Drove 380 miles to Fontana to the King of Skate Parks contest and almost did not go because people were crying that it might rain. Well if I sat around in fear of the weather than I would have missed riding with the legends, placing 3rd in Masters class, and an unbelievable night that followed that only few people will ever know. Its all about vert concrete these days, I get bored otherwise. Talked to Eddie Fiola and Dino Deluca to name a few. Peep game….

Metal’s most theatrical band is suffering a loss today. GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot — known by the stage name Flattus Maximus — was found dead by his bandmates this morning (Nov. 3), as GWAR prepared to cross the Canadian border for a stretch of tour dates. He was 34.

In a statement first released to the blog MetalSucks and later confirmed by Billboard, GWAR leader Dave Brockie (aka Oderus Urungus) wrote: “It is with a sense of profound loss and tragedy that the members of GWAR must announce the passing of their long time guitarist and beloved friend Cory Smoot, also known to thousands of metal fans worldwide as Flattus Maximus. Cory was found deceased this morning as the band prepared for a border crossing. There is no word as to the cause of death and the members of GWAR are completely shocked and devastated that this has occurred.”

As for the Richmond, Va. act’s future plans, Brockie wrote in his statement: “At this point there is no word on arrangements and the disposition of the remainder of GWAR’s current North American tour, nor are there any details regarding long term plans. At this point we are just dealing with the loss of our dear friend and brother, one of the most talented guitar players in metal today. We ask that our fans and the media be respectful of our request for privacy for those that have suffered this terrible loss. A full statement will be coming in the next day or so, in the meantime please give your thoughts and your prayers to Cory, his family, and all the people that love him.”

According to GWAR’s rep, no additional information surrounding Smoot’s death is yet known.

The guitarist joined the Grammy-nominated band in the role of Flattus Maximus in 2002. As for the man behind the red face and dreadlocks, Smoot operated his own music production company/recording studio, Karma Productions, where he mixed, engineered and produced for the likes of GWAR, Skeletonwitch (“Beyond the Permafrost” album) and Municipal Waste.

Born Aug. 25, 1977, Smoot previously played in metal bands Misguided and Locus Factor and continued to play with Mensrea, in addition to establishing his own solo endeavor, the Cory Smoot Experiment.

If you have never seen the Foo Fighters play, then I suggest you catch them when you can. Prepare yourself for an unreal experience, no joke. Most likely the best show I have ever gone too, if you are looking at overall performance, sound, and how the crowd reacts. This band just brings it, and makes you feel like you are part of the show.

Just thought that I would let all 7 people that come here know that although I have been distant, I have plans to start servicing this page with content. I have fallen to social media, making this page a victim of neglect. Please be patient.

I am also pleased to inform you that currently I have 3+ hours of footage from the Ramp Club’s last contest in 98 or 99, and some extra footage that was shot after hours with some members of the party crew that only existed after hours. Not just going to slap it up, or send it out, because it is sacred and I don’t want other people to take or use the footage for their own amusement. Be patient, I will roll it out when its ready, but it will be worth the wait.

Peace and love,
Squirrel

I hate hearing this shit, can’t say shit cause I just have not heard what happened, I hope this wasn’t some careless type of Ryan Dunn shit. Not worth pushing the limit all the time, guys were mostly stoked from having sessioned Vegas, never saw this coming.

Bates, Dimartine killed in auto accident

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Updated, 4:30 p.m., 9/22 

Banned BMX riders and members of the Casselberry, Fla. crew, Rickey Bates and Gary Dimartine were killed in an automobile accident on Tuesday night, according to Bates’ sponsor The Shadow Conspiracy. 

According to reports, Bates and Dimartine were traveling on Highway 93 north of Wickenburg, Ariz., when they tried to pass other cars on the road. They collided head-on with Arizona Department of Safety employee Matthew Uhl, 46, who was also killed in the accident. 

There were no signs of impairment in either driver. 

The pair were en route from Las Vegas, Nev. to Phoenix, Ariz., when the accident occurred. According to the Banned BMX blog, both Bates and Dimartine were traveling on a limited budget, and were in Las Vegas for Interbike 2011, to showcase new Banned BMX products in the Sparky’s Distribution booth. 

Bates, 23, a resident of Casselberry, Fla., was the creator of the “Banned” video series, which produced four DVDs, as well as hard goods. Banned products included BMX frames, sprockets, handlebars and the new ‘Sludge’ stem, which was Dimartine’s signature topload stem. “It’s meant for straight drops, and to hold your bars in place,” Bates told Ride BMX in an on-camera interview last week in Vegas. 

Bates was a member of the Sputnic BMX pro team, as well as the Shadow Conspiracy team. Sputnic had offered a signature Bates frame, dubbed the ‘Regulator‘ for the past two years, and were working with Bates on special edition Banned frames. 

Fellow Sputnic team rider Mike Cottle tweeted, “I’m stoked to have a Regulator. I love you Rickey,” minutes after learning of the news. 

 

 

Gary Dimartine, 24, was originally from Galloway, N.J., and had spent the past several years living between Philadelphia and Central Florida. After moving to the Florida area, Dimartine began filming for and appearing in the “Banned” video series. According to Sparky’s employee and friend John Paul Rogers, Dimartine was an “awesomely awkwardly funny kid.” 

Uhl, a civilian helicopter pilot with the Kingman Air Rescue, is survived by his wife and three children. 

Our condolences go out to the rider’s friends and families, the entire Florida crew, the family and friends of Matthew Uhl, and all those affected by this unfortunate news. 

We will update this story as more news becomes available.