Those sports that used to be marginal back in the days, looked down upon by the masses, ignored by the traditional media, have today become the norm within most households. In a way, we’re collectively responsible for the transformation all the sport gear shops had to go through; but it all happened so fast! What happened?

The creation of the first X-Games in 1994 is without a doubt related with the increasing popularity of these sports. Because they were widely featured on television, a lot of people have been able to discover those disciplines and their athletes for the first time, and a whole young generation immediately joined in. Here’s a Top 5 of the most epic moments of the X Games that shaped the evolution of those sports.

5 - Dave Mirra’s BMX « Double Backflip » - Summer X Games #6 (2000)

Crowning a five-year-long total domination of the park, this double backflip earned Dave Mirra his 9th gold medal at the X Games. Dave Mirra still remains to this day the most decorated athlete in X Games history, with 21 medals, 14 of them gold.

4 – Matt Hoffman’s 900 "no hands"- X-Games 8 (2002)

Unfortunately, even this never-seen-before maneuver didn’t win Matt Hoffman enough points to beat Dave Mirra in the finals, which got him the silver medal. That was Matt Hoffman’s last participation to the X Games. What a pity.

3 - Chuck Carothers’s motocross "body varial" - X Games 10 (2004)

Nicknamed Chuck N' Roll or Holy Chuck by his fans, the denomination “Carolla” stayed for this maneuver which remains to this day one of the most dangerous, all sports together. Chuck Carothers went back home with a gold medal and $50 000 more in his pockets, plus the title of “Athlete of the Games”. That being said, if we give credit to the current trend, someone should make a “backflip carolla” very soon… Chuck Carothers is also the first (and only) to have ever performed a backflip on a Harley Davidson motorcycle… and to have lived to tell!

2 – Tony Hawk’s 900 - X Games 5 (1999)

It’s after no less than 11 attempts that legendary skater Tony Hawk finally succeeded the first ever 900 degrees rotation on a ramp. More than a decade later, Tony Hawk is still extremely rich and famous thanks to this trick, which marked the X Games history forever.

1 - Travis Pastrana – his complete works!

In addition to winning 3 gold medals in Freestyle Moto X, Moto X Best Trick and Rally at the 12th X Games in 2006, Travis Pastrana succeeded in marking all the viewers’ minds by making the impossible real, which is to say, a double backflip on a motocross!

Travis Pastrana is the ultimate extreme athlete. He’s talented, and not afraid of anything. To him, making backflips is as natural as brushing his teeth. And he’d do them with anything, from tricycle to monster truck! And in his spare time, he sometimes gets entertained by jumping out of a plane with no parachute or “gardening” in his backyard… It’s only natural that MTV approached Travis to give him his own TV show, called Nitro Circus, which follows him and his reckless crew through all their stunts and crazy ideas!

-« What’s that, Aux Vivres?

-It’s a vegetarian restaurant, absolutely delicious. »

Ark! I expected this box to hold nothing but a bland salad, and boy I was wrong! She pulled out of it one of the biggest and yummiest-looking burgers I had ever seen!

While muching on my chips, I asked her for explanation. First, why? Is it healthy? And what on earth does a Vegetarian eat? Among lots of other things, she told me vegetarian diets are lighter on calories, that it’s super trendy, that it’s been on since the Greeks os 600 B.C., that’s it’s great for the environment… She used weird words such as tofu, seitan, tempeh, edamame… What??! I even think she said something about Einstein at some point but I wasn’t really paying attention; her sandwich was way more captivating.

When everybody left, I still had a lot of questions; they needed to be answered. I was wondering, all these delicious things, how come I had never tasted them? And above all, how and where could I taste them? After lots of research, I can give you some tips on the best places to try out!

Let’s start with my own little crush, which is in New York: the Viva Herbal pizzeria.They offer a wide selection of pizzas, with various crusts and toppings!

On the west coast of the USA, I recommend you to pay a visit to the Follow Your Heart café, which was voted one out of the eight best vegetarian locations in California by the "Vegetarian Resource Group"! Let me know if ever you walk by Travis Barker, he often “tweets” from there.

And in Montreal, there are so many mouth-watering options! Apart from Aux Vivres, you should try out the varied Commensal, the Thai Chuch/Chuchai, the chill Lola Rosa, or the raw Crudessence! It’s a party in my mouth, my tastebuds are getting craaazyyy.

