Every few months, I gotta search "Rodney Mullen" to see if there are new videos of him; such a pleasure to here this talk! What an amazing human being ❤
This was the best night of my life. Words cant describe the magic I felt when listening to this man talk. Meeting him after the show, talking to him and feeling a genuine connection and interest to the things I wanted to tell him, having him believe in me. It was all so incredible. You can see me in the middle centre seat in the front row!
After a looong, rough day, going to TH-cam and seeing a 45 minute video of Rodney Mullen with The Royal Institution logo next to him is probably the best feeling a human can feel
I love the fact that my entire childhood was skateboarding practically 24/7, rain, snow, heat etc. I am an old man now and have not been physically able to skate for over 15 years. But 15 years later , Everything Rodney says is so spot on and I only wish I had the capacity back then to know and understand why I skated besides the fun factor. Its fascinating to hear it broken down in such ways. Perhaps it is part of why I never miss watching an event or contest, I still get that stoke to go out and skate when I see someone pull a sick run even though I know I will never skate again.
Thats so sick, people like you that support the scene still after their skate-retirement are the heart of skateboarding, the secret of this worldwide movement!
This literally brought tears to my eyes, as a lover of science and art and culture and sports and skateboarding. Rodney has always been a master, but the way he articulates his knowledge, experience, and passion is inspiring in myriad ways. He finds ways to bring peace and beauty to a sport that can otherwise seem overly aggressive. I was lucky enough to meet him briefly when I was a teenager in Muenster, Germany at a contest, and I will always cherish that moment, along with all the brilliant video parts over the years and this talk. Thank you Rodney!
This is why he will always be known as the best to ever do it. No one can break down skateboarding the way Rodney Mullen can. To top it off, hes extremely humble, and as sweet as a human can be.
Very lucky to have been on the front row for this, and happy to be able to watch it back. A very interesting talk and he was extremely surprised when I got him to sign my passport afterwards.
As a 50 year old software developer who grew up skateboarding in 80s and 90s, and and was amazed to see Rodney Mullen still expanding the boundaries of the sport in the 2000s... this video is the greatest thing I've seen on youtube, by far. Thank you, RI, for giving this brilliant man an opportunity to share his perspective with the world. And thank you, Rodney, for sharing with us.
Ngl I cry tears of happiness and memory and optimism-in-spite-of-it-all every single time I hear Rodney talk about (or write about- check out "MUTT")- skateboarding. He's a window into our universe. And he helps explain to us skateboarders why we love what this is- so, so much. And why its uniquely diverse culture goes so far beyond just some kids putting wax on your bank's ledges and mind-melting pros rolling around on a board providing entertainment for advertisers and a world often too afraid or confused to stop, smile and appreciate the art and the musicality of it. Former skaters- don't ever forget skateboarding. And return to skating or give back to this community in some way if you can. My friend recently had a stroke and can barely fish anymore- you have ZERO excuses. And really listen. Mullen is the man.
Dear Royal Institute, what a brilliant idea it was to have Rodders give a lecture here! He's very clever and well read, so will know what an amazingly important institution this is and has been for centuries. Excellent! 👌🏼
No way! This is the raddest thing I've seen on TH-cam and I haven't even watched it yet. My favourite skateboarder by and enormous margin; he invented so much of the modern sport. And I know he has interests in physics and ancient history. Oh, Lordy, this is gonna be good ...
I love Rodney’s talks like this. If you haven’t yet go check out the art of manufacturing interview with him. He gives all kinds of cool background info on world
This man is inspiring, a true legend for this sport. Every skateboarder amateur or pro, should watch this video and see how this sport has transcended decades of talent and innovation at all levels.
This is how I can tell someone's been skating for a long time, without asking them. I tried to explain the "old skater" stance to my wife and now she sees it 🤣
The first time I saw someone tic-tac into forward motion from a dead stop I thought it violated the laws of physics. It took me quite a while to figure out how it could be possible.
