tRash
UPPER LOWER
KATE CHRISTIANITY IN THE WOODS IS THE
OPERATIVE BYWORD AS DAEWON SONG,
RAY BARBEE HAVE SIGNED ON AS ROLLING
COUNSELORS AT THE YOUNG LIFE SKATE CAMP
INSELO
OF THE GREEN BAY BIBLE OUTREACH PROGRAM
IN BRITISH COL
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.
The aforementioned Mark Gonzales is quietly
working on a film project which is said to possi-
bly feature Neil Blender
a not really blind
man whom everybody thinks is blind. Hawaiian
quilts, King David Kalakaua, and John Coltrane
are also involved in this silent movie. Gonz is cre-
ating original quilts of his own design.
The much maligned yet supremely influential
freestyle clique has gained political muscle
with the formation of their own organization.
The International Network for Flatland
Freestyle Skateboarding, which figures to focus
interest and to promote flat contesting, is
headquartered in Balsta, Sweden. Stefan
Akesson, the organizational interface, threat-
ens to be the most notorious Scandinavian
upstart since the immutable flatlander Per
Welinder fled the midnight sun in favor of
American corporate manipulation.
NEST EGG
NEST EGG
On a weekend in late June, Davey Rogers
On a
became the latest pro skater to join the ranks of
the married as he wed his longtime sweetheart
Leah. In attendance were many prominent and
not-so-prominent East and West Coast types,
such as Buddy Nichols, Eastie, Snibby and
Thrasher lackey Wez. Much beer was drank, peo-
ple
danced to Devo cuts, and a late-night session
at a nearby skatepark just outside of Gloucester,
MA capped off the evening.
The boys of Transworld Media staged a cover-
age boycott of this year's X Games competition,
supposedly over editor Dave Swift's being barred
from the buffet by security types at last year's
event. Would this explain Kosick's absence as
well? Perhaps the goons at ESPN will learn that
you never want to get
between a skate
photographer.
and his
food.
Tuff guy Bob
Denike's armadillo
never made the
cut for the tattoo
article in 1989.
The Mission Bay X Games, apparently
created entirely to generate advertising
revenue for outfits like ESPN, The San
Diego Chamber of
Commerce and
Convention Bureau, ABC,
The Wide World of
of Sports
and the Walt Disney
Company, went off
went off seamlessly
in its least controversial and most
mainstream production to date.
On the scene were major new
advertisers of the "It's not your
father's Pontiac anymore!" ilk. The
much repeated mantra of this
games X
X edition was "16
was
million
in 2000." This overt reference to
the projected US population of
aged 14-17
year
old individuals at
the beginning of the next millen-
nium proves that major con-
glomerates have identified
skaters
waters as a way to
target
young consumers. The media
magnates are
nates are enraptured with
the perceived sales appeal of
proven contenders such as
proven contenders such
the sates
Tony
y Hawk, whom ESPN
promo hacks described as
"skateboarding's MVP" and the
leader r of
the movement. For
proof of Hawk's
s growing
sales
appeal in the great white
appear in the great white
world, witness his upcoming
Milk mustache ad. Even
ustache
ven sup-
Mill
boarding an easily understood and nonthreaten-
ing commodity. In the words of ESPN digni-
taries, "Waldo Autry is a hairdresser, so you
SaLP dAS
154
SANCH
000-
ENRY
RIGHT
TURN
ONLY
There were signs that Henry Sanchez
I would be on top of things, even when
he was only 15.
posedly respectable publica-
tions like The Los Angeles Times said that such a
lucrative contract would not have been accorded
were not
don't they actually
to Tony if "it were not for the mass exposure of
the X Games." Certainly the Times should know;
don't they actually run a skateboard magazine of
their own? Credible sources aside, the level of
skating
ting was predictably high but somehow out of
step with contemporary styles at the same time.
The street course
resembled the
Savannah Slamma
and more runs
and more runs were
completed than in
X's past, but are
X's past,
these the big mov
of the present? It
appears that TV con-
test promoters are
more interested in
presenting a steady
stream of constant
runs than the state
of the art. As for
art. As for
the vert ramp, it
resembled each
each
and every post-
Frankbuilt
structure.
Andy Macdonald was
expect him to change
his hair color." When.
compared to such spec-
tacles Inde
as Indonesian
female speed climbing,
Female speed cimbing
deadly dangerous sum-
snowboarding, and
mer
inline ass-grab races,
quickly becomes apparent
that skateboarding has
both the real
real energy and
the excitement. Expect to
see many more represen-
tatives from multinational
moting to "cash
corps attempting to
soon at a
in on the boom" soor
curb near
near you. And lastly,
if X Games stickerage
proves correct, the Euro-
company Diesel has won
the honor of f clothing the
elusive Birdman.
