Red Telephone Presents - Stuck In The Past Part 5 / Ben

 One of my favorite things about skateboarding is visiting other cities and finding out about local legends whose skating maybe never made it to a wider audience via major skate media, but they skated on par with many of the notable pros of their era. It's not easy to maneuver through the often discouraging skate industry as an aspiring skateboarder, and many people don't care to in the first place, happy to skate with their close friends on their own terms without having to worry about the world of sponsorship. Skateboarding naturally draws in creative individuals, and for many it can be hard to contain their creative spirit to one endeavor... while being a successful sponsored skater requires so much of a person's time that going in depth with other interests can be difficult. 

 Part 5 of Stuck In The Past is a celebration of one of Vancouver's  (by way of the Kootenays) OG underground legends, Ben Demoskoff. With a creative eye, and amazing natural talent, Ben quickly became a favorite of many notable locals not long after moving to the city in the mid 1990's. I met Ben through some mutual friends in my neighborhood and it wasn't long before he was my go-to filming partner. As a bonus, Ben happened to be a great cameraman as well, so I had someone I could trust behind the lens when it was my turn to get a clip. Eventually, Ben followed some inspiration to teach overseas, but he still managed to get lots of skating in and sent us some amazing clips over the years. Ben is once again back in Vancouver, skating when he has time, and I couldn't be happier to finally make a part from all the footage I filmed of him between 1997 - 1999. Whether you're a friend, a fan, or have no idea who this OG cat is, this compilation of classic Benny D is well worth your time. Enjoy !  - Adam Cassidy

Ben, Wallride Nollie, Vancouver, [o] Cassidy

Red Telephone Presents - Stuck In The Past Part Four / Jammin' 98 - 99

 Slam City Jam, the (former)North American Skateboard Championship, holds a special place in the hearts of not only Canadian skateboarders, but skaters worldwide who remember the heyday of one of the most legendary contests of all time. Starting in the early/mid 1990's and switching venues a few times until fading out somewhat awkwardly in the early 2000's, Slam definitely went through some drastic changes... but it could be argued that the golden era of stoke occurred in the late 90's/very early 2000's, when the contest was held at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum (with a 1 year bop over to the not-so-great BC place for reasons unknown). 

 I was lucky enough to get a gig filming the contest for Skateboard Canada Video Magazine from 1998 onward, which I did my best to perform while also enjoying the endless amounts of night time fun to be had in downtown Vancouver during Slam weekend. Filming with a raging headache was an acquired skill. It smelled like booze and sweat on the decks of the ramps. I remember stickers, lots of stickers everywhere. I missed some tricks. Sorry Mike. 

 Part four of Stuck In The Past is a hi-light reel of my last years filming Slam City Jam on my old Hi8 Canon, before making the switch to digital in late 1999. It's not easy making a short edit from over 8 hours of footage, but I hope you enjoy this look back at some of my favorite clips from two amazing weekends in the late 1990's.   - Adam Cassidy

Stay tuned for part five of Stuck In The Past, coming soon !

Correspondence - Serotonin Champ

Pacific Beach, San Diego.

 Red Telephone Operations have been transported back to the much friendlier climate of southern California for the winter months once again, bones are healing, eyes are squinting in the sun, and wheels are rolling. Enjoy a few frozen moments from the last month, and stay tuned for more updates soon. All photos by Adam Cassidy. 

Alphonzo Rawls, No Comply Stalefish, Vista.

Adam Cassidy, 180 nosegrind rewind, Oceanside.

Kristian Svitak, frontside wallride, Vista.

Loud, Vista. 

 Thanks to the good people at Aura in Vista for the dry place to skate during some much needed heavy rains in early January. When not hiding from the downpour in a Vista warehouse, time was spent playing with music and footage on the computer at home. Born from that downtime was a remix of Ghostface Killah's "The Champ", using samples recorded directly from the Red Tel vinyl archives. Have a listen below...