But the real vegetarian paradise would without a doubt be the south of India: 80% of the Indians living there are vegetarians! Lots of delicious exotic food ahead.

Well. All this researching stirred my appetite. I’m thinking of getting some burgers delivered… Who wants to join me?

Thanks Erwann for the visit!

1. Why is your town the best in the world?

Because it rains a lot here, and that protects us from a looot of dummies who’d rather go and soak up the sun elsewhere. It’s still pretty quiet, except from July 15th to August 15th, when the city goes a bit too manic. But the pre and post season are to die for. For the waves, for the closeness of the hinterland and of Spain. Because it’s situated in the Basque Country, and at the same time, Biarritz is pretty timeless with its heterogeneous architecture made of giant cakes. It looks a pastry laying on the beach. Quite unusual.

2. Can you suggest some nice places to grab a bite?

My favorite place at the moment is the KOSTALDEA, above the beaches of the Chambre d’Amour, at the boundaries of Biarritz and Anglet, and facing the ocean and the cap Saint)Martin… Exquisite to have breakfast or a drink at sunset, and most of all to keep an eye on all the surfing spots all day long!

I also like the Bar Jean next to the Halles, the “100 steps” (unavoidable), La Tantina de Burgos, chez Miremont. And in Guéthary (8km), the Madrid, Heteroclito and Arotzen Kosta in front of the Vague des Alcyons.

3. What about shopping ?

.There are the Halles de Biarritz, one of the most beautiful covered markets in France, open every day of the week, all year long.

.JB Rautureau, in front of the Palais.

.Lily of the valley (my wife forced me)

4- Any good going-out tips ?

The Royal is like my own Paradiso. I can bring my 35mm films and watch my short movies in-between showings. A really drastic selection of movies is featured there.

The terrace of the Radisson, great to see things with a new point of view.

The fêtes de Bayonne, hardcore and basic at the same time, with more than one good sound system if you know how to find them in the « peñas » or the makeshift clubs.

The live shows I’ve produced and all those I soon will! ;-)

5- What are the unavoidable touristic activities?

The Grande Plage and the Côte des Basques, where I’ve hung out for a long time.

The surfers from the Grande, flaming and right where we expect them to be.

Philippe Hérault, a designer friend: his showroom is brand new and fill of light!

Again. the Halles de Biarritz.

6- Anything else to add ?

Don’t forget the Basque Country’s hinterland and San Sebastian, Biarritz’s elder sister, on the other side of the border (especially its Semana Grande in August and electro clubs all year long).

A little more than a week ago, the 2010 FIFA World Cup came to an end. It was a month long full of emotions, amazement, deceptions and vuvuzelas! That’s why I thought that you would be interested to know my point of view on this nineteenth edition of one of the most important sport events on this planet (after the Olympic Games, as you know…)

The Champions

Excepted their faux-pas on their opening game against Switzerland, the Spanish played a perfect tournament. On paper, their team is unfailing and they proved it on the field. Goaltender Iker Casillas, midfielder Andrés Iniesta and forward David Villa have been especially brilliant. I would have loved seeing more of Cesc Fàbregas, but an injury kept him out of the field for almost all the tournament’s length. No matter what, congratulations to the Furia Roja! This victory and this first star on their jersey are fully earned!

The Almost Champions

The players from Netherlands showed their savoir-faire by sending the Brazilians on vacation. At that moment, I thought they were going for glory. Unfortunately for them, Spain turned out to be an awesome opponent. The Oranje had to play very aggressively to stay up to date in the final match. It’s sad for them, because it’s their 3rd loss in history in an ultimate championship game. You’ll try again in 2014 guys! And don’t forget, you still have the most beautiful jerseys!

The Nice Surprises

No one can ignore Uruguay’s performance! Led by an inspired Diego Forlan, they weaved into semi-finals even though they had a more than hard time trying to gain their place for South Africa and they almost lost in quarter-finals against Ghana.

Speaking of Ghana, here is what I wrote in my Pre-World Cup blogpost on June 11th: “Algeria, Ghana and Paraguay are examples of countries that could unexpectedly extend their stay in South African land.” OK, I made a mistake with Algeria, but you must admit that I was right for Paraguay’s and the Black Stars’ course. These two selections honored their entire respective continent by overcoming the group phase and the eighths-of-finals, before finally failing in quarter-finals.

