Volume 2, Number 1 by Color Magazine

Rob Dyrdek designed...Big Black approved.

LOOK FOR THE BLEND, THE LATEST NON-PRO MODEL SHOE DESIGNED BY ROB DYRDEK. WWW.DCSHOES.COM

CENTRE DISTRIBUTION WEST 604.990.5552 CENTRE DISTRIBUTION EAST 905.619.0017 WWW.CENTREDISTRIBUTION.COM

AVAILABLE THROUGH SUPRA DISTRIBUTION 604.253.0559 SUPRADISTRIBUTION.COM

E TIE K I M HRIS C SET BLE U DO

FLIP AL I R VA

DVS CANADA

YLA

:D OTO

MIKE HASTIE

MIKE MCDERMOTT

TRAVIS STENGER

DEVIN MORRISON

NATHAN EVANS

THOMAS PARENT

MIKE CHRISTIE

Y E L X E B N LE I ILAB WN A V ! A M SHO U OW UT N ACK/G O IS D BL Y LE N BEX EY A THE TE/GR I H W

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INF

S&J Sales 800.267.6950 goskateboarding.ca

publisher

fourcorner publishing inc. color@takemetoyourprom.com

editor/art director

sandro

sandro@takemetoyourprom.com

photo editor

dave christian

photos@takemetoyourprom.com

senior photographer

kyle shura

media@takemetoyourprom.com

senior writer

sam mckinlay

sam@takemetoyourprom.com

creative coordinator

mke mckinlay

mikemc@takemetoyourprom.com

public relations

bianca grison

pr@takemetoyourprom.com

music

music@takemetoyourprom.com

advertising director

cian browne

cian@takemetoyourprom.com advertise@takemetoyourprom.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: felix faucher, sean radnidge, phillp lepage, antonio bloom, ryan mcguigan, barry white, dr. hugenstein, saba haider, bob lublaw, bob kronbauer, stacy fillion, rick mccrank, mike mcdermott, jeremy pettit CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: brendon sohar, kevin wong, michelle morgan, felix faucher, ted power, bob kronbauer, richard hart, jessie van roechoudt, kristopher grunert, ba.ku., allen ying, owen woytowich Thank you to all the people who make this thing happen and generously contribute their work, opinions, views, and thoughts. Your help and support in greatly appreciated and without it we would not have been able to hold Color Magazine.

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PLEASE CONTACT COLOR FOR ALL ADVERTISING INQUIRIES.

101. 321 Railway Street, Vancouver, BC, V6A 1A4 CANADA advertise@takemetoyourprom.com tel: 604.873.6699 fax: 604.873.6619 color@takemetoyourprom.com

2.1contributors.

Printed in Canada

photos: Cedric Viollet

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS BY: guest graphic artist nathan nedorstek graphics/illustration tour, fontski, yogi proctor, matt irving, copy editor danielle zandvliet web ryan foreman advertising sales nicholas yip

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Color welcomes submissions for Photo and Editorial content, but are not responsible for unsolicited material or liable for any lost and/or damaged material. Please provide a return envelope with postage with your submissions. Color Magazine is published by Fourcorner Publishing Inc., printed four times yearly and distributed direct to retailers throughout Canada and to newstands by Disticor Distribution. Subscriptions can be ordered indivually or in bulk to retailers for resale. Contact Color Magazine with any subscription inquiries or visit www.takemetoyourprom.com

intro.

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No Part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form - print or electronic - without permission from the publisher. The publisher of Color Magazine is not responsible for errors or omissions printed and retains the right to edit all copy. The opinions expressed in the content of this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of Color Magazine. Color Magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising matter which may reflect negatively on the integrity of the magazine. MEDIA KIT AVAILABLE TO ADVERTISERS UPON REQUEST 101. 321 Railway Street, Vancouver, BC, V6A 1A4 CANADA tel: 604.873.6699 fax: 604.873.6619 color@takemetoyourprom.com

.vol.2issue1

P.J. Ladd* The accel plus red/grey/white skateboard classic - improved with System G2*

éS team: p.j. ladd / usa tx. / brazil eldridge / usa penny / uk koston / thailand mccrank / canada nuske / aus

INFO: 604 251 1097 ETNIES.COM

christian.

