Ben Gore #7.

Ode to Kalis.

Dave Chami took this photo of Ben Gore at Fort Miley as a homage to the November 1995 issue of Transworld with Josh Kalis on the cover. The issue had interviews with Eric Koston and Guy Mariano plus a feature on the photography of Ari Marcopoulos. That collection of words and photographs is regarded as a high watermark in the legacy of Transworld. Of note is that Ben is wearing State shoes. I had two pairs of them and the shoes were awful. They were so uncomfortable that they didn't even cut it as chillers so I can't imagine skateboarding in them. That aside, Ben rips and is pro for Magenta.

Transworld - February 2017 Volume 35 Number 2

Rick Howard #20.

Green backside ollie.

I believe the story was that Rick wanted to skate vert so he built a ramp at the Girl headquarters. I know this was there for a while, but I don't recall the ramp getting the same amount of coverage other spots got. I imagine it was torn down when the Girl offices moved to a new location. The ramp would be mentioned in passing by assorted Crailtap staffers, creating an aura of mystery to the halfpipe since most of the team skated street. It produced this cool looking cover where Rick is wearing Converse.

There wasn't a photo credit for this one.

Slap - March 1996 Volume 5 Number 3

Ben Krahn #4.

Freedom summer.

If memory serves me correctly, the story behind this is the Big Brother crew took a trip to Philadelphia around about Independence Day. Ben is skating some private bowl/mini ramp creation with his dog Pee Wee. I probably should've skimmed through the issue as a refresher, but skipped it. I knew I had to include a Big Brother cover in the feature and this one looked about the best as an example of what their mag was all about. I almost went with the Cario Foster cover where they announced Larry Flynt as the new owner, but that's a whole other story. Ben rips and has ridden for a few companies over the years, including Lib-Tech, Emerica, and Blood Wizard.

The photo is by Rick Kosick.

Big Brother - September 2000 Number 64

Anthony Van Engelen #11.

Some of the covers I picked out are ones I see repeatedly when flipping through the stacks while tracking down stuff to scan. Repetition works. I like Anthony's board in the photo - a couple of stickers, lot of a solid color, and scratched out graphics. It looks cool. I'm not so sure how good the cover design is with the magazine's name in small text to the side and all the white. Running the photo as a full bleed and having a white S or maybe a red S with a white outline would be more dramatic and attention grabbing. The cover is from a few months after AVE and Jason Dill started the FA board company. I think he's still riding an Alien Workshop deck so it is probably an older picture. Eric Koston had a Nike ad from 2011 where he was frontside grinding the wall at the same spot.

Anthony Acosta was the photographer.

The Skateboard Mag - November 2013 Issue 116

Leo Romero #17.

"There was this man living out of his car in the parking lot of this famous rail. He went on and on about all the people he's seen skating it. When we got this trick he got excited. He couldn't believe that someone had gone up the rail when everyone else he had seen jumps down it. On the way home, we thought of the next group to go skate there and what this guy would tell them and how they would probably think he was crazy or something. Leo Romero breaking new ground. 50-50 up a rail." - John Bradford

Although Leo wasn't the first to go up a handrail, he did generate a lot of buzz when he went the wrong way up an eight stair. The trick was his ender in Emerica's Stay Gold. I picked this one because of how gnarly the grind was. It's an image that has staying power. I'm guessing Mark Gonzales or Natas Kaupas were the early pioneers of skating rails backwards. It also might have been Matt Hensley or somebody else on H-Street who used the boredom of being at skate camp as motivation to try going up an obstacle. Jeremy Wray, Paul Sharpe, Ed Templeton, and probably somebody on Shut have all dabbled in the field, too. A few years later Leo's fellow Tum Yeto employee Cole Wilson would 50-50 up a double kink for the cover of Transworld.

John Bradford was the photographer.

Skateboarder - May 2009 Volume 18 Number 9

Hugo Boserup.

"Hugo Boserup skates vert."

