Long Shot: help ID Tom Penny's skate shoes circa '96

[Hanna Schygulla]

About a year ago there was a thread on here where a poster sought help identifying Guy's obscure Nike ACGs in "Mouse", which actually ended up being successful. On a similar note, I've always been intrigued by these shoes that Tom wore at the Huntington Park in this footage from one of Danny Minnick's videos that was later made into a Ghetto Child commercial in an early Logic video.

Clearly they're all black, they've got a runner's toe, they've got a silver or white Air Force 1 style "lace jewel" where the laces start, they have a uniquely long toebox that almost makes them look like a moccasin, and in the screen shot where Tom's about to nollie 360 off the hip over the bar you can see that the heel and the forefoot have an interesting shape as well –– almost Prada Sport-ish. They actually kind of look smilar to his infamous Columbia boots, but they're the wrong color and different enough.

So, they might be sneakers, they might be boots, and I sure as shit don't know what brand they are. The chance of this one being successful are slim, but let's see if anyone knows.

The Shoes:




The Video (say what you will about Minnick, but this is a pretty nicely put together mini part):


and his Columbia boots, for good measure:

[Glurmpz]

Almost looks like an all black pair of DC Clockers, but not sure if they were out yet. No DCSHOECOUSA on the heel, though could have been blacked out if they are indeed Clockers.

One of these is the Clocker 2, not sure which one.

[Hanna Schygulla]

Awesome, thanks for reply. Well, they've got the lace jewel, and intriguingly as I recall Tom actually skated a pair of Clockers in some British footage that at least surfaced in "Menikmati", if not somewhere else first. I'll have to go check that out.

That said, the shape seems pretty different all around, plus Tom's have got that turned-up runner's sole on the toe (think DC Lynx).

[Frank]

they look like some all black air mowabbs, but i don't think these ever came with a lace jewel.

[Glurmpz]

Awesome, thanks for reply. Well, they've got the lace jewel, and intriguingly as I recall Tom actually skated a pair of Clockers in some British footage that at least surfaced in "Menikmati", if not somewhere else first. I'll have to go check that out.

That said, the shape seems pretty different all around, plus Tom's have got that turned-up runner's sole on the toe (think DC Lynx).

The Clocker has that, just not as much, and it's hard to see in the pics.

[ChuckRamone]

They look like Filas from that era.




Have you asked him on Insta like a man?

[Frank]

Expand Quote

Awesome, thanks for reply. Well, they've got the lace jewel, and intriguingly as I recall Tom actually skated a pair of Clockers in some British footage that at least surfaced in "Menikmati", if not somewhere else first. I'll have to go check that out.

That said, the shape seems pretty different all around, plus Tom's have got that turned-up runner's sole on the toe (think DC Lynx).

[close]

The Clocker has that, just not as much, and it's hard to see in the pics.

i'm not sure they had clockers in all black black, without white or gum in the bottom of the sole. penny's shoe looks totally black apart from the lace thingy. and the runner toe looks more like a traditional one, one thats flusher with the material. but the footage is so grainy that i have to agree it could totally still be a clocker.

i kind of still think this is some crossrunning/hiking shoe hybrid though... maybe not nike.

love pointless detective work like this, lol. hope we solve the case. maybe @jay_nev or @Bubblegum Tate know something about this shoe?

[Glurmpz]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Awesome, thanks for reply. Well, they've got the lace jewel, and intriguingly as I recall Tom actually skated a pair of Clockers in some British footage that at least surfaced in "Menikmati", if not somewhere else first. I'll have to go check that out.

That said, the shape seems pretty different all around, plus Tom's have got that turned-up runner's sole on the toe (think DC Lynx).

[close]

The Clocker has that, just not as much, and it's hard to see in the pics.

[close]

i'm not sure they had clockers in all black black, without white or gum in the bottom of the sole. penny's shoe looks totally black apart from the lace thingy. and the runner toe looks more like a traditional one, one thats flusher with the material. but the footage is so grainy that i have to agree it could totally still be a clocker.

i kind of still think this is some crossrunning/hiking shoe hybrid though... maybe not nike.

love pointless detective work like this, lol. hope we solve the case. maybe @jay_nev or @Bubblegum Tate know something about this shoe?

