SKATE FURNITURE
Now that skateboarding has established itself
within society, we're beginning to see evidence
of its existence in many forms. Even the most
clueless pedestrian can't help but wonder at
a well-ground curb. With a fourth generation
of skaters now graduating to hardcore levels,
skate culture influences everthing from art to
architecture. Even museums are demanding
skate pieces. Witness the overworked school
bench, carved by many sliding and grinding
sessions, juxtaposed with the nightstand hand-
crafted by SMA main man Skip Engblohm.
Limple Chipple and Don Balma racked up
a terrible toll as two tables of well-born, well-
dressed, well-oiled guests dove for cover in
a futile attempt at survival.
Natas, regrouping in his restored Victorian
beachfront crib, seems to be drawing and
painting quite a bit these days. Are new
Julien Stranger graphics in the works? Will
Natas paint his classic '66 Lincoln converti-
ble, making it into a mobile masterpiece
along the lines of the old infamous painted
Lambretta scooter?
Caballero, last heard from in a turbo
3000ZX Plus luxury Jappo-speed racer, now
seems to be ordering '59 Cadillacs. The
reason? Rumor has it that Cab is intent on
creating matching couches from the finned
rear ends of the Detroit dinosaur.
Never one to remain silent or to be out-
done, the irrepressible Rocco is now
reported to be cruising a new Porsche.
Rodney Mullen (presumably in homage to
this sterling feat) is said to be seriously con-
sidering moving to Norway. Perhaps Mutt will
open up a bookstore specializing in classic
archaic Norwegian texts.
Joe Johnson has been appearing in such
plush society page rags as Revolt. These
periodicals slavishly document Joe's every
move, as he skates, gigs and dines his way
through the social register. (Last gig docu-
mented was Playschool at the Sports Arena.)
Question Twenty-Nine: Did Gator Mark
Anthony and Titus Dittman actually go over
330 KPH in a 928/54 on the autobahn.
Outlaw prototype art-
ist Big Daddy Roth is
now pinstriping skate-
boards, although no one
is sure why he insists on
painting on the decks
rather than the bottoms.
Does Josh Boyd of
Twin Falls, Idaho, reg-
Look at Chris and Jennifer Miller
(below), then imagine what little
Zachary's going to look like when he
grows up. Boneless poser Billy
Holdsworth (below right) aboard the
Thrasher, "Okay, full speed ahead!"
BOARD OF THE MONTH
Jawhn Dettman's forty-incher, painted by MoFo.
ularly blast airs over VW Bugs?
Which Cal manu used the quake scam as
an inventory reduction device?
Skate political activists have taken to modi-
fying road signs to read "Skateboarding
Only-No pedestrians, bikes, cars or
scooters." This practice has alerted local law
enforcement types in Carmel, CA to the
presence of the underground.
Gremic of Los Gatos has been involved in
earthquake/disaster relief, along with Santa
Cruz, Motobilt and Thrasher.
Witness Tony Roberts all content in the
picture on previous page. The scene was
Bali. Minutes later while Tony slept, his
camera and filming gear was stolen from
under his bed.
And for esoteric sessioning, check Dun-
can Christie, out Lesotho, South Africa, way.
Duncan is a major mover and word has it that
Thrashers
the Basotho locals are creating an even big-
ger ramp for tribal rites.
Partain is on the move.
Schmitt covets a small pocket-sized
cellular phone he can skate with.
In the much-discussed Pink Motel com-
plex, site of the Nickelodeon SK8TV set and
much torrid sessioning, itinerent artists Ken
Jones, Stecyk and Ancell transformed the
fabled bowl into their version of the Sistine
Chapel (replete with a painted mural depict-
ing the birth of the skate gods). On hand to
indulge in the Big Pink Bowl were Duncan,
Orb, Tate, Nash, Salba, Peralta, Schmitt,
Jesse Roach, Ms. Mikki, Lil Lance, Big
Mountain, Lori Rigsby, Carabeth Burnside,
The SC Ams, Natas, Skipperboy, Mr.
Powell, Nick Corea Jr., Van Dusen, Pratt,
Kittilla, Hunt, Devalaria, Scheliga, Tszulga,
Conners, Troy Miller and Herb Scannell.
Twice victorious in Japan, Hosoi is now
reportedly blasting mega airs at his backyard
training complex. Also rising higher accord-
ing to word of mouth are Hawk and Kasai.
