TALKING ED
Rolling into his GLOBAL STOMP
new
position
as Thrasher
editorial ass-
istant, Jake
Phelps drops
from high to
low on the big
ramp at Studio
Forty-Three.
4 THRASHER MAGAZINE
Skateboarding is second only to
soccer in the number of countries that
participate. That's a pretty good statis
tic, yeah? I just made it up, but I could
probably make a case for it. Although
America has been known as a skate
power since the steel age, Europe has
always been full of rabid skate fans.
Canada and Mexico were into it before
them. Australia and New Zealand have
ruled in the public facilities department
for a long time. Brazil has always had a
vibrant scene. We have documentation
proving healthy scenes in Malaysia,
Indonesia, Soviet Union, Puerto Rico,
Costa Rica, Tahiti, Yugoslavia, Slove-
nia, Czechoslovakia, South Africa,
Greenland, Iceland, Japan, China,
Scandinavia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey,
Israel and Iran. Even Iraq rolls. There
are skaters from Timbuktu to Tasmania
and from Alaska to Argentina.
As a sport, skateboarding offers a
good workout and promotes a sense of
balance and timing as well as confi-
dence and willingness to suffer a roll
and a tumble. More importantly, skate-
boarding is about fun, hanging out, let-
ting off steam, sharing ideas, making
new friends, finding new spots, road
trips, sweating buckets, building
ramps, setting up boards, stickers, get
ting dirty and ripping your clothing.
Where else can you get all that with
one sport? What a bargain. That's what
the world needs now, a good deal.
Skateboarding is a good deal.
Having just praised every corner of
the globe, I'm still a little miffed that
the NSA insists on packing everybody
off to Europe at the height of the sum-
mer season every year. Skating in the
USA could use a kick in the pants right
now, and a good summer pro series
would be just the thing. Something
new, outdoors and free for everyone
would be more like it.
A very important development here
at Thrasher has longtime photo editor
Mofo moving on down the road. From
his first "Wild Riderz of Boardz"
skate/art tales through his on-the-road
contest accounts that usually involved
burritos, broads and beers, Mo was
and still is one of the classics. Beyond
that, I'll let Moto's ten years of work on
the mag and his influence on every one
of us do the talking.
Bryce Kanights has taken over the
photo department. BK has an able eye
for action and a quick trigger finger. I
know of no one more dedicated and
eager to skate and check out new
spots than Bryce, (Plus, he runs a boss
warehouse full of ramps.)
We would also like to welcome Jake
Phelps into the editorial department.
Jake has a sharp mind, a critical eye
and rips a ramp like no other. With a
photographic memory, a duty to detail
and a mean ping-pong spin, Jake will
be a big part of the future for Thrasher.
Dropping In,
Kevin J. Thatcher
THRASHER
PUBLISHER
Edward H. Riggins
EDITOR
Kevin J. Thatcher
ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER
Maria Martinez
PRODUCTION/PHOTO EDITOR
Bryce Kanights
ART DIRECTOR
Ken McGuire
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Kurt Carlson
ART ASSOCIATE
John Dettman
MUSIC EDITOR
Brian Brannon
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Jake Phelps
LARGE ARTIST
Kevin Ancell
DARKROOM TECH
Mark Madeo
DARKROOM ASSISTANT
Lance Dawes
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Rick Blackhart, Chef Boy-Am-I-Hungry,
Lowboy, Tim Payne, Don Redondo,
Billy Runaway, C.R. Stecyk III
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Roy the Barbecue Man, Luiz Calado, Mike Crum,
Mike Gitter, Rick Howard, Mike LaVella, Harry Moss,
Vaj Potenza, Rick Rosaert, Jon Stain
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Block, Kristin Callahan, Chris Carnel, Joel Cherry,
Bryce Kanights, Mark Madeo, M.Fo, Scott Needham,
Chris Ortiz, Ken Salerno, Sleeper, Scott Starr,
Keith Stephenson, Bill Thomas
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Lisa Weidman
ADVERTISING ASSISTANT
Dana Perkins
PRODUCT SALES MANAGER
Rick Rotar
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Clifford Calms
RECEPTIONIST
Alyssa Wend
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Karen Smith
SHIPPING MANAGER
Tony Perez
SHIPPING
Ans Quezada, Jonah Schmidt
ENGINEER
Mario Damas
Newsstand Distribution-USA: Kable News Co., Inc.
Canada: Disticor. Foreign: Worldwide Media Service, Inc.
THRASHER (ISSN 0889-0692), November 1991, Vol. 11, No. 11.
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...one of the most
visceral, intense and
beautiful bands on the
face of the planet."
-Melody Maker
NIRVANA
NEVERMINO
Two years after Bleach, Nirvana are back with
their first major label release, Nevermind,
featuring "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
022