Trash
HARD TIME
Canadian superhero Rick McCrank
has left Birdhouse and signed up over at
Girl, leaving him about a week to film a
video part for the upcoming Chocolate
Tour movie.
Jason Dill has given up on holding out for a spot
on Sal Barbier's still-in-development new shoe
company and is stoked to be getting a signature
shoe on Vita.
Ryan Johnson, the uncredited daredevil who
50-50ed that giant curved rail in Hillbilly Roadkill,
has signed on as a pro with New Deal, replacing
Carl Shipman, who got the boot.
Warner Mobsters Alex Moul, Mark Baines, and
Jeff Lenoce are now speeding around the Ashtray,
flying over the dumpster, and slashing over for a
sandwich at Fake Jan's on Spitfire wheels. Bainesy
has also switched from New Deal back to his old
sponsor, the English company Blueprint.
Adrian Lopez and Brian Sumner fled Emerica
and will be doing all their future ass-kicking in Adio
shoes, as will Cairo Foster, who finally found a shoe
company to stick with.
Geoff Rowley switched from
Airwalk to Vans and has
been seen hitting up
the huge UCI rails.
sporting can-
vas slip-ons.
If this shoe, better known by down-on-their-luck gas
station attendants, frugal dads, and the cast of the '80s
BMX movie Rad, acts as the basis for Geoff's upcom-
ing pro model, expect it to be the first signature skate
shoe under thirty dollars. Mothers rejoice!
Also no longer on Airwalk are Rune Glifberg, Paul
Zitzer, Stacy Lowery, and Brian Howard. The
Airwalk pro team now consists of Andy Macdonald,
Bucky Lasek, Jon Comer, and Ali Cairns.
Eric Koston's last trick filmed for the Chocolate
video was a nollie heelflip noseslide down a ten-stair
rail. Details at 11.
After sailing through his interview unscathed,
Jamie Thomas snapped his wrist on a 20-stair rail
while on tour in Europe.
In preparation for the new millennium, Sean
Sheffey has not only been performing all of his
tricks switch, but has been spotted making the long
commute, from the beach to his uptown San Diego
home, in the opposite stance as well.
After 30-plus years of continuous skating, the leg-
endary Nude Bowl has finally been demolished and
filled in. Recent non-skater-related parties, includ-
ing one that ended with a multiple stabbing, is what
finally sent the famous pool back to its maker.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Dave.
Reul during this difficult time.
BRITTLE BONES
The Mark Gonzales book
Broken Poems, which was pub-
lished by Tropen in both
Deutsch and English, continues
to gain global distribution and
critical acclaim from Southgate
to the Louvre.
Searching for meaning in
trends and statistics, a goodly
number of obvious marke-
teers appeared at a recent
skate industry summit meet-
ing in Vancouver, British
Columbia. Keynote speaker Jim
Fitzpatrick pointedly acknowl-
edged the outside stature of many
of these said corporate henchmen.
Considering that there are presently
31 million teenagers (roughly 10 per-
cent of our country's population), it's
a safe bet that we
will encounter
more of these market seekers
before the occurrence of the 2010
peak of 35 million teens. The
interface with some of
these outside elements
I was at times bru-
tally harsh.
The extraneous
Down For Life
Arue Fichl of Mesterholz, Germany
has the skate gods on his side.
product of the month has got to be the official Star
Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi model skateboard from
Seance Sports. Certain to be a future toy collectors
hall of infamy inductee, this fine little Pepsi-Kentucky
Fried Chicken-Pizza Hut promotional tidbit was very
evident at the New York premiere of the motion pic-
ture that bears the same name.
Another egregious crossover incidence is Snoop
Doggy Dogg's new joint that flaunts the enter-
tainer's born-again skater lyrics. Will the Dogg's
acquaintance Omar Hassan soon appear along
on a future Snoop tour, as some now claim?
Tom Groholski, the legendary Jersey Devil of
old, has re-emerged as an active influence on the
Eastern seaboard. Now employed as a member of
the United Parcel Service's brown army, Tom can be
viewed daily skating at Daytona Beach, Florida..
WAVE GOODBYE
When the world's most watched television show
arrives on the North Shore of Hawaii it is inevitable
that change is gonna come. Baywatch is now situated
on Hawaii's most hallowed ground. For change-up
starters, local boy and longtime skater Vince Klyne
has been signed as a regular "lifeguard" on the show.
