Memory Screen: Paul Rodriguez

[nolliecrooked]

sometimes I forget how fucked up paul's carreer is, damn!! he has so much footage, love memoryscreen edits.

[Atiba Applebum]

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The real Michael Jordan of skateboarding.

[close]

Or is it more a Jordan and Lebron situation?

[close]

Career-wise I don't think there's anybody that comes close. What do you guys think?

[close]

People make terrible comparisons on here and offer zero explanation to base it upon. 

Paul Rodriguez is probably not in the Top 10 all time or if he is, he’s at the bottom.  Comparing him to Jordan makes no sense because it’s an apple and oranges comparison.   Paul didn’t win a bunch of titles or mvps or awards of note and he’s not super influential to generations of skaters where they all try to pattern their style after his or turn skateboarding into an international sport based off his singular talent.   He was the best skater in his era, which was kind of a downer era of skating, so I’d compare him to someone who was big in the late 90s NBA

Koston is the person I would compare Jordan to, particularly if you just want to go the “great talent, terrible personality” route


if you think me saying he's not top 10 is unfair - here's 18 skaters of the top of my head I'd rate above him.  who'd you replace with him?

eric koston
andrew reynolds
tony hawk
daewon song
marc johnson
mark gonzales
josh kalis
heath kirchart
arto saari
geoffrowley
john cardiel
dennis buzenitz
fred gall
AVE
ronnie creager
guy mariano
ishod wair
jake johnson

[close]

Alright, I feel like "being the Michael Jordan of something" has a different meaning from me since I'm not from the US and I don't even follow NBA, my bad.

That's why I said career-wise, I don't think there's anybody close to him. There are people more skilled than him, people more influential, people that did it first... I'm not saying he's the greatest of all time, but everything he did/does is class.

Was a very good child prodigy, got into the "best" sponsors (eS, Girl, PlanB, Nike...), he made Nike somewhat acceptable or popular, undeniably great parts (and a lot of them), He did well in contests even if that's not your thing, he seems like a nice guy and not a douche (but I don't know the guy), and then he started his Primitive brand with in my opinion the best and most productive team out there.

There are other guys that have done some of those things, but not all of them. Again, I'm happy to be proven wrong.

I’ll give you Tiger Woods of skating.   It’s shaky, but it works a little better with the child prodigy but also not being the greatest of all time.   Jordan wasn’t good at basketball until his junior year of high school.  He was a baseball player before that.   And yes, I did just watch a 10 hour documentary on MJ so I’m loaded up on facts about him. 

[rocklobster]

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The real Michael Jordan of skateboarding.

[close]

Or is it more a Jordan and Lebron situation?

[close]

Career-wise I don't think there's anybody that comes close. What do you guys think?

[close]

People make terrible comparisons on here and offer zero explanation to base it upon. 

Paul Rodriguez is probably not in the Top 10 all time or if he is, he’s at the bottom.  Comparing him to Jordan makes no sense because it’s an apple and oranges comparison.   Paul didn’t win a bunch of titles or mvps or awards of note and he’s not super influential to generations of skaters where they all try to pattern their style after his or turn skateboarding into an international sport based off his singular talent.   He was the best skater in his era, which was kind of a downer era of skating, so I’d compare him to someone who was big in the late 90s NBA

Koston is the person I would compare Jordan to, particularly if you just want to go the “great talent, terrible personality” route


if you think me saying he's not top 10 is unfair - here's 18 skaters of the top of my head I'd rate above him.  who'd you replace with him?

eric koston
andrew reynolds
tony hawk
daewon song
marc johnson
mark gonzales
josh kalis
heath kirchart
arto saari
geoffrowley
john cardiel
dennis buzenitz
fred gall
AVE
ronnie creager
guy mariano
ishod wair
jake johnson

[close]

Alright, I feel like "being the Michael Jordan of something" has a different meaning from me since I'm not from the US and I don't even follow NBA, my bad.

That's why I said career-wise, I don't think there's anybody close to him. There are people more skilled than him, people more influential, people that did it first... I'm not saying he's the greatest of all time, but everything he did/does is class.

Was a very good child prodigy, got into the "best" sponsors (eS, Girl, PlanB, Nike...), he made Nike somewhat acceptable or popular, undeniably great parts (and a lot of them), He did well in contests even if that's not your thing, he seems like a nice guy and not a douche (but I don't know the guy), and then he started his Primitive brand with in my opinion the best and most productive team out there.

There are other guys that have done some of those things, but not all of them. Again, I'm happy to be proven wrong.

[close]

I’ll give you Tiger Woods of skating.   It’s shaky, but it works a little better with the child prodigy but also not being the greatest of all time.   Jordan wasn’t good at basketball until his junior year of high school.  He was a baseball player before that.   And yes, I did just watch a 10 hour documentary on MJ so I’m loaded up on facts about him.