1.) Computer Bag | Billabong 5.) Citycorp | Ogio 9.) Digital Media Bag | C1RCA

2.) DJ Bag | Burton 6.) Curtis Bennett | Skate City Rollers 10.) Liner | 55 DSL

3.) Clutch | DC 7.) Quicktrack Messenger Bag | Zoo York 11.) Le Stacks Tote Bag | Stacks

4.) Bermuda | 55 DSL 8.) S.U.B. | M7 Action 12.) Device | Gravis

THE MAN PURSE

Alright, it’s confession time. I’m going to be straight up here, for a short period in my life, and bear in mind this was a good four or five years ago, I owned a man-purse. For some stupid fucking reason I wanted a courier bag to roll to school with. I don’t know if I was trying to make my look seem more mature or if I was just straight up over two straps. Anyway, this courier/man-purse bag of mine had a short life, I ended up lending it to some girl I was going out with and fortunately never got it back (I know, I know, hard to believe, Cian had a girlfriend!?). So now that I’m a bit older and have all these business type meetings to attend, complete with paperwork, reports, magazine contracts, powerpoint presentations and all that kind of fun stuff, I find myself in need of a way to pack my crap around. A backpack doesn’t really cut it, a briefcase sure as fuck ain’t happening either. So once again, the man purse rears its ugly head and becomes a part of my life. These joints come highly recommended, especially if you are packing a laptop or portfolio or anything like that. Maybe you want a smaller bag to hold your digi cam and skate tool. Maybe you want to be like one of skateboarding’s bigwigs who use man-purses to hold their multi-million dollar shoe contracts. Maybe you were born with one shoulder and nothing else will fit. At any rate, get that ass a man purse, you’ll thank me for it. - Cian 14

producttoss.

kronbauer.

So I had been seeing Tony Ferguson around town running some t-shirts with a catchy little logo that I didn’t really recognize. I just assumed it was some new Girl or Podium company, even though they have your entire skate needs covered pretty solid. I wondered to myself who this logo could belong to, surely it wasn’t Girl brand haemorrhoid or arthritis cream or some new shoe company? After some heavy research and some even heavier bro’ing down I found out whom the logo belongs to: HomeClothing, a new company out of B.C. The story is that Home started out as gear being made just for the crew, stuff like super limited run t-shirts and knitwear. Home has since expanded into a full-blown line complete with intricately detailed denims and crazy-cut-and-sew pieces using exclusive washes and premium fabrics. So now these cats have worldwide distribution and can be found in a grip of stores, but their goals are unchanged. Home is to remain a non-mainstream brand, none of this non-dutch, von-what bullshit. You won’t see any pink camo trucker hats over here, although you might see Justin Timberlake rocking some Home gear. Bottom line here is that Tony is stoked on Home and you should be too. Distributed by Nubile. Check www.homeclothing.com for more info. - cian..

Consolidated Blanket - mike mckinlay.

Something that has always somewhat creeped me out as a being of the human race, is our lack of ability to retain heat. In contrast to our previous ancestors not to mention most other of our animal friends of the forest, we as people, are somewhat useless without the aid of some kind of warm clothing, central heating, or for that matter any other kind of heat emitting contraption. And it stresses me out at times to know that as a Canadian I am confronted with a definite and distinct season known as winter, to remind me of just how at the mercy I really am to the forces of Mother Nature. The bottom line is that we’re pretty much pussies compared to the “so called” weak and feeble furry animals that we ever so often underestimate. Well anyways, thanks to Consolidated and their contribution to the skate scene through a raw, sarcastic, yet effective manner, these guys have managed to contribute further then just a skate deck and a couple of t-shirts, giving us their gift of warmth in the form of none other than… blankets. You can wear it, you can share it, it’s fuzzy, and best of all it’s backed by a team so sick, it may just be the best marketing trick I’ve seen in skateboard history by any company like it. If you’re a shop, order some because they look and feel not only well constructed, but comfortable, very colourful, and yes – big enough for two.

Danny Way, Vert deck - mike mckinlay.

I used to lift weights back in high school during grades 11 and 12. I was part of a Straight Edge culture and one of the pre-requisites to the scene was being tough in hopes of defending myself from jocks when I dumped beer on them and their drunken friends. The Danny Way vert model itself is kind of a metaphor for lifting weights. A little hard to get used to at first but definitely makes you a man in the end. I definitely felt like a man lying at the bottom of the new RDS vert ramp recently with the wind knocked out of me, and two cracked ribs. Thanks Danny. This board’s got a 15.5 inch wheelbase and comes in about 8.25 wide. Purposely made long for tons of board feel and stability at high speeds. A personal preference thing I think if you’re feeling it for street, although very much recommended if you’re taking on any ramp over 10 feet - a perfect deck for any large ramp. (Or 75 foot box jump). Classic stiff Alien wood, a perfect shape, and Danny approved makes for a perfect vert dwelling machine.