Brede Shiotsuka of Kailua, Kona, Hawaii,
and other locals have taken to grinding their
newly created volcanic skatepark. (Beware
of hot lava on the road as it bruises even the
choicest urethane compounds.)
Consider the winner of our undeclared.
non-existant odd positions contest. Yep, Billy
Holdsworth of Bensalem, PA is depicted
mid-launch on a bay in NJ. The photo is by
Lori Barta, who probably knows better. Send
in and win? Odd scenes.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW DEPT.
Brad Bowman, style monster, former Sims
man and all-around wise ass, turned up in
Oakland, CA recently, on tour as hair stylist
for New Kids On the Block. Of course along
with the scissors and mousse, Bad Brad car-
ries a skate in his bag to get that extra wind
whipped look on the Kids' flattop doos.
ST. PETE SHUFFLE
The NSA traveling road show and 1989 pro
season came to a screeching halt at the
Bayfront Center arena in St. Petersburg, FL
before a crowd of 500 for two days. A good
portion of said pint-sized crowd were media,
Brede Shiotsuka (left)
outrolling a lava flow on
Kailua Kona, Hawall. Mean-
while Sergie Ventura (below)
is still flying high after going
the distance to win the high
air event in Melbourne, Oz.
ON BOARD
HARD HARE
manufacturer reps, friends and assorted
skateabouts. Perhaps the ten- and fifteen-
dollar ticket prices explain why, by the
numbers, this event was a flop. On the skate
side, those who showed were treated to the
best vertical and arena-style since the last
one. Several things set this one apart: the
hellbow vert ramp designed by Tim Payne
and crew; a workable street layout; and Tony
Hawk's double whammy-he took top
honors (and cash) in both events. Other
standouts included Gator, Bod and
Caballero on the ramp; Gonzales, Hosol
and Knox on the floor. Also in the street:
Jason Lee's practice runs were worth the
price, and irregulars Nash, Hedges and
Swank were in the money.
On the social side there was no lack of ac-
tion. Channel Zero nightclub became base
of operations and scene of the crime right
off the bat. Somehow Butch Sterbins got ar-
rested and jailed for being hit and bloodied
about the head by a St. Pete officer. The
Hilton served as base camp for most and the
damage reads as follows: Steve Douglas'
one punch boxing demo took out one jock
and a plate glass window in the lobby. The
Airborne team bar/room service tab tipped
in at $1,500 plus.
On the cultural front, the Salvador Dali
Museum was an unexpected pleasure.
Sportsmen Reddog, T-Ed, Ded and Cooksie
mixed a round of eighteen with cart racing.
and more than a few divots. Eddie Reategul
gets director of the year award for his short
video subject, "Battling Betties from Hell,"
featuring flesh under fingernails, torn-out hair
and ripped lingerie.
OOPS DEPARTMENT
Apologies to Austin, TX, ripper Cory
Thornhill. He was the "vert master" doing
the "Dillo Tilt" on page 53 of the January
1989 issue, not Barry Hill, as we mistakenly
claimed. Sorry, Cory.
QUOTES
"The dress is preppier and the focus is on
skulls."
The New York Times on skateboarding
"Thinking makes me angry."
COMING EVENTS
MoFo
FLORIDA AM SKATE LEAGUE
March 10 Stone Edge Bowl comp
For more information on the Florida
Amateur Skate League write to PO Box
358, Sanibel, FL 33957.
NASBA SNOWBOARD SERIES
February 26-March 2 St. Moritz,
Switzerland ISA International World Cup
March 29-April 1 Stratton, VT U.S. Open
The North American Snowboard Associa-
tion is also running regional contests.
throughout winter and spring. For infor-
mation on their complete schedule write
NASBA, attn: Lisa Jones, P.O. Box 2522,
Durango, CO 81302.
MIDWEST SNOWBOARD SERIES
March 3-4 Marquette, MI Slalom, G-
Slalom, Obstacle Course
March 24-25 Showshoe, WV S, Moguls
For information on complete series call
Dean Jones at 513 376-1970
CALIFORNIA SNOWBOARD SERIES
March 3-4 Soda Springs, CA
March 17-18 Mt. Ashland, OR
For more information on the California
State Snowboard Series write to Richard
Scott, 115 N. McDaniel Dr., Auburn, CA
95603 or call 916 888-3635.
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