The Raw Process: Quasi’s BOBCBC

“Wow, this is a long intro.”

This was my first thought four minutes into the new BOBCBC video from Quasi Skateboards. Spending my lunch break catching up on the most recent skate videos, I started with Supreme’s Headbanger, before diving into BOBCBC, unaware of what I was in for.

I can’t sit here and say I’ve seen every skateboard video ever made. Hell, I didn’t even see every skate video last year. Let’s face it, in a world that demands consistent new footage from every skater, I’d have to quit my job to see them all. So witnessing the new Quasi video was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

For those not aware, BOBCBC by Tomas Morrison features Bobby de Keyzer at the CBC ledges in Toronto. Bobby skated the single location from September through November, enduring the many physical and mental battles during the sessions. The video is unfiltered, raw, and safe to say, a twenty-four-minute video that won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

But there’s never been a greater display of endurance.

Skateboarding is nothing if not honest, with body scars and board cracks as proof of payment. By releasing a video like this, Quasi showcases the true process of skateboarding from start to finish. It’s not the final product that most fans will witness. It’s not the sponsored competitions that the general public identifies. This is street skating. And all the emotions that encompass it. Suffering with the public. Dealing with law. Fighting through every doubt and distraction that creeps in the mind a millisecond before impact.

In a community where taking chances is a requirement, we need to celebrate when there are those actively avoiding the same styles and trends. Most times we don’t even know it’s happening. We like what we like, after all. So when videos like this arrive to shake up the scene, we should take notice. Quasi will divide us with this one. Not everyone will want to view the trial and error that truly is skateboarding for twenty-four minutes.

And that’s okay. That’s why Headbanger came out the same day.

I think BOBCBC should be shown to every teacher who doesn’t understand the lessons of discipline skating provides. Or to the parents wishing their kids did team sports so they can get “real exercise” after school every day. I hope every editor and videographer takes notes when planning their own piece. Because even though we drown in the daily online footage, we can still produce some unique drops in the cultural flood.

Nuff said, go watch BOBCBC.