Stacy Lowery #4.

"The voices call out from the dark."

That's what it says on the tag of the Program t-shirt I have. Stacy and Mike are keeping the good times rolling with the Program. The company follows in the same direction as Bueno and Roger.

Skateboarder - May 2006 Volume 15 Number 9

Mark Gutterman.

No bueno.

I tried. I only found two ads for Bueno. They were getting distributed by Element so I thought they had a couple more ads, but I couldn't find 'em. And it wasn't for a lack of looking on a rainy Friday night either. I assume this means I will find them in next month or two.

Bueno was Stacy Lowery and Michael Sieben's company from 2005 to 2007. The idea was to bring some much needed humor back into skateboarding. The team included Shiloh Greathouse, Jeremy Holmes, Nate LaCoste, and Nate Broussard. Later they would start Roger and eventually the Program.

The remaining three fifths of the week will be used for Momentum Wheels. Their ads are kind of similar and were much easier to find.

The Skateboard Mag - May 2006 Issue 26

California Cheap Skates Summer 2010.

What a difference sixteen years makes.

In the time since the early 1990s, CCS catalogs ballooned in size from around thirty pages all the way up to ninety pages. You sure got a lot more clothing and shoe options as the industry had grown substantially. The internet was starting to render print catalogs a moot point, but they were trying really hard.

I'm usually never one to say a given era of skateboarding was better than another and I avoid the trap that nostalgia can be. Each time period has its pluses and minuses. 1994 was not wholly better or worse than 2010 for example. They were just different. That being said, all I can say is "YIKES!" about a whole lot of the board graphics in this catalog.

The truck choices expanded with lots more colors and even signature model trucks with custom colorways. It looks like a lot of people were riding thinner boards in 2010 because trucks come mostly in two sizes: 7.75" or 8". I didn't recall boards still being smaller back then.

In terms of wheels, sizes had evened out in the low to mid 50s. Spitfire, Bones, and Ricta were dominating the selection. The plastic core trend was still there, which never made sense to me. I was riding whatever Spitfires that were 56 mm and white. Or basically the same type of wheels I've been using for the last fifteen years or so. It's odd to consider how much rapidly skateboarding changed over a few years in the early 1990s versus how I've been riding the same shape boards from the same company for three years now. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

There will be something for next week. I don't really know what yet. Maybe Bueno.

The Brian Anderson photo credited to a CMRO. No idea who that is. The Muska?

California Cheap Skates Summer 1994.

Hardcore in '94.

The savvy skateboard consumer had a whole lot more choices for boards as the 1990s moved along. Birdhouse, Alien Workshop, Real, Stereo, Mad Circle, Foundation, Acme, and more were all doing well. It's interesting that this catalog would have been printed before Chocolate was available, as Girl was well represented. Slick decks were still kicking around. I don't think I had any of the boards in here because I was firmly committed to Consolidated when I was in college. The graphics for the most part are looking fairly sharp and often reflect the rider's image or personal tastes. Keep that thought in mind for tomorrow.

The truck selection had slimmed down and your only color choice was silver. I was riding Ventures and Indy at this point.

Wheels were hovering in the low to mid 40 mm range. A few brave brands started to drift to the upper 40s and even over the 50 mm mark. Santa Cruz was holding down the wheel biz with Direction, Speed Wheels, and SMA. Union, A-1 Meats, New School, and Acme were all fighting for your dollar bills. I think I was riding Consolidated wheels at this time. I'm surprised there aren't many offerings from Spitfire.

The Drake Jones cover photo is by Tommy Guerrero.

California Cheap Skates Summer 1992.

Twenty five year high school anniversary.

Skateboarding was getting lean and mean in 1992. Powell and Santa Cruz were still going fairly strong, but a lot of the other big dogs had fallen off. Upstarts such as Real, Black Label, Acme, Milk, Alien Workshop, and Small Room were gaining a lot of ground. Slicks were popular. I like how Santa Cruz and SMA had the same graphic on the bottom with different art on the top. The top graphics for the SMA decks are great. The Real costume series of slicks hit the market and Acme was making racing car inspired board art. Two of my favorite boards ever are in this catalog, the Neil Blender speakers deck and the Salman Agah camel stripes board. I also really like the extra minimal Andrew Morrison from the New Deal.

In terms of trucks, there is a decent variety, although a few of the brands shown were on the verge of extinction. Deadbolt and Gullwing were keeping plastic baseplates alive. Tracker, Indy, Thunder, and Venture were well represented. The new San Diego Trucking earned a big rectangle in the catalog, too.

The wheel choices have slimmed down in both size and number of companies from 1991. Santa Cruz still had the most choices. Acme, Deluxe, and Toxic were providing more options to put over your bearings. I dig how the Spitfire Buffered Tablets look. I was riding some Spitfires and Acme Formula One wheels around this time.

My class didn't have a reunion this year. I was a little surprised since our twenty year was a fun time. My friend from the next town over said his class didn't have a reunion either. They had tried to get one organized, but it never panned out. I don't think my school even bothered. I supposed we're finally living up to being a bunch of slackers.

Note: That's a Chet Thomas deck without the caption on page five. I'm keeping the interest in the Public going.

The Gershon Mosley cover photo was provided by Santa Cruz.

California Cheap Skates Summer 1991.

What happens when Hollywood has a successful movie?

They make a sequel.

Following that logic, Vert Is Dead is doing another week of board porn from CCS. I'm even throwing in some trucks and wheels to spice it up a little.

A reader sent in a request for a few specific catalogs and I had some of them so that's how this batch of scans came together. I'm ending the week with a catalog from 2010 for comparison purposes.

First up is the Summer 1991 catalog. Most of the heavy hitters of the industry are still going strong. Powell Peralta, H-Street, Santa Cruz, G & S, Vision, and Zorlac have plenty of decks for you to pick from. Newer companies like New Deal, Black Label, Small Room, and World Industries give the consumer some different choices. Decks of note would include the Ross Goodman Gravedigger, the Nicky Guerrero mask, the Jim Thiebaud hanging Klansman, and the SMA decks.

The wheel selection is dominated by Powell and Santa Cruz. I like the early Spitfire Classics and the New Deal Nude Eels. I had a set of the Powell Street Style wheels in green. I think I also had the A-1 Meats Kings because those were the wheels Matt Hensley rode. I might have had the Sex Cells, too. And for the folks who wind up on this site looking for Toxic Wheels, their Poison, Shock, and Acid Rain rollers will make you happy.

The cover photo is listed as John Lloyd by Xeno. That happens to be Xeno's real name. Photo magic or a typo?

Javier Mendizabal #5.

Griptape art.

Javier is from the Basque Country in northern Spain. He started skateboarding in 1989 and was one of the first riders on Cliché when Jeremie Daclin started the company up in 1997. He would later turn pro for them and stayed with Cliché until they called it a day in 2016. Javier has also been sponsored by Gravis, Quicksilver, and Converse. His part in Strongest of the Strange is one of my favorites. He's got some supreme transition skills.

RIP Preston "P-Stone" Maigetter. Beer Helmet is a seriously great video.

Vert Is Dead will be back on Tuesday, September 5th with a week of CCS catalogs. Have a good weekend.

The Skateboard Mag - January 2011 Issue 82