That Magazine - cian.

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Remember when free magazines were good? If you are lucky enough to get your hands on the cleverly titled “that” magazine, you’ll have the chance to relive times passed, enjoying a free rag that isn’t mostly advertising and indifferent content. It’s difficult to label “that” magazine, seeing that it is has articles covering skateboarding, snowboarding, grafitti and music. My personal favorite is the revealing review on rice wine, the drink of choice for most wastoids that post up around Main and Hastings. The skate side of things is on point with issue zero showcasing San Francisco to Vancouver frequent flyer Leks Baris and my favorite Chalmers (Mike that is...ladies send all emails to michaelchalmers@msn. com). Go grab yourself a copy of “that” magazine, it can be found at finer retailers and in finer backpacks and bathrooms everywhere. For more info hit truce604@hotmail.com.

Ali Boulala, Osiris Shoes. - bob lublaw.

Dude, this guy’s fucking ripping right now, he doesn’t even care! producttoss.

Momentum, Chris Haslam, 49mm - phillip lepage.

I cannot believe Momentum had the audacity to give that Yeti a wheel. Okay sure he can do switch blunt tre flips out on ramp, and definitely annihilate any street apparatus, but does that really call for giving Mr. Haslamatticus the most perfectly sized, shape, and durometer wheel? That’s a huge cheap shot to my ego... Giving a fucking Sasquatch the wheel that was designed exactly to my specs, what a crock a shit!

Paetra T-Shirts - sandro.

Paetra is a new T-shirt line from Southern CA that was made to support skateboarders. Paetra donates 100% of their profits to aid in the construction of skateboard parks and supports organizations that benefit skateboarding. Paetra creates their Tees with the help of some extremely talented artists from in and around the skate and snowboarding worlds. The designers shown here are Yogi Proctor, Randy Laybourne, and Craig Metzger. Canadian Tyler Lepore has also contributed his efforts to the cause. Laybourne, one of the creative minds behind Emerica and Giant Distribution also comes from Canada and is the creator of lookforwardtothepast.com. Craig Metzger’s one of a kind T-shirts have been featured in Color in the past, he is the creator of enginesystem.com and responsible for East Coast Marketing for Sole Technology. Help support the cause and purchase a Tee at your local skate shop. You can check out the rest of the line at paetra.com.

Ryan Smith Pro Models, Mystery. - dr. hugenstein.

Doctor Smithers has some wood for you to skate, but be very sure that you follow the legend of the Ryan Smith deck. Oh yes, the Legend. If you’ve made it this far into the product review you are already too late. You must go out immediately after reading this and buy one of these decks. Be very careful though because once you scratch the graphic, if you don’t continue to skate until you need to buy another one, you’ll be cursed with bad luck for six years. And don’t test this, it happened to a really good friend of my family. This is not a joke. Once the graphic is scratched, legend has it the only way to keep your good luck (because these decks make for better skating), is to go out and buy the other three models the same day. I’m not kidding, it is a “mystery” and if you don’t tell ten people to go buy Ryan’s board in the next five minutes, you’ll mysteriously push mongo forever.

The Zoo makes shoes! - sandro.

Although I will never attempt to mask my true skateboarding identity, with the help from some smart creative thinkers over at Zoo York I’m able to escape my type cast every now and then when I pretend I’m not a dirty skate trash kid from the interior of BC, and slip on something a little more city savvy and diverse. It’s amazing how a pair of kicks can alter your whole kit. Many tastemakers of the skateboard world are rocking everything but skate shoes these days. Chuck Taylors, Stan Smith’s, Vans slip-ons, Nike Dunks... have all influenced Zoo York to provide a new footwear collection with style and fashion as the major focus. It seems that the best skate shoes have been made without skateboarding in mind, just as the best skate spots were never initially designed for skateboarding. Fortunately for us, Zoo York has skatebaording in mind and you can find these new limited edition, individually numbered/stamped kicks in finer skateboard retail outlets. Shown here, The Lafayette Lo-Top, Union High Top, and the St. Marks.

Switch Frontside Heel. photo: Ryan Allan

“The beginnings of a company focused on making quality shit! This stuff is hand made! Wongneto and Flying Rice is and will always be part of youth culture worldwide.”

