gorilla flicks

cyber monday wheeling and dealing

Greetings! Seasonally speaking, that is, because we're here to help fan the flames that fuel the economy with a few gifty (and perhaps even thrifty!) ideas for your friends, family, loved ones, and any other sentient lifeforms you deem worthy of presenting a present. For the most part these items don't fall far from the extended branches of our tree (like most things, including but not limited to fonts, songs, and titles), but so it goes within our cloudy realm of nepotism. On that note, did you know that a nephophiliac is a person obsessed with clouds, like in a very loving and longing way? Consider that your word of the day—a free gift from us to you. Cheers!

If you didn't think this was going to start out with the Wildboyz, well, sister, you clearly haven't been a lifer in this wildery region. The gold standard by which all other shows on basic cable are measured by, Wildboyz was not merely one small step for man, but one giant leap for mankind. The show enjoyed a brief run on Netflix, but a few random Twitter rallies have yet to bring the show back to America's favorite black hole of binge. So if you want to see Steve-O and Chris Pontius streak across the globe in a relatively naked manner, then you're gonna have to do the VOD deal, or—gasp!—acquire the DVDs of Season 1, Season 2, or the collected Season 3 & 4. Learn yourself good!

Did you know there have been like 19 seasons of Ridiculousness so far? Holy crap. What a behemoth Rob Dyrdek did doth make, but when you've got a rectum like the internet crapping out Lincoln Logs of ridiculous clips, what can you expect? No, don't respond, that was purely for rhetorical effect; however, if you're looking for a way to wile away the winter days when the mercury drops below freezing and all you want to do is tell ole Jack Frost to suck it, why not choke on god knows how many episodes until the springtime thaw comes around? Again, that was rhetorical, but now that I think about it this is probably ridiculousness in and of itself to even recommend considering MTV pretty much runs Boston marathons of Ridiculousness all the live long day. Shit. Well, we've come this far so let's just plow on. We all plow on. You can vee oh dee or dee vee dee—the technological choice is your god given American right. Exercise it.

During the online days of jackassworld.rip, Johnny Knoxville decided to play dress-up with the "skull and crutches" logo and customize it in a staggering number of ways. Many (actually most all) have gone the way of the dodo, but the offical JACKASS storefront remains open on merchmethod.com where you can pick up a seasonal shirt to wear to Christmas dinner at Me-Maws or Pe-Paws house. Then there are, of course, all the other shirts, hoodies, jerseys, and zip-ups to get goofy on with your mom or dad's credit card, so give a good gander and don't forget to peruse what's under the rainbow as well on the official DICKHOUSE emporium. Totes? Yeah, got them too. 

For those of you who don't live in a world blanketed by the frozen white death, we have just the thing for you! An honest to goodness skateboard deck designed by next year's break out star of the silver screen, the one and only Chris Pontius. Don't have the skills but still have the will to enjoy the art? Hang them on your wall as a decorative fixture! Especially in those awkward narrow spaces where nothing else seems to work aside from broomsticks, fishing poles, didgeridoos, wizard staffs, javelins, two-handed broad swords, bazookas, gigantic novelty pencils, and a giraffe's neck if you severed it off at the base. Bonus: Not only has each of these boards been fondled and signed by Pontius himself, but you can swoop one now at a special sale price! See specs and learn more at paisleyskates.com.

Lastly, and mostly because the children are our future, you should consider clicking on over to gingkopress.com for a big, square, coffee table book of shit that details (sort of) the chronological history of Big Brother skateboard magazine—all the way from crappy Issue 1 in 1992 to the last gasp on Issue 106 in 2004. What does this offer that Dumb on Hulu did not? Words! And lots of them! Many of them so ridiculously small yet still legible with the aid of a magnifying glass and a good deal of eye strain. There's also some other naughtiness we weren't allowed to share in documentary form. That's worth the price of admission, right? Yep, that's right... rhetorical me, bemused you. Anyway, you should really just buy this book for the Issue 17 Mardi Gras spread, and don't forget to tell 'em that Chri$ Nieratko sent you!

