Not getting any younger, as they say.

This guy joined our little Dude Life crew when he moved up to this Windy place in the Spring. Nick your time has passed. Today we celebrate Dave Uthus. Glad to have ya man, glad to have ya!

gettin up there... from David Thomas on Vimeo.

Surprise!

Nick's parents arranged a surprise 30th bday party at his apartment last Sunday (Anders lives there too). It was amazing! Stories and Limencello drinking happened (mostly by Nick though). Here are flicks.
You walk home thinking,"I can wait for a nice cuddling night with my girlfriend and some soup." But you open the door and 30 dam people are yelling at you.
Oh guns, sigh. (It's not real folks)

Umm, feeling it... maybe

Mother and son.

Does this have anything to do with Nick's bday? Of course not.

Nick was really into holding everyone. That a boy.

Happy Birthday you handsome man.

Ol Peterson, get ya every time.

We really like this guy around here at Dude Life. Another notch on the belt.

NIck Peterson is OLD. from David Thomas on Vimeo.

Neen, Doing It

Hey many congratulations to Neen Williams for being the new Deathwish Am. We all remember Neen from that park up on the Lake. I've just written and erased several sentences trying to capture how deserved this is for the guy, who's such a good in fact just a flatout great kid, the kind you want to introduce to your maybe racist grandma -- she's old, friends, she's of a different era -- as an argument for why young black males aren't to fear. Let's watch this and be stoked for Neen.

Looks like they're going to make it after all.

I don't care much for children, or people from Michigan......However, this, this is something to see: http://vimeo.com/16909111

Wilson dad cam.

Randy and Jackson.

Dad Cam. from David Thomas on Vimeo.

David Thomas Snags Another

It's Dave's birthday today. If you catch him, be sure to give him a hug.

WOW

The hard work on the streets was Randy Ploesser. The hard work behind a computer was Dave Uthus, and Randy helped. Give it up for both of them. Great dam jobs!!

RANDY PLOESSER//WELCOME from theHIGH5 on Vimeo.

old...

Anders birthday is today, please hug this handsome fella if ya see him. He's growing up so fast.

Good Old Tim...

A bit more video on this rainy whateverthefuck day it is, compliments of the inveterate ripper, Such Luck Tim, a Such Luck / Dude Life / Buster Bear collabo for the ages. Nice work, Ryan. Nice work, Nick. Nice work, Tim and Nate and Alex and the rest of yous.

Going south for days.

This gem of a park is in Perryville, Mo. We went. Just go, or just dream.

Ptown. from David Thomas on Vimeo.

A Hearty Round of Applause

We would be remiss if we didn't chime in with a few words of congratulations to Randy "Fuck Your Tricks I'm Just Gonna Go Head and Nosepick The Brooklyn Banks" Ploesser. It's no secret that the Dudes here feel nothing but respect for his "I Know My Jacket Isn't Zipped, Thanks, But See I Want it to Billow Behind Me While I Skate" style, and his nose, and his tri-striped shoes, but with the official announcement of his addition to The High Five there's finally, thank God, some legitimacy to our affection. No longer will thinking of Randy mean thinking of David Loy! And while this likely means fewer St. Louisans rocking gently used Birdhouse 8.75 inchers, we can't help but believe Mr. "I'll No Comply Anywhere For A Dollar and a Dream" and The High Five are a match made in somewhere very good indeed. Here's one for you, Randall: a true gentleman, tall person, educator, and drinker.

And with baited breath we await 11.15.10, the day P-Rod will iTune his way through slug-paced tech demi-Godhood. But also! Something else, it would seem, if we're to believe this welcome video by Dude Life's own Mr. Uthus...

More is Less

(A few photographic additions to the other Dave's Perryville/ St. Louis Post)
Have you been to St. Louis or Perryville is a place where beer is stored in safe deposit boxes we stocked up with our favorite convenience store perishables en route there were a few who hadn't been there Nick knew to don his best hat because love and ice live together we all headed to Perryville from St. Louis natives, Randy and Joe traveled in Joe's truck Randy dreamed of beautiful women and expensive automobiles to drive safely home.

That election was fucking depressing. So let's talk about Halloween instead.

A 'larper' and Animal discuss why John Boehner might be the antichrist.

Not sure what that first person is, then we have Slim Goodbody, Zombie Joey Ramone, Vincent Van Gogh, some sort of Cat/Human hybrid and a skate rat. Just getting started.

Viva la Friendzone

Skate rat mall grab. Epic. Bearded lady.

Joaquin Phoenix with the Cat/human hybrid guy.

Joaquin Phoenix with Laura Palmer's dad.

Joey shouldn't have done all those drugs in the eighties. Same for his sister the mime.

Some sort of Mister Rogers/Giraffe hybrid leering at Slim Goodbody, feeling around inside plastic bag.

Animal and Joaquin Phoenix.

A gnome. You find these magical little guys at all the best parties in Chicago.

Fortunately for Mr. Phoenix the outcome of this bout was not recorded.

It really wore him out.

The bearded lady gets the @#$% down.

Laura Palmer's dad, Moby Dick (Ahab was around too, but was unrecorded by this camera. Or maybe it was Ishmael...I didn't get a look at his leg.) and Animal. Are they dancing? Just Chillin'?

A Unicorn, Something this writer is too old to understand, a turtle with tits and the skate rat.

Mimes used to be so polite.

No more bullshit for the cat/human hybrid (the republicans are going to outlaw that shit, anyway). He loses his cat and gets the F@#K down old school.


Dancing, hard liquor. In times like these, what else is there?