The Deceptions

I’m a positive guy! I won’t give names! But, you know…if you followed the World Cup’s newsreel, you know who have been disappointing.

The tournament’s archetypal sound

Pfzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzwwwoinggggggg!!!!

Vuvuzelas are so awesome!

My new idol

Paul The Octopus

I started this blog in December of 2009 in hopes of rapidly becoming an Internet star. I worked hard, I wrote hundreds of blogposts, I shot a dozen video episodes, I organized parties, I made thousands of Facebook friends. Everything is going down pretty good, but I’m still far from having the fame I dream of. Paul, an octopus!, became an interstellar and timeless legend in two weeks by having a small snack in a transparent box. I guess I should try that!

Let’s start with a little Vampires 101, shall we? Vampires come from the legends of Easter Europe, more precisely from the Balkans, where they’re basically perceived as harmless material living-dead. It’s since 1897 that they’ve reached fame, thanks to Bram Stoker’s classic novel “Dracula”. Stoker’s Dracula is described as a super-powerful and blood-thirsty count who sleeps in a coffin and can metamorphose into animals… Well, the whole vampiric folklore as it's still embedded in our minds.

The vampires got their second wind thanks to Anne Rice and her Vampire Chronicles, whose famous first volume Interview with the Vampire was published in 1976, followed by The Vampire Lestat in 1985. This same year witnessed the surprise success of Tom Holland’s Fright Night, which will lead a brand new round of vampire movies.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is made into a full-length movie in 1992 by Francis Ford Coppola, featuring Gary Oldman as the main character, to find an overwhelming success. The other leading characters are played by the very time-appropriate Keanu Reeves and Wynona Ryder. If it works, why change it? In 1994, Interview with the Vampire is made in a movie as well, and not without an A-list cast: retrouve Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater and even a young Kirsten Dunst occupy the main roles. At the same time, another vampire movie is a huuuuge…bomb: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yup, the movie. What, it had an amazing cast! Luke Perry (Beverly Hills), Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman), David Arquette (Scream) and even Miss Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) in her first movie role were starring. Well, there’s not much to cry on, as Joss Whedon later adapted his original idea to a better-suited TV show format. Long story short: Buffy the Vampire Slayer will meet an overwhelming success for 7 seasons-long. Just to compare:

The late 90’s and early 00’s saw more or less successful vampire-inspired projects spawn, such as the first installment of the Blade trilogy, Queen of the Damned and its neo-metal soundtrack, John Carpenter’s Vampires, Wes Craven’s Dracula 2000 starring a young Gerard Butler (of "300" fame) as Dracula, the futuristic-slash-gothic-sinpired Underworld, and the amazing and over-the-top From Dusk Til Dawn, penned by the non-less amazing pair Rodriguez/Tarantino.

If the late noughties saw the genre take a dramatic turn thanks to movies such as 30 days of night or Let the Right One In who succeded in taking the vampire out of his manor in the Balkans and the surrounding romantigo-gothic imagery, it was nothing compared to the brewing revolution… The vampire came back to life thanks to the cinematic adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” saga… Cue hysteria! Everyone wants their slice of the bloody cake, wso The CW adapts L.J. Smith’s novel series The Vampire Diaries into a TV Show. Instant success! But my own crush is for another show, True Blood, whose third season just started being broadcasted on HBO. It’s definitely worth being seen, if only for the opening credits produced by Digital Kitchen, the agency who also created the ones of Dexter!

So I may be totally immune to the charms of a guy who just happens to sparkle in the sunlight (come on, my bling does that too!), I have to admit that Robert Pattinson, the rhero of Twilight, fits his character like a glove. Indeed, genealogists from the website Ancestry.com even discovered lately that he’s a distant nephew of Vlad “The Impaler” Dracul, who inspired (wait for it) the fictional character of Dracula! What goes around comes around.

As Jay (and most of you) really enjoyed my blog post about the festivals in July, I thought I should do it for August too!

Instead of snagging myself a culture advisor gig in one of the many summer shows, I’m creating my own occupation of international outdoors summer musical celebrations specialist. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one in this niche.

So, I won’t make you wait any longer… Here are my suggestions!