Wongneto and Flying Rice is an innovative international clothing company, inventing, designing, manufacturing and using slave labor to produce premium products for boys and girls. Back in 1976 when Wongneto was first founded, they set out to be leaders. A company that took chances on hooking up riders who had no talent and no ability, who really sucked, and molded them into the Wongneto image. They did not want to follow the trend of getting the best riders for a team, instead they were thinking long term. Since the very beginning, most of Wongneto’s team turned their backs on the trendsetters, style dictators, and what consumers forecasted would be the next big thing. They let their own tastes lead them, even if it meant they wore an inside out orange camo t-shirt with a suit. Production of Team Wongneto is based exclusively in Canada and the US. All international riders are centrally managed and carefully controlled. Today Team Wongneto is a global concern, which other companies are desperately trying to match. It’s been discovered that this past winter Wongneto developed an extensive training facility for their representatives to build their skills, including such skaters as Darrell Smith, Ryan Blaxall, Alex Rothbauer, Bryan Gibbs, Jessie Landen, and Johnathan Volpe. The TF is reserved for Team Wongneto exclusively, but if you are ever lucky enough to get invited, do not ask questions.

wong.

Check out www.wongneto.com for further information about the company and team. There will soon be a product page so you can buy quality Wongneto products. You can also contact them at flyingrice@wongneto.com. There will be a contest soon on the web page for you to win a bunch of stuff. - phillip lepage

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(left) Bryan Gibbs, backside nosegrind, Wongneto TF.

anthrax.

SHOE S â&#x20AC;&#x2122; O ART OON. S G N COMI

ARTO SAARI

INFO: 604 251 1097 ETNIES.COM

color

christian.

shazam.bradsheppard.

sohar.

RICHMOND -- ONE OF THE GREAT CITIES OF CANADA -- AND THE WORLD! ONCE IT WAS NOTED FOR THE PRESENCE OF GANGSTERS, BUT TODAY, THERE IS A NEW, MORE DEADLY MENACE, AS BRADLEY SHEPPARD AND HIS SKATEBOARD SOON LEARNED, AS HIS VERY LIFE WAS THREATENED BY CLOSE DOOR OF THIS BACKSIDE TAILSLIDE...

BRAD SHEPPARD IS TRULY AN AMAZING INDIVIDUAL: DESPITE HIS BEING INCREDIBLY GIFTED WHEN IT COMES TO RIDING HIS SKATEBOARD, HE IS COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY HUMBLE ABOUT IT. THERE WAS EVEN A QUESTION IN THE INTERVIEW WHICH HE NIXED THAT WAS SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF: “WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WERE GIFTED WHEN IT COMES TO RIDING A SKATEBOARD?” HE REFUSED TO ANSWER ‘CAUSE HE SAID HE WOULD FEEL STUPID, HAD THE INTERVIEW BEEN DONE IN PERSON, I’M SURE HE WOULD HAVE BEEN BLUSHING. - antonio bloom

