Share

Sunday Service

Brian Wenning is back, strictly for the culture…

DC Lynx, nosegrind pop outs and redemption with Brian Wenning

After nearly a decade battling personal demons, spending some time in jail and rehab along the way, New Jersey’s absolute finest ledge technician (sorry Tim O’Connor) is healthy and killing it again. Those of you who pay attention to the minutiae of the skateboarding universe are probably already well aware of this, given Brian’s recent appearances on The Nine Club, the Berrics and via the regular onslaught of ledge mastery posted on his own Insta @brianwenning732, but any excuse to heap praise on this guy is good enough for me.

If you can hear a Mr Dibbs beat, do a nosegrind pop out, or see a pair of DC Lynx without immediately thinking of Brian Wenning then, I’m afraid to tell you that there is something sorely lacking in your skateboard education.
We’re also breaking with tradition here as our Sunday Service has always been focused on UK skaters up until this point, but if we’re going to deviate from the path of skateboard national pride for anyone, then it might as well be for this guy.
Today’s Sunday Service is going to be themed around the man in question, to pay homage to his contribution to the culture and to give respect to somebody strong enough to come back from the darkness smiling, and full of the mischievous sense of humour that made him so popular in the first place.

First off, here’s his 2003 DC Video section.
This is the version without the spoof intro that kind of foretold Brian’s future: a) because the upload quality on the full version is terrible and b) because Dyrdek’s double denim outfit is much the same.

Skateboarding loves a comeback story and for once here’s one that isn’t intrinsically linked with self aggrandizement and rather, in customary Wenning fashion, has come about through hard work, humility and street level respect.

Next up, (in reverse chronological order) is Brian’s shared Mosaic part, (also from 2003 but released after the DC Video), complete with commentary from team-mate Tim O’Connor.

The obvious follow on from that is the full Habitat section from Alien Workshop‘s 2000 classic ‘Photosynthesis’ in which Wenning has the last part, and is also the video that brought him to global attention. Those fucking Love Park lines – Jesus Christ! No to mention two of the greatest switch 360 flips ever committed to mini DV.

If you weren’t already in the know regarding Brian’s descent into personal hell, you can get a taste of it in this Bobshirt interview, presumably filmed prior to his return to sobriety. Kind of a hard watch to be honest but, as always, completely upfront and truthful with plenty of Wenning wit sprinkled throughout.

Most people without an insane dedication to skate geekery probably learned about the impending Wenning comeback via his appearance on The Nine Club (which you can see below) but, if you want the original and far less sugar-coated version of the ‘Brian Wenning is back’ narrative – take a listen to the Bunt Live Wenning podcast which came out a week before the Nine Club version.

To finish off, here are a couple of more obscure bits of Wenning footage: firstly some late 90’s B-Roll New York clips from the excellent Jim’s Skate Stash YouTube channel.

And finally, here’s a 10-year-old Wenning flinging early grabs off a jump ramp onto grass whilst surrounded by rollerblading compadres, just to prove that we all start somewhere.

Stoked you’re back Brian – look forward to picking up the DC homage piece in the near future. Congratulations on the birth of Gabrielle.

Share

Newsletter Terms & Conditions

Please enter your email so we can keep you updated with news, features and the latest offers. If you are not interested you can unsubscribe at any time. We will never sell your data and you'll only get messages from us and our partners whose products and services we think you'll enjoy.

Read our full Privacy Policy as well as Terms & Conditions.

production