review: Brian Foster - Live the Dream
BMX bikes were expelled from the wet, sticky, and more-than-slightly unpleasant birth canal that is motocross. Kids who were fascinated by fast and loud motorcycles stripped down their banana seat and candy colored fender equipped Schwinn Stingrays to the bare essence of a bicycle, and set up boards on bricks or created pint-sized dirt tracks in innocent emulation of their motorized older brothers. While the ways in which people ride these bikes has evolved over the years, with every individual able to find purpose and satisfaction along vastly divergent paths, there is still one unshakeable truth: the BMX bike is at its best when going fast and going high.
This latest video from Ryan Navazio, featuring Brian Foster, is testament to the fact that despite increasing aggression and pressure by those who would bend BMX to their own predilections, the all-around rider who isn't afraid to send it will never be vanquished. Midwest podcasters lament that many of us look back fondly on the days when going big was rewarded with financial stability vis-à-vis impressive sponsorship opportunities, and tacit understanding that these dudes deserved respect. We accept change, and while we don't begrudge the latest technical wunderkind picking up a signature colorway or top-up of their pre-paid Visa, guys like BF commanding a top-level pro salary from big brands like Schwinn or Fit, and lucrative endorsement dollars from the likes of Fox and Airwalk, are memories as dear to us as the beautiful babies we kiss before bed every night.
By my count BF pedaled 2-3 times during the entire video, but proceeded to launch to the moon, clear evidence that he and his bike have achieved biomechanical Zen. A symbiotic unit like Venom, but without any of the shitty Venom stuff that sucks. I achieved full engorgement several times during this masterpiece, and I can give no higher words of praise than that simple fact. The entire video is incredible, but the final two clips are utterly fantastic and only the most repellant individuals will find a way to disregard them. God bless Brian Foster, God bless Ryan Navazio, and God bless dudes who go big or go home.