TRASH
SHOE FITS
N GROUNDBREAKING SHOE
Inews, Rick Howard and
Mike Carroll have quit DC to start
a new shoe company called Lakai.
The project, which will be operated in joint rela-
tionship with Girl/Chocolate and DVS, will
undoubtedly also include other riders out of the
Girl/Chocolate camp, although just exactly who
and when is still the stuff of rumor and speculation.
However, word on the street is that Cairo Foster
has left Adio in order to wear Rick and Mike's new
shoes. Kerry Getz has also kicked off his Adios,
and Eric Koston is said to have the Sole Tech guys
up in arms attempting to keep him happy.
Further hearsay has Anthony Van Engelen
departing DC as well, and Lil' Stevie Williams
threatening to leave but accepting his very own
signature shoe as a reason to stay. Neal Mims has
withdrawn from the DC flow program to join forces
with Axion. DC's only acquisition news this month
comes in the form of Alex
"Trainwreck" Gall, who
dropped Duffs to sign on.
HOT SHIT
The Alien Workshop is
rumored to I have
sprouted a separate ten-
tacle going by the name
of Habitat skateboards.
Fred Gall has teleported
over, as well as super ams
Brian Wenning and Pat
Corcoran. Also rumored
considering joining up are
several high profile
ams and pros
of East Coast origin. Element
interests are said to be battening
down the hatches.
Longtime blood giver
Tim Upson has quit the Label
and jumped in the brown paper
bag of Anti-Hero. Chris Senn,
contrary to popular belief, does
not ride for Black Label either.
In religious news, Jamie
Thomas has not only accepted
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Missing his homeland of Argentina, the Butcher had other
things on his mind while snapping some hips in Visalia. He left
for South America soon after these photos were taken.
Jesus Christ into his heart, but also all over his
chest in the form of a giant crucifix and
"Jesus Saves" tattoo.
Should you stray
far from the food court in your
local mall in the next few months, you may be lucky
enough to see Tony "The Birdman" Hawk in a
Nordstrom department store promoting his new
line of Hawk Clothing.
Badtimes are here for Joe Pino and Dorian
Tucker, as they have parted ways with Goodtimes
skateboards and are, at present, free agents.
Republic sent Matt Moffett, Billy Joe
Yarborough, and Johnny Fonseca
pink slips, leaving Tommy "The
Brain" Budjanec and Paul Zitzer
as the only members of their pro team.
Steven "Bailey" Bailey has post-
poned his teaching career long enough to
turn pro for Consolidated.
REYNOLDS:
MASTER OF
PUPPETS
IDENT
After quitting Hook-Ups last month, Heath
Kirchart has signed up at Emerica with a signature
shoe in the works ASAP.
Upon receiving a windfall of coverage, Aussie
powerhouse Phil Mackie has signed up with Real.
Not DVS, not Puma, but Osiris is Kris
Markovich's new shoe sponsor. Let's hope that's
the last we have to report about Markovich's feet for
quite a while. Markovich and his newly shod feet,
incidentally, were apparently seen backside nose-
blunt sliding the new Oak Side Project in SF.
In a stunning display of omnipresence, Chad
Fernandez showed I up on TV's The Blame Game,
and was reportedly seen rapping at the conclusion
of the late-night game show, just prior to the TV sta-
tion's airing of several clips from Chad's part in The
Storm. Is that Chad's final answer?
Little Tony TNT Trujillo got his nose broke from
slamming his axe into it. Will it be in the next 411?
Don't think so.
Birdhouse turned Brian Sumner pro, creating
another factor in the marketplace to be
contended with.
At the new skatepark in Vista, California, prison-
style iron gates have been installed so that police
officers might better capture and give $100 tickets
to those violating the full-pad rule. In a related
move, county authorities have passed into law a pol-
icy that requires all skateparks in San Diego County,
both public and private, to require full pads and
helmets on all participants-significantly putting a
damper on the highly anticipated Ocean Beach
skatepark and Washington park projects.
POSER
OF THE MONTH
Bail:
Brian Levy
Nail:
Iron Maiden
grind
Jail: Run
for the hills
DOWN FOR LIFE
THRASHED
Jasen of Plymouth, England is permanently
subscribed by way of a needle.
HEAR HERE
Mike Rector is actively designing and marketing
a line of rat cage hammocks, bedding, and exercise
devices. Hallelujah!
Rick Landau, a popular Santa Monica veteran
skater, was found murdered along with his wife in
the kitchen of their modest home. Landau is best
known for the creation of the Fantasy Island ram-
plex, which he engineered on a movie studio back-
lot where he was employed as a greenskeeper. The
tropically themed ramp was the site of countless
Westside skate gatherings. Police reportedly are
investigating the brutal slaying but have released lit-
tle definitive information.
SOLE SURVIVOR
From the apparent ashes of Warp rises "Stance:
the cultural leader for male teens. Combining the
best parts of popular magazines like Teen, People,
and Maxim..." Also emanating from the fetid mind
of Editorial Director Fran Richards is a giant Warp
Tour concert to be held at the Cannes Film Festival
in France. In business or out, real or unreal, warped
or unwarped, factual or fictional: the born again
Stancemaster has been lecturing the likes of
Newsweek and The New Yorker magazine reporters
with specifics for this purported skate and culture
event on the French Riviera. Said to be booked are
Jay Adams, Natas, Jim Muir, Stacy Peralta,
Christian Hosoi, and Tony Alva. Yes, this non-
sense is indeed factual. Watch for Fran Richards'
debut as
t as a film impresario on Entertainment Tonight.