all kinds of ridiculousness with steelo brim

The ninth season of Ridiculousness is currently in production, so Rick Kosick called up co-host Sterling "Steelo" Brim to talk about where he's at, where he's been, and where he's going to; or, in other words, the lyrics to "The Theme to Mahogany," by Diana Ross—although not entirely in that order and not even close to verbatim, because if he had, the queries would have gone exactly like this: "Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to, do you know? Do you get what you're hoping for? What are you hoping for, do you know?" Also, run-on sentences are a crime, but rules are meant to be broken, especially over the cracked knuckles of grammar. —Sean Cliver

Kosick: Where are you from, Steelo?

Steelo: I am from Chicago, Illinois.

How did you meet Rob Dyrdek?

I was working with Drama, who did Fantasy Factory obviously, and at the time he wanted to put together a publishing production company. I used to A&R for different record labels, and Drama knew that I knew a lot of his talent and people, so he asked me to help him put together this company. Rob Dyrdek would always come through the studio to check out the music we were creating, and we hit it off organically. He thought I was really funny, and he came to me one day and said, “Hey, would you like to do a show?” I thought he was joking, and then three months later, he got my number, called and said, “Hey, this is Rob Dyrdek. That show I mentioned… we film it tomorrow, can you be there?” And that was the pilot of Ridiculousness.

So it just fell into your lap?

Yeah, it was nothing I pursued at all. I was doing music. I was happy doing music. I was in the game, trying to grind it out, getting in line with the music industry more and more. But yeah, it fell on my lap, and now we’re going into season nine.

Have you done any other shows besides Fantasy Factory and Ridiculousness?

Currently, no. I’m working on a sketch comedy show right now that I won’t speak too much on, but it’s going great. That’s what my passion has been, because I knew if I wanted to have longevity in the industry for a while, then the next step in my career had to be scripted instead of unscripted.

Living in Hollywood and being on one of MTV’s number one TV shows, have things changed in your life?

Obviously things change. I mean, you go from not knowing where your next meal is coming from to living a pretty decent life and being very blessed to have the opportunity to do a show. But as far as my friends, my family, and everything around me, I try to keep everything pretty grounded and stay level headed, because as easy as it came to me, it can be taken away. So I just try to make sure I keep the right people around me and stay focused. But as far as living in LA, of course, people noticing you, recognizing you, pictures, all that stuff—it’s really cool, though.

What do your friends back home think about your success?

It’s weird. We don’t really speak on it that much, you know. It’s more like I’m just Sterling that went to high school, grammar school, elementary school or whatever it may be with them, and they’re still my friends. I know they’re happy for me, but at the same time, I just like to catch up and see what’s going on in their lives and connecting with my old buddies.

Do you see yourself being an inspiration to others back in your hometown?

One-hundred percent. I definitely see the show being inspirational. I’m from a not-nice neighborhood at all. When I say I’m from the ’hood, people think I’m joking, but I’m from the ’hood. And I knew at an early age that even though I was from the ’hood that I didn’t have to be of the ’hood. I think for them, they know where I’m from. They know what block I grew up on. They know what house I lived in. So if there’s nothing else, they can take away and say, “I know him. And if he can do it, so can I.” That sounds so cliché, but that’s the actuality of the whole situation—if I can make a way then so can you.

What piece of advice could you give to someone back in your town that’s trying to make it in whatever they’re trying to accomplish?

Again, not to sound cliché, but my whole motto has always been to keep God first and just stay focused on whatever you do, whatever it may be. A lot of people spread themselves so thin. They think, “I’m talented. I can do this. I can do that. I can do this.” I think if you stay focused on that one thing the other thing will definitely come. I stayed focused on music. That’s what I wanted to do. I knew that was the way I was going to make it out of Chicago, make it out of the ’hood, and by me doing that, I was given the opportunity to do something else that I was talented at, something else I can do. So if you stay focused on that one thing, the other opportunities will come.