Imagine those words being said in the voice of the kid who introduces Mike Frazier in Stereo's Tincan Folklore video. This was a random find while putting together the covers feature. It's a totally sick photo. I'm not so sure about the layout Transworld was using at the end of their print run. It's serviceable enough graphic design work, but it lacks flavor. I guess they were counting on the photo to sell you on the mag, which it does.

I don't know too much about Hugo. He rides for Limosine and was part of Alex Olson's 917 team. I was stoked to see that he skates vert in Thrasher's video on the McTwist from a few months ago.

The picture is by Jonathan Mehring.

Transworld - January/February 2019 Issue 396

Daniel Powell.

The Only One I Know.

I've been thinking about magazine covers lately. I usually avoid scanning them for here for a couple of minor reasons, but thought I'd switch it up. The discussion over Jerry Hsu's recent Thrasher cover and the assorted interviews with pros at the Look Back Library have left me wondering what ones I liked. I tried to think of some different ones from over the years that have stuck with me for whatever reason. There was a mellow and haphazard selection process to pick out the ten I went with.

I believe Daniel is from the Atlanta area and rode for Underworld Element. It's a great photo of a low impact trick shot to make it look cool. The text frames the picture well and creates some bold points of emphasis. Even though it is from 1992, Daniel is wearing regular shorts, a Charlatans UK shirt, and chopped Vans. The fashion is much of the time, but also a little more timeless than the huge baggy shorts and oversized t-shirts of the era. The bands featured in interviews offer a bit of everything, with some classic hip hop, industrial, shoegaze, and arena rock. You get a couple of edgy Thrasher style blurbs to tease what is in the issue, too.

The photo is by Chris Ortiz.

Thrasher - October 1992 Volume 12 Number 10

Keith Hufnagel #17.

Reds & Blues.

It's Keith in his prime. There's not much else to say. He rode for DC before switching to DVS. Keith left DVS to develop a shoe line for his HUF clothing store. The shadows on the wall from the flashes are great in the photo. Sadly, Keith passed away five years ago around this time of the year. Finding the ad a little while ago was what motivated me to do the week of DVS.

Transworld - June 2000 Volume 18 Number 6

Daewon Song #8.

Construction pylons.

It doesn't get any more classic than Daewon skateboarding on picnic tables at a Los Angeles area schoolyard. I had a pair of these shoes. They were really good. They maybe wore out a tad fast due to the mesh on top, but otherwise the III was a solid sneaker for the turn of the century. I think Daewon stuck with DVS up until the end in 2015 or 2016 when he switched over to Adidas. DVS is still around to some extent and possibly focusing more on skateboarding again.

Transworld - December 2000 Volume 18 Number 12

Mike Crum #7.

"Mike, or the Nollie Lama as we call him, was my best friend during my transitional turning-pro stage. He got me into so much trouble and could somehow party like an ’80s vert skater. Oh yeah, because he was one! Crum is responsible for me getting a paycheck from Emerica and could nollie over your head. Thank you, Crum!" - Darren Navarrette

After keeping it real in the streets for years, DVS added Mike to the team in 1999. It's maybe somewhat odd to have a vert guy, but Mike was doing a lot of nollies and flip tricks on the big ramps so he fit in fine.

Shout out to Tim Anderson and Bobshirt. The Jack Sabback interview was really cool.

For the quote: Thrasher - February 2021 Volume 42 Number 2

Transworld - July 2000 Volume 18 Number 7

Richard Mulder & Mike York.

Double the chocolate.

Richard and Mike were both on Chocolate for much of the 1990s and early 2000s. Each had a stint on World Industries before switching to the Crailtap team. Richard also rode for Foundation and Mike was on Stereo in 1993. There was so much overlap between Chocolate and DVS that it's no wonder Mike Carroll and Rick Howard partnered with them when they launched Lakai in 1999. I dig the backside tailslide photo of Mike. Richard might be one of the first to explore becoming a real estate agent once the professional skateboarding ride was nearing the end. He had a clothing company called Heel Bruise, too.

Richard: Transworld - October 2000 Volume 18 Number 10

Mike: Transworld - September 2000 Volume 18 Number 9

Jeron Wilson #6.

Blue streak.