Klyne, who as of late has starred in the movie Cyborg
and I also as the menacing islander who stalked the
leading trio of director Zalman King's film In God's
Hands, is scheduled to be the center of a slew of
asphalt and sea story lines. Rumor has it that the
reigning world surf champ and skate model man
Kelly Slater may also return to the show as a lead.
Ironically, Kelly is presently reputed to have disap-
peared into seclusion following his breakup with ex-
BayBoob star Pamela Anderson Lee. Other multi
boardsport personalities who are believed to be
under consideration for inclusion in the biggest boob
exhibition on the tube are Jay Adams, Tony Hawk,
Jerry Lopez, Joel Tudor, Peter Townsend, Laird
Hamilton, Timmy Curren, Stryder Wasilewski,
and Andy Irons.
Barry John McGee showed up in Tokyo fresh
off a prestigious SF gallery show with fine arts.
superstar Philip Guston and hippie provocateur
R. Crumb. In keeping with his art in motion prem-
ise, Barry avoided the chic formalism of the uptown
hometown presentation through stopping by on
his way to the airport just long enough to check in
with clan members John, Mike, Kim, and Mable
McGee. Gallery director John Buergurian
appeared surprised throughout it all, as the man
Geoff Rowley: Sole Survivor
never set foot inside the show. Teamed up with CR
Stecyk in a very proper art exhibition/workshop
at the Watari Museum of Art, the pair gravitated
towards the Tokyo Kamakura rolling scene inter-
acting with some of the most notorious sons and
daughters of the land of the rising sun. Included in
the mix were Jun Bug Ikeda, Mie Ishii, Tak
Masuda, Jiro Takasoh, Kitsano Kusano,
Toshimitsu Aono, the Watari family, You
Poser Of The Month
Poser:
Justin Santora
Predicament:
Shower time
salad grind
Penalty:
Turkish bath
Takemae, DJ Quietstorm, Jiro Hanaue, and
2047 Nakagawa. The traveling itinerant artists
logged time at the 81 Trash factory, where they col-
laborated on objectionable non-commercial decks.
T-town bombing broke out en masse when Twist
and Talldog, one-time associates of the artists in
residence,
, apparently hooked up with local
writers
such as Rane, Koichi W, Scam, Im, Chaos, Me,
Key One, Kam, Snipe, and Kaze Makase. A
mass streetside group paint-in on a Tokyo district
police HQ attracted both controversy and praise.
When last seen, the enigmatic Twist was actually
hugging a cop. At that juncture it was McGee's turn
to look bewildered.
FROZEN TIME
Odd pairings: Tracy Morrow AKA Ice T seen at
Vans skatepark with Steve Van Doren, Tim
Richardson and Jay Wilson. More unlikely link-
ups: KT and Michael Ballard skating together at
Tim Brauch's memorial session.
Collectors are eagerly snapping up the recent mis-
printed Hensley model from Black Label. The
much talked about board, which was originally
intended and quickly re-released with the word
"homicide" on it, came out saying "homocide." The
presence of a gun image spurned gay rights advo-
cates and politically correct parents alike. The mis-
take boards will reportedly fetch up to $200.00.
Is the old Powell Skatezone now officially referred
to as the Rollerblade Zone? Better yet, the United
States Post Office has released thirty-eight million
stamps that appear to be a direct lift from a Benny
Hill photo of long long ago Powell Peralta pro
Tony Hawk. In this better-late-than-never effort, the
government now recognizes the virtually extinct
hyper vert ramp era. Included in this series cele-
brating "new" sports are BMX, snowboarding, and
in-line skating.
PAID OUTS
Danny Gonzalez appears in a current Wendy's
commercial, Mathias Ringstrom is in a Sprite ad,
and Steve Olson has gone from starring in Green
Day vids to producing how-to dental videos-all
impressive indicators of the acting viability of skate
personalities to be sure. But for over-the-top men-
dacity, can anyone match SMA honcho Skip
Engblom's current run? In the last two months
Engblom has starred in 1) the 8 Ball video where he
appears as a slave owner along with some Nubian
princesses, 2) an IBM commercial, 3) a Del Monte
foods TV spot, and 4) the Mike Vallely docu,
where he recounts his friendship with Charles
Bukowski and his relationship to MV.
Mike York's design comments are said to be influ-
encing his sponsors in a major way at Fresh Jive.
