Yes - you read that right. After more than a decade, Red Telephone will once again have custom jeans, chinos, cords and cargos available for those with a higher standard for what they slip their legs into. Tapping into his rich history of specializing in pants design, Adam Cassidy has modernized the fit of his most classic styles, and will even be adding a Droopy 92' fit into the mix for this relaunch - in tribute to his original big pants brand, Droopies, from the early 90's, and catering to the current high demand for "Big Boy" style jeans and pants.
Stay tuned for information on how to order your very own custom Red Telephone pants, and for now enjoy these few sneak peeks at the samples Adam has whipped up over the last month.
I took the time recently to create a YouTube playlist featuring the majority of the music I've used for various Red Telephone video projects over the years, taking you on a journey from my first full length production - 2002's "VIDEO" - all the way up to the last song in my most recent endeavor - G9 2020. From Sabbath to Starang Wondah, Droogs to Daptone - this mix dips into the classics and the obscure. Throw it on and clean your house. You know your house is a mess. C'mon. Click that ^ link and enjoy!
G9 2020 has arrived! After one of the most frustrating and confusing years many of us have ever experienced, the boys wrangled enough footage to finally bring you the sequel to 2015's G9 Summit.
For those not familiar, the G9 series is based around Adam Cassidy's unique set up of a Canon G9 Powershot coupled with an original Century MK1 fisheye - the bulk of both videos being filmed with that camera/lens combo. The original G9 suffered a fatal blow in 2018, and the replacement that was found had some lens flaws and sensor issues, but the final product is surprisingly crisp and colorful. The look is very much akin to that of a VX1000 when the sun is shining, with slightly more detail in the center of the frame. Lacking some key manual controls while in video mode means the G9 has it's limits, though it's small size and memory card storage system offer some clear advantages as well.
Edited over the Christmas holiday, G9 2020 starts off with a solid montage of Vancouver skating (and a guest spot from old friend Kris Foley who's long since relocated to Ontario) before heading south for some California sun, including a trip to Los Angeles with the Motion crew.
Ben St Aubin fakie 5-0's one of Emily Carr's amazing ledges on a brisk winter day.
First, we follow @steezygeezer John Sandlin and his North County, San Diego friends as they make the stars align for some reunion sessions at a fun looking ditch to curb, with Adam Cassidy and John bringing things back to LA before linking up with the Motion crew as they arrive from Toronto and Vancouver. Ghetto birds and the beginning of a pandemic be damned - clips are going down. Thankfully, it wasn't until everyone got home that things started to get serious and the restrictions kicked in. The Motion trip happened in the first week of March, 2020.
Motion crew a the West LA Courthouse.
Joey Maher, frontside crooked grind.
Bud Patterson, Frontside Kickflip, Griffith Park, LA.
Photo: Nik Sexton
Bud and Ian enjoying the amazing Air BnB spot in the Hollywood Hills that Nik secured.
No big D.
He who shall remain nameless gets a beauty of a frontside rock on some hard to skate bank to brick action in Culver City.
The California Motion trip was really productive for a crew that boasted 3 injured skaters out of the 6. Adam dislocated his elbow at the courthouse on the first day, Ian St Aubin wrecked his ankle at the Crenshaw dugout ledges the next day, and Joey Maher had a bum knee before he even arrived in LA. Even with the injuries, all 3 got some clips, and the boys were still on every session filming and keeping the crew hyped up until the next stop to fill up the ice bucket for Ian's ankle, and the beers. Nik got a kickflip over a hydrant on Sunset right at the buzzer on the last day and that was a rap for California Motion 2020.
Joey takes in one last morning vape before heading out on the endless quest for more vapes.
Photo: Nik Sexton
After the California section, G9 2020 keeps the Motion flavor going with a solo part from Bud Patterson who skates oh so stylishly to a classic Souls Of Mischief track, revisiting some familiar spots like Vancouver's Empire Field ledges for a few lines and getting some beautiful manuals at brand new spots around the city. The diy spot in Burnaby with the granite block opened and closed G9 2020 and Bud was no stranger to that spot either. Check the video for his approach to G9's star slab.
Bud fine tuning at the Slocan Banks.
Right after Bud, G9 2020's editor and main producer Adam Cassidy has his 2.5 minutes of fame. Adam and Bud are both 43, but there's still a lot of juice left in the tank and Adam put in some serious work to come away with a part that proves it's still possible to eat like a stubborn child and flip into ledges in your 40's. Something to aspire to? We'll let you be the judge. One thing's for sure - these guys like that granite block.
Emily Carr's awkward kinked rusty wall thing gets 5050'd by Adam Cassidy.
Adam vaults a pole at another one of Vancouver's new spots.
After Adam we find ourselves smack in the middle of Vancouver's most popular new pile of soggy ramps, the Britannia Courts. The spot has actually undergone some improvements over this summer and the people making it happen deserve a lot of respect and thanks - you'll find one of the main proponents fakie nosegrind shoveing his way across the box in this section. Chris Haslam was a regular fixture of the Courts this year as he was spending more time back home in Vancouver, and he also put it a lot of work fixing up ramps and creating new, somewhat unorthodox obstacles that you would come to expect from someone of his creative capabilities. He closes out the Courts section, and the whole video with some classic Haslam wizardry. And where does it all end? Yup. The granite block. Although not planned, that big block somehow managed to provide the setting for some of the most significant clips in G9 2020. Word is it's days may now be numbered, so if you live in Vancouver cross your fingers it's still there this spring and go check it out for yourself.
