SKATE NEWS

One of the brightest Super-8 gems of yesteryear is Mack Dawg Productions’ 1988 classic, Sick Boys, which featured the S.F. street scene in its infancy. Tommy Guerrero, Mickey Reyes, Bryce Kanights, Mike Archimedes, Natas Kaupas, Julien Stranger, Jim Thiebaud, Ron Allen and plenty of other legends in the making were all featured in this limited-to-1000-copies VHS masterpiece. Now it’ll all be available next month on DVD in wide release, plus all sorts of extras, so keep your eyes peeled. (Scroll down for the full press release…)


Natas Kaupas and Mack Dawg team up and get ill in 1988. Photo Luke Ogden

Mack Dawg Productions to Re-Release Legendary Skate Film “Sick Boys” on DVD

In 1988 Mack Dawg Productions released a skateboarding film called “Sick Boys”. Shot entirely on Super 8 film “Sick Boys” documents the early street skating movement in San Francisco along with footage of select demos, skate camps and competitions from those formative times. The film primarily focuses on legends Tommy Guerrero, Mickey Reyes, Bryce Kanights, Mike Archimedes, Natas Kaupas, Julien Stranger, Jim Thiebaud, Ron Allen, and Steve Caballero as well as shots of Christian Hosoi, Tony Magnusson, Eric Dressen, Danny Sargent, and many, many others.

Free from outside control or industry support, “Sick Boys” was produced without any sponsors and had a limited distribution of 1,000 VHS copies worldwide. Sick Boys has become a cult classic that truly depicts how fun and care free skating was 20 years ago. From the roots of the whole street movement to classic road trips and excursions “Sick Boys” remains relevant to this day. In order to commemorate this visual history, Mack Dawg Productions is proud to re-release “Sick Boys” for the first time on DVD.

Included extras within the re-release are the “Sick Boys to Men” never-before seen interviews with Tommy Guerrero, Mickey Reyes, Bryce Kanights, Mike Archimedes, Natas Kaupas, Julien Stranger, Jim Thiebaud, and Ron Allen. These 2008 interviews provide great insight into the way skating was back then and how being a skater featured in Sick Boys has changed and intertwined their lives. Also included is a collector’s booklet with classic photographic images from Bryce Kanights, Tobin Yelland and Luke Ogden.

“Sick Boys” DVDs will be shipping in November of 2008. Don’t miss out on this special re-release because it won’t happen again for another 20 years.

NEW PRODUCTS

Destructo's D2

Destructo Trucks

A Portion Of The Highly Secretive Destructo Document
Earlier this year, Finnish wonder, Arto Saari, raised some industry eyebrows when he left not just one of his longtime sponsors, but three of them. One of those team hops brought him over to the Destructo Truck family. Upon the acquisition of Arto, Destructo quickly announced a brand new truck development featuring the hands-on aid of Mr. Saari himself. The name of the highly anticipated collaboration...Project Code Name: D2. Though at the time, it sounded like the theatrical title of a Wesley Snipes film (that's a GOOD thing...Snipes is off the hook!), it appears that the undertaking was the real deal. All this and more was confirmed last week when my friends over at Destructo sent me a pair of "Preproduction Prototypes" of the newly developed D2's. In addition to having been extensively tested and ultimately approved by Arto Saari, this pair looks to utilizing a bunch of innovative sh*t. Courtesy Destructo Trucks

The Infamous Destructo D2 Trucks Tested And Approved By Arto Saari
The first thing I noticed is that the inverted kingpin contains both a standard bolt, as well as an allen key adjustment. That's something I've yet to see on a truck and is useful no matter how you look at it. The second is that they come without bushing cup washers and contain Bones Bushings, some of the most trusted bushings in the skate game. I've been waiting for a truck company to do that for years. It's about time it happened. And lastly, though I haven't had a chance to skate them yet, these trucks feel super light in my hands, most likely due to the trucks hollowpoint kingpin. The D2's are available in a bunch of sizes in both Low and Mid heights and right now are floating around now in super limited quantities, at select shops. But once they're all sold out, you'll have to wait for their official release on Jan. 01, 2009, when Destructo also drops Arto's new signature truck. Also, around that time, a full D2 team roster will be announced, all of which will have been hand-picked by Arto himself. -Jay Riggio