Yeah I'm not sold on it being a Clocker 100% either. I bet if someone could get through to Danny Minnick on instagram he'd know.

I did hear from a friend who was living in Huntington and skating around that crew at the time that Tom occasionally skated DC's, among other shoes.

[Nth syd bear]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Awesome, thanks for reply. Well, they've got the lace jewel, and intriguingly as I recall Tom actually skated a pair of Clockers in some British footage that at least surfaced in "Menikmati", if not somewhere else first. I'll have to go check that out.

That said, the shape seems pretty different all around, plus Tom's have got that turned-up runner's sole on the toe (think DC Lynx).

[close]

The Clocker has that, just not as much, and it's hard to see in the pics.

[close]

i'm not sure they had clockers in all black black, without white or gum in the bottom of the sole. penny's shoe looks totally black apart from the lace thingy. and the runner toe looks more like a traditional one, one thats flusher with the material. but the footage is so grainy that i have to agree it could totally still be a clocker.

i kind of still think this is some crossrunning/hiking shoe hybrid though... maybe not nike.

love pointless detective work like this, lol. hope we solve the case. maybe @jay_nev or @Bubblegum Tate know something about this shoe?

[close]

Yeah I'm not sold on it being a Clocker 100% either. I bet if someone could get through to Danny Minnick on instagram he'd know.

I did hear from a friend who was living in Huntington and skating around that crew at the time that Tom occasionally skated DC's, among other shoes.

There is footage of him skating  in Tan DC Clockers .. 
I dunno if that contributes to the discussion at all just saying

[jay_nev]

this Huntington footage between 95-97?

[FrozenIndustries]

I just want to rule out Clockers. Had a pair in 1996 and saved them for years because they were my first real skate shoes. The clockers had a very square toe box, and the black only had a gum sole and no runners toe (gum was just exposed higher at the front).

If those were DCs they would for sure be the Rob Dyrdek, which had a pretty big heel lift.



It almost looks like an AirMax Uptempo 1995, but also kinda of doesn't.

Interesting note about DCs since a couple people mentioned him skating them: In the December 1996 Big Brother (with Metallica on the Cover), the little industry rumor section had a little blurb about Tom Penny being spotted paying retail price for DC shoes and implied that he might be done with 'eS. So it seems like him running DCs was pretty well documented.

[ok boomer]

Just here to say Clocker and Rudy Johnson 2 were sick shoes, thanks.
But also waiting for the answer!

[shalominator]

Dang I learned how to board slide on that flat bar in first park clips.old HB park

[FrozenIndustries]

Just here to say Clocker and Rudy Johnson 2 were sick shoes, thanks.
But also waiting for the answer!

The Rudy 2 in back was the shoe I wanted most back in the day, but by the time I had saved up enough money to get them they were sold out everywhere. Seeing footage of the AWS dudes skating them in Time Code got me so sparked (I would slow that shit and try to copy their outfits). I liked that it was meant to look kind of like a shelltoe with the plastic pieces on the toe box.

[ok boomer]

I had the navy ones but wanted the black ones. Never found them in my size. Helped me prepare to timecode (in my mind)

[WPG]

The Air Windrunner is the first air max/Nike hiking boot from 95/96 that has a lace jewel  that I’ve seen in my search

[biggietoms]

Long shot is an understatement

I acutually thought they were air max 90's, which have a similar toe to the ACGs mentioned in the previous post. I def think that they are nikes tho. Someone out there knows

[Hanna Schygulla]

Thanks for all of the replies and interest –– no strong leads, but a lot of interesting info has come to light. While I was long aware of his footage in the DC Clockers from "Menikmati", I never saw that blurb from Big Brother about him buying DCs at retail –– no local shops carried BB, and Barnes and Noble didn't carry it until '97 or '98. So there's yet another mysterious footnote to Tom: did he literally buy a pair of DC Clockers once, for any number of reasons –– and what was that reason –– which went on to have an outsized impact? Was he regularly buying them?

