SKATE NEWS

With the rise of the web, the days of waiting for team videos to drop every two or three years is now a thing of the past. Sh*t, in todays modern world, footage is leaked online seemingly before the featured rider has even seen it. And while pretty much every company has web sections featuring unseen clips, tour videos and throw away footage of their precious riders, some companies are stepping up their media game and devoting entire sites to rider video clippage. In an effort to hype up their riders while the world waits for Zoo York's super-anticipated upcoming full-length video, State Of Mind, the company has launched ZooYork.TV. The site contains a ton of lengthy clips including Zoo Tours, demos, Harold Hunter tributes, teasers, team profiles and more. Go to ZooYork.TV now and get your footy fix of Zoo officials Brandon Westgate, Chaz Ortiz, Anthony Shetler, Donny Barley, Eli Reed, Zered Basset, Kevin Taylor, Lamare Hemmings, Aaron Suski, Matt Miller, Ron Deily and Forrest Kirby. I should, however, mention a warning. This site is addictive. Click on one movie and you've locked your ass into an hour long world of skateboard cinema. Just make sure your boss isn't around.—Jay Riggio


Modern Day Farmer

A Whole Hot Mess

Library of Congress

Today's equivalent of a skate entertainment farmer
Ain't nothin' but a whole hot stinkin' mess out there today: A little Butteryass over here. A little Black Label God Save the Label trailer over there. Uncensored Cliche Gypsy Tour 2 over in this neck of the woods. There's a little What the F**k is a City Tour? trailer down this sneaky wormhole. Unsane Vox montage here. Enjoy!—Josh Brooks

Adam Alfaro

The shirt says it all
If you have seen his Back in Black part then you know "Alf" is a total savage. Yes, the skating is solid but the part that gets me hyped is the ender-ender, when he fired himself down some LA massacre hill on one of those now trendy "trip to the corner store" boards and demolished himself, only to instantly pop up and do some sort of ninja kick/Sammy Hagar hype moves. I know he enjoyed every second of that bodily destruction which not only makes him rad in my book, but also frightens the sh*t out of me.

Stereo Sound Agency

Long before the re-birth of Stereo, there were the grassroots releases of Stereo's A Visual Sound and Tincan Folklore. The latter was discussed recently in Ethan Fowler's "Epicly Later'd" episodes with a fondness that recalled its ability to get you out skating.

Stereo Sound Agency

Two of skateboard history's most stylish bosses


There's no doubt that Fowler is part of the list of stylish skaters, like Pastras and Lee (as well as Shipman and Matt Rodriguez), that were part of the Agency's legacy and they seem intent on reconnecting to that time. In fact, they just signed Shipman back on the squad.

For those of us who cherish the excitement of our tumbling stomach any time we see someone skating down the street, the re-release of A Visual Sound and Tincan Folklore on DVD will surely get us out rolling through the streets

Alien Workshop

Jake Johnson's Newest Workshop Ad.
Over this past month, there appears to be more skate company site redesigns than ever before in the history of skate site redesigning. No stranger to the game of innovation and visual freshness, Alien Workshop has just gone ahead and went live with their brand new site. There's a bunch of good stuff in there, including an extensive interview with the somewhat mysterious, Jake Johnson. Be on the lookout for Jake's part in the upcoming Mind Field, now scheduled for a worldwide release on February 6, 2009. This kid is out of control good. —Jay Riggio

2008 DAMN AM

The dust has settled in Costa Mesa and the results from the 2008 Damn Am are in. In a battle of the blondies, David Loy emerged as the victor beating out Cody Davis and Brazilian buck Felipe Gustavo. Keep reading for the full results and keep checking back for Round Two of the flicks.

FINAL RESULTS
1) David Loy
2) Cody Davis
3) Felipe Gustavo
4) Timmy Knuth
5) Kechaud Johnson
6) Louie Lopez
7) Shawn Hale
8) Rob Maatman
9) Kyle Walker
10) Tommy Fynn
11) Will Marshall
12) Donovan Piscopo

BEST TRICK
1) Daniel Espinoza - Front blunt kickflip fakie on the rail ($500)
2) Ryan Reyes - Smith grind kickflip out on the rail ($200)
3) Moose - Cab flip down the double set ($100)
4) Cody Davis - Front board kickflip out on the rail ($100)
5) Grant “Eggy” Muller - Switch dolphin flip down the double set ($100 WTF)