@Atiba Applebum  - watches The Last Dance a year after release
MJ - "and I took that personally"

[DIRTYDUZIT]

https://youtube.com/user/joshuabriggs1

Instagram : @dirtyduzit

[Atiba Applebum]

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The real Michael Jordan of skateboarding.

[close]

Or is it more a Jordan and Lebron situation?

[close]

Career-wise I don't think there's anybody that comes close. What do you guys think?

[close]

People make terrible comparisons on here and offer zero explanation to base it upon. 

Paul Rodriguez is probably not in the Top 10 all time or if he is, he’s at the bottom.  Comparing him to Jordan makes no sense because it’s an apple and oranges comparison.   Paul didn’t win a bunch of titles or mvps or awards of note and he’s not super influential to generations of skaters where they all try to pattern their style after his or turn skateboarding into an international sport based off his singular talent.   He was the best skater in his era, which was kind of a downer era of skating, so I’d compare him to someone who was big in the late 90s NBA

Koston is the person I would compare Jordan to, particularly if you just want to go the “great talent, terrible personality” route


if you think me saying he's not top 10 is unfair - here's 18 skaters of the top of my head I'd rate above him.  who'd you replace with him?

eric koston
andrew reynolds
tony hawk
daewon song
marc johnson
mark gonzales
josh kalis
heath kirchart
arto saari
geoffrowley
john cardiel
dennis buzenitz
fred gall
AVE
ronnie creager
guy mariano
ishod wair
jake johnson

[close]

Alright, I feel like "being the Michael Jordan of something" has a different meaning from me since I'm not from the US and I don't even follow NBA, my bad.

That's why I said career-wise, I don't think there's anybody close to him. There are people more skilled than him, people more influential, people that did it first... I'm not saying he's the greatest of all time, but everything he did/does is class.

Was a very good child prodigy, got into the "best" sponsors (eS, Girl, PlanB, Nike...), he made Nike somewhat acceptable or popular, undeniably great parts (and a lot of them), He did well in contests even if that's not your thing, he seems like a nice guy and not a douche (but I don't know the guy), and then he started his Primitive brand with in my opinion the best and most productive team out there.

There are other guys that have done some of those things, but not all of them. Again, I'm happy to be proven wrong.

[close]

I’ll give you Tiger Woods of skating.   It’s shaky, but it works a little better with the child prodigy but also not being the greatest of all time.   Jordan wasn’t good at basketball until his junior year of high school.  He was a baseball player before that.   And yes, I did just watch a 10 hour documentary on MJ so I’m loaded up on facts about him.

[close]

@Atiba Applebum  - watches The Last Dance a year after release
MJ - "and I took that personally"

Hahaha I know it was a mark of how lazy I was getting.  I swore to myself I would only watch it whilst on a cardio machine.   Took my about 10 months longer to complete than I thought it would

[notmikerusczyk]

killed it as always @JMSneep
it's awesome how dedicated you are to making these. just wondering, how have you been able to isolate the skate noises from the music when you're ripping the footage?

[rocklobster]

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Expand Quote

The real Michael Jordan of skateboarding.

[close]

Or is it more a Jordan and Lebron situation?

[close]

Career-wise I don't think there's anybody that comes close. What do you guys think?

[close]

People make terrible comparisons on here and offer zero explanation to base it upon. 

Paul Rodriguez is probably not in the Top 10 all time or if he is, he’s at the bottom.  Comparing him to Jordan makes no sense because it’s an apple and oranges comparison.   Paul didn’t win a bunch of titles or mvps or awards of note and he’s not super influential to generations of skaters where they all try to pattern their style after his or turn skateboarding into an international sport based off his singular talent.   He was the best skater in his era, which was kind of a downer era of skating, so I’d compare him to someone who was big in the late 90s NBA

Koston is the person I would compare Jordan to, particularly if you just want to go the “great talent, terrible personality” route


if you think me saying he's not top 10 is unfair - here's 18 skaters of the top of my head I'd rate above him.  who'd you replace with him?

eric koston
andrew reynolds
tony hawk
daewon song
marc johnson
mark gonzales
josh kalis
heath kirchart
arto saari
geoffrowley
john cardiel
dennis buzenitz
fred gall
AVE
ronnie creager
guy mariano
ishod wair
jake johnson

[close]

Alright, I feel like "being the Michael Jordan of something" has a different meaning from me since I'm not from the US and I don't even follow NBA, my bad.

That's why I said career-wise, I don't think there's anybody close to him. There are people more skilled than him, people more influential, people that did it first... I'm not saying he's the greatest of all time, but everything he did/does is class.

