Could This Be Real Street Style?

You've probably already noticed how the Chrome Ball Incident blog name is a direct nod to Neil Blender. The same goes with a film by the name of MachoTailDrop. From "Trip Out, Trip Out" to "We are gearing up for getting down" and "Gurls, Gurls!" the man is highly entertaining, quotable and definitely has some unique maneuvers when it comes to sessioning on the shred-sled. He is probably best known for his Coffee Break graphic that surfaced sometime in 1986. Here are a few quotes from some other well respected and notable figures from within the skate community, including Neil himself.

"Neil Blender was the first pro to really start doing his own graphics. He drew them, they were whatever he wanted, and they obviously reflected his personality. If it weren't for Neil, I don't think graphics designed by the riders would have been as prominent as they became in skateboarding. He was my biggest influence in doing my own graphics and in even thinking it was possible at all. I also believe he opened the door for people like Natas Kaupas, Mark Gonzales, and Ed Templeton to do what they did." - Chris Miller

"I'll take it to the grave, I consider Neil Blender to be the first great skate artist. He single-handedly changed the face of G&S when his first pro board came out. It had a single line drawing of his with like three or four guys falling off a ramp that was collapsing. The graphic was printed in white on a navy blue board, and it was just so simple and so cool." - John Lucero

"The first graphic - that's the hottest one, that one was hilarious. Steve Cathey was like, 'Hey, you guys need to come up with graphics because you're turning pro and getting models.' We were just like, 'What?' But he goes, 'If you guys do art or whatever, do your own, because no one does their own.' So we just drew our own, and that was the first thing I came up with, the little ramp guy thing. Really retarded." - Neil Blender

(quotes taken from Disposable: A History Of Skateboarding Art - by Sean Cliver)

So, yeah.... Neil is known as an innovator the the DIY graphics department. I'd agree, but at the same time I'd have to say that the name Wes Humpston comes into play as far as being the originator to doing your own board art goes, but we'll get into that at a later date. For now, its all about the Blender. Take Street Style in Tempe for example. How fucking great is that? Ahhh.... Yeah. And so is his shared part with Steve Claar in Speed Freaks. And his Macho.Tail.Drop shenanigans in G&S Footage.

I was lucky enough to get a set of the OJIII Green Heat wheels (pictured) off a friend that happened to be getting flowed and didn't realize until after I was riding them that they had the Blender touch. Sweet. 

And so it goes... like his website The Heated Wheel and his homemade boards and paintings on Ebay. Good luck trying to come up on any of his work for sale, though, since they go faster than a couple of jackrabbits in the carrot patch.

Quick shouts go to Badger for a few of the youtube clips, Skate and Annoy, Sean Cliver, Strange Notes, The Skateboard Mag, and Freakbeatfuzz for the archival help.