TRASH
FOG CITY
The recent fog and inclement weather were
not enough to stop the Girl cartel of Rick
Howard, Guy Mariano, and Rudy
Johnson from meeting with some truck
diver in an undisclosed SF hideaway. Claims
of high-tech improvements to skateboard
components were rampant. Meanwhile, far-
SMOKE BREAK
Danny Sargent takes a drag
outdoors after California
banned smoking in bars.
ther down the peninsula in San Mateo
California, Rick Blackhart, the newly hired
guru of retail design, was seen putting the fin-
ishing touches on a new DLX store to be
known as DLXSM.
AXEL ROSE
The machinations of the truck design
world are difficult for many to decipher. A
recently observed interaction at the
Santa Barbara associates for whom Welinder once
designed an as yet unreleased truck. And who else
but Tony Hawk was seen partying with his in-
laws and Ridge slightly later the same evening? So
for the record, the Bird from the House who designs
his signature model truck for Tracker was with
Ridgeway who is in charge of Orion, and Per, who
used to consult about trucks with a former sponsor
of at least half the people involved in this incident, is
graciously letting Klein draw with Ridge. Gullwing
leader Ray Underhill is rumored to have heard
this, and to have become so confused that he qui-
etly sold his house. All this traffic in and around the
Birdhouse seems to have negatively effected Jim
Greco, who is no longer part of the team.
ASS KICK
Nike's team coordinator, Remy Stratton, is cur-
rently putting a budget together in an effort to cre-
ate the most powerful team in skateboarding. In
other shoe news, Sole Technologies team captain
Sash Steinhorst has apparently caused his riders
Tim Mckinney and Danny Gonzales to feel a
bit left out in the cold.
No doubt spurred on by the record prices being
thrown down in Tokyo for 70's-80's vintage
skate gear, legions of cash-laden Japanese collec-
tors have been assaulting the much talked
about, complete, 1977 skateboard store created
by Todd Huber at the Simi skateboard hall of
fame and park. These eager buyers are uncon-
cerned that the total shop, which is replete with
every artifact from Dogtown stickers to Boulder
Boards team jerseys is intended as a display only.
Such serious coin has been hurled at Huber that
the locals have a betting pool going as to when,
and what, Todd will sell off. Todd refuses to con-
SAD
BUT TRUE
firm any of this activity, but then again, he's
renowned for sending associates packages of strict-
ly legal, herbal up time capsules.
John Lucero is reportedly gone from the Hyper
domain, and being counseled about reintegration into
normal society by Jeff Grosso. In the process of sep-
aration Lucero left Marty Jiminez behind, where it
seems he will remain with Channel One. Jinx's influ-
ence over hyperman Tom Peterson is so powerful
that the former world champion rollerskate racer
went and got the old Sennet rollerblade ramp so that
he could expand the in-house warehouse skate facil-
ity. We're not certain that the old soul ramp and in-
TURTLE SOUP
Arco scouts out his
dinner in South America
line architecture are fully compatible conceptually,
but Peterson's heart is in the right place. The end
result for Neal Hendrix is that he once again rides
for the same people he previously thought were left
behind for good. Over in Costa Mesa Jim (Jim Jam)
Gray has taken up active management of the Acme
Woodshop and demands respect.
Birdhouse design center is a particularly Skateboard Scuffle Leads to Murder Charge
bizarre example of the truck industry's com-
plexity. Wasn't it Jeremy Klein who was in
the midst of executing some Tracker graph-
ic concepts with Bryan Ridgeway when
truckmaker Per Welinder happened to walk
in? Welinder, who may have been a trifle tired
following nights of reported poor sleep due to
the arrival of his latest child, seemed not to
know what to make of it all. Said to be equally
inquisitive over father Per's alleged new truck
manufacturing plans are some of his former
122 THRASHER
Vista
Associated Press
Three teens accused of beating
to death a 16-year-old boy during a
fight over his skateboard were
charged yesterday with murder
and robbery.
A judge decided to keep the
boys in juvenile custody despite
pleas by their attorneys that they
be released to their parents under
house arrest.
Richard Johnson was killed
Monday outside a condominium
complex in Vista when he went
skateboarding with a friend.
Police said the teens confront-
ed the two boys, hit them in the
face and took their skateboards
away from them. The friend fled
for help; Johnson was kicked,
punched and beaten in the head
with the skateboard, police said.
The attackers dashed to a near-
by apartment, where they were ar-
rested and the skateboards were
recovered, police said.
Because Johnson was killed
during a robbery, the teens can re-
ceive life prison terms if convict-
ed.
SKATE AND CREATE
And the recent barrage of inside
industry inbred rumors continues..
