Once known for his street lifestyle and insane pop, former pro skater Darren Harper left the spotlight behind to embrace a job and kids. He’s passed his love for skateboarding down to his daughters, and the spotlight is returning to the Harper family, only this time for his eldest two daughters Tink and Demi.
Ground Glass: Ronnie Kessner – JENKEM
Very few skate videographers attempt to capture skateboarding on 16mm film. And for good reason! At $50 a minute, you’re at the mercy of high costs, old equipment and the consistency of skaters. Videographer James Thomson was up for the challenge and has Ronnie Kessner skating through Thailand for his newest episode of Ground Glass. Settle in and get ready to watch some warm, ultra-analog skating caught on technology invented in 1923.
The Search For Steve Rocco, OG Skater & Founder of World Industries – JENKEM
If you know Jenkem, you know this is about as close to a magnum opus interview as there ever was. Steve, along with being a pioneer of 70s, 80s and early 90s skateboarding, owned World Industries, and spearheaded the street skating movement alongside some of the best skaters around at the time. After many years we Jenkem was finally able to get Steve in on an interview and damn, this feels good to write. Raise a glass, ’cause they did it, baby.
Hotdogs, Beer and Treflips: The 999 Challenge – JENKEM
Skateboarding has always been one big sausage fest. So Jenkem figured why not actually throw one? Enter the 999 challenge. What ensued was one of skateboarding’s most glorious sporting events. No ramps, no pros, no big shoe sponsors, just a hot grill, a cooler full of ice, and straight flat ground tricks. The boys were quickly separated from the men as their twisted idea became a reality.
Buddhist Temples and Alligators with Billy Rohan – JENKEM
Jenkem writer Ben met up with 90s and 2000s pro Billy Rohan in Gainesville, Florida. They skated a Buddhist temple, got dangerously close to alligators, and checked out Billy’s skate shop Samurai.
RAW TAPES: Swampfest 2024 – JENKEM
If you search for Florida Man headlines in the world of skateboarding you’ll return with one thing. Swampfest. Yeah, we know you’ve probably seen the footage already. Quick news flash, we’re late, but hell, we didn’t even know we were going to go.
We considered letting our footage dump lay to rest, especially since this is mainly a BMX event, but when you see the amalgamation of a redneck civil war reenactment and Woodstock 99, full of muddy slams, mortar close calls, a lot of fire, and unorganized mayhem, it’s hard not to share. – JENKEM
Skateboarding and Soccer with New York City’s Chinatown Soccer Club – JENKEM
The CSC is a longstanding institution of the Lower East Side of Manhattan that’s been meeting over the last twenty years for friendly pickup soccer. The league has been graced by legendary names over the years, like The Gonz, Peter Bici, and Peter Sutherland, and is supported by skateboarders, artists, and goodhearted locals.
If there’s one crew that could get us up at 8 a.m., stretch our hamstrings, and run for half an hour, it’s the CSC. Check it out, laugh at us, and listen to skate photographer and league staple Gerhard Stochl and friends explain their roots and what makes them stand apart from the meathead jocks of the world. – JENKEM
Hanging Out With… Asics in NYC – JENKEM
A couple of weeks ago Asics hit up Jenkem (cats out the bag, they’re working with them) letting them know that two of their Japanese riders, brothers Takuya and Yuta Ishizuka, would be visiting New York City.
“SHABEATZ” – An East Coast Tour Video by Jenkem for Adidas Skateboarding
Remember demo tours? Yeah, we miss those days, so Jenkem joined Adidas in the van to bring you “SHABEATZ” a nostalgic tour video through the East Coast full of skateboarding, behind-the-scenes interviews and crusty locals. Featuring Daewon Song, Vincent Milou, Mariah Duran, Dennis Busenitz, Silas Baxter-Neal, Nora Vasconcellos, Lil Dre, Miles Silvas, Marcos Montoya, Dan Mancina, Paul Shier, Jake Donnelly, and Jamal Smith.
JENKEM Checked out The Most Expensive Ramp in Manhattan
A few months ago Jenkem got an email from a reader that caught them off guard, inviting them to skate a private mini ramp in the basement of his apartment building located in Manhattan’s extremely pricy Waterline Square neighborhood.
To get the most out of the experience, Jenkem brought along Staten Island’s own Leo Heinert to throw down some tricks to push the ramp beyond the basic rock and rolls and axle stalls.
Shop Talk at DLX Skate Shop in San Francisco – JENKEM
Jenkem took a trip out to the Bay Area and stopped by DLX in San Francisco to chop it up with the locals. Jenkem’s usual host Larry couldn’t make the trip out west, so they enlisted Zach Ducky Kovacs as the guest host.
2013: The Year Modern Skateboarding Broke – JENKEM
2013 might seem like a random arbitrary year to most people, but to Jenkem, it’s the year the current era of skateboarding was born. It kicked off with a number of notable pros leaving their long-term sponsors, and many of them went on to start some of the most dominant brands of today. Jenkem’s friend and contributor Andrew Murrell picked out and wrote up the most notable events of 2013 in a neat timeline (featured in Jenkem Vol 3), and Alex Coles brought it to life in his usual video essay format.