SKATE NEWS

Ever since he disappeared from Stereo, nearly eight years ago after his appearance in the Gnarcotica video, I thought Keegan was one of those down-for-life Antihero flow dudes who travelled around on trains and yielded switchblades erratically around a campfire. Turns out he's much more benign: he figure skated as a child; he's got these little boy shorts that are so ridiculous, they remind you of one of your childhood buddies; he knows a lot of electricians; he reads books and he's on somebody's Rolodex in Canadian Hollywood. Above all, he's a good friend and up there for the most quotable dude I know. But, christ man, every once and a while, it couldn't hurt to bring out the guns in knives, get him a beer sponsor and convince him to leave all that Canadian gradualism behind in order to cultivate a reactionary American attitude. Or, I suppose, I could just let him do his own thing. It seems that's what he's excelled at for most of his life. I have a feeling it will work out.—Josh Brooks

New And Used

3131 Gallery

Original Art For John Cardiel's Anti-Hero "Flesh Eating Bacteria" Board Graphic, 1997
If call yourself a skateboarder and have ridden an actual skateboard sometime over the past 15 years or so, then you are without a doubt familiar with the artwork of Todd Francis. Still don't think you know Todd's work? Every see the infamous Anti-Hero Eagle logo? Well, Todd drew that. And aside from doing a sh*tload of graphics over the years for Anti-Hero, Todd's designed a slew of board graphics for a bunch of other brands including Stereo, Real, Spitfire, New Deal and Element.

Right now, up until the 30th of October, Todd's solo exhibition will be on display at the 3131 Gallery in San Francisco. Occupying gallery space are select decks and original drawings from the man's extensive career as a skateboard artist. The best part about this entire thing is that tons of original drawings that instantly became board graphics are available for sale, and you don't have to be even remotely near SF to buy'em. There's some seriously amazing drawings for sale online at the 3131 store, that you will without a doubt remember. And though I'm not in the position to be throwing around money for original artwork, I'm pretty sure that these here prices are reasonable as hell. And I'm a very reasonable man. If you can't afford an original Francis, they've got a limited to 50, signed and numbered skate deck commemorating the show for only $60 bucks. Can you say stocking stuffer? For more on Todd go to his official website, www.toddfrancis.com.

PLAN B

Jereme Rogers "Switch Concave" Boards
It's hard for me to get psyched. Especially in the morning. I need to be at least three large latte's deep in the caffeine game before any form of enthusiasm makes its way through my body. However, this morning I was only on my second latte when a surge of excitement blasted me fiercely, with the speed of a softball line-drive to the groin. It all came from what I was seeing in the new Plan B catalog. They've got a few unique things going on in there that got me going the way few non-caffinated things can. Here's what daddy saw.

Ok, so when the double kick was first introduced to skateboarding, only one company took a literal approach to symmetrical kick and concave. That was the Vision "Double Tail." It looked crazy and made the front of your board as heavy as a walk-in closet door. The Vallelly "Barnyard" board and New Deal's "Siamese" board both fell into the double-kick category but really weren't literal double kicks, which was a good thing. Times have certainly changed in board technology and clunky, kicks and disproportionate nose and tail lengths are a thing of the past. It's been a while since anyone did a perfectly symmetrical board and it looks like Plan B has stepped up to the not so challenging challenge. Apparently Jereme Rogers designed the new "Switch Concave" board which is available in both 7.5 and 7.75 widths, to improve his skating switch. It has the same concave throughout and an identical nose and tail. Make sure to bust out your Colt Cannon grip stripe, paint marker or colored bolts...things are about to get tricky.

Plan B

Danny Way Mega Complete

Now, this thing is just f*&king off the hook. Plan B has made a very Limited 100, of these Danny Way Mega Completes. This thing is an exact replica of the set-up Danny uses everytime he steps up to the infamous Mega Ramp. This war tank of a board features D. Way Board Construction, D. Way Pro 60 MM Wheels, Swiss Bearings (hell yeah), Independent 215's (what??!!!) and ships fully assembled! Will that thing fit in a regular board box? Pack this b*tch up in a g'damned refrigerator box, son! I'm not sure that many kids are gonna be picking up this one to actually put the test on an actual Mega Ramp, but regardless, using this thing primarily as a cruiser can't be a bad thing. 215's? You can lock into fallen marble pillars with those things.

Plan B

Sean Sheffey 1992 Re-Issue

The one Plan B item that most definitely got me more amped than anything, was this special re-issue of OG Plan B rider, Sean Sheffey's 1992 "Vivisection" board. The original graphic was drawn up by legendary World mastermind, Sean Cliver and was one of Sheffey's first few graphics after getting on the newly formed Plan B. This graphic is available in a contemporary shape that comes in 7.5 and 7.75 widths, as well as a 9 inch wide old school shape. Hell, after you wear out your D. Way Mega Ramp deck, you can mount this big-ass thing on those 215's. I should also mention that all proceeds from the sale of these boards will go directly to the wallet of the legend himself, Sean Sheffey. Pick up a couple up and give back to a living legend that gave skateboarding enormous picnic table backside 180's and one punch knock outs. —Jay Riggio

Activision Presents Stand Up For Skateparks to support youth in low-income communities.

