MAIL
DROP!!
Send all info, Compliments and Criticism
far Mall Drop, THRASHER Magasine
5.O. Box 24392, San Francisco, CA 94124.
ONE RAD DEBBIE
I think your magazine is totally
rad. I wanted to write and tell all the
girls who ride boards not to give it up
because they have no one to ride
with. When I started to ride boards
rode alone, but since then I have
met the coolest guys, who I now ride
with. I also want to tell all the guys
who think girls don't belong on
boards to 1-k off." Live to ride, ride
to live. Thrash or be thrashed...
Debbie Kirvay
Martinez, CÁ
FULL OF GARBAGE
I'm fed up with the punk vs. metal
garbage. Whether a person chooses
to listen to Heavy Metal or an alter-
native form of music, it doesn't mat
ter. All you readers have one thing in
common: you love the aggression
and versatility you get out of that lit-
the 30-inch piece of wood.
Learn to live for yourself and not
worry about what the guy sessioning
before you prefers musically! Enuff
said and learned.
Any Tacoma boys know of some
ditches or ramps? I'd appreciate a
response.
Todd Thomas
Tacoma, WA
LISTEN UP OR LIGHTEN UP
I like your mag. It's probably the
only mag that has kept skating alive
in a lot of places (like Kentucky). I've
been skating for a little while now,
and I have never gotten bored. My
bro has a skate and we skate a lot
together; there is a town about 30
minutes from here named Lexing
ton.The scene is O.K., but I think me
and bro are the only ones who skate
in Versailles
Changing the subject real fast,
there was a article on "metalheads
that some guy from PA sent to your
mail address. Well, I think that that is
really close-minded and that people
who write stuff like that are "metal-
headed." I'm into hardcore, but I also
like jazz, classical, metal and a lot of
other types of music, also. You dicks
who say "metal" sucks probably
have not even listened to the good
metal before. Well, if I preached any
more, I'd probably get a bomb sent
to my house. So adios, and re-
member, SKATE
Jeff Stacy
Versalles, KY
SKATING ONE WAY
I'm 20 years old. I've got a high
pressure job as a supervisor, at an
assembly plant. I recently went
through a love affair which almost
ripped my heart out. Between the
job and the girl friend, I thought I was
going to have a nervous breakdown.
I used to skate in junior high. A
couple of months ago a guy in my
church let me borrow a copy of
THRASHER. It prompted me to go
out and buy a skate. Now I skate
everyday, weather permitting (you
know how it sux here in Jersey).
Skating helped me through some
really tough times and it kept me
sane. I believe God provided skating
for me. Skating is an outlet for me.
Nothing feels better than getting
some frustrations out on a beefy
curb grind or lapping up a curb at full
steam. The thrill of a stoked-out
death drop at any height just makes
me forget all my responsibilities and
problems.
People think I'm weird when I tell
them I skate, but I don't care what
they think. People think I'm crazy
when I talk about God and Jesus
Christ, but I don't care. I know I have
no other choice.
Skate to Escape, Escape to
Skate.
STYLE COUNCIL
Bill Kuegler
Howell, NJ
I think that a lot of skaters today
have forgotten or just ignore STYLE
Now that all these new tricks are
coming out, skaters that I see are
just trying to do a Miller Flip or some
thing. I think those kinds of tricks are
great, but I think people should con-
centrate on style. I love to watch a
skater than can rip heavily and do a
lot of tricks with style. Style being dif-
ferent tricks. No one really wants to
see some guy doing the same thing.
the same way as everyone else.
This Heavy Metal vs. Punk thing is
so lame, the whole thing just proves
that Headbangers and Punks are
basically the same kind of kids who
have gone to different groups. Try
being positive for what you stand for
and not negative towards what
someone else stands for.
The skate scene in Mill Valley is
growing. There are a few dedicated
skaters. We had a ramp here for
about a month. A killer contest was
held there by Fogtown. A variety of
Northern and Southern California
skaters ripped it up. The City of Mill
Valley viciously bulldozed our ramp
about a week ago. That didn't stop
us. We joined forces with our par-
ents and held a meeting with the
Park and Rec. Dept. We gave them
a devastating presentation, showing
and telling them that what we
needed was a public skate park in
our town. The committee was
stoked. It might be tough but if kids
join forces and get some adults in-
volved, you can fight the city or join
with them on a project like this.
When we go for a public hearing,
they might laugh in our faces, but
who cares? At least we tried. We will
keep on trying and doing!
Will Beckman
Bolinas, CA
PUNKAIR
Well I've been reading all the
Heavy Metal vs. Punk letters. Well
I'm a Punk and I'm that way because
I'm not gonna let no Goddam Pigs
push me around. Punk has a mes
sage: stand up for your rights. It's
not just "My baby loves me, Oh she's
so hot." That's a bunch of CRAP! We
care what the hell is happening to
this damn world and let people know
and are not afraid of authority and
non-conformity
Stand up and be counted!
