Monday, November 30, 2009

Blind #1.



Sometimes change happens.

Transworld - January 1990 Volume 8 Number 1

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Lance Mountain.



Happy Thanksgiving.

I figured since it was a short week, I'd go with three of skateboarding's best ever.

I think I was going to mention this earlier, but never did. The Beauty & The Beast 2 issue of Skateboarder is really good. It has the tour article, an interview with Sean Cliver and Marc McKee, plus an interview with Al Partanen. And then there is full page photo of Julien Stranger on page 90.

Transworld - October 1988 Volume 6 Number 6

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Mark Gonzales #5.



The college is on break all week for Thanksgiving. I've been going in at night to use the printmaking studio since everybody is gone. I finally got around to watching the Gang Of Fourstar video last night while a plate was etching. The whole thing is awesome. The parks in England and Europe are amazing. Gonz is riding a weird long board and slides a couple of handrails at a park in the rain. He's still crazy and going strong at 40. I need a vacation in Europe sometime soon.

Thrasher - June 1989 Volume 9 Number 6

Monday, November 23, 2009

Neil Blender #3.



Classic Neil at Sadlands. That place doesn't exist any longer, does it?

When I watched the clip from Memory Screen last week to make sure I had the wall graffiti* right for the Steve Claar post, I decided to listen to Don't Mean Maybe's Real Good Life album again. I even played it for my students in class. Of course most of them have their iPods on and don't listen to the music I play. This ends up being amusing to me. I figure I do about 99 and some odd percentage of everything for the students and that last little fraction is playing music for myself. If they want to listen, cool, but otherwise I don't worry about it. I know a couple of times I've had students tell me that their iPod just played a song from the album I was playing in class. On the other hand, I know at least one person who really got into Pavement because of me.

* The graffiti didn't have any punctuation.

The photo is by Miki Vuckovich.

Transworld - August 1989 Volume 7 Number 4

Friday, November 20, 2009

Jeff Kendall #2.



I felt like a gringo.

Steve Keenan was the photographer.

Transworld - May 1990 Volume 8 Number 5

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Buck Smith.



Buck is still going in his 40s and was inducted into the Florida Skateboarding Hall of Fame earlier this year.

I've been on a Sims kick recently. Henry Gutierrez sooner or later.

The picture was taken by Grant Brittain.

Transworld - December 1990 Volume 8 Number 12

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Tuan Nguyen.



Suicide bolts and H - Street griptape art.

The photos are by O.

Transworld - May 1990 Volume 8 Number 5

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Mike Archimedes.



The Idea Of North.

Luke Ogden snapped the photo.

Thrasher - November 1988 Volume 8 Number 11

Monday, November 16, 2009

Steve Claar #2.



Ain't life grand?

Thrasher - October 1989 Volume 9 Number 10

Friday, November 13, 2009

Mike Vallely #2.





As far as I know this isn't online anywhere, not even the Poweredge website. The interview is from when Mike was still on Powell Peralta, but I want to say that by the time the mag was on the newstand, he had switched to World Industries.

If you want to have some fun, count the number of times Morrissey appears either on Mike or his board.

Have a good weekend and play nice in the comments.

The interview is by Christian Kline. The photos are by Christian Kline and Alec Schroeder.

Poweredge - May 1989 Volume 2 Number 4

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Jim Murphy #2.



I wish I'd found this pic when I was doing Alva Week last summer. Way better than the one I posted of Murf back then.

I need to scan some new stuff in this weekend. Things are getting down to the bottom of the barrel, which is why I feel I've been slacking off here lately. I've got a good one for tomorrow.

A Mouse took the photo.

Thrasher - May 1989 Volume 9 Number 5

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Jake Piasecki.



This is another of those photos that I thought looked cool. Jake is still skating today with a model on Sector 9. He turns up at those concrete park contests or bowl events that you always read about on Skate Daily.

Chris Ortiz took the photo.

Thrasher - November 1990 Volume 10 Number 11

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Kevin Staab #2.



The nose on my new board is too short. I bet if I had the Kevin Staab Nose Monster I wouldn't have that problem. It is unsettling. My new trucks are awesome, which is usually not how it goes. I used my old bushings, but still even that takes a little getting used to most times.

Chip Morton took the photo.

Transworld - July 1990 Volume 8 Number 7

Monday, November 9, 2009

Tom Boyle.



The Rock was another of those East Coast vert powerhouses from the early 1990s. He rode for H - Street and New School/Arsenal. I think he might have been on World Industries for a minute because there is a World sticker on his board. Tom had a pro shoe on Vans in the mid to late 1990s.

Thrasher - November 1990 Volume 10 Number 11

Friday, November 6, 2009

J.J. Rogers #6.



I've always liked this ad. The magic marker tattoo on his arm says I hate chicks.

The weather looks promising for both Saturday and Sunday. I've got a new board and trucks to break in. I'm also breaking in a pair of Lakai MJ5's. I like the colorways on the website and I got the green ones. They remind me of the old Vans Tom Boyle model from 1997 or 1998. These have the Lakaitning beefed up vulcanized sole. I'm not thrilled with the shape of the shoe and the sole seems to not grip. The lack of grip could be based on my older grip tape so that could be irrelevant. The soles are also thicker than even a good cupsole. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It is a little weird. My general feeling is that these sneakers are OK, but I wouldn't buy another pair. I would consider giving the Lakaitning a second chance on a different model.

Another part of me says that I should just stick with the Jamie Thomas Rival until they stop making them. Those seemed to work really well for me.

Thrasher - June 1991 Volume 11 Number 6

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Mike Kepper #3.



Another Vision Street Wear ad with Kepper.

The photo is by Bill Thomas.

Transworld - August 1990 Volume 8 Number 8

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Jovontae Turner #2.



A San Francisco classic.

Transworld - May 1991 Volume 9 Number 5

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Byron Kothe.



Byron was a Schmitt Stix am.

Back in the day, the shop in my town did have Schmitt products as a result of carrying Vision. My friend had the gigantic SS Radial wheels with the metal cores. I believe they were a millimeter bigger than the T - Bone. SS Radials were super hard urethane, too. Probably not the best wheels for street and mini ramp action. I had a set of Schmitt Stix rails, but I don't ever remember putting them on a board. I usually used Powell Peralta rails before switching to Santa Cruz Cellblock rails, which slid way faster. I think if I could get a set of SMA World Industries Skinny Little White Boy rails today, I would put them on my board for old times sake.

Eric Bose took the pictures.

Thrasher - July 1989 Volume 9 Number 7

Monday, November 2, 2009

Saecha Clarke.



This ad came out of nowhere and probably surprised a few guys since it was a lady skating a handrail. Saecha also did a boardslide on a small rail for Tony Hawk's Beyond column in Transworld from March of 1991.

She works for Etnies as a designer these days.

Note: Her name was misspelled in the Venture ad.

Thrasher - March 1991 Volume 11 Number 3