October 24, 2008 (Vista, CA)—The Tony Hawk Foundation will host its fifth-annual benefit event, Activision Presents Stand Up For Skateparks, in Beverly Hills on Sunday, November 9, 2008. This family-centric action-sports carnival will feature a vert demo on Tony Hawk's personal ramp with an all-star cast of BMX and skate pros, including Hawk, Shaun White, Bucky Lasek, and Andy Macdonald, plus BMX icons Mat Hoffman and Kevin Robinson. As many of them are veterans of Tony Hawk's Boom Boom HuckJam tour, the riders are excited to be re-united to perform for the exclusive event's 900 attendees.

Co-chaired by Tony Hawk, Lance Armstrong, Rob Dyrdek, Christopher "Big Black" Boykin, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jamie Lee Curtis, Mia Hamm, Dana White, Jr., Jon Favreau, Mat Hoffman, Shaun White, Robert Kotick, Bob McKnight, Scott Greenstein, and Ron Burkle, the Activision Presents Stand Up For Skateparks benefit will take place at Burkle's expansive Green Acres estate. In addition to the vert demo, the event will include interactive activities, crafts, food, live and silent auctions, giveaways, plus a skate clinic and a special musical performance by Social Distortion.

Proceeds from Activision Presents Stand Up For Skateparks will help the Tony Hawk Foundation fulfill its mission of assisting low-income communities in the development of free, quality public skateparks. A focal point of the day's fundraising will be the special Pledge Drive for a skatepark in the military community of Tierrasanta in San Diego, California. Many Tierrasanta youth have parents deployed overseas, and the skatepark will be a tremendous recreational opportunity and meeting place where over 2,300 military families and local civilians will come together to enjoy the benefits that a free, public skatepark offers. The son of a Navy pilot, Tony Hawk grew up in Tierrasanta, and this special Pledge Drive at Stand Up For Skateparks will kickstart the fundraising campaign for his hometown skatepark.

For more information on Stand Up For Skateparks, including tickets and sponsorship opportunities, log on to www.standupforskateparks.org.

A charitable, non-profit organization, the Tony Hawk Foundation was established in 2002 by its namesake, professional skateboarder Tony Hawk, to promote and provide funds for high-quality public skateparks throughout the United States—with an emphasis on the word "quality." Since then, the Foundation has awarded $2,400,000 to 391 communities. The Foundation focuses on working with local officials and grassroots, community-based organizations that plan to hire designers and contractors with strong experience designing and building skateparks.

The Tony Hawk Foundation was established by a gift from Tony Hawk. Its directors raise additional funds through events, industry donations, and continuing contributions from Tony and other entities. In addition to skateparks, the Foundation also makes donations to other children-related charities, as chosen by its Board Of Directors. For more information or to make a donation, visit the Foundation's Web site at www.tonyhawkfoundation.org

NEW PRODUCTS

Remember the orange Nike SB Lance Mountain x Craig Stecyk Blazer? Of course you do. Now that you’ve got a pair it’s time to play matchy matchy skate style with this Vato Skull Skateboard. Lance Mountain brings back one of his original and most prized decks that boasts artwork from Craig Stecyk. This deck features a custom shape that re-lives the memory of the early 80s with a single kick and moderate concave, custom made limited rollo-shaped Flip wheels and Independent 139 trucks. If that’s not enough, these skateboards are limited to 500 and are personally signed and numbered by Lance Mountain! Wow, all you have to do click HERE to get yours. “Read more” for a larger image of the deck as well skate ads from Lance Mountain’s younger days and a personal letter he wrote about this special deck.

For their third collaborative skate deck, Rogue Status and Alien Workshop take inspiration from a Gun Show paint job on a hot car (view the car after the jump). This Rob Dyrdek pro model deck features two red Gun Show stripes with ‘RD’ in large font. Check detailed images after the jump. We’ll keep you posted on availability, and yes, we’re still patiently waiting for Mind Field to drop just like you!

With seasoned and fashion savvy pros like Jim Greco, Erik Ellington, Terry Kennedy (somewhat seasoned), Chad Muska, and Tom Penny, it’s no wonder that season after season KR3W comes with unrivaled heat. Now we have a detailed images of their Fall/Winter ‘08 Outerwear, specifically, a handful of dope jackets. Above is Terry Kennedy’s Leatherman Jacket, which is an obvious smash hit. If you’re feelin’ like a rockstar, check out Jim Greco’s silver shinin’ Thunder Jacket, among others, after the jump. All these pieces and more are available online directly through Karmaloop.

