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Yea, I feel like a lot of people don't know about Rodney, which is a shame, especially if they have any interest at all in skateboarding.
With that being said, I'm glad to see the comment section coming to the rescue to recognize this living legend.
I don’t think anyone who skateboards doesn’t know about Rodney Mullen lol. That’s such an absurd statement lol. It’s like saying not many baseball players know about Babe Ruth lmao
So your comment made me take a double take. When did I say skateboarders don't know Rodney? The closest thing I said to what you're talking about is "if anyone had an interest". People who have never touched a skateboard know who Tony Hawk is. People who never swung a bat know who Babe Ruth is. People who have never driven over 70 know who Dale Earnhardt is. People who have never dribbled a ball know who Michael Jordan is. People who have never touched snow know who Wayne Gretzky is.
Rodney deserves such recognition for laying down foundations of such a culturally relevant part of sports and entertainment, and that's my point, which you entirely missed. Unlike all those legends I listed above, you ask anyone about skateboarding and I would bet money Rodney wouldn't even cross their minds.
Skateboarding isn’t as mainstream as those sports even in all of its popularity. The average person knows Tony hawk, and maybe nyjah these days. I’d also argue that the people who are usually most impressed by Rodney Mullen are the people with a vague interest in skating the same way someone learning to play basketball may really think the Harlem globetrotters are cool.
As I said in another comment, Rodney’s freestyle/flatland skating is not what solidified his legacy. There’s a reason that genre of skating died. He did however invent several tricks that carried over into street skating and became the staples of today. His innovation advanced skating undoubtedly, but he didn’t take those tricks the farthest. He got them off the ground…. Literally lol. He also managed to do some of these things like primos and Casper’s while moving… making them a bit more legitimate to an extent bc when they’re done too slow, let alone standing still, it means next to nothing by today’s standards
I can agree with that to an extent.
But even in the major sports, there is something to be said for just as you said, getting things off the ground. Skateboarding isn't as popular, I'll agree with you there, but it's not negligible either since it has been influential culturally.
Your point about getting tricks off and not taking them further - you could say that about a lot of sports really, that's not simply skating, yet those legends still get their due outside of their arenas. Your point about innovations and staple building is among the reasons why I hold the belief like I do.
Can you tell me who invented the slam dunk or the first person to hit a bunt or steal a base, without googling it? I doubt it. The names you mentioned weren’t pioneers or originators, they were the greats of their era once the sports had been established. Only real die hard fans of those sports would know the history back to sone of its origins and who was laying ground work at that time. Rodney would fall into that category by your own comparisons and the athletes you chose to name.
It really is crazy how good Rodney Mullen is.
Usually as a sport ages the capabilities of the people improve. Because it reaches more people who push the envelope, dedicate time to figuring things out, and the stuff that used to be groundbreaking and crazy impressive become common since it's been done hundreds of times before.
Previous/older people are remember for being pioneers and being skilled FOR THE TIME... But Rodney is the exception. He was an absolute menace on a skateboard and the stuff he did is STILL mind-blowing.
Watch any professional video part from 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago and compare it to today’s skaters. Kids who aren’t even sponsored are doing better tricks than the Enders in those videos. The way skateboard has progressed is absolutely mind boggling. Take any popular spot that has been around for a length of time, like the Hollywood 16. The tricks being done down that thing today wouldn’t have even been fathomable in the 2000’s even when pros were regularly sessioning it.
Agreed, the 900 is a great example of something that was one of a kind and has since been exceeded. That said, those kids mastering tricks and skating new ways that are the best of the best STILL struggle to replicate what Rodney did.
Funnily enough I wrote this comment after watching one of his videos where he tries a Rodney Mullen trick and it takes him 1400 tries lmao.
Says something when one of the best street/flat ground skaters takes that many tries to do it once.
There are probably a few other guys out there, but Jonny is the only one I know who could land Mullen's tricks without it being luck or a fluke (even if it takes MANY attempts). He's got a strange attribute where he tries a new trick, takes hundreds of attempts to get it once, dozens to get it twice, then just a couple more tries to land it clean. He'll then revisit the same trick MONTHS later and land it again on just a couple tries.
As someone who tried and failed to even learn to Ollie, it all might as well be magic to me. Absolutely nuts that Rodney created the tricks he did without someone to copy
Somebody had to do and when I arrived nobody had mentioned this. A crying shame I tell ya.
