Copyrights

Internet copyright, much like we saw with Shane O'Neil's internet part, has claimed the life of my dear Paul Rodriguez link. My thoughts on this shameful little exercise of selfishness go somewhere along these lines:

If you want to make money off of some piece of skateboarding, there are two ways to do it. 1/ get a photo in a mag 2/ put out a physical video. I was geared up to claim that P-Rod's part was the first truly significant skate part to hit the internet in a digital-only format, but now that this has happened (and no, I myself did not pay for it, I have ceased to support Plan B like I used to), I feel that this is just another blow to the physical video. Yes, videos are going to be pirated either way. But releasing such a magnificent clip of Paul on iTunes for a price has the potential to destroy the video part forever. He knocks down barriers by the second, and to waste such a progressive part on an online release without a surrounding full-team video seems sacrilegious to me. Think of the best ending parts of the past decade; Reynolds in both Emerica vids, Daewon in Skate More, Rodney and Daewon in Round 3, Bassett in State of Mind, MJ in Fully Flared, Jerry Hsu in Bag of Suck, etc etc. Many more I've missed, I know. These parts are prime examples of how a video should operate; you like the video, maybe even love it, possibly disliking a part or two but by the end, that last part tops it off and hypes you up and that last part is usually what gets talked about on messageboards and skate park cigarette pow-wows.

So what good is it, a little less than a year from the supposed release date for the Plan B video (which was supposed to come out in '09 if I remember the company's rebirthed beginnings properly), to release such a monumental part from Target-boy? Would this indeed have been the ender in a Plan B release? Or is it simply another ploy to build hype for their release, not unlike the very sick Vamdalism (or Gustavo, should I say), Superfuture, and the Live After Death promos? By this point they have released about two full-length features worth of shit, to little effect. J-Rog's part on the Live After Death disc was probably Jereme's best part to date, but it's on a free DVD in TSM. Gustavo had a brilliant part in Digital's last release, and Gallant and Duffy have essentially wasted away some gnarly tricks in the sake of a forgotten promo. Now P-Rod joins the masses of those victims of Plan B's jaded effect on footage. Of course, I may be unfair in saying this, because I do believe P-Rod to be the most technically gifted skater on this planet, so perhaps he's capable of producing another such part in under a year. This could also set up an excuse to give Danny Way another shot at ender, even though I feel he has been hopelessly out-classed on his own creation by Bob Burnquist. So maybe even further of a stretch remains. Could Sheckler actually contend for ending part in the video-that-may-never-be? He has been curiously absent from coverage lately, as have most of the Plan B riders ever since Gallant's exodus, conveniently followed by a mash of coverage in Expedition ads. Hopefully, little bitch boy has been ripping and will rid himself of his jock sweatband and deliver some gnarly yet cheesy goods that even a hater such as myself could appreciate. Along those same lines, hopefully Plan B has a surprise waiting for us, which would explain this odd internet whoring attempt.

But I'm not placing my dollars on either one. For one, Sheckler does not seem like he'd ever be worthy of getting ender in a video chocked with legends and greats. And for two, I predict we will see one final promo from the Plan B monster before their video release gets pushed back once more, released online in parts or on itunes, and stuns the world with it's contents but gets quickly forgotten due to lack of personality. At first they were everyone's favorite company, because of their legacy and their decks. Then their decks started to cheapen, they lose Darrell Stanton, Lem Villemen, Brian Wenning, and Ryan Gallant. They pick up Pudwill, who bailed on Almost for questionable reasons. They essentially lost their sole after the half-desecration of their original lineup. Wenning, although predominantly figuring in my mind as one of the biggest assholes professional skateboarding has yet to see, is still an individual worthy of respect for standing up to Plan B's insistence on not paying him his wages, if what he says is true. Although he doesn't progress any more, and turned his back on Habitat, he still holds a great place in our history because of his earlier ledge efforts and what he did for the switch heel and stance combined. Not to mention the switch back 180 down the LOVE fountain. And this is the kind of man Plan B chooses to withhold pay from? Pappalardo hating aside, that's fucked up. It seems to me Plan B can't make up what path they want to take. Now under corporate management, they are walking a fine line as a company full of greats/sellouts, putting out videos that are redefining and at the same time restrictive of the actual progression a full length, full effort production could create.

Therefore, nazis that took down that youtube video, what's more worth it to you, being the buzz of the skate world for the next month, or splitting your $3.00 charge with iTunes for every kid that buys it? Is it the skating that matters, or the money? Is it the video that ultimately matters, or just the attempts to keep your company relevant in light of massive failures to deliver on your video release promises? We all know and love the footage coming from your company. But seriously, this is a bit far. You're giving up on the skate world and giving in to the internet craze. I support parts as good as this, but at least make me wait in Stay Gold fashion to sit on my couch covered in drool and tears as the last chords of the final song play through my roommates' tv speakers. The internet is a terrible place for making people pay for groundbreaking footage. You have dealt a blow both to the future of the traditional skate video, and to the future of internet footage releases at the same time.

Thank you.