Christmas morning 1986, sitting on my new Powell Perelta skateboard watching the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. Went skating today and here's Rodney. About time! lol Lovely to see this. Thank you. :)
I'm a skater of 17 years. I met Rodney in 2014 at an event in Lakeland Florida called "Innoskate" where local schools had kids designing graphics on blank skateboards. an art museum hosted the showpieces, and Rodney spoke on a panel. I met him during a signing event after the panel and got my very first skateboard autographed by the legend himself. seeing him speak at the Royal Institution and just how far skateboarding has come gives me inspiration comparable to nothing else. go Rodney! go RI for hosting this talk, go skaters, and go anyone who finds our determination in falling and getting back up as a motivation to drive tomorrow. you rock, we rock! ❤
Skateboarding couldn’t ask for a better Godfather to represent us. Rodney is truly just an all around amazing human being, and makes me feel proud to call myself a skater. As someone who loves science, philosophy, spirituality, and practices many hobbies/crafts.. this man articulates what it is about skateboarding that draws me in specifically. It truly feels like a Renaissance “sport”. I’m so thankful for skateboarding and our entire community 🙏♥️
We all knew he was amazing about 30 yrs before the rest of the world caught on. We have always been ahead of the world. We lead them. Falling down..getting up…over and over just builds strength and character and a deeper observation of self and surroundings. Being a skateboarder is the best. Can’t imagine not being a part of it.
In 1965 we used to hurtle down a hill on a piece of board on an ordinary skate. Biscuit tin lids were tried. Luckily there wasn't much traffic in '65. It worked so there was no need to develop it. Not sure which of our gang suggested it, it lasted about the year. In '63 the first skateboards were imported to London. We had no way of knowing that they had been imported or even invented. This was in South Wales. No smart phones back then. Nobody had landlines either, or cars. All I know is I remember it was great fun, and painful hiiting the road. One skate for the base was a bit small and very dodgy. I probably still have the scars over 60 years later.
Bruh how can the Royal Institution have a symposium from the most legendary flatground skater of all time about skateboarding and not let him actually DEMONSTRATE any skateboarding there in that huge flatground space he has???
@Right before 34:00 he's talking about something that I think is how you build super structures out of Megalithic Stones. like the Pyramids, using AI model and a quarry and a plan that is so far out to every stone, analyzing every step to make all them fit perfectly together, then in a assembly line, have them cut and shaped with a Huge CNC
As a millennial skater this is such a full circle moment. So many us knew of rodney because he was included in THPS and Rodney’s unlockable footage was imprinted on our young minds. Alongside Kareem, Geoff, Muska! And others. To hear Rodney speak so elegantly about the interaction between human and the technology that is a skateboard, really puts skateboarding into a large human experience context. It somehow feels healing in some way for this to come out at this time.
It's crazy to me that's how you knew him and not as just the godfather of modern street skateboarding! Although to be fair I found out about him from TH-cam!
Hearing Rodney always makes me tear up. I don’t know why. He’s just such a motivational person and the way he views the world. It always reminds me to quit standing around and just go get into it. Fall down and get back up.
The man invented the ollie, most of the ground floor of skating (Kickflip, Heelflip, Nollie, Switch ollie, impossible, and many many more), created the god damn shape that we all skate to this day! ( the popsicle!) and is the best ambassador this sport or culture could have ever asked for!
This was a truly amazing, beautiful, and inspiring presentation! He showcased the brilliant skateboarding community and connected it with the passion of science & engineering.
