chrome ball incident #195: moonlight sonata

Keeping in mind the timeframe of when the video came out, the trick selection contained within and the overall clean style employed throughout (you can't tell me those late shuvs dont look fuckin' sick!), Pat Brennen in 1991's Celebrity Tropical Fish is my choice for the most underrated video part of the '90s. Granted some of that ledgework doesn't hold-up so well these days but regardless, there is some absolutely amazing shit in here that is not nearly discussed as much as it should be. And for '91!?! Forget about it.

I realize this is kind of a bold proclamation and I'm not really expecting anybody to actually agree with me on this... just putting it out there. Curious what you guys think and what your choices for the must underrated 90's video part would be. Keep in mind that many fly under the radar for several years before getting their proper due by the population at large... an honor that I still don't think Pat's Fish part has fully received. I honestly think if this wasn't a post-heyday powell project, this part would have the word "legendary" attached to it much more often and by a far greater amount of people.

This one isn't bad either (also '91).



smorales said...

is that a death foretold with the music and the ad? Or was the ad contemporary to his death? Seems too insensitive for some reason...rip

chops said...

nah, the ad was well before his passing. i believe he died in a car wreck around '95 after retiring from the skate scene a few years earlier.

for the longest time i didn't think i'd ever post that ad just because it seemed in bad taste (and honestly, kinda creepy) but pat didn't really have a lot of coverage out there and i really wanted to have him on here so i respectfully reconsidered.

hans said...

Great post. It's good to see that he isn't forgotten. Follow it up with a Jesse Neuhaus post?

Justin said...

I had Pat's Street Fighter t - shirt. I liked the shirt a lot even though I wasn't into Powell or Street Fighter.

The Jesse Neuhaus nollie backside grab is awesome.

I watched the first Real video Sunday night and Ed Devera's part is pretty good. He goes fast and lands thing clean.

Benson said...

pat brennan, yes! definitely had "90s skater" kit down pat.

AE said...

great post!

i was always a fan of pat brennan's. dude was super good.


jason from oz said...

100% right! One of the most underated skate parts...if he was on World he would've been revered.

jason from oz said...

I remember having the 'Meat Slick', gross graphics but nice board:


chops said...

thanks guys... glad i'm not the only one out there on this one. dude ripped.

had a couple requests now for a neuhaus post, might have to give me a little bit of time on that one. dude's been on some "where's waldo" shit for the last two decades.

that's a good one, justin. ed's mad circle-horns part is also pretty slept-on.

and spot-on, jason from oz. in doing this post, i found an old alva ad (right before they became new school) that i'm gonna use later on that featured pat, adam mcnatt, and ronnie bertino. such a sick team... and if pat would've gone to a rocco-affiliate like the other two eventually would, no doubt his name would be tossed around so much more often.

Keith said...

I could never get stoked on that video part because the song is so depressing. The 8 part was good. I honestly don't think he was Rocco elite. jmho!

Keith said...

Here's a few under rated video parts from the early 90s. I'm sure most wouldn't have seen some of them.

Peter Mcbride in some Shaft video, don't remember the name.

Robert Dougles in the Neighborhood video. Killer switch bs flips.

Jason Rogers Next Generation

Colby Carter Hockus Pockus

I know lots of people hate Dyrdek because of all the MTV stuff but Footage and Memory Screen were both awesome parts

Anonymous said...

Adam Mcnatt's & Eric Ricks' parts in celebrity tropical fish were also slept on

Anonymous said...

I absolutely agree that Pat Brennen's section C.T.F. was the most underrated parts (if not THE most underrated part) of the 90's. Everything in that part clicked; Brennen's clean tech skating, the use of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" (possibly the only time classical music was used in a skate video not for yucks), the filming. For a Powell video, Brennen's part was surprisingly restrained, fresh and inspired (again, classical music?!? Nutty!) Watching Pat Brennen's part in this video was inspiring; here was this unassuming skater - not a big World Industries-oriented personality, but just a guy - ripping in the most subtle and nuanced style imaginable. Brennen just let his skating speak for itself. Because of this part, I not only got into Beethoven (and classical music in general), but I bought Pat's Street Fighter board and a pair of Enigma's in order to imitate him. Pat Brennen will forever be on my list of favorite skateboarders, right next to The Gonz, Natas, Karma, and Salman. Long live the memory of Pat Brennen!

Rothmeyer said...

I was stuffing Holiday sample shoes with my sub-rep and homie. It's a long process so we watched some old Powell vids while doing it. We ended with Celebrity Tropical Fish. I haven't watched this video in probably 15 years or more, but it used to be on a daily rotation back when it came out. I forgot how good Pat's part is. He does stuff in there that's fully relevant today. Proper 360 ollies, 540 bigspin off stairs, good lazer flips and in my opinion, his flatground late shoves were the best done. I think he was also the first to get the kickflip late-shove in a video, but maybe Questionable came out right before this.
Anyways, I fully am backing this as the most slept on part. I stoke plenty of his tricks to put in my video parts (double flip manny for one specific cause I loved how he did it). I got to skate with him a few times in the early 90's when we were pro, always a cool guy and was remeniscing about him after the video.
This part also was a precursor to how all the Firm Videos were done and filmed. I'm guessing Lance filmed this whole part and edited it as well. Good stuff. I was going to hit you up CHOPS about doing a Pat Brennan part but you beat me to it 4 years earlier and I didn't even know.

Graham John Baker said...

I had both the Powell Peralta Pat Brennen Slicks the meat slick and the street fighter 2 slick I am not sure about the video part being underated but expect it was after 1990 world industries and plan b took over the sk8 scene and sk8ing became 2 technical and wheels ridiculously 2 small so I think powell went out of fashion so many of the later powell videos were not rated as good as world industries so a lot of powell video parts were underated because powell were out of fashion and everyone was doing flatland flip tricks and riding wheels that were 2 small and were riding world industries decks or plan b decks as 2 Pat Brennen having died or having been killed I am not sure this applies 2 pro sk8ers but very often @ least with a certain percent of celebrities when it is claimed they have died or been killed this is a cover up many celebrities excapes the lime light and r still alive but live in hiding somewhere in the world this true of many celebrities these include 2 pac lady Diana Michael Jackson and many others very often when they have susposedly died b4 their death many r in debt or have some financial difficulty but the moment they have died all their merchandise including books records videos etc all of a sudden start selling like hot cakes meaning they r secretly making money because people think they dead and so a lot of memmorbilia is often produced in their memory which sells really well which makes it look very suspicious that b4 their death they were in debt but the moment they have supposedly died all their merchandise and memmorbilia sells very well and is making loads of money although this may not apply to pro sk8ers unless they r very well known world wide and I just do not think Pat Brennen would have been known well enough world wide to the extent other pros were also sk8ers do not produce as much memmorbilia as a pop star or other celebrity so do not make millions of pounds like they do that said Tony Hawk is very well known although most of it is more because of both computer games such as Tony Hawks PlayStation games but also due to the web and internet and sky TV I personaly do not of a pro sk8er who supposedly died but really he has excaped the lime light there probably is not enough money made by pros to make it worth while doing or even possible unless u know of a case the I do Not know about I know many pop stars and other celebrities who have supposedly died r still alive such as 2 pac and Lady Diana and Michael Jackson and many others