The Incredible Hulk thinks about whether, if he starts dancing, he might accidentally destroy the house.

People started biting each other and it was obviously time to go.

PerryLouis trip.

Babyface Jack.
???
One foot pivot to fakie, Bobby.
Dudes at shitside.
Smithy by Mits.
Catfish by Dolphin.

Here are some out of focus photos I captured along the way on our trip down south. "No, I have not finished the edit yet of Feltz being detroyed." geeeez

November 2, Friendos.

Because my toe is broken and I cannot skate, and because I believe in democracy and fear deeply some of these assholes out there who surely are planning to vote harder than you or I will ever vote, I make, right now, an offer.

I will personally buy a shot for every one of you I see on November 2, provided you can prove that you went out and voted. You don't even have to prove it, really. Just vote and look into my genius eyes and I will know, I will see deep into you and know the truth. Look into my eyes and utter the following eight-word password: "Marco Roth's insightful and powerful essay, 'Caucasian Nation." Because here's something true:

"If you are bored and disgusted by politics and don't bother to vote, you are in effect voting for the entrenched Establishments of the two major parties, who please rest assured are not dumb, and who are keenly aware that it is in their interests to keep you disgusted and bored and cynical and to give you every possible reason to stay at home doing one-hitters and watching MTV on primary day. By all means stay at home if you want, but don't bullshit yourself that you're not voting. In reality, there is no such thing as not votin: you either vote by voting, or your vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some Diehard's vote."

So sayeth the man himself. Now believe that and let's recall what it's like having bigoted idiots in charge, and let's exercise that vital right we're guaranteed as Amuricans, yes? Yes.

Gone away for some days.

The blog will be very silent this weekend, unless our words guy keeps it bangin. Unfortunately he can't make it. The Dudes will be here this weekend meeting up with the Pretty crew. Camping will happen, as well as plenty of ripping (maybe I should have the words guy write this too, geezzz). Anywho, keep posted because we will be back. Boom.

Linkless Habitat

At Wilson I once gave Austyn Gillette a razor blade from my center counsel. Then I went around announcing to everyone about how Austyn Stephens was at the park, like a dick. But now I’ve seen the new Habitat video. A report: Danny Garcia or Jose Rojo? Austyn Gillette is a latter day Carrol, seems like. Skates with composure and grace and ollies over the Brooklyn banks rail, into the bank beyond the stairs and Habitat is kind enough to show it twice.

Stefan decides to kill it and indeed does, then Gall is Gall and there’s some skating. The Mark Sucio part picks up after about thirty seconds. Bryce Golder skates like the best JP Samedi you never saw. Marius is proper and very fast and then Daryl Angel and Guru wins and then Silas at Wet Willy’s! Then it gets all art and drawing and we hear the Melody for the Felled Tree song again, confirming the tacit industry etiquette re: songs from tour or promo videos. And somewhere in there, Kerry Getz doubleflips.

All in all a great file to obtain.

Oh my did he try.

His last name is Roman. Here is a little teaser of his talents on a skateboard. Please enjoy.

Whip it. from David Thomas on Vimeo.

Friends Who Are Radical #1

I'm starting a new feature here at Dude Life. Friends Who Are Rad will be exactly what you think it will be. Let's begin.

Friend #1: Serengeti

To argue that Serengeti, or Dave Cohn if you happen to be tight with the guy (I'm totally tight with the guy), is rad seems totally redundant. Looking through my iTunes, I count ten albums he's released (some of them free) since 2002. There are probably more. Plus that's not counting all the tracks scattered across compilations, including that giant "Dark Was the Night" thing a couple years back, and here, and now this new Tobacco EP, featuring this rager here. And coming real soon are several projects with Anticon, including a new project full of music by various superstars, including the former Casiotone For the Painfully Alone, who now goes by the extremely radical moniker: Advance Base. So, this:

"Flutes" - By Serengeti from am overtone on Vimeo.

And finally there's "Denehy," easily the best rap anthem Chicago has known. Though the follow-up, "Perculators," is a close second.

Q.E.D.

Confession of the Day

I watched the entire Vans Downtown Showdown live webcast. It's true, start to end. But Kyle, wasn't that contest on Saturday? And wasn't it during nighttime, Chicago time? And isn't Saturday night a time when interesting people go out with friends to enjoy themselves, either to a bar or skate spot or concert or basically anywhere but your own sad and lonely kitchen table? Affirmatives across the board. But what's done is done.

I feel a little better now. Thank you, internet.

4..3..2..1.. Launch it

There is a new little concrete park in Chicago inside Piotrowski Park. They have a very nice concrete bank to box and some plastic stuff. You will also find, hands down, the nicest kids you will ever ever meet at a skatepark. I don't know what's in the milk these kids are drinking but dam it makes them so pleasant. Go see, and bring your old product because they need it.

p.s. Who has a launch ramp? They do.

Monday Monday Monday.

A little Wilson play from David Thomas on Vimeo.

I met some swell fellows at the Wilson park on Monday. Nick, Kyle (but he had to leave early for teaching), Jackson, Anders, Ryan, Zach, and this guy were all there and some ripping went down. I tried to document what I could and this is what you get. I hope you enjoy.
D.t.

You don't get a title bike guy.

Is this a bike blog? No. I just thought someone should see this dude. I mean shit, he's filming himself with a camera mounted to his chest. Hilarious, right?

p.s. skate footy of this day hopefully posted soon, just so you all don't think we have become lame.

Holy Yoni

This man knows it all too well, obviously. Yoni Levy* is his name and he's a friend of Dude Life. Cheers to you, Yoni Levy.

*top left w/ mustache in pic