Language of skate tricks is very similar to karate nomenclature of movements, for example you got keri (kick), mawashi geri (circular side kick), ura mawashi geri (reverse circular side kick), and so on, depending on the type of motion, the direction, the height (yodan, chudan godan= low/belly, medium/chest, high/head), and so on
"imagination makes the strange familiar" this struck me outside of this context and made me think about anxiety. that when you worry about the strange you imagine it to result in a familiar pain. But belief can be used in the same way but positively, you imagine the strange future you can have but feeling that it is familiar and at 11:00 "it's the same freedom of movement that makes it cumbersome" I just had a thought about the purpose of life from this. The freedom of movement is the main reason, or in other words the uncertainty. Because if all the information is processed like a program there is no life. You see this same realization in computer science where AI is the attempt to make programs come to life because of the inherent uncertainty it possesses. God created reality for no other purpose than it not being deterministic, since that can only be the definition of life. And if you tie that concept back to imagination, creativity, it must be the natural flow of reality manifesting in these microcosmic ways, in one way being skateboarding. You know how to do a trick based on the language ( or the program) but it only comes to life because of the freedom of movement which is 'cumbersome' or which means its uncertain. You bring a creation from imagination into life through this uncertainty or freedom of movement. And this also connects to courage and what I said about anxiety, why we inherently see courage as a virtue and fear as not is because making the strange familiar is the unfolding of life, or its prime directive. This makes me think of Rodney and his father. His father saw his life as a waste because he could have put his mind to something else more important like science. But in this view, and I think Rodney is touching on this, that skateboarding and science and anything else are all the same thing, they are microcosms of the pattern of life itself. It's always the same no matter what you do. What is "good" is an unfolding of life, and what is "bad" is stopping it. So in this relationship of Rodney and his father, it was his father being bad, which was attempting to prevent the structure of life from unfolding in strange ways, into becoming familiar. The means by which that happens is irrelevant
Learn reaction is a big part of both motorcycles and skateboarding. I've watched someone get on either one for the first time and it's never pretty. Just to ride a skateboard. You have to learn to shove your board, forwards every time you hit a pebble or crack.
Audience has no idea how difficult these tricks are. Impossible for the average person. I used to skate for years and never got to this point. Not even close.
Every few months, I gotta search "Rodney Mullen" to see if there are new videos of him; such a pleasure to here this talk! What an amazing human being ❤
This was the best night of my life. Words cant describe the magic I felt when listening to this man talk. Meeting him after the show, talking to him and feeling a genuine connection and interest to the things I wanted to tell him, having him believe in me. It was all so incredible. You can see me in the middle centre seat in the front row!
You lucky, lucky sod ...
Calm down
OMG!! Do you know how many time I fantasised about having a chat with Rosney?!
Happy for you man!
*Ooooooooooooooohhhhh brrrrrrother this guy stiiiiiinks!*
@@Xcalator35 I met him as well in Vancouver, I approached him, he was very authentic and candid. Very relaxed fellow skateboarder.
This man makes me want to cry
Hes so articulate and well spoken
You can FEEL the kindness and love in his voice id love to meet him one day
And just like that 44 minutes just went by flying. I could listen to Rodney talk for hours, he knows so much and yet is so humble.
Glad to see Rodney getting the recognition he deserves outside of our world of skateboarding
Never expected to see Rodney on this channel, but here we are!
Skateboarding is unbelievably massive, he's a god!
@@DylanOsmond-w3n Yes, i'm well aware. I've known of Rodney since the 80s.... I still never expected to see him, 'here'.
They moved faradays desk. Thought he was gonna do some tricks!
After a looong, rough day, going to TH-cam and seeing a 45 minute video of Rodney Mullen with The Royal Institution logo next to him is probably the best feeling a human can feel
I love the fact that my entire childhood was skateboarding practically 24/7, rain, snow, heat etc. I am an old man now and have not been physically able to skate for over 15 years. But 15 years later , Everything Rodney says is so spot on and I only wish I had the capacity back then to know and understand why I skated besides the fun factor. Its fascinating to hear it broken down in such ways. Perhaps it is part of why I never miss watching an event or contest, I still get that stoke to go out and skate when I see someone pull a sick run even though I know I will never skate again.
Thats so sick, people like you that support the scene still after their skate-retirement are the heart of skateboarding, the secret of this worldwide movement!
Age is just a number. Join the old skaters subreddit, plenty of guy and gals from 30-50+ still skating!
@@kingkento A nasty fall or break can retire someone real fast... Kinda rude to tell him to just go skate
This literally brought tears to my eyes, as a lover of science and art and culture and sports and skateboarding. Rodney has always been a master, but the way he articulates his knowledge, experience, and passion is inspiring in myriad ways. He finds ways to bring peace and beauty to a sport that can otherwise seem overly aggressive. I was lucky enough to meet him briefly when I was a teenager in Muenster, Germany at a contest, and I will always cherish that moment, along with all the brilliant video parts over the years and this talk. Thank you Rodney!