SPOT SEARCH
Coincidentally, fol-
lowing a loose session
in the c
e coastal
Nippon
town of Kamakura,
what are the odds
I are the odds of
two unrelated skaters
arriving in US
in US Customs
and Immigration together
later with nei-
a few
days later
ther one realizing it?
Gonz, who quickly passed through while inform-
ing agents that he was "going home to see his
new cat Esmerelda,"
thus leaving
disappeared,
the detached visiting Japanese skater Wataru to
fend for himself. After five hours of intense ques-
tioning, the INS eventually released the innocent
Wataru. Despite possession of a valid passport,
visa, return trip ticket, hotel reservations, etc.,
this skater was singled out from
hundreds other travelers for
investigation. Was it because
Begation. Was it becal
DWER HE
RASH
A Phoenix local shows his devotion to
the official magazine of the Dark Lord.
swift and sure, Zattoni was crisp, Burnquist was
hot and broken while Hawk dealt with the nui-
sances of the relentless media-driven idolatry as
best he could. "The Birdhouse crew are really out
here in force; there's Tony's mother with his son
Riley..." Not even the ruthless theatrics of the
Riley... Not eve
genan
genuine sidereal wonder Biker Sherlock could
resurrect the rather blandness of ESPNX's land
luge. The heartwarming back-from-the-
crypt/never-been-gone aspect of skate legends
turned street laydown racers Waldo Autry and
George Orton didn't register with the abundant
televised hygienics and cheese. Perceptive analyt-
ical commentary worked hard to make skate-
Wataru always travels with
only his skate and the clothes
on his back? The Federal
agents
repeatedly sweated Wataru
peatedly swe
about his intended activities in
America. Q: "What are you
really going to do?" A: "I am
en the
going to skate." When the
skater finally volunteered to
demonstrate his ability on the
spot, he was ordered to leave
the holding
the holding facility.
WHO DIS
WHO DIS
a
camera, or
Was Jamie Thomas so
delighted by Atiba's recent
photo work that he rewarded
the polite lensman with
$2000 Hassleblad came
could this be the start of a coverage-for-camera-
gear scandal? Will gift giving between talent and
photographers become standard practice, or is
this just an example of the kind of spare change
the King of the Zeros has to throw around since
signing with K2's Adio shoes?
Is the ex-partner of a a one-time major skate
corp serious when he claims that videos of his
creation are still being sold and that he never
shares in the profits? Are all of those lawyers
in attendance at the ex-industrialist's mini-
ramp just friends, or are they there for a more
specific reason?
The skater-politician war escalates in the city
of Los Angeles. Was an ultra-prominent old→
school star recently jailed for allegedly threat-
ening Congressman Tom Hayden? Was the
source of the skater's anger based in the politi-
cian's perceived lack of commitment to youth
activities like ska
like skateboarding?
IN FILTRATION
The national climate for social responsibility in
advertising and documentation greatly advanced
toward a more
I a more controlled standard when one
mother r made one.
one complaint about the "ridicu-
lously dangerous excess" of one Duffs video to
in
one television station Oklahoma City. This
widely seen
seen tape achieved immortality when the
deeply disturbed TV reporters mounted an inves
tigative report that revealed allegations of the
promotion of
drunkenness and the stimu-
of public
lation of setting people on fire for entertainment
purposes. In
In other locals, moral
I majority adher-
ents have begun to examine other skate videos
to determine if
if further objectionable material
exists in them as well. The Big Brother Video
Number Two app
Two appears to be potentially problem-
atic. On the Eastern
On the Eastern
Seaboard, a
Seaboard
a group
of par-
ents is reportedly upset over
a sequence in a well-known
vid that "depicts disrespect
for the dead" and other
selections from the same
same
company that "show wanton
vandalism of private and
public property." No one
seems aware or con-
cerned that the objection-
able material is at least a
decade old.
of heat-dissipating ceramic bearings, which are
reputed to cost well over 100 bucks a set.
Venturan/Barbarian ramp designer/builder
Johnny Oliver has ventured into video pro-
duction, assisted by environmental advocate
action, assi
Reeve Wolpert.
Art Harris' Tom Thumb-style hobby shop
in Evanston, Illinois continues to sell an
assortment of new vintage Dogtown, Big
Phillips-era Santa Cruz, Jinx and Bernie-type
Vision and prehistoric Powell, Krypto,
Tracker, Gullwing, Motobilt, etc. In the esti-
mation of
of Mr Harris, "It isn't a museum; it's
store."