I figured after a week of Axion, DVS would be good for the next round. It's a little wild how many different shoes Axion and DVS had in the late 1990s and early 2000s when skateboarding still supported its native cobblers. These days you're a lucky pro if Nike grants you a colorway of a Dunk.

J-Dubs was on Real and Blind before settling in for the long haul at Girl. I think he's on the staff at the Nine Club interview show these days.

Transworld - August 2000 Volume 18 Number 8

Guy Mariano #9.

"Mystery is style. Our society thrives on the unknown and what exists in the shadows. The reason: that which we know little of, allows us room for modification and imagination. Enter Guy Mariano. Sponsored for nearly a decade, and not yet two decades old, he has managed to stay at the forefront of skateboarding while at the same time remaining virtually unheard of." - Joel Patterson

Guy spins a switch 360 flip across a school courtyard gap. Joel's quote is from Guy's 1995 Transworld interview. He mostly discusses how he started skateboarding, the hi-jinx of riding for World Industries, and switching to Girl. He does mention that he was working with Converse on some shoe designs. Eric Pupecki was the other rider on the team. He would be on Axion a couple of years later.

I've been breaking in some new shoes this past week. It's been going about as well as can be expected for somebody who hasn't been skating too well for the last couple of months. It's probably going to be a week of DVS up next.

The photograph is by Seu Trinh.

For the quote: Transworld - November 1995 Volume 12 Number 11

Big Brother - October 2000 Number 65

J.B. Gillet.

International man of mystery.

I don't know too much about JB. I assume he's had some interviews over the decades, but nothing turned up in a lazy search of the archives. JB has always had a fair amount of coverage in the US mags and ridden for some quality sponsors so he must be doing something right. His French connection part with Lucas Puig and JJ Rousseau in Lakai's Fully Flared video is a great showcase of Euro tech skateboarding.

Out of curiosity, what size boards are people riding these days? How long does a pair of trucks last on average?

The sequence is by Seu Trinh. JT got the product pic.

Big Brother - September 2000 Number 64

Mike Maldonado #6.

Poison venom speed.

I like how the Axion team expanded to included skaters that weren't only doing fresh ledge tech. I think the story is Brian Anderson was wearing the shoes since they happened to be making a shoe big enough to fit his feet. Obviously him being a total ripper and winning SOTY when SOTY still mattered made it an easy move to add BA to the crew. I would imagine the Toy Machine connection partially assisted in Mike getting on as well. I know Erik Ellington was running Axions a lot before he was on Emerica. It would've been cool to see him on the team, too.

The photo is by Atiba Jefferson with the shoe picture by Dia.

Big Brother - August 2000 Number 63

Caine Gayle #5.

The winner's circle.

Caine takes a noseslide to the top shelf over a handrail. He was riding for DC before switching to Axion. Caine would have had a connection to Kareem Campbell since they both rode for assorted World Industries/Dwindle companies in the 1990s. That's how he would also be sponsored by All City/City Stars when Plan B folded. I believe the rumor was a few guys split from DC because a few of the newer riders were going to be given pro model shoes before the veterans got their own custom kicks. I have no idea how much truth there was to that rumor. Caine would go on to ride for Genetic, Airwalk's spinoff brand with the gross out medical themed ads, after the Axion ended.

The photo is by Atiba Jefferson.

Big Brother - April 2000 Number 59

Kareem Campbell #8.

Action.

Axion was Kareem's shoe company in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The brand made a couple of brief returns in the years since, but unfortunately it has not stuck around. They were definitely on the fresh side of spectrum, back when we classified skateboarding as either fresh or hesh. It's all a strange jumble these days. Kareem had been pro for Duffs and went on to start Axion with Steve Rocco's backing. He would later take the company with him when he split to do All City and City Stars. I think everything came to an end around about 2002 or 2003. Axion had some slick looking shoes paired with a somewhat unusual and well rounded team.

Atiba Jefferson took the photo of Kareem and JT got the product photo. Meanwhile, Nike can't be bothered to put rider names in their videos.

Big Brother - January 2000 Number 56