I could literally listen to Mullen talk for hours.
Rodney shares some incredible insights here. Injuries are a part of skateboarding…but at 60 I am grateful to still be here rolling.
I adore this man. What a genuine and humble human being. He just brings joy to me every time I see or hear him.
THIS IS COLOSSAL! Such a fantastic presentation. Scientific and socialogical poetry. Thanks, Rodney. #legendary #bonesbrigade
This is why he will always be known as the best to ever do it. No one can break down skateboarding the way Rodney Mullen can. To top it off, hes extremely humble, and as sweet as a human can be.
Yeah he’s solid. I think Andy Anderson is the rebirth of Rodney!
I absolutely love listening to Rodney speak. He makes my brain feel the way my best college professors did.
Very lucky to have been on the front row for this, and happy to be able to watch it back. A very interesting talk and he was extremely surprised when I got him to sign my passport afterwards.
The most accomplished physicist to ever speak there.
As a 50 year old software developer who grew up skateboarding in 80s and 90s, and and was amazed to see Rodney Mullen still expanding the boundaries of the sport in the 2000s... this video is the greatest thing I've seen on youtube, by far. Thank you, RI, for giving this brilliant man an opportunity to share his perspective with the world. And thank you, Rodney, for sharing with us.
Ngl I cry tears of happiness and memory and optimism-in-spite-of-it-all every single time I hear Rodney talk about (or write about- check out "MUTT")- skateboarding. He's a window into our universe. And he helps explain to us skateboarders why we love what this is- so, so much. And why its uniquely diverse culture goes so far beyond just some kids putting wax on your bank's ledges and mind-melting pros rolling around on a board providing entertainment for advertisers and a world often too afraid or confused to stop, smile and appreciate the art and the musicality of it.
Former skaters- don't ever forget skateboarding. And return to skating or give back to this community in some way if you can. My friend recently had a stroke and can barely fish anymore- you have ZERO excuses. And really listen. Mullen is the man.
Dear Royal Institute, what a brilliant idea it was to have Rodders give a lecture here!
He's very clever and well read, so will know what an amazingly important institution this is and has been for centuries. Excellent! 👌🏼
Brilliant talk Rodney!
No way! This is the raddest thing I've seen on TH-cam and I haven't even watched it yet. My favourite skateboarder by and enormous margin; he invented so much of the modern sport. And I know he has interests in physics and ancient history. Oh, Lordy, this is gonna be good ...
I love Rodney’s talks like this. If you haven’t yet go check out the art of manufacturing interview with him. He gives all kinds of cool background info on world
This man is inspiring, a true legend for this sport. Every skateboarder amateur or pro, should watch this video and see how this sport has transcended decades of talent and innovation at all levels.
rodney always standing like hes ready to ollie
He is riding the planet.
This is how I can tell someone's been skating for a long time, without asking them. I tried to explain the "old skater" stance to my wife and now she sees it 🤣
Seriously, I noticed that too!! 😂🤘🏼
If he had a skateboard, he'd be giving the exact same speech, but less people would listen.
The first time I saw someone tic-tac into forward motion from a dead stop I thought it violated the laws of physics. It took me quite a while to figure out how it could be possible.
It's amazing how that same OODA Loop applies to so many things. Skating, technology, shooting tactics. It's incredible
I love skateboarding so much ❤
Me tooooooo
Christmas morning 1986, sitting on my new Powell Perelta skateboard watching the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. Went skating today and here's Rodney. About time! lol Lovely to see this. Thank you. :)
I could listen to Rodney talk for a month straight, dude is an absolute legend, and such an eloquent speaker ♥️
Rodney Mullen is so amazing it's hard to even express in words now much he revolutionized skateboarding.
Oh my god!!! Rodney is a living legend I can't wait to listen to this ❤
I'm a skater of 17 years. I met Rodney in 2014 at an event in Lakeland Florida called "Innoskate" where local schools had kids designing graphics on blank skateboards. an art museum hosted the showpieces, and Rodney spoke on a panel. I met him during a signing event after the panel and got my very first skateboard autographed by the legend himself. seeing him speak at the Royal Institution and just how far skateboarding has come gives me inspiration comparable to nothing else. go Rodney! go RI for hosting this talk, go skaters, and go anyone who finds our determination in falling and getting back up as a motivation to drive tomorrow. you rock, we rock! ❤
Mullen is one of a kind; a true legend
"All of us tend to be outsiders who seek a sense of belonging, but only on our own terms." Beautiful.