What’s it like being a co-host on Ridiculousness?

It’s really cool, you know. From season to season, we learn each other, we learn the show more and more. First season, we didn’t know what the hell we were doing. We just went out there and freestyled how it should go. Me and Rob would get together and talk about, “Well, how can we make this better?” and, “What if we did this, what if we did that?” And now, I think we have the thing down—a very successful formula of what it takes to make great TV. It’s really cool being a co-host… to be able to work and be yourself with people you enjoy being around has to be the easiest job in America. I am blessed to have it.

Did you ever see the show running this long?

I didn’t see the show running period. I was like, “If it comes out, it comes out.” And then, it was like, “Oh, it’s out, cool. This is cool.” So I wouldn’t say like nine seasons. I don’t think anyone goes into any show and thinks, “We’re gonna go for 10 seasons!” They think, “I want the show to do well. I want it to be successful, and whatever happens happens.” That way you don’t set your expectations too high. But nine seasons is crazy. It’s great. I think other than the Real World, maybe this is the second longest running show on MTV.

Are you involved in any other businesses at the moment?

I was doing clothing. Then I stepped out of clothing. People write me all day and say how fly I am—not to toot my own horn, but I really take pride in my fashion—but my business partner didn’t really see fashion the way I saw fashion. So right now I’m just working on that sketch comedy show. I’m not going to say who it is with or what we’re gonna do, but it’s going really well and we’re really excited about it. I can’t wait for everyone to see it. That’s what I’ve been focused on. Other than that, I’ve been trying to stay focused on that one thing to make sure I’m successful at that, and I know from there I can really get my career where I want it to go.

Rob’s an influential person. After all this time being around him, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from him?

Never listen to Rob Dyrdek. No, I’m joking. Rob is crazy. He is my number one dream killer. I’ve told him so many different ideas I’ve had and he’ll be like, “That’s never gonna work, that’s not gonna work,” but he is such a go-getter. He’s such a hustler. Just watching him and his work ethic, the different things that he’ll do… that influences me and teaches me more than anything he can ever say. I just like to watch him a lot. He’s probably the most genuine person I’ve ever met in my entire life, from me meeting him to him really treating me as family.

(All photos by Rick Kosick)

the gorilla flicks holiday gift giving guide

Yes, it's that time of the year when we make wholly biased recommendations on items you should buy to give friends, loved ones, countrymen, and creepy uncles. Warning: These gifts may cause recipients to experience a host of side effects, including sexual dysfunction, dry mouth, nausea, headache, diarrhea, nervousness, restlessness, agitation, increased sweating, weight gain, insomnia and drowsiness. Gift at your own risk.

 

Holiday Themed Torso Sheaths

First things first, right? Surprise the kids on Christmas morning or any of the 8 days of Hannukah by looking too legit to festively quit in one of our fine garments. Okay, so it's just a darn T-shirt, but it's a garment by definition just the same. Anyway, you can look bold in black with a Santa Skull 'n' Crutches, pure as the driven snow with a white Santa Skull 'n' Crutches, or back in black and ready to Torah with a Kippah Skull 'n' Crutches. All are available from merchmethod.com, where you can also find the merchandising end of the Dickhouse rainbow.

 

jackass

You know how the go-to staples of the Periodic Table of Elements are like oxygen, helium, hydrogen, and boron, right? Well, think of jackass just like that but in an Oxford English dictionary way used to illustrate the words dumb, stupid, idiot, and moron. But in a good way. A fun way. An all in good fun way! From the prehistoric days of the television series on MTV to the ridiculously advanced production value of turd dementia in the third dimension, jackass has always had that something special—call it a joie de vivre or tas de merde—that many have attempted to imitate but never succesfully replicate. So spread some joy and gift someone in the junk with an unrated three-pack or one of the other testaments to dumb.