If it wasn't for that info, I would've just assumed the DC guys were trying to poach him and were giving him shoes to try out. As much as I love mid-'90s Etnies and éS, they definitely dropped the ball by not releasing his requested boot-sneaker pro model in the late '90s, and a '97 - '98ish DC Penny probably would've been sick as fuck. Going back to the topic at hand, I firmly feel that THIS pair was definitely not any released DC; maybe it could've been some prototype or sample that never came out, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

I've always thought that they were most likely something obscure and of that time, like some Karl Kanis, or some weird sneaker that an outdoor/hiking company made (ala the Timberland that were later fully ripped for the Vita Jason Dill). They still might just be a Nike, though that Fila guess seems better with the shape/silhouette (thanks for that guess..it lead to a rabbit hole with me seeing the Grant Hill 1's for the first time in decades.)

[Hanna Schygulla]

And as far as that CCS spread goes, above everything else I would skate that Dyrdek right now (in white, thank you).

[ChuckRamone]

Hope you find out what shoes they were. This thread has me seriously intrigued. I keep checking back for updates.

[FrozenIndustries]

@Hanna Schygulla i have the issue at my parents house, going to check in on them for Xmas and will bring it home and scan.

[Glurmpz]

And as far as that CCS spread goes, above everything else I would skate that Dyrdek right now (in white, thank you).

I had those white D Way 3's. Didn't really like them though. Coincidentally, I think the pair after that may have been my all tan Clocker 2's.

[FrozenIndustries]

Expand Quote

And as far as that CCS spread goes, above everything else I would skate that Dyrdek right now (in white, thank you).

[close]

I had those white D Way 3's. Didn't really like them though. Coincidentally, I think the pair after that may have been my all tan Clocker 2's.

I don't want to derail this thread, but that era of DC was so sick. How were the Clocker 2s? I wanted them so bad because of how far the rubber went back...I was the ollie guy in my crew (Lots of pop but that was pretty much the only thing I could do) and would blow through shoes so fast.

I had clocker 1s and I had the white Syntax, which were fucking tanks but I was super anti-white shoe at the time. As I mentioned, the black Rudy 2's were my dream shoe then but looking at those navy Plugs I wish I would have gotten a pair.

[Some dude]

I just want to rule out Clockers. Had a pair in 1996 and saved them for years because they were my first real skate shoes. The clockers had a very square toe box, and the black only had a gum sole and no runners toe (gum was just exposed higher at the front).

If those were DCs they would for sure be the Rob Dyrdek, which had a pretty big heel lift.



It almost looks like an AirMax Uptempo 1995, but also kinda of doesn't.

Interesting note about DCs since a couple people mentioned him skating them: In the December 1996 Big Brother (with Metallica on the Cover), the little industry rumor section had a little blurb about Tom Penny being spotted paying retail price for DC shoes and implied that he might be done with 'eS. So it seems like him running DCs was pretty well documented.

..not the point of the thread...but dang!...I wish DC hadn’t fucked up the reboot of the syntax.

[FrozenIndustries]

Away from my computer for days, but here is that scan from the gossip page of the December 1996 Big Brother. There is the blurb about Shorty's denying trying to poach Tom Penny and then in the caption below the sequence it mentions the paying retail for DCs thing.



Probably a red herring but god damn I enjoyed looking at that magazine.

[ok boomer]

Was cool reading about illuminati in that

[FrozenIndustries]

Was cool reading about illuminati in that

There is a really good Illuminati ad in there. I kind of want to scan the whole thing when I go back to work next week.

[SubCurban Commando]

I think they might be some sort of Nike Cross Trainer/Air Trainer Low in all black but super hard to tell anything much from that screen grab.

[Glurmpz]

So the clip was just reposted on instagram again, and Danny Minnick commented, so I asked him if he could solve this mystery.

According to him, they're Nikes. Didn't say which model. Think you^ may be right that it's a cross trainer low in black.

[Eric Dolphy]

Damn, i want those white Dyrdeks, white elixir, every colourway of the boxer and the syntax. shit I'll even skate those McKays.

Those Apex look like the blueprint for Skechers.