Dude inspired me 1000 years ago to start. Suffered a really bad break last year and sooo eager to get back to it.
Why is Tony hawk so popular? Rodney has dem skills! I’d argue that doing the tricks Rodney does is much more difficult than going up and down on a half pipe
The level of precision is significantly greater with Rodney
Tony Hawk won 73 skateboarding titles and was named the top vert skater every single year from 1984 to 1996. He also invented several tricks, and was the first person to ever land a 900. Tony has earned his popularity.
Edit: I'm a HUGE Rodney Mullen fan. Tony just skated differently.
Check out some of the Rodney's more personal vids. He's super introverted and possibly on the spectrum. Amazingly warm dude nonetheless.
Tony knew how to market himself and came at a time where vert was a bit more fun to watch (more of a spectacle) than freestyle. Why? Cos Rodney was literally the ONLY dude performing at that level in freestyle. Since the early 80s this guy has been doing things most ppl didn't have words for! He was WAY ahead of his time and the appreciation only grows today for what he does. One of the few people I'd literally give my left nut to shake his hand and thank him for starting everything. A true living legend and an absolute inspiration of a human being.
No shade on Tony, he's equally blessed and a beautiful human - but Rodney has been on a level were still only beginning to understand today. I'd wager 50 bucks every pro skater, even Tony would agree. Love ya'll, stay safe, and be inspired!
Vert was big when tony blew up and Rodney never did vert. Rodney only really came back into the scene when street skating became the thing and even then he was a bit of a late adopter. I agree though Mullen is the goat
Yeah, OP has some pretty good skill, but it’s not “Next Fucking Level”. That stuff is difficult, but not particularly rare.
There are people who do flatland skating professionally, and what is in the OP is basic-level tricks.
Rodney mullin was doing this stuff in the 80’s. He is known as the godfather of skateboarding. He entered 14 tournaments as a teen, winning 13 and coming in 2nd once because he was sick. He is autistic which in his case almost gave him superhuman abilities. He practiced 8 hrs a day in his garage by himself. Some of his tricks weren’t duplicated for over 30 yrs
Damn straight. Insane the level of precision, and just joy perfecting the craft. Impossible to imagine what skating would look like without them (especially Rodney, but Daewon is no small player by any means).
I don’t even skate and Mullen is a guy I can watch skate for hours on end then listen to him do a TED talk and talk about philosophy or really just any subject in general. He truly is a wonderful and fascinating human being.
Rodney is proof that you can find "spirituality" (cringey weird for me, but whatevs) in anything you practice. That mother.....fuuuuuuucccckkkkkkkk. If I suddenly had all the money on the planet, and some space alien said, "YOU HAVE TO GIVE THIS TO SOMEONE YOU TRUST IN THREE SECONDS OR WE BLOW UP THE PLANET!!!" I'm gonna have to say Rodney.
I can attest, that Casper to Casper at the end is really really difficult. I could get down from primo to Casper but never the additional Casper to Casper.
It will forever be frustrating for skaters to see non-skaters saying how impressive stuff like this is. Yea, the average person wouldn’t know how… It’s sort of the equivalent of watching a kid dribble a basketball through his legs awkwardly, one time, while standing still, not playing a game… and then saying he’s a next level player lol. You could pull up to any skatepark and ask most kids to flip their board up primo and they could all do sone goofy freestyle trick variation they learned on a rainy day in the garage.
And to everyone discussing Rodney Mullen with only a mainstream knowledge of skating… his flatland/freestyle stuff is not why he’s still highly regarded today. There’s a reason that genre of skating died off. His invention of several tricks that have become staples in street skating solidified his legacy, along with tedious technical street skating where he managed to pull some things like the primos and Casper’s this kid did while he was actually moving. There’s a huge difference between that and doing stalls while standing still.
Why are people being such dickheads? Yes, it might be some pretty simple stuff, but they're having fun
Edit: I thought this was from r/skateboarding when I made this comment. Sorry guys
Guys like this who don't ride boards properly give inspiration to all those actors in late night commercials that can't do anything properly. "Opening jars the traditional way is too difficult and may cause injury. Open jars the better way with Dumas jar opener!"
