Brandon Chapman.

Brandon rode for Powell Peralta and then turned pro for SMA. I really enjoy the graphic design of the Santa Monica Airline ads.

Thrasher - September 1990 Volume 10 Number 9

Phil Chen.

This guy had a couple of cool photos in the late 1980s and early 1990s. That's all I know.

Thrasher - December 1989 Volume 9 Number 12

Brian Lotti.

This seemed like the right thing for today.

If I had the choice of seeing Where The Wild Things Are* or going to Spike and Pat's night of skateboard videos** at the MoMA last night, I would pick the skateboard videos hands down. I'm not big on movies. I'm also getting worried about my attention span since I don't watch anything that has a plot these days. It's either sports, skateboard videos or dumb crap on Adult Swim.

* The movie theater in my town just closed down. It could only be closed for remodeling, but the newspaper story didn't sound very promising about the potential for it to reopen. Supposedly WTWTA isn't even playing Jamestown, which is a half hour away. I'm not driving an hour to Buffalo to see a movie. I don't care how good it might be. I don't roll that way.

** Hypothetically factoring in an opportunity to see No Age again is always a plus in my book.

Grant Brittain took the photo.

Transworld - March 1991 Volume 9 Number 3

Mark Roach #2.

Mark was the other young vert pro with Buster for Planet Earth. He was an amateur for Santa Cruz before that. Mark is from Texas. Some of his favorite pros at the time included Chris Miller, Jeff Kendall and Ben Schroeder. He liked skating at Jeff Phillips' Skatepark.

For the minimal background info: Transworld - August 1990 Volume 8 Number 8

Thrasher - September 1990 Volume 10 Number 9

Buster Halterman #2.

A little more Buster for the week.

Niko Achtipes was the photographer.

Transworld - December 1990 Volume 8 Number 12

Buster Halterman #1.

Buster rode for Schmitt Stix before turning pro for Planet Earth. He is from Wellsville, Pennsylvania and had a vert ramp in the barn at his parents' farm. The ramp even got a two page feature in Transworld.

Transworld - December 1990 Volume 8 Number 12

Planet Earth.

Chris Miller started Planet Earth at about the same time the New Deal started. He left Schmitt Stix and partnered with Tony Magnusson at H - Street. The team was fairly small at first - Miller, Brian Lotti, Buster Halterman, Mark Roach and Eric Jueden. Things grew quickly and more riders were added. Barker Barrett, Felix Arguelles, Matt Schnurr, Brian Howard and Markus Wyndham were some of the many names who rode for the company.

Later in the 1990s, Rhythm Skateboards was added as a second brand. Adio Footwear was also started. Eventually K2 acquired the whole package and things were consolidated. Rhythm was dropped and Planet Earth was reduced to just being a clothing company before shutting down completely a few years ago.

David Walsh took the Miller photo and Grant Brittain took the Buster Halterman photo.

Thrasher - June 1990 Volume 10 Number 6