[Nibile]

 

[comPiler]

IT'S RAD DUDE, I'M PSYCHED!!!
18 August 2013, 6:23 pm

I am probably nothing more than an angry bastard at this stage, but since seeing it I've got to take this out. This is the reason to have a blog. Anyway, by "it" I mean the "Psicobloc Master Series in Utah" video. What utter bullshit. Ahh. Feeling better now. It's not epic. It's not defining the future of comps. It's not the greatest comp ever. It's just another American obsession for big things. What's the point? An 8a+ route for the girls and an 8c for the boyz (in da hood, da crew, my bruthaz): are you kidding me? They are the best in the world and to make them fall off all it takes is to raise a big board over a pool? Jesus fucking Christ: if you want to show your cajones, go to Pamplona the 7th of July and run with the bulls. I have to watch a modern climbing video from "big" productions or for "big" events, that I liked. I'd rather watch "Splinter" in a loop for every future session of my life, than watch the "Psicobloc" one another time. I didn't even manage to watch it full, I skipped through it. How, I ask, how can't they produce anythig better than that? Please, make some video of someone working hard on something, not just going for a dive in a pool: make it to show they're worth the sponsors, the money (not much I'm sure, but it's money for fucking climbing dammit!), the fame. Release a fucking video about Sasha on "Bellavista"! And please, please, please, tell them to try and speak as humans. There are many more, words in any language, than "epic", "rad", "a muerte", "venga", and the likes. There is an entire world of emotions that they must learn to express. I want to understand them as persons, more than just watch them as climbers. This is also why I can't read, for instance, Dave MacLeod's blog. It feels cold and distant to me.  Then I bumped after a long time on Paul Robinson's blog. It was a long time since the last visit and will be even longer before a new one. Fuck me. Twenty words long posts, with half of the words being "psyched", "rad" and "crew". I get mad. Even more when they complain about bad weather on a trip. It never fucking rains under my board, you know? They are transparent. You can see through them. Now I tell you what is really rad. It's the fucking 6 one armers I can still crank on my right arm, at 41 and half. It's not fucking over. God damn.

 



Source: TOTOLORE

[Luke Owens]

Now I tell you what is really rad. It's the fucking 6 one armers I can still crank on my right arm, at 41 and half. It's not fucking over. God damn.

 

Good post Nibs! I know where you're coming from. There's no passion in the blogs!

[tomtom]

Its exposure man...

Sponsors require their 'athletes' to maintain a dynamic profile - thats regularly being updated - so I suspect they feel obliged to write regularly when they probably don't want to...

[SA Chris]

What irks me as well is that they are making out it's something new, radical and exciting, while competitions like this have been going on for years, and have been fun low key events.

Plus side is now the pariah Ivan Greene has been shunned they now don't have the most annoying commentator in the world ever involved.

[Nibile]

I don't like how the image of the climber is sold, rather than the person. I know this is utterly utopic.
So, I basically think that there are two options: you let the images speak, and that's all; or, you include some interviews and words from the climbers, but in this case I'd like to hear a bit more than a few adjectives in a row, or "We're here in ... and now we're going climbing".
Both things are very difficult.
But it's possible to obtain both! There are some very good videos out there!

[SA Chris]

Turning them from person into product. It's easier to make money out of a product.

Images can speak, but only to a certain extent. People need to be able to express themselves to sell themselves, and this is where many of them fall down, as they are barely capable of an original thought, let alone stringing together a sentence to express that thought.

Some are capable, however, and they are the ones who set themselves apart.

Even if Dave Macleod's wrting may be a bit ponderous at times I would take it over the "wahoo it woz rad" writing any day.

[Nibile]

Even if Dave Macleod's wrting may be a bit ponderous at times I would take it over the "wahoo it woz rad" writing any day.

Oh yes, absolutely.
I don't find it ponderous, to be honest. Or, at least, it's not that, that I dislike. I just find it a bit too rational, not letting emotions come out. But I understand that people are different and maybe not everyone wants to write in an emotional way.

[SA Chris]

He's a bit clinical I'll admit.

