Bantam Banter

If you have played the Skate games, you know Coach Frank. Modeled after and voiced by Mallrats and My Name is Earl actor Jason Lee, this hip and happening dude would teach you everything you needed to know to skate through the many districts of Port Carverton. To put it simply, he was the tutorial guy. He is iconic, and almost irreplaceable… almost.

At Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest show, the upcoming Skate revival got a new trailer that felt like it came straight out of Netflix’s hilarious sketch comedy show I Think You Should Leave. Not just because Tim Robinson is prominently featured, but because this bit features him staring at a camera, speaking directly to the audience, and saying some wacky stuff. But rather than talking about naked dead bodies flopping out of coffins on Corncob TV, he is Richard “Richie” Dandle, the mouthpiece for Skate’s villainous knob producing M-Corp. 

I’m not sure what Richard Dandle’s role in Skate will be by the time the game comes out. Was this just a fun marketing campaign or will he show up in the game? I mean, I don’t even know if Skate will have any sort of through line that requires fun and interesting characters. That being said, if there is going to be a tutorial character that can show you the ropes, it should be Tim Robinson’s Richard Dandle over Jason Lee’s Coach Frank.

I do like Coach Frank. I love Jason Lee. When Skate 3 launched in 2009, it made sense to have him star in the game. My Name is Earl was huge, and Jason Lee was the show’s star. Not only that, but Jason Lee was a pro skater. For those who don’t know, Lee skated for Blind Skateboards back in the 90s. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say his part in the beloved Video Days is one of the most influential skate parts of all time. He also founded Stereo Skateboards with Chris “Dune” Pastras. At the time, with his star power and connection to skateboarding, Lee was perfect as one of the main characters of Skate.

However, it’s 2024. My Name is Earl ended in 2009. Jason Lee hasn’t really been in the spotlight for awhile. The last big role I remember him being in was as Dave Seville in the live action Alvin and the Chipmunks movies. Again, I love Jason Lee. Any time he is in something, like the recent Nine Club episodes he was on, I am there one hundred percent. But I would be lying if I said Lee was a bigger draw than Robinson. That just isn’t the case.

Similarly to Lee when Skate 3 launched, Tim Robinson is one of the biggest comedians right now. If you have any social media, I am almost certain you have seen at least one bit he has done from I Think You Should Leave. Also like Lee, he skates. He’s not a pro who influenced generations of skaters, but he clearly has a deep appreciation for skateboarding and skaters seem to appreciate him. He has the rapport. It really is a perfect match.

So, how exactly does Richard Dandle replace Coach Frank? After all, Coach Frank is a coach with his own coaching park. I highly doubt Dandle has the capacity to teach anyone anything about skateboarding. However, I do think there is a somewhat clever way for him to give you advice, albeit not purposefully.

My thought on how this game could potentially start is inspired by the film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. There is a scene where Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly) walks in on Sam (Tim Meadows) smoking weed. The entire time, Sam is telling Dewey that he should walk away and that he should not partake. Dewey then comes up with excuses not to smoke only for Sam to refute every single excuse to the point he’s actually imploring him to smoke. Skate can take a similar approach with you and Dandle.

It can start with you starting your first day at M-Corp and Dandle is there to show you the ropes. You’re off to skate-proof a bunch of spots near the M-Corp building; this includes ledges, stairs, manny pads, and rails. He’ll say some goofy thing like, “I love this city, and my wife needs to get on a toilet. So, we need to knob all these obstacles so my wife can finally go to the toilet.” Then you both proceed to a spot, and he’ll mention how skateboarding is dangerous and that you should “never, ever, ever do this kind of trick on this obstacle because it is bad.” Then that is when you are prompted to do the trick, and he’ll say something like, “yeah, exactly like that. That is very bad.” This could also double as a tutorial for placing objects in the world. After you do one of these terrible tricks, you could be prompted to set up a barrier by a stair set, or maybe some knobs on a ledge.

I’m not a video game writer, so I’m not going to pretend this is perfect. I admit, it is not the most original idea. But I do think leveraging the comedic talents of Tim Robinson beyond an ad would be awesome for Skate, and potentially bring more people to the game who would not have played otherwise. In an ideal world, we’d have both Coach Frank and Dandle in the same game, maybe interacting with each other is some wild way. Regardless, it will be interesting to see what direction Full Circle takes with its free-to-play model for Skate.

Do you think Tim Robinson should be in Skate? Do you think my tutorial idea is good or bad? Are you excited for a modern interpretation of Skate? Are you excited for playtesting coming to consoles later this year? Let me know in the comments below. While you’re at it, check out some of the skateboarding games I want to play right now!