 

Ridiculousness

Need to shut the kids up and occupy their holiday ADHD while you and the other adults get merloted on Christmas day? Give them one, two, three, four, or however many seasons of Ridiculousness you're able to charge on your card! At this time, we'd also like to thank the interweb hordes for annually feeding the online beast and giving Rob Dyrdek and Co. ample material to spotlight season after season. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving! So gift this and gift hard—so hard—and deck the shelves with seasons of Ridiculousness for generations of peckins to enjoy because this shit just doesn't get old. 

 

The Birth of Big Air

Is there anything better than to give the gift of inspiration to a young child? The answer, though a rhetorically asked question, is quite obvious because Whitney Houston wasn't kidding around when she said that the children are the future. Okay, so maybe that wasn't the most unique observation in the history of the world, but she sang it and made millions, so good on her. Anyway, Mat Hoffman is one of those things that will never go out of style because legends live forever. Plus, Mat's an all-around great guy, so it's awesome that ESPN gave him due credit for his contributive boost to the action sports world in a big, big, big way—hence the whole "Birth of Big Air" titling treatment.

 

 

Art

Art? Yes, art! Give the goddamn gift of art if you care enough to give more than a gift o' fart. This is a high quality, 11-color screened print of a skateboard graphic by Sean Cliver for Paisley Skates featuring a children's birthday party scene with top notch serial killer entertainment. It's not exactly what you'd find offered by the Franklin Mint or a timeless Americana classic ala Norman Rockwell, but it is what it is in this day and age of wonder and mystery and it's limited to an edition of 75 prints—each personally hand-numbered, signed, and touched by the artist himself. Oh yeah. Available only at paisleyskates.com.

 

A Wee Man Skateboard

It's all a logical progression and Wee Man has gone full circle Oroborus-style to his skateboard roots with Nullity Skateboards. You, the gift giving consumer of goods, can now acquire a skateboard directly from Wee Man, who will personally process your order, sign the board, pack it all up, and ship it off from his home base of operations in the South Bay of Los Angeles, California. Radical, right? Right! To jump on this truly unique item you can check out nullityskateboards.com or inquire direct at [email protected].

tonight on an all-new ridiculousness... dude perfect!

Saturation nation. Carpet bombing. Blitzkrieg bop. Rim job. None of the above. If you guessed E, none of the above, then you are a likely candidate to watch an all-new episode of Ridiculousness tonight on the MTV at 10/9C. The special guest is Dude Perfect. Rob Dyrdek is the host. Steelo Brim and Chanel West Coast are the bookends. You are a distant relative of the gill men from Atlantis with extreme mouth breathing capabilities who enjoys watching sneak previews of the peekish kind:

(Photo by Rick Kosick; 2015)

tonight on an all-new ridiculousness... andy bell!

You've seen him backflip a Big Wheel on Nitro Circus. We turned him blue while filming for jackass 3 and 3.5. Now you get to see Andy Bell, aka Canada's foremost baller and the man hanging the most brains behind Sweatpants Media, on tonight's all-new episode of Ridiculousness at 10/9 C on the MTV. In this sneak preview it's all about "Unc-holes," but I'm sure there's going to be other bits and pieces of man junk to be discussed elsewhere in the show. Tuck and roll!

Ridiculousness

(Photo by Rick Kosick; 2015)

tonight on an all-new ridiculousness... mac miller!

Some of these situations in the preview below look all too familiar to the eyes of someone who is both a skateboarder and associated with the jackass legacy. That someone would be me, but I'm sure many others without such backgrounds can relate just as well. Like people who play pogostick with shovels. The hell are they thinking?! There's nothing remotely springy about a shovel. The primary purpose of the shovel is to dig, but I guess one swift way to get the dugout dug even deeper is to play like a bunny and take it to the hole. Mac Miller makes his second special guest appearance on an all-new Ridiculousness tonight on the MTV at 10/9 C.