STORY: ANTONIO BLOOM

PHOTOS: DAVID CHRISTIAN BRENDAN SOHAR

ART: ALESSANDRO GRISON

COLOR: STARTING FROM SQUARE ONE, TELL ME YOUR IMPORTANT PERSONAL INFORMATION MR. SHEPPARD. BRAD: OK, OK 19 YEARS YOUNG, BORN JULY 23 1984. I’M A LEO, EVERYONE SAYS I HAVE GOOD MANNERS BUT I DON’T THINK SO MYSELF. I’M INDECISIVE AND I HATE IT. C’MON YOU CAN DO BETTER THAT. UMM... I DON’T KNOW, I WAS BORN IN THE ‘ROCK (WHITE ROCK, BC) AND I SKATEBOARD. WAY BACK IN THE DAY, IN THE TIME OF YOUR ANCESTORS DID YOU COME FROM A GROUP OF SHEPHERDS? IS THAT HOW YOU GOT THAT LAST NAME? NO. I THINK IT’S SCOTTISH. REALLY? HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A SHEEP’S STOMACH STUFFED WITH OATS, CHOPPED LIVER, CHOPPED HEART, ONIONS AND SUET? HAVE YOU EVER WORN A KILT? I CAN’T SAY THAT I HAVE. SO TELL ME ABOUT WHITE ROCK; GIVE THE READERS AND I A GLIMPSE INTO THE ELITE WHITE ROCK SKATEBOARD SCENE. THE SKATE SCENE SEEMS LIKE ITS DYING DOWN A BIT, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT KIDS AREN’T INTO IT AS MUCH AS I WAS WHEN I WAS A GIPPER, BUT THEN AGAIN I DON’T KNOW THEM ALL. THAT SURPRISES ME, BUT THEN AGAIN IT DOESN’T. IS THERE ANY INFIGHTING WITH ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SPONSORED? LIKE AN UNSPOKEN COMPETITIVENESS? (LAUGHS), THAT’S FUNNY... I DON’T THINK SO. WHEN DID YOU START SKATEBOARDING? ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE SUPER KIDS THAT HAS BEEN SKATING FOR FOUR YEARS AND JUST KILLING IT? (LAUGHS), I LIKE YOUR QUESTIONS... NO I’VE BEEN SKATING FOR A WHILE. NOT A SUPER KID. HOW LONG- OR DO YOU NOT WANT YOUR SECRET TO BE OUT? LIKE YOU’VE BEEN SKATING SINCE YOU WERE TWO OR SOMETHING? NO, SINCE GRADE 7 SO 7-8 YEARS. IS THAT RIGHT? WHAT AM I, A CARTOGRAPHER? YOU GRADUATED LAST YEAR? A YEAR AND A HALF AGO I GRADUATED. N THE BELINGHAM OFFICES OF WASHINGTON, DID YOU DO WELL IN WE RECIEVE THE CALL... THE DOCTOR THREADS THE SCHOOL OR WERE YOU NEEDLE WITH A SWIFT KICKFLIP. MORE CONCERNED WITH SKATEBOARDING? I DIDN’T DO AS WELL AS I WANTED TO BUT I MADE IT THROUGH. THE SECOND I GOT OUT I WAS LIKE, “SHIT WHY DIDN’T I DO BETTER?” ANY PLANS FOR A POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION? WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR THE FUTURE? I’M LEARNING A LOT ABOUT BUSINESS WORKING AT BOARD KENNEL. SO I GUESS THAT’S MY POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION RIGHT NOW. WELL I MUST SAY IT ALWAYS IMPRESSES ME WHEN YOU YOUNG BUCKS HAVE SOME SORT OF EYE ON THE FUTURE, THE BASIS OF SUCCESS BEING IN BUSINESS AND ALL. WHAT WAS THE MAIN FACTOR THAT LED TO YOU STARTING SKATING? WAS IT INFLUENCE FROM FRIENDS, BOREDOM, OTHER OUTSIDE INFLUENCES OR DID YOU JUST ALWAYS HAVE A FASCINATION WITH SMASHING YOURSELF INTO THE GROUND PERIODICALLY? I DID THE OLDER BROTHER THING. CARE TO EXTRAPOLATE ON THAT? YOUR OLDER BROTHER WAS SHREDDING HARD AND YOU WANTED TO FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS? I WAS JUST DIGGING THE GROOVE. FAIR ENOUGH, WHO WERE THE SKATERS YOU LOOKED UP TO WHEN YOU STARTED OUT? WHO INFLUENCED YOU? BESIDES YOUR BROTHER OF COURSE. LOCAL GUYS, OR WHOEVER? BOTH WHEN I FIRST STARTED ETHAN FOWLER WAS MY FAVOURITE, I GUESS IT WAS AFTER SEEING ETHAN SKATE AT SLAM CITY JAM WHEN IT WAS AT PLAZA OF NATIONS. AND I LIKED HIS PART IN THE STEREO VIDEO. AND LOCALS? TIM BISHOP, (LOCAL WHITE ROCK DESTROYER WHO HAS SINCE CEASED SKATING TONS), MIKE GEIGER, (OG BOARD KENNEL GUY, FORMER OWNER OF BOARD KENNEL AND NOW AN ANIMATOR) AND JON WEST. NICE, THREE OF MY FAVES FROM THE ‘ROCK. YEAH. OK TIME FOR A CLICHÉ QUESTION: YOU ARE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH NOTHING BUT A SOLAR POWERED C.D. PLAYER AND YOUR WITS. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO BRING ONE BOOK, AN INANIMATE LUXURY ITEM AND EIGHT C.D.’S, WHAT DO YOU BRING?

sohar.

christian.

THROUGH THE BUSHES, BRADLEYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ENCHANTED WORD IS TRANFORMED TO ELECTRIC IMPULSES... AND THEN AMPLIFIED THOUSANDS OF DECIBELS--! BACKSIDE 50-50, SOUTH VANCOUVER. SHAZAM!!! color .shazam.bradsheppard

sohar.

