This page: Neil Heddings finds out how
many licks it takes to get to the center
of a lollipop shove-it, lien grab at
Santa Rosa skatepark.
That page: Gideon Choi's frontside
unrstide has a chewy nougat center.
don't think I'm
fag or anything,
cause usually this is
for the chicks," he said. I
looked at the card, and writ
ten across the top in big fucked-up,
2nd-grader-looking, black hallpoint handwriting
it said "BIG CHOCOLATE" Underneath in blue ballpoint it had
his phone number and a drunk-looking Artist-Formerly-known-A-
Prince symbol. Written down in the corner in ill trying-to-be-fancy letters,
it said. "TONGUES OF FUN Then, on the back in green ballpoint, it
had another fucked-up Prince symbol and a pyramid with an eye on
top. Scrawled across the bottom of the card was a bunch of
roman numerals that I couldn't figure out. Later I realized
it was his phone number. All I could think about
was the reaction he was gonna get when he gave
the card to a girl Quch.
it was about time to go meet my friend Dave, so I told Big
Chocolate I was leaving. He asked. "Do you mind if I come
along? I said no, and we started rolling down Michigan Avenue.
Along the way he was telling me about how he used to be
sponsored by Z-Roller and how he used to do big-ass melon-
chollies and stair handrails, meanwhile, he was having trou
ble getting up curbs. We stopped at a stoplight and there was
this giant white dude standing there with a little 5 foot girl. Big
Chocolate walked right up to them with a shit eating grin on his face and said
"Hey, dude, how much can you bench? The guy looked at him all puzzled, so Big
Chocolate said. "You know, how much can you lift?" "Oh I don't know, like po
375. I don't really lift anymore, though. I'm kinda out of shape. the guy said as 1
he pacted his huge belly. "Wow, man, you're really beg. I used to try to work
out, but I could never get big like you," said Big Chocolate. The guy was
obviously flattered and sheepishly replied. "Thanks, but I'm really not in
shape like I used to be" Big Chocolate was just staring at him starry-eyed
like. "Wow I was just standing there thinking "What the fuck?! This
cat is nuts Big Chocolate is like a fountain of good feeling with a mission
to touch every person he meets in the city"
The light changed, and we crossed the street over to the Art Institute
where Dave and Sarah were already waiting. I walked up the stairs
and gave Dave a pound and Sarah a hug. Big Chocolate seemed sort of
captivated by Sarah as I was making introductions. When he shook
Sarah's hand, he said. "So do you bake cookies? She got all confused
and said, "No..well. I mean, sometimes, but not professionally or any
thing. He was like. "Ok" He looked sort of bummed and said. "You know,
cause I was thinking Ike, Sara Lee
After a few minutes, we started getting ready to go back to my crib, and Big
Chocolate realized that maybe it was time for him to continue along on his
ssion. He shot mr a big grin and said, "So. I'll probably see you skating down
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