August starts on July 31st, with our amazing Osheaga festival, right here in Montreal. For the fifth edition, the organizers didn’t skimp on great acts. The headliners will be Arcade Fire and Weezer. Sonic Youth should also attract quite a crowd, but as for me, i’m especially looking forward to seeing Major Lazer and the best band ever: the amazing CHROMEO. That will be the 23rd time I’ll be seeing them live… Well, if I can’t manage to catch one of their performances on the US East coast this week, that is.

If you’ve followed my advices and attended the Pitchfork festival last week in the Windy City, I suggest you to go back very soon for the Lollapalooza. From August 6th to 8th, an array of A-list celebrities will get on the boards to entertain hundreds of millions of viewers. The line-up is so diverse! You’ll come across artists such as Lady Gaga, or Cypress Hill, or Soundgarden, or even Erykah Badu. There will also be a small band that you might not know already: CHROMEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

If you like HUUUUUUUUUUUGE festivals, then maybe you should head over to Hungary, more precisely to the Sziget Festival. Taking place from August 11th to 16th, it’s the biggest musical event in Europe. Last year, 400 000 people met there, hence its being nicknamed the “European Woodstock”. The line-up is way too long for me to post it here, but I’ll just tell you one thing: my ONLY regret is that the band named CHROMEO will not be taking part of it… Boo-hoo! That’s SO unfair…

And in the world of about major festivals, Reading is not to be forgotten. Since its installment in 1971, it’s steadily grown. The climax of its history is without a doubt the legendary performance of Nirvana in 1992.

Among the artists not to be missed this year: LCD Soundsystem, Roots Manuva and Guns N’ Roses !!!! Let’s just hope it won’t end as it did on an unfortunate night of August 1992 at the Olympic Stadium…

Long story short, just as July did, August holds a million possibilities wherever you may be around the world. And if I have forgotten any, or if you’d like to promote an event in your area, don’t hesitate to use the “comments” section! Let’s make this post an official guide of our August events and nightlife!

A true pioneer of the Taiwanese graffiti scene, Reach exported his trademark black-and-white style and colorful characters with bolt-shaped eyes and oversized teeth to Japan, China, and even Europe. An exhibition of his art pieces was recently held, and I wish I could have attended… Anyway! Thank you Reach for the tour!

1 - Why is Taipei the best city in the world?

Taiwanese people are very hospitable and friendly. It's a lovely city and very convenient. Going from the city to the sea side or the mountain only takes about 1 hour by car. And we also have lots of night markets and delicious local food, so you can enjoy great food anytime!

2 - Do you have any good tips on the local dishes to try?

- 小張龜山島: Sea food

- 大隱酒食: traditional taiwanese food

- 我的: BBQ

- 杭州小龍湯包: Dumplings

3 - What are the good shopping spots?

- There's Greyone Arsenal, an high-end streetwear boutique slash art gallery

- The Base is a café doubling as an outside office. It also hosts exhibitions.

- Eslite, the 24/7 bookstore

- Nabiis

4 - Finally, what are the city's Must Do's?

Definitely Juifang: beautiful town, and full of a great tea smell. Stunning streets and countless stairs with an old atmosphere and scenery. You will feel back the old time of Taipei.

Since we’ve been friends for a very long time and they even scored my TV commercials that aired on RDS, I decided to ask them a couple questions about their music… And that was just the beginning of an adventure! I engaged in a multi-hyphenated punk-rock-hardcore journey that led me to the Katacombes and to meet the band Plus/Minus which is more or less composed of the same people as the Lifers Crew.

Today, it’s Anarchy on What Up Jay! Here’s my Hardcore-Punk webisode!

PS: Mad props to Steve at Insurgence Records for the music!

The very versatile Boogat, whom I previously mentioned HERE, offers us again an excellent free mixtape available online.  This time, he chose to express himself in spanish on some next level raps.  I already knew that he's a talented producer, but each time I hear his unique flow, I can only be astonished in front of such mastery.  The only problem here is that I don't understand spanish.  But, you know, sometimes the intonation itself is enough to understand the content.

In addition, the whole thing was mixed down by none other than Mr. Loud Bass himself, that is to say Poirier. Yes, the same Poirier who had blessed us with this mixtape. 

To download Boogat's mixtape, you must click HERE !!!

