People Who Do it Better Than You / Mark Gonzales

There are not that many people that I look up to as Idols, but the short list is strong.

Mark Gonzales is one of the people thats pretty damn near the top of that list. His resume of skateboarding achievements and general lack of concern is so admirable that I consistently think of him when ready to give up on something. The man invented skating hand rails and has continued to do what ever he wants since and, despite any hardships that he might face, seems to have a blast doing so. One of my favorite time killers on the web is searching videos of Mark Gonzales. Here are some of my favorites:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U1L1T_-XEs[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT–oqioQQI[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=020-mq4QvDc[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgJ_azFBRHU&feature=fvst[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXGxYAw-ziY[/youtube]

One of my favorite pairs of sneakers (Remember that trend? Fucking sneaker collectors! Ha!) was designed by him:

I’ll go out on a limb here and admit that I dig his art too. It’s simple and dumb but just like his skate style, it makes me feel good when I look at it.

Enough said.