With The Quickness #4: Former Neversoft Producer Ralph D'Amato Curates Playlist Ahead of Pretending I'm A Superman & THPS 1+2

THPS Film Crew L-R: Andrei Duman, Mark Giles, Tony Hawk, Ralp D'Amato, Ludvig Gür, Austin Droguett & Sam Young

Last week, Activision announced their plans to release a re-mastered version of their wildly successful video games, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (1999) and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (2000) together, packaged as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2. Affectionately known to fans as "THPS," this beloved game series birthed THPS 1-5, Tony Hawk's Underground 1-2, American Wasteland, Project 8, Proving Ground, Ride, Shred, HD, and more between 1999-2016. My sister and I, personally, "owned" (well, our parents bought us) THPS1-4, THUG 1-2, and American Wasteland for our N64 and it was a major part of my childhood. Plus, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater's in-game soundtracks played a huge role in my musical exploration as a youth and even as an adult. Last year marked 20 years since the original THPS game was released, which spawned a whole series worth of games, as well as like-minded spin-offs Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 1-2, Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder, and Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer.

It was the first time I had ever heard of artists such as Black Flag, De La Soul, Del The Funky Homosapien, Iggy & The Stooges, Jurassic 5, Madlib/Quasimoto, MF DOOM, Mos Def, Public Enemy, and more, which I still listen to and enjoy to this day. We recently heard about an upcoming documentary entitled Pretending I'm A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story or simply "THPS Film" for short. Pretending I'm A Superman's site describes it as an "independently produced documentary in association with Steve Berra & Eric Koston's own The Berrics. Former Neversoft producer Ralph D'Amato and award-winning Swedish director Ludvig Gür teamed up in 2016 to create a film about the game that defined a whole generation." Pretending I'm A Superman tells the story of Tony Hawk, his skater buddies, and developers who came together to create the best-selling game, as well as a look into how skateboarding became a part of mainstream society.

THPS Film has been making its rounds on the film circuit/screenings for a while now and it appears as though its wide release may have been delayed, like just about everything else, due to COVID-19/Coronavirus. We've been communicating directly with the documentary's producer and ex-Neversoft producer Ralph D'Amato, who worked on a handful of the THPS games, for quite a few months now, via email. D'Amato was kind enough to select some of his personal favorite songs from the soundtracks for THPS 1-4, THUG 1-2, American Wasteland & Project 8 for our ongoing With The Quickness curated playlist series. Ralph D'Amato's playlist features shred-worthy selections from the likes of Goldfinger, The Distillers, Flogging Molly, The Clash, and Rancid, as well as his own band, Dead End Road.

Now, don't get me wrong, growing up, my friends and I were definitely "outside kids," but every night, weekend, or rainy day, we were inside playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater; spending countless hours perfecting our tricks, being exposed to new music, going to Action/Extreme sports events, and, actually, learning how to skateboard in real life. So, taking inspiration from Ralph D'Amato, I decided to put together a 55-song playlist consisting of my favorite songs from the THPS titles I "owned" as a kid. You can find both Ralph D'Amato & The Witzard's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater-inspired playlists embedded above and below. Pretending I'm A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story is coming soon to digital streaming platforms, via The Berrics & D'Amato Productions. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 will be released on Friday, September 4, 2020 for PS4, Xbox & PC.

[W]reckless, Topless American Youth: Lana del Rey - "Born 2 Die" (Britney Spears Birthday 30)

Lana del Rey [Lizzy Grant] effectively became 2011's "It Girl" with the release of her phenomenal debut single, "Video Games" (Stranger) . Like many struggling singer-songwriters, Grant has been signed, dropped, and significantly changed her public image since bursting onto the scene (2009). With that said, it can be assumed that Lana del Rey has collected just as many "haters" as she has avid supporters. To be perfectly honest, the only other artist I can think of that made this much commotion... garnered so much wide-spread buzz/hate and critical acclaim -- right out of the gates -- with just one track is Britney Spears . And maybe in this post- Mike musical era, that's the true synthesis of Pop Culture: Britney Lynn Spears . After months of repeated teasing and speculation, Lana del Rey 's major label debut, Born 2 Die will [finally] be released this coming Jan. 30-31, 2012. Pitchfork reports that it will feature "Off to The Ra

"Let Me Shine for You:" Lindsay Lohan for Playboy (Winter 2011-12 Leak)

Lindsay Lohan essentially embodies exactly "What NOT to Do In Hollywood :" Fame, fortune, success... sex, drugs & Rock "N" Roll . Within a fairly short period of time, Lohan somehow managed to obtain a plentiful helping of POWER @ a very young age. This gradual rise-downfall was captured on film; Between 1998-2010, she portrayed a wide array of roles across the silver screen in movies including: Mean Girls, Bobby , Herbie Fully Loaded , Georgia Rule, Machete , and Freaky Friday . Between rapid-paced film shoots, Lindsay Lohan also found time to record 2 Pop Rock albums for Casablanca , Speak (2004) and A Litter More Personal-Raw (2005). Needless to say, Lindsay Lohan has gotten roped up in a lot of troubles and woes with the law over the last 3-5 years... a vicious cycle of drugs, arrest, court, rehab, "daddy issues," jail time [Repeat]. That's the pure basics of it - But Google that shit for additional info, if necessary. Towards the end of

All-around Breakdown: Sean Martin Discusses Debut Instrumental EP Introducing The Magician As No More Magic (Residual Effects)

Sean Martin is a multi-versed musician, producer, and tattooer hailing from Connecticut. As a guitarist, song-writer, and/or producer he has worked with a variety of well-known artists including Hatebreed, Cold Cave, Wear Your Wounds, Umbra Vitae, Twitching Tongues, Cage, Kid Cudi, House of Blow, Head Automatica, XO Skeletons, Jet Fueled Horses, Handsome Boy Modeling School, and more. His versatility and flexibility within music allows him to blur the lines in-between the confines of Hardcore, Electronic, Metal, and Hip-Hop. Martin is, also, a skilled tattooer at Brass City Tattoo located in Oakville, Connecticut promoting the traditional approach to the craft. Founded by Martin himself between 2020-22, No More Magic combines ominous melodies with downtempo beats to create a dizzying dream-like atmosphere. Paying homage to the golden era of Hip-Hop while forging ahead down its own dark road. For fans of Portishead, Massive Attack, and DJ Shadow. No More Magic's Introducing The

The Witzard

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