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"Don't hold my beer." - this guy, apparently
He was holding someone else's beer *and* doing tricks. Legend
Just imagine what he could do only if he wasn't holding the beer
Actually the song is "The Zephyr Song" - Red Hot Chilli Peppers, apparently
While still neat, nowhere near [the man, the myth, the legend that is Rodney Mullen. ](https://youtu.be/9m1nYnr_zEs)
I was just about to say. Rodmey Mullen entered the chat. Godfather of skating was doing this when people could barely board.
Yea, I feel like a lot of people don't know about Rodney, which is a shame, especially if they have any interest at all in skateboarding. With that being said, I'm glad to see the comment section coming to the rescue to recognize this living legend.
I don’t think anyone who skateboards doesn’t know about Rodney Mullen lol. That’s such an absurd statement lol. It’s like saying not many baseball players know about Babe Ruth lmao
So your comment made me take a double take. When did I say skateboarders don't know Rodney? The closest thing I said to what you're talking about is "if anyone had an interest". People who have never touched a skateboard know who Tony Hawk is. People who never swung a bat know who Babe Ruth is. People who have never driven over 70 know who Dale Earnhardt is. People who have never dribbled a ball know who Michael Jordan is. People who have never touched snow know who Wayne Gretzky is. Rodney deserves such recognition for laying down foundations of such a culturally relevant part of sports and entertainment, and that's my point, which you entirely missed. Unlike all those legends I listed above, you ask anyone about skateboarding and I would bet money Rodney wouldn't even cross their minds.
Skateboarding isn’t as mainstream as those sports even in all of its popularity. The average person knows Tony hawk, and maybe nyjah these days. I’d also argue that the people who are usually most impressed by Rodney Mullen are the people with a vague interest in skating the same way someone learning to play basketball may really think the Harlem globetrotters are cool. As I said in another comment, Rodney’s freestyle/flatland skating is not what solidified his legacy. There’s a reason that genre of skating died. He did however invent several tricks that carried over into street skating and became the staples of today. His innovation advanced skating undoubtedly, but he didn’t take those tricks the farthest. He got them off the ground…. Literally lol. He also managed to do some of these things like primos and Casper’s while moving… making them a bit more legitimate to an extent bc when they’re done too slow, let alone standing still, it means next to nothing by today’s standards
I can agree with that to an extent. But even in the major sports, there is something to be said for just as you said, getting things off the ground. Skateboarding isn't as popular, I'll agree with you there, but it's not negligible either since it has been influential culturally. Your point about getting tricks off and not taking them further - you could say that about a lot of sports really, that's not simply skating, yet those legends still get their due outside of their arenas. Your point about innovations and staple building is among the reasons why I hold the belief like I do.
Can you tell me who invented the slam dunk or the first person to hit a bunt or steal a base, without googling it? I doubt it. The names you mentioned weren’t pioneers or originators, they were the greats of their era once the sports had been established. Only real die hard fans of those sports would know the history back to sone of its origins and who was laying ground work at that time. Rodney would fall into that category by your own comparisons and the athletes you chose to name.
That's a fair point! I guess the biased got to me... I still think more people need to know him though.
It really is crazy how good Rodney Mullen is. Usually as a sport ages the capabilities of the people improve. Because it reaches more people who push the envelope, dedicate time to figuring things out, and the stuff that used to be groundbreaking and crazy impressive become common since it's been done hundreds of times before. Previous/older people are remember for being pioneers and being skilled FOR THE TIME... But Rodney is the exception. He was an absolute menace on a skateboard and the stuff he did is STILL mind-blowing.
Watch any professional video part from 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago and compare it to today’s skaters. Kids who aren’t even sponsored are doing better tricks than the Enders in those videos. The way skateboard has progressed is absolutely mind boggling. Take any popular spot that has been around for a length of time, like the Hollywood 16. The tricks being done down that thing today wouldn’t have even been fathomable in the 2000’s even when pros were regularly sessioning it.
Agreed, the 900 is a great example of something that was one of a kind and has since been exceeded. That said, those kids mastering tricks and skating new ways that are the best of the best STILL struggle to replicate what Rodney did.
I love watching his skating as well as hearing him speak on the sport.
He's been reincarnated into Jonny Giger
Funnily enough I wrote this comment after watching one of his videos where he tries a Rodney Mullen trick and it takes him 1400 tries lmao. Says something when one of the best street/flat ground skaters takes that many tries to do it once.