Chris Haslam catches a frontside kickflip at Ambleside skatepark in West Vancouver just before filming for G9 2020 began.
Now that you've read some of the backstory behind the video, grab a big bag of your favorite chips and get ready to watch a bunch of old guys who still like to play with skateboards doing just that! See you in 2021!
It's almost time! G9 2020 editing is underway and the final clips have pretty much been captured... unless we get a Christmas day session on the go. That last minute pressure can sometimes work miracles. For now, enjoy this quick teaser for what's to come!
Well, the time has finally come... Stuck In The Past 2000 concludes it's 20 year dip into my personal mini DV tape archives with part ten, The Last Past. This episode is a mega montage of familiar faces from the previous episodes, with a few favorite clips saved for the finale as well.
Jim Lacasse, La Jolla.
This project has been an absolute blast, going through all my old tapes from the 1999 - 2005 era... so much amazing skating went down during those years. I want to extend a big thank you to everyone who helped make all these clips possible, from the skaters featured, to the shops and distributors, and my family and friends who always had a couch available. Also thanks to everyone for watching the series - see you in 2030?
We're just about at the end of the line with Stuck In The Past 2000 - in fact - we were at the end, but I had so much extra footage left over for the final montage that I decided to split it into two separate episodes.
Gerry Loughran, Plaza, Vancouver.
This first of two episodes, Park Report, is exactly what the title would suggest - though the report may be a tad dated. My original idea for the final installment was a big family style montage of bonus clips from everyone who appeared in the previous episodes, and some who haven't. Park Report starts with a spotlight on the early days of The Vancouver Plaza, before moving on to a brief glimpse from a section of the Osiris 2002 Aftermath Tour, and finally a collection of clips from various indoor sanctuaries we were lucky enough to have in years past.
Josh Evin, Grand Forks, BC.
Paul Carter, Tsawwassen, BC.
Skateparks we're practically nonexistent when I was a young skateboarder - I didn't skate a proper concrete one until I moved out west in 1995. The generations that came up after skateparks were commonplace showed direct evidence of their significance/importance, and I only wish I had something so good when I was a runt. Thankfully, they also serve a great purpose for older skaters once the knees and everything else get too sore for the streets. Not sure when I'll feel that need to retire to the parks, but at 42 it can't be too far off.
Chris Haslam & Craig Williams, Richmond, BC.
Matt Dove, Costa Mesa, CA.
Only one episode left of Stuck In The Past 2000 - stay tuned because it's coming soon!
It's that time once again - Stuck In The Past 2000 is back with a banger of an episode, Wayward Origins, which takes us back to revisit the come-up of Chris Haslam, who went from unknown to a household name in essentially one year.
"Around the start of 1999, my good friend Ben told me about a guy he'd seen ripping out at the Richmond skatepark - apparently he was on a whole other level of technical ability, and Ben was adamant that I go out to see him skate in person. By the time I made a trip out there, my other friend George Faulkner had already met this new mystery ripper. I was introduced to Chris Haslam, and from that initial session it was clear that he was in a league of his own. I don't remember how it all went down, but from that day on George and I joined Chris on a mission to properly document his talents somewhere other than the River Road skatepark, and we could never have expected the level of skating we were going to witness over the course of the next few years. "
"Between 2000 and 2002, Chris filmed full parts for Skateboard Canada Video Magazine, Deca Skateboards, and my own first full length video, "VIDEO". In Vancouver, the rumors about the tricks he had done at local spots were getting out, and watching Chris shred at local parks was a treat for anyone who was lucky enough to have the chance.
On that note, one thing many people can attest to is that Chris always had time for the kids, going so far as to regularly spend the majority of his sessions playing SKATE with the local groms, or helping them learn the basics while he worked on some ridiculous new trick that no one else on earth could probably do. Hell, the only time I ever did a nollie lazer flip was in a game of SKATE with him - Chris has a way of pulling tricks out of you. His creative and unique outlook is a bit contagious when you skate with him."
"It didn't take long for the rest of the world to take notice of Chris's skills, and within a year he was already scooped up by, and skating with Daewon Song and Rodney Mullen, which says a lot. By the time his part in Deca's Second 2 None video came out, it was clear he was going to be one of the greatest skaters the world had ever seen, and in the following years he put out countless video parts full of NBD's and unbelievable skateboarding in every corner of the planet.
We've got a lot of love for Chris here in Vancouver, and it's been really nice to see him skating here in the city lots again after so many years away on the road. Re-editing all of Chris's parts into one mega remix was one of the main motivations for doing this series in the first place, so I couldn't be happier to finally present the main event of Stuck In The Past 2000! I hope you all enjoy the flashback - get ready for some of the gnarliest skating Vancouver's streets have ever seen!"
- Adam Cassidy
We're not done yet! Stuck In The Past 2000 returns in early October for one last jam with the whole family - stay tuned!
