Thursday, August 20, 2009

Mike Kepper.



Kepper was an East Coast am who rode for Shut. He moved onto H-Street and turned pro for Think.

Bill Thomas snapped the photo.

Thrasher - October 1989 Volume 9 Number 10

8 comments:

Keith said...

There was a lot of hype around Kepper back in the day. Then he got on H-Street around Not the New H-Street Video and just disappeared.

AndyB said...

What did happen to this guy? Does he still skate??

JNH said...

So glad you dug this up, Mike Kepper was a beast! I saw him skate twice in contests in Newport RI. I just remember huge melonchollies and wallrides. The second year everybody was abuzz about whether he was there. Like we'd all been waiting a year to see this dude skate again. I think there was long 3-stair with a small wooden hand-rail set-up and I feel like he destroyed it but I can't remember any tricks. This must've been 1986 + '87, so I would've been 9 or 10 and his skating left an indelible mark. We used to go to tons of contests in RI/MA/CT and I never saw anybody else that was that sick besides Andrew Donahue from Newport. (A.D. actually had a short part [shared with what must be a 10-year old Matt Beach!] in G&S' "Footage" video and a has a gap to lipslide on the aforementioned wooden handrail.) I never knew what happened to Kepper certainly not the he skated for H-Street and was apparently on Think at some point.

@AndyB: He's a tattoo artist in Nashville TN now. Here's the link: http://www.musiccitytattoo.com/artists.htm

JNH said...

I didn't notice Shef in the inset photo!

Justin said...

JHN - Thanks for tracking down where Mike Kepper is.

I was curious about that. My friends were super into him from the H-Street coverage.

Unknown said...

I grew up skating with Mike. He is one of my favorite skaters and one of the coolest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. His skating is sight to be seen. He skated so fast and with such style. Mike killed what ever we were skating, weather it be a gap, ledge, stairs the (Connecticut Farms)bank or just flat land. He skated so fast. I remember him grinding this high curb that had no wax on it. That is still one of the sickest things I've ever seen. Mike taught me how to have fun in in life and in skateboarding. For that I am eternally great-full for. Pease to Mike K, Nuno, Ray, Stankfoot, Joe Metuchin, Crud, La, Fred G, Mike V and all the N.J. skaters.

P.S. Mike had three pro models for Think.

Anonymous said...

Mike Kepper owns a tattoo Shop In Tenn.

http://www.musiccitytattoo.com/artists.htm

Anonymous said...

[IMG]http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa264/samba72/mikekepper4.jpg[/IMG]