AND SUMMONED FROM ETERNITY, THE MAGIC BOLTS THROUGH

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THE AMPLIFIER INTO A SEMI-TRUCK, THEN PROJECTS A GASTLY LARGE OLLIE.

ROLLING STONES, ROCK AND ROLL CIRCUS - THE YOUNGINS, SOPHIE SAYS NOT - NEIL YOUNG C.D. - PINK FLOYD, MEDDLE, DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, THE WALL - BLACK SABBATH, SOLD MY SOUL FOR ROCK AND ROLL - AND THE BOARD KENNEL SOUNDTRACK. FOR INANIMATE LUXURY ITEM I’D BRING A LAZY-E-BOY AND FOR A BOOK I’D BRING GENERATION-X BY DOUGLAS COUPLAND. WHAT HAS BEEN THE HARDEST TRICK FOR YOU TO LEARN THUS FAR? KICKFLIP TO PRIMO, I JUST DON’T GET IT. OTHER THAN THAT, MANUAL TRICKS. KICKFLIPPING INTO A PRIMO STALL, OR INTO PRIMO SLIDE? YOU REALLY TRIED TO LEARN THAT? KICKFLIP TO PRIMO STALL. OH YEAH! CAN YOU FREESTYLE? THERE WAS A BRIEF TIME IN THE BEGINNING THAT I TRIED, AND STILL DO FROM TIME TO TIME. THAT’S PRETTY FREAKING AWESOME I MUST SAY. FAVORITE TRICK: LOOKING AND FEELING? LIKE FREESTYLE? OR REGULAR? REGULAR SKATEBOARDING. OKAY UM, KICKFLIPS FOR SURE AND POP SHOVE-ITS, SWITCH FLIPS TOO AND THE OCCASIONAL LATE SHOVE IT. REALLY? THAT KIND OF SURPRISES ME, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE SOMETHING HARDER, BUT I CAN’T KICKFLIP FOR SHIT SO IF SOMEONE ASKED ME AND I COULD KICKFLIP WELL, I WOULD PROBABLY SAY THAT TOO. shazam.bradsheppard.

YEAH I JUST LIKE KICKFLIPS AND POP SHOVE-ITS. WHAT DOES BRADLEY DO IN HIS SPARE TIME OUTSIDE OF SKATING? WORK AT THE BK AND SPEND TIME WITH MEREDITH. TRY AND KEEP BUSY. IS MEREDITH YOUR SPECIAL LADY? OH YEAH, MY SPECIAL LADY FOR SURE. WHO DO YOU SKATE WITH MOSTLY? MAINLY WHITE ROCK HEADS? LATELY ROBBIE (WEST, JON’S YOUNGER BROTHER), GARY (ROBINSON), ALIEN, CONNOR (BRADY), AND SWELL. WHAT IS IT ABOUT WHITE ROCK THAT PRODUCES SO MUCH TALENT? I DON’T KNOW... I GUESS WE JUST HAVE A LOT OF HEART. MAYBE SOMETHING IN THE WATER? I DON’T KNOW REALLY. NO STEROIDS OR GENETIC ENGINEERING? SORRY, NONE OF THAT. IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT SKATEBOARDING THAT PISSES YOU OFF, BESIDES NOT LANDING TRICKS? LIKE SKATEBOARDING ITSELF? WELL NOT THE ACT OF SKATEBOARDING, BUT THE BEING SPONSORED THING, THE GAME, IF YOU WILL? NOT REALLY. I’M LEARNING ABOUT THE BIZ MORE AND MORE EVERYDAY. I’M REALLY INTERESTED ABOUT EVERYTHING THOUGH ABOUT THE WHOLE GAME.

