ASK
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U
THE DOCTOR
With Rick Blackhart
Time for a little spring cleaning. I have here now, and we'll be there after, so I'll
SKULLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT
I haven't been skating in a couple of
a lot of slightly back-dated letters here, see you later.
so I'll try and clean up my act, kinda like
putting all my shit in one bag, or mag as
it were. You readers and writers are really
fantastic. The number of letters I get
every month is pushing four digits. I
could work eight hours a day and not
answer them all. I'll tell you what, though.
I do read every letter I get. The problem
is that out of every 100 letters I read, only
twenty or so are worthy of actually going
to press. So hey, think about what you
say, or your letter will end up in the bay.
It's funny. I've received every type of
letter you can imagine. From every city,
every country on this fine globe of ours.
Skating has definitely reached the four
corners. Overall, the letters are great. So
let's get to it. Here's one from over a year
ago that I have finally dredged up.
DOCTOR LOVE
I love a serious street session. Day or
night, heaven or hell, it doesn't matter. A rip-
pin' session is like milk, "It does the body
good." My mom and dad love my skating
and they call me a "street rat" and I always
tell them, "I is at dat!" At one time I was
thinking about marrying a launch ramp, but
they said that it could not be legal. Don't
get me wrong: I have a girlfriend.
Anyway, I'm not writing to ask a question
or anything like that; I'm writing to let you
know that I think you are doing one hell of
a job! A lot of the advice that you give is
worth its weight in gold (or wheels,
whichever comes first).
Roy Rob
Chicago, IL
Git down bro. Skaters like you are the
reason I'm here. You know what's hap-
pening, what the skate scene is really
about, and why the rest of the world just
can't quite comprehend what the hell a
skater thinks, lives and breathes. Like I've
always said, we were here then, we are
months and I was wondering why pro
skaters are turning skating into a cult, 'cause
it's not. I am not saying it's not neat to have
skulls on everything, but when they bring
the word satan in, it sucks, 'cause he sucks.
Danny DePalma
Freeport, TX
Dude, it's a joke, but don't tell anyone
because only you and I know.
GENERAL HINCKLEY
I can say that I keep up with the skate
scene nowadays (thanks to this mag), but
there is one thing that goes unanswered in
my skate knowledge. What the heck is JFA?
I keep seeing ads about JFA boards and JFA
shirts, but I never knew what those three
capital, boldfaced letters meant. Finally, I
found out that JFA means Jody Foster's
Army. Oh boy, now I'm more mixed up than
ever. I remember that Jodie Foster was a
girl who used to be in those old after school
movie specials or something. Any connec-
tion? If it is the same chick, what does she
have to do with skating and why the heck
does she have an army? I mean, is it just
me that's missing something here?
Fiel Rino
San Jose, CA
Dude, when were you born? Must have
been yesterday. What is JFA? The new
armed forces currently employed by the
king who's insane? Not hardly. A band
dude, a band. Locals from Phoenix. They
do some cool tunes. Why Jody Foster's
Army? Don't think about it too hard.
FUNDAMENTALIST
Why don't you do an issue that tells all
the fundamentals of skateboarding? Maybe
10 ramp tricks and 10 land tricks? Oh yeah,
what are ollies, creepers, backside airs,
Christies, Japans, frigids, cholos and finger
flips? You see, I just started skating and I
really want to learn, but there's no one
around here who can skate except for a
couple of guys and they won't have anything
to do with me because I'm a girl.
Jenny Gasparas
Whitesboro, TX
Well, I'll tell ya, I could explain each of
these maneuvers, but for some reason
I think it would be better for your stab-
ility in any kind of skating future that you
gain this knowledge on the street first
hand. The tricks you mention are not
fundamental in learning to skate. Get out
there and cruise your stick; after awhile
the knowledge you seek will make itself
known to thee.
BONEY MARONEY
I'm a new skater. What I want to ask is
do you recommend a tail bone? I have one
on my board. Also, if I take it off, is it all right
to ride with the holes in it?
Brooks Crissey
Hot Springs, AR
Yeah, no problem, save that board, put
something on there-unless you can
afford to buy a new stick every time your
tail wears out. Prolong its life with a hunk
of something-wood, urethane, tree
bark. Riding your board with holes in the
tail (without a skid plate) could lead to
premature breakup of the tail. As the
layers wear down, chipping around the
holes could occur.
HIGH FIBERGLASS DIET
Here's something for people who don't
wanna use a skid plate, but don't wanna
shell out millions of dollars for a new deck
every week. Get a fiberglass patch kit (like
for boats), put some on the tail, add paint,
put on grip tape and you're set. It's almost
flush with the board so it feels like it's not
even there, but it holds up better than wood.
George Shaw
Branford, CT
All right, this answers the other letter
I just answered. Not a bad idea, either.
A little messy, but it adds strength to the
board without affecting performance. I
like the flush to board concept. The
blocks of wood are good tail savers, but
semi-dorky.
Maybe the cure to your problems is an
Ask the Doc T-shirt. If so, just send $10.75
(postage and handling included)
to: THRASHER, Ask the Doc T, P.O.
Box 884570, S.F., CA 94188-4570.
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET
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SPITFIRE
P.O. BOX 884234 SAN FRANCISCO CA 94188
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Chuck
ALL
Jaylor
STAR
ALL YOU NEED.
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