Kirby K
Virginia Beach, VA
DON'T READ THIS
days of "My dad's bigger than your
dad." Forget about music. Judge the
person for what he is. If anyone
wants to call me an asshole, please
write me,
Thanx,
Brad Angell
P.O. Box 1824
Boise, ID 83701
P.S. I used to slag BMXers, but I
found a real person behind (almost)
every bike.
MESSAGE TO THE MASSES
I'm a thrasher in So. Ore. Been a
full-out street skater since 80.
That's where I'm happy bein! My
message is this: quit wasting time
being something you're not. Be
yourself, accept yourself for what
you truly are. Pretention is misery.
Listen to whatever music you enjoy.
Don't conform to what others like
just to be part of a trend! Go for indi-
Never do anything you don't really
wanna do merely so someone will
like you.
I
Listen Skaters-stop this Heavy
Metal Hardcore War! It's all you ever
see in print anymore! Music is
music, it's all just a different sound. I
thought Hardcore stood for people
having a right to think for them-
selves, what are we gonna be-viduality, create your own way.
skaters or Communists? Skate
Tough or Go Home is the slogan
not listen to this certain type of
music, then skate. I'm not putting
down Hardcore (Punk) or Heavy
Metal I personally cannot stand
Heavy Metal, but I'm not putting it
down or making a Fascist threat to
the youth of America that says, "If
you don't thrash then you suck or
"bang them heads." Skating would
be much more fun without all of the
assholes fighting back and forth
about music. And don't be upset
(Head Bangers) if THRASHER
doesn't cover Heavy Metal! They
don't cover jazz, SKA, classical, etc.
It's their mag. If you don't like it, then
don't read it Die Kreuzen, Ill Re-
pute, Code of Honor, JFA, Faction,
Toxic Reasons, Borscht, Big Boys,
Agent Orange, Agression, Minor
Threat (ex), Damn, Slam, the list
goes on-Oy, Motley Crue, Metal-
lica-which skates? Look at the
facts! I don't know if Ozzy used to
ride vertical or if Judas Priest are
great freestylists, but I do know The
Faction's bass player (Steve Cabal-
lero) is one of the top pro skaters in
the world. I also know that the Big
Boys have their own deck by Zorlac
Look twice, think twice. You all need
a swift kick in the scrotum! I've
stated my point without using
"sucks," "lousy," "shitty," etc. Why
can't we just skate?
TIRED OF SLAG
Steve Fagan
Knoxville, TN
I am sick and tired of reading
about Hardcore vs. Heavy Metal
Punks are slagging Heavy Metal
and Heavy Metallers are slagging
Punk. It's all a lot of shit. I read a let
ter in the June 1984 issue in which a
guy said Heavy Metal sucked and
then he went on to say that he liked
the Plasmatics. The Plasmatics are
a Heavy Metal band! Come on, guy,
pull the head! Most Hardcore is
Heavy Metal just speeded up. Who
cares if a skater is Heavy Metal or
Punk, he's a skater! Don't judge a
person by the music they listen to.
I am definitely a Hardcore but lis-
ten to Heavy Metal just the same, as
well as other music. It seems to me
that you boys are going back to the
used to think I was a "Punk and
in all the facial elements, I was. But
inside, chained up was only me. So
don't get discouraged if some idiot
hates you just because you won't
conform to their ways. Punk used to
be an anti-conformist movement.
Now it's like the Punks say, "We hate
everyone except us Punks." That is
in truth the hardest core conformity
there is. STOP choking yourself with
chains of pretention! Let yourself
free for awhile, you might like it!
Skate forever and thrash boards, not
people!
Paul Kershaw
Gold Hill, OR
POSITIVE SKATE RAP
Holy cow! I'm stoked! I love to
skatel I'm a hardcore skater, phew!
(Obviously, THRASHER is my
Bible.) Gee, I could've tumed out so
many ways, I might have been like
everyone else: a beer drinkin', drug
takin', football playin', truck drivin
popular, Heavy Metal Hick! But I'm
not and never will be. Hey! My friend
John Ballon and I have our own half-
pipe. (He wrote you last year tellin'
you all we would, and we did! We're
lucky, you say? What you mean, you
don't have one? And you're not
gonna try to? Get with it! Boy are you
lame. HA! Ha! Ho! Hel) You haven't
lived until you've had your own vert
I know it don't come easy or cheap,
but it's worth it. No one's gonna give
you one, so stop waiting, avoid stag-
nation, you don't live forever, life
ends when you let yourself get old,
so you better milk your youth for
what it's worth, stay skating and stay
young! WAKE UPI Don't just skate,
don't get wrapped up in the same old
humdrum skate routine! Think,
change, push yourself farther, pro-
gress, it's all mental! Be positive, no
one can make you the skater you
want to be but yourself. Don't be-
come frustrated just have FUN,
skate how you want, when you want,
with your own style.
Make your scene Now, take ac-
tion, skate don't stagnate!
Bernie O'Dowd
N.J., U.S., Earth
hoto: Brad Dorfman
MARK "GATOR" ROGOWSKI
Grant Bott
Skaters: Send $1.00 for new product update and sticker.
VISION
871-A 15TH, NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92663
(714) 645-2644
PRO MODEL 29.75x10.50