The Angriest New Yorker Alive

Oh Bobby, just when we thought you were gone you posted an interview on your site that had every skater derailing you in message boards, defending you in car rides to skateparks, and questioning your sanity over beers at our local pubs. Bobby Puleo for those who do not know him is something of a cult skater, a skater's skater if you will. His parts in videos like Static 2, La Luz, and Infamous were a cause for a mass migration of "artistically inclined" skaters to move New York City and attend SVA in hopes to recreate some of the magic in his video parts. Puleo's selective spot choices are what make him the legend he is, not his skating. Dont get me wron Puleo is very a talented skater but what make his parts so rewatchable is that you wish you knew where half the spots are. Compare the aesthetics of a Puleo part to that of a less creative skater like Mikey Taylor and it becomes clear his vision is unique.

The recent interview that surfaced on Puleo's website opened up the public's eyes to some of his ideas on the state of the skate world today. The first thing to notice is that it is an interview being conducted by a friend for Puleo's own website. The ethics involved in this kind of journalism are questionable at best. Aside from this misstep the interview is highly informative as to the workings of this angry man's brain. Because he no longer makes money from skating Puleo has become quite embittered with the state of things in the skate world. "I basically make no money from skateboarding these days. Isn't that insane?" To Puleo I ask, when is enough enough? He has made  money in skating certainly and whether or not he saved enough from the checks from the big companies he rode for like Enjoi and Ipath is his concern, not the public's. People these days tend to think that because they have a talent they should be compensated for it, what if that talent isn't unique anymore? Ten years ago Bobby Puleo was the only skater skating the way he did. Now there are plenty skaters that are younger than Puleo like Jack Sabback, Anthony Pappalardo, and Jake Johnson emulating his technique and pushing it to further limits.

Puleo seems upset at the recent mass migrations of skaters to New York City. Ten years ago when he was more relevant, this wasn't much of an issue because there was not much skateboard media coverage of New York. "You also have this new trend of fully established California types that are moving to and coming to NY and filming on shit here that has just been through the goddamn ringer as far as one uppers and spot rapers and they think that that style of doing things makes them legitimate. That shit is corny. Go find your own shit in your own city." This statement has some truth to it as well as some misplaced hate. It's wrong to be angry at people for coming to skate in New York, but it is not wrong to be angry at skaters coming here going through the same old spots and unloading their bag of tricks like its something new. To come New York and skate as tourist is fine, that shouldn't be discouraged, but come here with no appreciation for the people skating here 365 days of the year and you'll get no respect.

We should not put Puleo in to the grave for this hate filled interview, we should await some new footage from him that will hopefully remind us why we came to love him and defend his insanity. Puleo will for every be remembered as the man who made New York City his playground and scoured every inch of the five boroughs to bring the world spots it had never seen. His vision is that of a genius and it will never be forgotten.