How he walks the story while gathering pieces from everywhere. Beautiful soul bro! I love Rodney and sk8. These clips bring me back!
I'm in! Anything Rodney is worth our precious time
Saw “Rodney Mullen” and couldn’t click fast enough!
Skateboarding couldn’t ask for a better Godfather to represent us. Rodney is truly just an all around amazing human being, and makes me feel proud to call myself a skater. As someone who loves science, philosophy, spirituality, and practices many hobbies/crafts.. this man articulates what it is about skateboarding that draws me in specifically. It truly feels like a Renaissance “sport”.
I’m so thankful for skateboarding and our entire community 🙏♥️
I don’t think people realize how amazingly humble he is for being the actual creator of every skateboard trick
As a skater, this our guy. For decades he inspired us. Isn't he amazing!
We all knew he was amazing about 30 yrs before the rest of the world caught on. We have always been ahead of the world. We lead them.
Falling down..getting up…over and over just builds strength and character and a deeper observation of self and surroundings.
Being a skateboarder is the best. Can’t imagine not being a part of it.
In 1965 we used to hurtle down a hill on a piece of board on an ordinary skate. Biscuit tin lids were tried. Luckily there wasn't much traffic in '65. It worked so there was no need to develop it. Not sure which of our gang suggested it, it lasted about the year. In '63 the first skateboards were imported to London. We had no way of knowing that they had been imported or even invented. This was in South Wales. No smart phones back then. Nobody had landlines either, or cars. All I know is I remember it was great fun, and painful hiiting the road. One skate for the base was a bit small and very dodgy. I probably still have the scars over 60 years later.
Blessed to have another Rodney video!
Glad to see this available on TH-cam. I wasn't able to be there on the day or watch the live stream. Thank you !
Amazing from Rodney as always
I wish he'd make a youtube channel n make vlogs and stuff so we can interact with him
Rodney Mullen is the Einstein of skateboarding
Absolutely outstanding. Anytime I need inspiration, I’ll watch this again.
Bruh how can the Royal Institution have a symposium from the most legendary flatground skater of all time about skateboarding and not let him actually DEMONSTRATE any skateboarding there in that huge flatground space he has???
As if all he has done and his profound messgae wasn't enough, his delivery is awesome. The rhythm, the rhymes, his tone, ... This guy is amazing.
@Right before 34:00 he's talking about something that I think is how you build super structures out of Megalithic Stones. like the Pyramids, using AI model and a quarry and a plan that is so far out to every stone, analyzing every step to make all them fit perfectly together, then in a assembly line, have them cut and shaped with a Huge CNC
As a millennial skater this is such a full circle moment.
So many us knew of rodney because he was included in THPS and Rodney’s unlockable footage was imprinted on our young minds. Alongside Kareem, Geoff, Muska! And others.
To hear Rodney speak so elegantly about the interaction between human and the technology that is a skateboard, really puts skateboarding into a large human experience context.
It somehow feels healing in some way for this to come out at this time.
It's crazy to me that's how you knew him and not as just the godfather of modern street skateboarding! Although to be fair I found out about him from TH-cam!
Hearing Rodney always makes me tear up. I don’t know why. He’s just such a motivational person and the way he views the world. It always reminds me to quit standing around and just go get into it. Fall down and get back up.
No way, thank you RI ❤
So awesome! Rodney is, in no uncertain terms, a genius. Thank you RI!
The man invented the ollie, most of the ground floor of skating (Kickflip, Heelflip, Nollie, Switch ollie, impossible, and many many more), created the god damn shape that we all skate to this day! ( the popsicle!) and is the best ambassador this sport or culture could have ever asked for!
If you’re a fan of Rodney, and were already a follower of the royal Institute, you are my people.
