We all know how to start a rollerblading company: get some t-shirts printed up, pick a few of your friends to be on the “team”, sell the shirts, and then go under a couple years later. Pretty much standard. What’s not standard is when your friends are the best rollerbladers in the world, and instead of going out of business, the quality of your products continues to get better and better, and you start producing signature model jeans and “Best Of…” videos for your riders. What’s even more astray from the norm is giving those riders money from those products! This is exactly what AJ’s been doing for the last few years with Vibralux. Now, after four (five?) years the wait is over – the first Vibralux team video has finally dropped, and it’s easy to see why instead of folding after a couple t-shirt lines, Vibralux has risen to the top of the industry as the hot threads to cop.
Starring Chris Haffey, Chris Farmer, Alex Broskow, Don Bambrick, Fabiola Da Silva, Mike Gnarlinghouse, Brenton Wheeler, and Michael Collins, the first VX team video, On Top, is a showcase of what wearing Vibralux clothes can do for you! The video was filmed on tour throughout the U.S., and from the looks of things, must have been a blast to produce.
The video begins with a long take tour through a VX sweatshop where the riders are introduced in a wonderfully creative way – screen print each riders name on a t-shirt, package up the box, throw it in the party van and we’re off on tour with the Vibralux team to see why they’re On Top…
The vibe throughout the intro makes it clear that this is a tightly knit group of friends who were brought together by blades, but go far beyond just a clothing company. The skating, filming and editing in the intro let you know that you’re not in for a super-serious, death defying hammercore video. This is just a group of close buds cruising around the country tearing spots apart as only the VX team can. If you rock the threads, you know AJ cares about quality control, and that’s also visible through the way the video is all shot from the same camera. No more black and white footage to make it all look the same!! Good call, Chauncey!
The first profile of the video goes to Chris Farmer, who skates to some Alice Cooper song that I’m not all too juiced about, but it fits the skating just fine. Of course AJ’s clicking on the mouse, so the music and skating work together perfectly, even if I don’t personally enjoy the song. I don’t really even need to talk about the skating – it’s Farmer. He rips impossible tricks with impeccable style, as always. He’s also back to the 3XL sweats for this section. Oh, wait – my bad, he’s not. My only gripe about this section – as with any other Farmer section – is that it’s too short! Not even 3 minutes long, and it leaves you wanting more, more, more.
The next profile comes from Mike Gnarlinghouse. A lot of people might not even know who this dude is, and probably think he’s only on the team because he’s friends with the guys or something, but he comes through with nice style and good tricks. AND, he never forgets to grab! Gnarlinghouse obviously isn’t on the same level as the heavy hitters from VX, but the section is fun to watch, and he does tricks that are good for him with a distinct style. This section is also pretty short, but for someone as relatively unknown as he is, sharing a spotlight with the rest of the Vibralux team, two-minutes is more than anyone could ask for.
Gnarlinghouse’s section ends and transitions into a section from the other Michael – Michael Collins. AJ’s one-liner at the beginning of the section is the funniest thing in the video. I wasn’t surprised by this section but I wasn’t disappointed, either. Collins could probably bust way harder tricks if he would really try to do it, but the tricks he comes through with in the video are really good, and his style is coming along nicely. He must be at least 16 by now and is gaining the type of control over his body he needs to be able to work the trick how he wants it. This section is just as smooth as all the other sections and the music, skating and filming go together nicely. As we all know, LeRock knows what he’s doing with the camera/computer combo. This section is the right length – short, but doesn’t feel rushed.
Brenton Wheeler is sick. He skates to a sick rock song and is a total badass. He does wall rides, gaps, grinds rails and ledges, does lines – it’s great. I really don’t know what else to say about this section. It’s not too short, like the other sections. It’s not too crazy, but who would expect it to be? It’s a solid section full of solid tricks and I know if I were Brenton I would be well pleased with the way it turned out. Fact is, I’m not Brenton, and I still love this section; he looks like he is truly enjoying himself on those blades.
Brenton’s section ends with – WHAT’S THIS? Alex Broskow falling? And then Gnarlinghouse and Haffey and Farmer and Bambrick all FALLING? I’m not too sure what this was all about. Either they were all CGI’s or else perhaps there are some rocky roads on the way to the top…but it doesn’t last long because obviously these guys are the best, and the minute of falls were most definitely all the falls that took place over the entire tour.
Only AJ can get away with using the same song twice in the same video – back to back. That’s because – 1. it’s a sickening song and 2. you get to listen to it while you watch Don Bambrick skate! (it’s Helter Skelter by the beatles, two different versions, and changes after the falls into the beginning of Don’s section) Don comes through with another sick section. I was expecting more from this section, but it was an unfair expectation. That is, this was a tour video – not a video where each rider can sit down with a list of things they want to go lace. Instead they drove around and found stuff in towns that they don’t live in and maybe had never even been to. That said, Don came through with tricks so hard and a style so tight that nobody can complain about this section. The song rocks, the filming is good, and we all know that Don is the man. This section is 3 minutes long, which isn’t long enough for me, but that’s because I’m greedy and love watching Bamby skate.
There is an upside to the end of Don’s section, and that would be the beginning of Haffey’s section! Come on, you know I don’t even have to say anything – it’s Chris Haffey. Simply put, he makes me want to be a better man. Haffey’s section is nice and long – 5 minutes. That’s what I like! The dude from Radiohead sings along and Haffey kills it so powerfully and each trick is captured so well. Not an epic section, but like I said before, it’s a tour video and it’s not like he could list out a bunch of hammers. But he still comes through with a Chris Halley section that you’ll watch over and over and over. His last few tricks are hammertime for sure, but what Haffey trick isn’t?
After Bonecrusher finishes wetting our pants for us, Brenton Wheeler smooth talks his way out of a situation where he clearly doesn’t know what’s going on. X-O-X-0-AB Alex Broskow doesn’t know the Tony Hawk codes, but he sure knows how to shred like he’s been on skates since he was born. Actually…I think he knows the codes, too. As always, every trick is flawless. He just makes it all look too easy. This section is nice and long, too, like 4 minutes. This is your everyday Broskow section. His illusion spins are top shelf.
Well, that’s it for the video. After AB stops skating there is a usual fun-style, AJ-style credits at the end showing each rider and whatnot. Also in the bonus part of the DVD are all of the Vibralux Free Online Videos from Chauncey LeRock, which are all awesome, as you know, because you’ve probably watched them.
Overall, On Top is very sick. It’s 37 minutes long and a blast to watch, and full of great rollerblading. The music, filming and editing are great, and it feels like the Adam Johnson videos we all love.
My number 1 complaint about this movie is the “okay”/”ready” sign they keep doing. Thanks a lot, dick. Now every crew and kid is gonna be doing this and thinking they’re all cool, when really they’re just not. I’m sure it’s already started. If you’re reading this and you know what I’m talking about, don’t do it! If you see other people doing it, don’t do it back. You weren’t on that tour, you don’t know how it started, and you aren’t cool or funny for doing it. You’re just biting.
Is this video worth your money: YES.