Spewing forth from corporate media
central headquarters in Oceanside,
California is the latest dispatch in
hyperbolic knowledge. Obviously, the
"information" regarding High Speed's
purported porn and surfing titles was
erroneous. The new skinny breaks
down to our latest project being "a
twelve-dollar-a-copy coffee table
skateboard journal." Other hot new
rumors have: A media conglomer-
ate buying this mag in order to
"produce an electronic magazine";
Phelps, Reyes, Stranger, Arco
and Sarge being fired upon in a
highway assignation attempt
HSP VS TED TURNER BROADCASTING
allegedly perpetrated by unknown
agents of a rival publishing group;
and Spike Lee doing a motion pic-
ture that has KT, Zephyr, and
Robert Williams doing "skate
graphics." In the interest of the per-
petuation of responsible journalism
we will attempt to clear up as much
of this miscommunication as possi-
ble. While we did hear claims that
the National Hockey League wanted
to name a team the "Thrashers,"
there is no truth to the rumor that we
are doing a bike mag. As for all of the
lawyers in the Atlanta courthouse
who met to make certain that the
Thrasher name was being appropri-
ately protected, what can you say
but, God bless Amerika? As for the surfing mag start
up allegation, ASR's alleged covert move to buy out
Wave Action could be the origin of that. And as for
the highway gunfire, there were shots fired, but
nothing much happened. A couple of flesh wounds
were incurred, and Reyes unsuccessfully tried to bill
team Deluxe for his hotel decompression session.
As for Spike Lee: he, Wms., K.T., Zeph, Tony
Schifrazzi, director Helen Stickler, and Foster
Dupont were together at Robert's book signing for
Malicious Resplendence in NYC. As for film pro-
jects, we heard that Stickler's Gator movie was on
LONG FLIGHT
Hard working Mike O'Meally
in his vacuum chamber on
the way to Japan
hold, and that Erik Matthies and Ramon
Coppola were shooting the world's eating cham-
pion. And for the time being, Spike Jonze's Purple
Crayon is still
I BELIEVE
development."
Alien love is blooming. With Mike Hill buying an
engagement ring, and Joe Bowers hooked up with
a new woman, the pressure is now on Sarge
Carter to pair off. Meanwhile, some report that
THRASHE
After Ted Turner picked the name
"Thrashers" for his NHL hockey
franchise, Tom Taylor and the
Stratosphere boys gave out original
THRASHER gear in front of his CNN
station in Atlanta. The only bird
we know flies the middle finger.
Alien teamrider, Rob Dyrdek is seeking newer and
greener pastures by doing a record label with
hyper-technoid Goldie.
Ever since '98 kicked off with Rose Parade floats
featuring three story tall skateboard riding figures
made from flowers and surfboard carrying woodie
wagons, there has been a scramble by aspiring art
collectors seeking works that pertain to the board
arts. Long gone beings such as Garry Scott Davis
have been discovered to be dwelling in their moth-
er's garages and crafting artistic statements out of
old skate stickers. One time Neighborhood graph
stylists Armondo and Ernie are again hot proper-
ties on the avenues of Los. Giant was exposed in
the pub Bikini. Frank Kozik is fabled to be the tar-
get of harassment by the Internal Revenue Service.
Herbie Fletcher is hooking up sessions for photo-
graphic artiste Bruce Weber. Thomas Campbell
is living in a gallery space in SF where he is build-
ing an art environment for which Tommy'
Guerrero is providing the audio program.
BUNK PUNK
The severely traumatized Joey Escalante, who
actually was involved in a fatality-producing free-
way collision, and who most assuredly suffered a
head bongo sufficient enough in magnitude that
he went around proposing to start up a "golf digest
for modernists," appears to be on the road to
recovery. Joe E. has returned to the Vandals where
he regained consciousness in Australia and said he
dreamed he was on the Warp tour. "There was an
ancient bald ex-snowboard guy on the mike, and
there was some guy named Donovan
Frankenreiter there who was supposed to be a
hot surfer" relates Escalante. Bandmate Warren
the Mutant Boy cavorted nude on stage (as usual)
which prompted legal action by the governmental
authorities. Front page photos of the naked prey
witnessed Mike Crum get smashed in the mouth
by some unknown Euro-distributor. We will see
what happens to said goon after the tradeshow as
the end result was many stitches in the neck and
face area as well some missed skating for Mike.
Other notable sightings include the Birdman doing
540's and 720's before nine o' clock in the morning.
MY LINE
"Tony Hawk is very busy and he's not here right now.
Maybe we can send you something in the mail."
-Birdhouse Secretary
"Slap is the perfect name for a hockey team."
-Fausto Vitello
"Hey skate dudes, lighten up, your mag has been
around for seventeen years. The life expectancy
of a National Hockey League franchise is mea-
sured in minutes.
-The Chicago
Tribune
were distributed all over the great down under as DIGGER?
the newspapers demanded the group's immediate
WHERE'S
arrest and deportation. A convenient lapse back
into dementia occurred when Joey began telling DIGGER?
Aussie cops that he "was just a lawyer attempting
to gain financing for a magazine on urban golf."
Late-breaking travel reports reveal that while
Brazilian buddies Bob Burnquist and Lincoln
Ueda were at a party way over in Paris, France they
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