And the latest installment of actresses material-
izing at skate spots: Sean Young allegedly showed
up at Tony Fredkin's Santa Monica curb, claiming
to live next door, and asked TF to watch her baby.
BOLT THROWER
A customer survey by CCS purportedly states
that the top three trucks are Independent, Grind
King, and Titan. These revelations seem strange to
many. Unaligned observers place it more like Indy,
Venture, Grind King, and Krux-Destructo. A Board
Tech Internet survey is reputed to claim that Pig
Wheels are the number-one selling brand.
Whatever happened to Spitfire? Does the CCS list
represent a political jab at a certain outspoken
truck magnate? Is Diamond Supply Company guru
Tershay working an end run? What was NHS
founder Richard Novak doing in Hong Kong? Is
the Board Tech jibe directed at the notoriously
antagonistic Jeff Klindt?
Is Dan Drehobl now writing lyrics for Suicidal
Tendencies? Are the similarities between Dan's
company name and
the band's new album
Hall Of Meat entirely coincidental?
"Cut my finger in a table saw at school
trying to build a ramp. Went too fast...
Index finger amputated just below the
fingernail," writes x-treme carpenter
RJ Christensen of Worland, WY.
GASP IT
"That picture of me is the anatomy chart of the
frontside grind." -Dave Hackett
"My shit's been done. And it's tight!"
-Stevie Williams on the upcoming Chocolate video
"I just like it long enough that I can get off."
-Joey Tershay
"If you're active it swells up more, then it pinches
more."-Lance Mountain
"As long as the energy is here, we are here."
-Mountain Dew representative
Rest In Peace
Jeanne Hoffman
It seems like eons ago that I first met the Hoffmans;
perhaps the first time was seeing Don and his dad Mr.
Hoffman walking up the drainage canal that was to be
called "the line" to Baldy Pipe when we were just
kids going into seventh grade.
Later that summer we ran into them again; the
Hoffmans were talking about building a skatepark and
were checking out the local skate scene to get ideas for
That
the upcoming skatepark-the first of its kind that went
on to feature a full pipe, a 15-foot monster bowl, and
later the real Combi. This was in 1977, and that sum-
mer on the very first day the park opened (I was 13th
in line with my little brother and Mike Brown). I met
the Pipeline staff and Jeanne Hoffman. t year.
r the
park became my second home, just like it did for a lot
of kids, and mom and pops did not have to worry
about the safety of their children because Jeanne
Hoffman and her family made everybody feel right at
home. If you got cut up there were the Band-Aids, or
she'd get you an ice pack for those swollen hippers. If
you needed a ride home she'd call your mom and dad
or find you a way home. She was the glue that kept
everything together. Jeanne would let you slide on
would let you
grip tape sometimes, and can anybody imagine Stan
letting us have a snack bar tab that you could pay off
with stickers, wheels, trucks, and such?
I got to know the Hoffman family very well. Jeanne
was a surrogate mom for a lot of us who skated or
worked at Pipeline. Her caring and participation in the
new sport of skateboarding, and her zest to help kids
realize their dreams,
reams, were just another day in the office
for her. She was a class act. Even after the park was
bulldozed ten long years ago, her enthusiasm did not
wane-it only grew. She was the queen bee of skate-
boarding, for her endless devotion to the CASL con-
test organization and her dedication to the Goodwill
Games. I would be so happy to see her at the Hard
Rock contests, and I got a bigger kick when she went
on the Warped Tour, just sitting on the bus shooting the
bull. She could talk your ear off if you let her but that
was the beauty of telling anyone her opinion of some-
thing-it was the American away.
I knew she beat her sickness once, and she was one
n I heard she was really sick again
tough lady. But when I
I didn't know whether to try to call her or not. I was
scared, to tell the truth, and when I finally got enough
courage to do it I found out it was too late. She passed
away two days prior. I have many fond memories of
her, and to put the record straight. I would not be in
skateboarding today if it weren't for the Hoffmans. I
have yet to meet a man who works harder than Stan
Hoffman, and I cannot express enough gratitude for
letting me and my brother skate for free at your park
and for treating us like part of your extended family.
The Pipeline was our playland... our wildest dreams
came true.
Jeanne will be missed but not forgotten, as the legacy
in the Badlands lives on and on. -Salba
144 THRASHER
145