color city

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city

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interview

BW: When did you realize that hip hop, or music in general, was going to be something that you would revolve your life around? PBW: Well my life always revolved around music, I guess from elementary school on, instead of doing my homework I was always making mixtapes and stuff like that. It was always my goal to make music my career, and my parents were really against it. My grandfather on my mom’s side of the family was a struggling musician his whole life, it didn’t really work out for him, and my mom grew up around that so she knew how hard it can be. My dad would always tell me, “there’s only room for one Michael Jackson,” and I would tell him I didn’t want to be Michael Jackson. I felt I didn’t have to be a mega pop star to be successful in my own eyes. I think where I am right now, you know, I am really happy with the records I have been able to release, and the people I have been able to collaborate with. From where Stones Throw is as a label now, does it reflect the goals you had envisioned from the beginning? In a lot of ways it does, in other ways I didn’t foresee where music was going, so I couldn’t foresee where Stones Throw was going. I knew it was going to be a hip hop label, but, hip hop means so many different things nowadays. I mean just the fact that we can put out jazz and funk music and stuff like that, which is all related, is something that I didn’t think I would do, its something that I didn’t plan. So now that Stones Throw has maintained some level of success, has it been hard to make the transition from a DJ to more of a businessman? Do you feel like a businessman? I went to school and got a degree in business, but as far as learning about the industry, there was no degree in hip hop at the time. I definitely feel like I have the business sense. I may not always be the most organized person, but Stones Throw is a lot of people. Well actually, its not a lot of people, its really 3 people working dayto-day. The whole thing about being independent is that… you’re not really. Well there’s just no such thing as independent to me because you’re always interdependent with other people. We work with press people and media people and radio people, so its just all about outsourcing and stuff. music.peanutbutterwolf.

|barry white illustrati on|tour photo|m organ

So you guys are reissuing a lot of old funk and soul, and even hip hop, that has never really seen the light of day. What kind of decision process goes into deciding what to release? Is it based more on what will sell, or what you personally like? It’s always just what we like with everything. I think that’s why none of us are rich yet. We are just getting by you know, like on paper, but I am really proud of the whole catalogue. Everything that I have released has been something I was really excited about. A lot of times I will hear stuff that I know will sell, but it doesn’t really fit in with what we are doing. I don’t really know if that answers your question but… So your latest release (as an artist) is a mix in the “Bad Meaning Good” Series, where the idea is to compile tracks that you believe laid the foundations for hip hop. Is this how you approached it? That may have been their idea of what the series was about, my idea was to just kind of pick tracks that made me who I am, you know? I think some people on my message board criticized me about it, but you always get crazy things going on there. What about the Iron Butterfly track contained on the mix, for example, I mean for me, they are definitely on the psychedelic rock tip. …They definitely are. How has music like this been influential to you? I learned about them a bit later on. The whole psychedelic rock thing was something I learned a lot about in the mid 90’s, I guess, and my album, “My Vinyl Weighs a Ton,” was really based around a lot of psychedelic rock as well. Some of the other people on the mix, like the Human League’s “Hard Times,” was a song that I discovered when it first came out. It was a breaking song, and people would speed it up and breakdance to it. New wave and hip hop had a lot of crossover back then, whether it was Afrika Bambatta

spinning the records, or Fab 5 Freddie hanging out with Blondie. What other kinds of Music outside the hip hop realm are you into personally? Outside of hip hop? Well I think a lot of the stuff I was playing last night, just like a lot of early 80’s dance stuff that was released on private labels, that no one has really heard before. Lots of weird synthesizers and stuff, drum machines. I don’t know, I mean, you put me in a record store and I can find something from any type of music that I like, depending on how much time you give me. Just give me a pair of headphones and a turntable. I saw a Triple 5 Soul ad recently that listed your credentials as: Stones Throw Founder/ DJ/ Singer. When did you start singing? Well, Madlib did this YNQ song that was a cover of a Steve Coone song, an instrumental, so one day I was bored, and I went and sang over it and I showed it to him. Everyone thought it was pretty funny. So, I decided to release it. I put it out on a 7-Inch, limited pressing, and I went by my real name Chris Manak as a guest spot on the track. But I like singing anything, I go, well I USED to go to Karaoke bars and do Michael Jackson or “Tainted Love” or whatever. But I don’t know, I guess I’m a shower singer. Is the “mixtape” dead? In terms of cassette right? It’s alive in Japan! Japan is always ahead of us in everything, but they are really big into mixtapes still, it’s weird. But I get less and less tapes sent to me in the mail, everything is CD now. How did the Stones Throw family come together? It seems like the perfect marriage of like-minded people, how did you all meet? Jeff, who does all the artwork, I’ve known since ‘85 or ’86, when we were kids, we grew up together. He is actually really talented

usually never likes to DJ. I guess it’s a lot easier when it’s right at your house. Do you have a favorite country to play in as a DJ or otherwise? I really like Japan, because number one, the records! I really like the food too, and the people there are just so nice and happy to see you, they make you feel at home even though you are half way around the world. I just like traveling in general though, you know, meeting people, seeing different ways of living. So where do you see hip hop going in the next two years? I don’t know, I mean… Madlib and I always joke around about how hip hop is dead and stuff. It’s just one of those questions I can never answer. <Cellphone rings – it’s Madlib for the second time> Sorry this could be an emergency, hang on, he never calls so… “Hello?……….Yo! I’m in Canada right now, I’ll be back tomorrow.” Ask him (Madlib) where Hip Hop is going! “Hey, where’s hip hop going?” MADLIB: “…To the dungeon” PBW: “I’m doing this interview right now and they want to know…” MADLIB: “….To the bombshelter, definitely!”

