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A contribution to this discussion, because I find myself in some agreement with some of you for once:
Kyle Beachy has come at me a few times on social media before ... completely unprovoked ... and each time he kinda ended up with his foot in his mouth. I've always supported the dude and shouted out some of his older pieces and we hung out a few times and talked ... So I always found it bizarre. But whatever, something I posted made him feet some type of way and expressed himself. That's fine.
Really enjoyed the Reynolds/Berra one wayyy back on Jenkem.
No beef with the dude at all but calling it like I see it ... Kyle Beachy wants you to know he's SMARTER than you. His writing/hosting/content reeks of that vibe. And his dissertation on Verso was a however-many-pages long masturbation session with the seemingly-sole purpose of low key bragging that he saw the part before YOU/US peasants did. And that, you know, he's bros with Mark because Mark, like him, is one of those "too smart for skateboarding types" too.
Dude knew he wanted to love the part before he saw it. That's a super weird way to write/critique anything IMO. And that's why video reviews and critics are such garbage. You can't objectively review anything, ever. And you certainly can't accurately review something without the passage of time. You have to let the overstoke subside to do it right.
He interviewed me for this Dylan chapter. We spoke for a while on the phone. I enjoy talking to him always. I guess he thought I was good friends with Dylan, so not much came out of it when he found out I wasn't other than that I filmed the Street League clip he mentioned. Understandable.
He writes really well, its the way he thinks about skateboarding as he writes about it that needs work I feel. Has to get over himself, past viewing skateboarding through the lens of an overzealous teenager, and and tone down the pretentiousness ... Like naming the book chapters "On Tampa Pro" like many great old writers/philosophers (Thoreau, Emerson, etc.) used to do was really fucking over the top to me. I think if he just worked that out he could do some really amazing stuff.
I dunno that skateboarding ever needed a Boil the Ocean, that's a matter of opinion, but it certainly doesn't need a second.
All that said ... I admire his efforts, that he's penned a few books and that he tries. I think if he decides to evolve a bit he will get really good.
And I am completely aware that at times in my career I have been guilty of some of this same writing pretentiousness and chest beating ... which is why it is so easy to identify. Although I might argue a scholarly approach never really appealed to me because skateboarding shouldn't be taken that seriously, especially when writing about it. I think my approach has always been focused on interviews rather than essays and a little more about how funny the lives of skaters can be but without the sensationalism approach that Big Brother (my main inspiration as a writer) had.
But that fact that this message might sound contradictory is not lost on me. It's part of the journey of most writers I think.
A kyle beachy / no one beef is something I didn’t know I needed but I clearly do. Thank you for sharing. I’ve been known to write in an overly academic way at times, as some have pointed out to me on this very board. But beachy takes things to such extremes, it makes me never want to write that way again.
No beef. I realize this might elicit a reaction and rebuttal from him. But I like the dude. As I have been more vocal lately and sharing my takes on shit that has been going down with Max Wettstein, USA Skateboarding, working on my book and planning a new interview show ... grass roots, Zoom style ... I can't help but keep circling back to the fact that I feel we (people within the industry and the know, so to speak) need to discuss skateboarding more honestly ... and that not everything is a "shots fired" or "takedown" or a beef ... As a long time fan of Stern, I have always appreciated his ability to observe and critique, but also have a guest on who he has done so with, and both are mature enough to understand what it is and be friends still. Not everything has to be taken SO personally.
The last few months for me have been about testing the waters and to crush the fear of speaking out and standing up for yourself. An action that very often gets you blacklisted from skateboarding. "Oh he's just bitter. He's so salty. He's unhinged. we're witnessing a mental breakdown." These are all ways the industry avoids accountability and passes blame onto victims. It's pretty uncool actually.
I've been testing it here, as many of you know. Just digging in soooo fucking deep with you guys. And apart from annoying the shit out of you ... SORRY. There are no actual repercussions. Been testing it with my IG rants, testing it with calling out creeps like Max or telling every detail of what happened with USA Skateboarding. So many people have hit me up to thank me for speaking out.
I've been testing the fear that speaking out and being honest will get you "cancelled" or whatever ... the same way when you are a kid and you FINALLY stand up to the bully on the playground and more often than not, it ends his shitty behavior for good. And you find yourself wishing you stood up for yourself sooner. That's when you are truly empowered and can do your best work.
At the moment I no longer take a paycheck from skateboarding, so no better time to test it all. I hope to put out some interviews with people we all love/loved really soon that are very insightful and different than everything else that is out there. Honesty without scandal. Truth without takedowns, blah blah. It may seem different or not so well received at first but I believe in the long run it will work out and people will get it.
So there you have it. I won't annoy you guys anymore. The fact that people on here tried to proximity cancel me/shame me when Mark Oblow said his shit on 9 Club was what really provoked it. I was honestly like "Dude, I'm not gonna sit here being afraid of people trying to skew the truth/narrative and attempt to cancel me for shit I didn't do, and especially shit from almost a decade ago." ...
So there you have it. Not here to start a battle. Just a stream of consciousness thought process as I read this thread and added a Beachy take.
PS .. I miss Dylan's skating so much. There's definitely a void out there without him. But I don't have a love letter to publish
Also my posts have to await moderation by the mods. I am in Slap purgatory because of the Beatrice thread LMAO. So if I don't reply right away to anyone who @s me ... that's why. They are POWERFUL bro.
Topic: Kyle Beachy on Dylan (Read 15088 times)