(Photo by Rick Kosick; 2015)

don pendleton on art, a grammy, and boone county

When I set out in 2003 to produce Disposable: A History of Skateboard Art, my goal was to be all inclusive and encompassing. Despite these best intentions, however, I failed to represent the work of Don Pendleton. Why? Best I can say it's because: A) I'd never met him; B) he lived in the woods of Ohio; and C) my nose was primarily buried in the archives, garages, and studios of those on the West Coast. So I totally overlooked his significant contributions to the "visual mythology" of skateboarding and for that I've always felt like a big time a-hole. Especially when I later (and finally) met Don after we were thrown together in the art arena for a joint Pearl Jam poster project in 2012. I don't believe we ever talked about his glaring omission from Disposable, but I still feel it's an elephant in the room between us. So, Don, please let this fun-size interview stand as my half-ass mea culpa. I swear if I ever do another book, you'll be the first artist I contact for sure—and not just because you've since become renowned for winning a Grammy Award for the Best Recording Package on Pearl Jam's Lightning Bolt release. —Sean Cliver

SC: So are you actually in possession of an honest to god Grammy Award?

DP: I do! It’s actually pretty heavy and has my name on it and everything. I took it to my mom's house to show her, but it's in my closet right now. I’m really proud of the project and it was a super good time, so it’s nice to have something to remember it by. Not really the kind of guy to put it on full display, but it was a pretty interesting situation. I didn’t go to the awards, but I started getting a lot of texts after they announced it.

a gorilla flicks holiday gift giving guide

Every year, well, not every year but almost every year, we like to recommend a few items for your holiday gift giving needs and/or desires. This year is no different and for all I know it will feature a lot of what was recommended in years of holiday past with but a few new shits on the block. Regardless, similar to diamonds, jackass is forever with Wildboyz being the ultimate rush, the ultimate high! And with every emerging country in this world there is a whole new market to be tapped like a keg and drained of all monetary sense, because, after all, that is what the holidays are for: yule logs to keep the economic fires burning hard—so hard.

Her

He may not have gold teeth, but he did win a golden award—an Academy Award, to be precise, so you know he's hardcore. He being Spike Jonze. Her being the movie he wrote and directed. Her will make you laugh at times, cry at others, but simultaneously make you ponder the fate of humanity as it dives down a technological rabbit hole of social self-absorption. It will also drop your jaw at the nifty job of Production Design through the creative eyes of K.K. Barrett. For classic Jonze kicks, though, you can always pick up his Director's Series collection of music videos and short flicks.

 

Wildboyz

For all of us that worked and traveled on Wildboyz it remains to be our crown jewel. I believe Wildboyz may also be the standard by which all other shows on Animal Planet and Discovery measure themselves, but that may also just be me writing shit out of my ass. Whatever the case, Wildboyz was that next great evolutionary leap in nature programming, the likes of which transcended the classroom and graduated to theme nights at a prominent gay club in West Hollywood. Chris Pontius and Steve-O commandeered four seasons of Wildboyz in all, covering most all regions on the globe in a generally uncovered fashion, with a bevy of guest-stars including Wee Man, Johnny Knoxville, Mat Hoffman, Manny Puig, David Hasselhoff, and more!

tonight on ridiculousness... the end of days!

Prepare thyself for tonight's all-new episode of Ridiculousness at 10/9 C on the MTV. Though it does not boast a special guest couch cushion sitter, nor does it know the time or the day, it does capture moments of reckoning that would warm the heart of even the most cold-blooded horseman of the Apocalypse. Spontaneous eruptions, gorillas gone bananas, an afternoon of the lepus, and God knows what else await you. Rapture no more!

tonight on ridiculousness... david spade!

If a "mangie" is anything like a "mangina" then all I have to say is Andy Bell. He's got one of the best in the business, if there's even a mangina business to begin with. Lord knows Californication did it's damndest to make the mangina a household word, so who knows, maybe a small business loan is just the thing I need for my future entrepreneurial dreams, limited in scope and interest though they may be. But don't let any of that dissuade you from David Spade, tonight's special guest star on an all new episode of Ridiculousness with Rob Dyrdek and Co. at 10/9 C on the MTV.

(Photo by Rick Kosick; 2014)