Words by John Gow
Photos and Captions by Angel Carela

Rolling in at 8pm and there's already a good crowd waiting for the video

The SPoT and Westside crews make themselves comfortable in the middle section

Trouble-makers in the back. Holding it down are Scott, Lauren, Porpe, Gonzo, Millhouse, and Lakes

About 8:30pm, and the whole bottom section decides to go for a cigarette break. Video started moments after

Group photo right after the video. These guys are ready for the After-Party

An appearance by The Garbage Man

All right, for anyone who doesn’t know Josh Stewart’s background or credentials, let me bring you up to speed real quick.

He has pretty much been the go-to-guy as far as filming in Tampa goes since before any of you even started skating, producing classic videos like “Rising,” contributing tons of footage to 411, and other timeless flicks like Transworld's 3rd installment “Four Wheel Drive," and many more. After that he made the first two masterpieces of the now trilogy Static I and Static II. Then in 2001 he got together with Adio shoes and produced their best and only video to date, “One Step Beyond.” Since then it seems like he’s been doing just that, elevating his cinematography and editing with any new project he gets involved in.

Now for the premiere…

First of all, anyone who isn’t already psyched on a Thursday night in Ybor City these days is either married, over the age of 30, has too many responsibilities, or just doesn’t have the desire for chaos and carnage. So as I approached the second-story theatre in Centro Ybor, I could already see where the night was headed.

For a Florida Premiere, the audience was pretty star-studded, with appearances by the Selego brothers - Ed and Matt, Danny “Wildman” Renaud, Chris Williams, Jimmy Lannon, Ricky Dixon, Jon Newport, Joe Perrin, Pat Steiner, Ryan Williamson, and a pretty extensive list of Josh’s close friends and family. My crew and I headed to the back row as if we were the trouble-makers in the study hall of a middle school.

Looking down on the monstrosity of a modern day theatre at exactly 8pm (when the video was supposed to start), I could hardly wait for Josh to shut off the lights. But as most of us industry event attendees know, these functions never start on time. True to theory, at around 8:30pm, with the crowd filling about 70% of the auditorium was starting to get restless. Then just as the cigarette smokers started to leave to get a quick fix, the lights turned off and eyes were glued to the screen in anticipation of who would have the first part.

Somehow I already knew. Sure enough it was Lakeland local, OG destroyer, and Skatepark Of Tampa Team Rider, Pat Steiner, who came out with a “pretty” damn good introductory part. Now! I say “pretty good” because anyone who’s seen Pat skate as long as I have knows he’s anything but pretty good. As a matter of fact, he has the talent for greatness, infinite potential, and should already be pro. So because he and I go way back I personally expected a little more. However, his intro was magnificent, the filming was on-point, the trick selection was top notch as were the spots, the execution was flawless, and I think he definitely managed to get the most love from our peers. Olly Todd’s part is the only one I don’t recall seeing. I’m not even sure if it played or not because there were a few minor technical difficulties throughout the film (also to be expected at events like this).

Anyway, Tony MANfre skated like a goddamn MAN and literally man-handled any obstacle in front of him. I can’t emphasize the word 'man' enough 'cause this guy skates like a beast. His steez and originality are off the chain, too, so as usual his part left me wanting to see more. Danny Renaud was pretty much himself with solid style, urban spots, gnarly fillers, and chest high back tails, but not enough shenanigans. Nate Broussard continues to impress me, but I expected a little more from him as well. I’ve got “high” standards, I guess. And then there was this dude named Soy Panday that I’ve never heard of before, and I forget where he’s from, but that’s irrelevant. Josh has always had a knack for finding needles in haystacks as far as unique, yet gifted skaters go. He must have some locating device on that trademark hat I’ve never seen him take off that searches out hidden treasures of spots and unknown blue-chip types for skaters. Soy was just that for this video...proper all the way around.

You have to see it to appreciate it! So all in all the video was what I expected from Josh’s third and maybe final flick in the Static Series. Pretty much the only thing that really needs to be said is that during this phase of conformity, trends, and super-stardom that our past time is currently going through, people gravitating against the grain and doing their own thing are few and far between. Josh always has been and I hope always will be one of the originals, not invisibles. Now that the third video is complete and another success is under his belt, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m waiting for the release of the “Josh Stewart's Greatest Hits” box set. I’ll even take royalties to further my non-existent film career for giving you the idea. Come on Josh...how about it?