With Arto backing these they can't be bad because Arto gets buck wild on every occasion, even when The Smiths are playing. And that's not easy to do

SKATE NEWS

Name it nostalgia or pass it off under the guise of some kind of 'history lesson.' Whatever you want to call it, skateboarding's ode to the past is just as important as it's reported present and rapidly approaching future. One site that's paying respects to the past better than most is, Bobshirt.com (it was the name that graced the tag of most World Ind. T-shirts in the early 90's). If you haven't seen it yet, the site that's dedicated to 1990's skateboarding have just posted a full interview with Washington, DC legend, Andy Stone. For all you new-jacks, Stone was an OG member of the infamous, grimy Pulaski Park crew, skating everyday just outside the confines of The White House. Andy was known for his super smooth style and effortless way of rolling away from tricks. Andy rode for 101 in its glory days and Element when it was still young and new and called Underworld Element. Check the interview to learn more about Andy, his friendship with the late Pepe Martinez, his multiple team switches and what he's up to now. Also, for more 90's skateboarding, hit up Police Informer, another site dedicated to some of skateboardings golden years.

The year was 1993 and 101 Skateboards was still the sh*t, despite Koston leaving the team to help form Girl. To prove they still had a set stake in skateboarding, 101 dropped the ultra-classic skate flick, Snuff. Andy Stone had first dibs, Jason Dill took seconds while wearing his pants on his waist, Gabe Rodriguez had a one trick part (a switch heel), Adam McNatt did some weird stuff with his arms and the world was introduced to the skate genius of Gino Iannucci. You're damned right it was a good year. Watch and learn, or sit back and reminisce.-Jay Riggio

Ramona Got Rumbled

"A Rumble Ain't a Rumble Without Me." —Dallas Winston

Tadashi

Vert don't hurt. Christian Hosoi, Jeff Grosso, Darren Navarrette, Lance Conklin adult cheerleading in the back and Max Schaaf.
This past weekend a mighty vert jam went down in Ramona, California the likes of which hadn't been seen since the vertical heyday of the late '80s. Creature was the title sponsor and their crew was rolling deep at the event with all the fiends including The Vertical Vampire, Darren Navarrette, Sam Hitz, Alex Horn, David Gravette and Al Partanen.

Tadashi

The man who fell to earth: Jake Brown back in the skay where he belongs.
Tadashi

Good to see Max Schaaf in the mix. Dude's good at skateboarding and life. OAKTOWN!
Keeping the Creature boys company were a slew of all-terrain rippers including Tony Trujillo, Ben Raybourne, Duane Peters, Peter Hewitt, Jake Brown, Max Schaaf and more.

If the massive vert ramp weren't enough to feel like the '80s had re-emerged in full force, classic skaters who are still on top of their game showed up to remind everyone that vert don't hurt and age is just a number. Leading the way were Christian Hosoi, Jeff Grosso, Lance Mountain, Lester Kasai and the Master of Disaster, Duane Peters.

—Adam Salo

Epicly Later'd has uncovered some of the amazing stories behind skateboarding. For every episode where you're feeling your brain cells slowly wither away (and there are only a few episodes like that), there are about five with a story you've never heard before.

I can just imagine some of the killer lines: "Ethan, eat your fake-on…Ethan, do your homework, 'cause we're going to Paris for my art show…I need to take some pictures for a photo book about the decadence of American society. Ethan, make out with this girl at a middle-American skatepark…Don't you love/hate Huntington, too, Ethan?"

He's one of this new generation of kids who's as comfortable in a park as he is out in the wild. To be honest, I had no idea where he came from—it's like he rolled out from under the quarterpipe of some wooden skatepark, the spore-grown result of the sloughed skin, hair and sweat of all the pro and am rippers who shredded the place in the past. Really, though, turns out he's not the product of a skatepark experiment. He's from Chicago, IL.

JCB

Nobody has this angle. Chaz Ortiz crooks.

Lil' dude just won the Dew Tour, which doesn't make me want to get his autograph or anything, but is impressive when you remember that most ams are eating their friends' left overs and begging for spare cigarettes, while Chaz is out there kickflip back smithing into piles of money. I'm gonna have to recline here for a second.

—Josh Brooks