9
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Send all Info, Compliments and Criticisms
Jer Mail Drop, THRASHER Magazine,
P.O. Box 24392, San Francisco, CA 94124.
RIP AND REMEMBER
The instance was short. I was in
my room reading a book for summer
reading for school while listening to
J.FA's Beach Blanket Bongout.
I've listened to it a million times but
this time was different. When I heard
the words 'Skateboard; we do I re-
membered. I remember the times I
used to follow my brother around on
my G&S warptail while he did nose
wheelies down hills. I remember the
years of street skating, park riding.
C.H.SP, the '78 vacation trip to Ca.,
the various ramps, boards, maga-
zines and skate buddies. I remem
bered them all. All the moments right
up until my first air and the sight of
the 16 ft. wide ramp when it was fin-
ished. Nine years of skating (I'm 15)
recalled in a moment and a line of a
song.
I would just like to thank anybody
ever associated with skating (even
D. David) for any small effort to have
fun or help someone else have the
fun. I think a quote given by Paul
Schmitt that you guys published in
the Feb. '83 issue says it all: "Don't
listen to them, they don't even
skate. Keep up the great work, I
think you guys rip!!
Steve Perakis
W. Berlin, NJ
CRITICISM ON EDGE
I think that your new heavy metal
article "Metal Edge" in the July issue
really sucks! And I am sure I speak
for many skaters when I say this:
"Come on, get with it! Nobody listens
to Hippy Music! Just drop the "Metal
Edge crap and stick to the "Skate
Rock" and "Pus Zone."
Don't get me wrong. I'm not put-
ting down the mag. Just that particu-
lar article (Thrasher Rips). I hope
you guys print this even though you
probably won't. Get rid of it!
CARRIERS
Chris Muscrave
San Jose, CA
I was just writing you to tell you
about a so-called hot spot on the
east coast North Shore. The place is
called Marblehead. I just visited the
place to skate some, but after see-
ing at least 10 skaters at different
spots carrying theicboards, I figured
it was time to go. I don't want to
sound completely offensive, but what
good can you say about kids that
won't let you ride their ramps?
Till later
a Danvers skater
P.S. Take off your trucks, your
boards will be easier to carry around.
ABOUT US
There are just enough skaters
down here (we will never die!!) We
have a thrashable local spot we just
fixed up (me, Jeff and Dave). Mas-
sive! There is only one halfpipe
here, and that is thrashed when we
can get to it.
Our town also has a hardcore
skate band (Me, Weepee, Jeff and
Craig). We are known as "THE
Hang loose,
Matt Braun
Warrant, NJ
GIRLS OF NEWPORT
I would just like you to know that I
have noticed your mag to be skate/
music oriented. Now as far as I
know; I remember being at the 1978
skateboarding polls and how it
seemed to me and others that Steve
Olson seemed to have been the one
skater that started the skate/music
type scene. I remember him always
being ahead of his time.
Now, what I am wondering is, why
you don't have more on him? Why
do you have such interviews as: Jay
Adams (and you give him the cover)?
That rat has nothing to say and is
definitely going nowhere as far as I
know.
Now Steve Olson has been well
liked and has been in the music
scene. And he's an excellent skate-
boarder and has been for a long
time. As far as having something to
say, well why don't you find out for
me and others who are interested.
Do an interview or something on
someone we want to know and may-
be you'll have more subscribers.
One will definitely be me.
Thanx alot!!
The girls of Newport Beach
Sarah, Jill, Amy, Rita, Connie
Aw c'mon girls. You've seen plenty
of Olson on these pages, however,
the interview idea is appreciated. As
for Jay Boy going nowhere; check
the Aug/Sept. cover of Breakout
mag for the answer to that one.
-T-ed.
HOT DESERT FLASH
The summer heat is relentless,
everyday the sun drives the temper-
ature above the 100 mark, some-
times as high as 120°, skating is in-
sanity during the day, but as soon as
the sun dips toward the far horizon
(6-7 pm) the skaters attack. Crowd-
ed sessions at the, track are com-
mon. Energy runs high as the regu-
lar crew uses the precious prime-
time hours for all they are worth be-
fore it's too late to skate.
The ramp in Scottsdale (N.E. part
of Phoenix) is 10 ft. high by 24 ft.
wide with a large transition, plenty of
flat and ral pool coping. It's perfect
for high speed radical skating.
There is also a large assortment
of ditches and banks in this part of
Phoenix; everything from mellow to
monstrous. Every time I go to the
ramp I see more and more skaters
and more people rushing their per-
sonal limits. The skating has been
hot as the desert sun and, like the
desert heat, there is no end in sight.
Michael C.