[Boredboy]

I totally agree, good for you stepping up and saying it. Most climbing blogs and videos are as dull as dishwater, lacking any 'real' emotional content I fail to make any significant connection with the majority of stuff being said. The endless lists of routes interspersed with psyche and rad descriptions is enough to make me switch of before even finishing most blogs / videos. Surely this can't be representative of the actual experience but a failure to transfer experiences meaningfully or with the necessary skill. I'd imagine it's pretty hard to write an engaging blog or make a great climbing vid. A good combination seems to be slick footage and editing, depth of character and a bit of raw content, with emphasis on personal connection with whatever it's about e.g. Splinter.

[tomtom]

Maybe we expect too much? After all, not everyone can write well - and express their feelings interestingly.. ie not everyones a novellist! So I guess theres only going to be a small percentage who write engagingly and well...

But (as I gabbered on above earlier) theres pressure for those at the top of their game to keep posting and writing about it - when really it might just not be what they are interested in or any good at!

Back in the day - some would have been people of few words - letting their achievements speak for themselves.. but now sponsors, media, websites, the public etc.. expect tweets, blogs and lecture talks...

[Fiend]

Fucking 'ell you're a moody cunt Nibbles 

Are you sure you're not secretly British??

[peewee]

Are you sure you're not secretly British??

Depends whether he secretly like queuing or not

[SA Chris]

Well he secretly wishes he was Malcom Smith so halfway there.

[Nibile]

Not secretly at all. Let me show you my tattoo...
 

[Nibile]

And while we are on this subject (Malc), as I said some time ago on here, there is a small bit of footage on "Stone Love", with a close up on Malc after he'd done La Pelle Direct or La Proue (I can't remember the problem, sorry). His eyes are lost God knows where, and to me that's the single best climbing take ever, for a number of reasons that I won't repeat.
It doesn't take much technology to film that, but it takes a lot of "eye", of timing, of love for the moment. Now it's dead easy to film even the smallest particulars of something, so - I think - they've lost the athmosphere, the glance, the moment. It's just documenting, not filming, to me.
For example: why there isn't a good surfing film on the Net with the live sound of the waves? I've seen a Tehaupoo bomb go off many many times, but I've never heard its roar. So I miss something out of the whole experience.

[SA Chris]

Not Tehaupoo, something much much more. Get your headphones on.

[SA Chris]

http://www.relentlessenergy.com/film/dark-side-of-the-lens.html

I never really liked Ben howard before this.

[Nibile]

Not Tehaupoo, something much much more. Get your headphones on.

Jesuschrist. Where does this come from???
Cheers Chris.

[Falling Down]

 Clue.... You drink Guinness afterwards.

[Nibile]

Clue.... You drink Guinness afterwards.

Cheers Ben.
The titles saying "The West coast of Ireland" had given me a bit of a hint... 
I was meaning that I was surprised by not having seen or heard about that video before, because it's extremely well done and quite deep, in many ways.

[SA Chris]

I'm sure links were posted in the OFTS thread when they were released.

Relentless have produced (comissioned?) a few great films, most are worth a watch;

In spite of hating energy drinks they (like over-caffeinated sugary drink company) do have budgets available for great things to happen.

[Falling Down]

 

[gme]

Hers another you might like



There are quite a few out there of this type but you just have to find them.

The Mickey Smith stuff from Ireland was a real breath of fresh air when it came out, as was his writing in the magazines, but as with everything it became the norm to the point when i ended up thinking oh here we go again another navel gazing introspective by Mickey Smith as it was just the same as the last one. Just goes to show that even quality stuff becomes boring when it becomes the norm, and also it is hard to make something truly great.

The piscobloc/over-caffeinated sugary drink company/epic TV stuff is all to the same formula, a formula i didn't really like in the first place. Its also made to attract people from outside the sport, not us and for a different demographic to the 40+ bracket i and many of you are presently berthed in. I suggest most of the targeted audience would not hold splinter in as high regard as we do.

[T_B]

http://www.relentlessenergy.com/film/dark-side-of-the-lens.html

I never really liked Ben howard before this.

God, that almost makes me want to try surfing. Epic.