Mike McGill
Encyclopedia
Mike McGill is an American skateboarder. He is best known for inventing the McTwist
, an inverted 540 degree mute grab
bed aerial which he first performed on a wooden half-pipe
in Sweden in 1984 and then at the Del Mar Skate Ranch in a concrete bowl when he returned to the US. He was inspired by Fred Blood, who had performed a 540 on roller skates. It was a groundbreaking trick that dominated skateboarding for many years afterwards. Only a handful of pros were able to learn it at the time. The trick was named by fellow teammate Rodney Mullen
, and is derived from "Mc" in McGill's last name combined with Twist, which had already been coined by Lance Mountain
and Neil Blender with their invention of the Gay Twist
– a Mute grabbed fakie 360 degree aerial. Fellow teammate Tony Hawk
, inspired by the McTwist, went on to invent a 720 degree aerial, (essentially a double Gay Twist), and as a homage to McGill, named it the McHawk.
McGill was also a member of the Bones Brigade
, an elite team of skateboarders sponsored by Powell Peralta
who dominated much of professional skateboarding (both in contests and in popularity), for much of the 1980s. McGill mainly skated vertical, and when street skating began to dominate the industry, McGill turned to the business side of skating. He started his own skateboard company, "Chapter Seven" (which is now defunct), and opened his own skate park. Today he owns a skate shop in Encinitas, California
McGills Skateshop http://www.mcgillsskateshop.com/ , as well as marketing a line of beginners' skateboards, safety equipment and portable skate ramps, rails, and Air Speed skate shoes through Wal-Mart
. In 2006 McGill was featured in a commercial for the Discovery Channel
as the inventor of the McTwist. McGill has also teamed up with Powell Peralta and reissued his signature boards from the 1980s. He continues to skateboard.
in Gleaming the Cube
.
Skater punks OPM
's worldwide hit "Heaven Is A Halfpipe" references Mike McGill's trick skills with the lines "I'm gonna twist out like Mike McGill, I'm gonna twist out cos I've got the skills".
Additionally, the Beastie Boys song "B Boys Makin with the Freak Freak" has a line alluding to McGill "Now let me introduce myself on this cut; I'm AD Rock I'm lit, like a motherfuck; Well I'm brewin' up rhymes like I was usin' a still; I've got an old school flow like Mike McGill"
Aerials (skateboarding)
Aerials are a type of skateboarding trick usually performed on half-pipes, pools or quarter pipes where there is a vertical wall with a transition available. Aerials usually combine rotation with different grabs...
, an inverted 540 degree mute grab
Grabs (skateboarding)
Grabs in skateboarding are different ways to hold the skateboard during an aerial usually combine aerials with rotation as the skateboarder grabs and holds the board.-Grab tricks:...
bed aerial which he first performed on a wooden half-pipe
Half-pipe
A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, and inline skating. The structure is wood, concrete, metal, earth, or snow. It resembles a cross section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramps , topped by copings and...
in Sweden in 1984 and then at the Del Mar Skate Ranch in a concrete bowl when he returned to the US. He was inspired by Fred Blood, who had performed a 540 on roller skates. It was a groundbreaking trick that dominated skateboarding for many years afterwards. Only a handful of pros were able to learn it at the time. The trick was named by fellow teammate Rodney Mullen
Rodney Mullen
John Rodney Mullen is a professional freestyle and street skateboarder. He is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and influential street skaters in the history of skateboarding...
, and is derived from "Mc" in McGill's last name combined with Twist, which had already been coined by Lance Mountain
Lance Mountain
Robert Lance Mountain was one of the more popular skateboarders throughout much of the 1980s, and one of the five most legendary members of the Bones Brigade, as featured in the 1987 classic The Search For Animal Chin .Mountain was born in Pasadena, California...
and Neil Blender with their invention of the Gay Twist
Skateboarding trick
A skateboarding trick, or simply a trick is a maneuver performed on a skateboard while skateboarding. Learning and perfecting new tricks is the primary goal of many skateboarders, for whom most of the time spent skateboarding is spent on tricks....
– a Mute grabbed fakie 360 degree aerial. Fellow teammate Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
, inspired by the McTwist, went on to invent a 720 degree aerial, (essentially a double Gay Twist), and as a homage to McGill, named it the McHawk.
McGill was also a member of the Bones Brigade
Powell Peralta
Powell Peralta is an American skateboard company founded by George Powell and Stacy Peralta in 1978. The company rose to prominence in the 1980s as skateboarding began maturing as a sport. The company featured the Bones Brigade, a team of the era's top competitors...
, an elite team of skateboarders sponsored by Powell Peralta
Powell Peralta
Powell Peralta is an American skateboard company founded by George Powell and Stacy Peralta in 1978. The company rose to prominence in the 1980s as skateboarding began maturing as a sport. The company featured the Bones Brigade, a team of the era's top competitors...
who dominated much of professional skateboarding (both in contests and in popularity), for much of the 1980s. McGill mainly skated vertical, and when street skating began to dominate the industry, McGill turned to the business side of skating. He started his own skateboard company, "Chapter Seven" (which is now defunct), and opened his own skate park. Today he owns a skate shop in Encinitas, California
Encinitas, California
Encinitas is a coastal beach city in San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego in North County and about south of Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 59,518, up from 58,014 at the 2000 census. Encinitas is...
McGills Skateshop http://www.mcgillsskateshop.com/ , as well as marketing a line of beginners' skateboards, safety equipment and portable skate ramps, rails, and Air Speed skate shoes through Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
. In 2006 McGill was featured in a commercial for the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
as the inventor of the McTwist. McGill has also teamed up with Powell Peralta and reissued his signature boards from the 1980s. He continues to skateboard.
In popular culture
Stunt double for Christian SlaterChristian Slater
Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
in Gleaming the Cube
Gleaming the Cube
Gleaming the Cube is an American movie released in 1989. It featured Christian Slater as Brian Kelly, a 16-year-old skateboarder investigating the death of his adopted Vietnamese brother.The Skating Technical Advisor for the film was original Z-Boy, Stacy Peralta...
.
Skater punks OPM
OPM (band)
OPM is a Southern California based ska punk band. OPM has a distinctive sound, combining hip hop, rock music, and pop with laid-back reggae.-Band history:...
's worldwide hit "Heaven Is A Halfpipe" references Mike McGill's trick skills with the lines "I'm gonna twist out like Mike McGill, I'm gonna twist out cos I've got the skills".
Additionally, the Beastie Boys song "B Boys Makin with the Freak Freak" has a line alluding to McGill "Now let me introduce myself on this cut; I'm AD Rock I'm lit, like a motherfuck; Well I'm brewin' up rhymes like I was usin' a still; I've got an old school flow like Mike McGill"