Was a very good child prodigy, got into the "best" sponsors (eS, Girl, PlanB, Nike...), he made Nike somewhat acceptable or popular, undeniably great parts (and a lot of them), He did well in contests even if that's not your thing, he seems like a nice guy and not a douche (but I don't know the guy), and then he started his Primitive brand with in my opinion the best and most productive team out there.

There are other guys that have done some of those things, but not all of them. Again, I'm happy to be proven wrong.

[close]

I’ll give you Tiger Woods of skating.   It’s shaky, but it works a little better with the child prodigy but also not being the greatest of all time.   Jordan wasn’t good at basketball until his junior year of high school.  He was a baseball player before that.   And yes, I did just watch a 10 hour documentary on MJ so I’m loaded up on facts about him.

[close]

@Atiba Applebum  - watches The Last Dance a year after release
MJ - "and I took that personally"

[close]

Hahaha I know it was a mark of how lazy I was getting.  I swore to myself I would only watch it whilst on a cardio machine.   Took my about 10 months longer to complete than I thought it would

Think I only finished it in March, did send me down the basketball stats YouTube rabbit hole for a bit.

[Grim Deeds]

Sneep you killed it again! I now look forward to your edits like I look forward to new chromeball interviews.

The first time I saw Paul was in a DNA ad circa '99 where he did a b/s nosegrind nollie heel on a Lockwood-sized picnic table. In a sequence! I think he popped up in an Inland Empire TWS article around that time with a kickflip down a gap. It wasn't until Logic 6 when I saw footage and realized he was on a whole other level of talent.

The crazy thing about him is he's solidified this super consistent high-level career but still skated progressively and pushed the limits of tricks in a tasteful manner. True to the era he was inspired by, he always made it look proper even when it got crazy (nollie front foot flips and flip-in/flip-out with style).

Never met him but he always struck me as a pretty down-to-earth person, too. Watching Sneep's edit is kind of overwhelming - especially considering all the parts he's had over the years.

[RoaryMcTwang]

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The real Michael Jordan of skateboarding.

[close]

Or is it more a Jordan and Lebron situation?

[close]

Career-wise I don't think there's anybody that comes close. What do you guys think?

[close]

People make terrible comparisons on here and offer zero explanation to base it upon. 

Paul Rodriguez is probably not in the Top 10 all time or if he is, he’s at the bottom.  Comparing him to Jordan makes no sense because it’s an apple and oranges comparison.   Paul didn’t win a bunch of titles or mvps or awards of note and he’s not super influential to generations of skaters where they all try to pattern their style after his or turn skateboarding into an international sport based off his singular talent.   He was the best skater in his era, which was kind of a downer era of skating, so I’d compare him to someone who was big in the late 90s NBA

Koston is the person I would compare Jordan to, particularly if you just want to go the “great talent, terrible personality” route


if you think me saying he's not top 10 is unfair - here's 18 skaters of the top of my head I'd rate above him.  who'd you replace with him?

eric koston
andrew reynolds
tony hawk
daewon song
marc johnson
mark gonzales
josh kalis
heath kirchart
arto saari
geoffrowley
john cardiel
dennis buzenitz
fred gall
AVE
ronnie creager
guy mariano
ishod wair
jake johnson

[close]

I posted last night half stoned. I meant to say it's a Jordan and Lebron situation with Koston. Lebron at the end of his prime, so is Prod, turning into a mentor for the younger generation.

[close]

This is definitely one of the dumber posts I’ve ever read on here. How are you going to doubt Paul’s influence? Him leaving Es for Nike in the 2000’s was one of the most influential moves of all time and for better or worse marked for a new era of corporate skateboarding. This was very controversial at the time and most people called him stupid for it. Koston was what? Ten years behind to follow suit. Fast forward and he now owns one of the best selling board brands in the world. All while still progressing his skating, even at his current age. Koston ran his company into the ground and hasn’t put out quality footage in a decade.
But to answer your question. You really think that Mr. 270 out , Ronnie Creager, is more influential than Prod? That must some strong stuff you’re smoking.

I highly recommend you check out pre-Menikmati Ronnie Creager. Might want to start with Trilogy.

Great part Sneep! I’ve come to like P-Rod better and better over the years.

[mareo]

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The real Michael Jordan of skateboarding.

[close]

Or is it more a Jordan and Lebron situation?

[close]

Career-wise I don't think there's anybody that comes close. What do you guys think?

[close]

People make terrible comparisons on here and offer zero explanation to base it upon. 