Wait what? This is soooo cool, mullen is the legend🎉
I love guitar and chemistry and skateboarding I’ve found my home in this video
Rodney is just the best guy. You can immediately tell.
The world needed this right now
Big Rod..we love you bro..the whole world loves you dude.. everyone!
Thank you
This was a truly amazing, beautiful, and inspiring presentation! He showcased the brilliant skateboarding community and connected it with the passion of science & engineering.
Language of skate tricks is very similar to karate nomenclature of movements, for example you got keri (kick), mawashi geri (circular side kick), ura mawashi geri (reverse circular side kick), and so on, depending on the type of motion, the direction, the height (yodan, chudan godan= low/belly, medium/chest, high/head), and so on
Rodney Mullen!!!
Just awsome, what a legend
The greatest of all time
"imagination makes the strange familiar"
this struck me outside of this context and made me think about anxiety. that when you worry about the strange you imagine it to result in a familiar pain. But belief can be used in the same way but positively, you imagine the strange future you can have but feeling that it is familiar
and at 11:00 "it's the same freedom of movement that makes it cumbersome" I just had a thought about the purpose of life from this. The freedom of movement is the main reason, or in other words the uncertainty. Because if all the information is processed like a program there is no life. You see this same realization in computer science where AI is the attempt to make programs come to life because of the inherent uncertainty it possesses. God created reality for no other purpose than it not being deterministic, since that can only be the definition of life. And if you tie that concept back to imagination, creativity, it must be the natural flow of reality manifesting in these microcosmic ways, in one way being skateboarding. You know how to do a trick based on the language ( or the program) but it only comes to life because of the freedom of movement which is 'cumbersome' or which means its uncertain. You bring a creation from imagination into life through this uncertainty or freedom of movement. And this also connects to courage and what I said about anxiety, why we inherently see courage as a virtue and fear as not is because making the strange familiar is the unfolding of life, or its prime directive.
This makes me think of Rodney and his father. His father saw his life as a waste because he could have put his mind to something else more important like science. But in this view, and I think Rodney is touching on this, that skateboarding and science and anything else are all the same thing, they are microcosms of the pattern of life itself. It's always the same no matter what you do. What is "good" is an unfolding of life, and what is "bad" is stopping it. So in this relationship of Rodney and his father, it was his father being bad, which was attempting to prevent the structure of life from unfolding in strange ways, into becoming familiar. The means by which that happens is irrelevant
When Rodney talks, we listen. :)
So in love with this man….🎉❤❤❤
I hope someone will do a presentation on the science and language of break dancing soon!
i can't wait for the talk about how to dance the macarena
This is great
Very enjoyable
I dont think anyone is more passionate about anything as much as Rodney is passionate about skateboarding.
Legend.
Thanks so much for sharing this. I missed this at the time so am so glad it's here. Rodney is an inspiration and so interesting!
Yep 31:08
Learn reaction is a big part of both motorcycles and skateboarding. I've watched someone get on either one for the first time and it's never pretty. Just to ride a skateboard. You have to learn to shove your board, forwards every time you hit a pebble or crack.
Skateboarding and bikes have a lot in common.
The goat of the goats!!!!
A man who changed the world…
Did not expect to see rodney mullen on ri 😂
TFW Rodney understands the nuances of LLM's more than the people investing in LLM
Legend
Hello from southbank 🇬🇧
when i saw Rodney mullen, I didn't think twice
Great to see a legend like Rodney on here.
Shame all the adverts ruin the experience.
You can apply all of RODs philosophies to life metaphorically to life
*Such a good speaker, never judge a book by it's cover*
🤙🏽⚡️🤟🏽⚡️👌🏽
Legend 🙏
Using the environment in creative ways, usually not authorized. When creativity needs authorized we're screwed.
Rodney!!!!!!
First a TED Talk and now the RI. I can see Andy Anderson giving a presentation at RI I’m 20 years or so.
🐐
Saint Mullen
now you only have to add andy anderson to this conversation" just imagine
I play 5 instruments in my own songs. I never practiced, just picked up on it
#1
Audience has no idea how difficult these tricks are. Impossible for the average person. I used to skate for years and never got to this point. Not even close.
amazing Ri talk!