SUNDAY SLAUGHTER
From Ken Block's silver, lowered, tinted, etc
Benz to free beer and buffalo burgers to the
tallest ramp around to ex-pro Kelly Bird, all the
stops were out. And there could be no mistaking
just whose contest it was. Danny Way's 4x4 was
in the parking lot of his warehouse where people
smoked his cigars to celebrate his new baby son
along with his girlfriend and his entire family,
who came to watch him
kate on
on his ramp.
Everyone knew who was
responsible for enabling the
five star ripping event in front
of them. Aside from the skat-
ing itself, the contest seemed
to function mainly as a
show-
case for the material symbols of
success and social status of the
XYZ guys. In the crowd and
ensconced in this
in this relatively lav-
HL of mar
US
While touring Chile,
Tony Hawk reportedly
was quite surprised to
discover some unique
Birdhouse products that
he'd never seen before.
The source of these
dubious products
turned out to be a dis-
tributor. When Hawk
confronted the distribution man about selling
obvious counterfeit goods, the guy had a
unique response. "You should thank me; I
only did it keep other people from doing it."
Buyers beware.
Sick of tattoos and piercings, Aaron
Bentoski is taking body art to the next
level. This abstract soft tissue piece
was executed by creative slamming.
In real world news, longtime Tum Yeto hench-
man Mark Waters has kissed skateboarding (at
least in the team
Team
least in the team manager capacity) goodbye in
favor of a new job in the entertainment industry.
manager duties will now be handled by
Sacto's infamous Billy Miller.
COMING OUT
And from the visionary genius of Fran
Richards comes a
epic plan, although
in a somewhat circuitous manner. Apparently
the publishing executive's curt assessment of
skate longboarding has inspired others to
launch a new magazine. Rumor r has Frant
stating, "Longboarding? We're
We're not interest-
ed. It's not skating, it's transportation." This
pronouncement by the great mogul-inspired
ex-Skateboarder contributor Guy Motil
Motil and
ex-skateboar
the staff of Longboard mag to initiate a
secret project that deals with street surfing
and the like. A September release is likely.
Lucky are the few test pilots who have been
issued ceramic test bearings by Lucky R&D work-
ers. Such varied affiliates as Wade Speyer, Jeff
Klindt, Keith Cochrane and Tommy Guerrero
have been seen possessing these high speed sets
ish surrounding were such skate
notables as Sheff, who distrib-
uted some fungus among cer-
tain onlookers, Duffy,
Channita, Steve Ortega,
Andy Howell, Colin McKay
(who didn't skate due to
back injury), Bo Turner,
Chris & Zachary Miller,
Bertino (who bonded with
bertino (who
the roving pack of
Rottweilers), Moblow, Texas
Dan (who came packing his.
own keg), Duncan (who
announced), Caine Gayle, Grantbot, Ruben, Jen
O'Brien, Jay Adams, Chicken and Shrewg,
among others. Cardiel came, skated, shot some
footage, lost the video camera again, lost his car
keys and missed his flight home. Chad Vogt
drove the crowd berzerko with his alley-oop kick-
flip nosegrind, second try. Too bad he took him-
self out of the comp with a little backside over-
the com
rotation
rotation on the 15' section to flatbottom, full-
his
body whiplash. Dave "Shaggy" Palmer showed
up and ripped for a while, as did am Sam Hitz.
X-men Hawk and MacDonald pulled no-shows,
as did Rune Glifberg. The only American in the
top 5 was Buster Halterman, and he got 5th.
JORDAN BITES
After the 6th title and all the talk of retire-
ment, it appears that the number 23 has lost
some appeal for Sal Barbier, who felt strong-
ly enough
about it to retire from
the roster of the skateboard
company 23. Dan
Drehobl has recently
been
acclaimed by
some as the most
improved
pro/com-
pany owner due to
his quickly pro-
gressing ad-mak-
ing skills on his
home comput-
Pose BF
Up Math
Poser: Justin Santora
Crime: Board housewife
Punishment: Miss the season finale
of "Melrose Place."
er, but just how much Dan's recent development
is creditable to the humbly silent doings of Paul
Zuanich, the world may never know. And is that
Max Schaaf crashing backward through a large
display window in the Mountain Dew commer-
cial that features Olympic track champ Michael
Johnson running all the way back to the '70s?
WHAT'S MY
WHAT'S MY LINE?
"My domestic problem is I spend too much time
with the bros and not enough with the ho."
-Tony Alva
"There was nobody there except for all these
white trash lowlifes; I was glad because it
gave me someone to look up to."
-Dan Drehobl
"The library is the best thing in the world."
"The X Games are like a traveling medicine show
that attempts to sell the illusion of youth and
extreme experience."
-Gonz
-Jim Fitzpatrick
Movin' on up.
The Jeffersons ask each other,
"Am I you?" or "Are you me?"