SKATE NEWS

There's nothing that makes more sense than competition and art. Just kidding. They're like oil and water, really. But, it looks like pure fun over at Globe. Creativity is at an all-time high. The dangling pole jam is a pretty sweet idea, but what does in mean? Is there some subconscious message? Trip out on the colors and the patterns, contemplate what art is. Reap the rewards of Duchamp's deconstruction of contemporary art and stare at a urinal. Or, look at Globe's entry to Skate & Create—Josh Brooks

To all skate nerdity, here's a reminder—whether you knew or not—that there is a comprehensive site devoted to all things skate video if you happen to want to know obscure trivia, like the name of that one song that Daxter Lussier skated to in Troubleshooters. You can even rate Lance Mountain's intros in each 411 VM. Skim The Fat is most definitely a gem of skate history reference.—Josh Brooks

First off, let’s give respect where respect is due - skateboarding with all the creative forces involved gave birth to our booming industry. Now, many of us who love skateboarding sneakers and all the spheres of culture they influence are just too young to understand their history, but now thanks to every sneaker addicts favorite magazine, Sneaker Freaker, we can get some factual knowledge (19 pages worth to be exact) from legendary skateboarders, film makers, photographers and others that grew up with this once niche and rejected culture. Stacey Peralta, Bruce Walker, and Steve Alba are just some of the epic names that contribute to the article, Barefoot and Bitumen: The History of Skate Sneakers, 1960-85.

SKATE NEWS

Today Plan B Skateboards went live with their newly revamped website. And with the launch of this crispy clean site of the infamous board brand, came the sudden announcement of the official Plan B Wheels roster. Any guesses as to who's on? Yep...the entire Plan-B Skateboards team, silly! That's right, Paul Rodriguez, PJ Ladd, Jereme Rogers, Ryan Sheckler, Ryan Gallant, Brian Wenning, Danny Way, Colin McKay, Pat Duffy and the companies only am, Ryan Decenzo will all be rolling, exclusively atop Plan B urethane. If that's not keeping it real, my friends, then I'm afraid I don't know exactly what this phrase means.

Now if Danny Way's signature wheel becomes available in sizes mirroring his massive cajones, then Mr. Way's rollers will drop as 95MM's, for sure. Watch below for the proof in this maniacs pudding. If "Baker Has A Deathwish" then D. Way should be on suicide watch. —Jay Riggio

DC Footwear

The Aaron Rose Mid DC Artist Project Collabo
When the session has come to a close and it's time to kick your style-code up a notch, sometimes it just feels right to put on a pair of shoes that's devoid of the foot stank your hard skating has produced. Sure you can put on your "Chiller" pair of skate kicks, the ones reserved for dinners with your special lady or your little brothers dance recitals. However, you're still rocking skate sneakers. And as your Momma and Poppa have taught you well, sneakers aren't always nice for special occasions. DC has recently come hella correct with their release of the Aaron Rose Artist Project Collaboration. Now if you don't know who the hell Aaron Rose is, you need to click here and educate yourself. Ok, back to the goods. Now available in a Mid-top, this kick looks like a stylish desert boot but fits and feels like a g'damned sneaker. According to word around the campfire, this sonabitch was inspired by Rose's interest in Mod Culture, which he became hyped on in his early teens. Both mid and lowtops will be available in classic black and wheat colorways and come packaged in a custom shoe bag, along with a mini 'zine and an exclusive Rose designed box. To further push Rose's Mod mentality, DC has added a signature military style parka to this collaboration/collection. Can you say, cozy? I can. And if you don't believe me about all this special DC and Rose collabo stuff and think I'm some kind of liar, slinging all sorts of poo poo nuggets at you, then you need to check yourself, cause I'm not. Still don't believe, then go to this DC/Aaron Rose mini-site for all the proof you need. Then, promise me that you will never doubt my wonderful words again.

Dekline Footwear

Chris Pastras & Jason Lee Rider Choice Dekline's Get Dropped
In other shoe news, Dekline Footwear will be releasing limited pairs of their Rider's Choice sneakers from Jason Lee and Chris Pastras in select shops. Both colorways from teammates and legendary pros, J. Lee and C. Pastras are available in 40 specially chosen shops around the US of A.

And if you're not busy this Sunday, October 26th and happen to be lurking in and around the fine borough of Brooklyn, be sure to swing by KCDC Skateshop in Williamsburg. They'll be an instore premiere of Stereo's The Agency Field Report at 3pm, alongside giveaways and appearances by Danny Supa, Clint Peterson and the man himself, Chris Pastas. And in case you didn't know, KCDC one of the chosen few to stock these limited Dekline colorways. Buy yourself a few pairs before they're all gone.—Jay Riggio

There are few skate artists who stay more underground than young Putrid, but it appears some people are trudging the nether regions of his part metal, part skate scrawling and lumping him into a new generation of death metal inspired influences for the new generation. If you bridge that gap between bloody horror and skate, you'll be happy to hear he's featured in two new books—one called "Hellbound"by Francesca Gavin and another called "Logos from Hell" by Mark Riddick.