Nov/Dec 2003 (Revised Oct 2006)

Good Jammin' News

The ART of Roller Skating In this column, Bill clarifies some of his comments from last month's Bill on Skate-a-thon feature. RST  You wanted to clarify some things about your Skate-A-Thon comments? Bill Butler (BB)  I think I want to start off, and only in a few paragraphs, about Skate-A-Thon, so people understand where I'm coming from.  In reference to Skate-A-Thon, I'm sure J&J Productions have the intent to run it as efficiently as they can and know how.  When I speak about Skate-A-Thon, I speak about things that happen in it that I don't think have any place where roller skating is concerned. I've spoken to the powers that be and we've discussed this based on the fact that people express themselves the way they do, so that's really the end of story.  I'm not knocking the production company, I'm knocking the people that come to these various skate-a-thons and it's referred to as self expression.   Since that's the case, then I've made my peace with that so I'm on to others things.  I'm pro roller skating, I'm pro art form, the art of roller skating and it ends right there.  I don't have any qualms or argument with anybody. RST  What is the art of roller skating to you? (BB)  It is when a person(s) has a skill that's recognizable by anyone that has never skated before and those that do skate can recognize it as something graceful and funky to watch.  If one wishes to participate in that particular type of roller skating, that's his or her decision.  No matter what it is, if its roller skating, hands off the floor, body off the floor, skates on the floor creating these fabulous, funky body contortions and beautiful movement - that, to me, is an art form.  Then it increases and gets more beautiful when more than one person is doing it. Skating the breaks, the various parts in which the music was written, you want to skate that particular music the way it was written and that's the way I see it.  This is a different form, style, approach to the art of skating.  Notice in most of your professional Olympic ice skating, the music concept is very important because it should be that way.  What I've done in the time I've spent developing a technique of learning, of style and understanding in what it is I've produced over the years, is that concept, that musical concept that's open for everybody in any type of skating you want to do.  So art form to me is per individual based on the theory that roller skating should be done on ones feet. This new thing they have out, jam skating, fine!  That's what they call it and there are people that like it and do it, fine.  It has no bearing on an art form of roller skating, the roller skating that is done in skate jam, if you look at skate jam and how it's put together, there are parts where the skater is up on his/her feet so this is the way they do it, this is how they've named it and that's fine because there are people that want to do it.  I think it's great in this country when we have the ability to do anything these days other than destroying something.  I just want to see roller skating as an art form in the way that I see it, and for it to develop itself like any other sport...they call it extreme sports, well extreme means exactly that, there's a place for it, there are people who want to do it, who will watch it.  That's no different at all from what I want to do but I think I'm the pied piper of putting roller skating in a place where it will be accepted as a serious and very physical and beautiful sport to watch.  If you're lucky enough to learn or be involved in this particular art form, and I predict that in years to come [Jammin] will be the thing to do, even if you skate those styles, this style will stand out over all other types of skating, guaranteed.   I predict that.  You can skate any other style, but if you put this particular style in your repertoire and use it the way it was developed and meant to be used, you'll find it's very rewarding. RST  So Art form has more to do with performances and presenting something to an audience? (BB) Oh definitely, sure.  RST How do you get to that point just going to weekly sessions? quad skaters don't have practice sessions. (BB)  That takes organization, in order to produce anything of that magnitude you have to have a very organized situation, a place in which to practice - you can't do that in a session.  A session is a session, that's where people do their thing, where they have a good time, where they process - that's an outlet for us.  All bets are off, when you get in that rink you have 3 hours and between complaining about the DJ and trying to have a good time it turns out to be an unsuccessful night most of the time. I'm right in line with everyone else in terms of music, the DJ has a tough nut to crack so I've come to the conclusion, that unless the DJ is deliberately trying to play music that would piss people off, (I don't believe that), then I think they just have a tough job, especially when they're playing to an audience that is like a melting pot - you have people from everywhere.  They're used to certain music.  I've learned to try to skate to everything and just leave the DJ alone, cross my fingers and hope for a good one.  Its almost like fishing, you go out, throw your hook in the water and you fish - for sport fishing.  But if you're fishing because you're hungry, you're subject to jump in the water and chase the fish on foot.  There's a difference between me and a lot of other people, other people spend their time raising hell with the DJ, cussing him out.  He'll get praise, but the percentage of praise is very little and that's an unfortunate thing. We're talking many, many years of skating.  When I first started, nobody [complained] because there was an organ player.  You went to the rink, you had a certain song that was played, repetitious like today, but everybody was doing the same thing because everybody was from the same town.  It's much easier for me to play to an audience of birds of a feather flocking together....it’s easy to do, but when you get a melting pot of people from different places and you get one DJ, it's not an easy job. - Bill speaks more on the trials of DJs next issue - Back to Top

QUESTIONS Q. Can you recommend something that I can use to clean my wheels?  I don't know what I rolled over, maybe gum or tar and it's stuck on my wheels and I don't know how to get it off. A.If you get gum on your wheels, you can spray it with a substance that makes it brittle and it just comes off or you just have to patiently scrape it off with a sharp blade (not too sharp), you can use a key.  It's good when you roll over the gum if you right that moment stop, take your skate off, scrape it off with a quarter, nickel, or a key There's a spray, I don't know exactly what it's called, but it makes the gum brittle, they use it on carpet.  It becomes brittle, then you scrape it, it becomes flaky and you vacuum it up.  If it's on your wheel, once it gets hard that's a different thing but that would mostly happen for people who don't take care of their skates.