A native of San Francisco, Persue is one of the pioneers of the Californian graffiti scene. He started in 1988 with other great names of the scène such as Risk, Saber or Slick, but also as a member of the inevitable Los Angeles crew: the MSK. He didn’t stop there: he’s also the creator of Bunny Kitty, his trademark character, a cute little bunny/cat hybrid (hence her name). This icon has been developed for a couple years already, in his graffiti pieces as much as on all types of media: canvas, tees, keyrings, mousepads, skate boards… And even underwear! And that’s not even it yet: Persue is also one of the main designers in the skateboarding scene. He created many iconic designs for DCshoes, Circa or Osiris (the Osiris logo? That’s him!)

Nowadays, this hyperactive Californian and Jean Reno-lookalike is also the VP and head designer for Vox, another skateboard which he designed a ton of kicks, each pair even more beautiful than the other. In his little spare time, he keeps on spray-painting and developing Bunny Kitty, who might well one day take Hello Kitty’s place in the kawaii merchandising market… Keep an eye on this artist and his multiple creative facets!

1 - Why is San Diego the best in the world?

“ IT NEVER RAINS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!” Well, I think there are a few reasons why San Diego is “ONE” of the best cities in the world. First, San Diego is the most southern city in California. There is the heart of downtown San Diego, which is actually really small: 20 blocks from one end to another. San Diego is all about the different towns located along the coast, inland and around the center of the city. The weather is unreal most of the year; i mean it seldom rains. The beaches are unreal, they are great!! You can go to private beaches or party beaches. It is all there for you to choose from. The Mexican cuisine is out of this world, San Diego being located 20 minutes from the border and all. Of course like most places it is what you make of it. But San Diego offers everything.

2 – Could you suggest 2-3 good restaurants or reknowned local meals ?

There are some good places I like to eat :

For Mexican food I like Pokez, located in Downtown SD. It is family-owned and the food is really good. It attracts an eclectic crowd. There is another place located in Chula Vista called Karina’s. They serve Mexican seafood. It is a perfect place to enjoy a cold cerveza. The waitresses are great as well. The Turf Club located in Golden Hills just outside of Downtown is a great place for a DIY steak. Plus the bar is really good! Be ready to socialize there.

Here is a list of other really good places to eat :

Vegetarian:

Veg-n-out, located in North Park.

Breakfast:

The Brockton: Located in La Jolla. The best French toast!!!

The Mission: 3 Locations to choose from.

The Big Kitchen: Located in South Park. It’s a small place with a nice hippie type vibe. Tres Bien!

Seafood:

Point Loma Seafood. Lots to choose from!

I like The Fish Market in Downtown. It sits right on the Harbor.

Asian:

There are so many places in Claremont. You can find Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese all around this area. One place worth mentioning is a Japanese hole in the wall called Okan. They are a traditional home cooking style Tapas restaurant. Super Good!

Indian:

Good curries around HERE!!!

Apple pie:

Julian: A Great place to visit… Still has the western feel of the small towns. Great for apple pie a la mode! Julian is located about an hour out of downtown San Diego.

BBQ:

Phils BBQ…

3 – Any good suggestions shopping-wise?

I may be being biased here but the number one spot is my family’s store located in Encinitas, HOME. My brothers run it. It is a new and used mercantile. Pay us a visit! There are many other shops located around this area.

Fashion Valley has some nice high-end shopping.

LaJolla shores has tons of stores, but it gets very pricey around this area.

For the hip streetwearing-type cats, there are many places located downtown: 5 and Dime, Tribal, Armory and Kleenhouse to name a few.

You can get your ghetto gowns at Fan Mart (indoor market): 1755 Euclid Avenue, San Diego, CA.

4- What are the good party spots ?

You have a few options for a nice get away. There are the Catalina Islands about an hour from San Diego. You’ll have to catch the ferry to get to the actual island. There are resorts, shopping and parties on this island. There is always 5th street in downtown. There are tons of clubs and restaurants. I really don’t go hangout downtown. I prefer the dive bars in surrounding areas.

5- And what would be your city's Must Do's ?

Take surfing lessons at one of our great beaches. The horse’s race at Del Mar race track during the summer. There is also the San Diego Fair that happens during the first part of the summer as well. As far as people to meet. I can’t really say. Perhaps my dad? He hangs out at the beach (Tamarak) with his bird King Louie, a white cockatoo. They usually attract a small crowd. It’s fun to watch Louie flirt with the girls!

Thanks for the tour, Persue!