical Tony Hawk comments (the most famous skater due to the videogame, whatever) and sometimes comments about Rodney Mullen, like some truly skating connaisseurs, praising him like a god. Those irk me a lot for some reason. I can help but think about the person that comments "Ok, you skated one year during middle school in 2002."

I admit that Rodney has done some crazy shit but I think his skating is too appealing for the people outside skating or just starting skating and that makes it uncool for people that have delved more into skating

Very accurate. I've had someone say to me I don't skate but I love the culture and I'm a big fan of Rodney Mullen, all the tricks he invented are amazing. It's like they know not to say tony hawk because that would be too obvious.
Also often the reason why Rodney can do some crazy tech trick and people just don't like his style is because he isn't actually doing the trick "properly". All the halfcab crooked varial heel, inward heel, 180 heel and front crook hardflips, backside flip etc he does some weird thing where his foot hangs over the edge of his board and he flips it off the rail like a primo not like a flick off the griptape

[pizzafliptofakie]

I love reading Reddit essays about Rodney Mullen as if the writer is the only person who has ever heard of Rodney Mullen.