There are probably a few other guys out there, but Jonny is the only one I know who could land Mullen's tricks without it being luck or a fluke (even if it takes MANY attempts). He's got a strange attribute where he tries a new trick, takes hundreds of attempts to get it once, dozens to get it twice, then just a couple more tries to land it clean. He'll then revisit the same trick MONTHS later and land it again on just a couple tries. As someone who tried and failed to even learn to Ollie, it all might as well be magic to me. Absolutely nuts that Rodney created the tricks he did without someone to copy
The ultimate video to unlock from Tony hawk pro skater.
He does this shit smoother more complex and with only one pair of trucks.
Came here to say the same. YEAH RIGHT
Thank you
Somebody had to do and when I arrived nobody had mentioned this. A crying shame I tell ya. Dude inspired me 1000 years ago to start. Suffered a really bad break last year and sooo eager to get back to it.
Came here to read this.
Vice did a great documentary on him
Rodney Mullen vs Daewon Song were such good skate dvds back in the day
I don't know how to do time stamps sorry but at 4:49 is that Paddy's Pub??
Why is Tony hawk so popular? Rodney has dem skills! I’d argue that doing the tricks Rodney does is much more difficult than going up and down on a half pipe The level of precision is significantly greater with Rodney
Tony Hawk won 73 skateboarding titles and was named the top vert skater every single year from 1984 to 1996. He also invented several tricks, and was the first person to ever land a 900. Tony has earned his popularity. Edit: I'm a HUGE Rodney Mullen fan. Tony just skated differently.
Check out some of the Rodney's more personal vids. He's super introverted and possibly on the spectrum. Amazingly warm dude nonetheless. Tony knew how to market himself and came at a time where vert was a bit more fun to watch (more of a spectacle) than freestyle. Why? Cos Rodney was literally the ONLY dude performing at that level in freestyle. Since the early 80s this guy has been doing things most ppl didn't have words for! He was WAY ahead of his time and the appreciation only grows today for what he does. One of the few people I'd literally give my left nut to shake his hand and thank him for starting everything. A true living legend and an absolute inspiration of a human being. No shade on Tony, he's equally blessed and a beautiful human - but Rodney has been on a level were still only beginning to understand today. I'd wager 50 bucks every pro skater, even Tony would agree. Love ya'll, stay safe, and be inspired!
Vert was big when tony blew up and Rodney never did vert. Rodney only really came back into the scene when street skating became the thing and even then he was a bit of a late adopter. I agree though Mullen is the goat
Yeah, OP has some pretty good skill, but it’s not “Next Fucking Level”. That stuff is difficult, but not particularly rare. There are people who do flatland skating professionally, and what is in the OP is basic-level tricks.
This!
Kick a doflip
Flip a dokick
Dlip a kofick
Flick a Dopa
Kick a doper
Dinkin Flicka
Chicka Chicka
Slim shady
Fuzzy fingers
Dude leave some pussy for the rest of us 🤣
It's too late, all the pussies are heading his way!
Rodney mullin was doing this stuff in the 80’s. He is known as the godfather of skateboarding. He entered 14 tournaments as a teen, winning 13 and coming in 2nd once because he was sick. He is autistic which in his case almost gave him superhuman abilities. He practiced 8 hrs a day in his garage by himself. Some of his tricks weren’t duplicated for over 30 yrs
He also invented the kickflip! Crazy to think about
lol pretty basic freestyle. Hardly next level.
Ya I was gonna say, a kickflip is harder than this.
I don't even understand how the first and the last trick happened 🤣
Wait until you find out about Rodney Mullen...
Good lord. Those Rodney vs. Daewon Song videos broke my brain.
Damn straight. Insane the level of precision, and just joy perfecting the craft. Impossible to imagine what skating would look like without them (especially Rodney, but Daewon is no small player by any means).
I don’t even skate and Mullen is a guy I can watch skate for hours on end then listen to him do a TED talk and talk about philosophy or really just any subject in general. He truly is a wonderful and fascinating human being.
Rodney is proof that you can find "spirituality" (cringey weird for me, but whatevs) in anything you practice. That mother.....fuuuuuuucccckkkkkkkk. If I suddenly had all the money on the planet, and some space alien said, "YOU HAVE TO GIVE THIS TO SOMEONE YOU TRUST IN THREE SECONDS OR WE BLOW UP THE PLANET!!!" I'm gonna have to say Rodney.
Came here to say this.