Phoenix, AZ
WELL...WE'RE WAITING
This is probably the first letter you
guys have gotten from Spring Val-
ley, CA (near San Diego). I think a
few people around here used to
skate, but now me & the buds are
almost all that's left. We skate a ditch
not too far away as often as possi-
ble, the downtown SD concourse
(eleven fuckin' stories!), and a few
other neeto banks and curbs-over-
all, Southeast San Diego sucks! But,
new hope! We found a pool in Alpine
(we're talkin' sticks) that's just wait-
ing to be drained. Nobody lives in
the house either! The pool has a
"love seat" that sticks out way past
vert. If all works out as planned I'll
write back with mucho pics. As for
your mag, it's fucking great! Hard &
fast, and blows ol' Action Rag into
the weeds. BUT! The last few issues
have been getting a little thin. Do
something about that, will ya?
Jim Grantham
Spring Valley, CA
P.S. Don't worry. I'll never stop
skating!
P.P.S. Any locations of hot spots
in San Diego County would be great-
by appreciated & heartily shredded (I
mean locations, not pictures!)
GRIND AWAY
I
thought I'd fill you in on the Geor
gia scene, namely Atlanta. There's
about 10 skaters I could name
around this area, but Mike and Rob-
bie are who I skate with most. We
ride a 9 high, 7 transition, 18' flat
bottom 16' wide, halfpipe with plat-
forms. We're also adding PVC cop-
ing ala Palmdale. The street terrain
is classic with the standard curved
bricks at Akers Mall, banks at K-Mart
and enough curbs to grind away on.
Skating died? Somebody forgot to
tell us. Thrash it to the roof!
Alan from
The South' Atlanta, GA
POLICE STORY
The cops here in Honolulu are all
top shredders. They session the
Dept. basement bowl all the time.
How do I know?
One day at Aala Park my skate
was purloined from me outside
Cobra's. I chased the burly beefcake
(I'd like to thank all the dudes for
helping me chase the kook) but lost
him. Me and a friend, Kevin, told this
cop and he did his five-0 routine. I
I went home without the board as
they didn't recover it right off. Any-
way, I got this call from Dan-0 later,
sez he got my board but he'd call me
back when I could claim it. It's been
a month and I haven't got that call
yet. I called them and they gave me
a paperwork runaround but in the
background I could distinctly hear
rubber on cement, pigs gritzing and
cries of Ripping boomcat and Kow-
abunga. I finally deduced that the
myth of the badge on the stick' was
in fact true. Shit, it's been a month
and they still have my board!!
You oughta print this 'cuz I know
for a fact that they confiscate
THRASHER too. Rad Cops!!
Defiantly yours,
Ben Igma
Honolulu, HI
HOLDING UP
A couple of months ago I wrote
this wimpy letter about nowhere to
skate etc...everything was fugged
at the time, but it's better now. I skate
with some skinheads, Steve and
Greg, at this bank. There is a vertical
wall around the bank with little trans-
ition. We get some grinders and oc-
casional fakies. Pretty soon we are
gonna build a halfpipe in my back-
yard 10' high, 8' wide, etc. It'll rip.
My Seaflex board is holding up
pretty well, as the other day this car
ran over it and they started yelling at
mel! The board is OK though. Every
day we find something new to rip
and Santa Rosa is getting better.
Thanx Kat for opening Rebel Rec-
ords, it's a rad store.
ST. PEED
Skate & Blaze,
Jennifer Aldridge
Santa Rosa, CA
I just want to say that Jeff Newton
(photographer at large) is an alright
character for giving me a free sub-
scription at the July 18, 1983 Florida
Pro backyard Ramp contest in St.
Pete. By the way, the skating was so
hot I thought I was going to go into
convulsions. Toy Hawk, Steve Cab-
allero, and 'Gator shredded to the
point of giving me a case of terminal
stokedness. Well, anyway, I almost
peed in my pants the contest was so
good.
So, keep skating and don't talk to
Skating in St. Pete,
strangers.
David Whidden
P.S. Send me some stickers or
else I'll hold my breath until my face
turns blue.
Skate and Destroy!!
MAKE UP YOUR MIND
I've had all I can take. I've been
reading THRASHER every month
now waiting to hear something
about Boston Massachusetts' skate
scene. So far just a few lines here
and there, but nothing much. Boston
has a lame scene. At this moment
mostly just street skating and free-
style in the Boston Common Public
park. Sometimes when the city
drains the fountains I get a chance to
skate them but it's hard to pull any
moves in them 'cause they're so
small. I live in a town called Medford
and rip the streets every chance
possible.
We had a couple of good parks a
few years back but they closed
down. One was Zero Gravity and the
other was Shooting Star Skate Park.
Both totally rippable but closed
down for some half assed reason.
Who are these surf punks in Met-
huen Mass? With a gnarly halfpipe,
anyone in Mass. or in the area get a
letter to THRASHER and let every-
one know Bostonians rip too!!!
Power in Unity, Skaters Unite!
Kevin Moore
Medford, MA
P.S. Are Bowman and Lamar dead
or sumthing?
Sounds like you'll survive. So will
Bowman and Lamar. Brad's clipping
hairdos in a posh Bev. Hills salon and
Bert skates at a closed and thrashed
Reseda Skatercross. T-ed
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