Paul Rodriguez is probably not in the Top 10 all time or if he is, he’s at the bottom.  Comparing him to Jordan makes no sense because it’s an apple and oranges comparison.   Paul didn’t win a bunch of titles or mvps or awards of note and he’s not super influential to generations of skaters where they all try to pattern their style after his or turn skateboarding into an international sport based off his singular talent.   He was the best skater in his era, which was kind of a downer era of skating, so I’d compare him to someone who was big in the late 90s NBA

Koston is the person I would compare Jordan to, particularly if you just want to go the “great talent, terrible personality” route


if you think me saying he's not top 10 is unfair - here's 18 skaters of the top of my head I'd rate above him.  who'd you replace with him?

eric koston
andrew reynolds
tony hawk
daewon song
marc johnson
mark gonzales
josh kalis
heath kirchart
arto saari
geoffrowley
john cardiel
dennis buzenitz
fred gall
AVE
ronnie creager
guy mariano
ishod wair
jake johnson

[close]

Alright, I feel like "being the Michael Jordan of something" has a different meaning from me since I'm not from the US and I don't even follow NBA, my bad.

That's why I said career-wise, I don't think there's anybody close to him. There are people more skilled than him, people more influential, people that did it first... I'm not saying he's the greatest of all time, but everything he did/does is class.

Was a very good child prodigy, got into the "best" sponsors (eS, Girl, PlanB, Nike...), he made Nike somewhat acceptable or popular, undeniably great parts (and a lot of them), He did well in contests even if that's not your thing, he seems like a nice guy and not a douche (but I don't know the guy), and then he started his Primitive brand with in my opinion the best and most productive team out there.

There are other guys that have done some of those things, but not all of them. Again, I'm happy to be proven wrong.

[close]

I’ll give you Tiger Woods of skating.   It’s shaky, but it works a little better with the child prodigy but also not being the greatest of all time.   Jordan wasn’t good at basketball until his junior year of high school.  He was a baseball player before that.   And yes, I did just watch a 10 hour documentary on MJ so I’m loaded up on facts about him.

Yeah that might be a much better analogy I guess. Before he had the meltdown tho.

[rocklobster]

Friends and I would watch his warm up and get hyped to skate. Amazingly consistent, no other way to describe him.


But also horrible at providing commentary on trick tip videos because he's so gifted on the board. Everything comes so naturally for him he sucks at putting motion into words.

[funeral_tuxedo]

@rocklobster I hadn't seen these before thanks for posting. I love how PRod almost always rode the worst colored trucks.

[lk130]

I remember most of that footage but it was nice for a clean new edit. Nike commited at the time & if you weren't paying attention it was solid this time. At the time of me getting into skating people weren't sure how big it really was with the eS Osiris Vans all together. Paul worked hard & it's good to see that, there are so many different skateboarders though. I remember when Primitive skareboards were first forming & people were denying it. He really did influence the 80's 90s kids at his time

[notmikerusczyk]

I remember most of that footage but it was nice for a clean new edit. Nike commited at the time & if you weren't paying attention it was solid this time. At the time of me getting into skating people weren't sure how big it really was with the eS Osiris Vans all together. Paul worked hard & it's good to see that, there are so many different skateboarders though. I remember when Primitive skareboards were first forming & people were denying it. He really did influence the 80's 90s kids at his time

so true man

[rocklobster]

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I remember most of that footage but it was nice for a clean new edit. Nike commited at the time & if you weren't paying attention it was solid this time. At the time of me getting into skating people weren't sure how big it really was with the eS Osiris Vans all together. Paul worked hard & it's good to see that, there are so many different skateboarders though. I remember when Primitive skareboards were first forming & people were denying it. He really did influence the 80's 90s kids at his time

[close]

so true man

Crailtap may have done the Japanese brand (Sanrio) crossover with their boards first but Primitive did it better. P-Rod and the business guys behind him knew that the money lay outside skateboarders and with the wider public; might as well get some DBZ and Naruto graphics on there to widen your appeal to an audience that already spends hundreds of dollars on plastic figurines?

@rocklobster I hadn't seen these before thanks for posting. I love how PRod almost always rode the worst colored trucks.

I mean he did ride for Silver at 1 point; I think I bought a pair because he rode for them and I was a sucker for any bit of technology in my trucks. When I first downloaded Yeah Right of Limewire you can bet I skipped everyone's parts and watched his part first. And everyone who was a teenager was eyeing his first pro model shoe when Nike first dropped it.

[newMe]

If P-Rod is Jordan, Jereme Rogers is Dennis Rodman for sure. Is Mikey Taylor Scottie Pippen?

[lk130]

At this generation. He's definitely on that Team Usa wave

[Brguy]

Even if he's a "robot" I think his style is great. The only issue I have is too many flip and flip 180s variations down whatever set of stairs, they're good, but it's hard to keep paying attention after so many times.