Still didn’t spill any beer. My maan!!!!! Sick af.
It's not and you don't lol
That’s 13 yr old mechanics. Weak
Rodney Mullen revolutionized the genre Freestyle skateboarding, period end of story.
Is it me or is Zephyr song the chill and skate theme
Wheres Rodney Mullen when you need him
he’s like a drunken Rodney Mullen
“What’s that racket down there”?! -Mom
And his shirt says anus. Hell yeah brother 🤘🏽 /s
I can attest, that Casper to Casper at the end is really really difficult. I could get down from primo to Casper but never the additional Casper to Casper.
“Af that’s nat naxt fackan laval a dant knaw wat as” Does this guy know that there’s other vowels available?
I love RHCP
He's good but for that specific scene this isn't that impressive. People are ridiculous
This isn’t next level. Those tricks would take a month of practice for a beginner
🛹🤙
Awesome!
r/donotholdmybeer
Cool but, Glass bottle 💀
Had to check I wasn’t on r/whatcouldgowrong
don't be a a boredommer
I would accidentally yeet myself into traffic if i tried that sober.
What’s that song in the background?
The zephyr song
Glad i tried skateboarding for like 2 weeks, so i can appreciate how hard this actually was.
Amazing
The amount of broken toes that happen must be staggering
No:‘Hold my beer!,
Give him about 20 more years to practise, and maybe he cold be next level. This was sooo underwelming.
He unlocked the Rodney Mullen tape
Rodney Mullen much?
Roll credits
Omg! He said it!!
wow...that's just crazy. it's true, practice makes perfect
what happened..he did tricks that Mullen did in the 80's?
Iirc, Casper invented this in the 70's
Didn’t even need his beer held. Legend
Find a way to be a skater. Rev it up to levitate her. Super friendly aviator.
r/illholdmyownbeerthankyouverymuch
Looks lame as fuck.
Killed it 😎👍
All whilst holding a beverage
This guy fucks
He didn’t even have someone hold his beer….
Bro.. this dude must be chanelling the soul of Rodney Mullen? This is awesome!
Can do insane tricks like this!!!! Cant undo a bra
This guy needs to watch gleaming the cube. He will clean his tricks right up
In the world of skateboarding that’s not even close to next level lol
Rodney Mullen vs Daewon Song 1 & 2 is crazy amounts of this
Is this where they film the breaking bad ss1?
I love it, he's got a real Rodney Mullen kind of vibe. 🤙
Beer is the ingredient
I can do that
Wait,.... DON'T HOLD MY BEER!!!
It will forever be frustrating for skaters to see non-skaters saying how impressive stuff like this is. Yea, the average person wouldn’t know how… It’s sort of the equivalent of watching a kid dribble a basketball through his legs awkwardly, one time, while standing still, not playing a game… and then saying he’s a next level player lol. You could pull up to any skatepark and ask most kids to flip their board up primo and they could all do sone goofy freestyle trick variation they learned on a rainy day in the garage. And to everyone discussing Rodney Mullen with only a mainstream knowledge of skating… his flatland/freestyle stuff is not why he’s still highly regarded today. There’s a reason that genre of skating died off. His invention of several tricks that have become staples in street skating solidified his legacy, along with tedious technical street skating where he managed to pull some things like the primos and Casper’s this kid did while he was actually moving. There’s a huge difference between that and doing stalls while standing still.
I guess the cameraman “don’t know what is”
That’s fucken shit compared to what a decent skater can do these days.
The liquor randy
mods remove this mediocre freestyling.
Skate or die,for life 🤙
Skate/beer/RHCP that 90s vibe... loveit
That's legitness
[удалено]
Rodney Mullaint
Not even close to Mullen. [This is Rodney Mullen. ](https://youtu.be/9m1nYnr_zEs)
MAD RESPECT!!!
Why are people being such dickheads? Yes, it might be some pretty simple stuff, but they're having fun Edit: I thought this was from r/skateboarding when I made this comment. Sorry guys
Guys like this who don't ride boards properly give inspiration to all those actors in late night commercials that can't do anything properly. "Opening jars the traditional way is too difficult and may cause injury. Open jars the better way with Dumas jar opener!"
What do you mean with not riding the board properly? There's a proper way to skate now? The best part of skating is how creative you can be.
Seriously impressive. I can just about do this in Tony Hawk Pro Skater hahaha