When the Wall fell, popular culture rose to a new level of social relevance. Wind of Change? More like a tsunami! The Nineties washed over the increasingly globalized media landscape in a tidal wave of catchy tunes, cult movies, TV series and show stars. FACES rolls up the decade – and publishes an encyclopaedia on the age of grunge, girl groups, GZSZ and freestyle.
Ski poles end up in the scrap heap by the ton, while Vita Merfen records record sales thanks to the scrapes of ambitious but moderately talented skateboarders: Freestyle is growing out of its niche existence.
Stairs mutate into ski jumps, home-made ramps block break areas. And in the cellars, young people are working on the ideal combination of axle, roller and ball bearing. Jonah Hill’s 2018 nostalgia trip “Mid90s” is a wonderful reminder of how the skateboard conquered the asphalt of the world from the illegality of North American city backyards. In addition to greasy fingers, the path to a full-blown “Ollie” or a smooth grind on the railing leads through blood and bruises. Every year since 1995, more and more fans have made the pilgrimage to Zurich’s Landiwiese, marveling at the breakneck halfpipe stunts of rock stars on wheels at freestyle.ch: Skaters, inline skaters, BMXers…
Inline skates (brand: Rollerblade) are fueling a roller skating revival on hot city pavements. Meanwhile, in the winter sports resorts, ski purists fear for supremacy on the slopes, because young people are churning up powder with snowboards on their soles. In Nagano 1998, the athletes were already jumping and swinging for Olympic medals. The skateboarding elite would have done the same in Japan in 2020, specifically at the Summer Games in Tokyo. If not… you know, the C-word.
