Trying to pinpoint the turning points in the skateboarding career of Mark Gonzales is no easy task. There are simply too many to mention, and perhaps we will never know the true influence that The Gonz has had.
I love how Gonz has always looked like a shy kid when answering questions, eyebrows raised, but also weirdly mischievous. He’s an enigma, a legend, always on his own trip.
@@tyrone-dh6iy Jesus. Really, dude? Like you know? Of course I've never met Gonz and I don't care if he would like me or not because I'm not trying to meet him. I'm a casual fan, just like a majority of people who've skated, and I'm paying him a compliment. This is the weird reply to a harmless comment. You must be a lot of fun at parties.
@@bennyshambles harmless? debateable. Gonz doesn't need the crumbs of compliments from "casuals". you either worship him or you are his enemy. choose a side.
@@tyrone-dh6iy There's good crazy, like Gonz. Then there's bad crazy, like you. Fk off and leave people be, trying to white knight a fkin legend by being an utter cockbag lol
I remember skating with him around 1993 or 94 and we were skating the L Pool in Sherman Oaks, CA and he told me to backside air over the pool steps in the deep end and land on the coping with just my back truck. I didn't even mean to try it but I pulled it off right after he suggested it. Skating with him is magic!
Gonz represents the meaning of skateboarding; freedom. He does what he wants, when he wants. He doesn't need to do 360 flips to crooked grinds, or be a part of SLS or Maloof, you just know that he's a rad dude. Long live Gonzo!
people don't even know how hard they try to be Gonz...they want to create on the fly,they want to just cruise and do tricks on the fly ...but they can't becasue they don't have the inside that Gonz has
I saw Mr. Gonzalez boardslide a Cadillac tailfin in Oregon when i was a little kid. It opened up the floodgates of childish ideas of what we could try on the wood toy. Thanks Gonz for just being you, I respect the shit out of it.
Shogo Kubo! The only thing I can think about him is he was Christian Hosoi's main influence, and he was only the 4th most influential skater from the Zephyr team days. haha - Mark has always cracked me up.
Gonz! Nothing more to be said really, but I will. He was always the dude I was watching growing up and he still kills it. As for socially awkward , never met him but I would say that is far off base. Just got to watch his videos from past to present . Brilliant. Not only in his art of skating but his photography, paintings and all his crazy projects . He would of been well known even if he never picked up a skateboard.
I wouldn't say socially awkward at all. I think he actually listens to the questions and gives a genuine reply. Today, to be genuine and not just canned...is deemed awkward. I think he's a very smart, creative guy and people find it strange someone can concentrate long enough to make and innovate their own things, from a skating line to a reply. I don't skate at all, but I appreciate the inguenity of these guys. I grew up snowboarding and skiing and surfing. Now I ride bikes all over town, which Gonz seems to enjoy when he's in NYC. Again, I don't skate at all but I appreciate the ingenuity and realness of skates like Gonz. I don't think he'd treat anyone differently, from a kid who walks up to him on the street to a lifelong fan who feels blessed to meet him. He just seems like the real deal. Which is so refreshing for me as a life long athlete who is just absolutely repulsed by the business modern sporting has become. It's sadly not much about the sport at this point. Gonz is a reminder of why any of us started skating/dribbling/dabbling/trying/doing/. In all sincerity, thank you Mark Gonzalez.
Yeah, quirky, thoughtful, maybe a bit shy but also highly expressive but never strikes me as awkward. Reckon he'd be chill as anything to hang out with.
Anyone noticed when asked about 5 most influential skaters he didn't mention himself. Ask any pro skater past or present about most influential and Gonz is definitely top 3.
i remember meeting mark at a berkeley sk8 event one time back in the late 90's. i mustve been 8yrs old and he was one of the hottest sk8ers at the time, i asked 4 his autograph n he was chill enuff to sign it. im 24 now n he's been the only athlete/celeb that i ever asked for an autograph, cus he's that good in sk8boarding.haha
I'm gonna have to say his 5 most influental was right on the money. Without those 5 guys noone else we look up to as a skater would have been influenced!
Gonz I remember you way at the old embarcadero SF and 33rd even ! Frogger 🐸 H..M.B bro bro and brotha Man Happy days with the crew at go skateboard shop!sick boy's in San Mateo CA yah Larry go sk8!?
He Rolled up w/no board nasty filthy dirty pig pen at Derby park no one recognizing him, the Gonz asks this other guy to try his board then proceeds to take a line not even thought of down da snake run and comes back up the the snake run even faster not just faster but faster than anyone all of us had ever seen, well instead of doing some ollie maneuver or an air over the top hip or right at it, he early grabs mute fs style air on the snake run wall 10ft before the hip and lands on the hip 50-50 grinding the whole turn on top the hip mute grab tuck knee style 50-50 just made us all at a loss of words mind, ability to skate...... he hands the board back n walks off after thanking the skater for letting him skate his board years later I realized wtf that dude was DA GONZ! 86ish summer I would love to see the Gonz, Melcher, Richie Jackson & "The Crazy ass Japanese Skater" seeing what comes from some sessions n skate time together for a good 2-3 months in starting in Japan then Australia next Detroit lastly SF & a gathered reunion of Team Jax !!!!Yes I Would and so would you all no lying aloud!!!!
Kinda crazy how gonz is the number one most influential skater.. I mean duh i agree but tony hawk is more commercial with his clothes and stuff but then again, gonz is a god
Who ever mixed the Audio did a shit job and put all the music on one speaker the the talking on the other, which sucks because only have one working speaker on this computer
See his vídeo parts!! awsome!! :D def legend ! All of you haters are entitled to disagree if you can do better than him in 2014... but even so , today skaters have so much more access to things.. so you'd have to do like 5 times or more better than his vídeo parts.. that would make you a Reynolds , a pro.. in that case you wouldnt be on youtube talkin trash would you? ;) dont hate, skate! :D thanks for sharing this TWS ! :D
I love Gonz, but you can tell he's very socially awkward. If it hadn't been for skateboarding, he'd probably be on state welfare. I know I am going to get hate for this, so what.
wow you must be very smart to make such a huge assumption and think that you're right. And you also must be very smart because you know so much about someone you have probably never met.
Dude, working with people who have schizophrenia and other disorders, you tend to pick up on these things. The only reason you say that is because you are a skateboarder with a profund respect for what he has done for he has done for skateboarding. And being a skateboarder myself, cannot disagree. But you need to realize that people with the demeanor he has, don't make it so far without meaningful to devote their lives to.
What everyone is trying to say to you nicely is; STFU!!! YA FUCKN' ASS CLOWN!!! Poster child for the Insecure Crotch Nazis. If laws were reasonably just, Slimy Gerbil Waffles like you would have plenty of outstanding warrants for failing to pay tickets issued for being stupid, ugly, and w/out in common sense