Beau Brown is now slotted as Sole Tech's promo
manager for shoes. Company head Pierre Andre
is being named Orange County's Entrepreneur of
the Year. And for Don Brown?
UK skater Michael Fordham was in Kosovo.
KART OR DIE
Thrasher pilot Memo Gidley and
Team Green's Paul Tracy discuss the finer
points of kart racing. Memo went on to win
the Las Vegas SuperNationals over an
international field.
lobbying the 82nd Airborne Division of the United
States Army to build a public park as an adjunct of
the United Nations security force outreach.
SLOW TOWN
The California Coastal Commission voted
unanimously to approve the construction of a pub-
lic skatepark on the beach in Santa Barbara, CA.
Three of the commissioners broke protocol and
spoke out in favor of the park and implied that any-
one who opposed such a park was out of touch with
the times. The commission's decision will affect the
The commission's dec
development of parks in severa
other Cali cities and essentially
and essentially
prepares the way for other skate
facilities
es to be designed and
built within the 1000-foot corri-
dor that is the domain of the
committee. The $300,000 Santa
Barbara park will be placed on
what undoubtedly constitutes
the choicest parcel around. It is
be located that city's
busiest intersection down by
historic Stern's Wharf.
A corporate video premiere at
oratey
the La Jolla Museum of
Art hosted 500
Contemporary
guests. The video document
The Reason played well enough,
yed well enough,
though Cairo Foster and Jamie
Thomas' responsibly deft drain-
ing of the readily available com-
ing of the featly
plementary liquid refreshments
was astounding. Regrouping
was astoun
videographers at the celebrity-
oriented event were all trying to
hook into an in-production Flip
creatives, and the middlemen, no one thought to
inform Rowley. After discovering that the mer-
chandising juggernaut had scripted him to 50-50 a
kinked rail in Irvine, Geoff got a little excited. It was
explained to Rowley that the "control over ads con-
tent" clause in his contract did not extend to tele-
vision commercials. In retaliation for the nonsense
Geoff reportedly agreed to do the spot but banned
all agency and Vans personnel from the shoot. A
creative director from an unnamed agency
demanded to be there and showed up. Rowley
nailed it in two takes and TC also filmed Alex Moul,
Liam, and Luke the Blitz-ship-
ON BOARD
This is Mark Meddough
standing on a skateboard for
the first time in two years after
being hit by a cop car and
losing his leg. Welcome home,
and cops still suck.
project featuring Arto Saari,
Geoff Rowley, Rune Glifberg, Ali Boulala, Tom
Penny, et al.
Keith Cochrane disappeared for two weeks of
"market research" in New Mexico. The market he
was examining was populated by desert big-horned
sheep and mountain deer. Expect several trophy
scale stuffed examples to arrive at Think's ware-
house in the foreseeable future.
ANTI ZERO
Closely following the strange disappearance in
Malibu of a Twist graffiti piece, another 8' by 45'
painting by the artist has reportedly been stolen off
the streets of San Francisco. Dark Bob with the
black heart is rumored to possess three unautho-
rized Frisco Twist panels up on 48th Street. In a
bizarre incident at the Malibu Pier crime scene, a
construction crane collapsed, crushing a worker at
the exact location of that long gone painting.
Emergency crews closed off the Pacific Coast
Highway for hours as they attempted to rescue the
unfortunate 19-year-old laborer. Twist acquain-
tances like Jason Rogland, Skip Engblom, Tak
Masuda, and Mitch Abshire took advantage of
the confusion to surf six-foot Malibu with no one
the com
out. Malibu sheriffs looked suspicious when in the
midst of the rescue they noticed a large Twist graff
piece that was clearly visible in Masuda's office's
front window.
VIDEO DAZE
Check your contracts well. In an apparent attempt
to return to the core market, Vans hired Thomas
Campbell to direct three film spots in concert with
the notorious McElroy ad agency. Somehow in the
midst of all the Geoff Rowley spot pre-production
machinations among Pooh Boy, the suits, the
ugh his
per skating around. At a post-
shoot slappy session, the Irvine
PD arrived and the cop claimed to
have been formerly sponsored by
Vision Street Wear. In an appar-
ent effort to boost skate solidarity
between generations, the law offi-
cer ran everyone's ID through his
computer. The cop then claimed
there was an outstanding warrant
for the uninvited director and took
him off to city hall. The creative
director later denied all of the
above and said the original ticket
was issued for "walking my dog
without a leash."
ON LINES
How big a sport is it? The Los
Angeles Times has taken to report-
ing on the nuances of finger-
boarding. Zachary Miller, Nigel
Grey, and Lukas Miller a
got
stellar write-up detailing their ath-
letic expertise at digital Hardflips,
Heelflips, Tailslides, Crooked Grinds, and
Impossible Outs. Penned by the esoteric Sean
Mortimer, this graphic exploitation of the chil-
for insider
dren of Chris Miller set new standards for insider
sports journalism. Mortimer is also rumored be
linked to a certain mega-corp's Internet skateboard
catazine marketing Web site, which in turn is linked
to their marketing surf site. Other beings in this
emerging Internet mag-shop-scam are said to
include Steve Hawk and Ben Marcus.
How small a world is it? A copy of Thrasher is bla-
tantly displayed on TV tripe the Get Real show.
Agonizingly real.
TREND ZONE
"Real skateboarding is way better than finger-
boarding."-Zachary Miller
"Duh."-Sean Mortimer
HALL OF MEAT
Coming straight outta Santa Rosa,
Jay Seaman shows off his strangely
appealing arm wound after the removal of
an abscess from skating the Hitcher's Ramp.
142 THRASHER
143