musically, out of all the people I grew up with I thought he would be the one to make it as a recording artist. He started doing little fanzines and stuff like that. So I asked him to do some covers for me - at the time it (Stones Throw) was just me. Anyways, I really liked his stuff, and it eventually grew into him working full time for me, being the eyes of Stones Throw. Egon and I met in ’96 or ’97, when the label started. He was doing radio in Nashville, Tennessee. He was in charge of the radio station, so he asked me to go out there, he would have other DJ’s on there like Rhettmatic, Total Eclipse, and some other guys. I was just totally obsessed with how organized he was, and how he would have all the old musicians come out like Galt McDermot; and Weldon Irvine, before he passed away, he came out and did a show with us. Egon was really bridging the gap between the older generation and us. So I just knew he was a real gogetter, and he has been working at StonesThrow ever since. And that’s the label. And you guys all live together too, right? Yeah, we all live together. That must be pretty chaotic. Yeah, it definitely is. Do you guys throw any massive house parties? We usually have like 3 or so a year, those parties are a lot of fun. It’s good because we can always get people in LA to come by and play some records, guys that normally command thousands of dollars will come DJ. Who would be the ideal DJ to rock a Stones Throw party? It’s usually guys like J-Rocc or Z-Trip, and Madlib will jump on, and he

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Colt Cannon RookieBoard M ay 2001

Colt's Rookie board was the first graphic t I ever did Ele at m ent.Johnny Schillereff nd Ia cam e up with thencept co , but we both lacked the skill to in draw the yle st that needed, we so we calledn ithe malight y Todd Francis nd a his craft y penm anship.O nce I had the boardidla out, we ushed r itver o to the woodp sho to get 12 of the m m ade and the y were se nt priorit y to Vancouver so Kingm an could gi ve Colt a pep talk before first his pro ntest co.O ddly enough Colt placed 2nd atSlam Cit y Jam , but henever reall y liked the board .As you can m i agine Colt is ver o the whole ‘W ester n’ thi ng, so we vised re his Rookie board to uea board bl with m ountai ns on it that just said “C O LT”.In retrospect ,I ki nd of hate the rigi nal o ‘wester n’ board.I have one of the twel ve m ade and had Colt sig n it , but ’it s just so m ethi ng you don’t hang on a wall .M uch to Colt ’s dis m ay, dem and for this board s so wa uge h that Elem ent nded e up releasi ng it with am few inor desig n changes.It sold reall y well , but ’it s still ne oof those boards I have a hardm ti e looki ng at .

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Tosh Tow nend C hrom atic January 2002

Reese Forbes N am ebrand N everReleased

I was ridi ng a u bs to my brother ’s weddi ng n i Parksville , on VancouverIsland, and was stari ng out the ndow wi when I reali zed how m uch I lo ve the wa y trees yer laup on each other ofte n creati ng a patter n ofvertical nes. liI wa nted to do a series m inisce rent of these natural patter ns, soI started drawi ng the differe nt nviro e nm ents, or ecoto nes, that each team rider ’s anim al wo uld ve li n. i O nce agai n,I ran n ito tech nical diffic ultiesnda had to call n i the ha nd ofM r.Francis .H e is naill ustrati ng m achine,Todd has draw n m ore sig nifica nt graphics the n you could veer miagine: Real , Anti -H ero,Stereo ,Elem ent,N ew D eal,Popwar, BlackLabel. Chances are thathas he done a graphic that you’ve ridde n or wish you had n a origi nal of .D onny’s board was never released because he left Elem ent a few ys da before the catalog was nted pri , but it was alwa ys my favorite .This series was cooluse beca a few of the drawi ngs arem ine, the ulk b of the m are Todd’s and the n Jeremy W ray was ada m ant that he drew them rathat wasn ohis board .

I have a frie nd nam ed Richard H art who i great photographe r.H e shoots all ki nds of photos , as a photographer hould s . H owever, you can reall y boil his ylestdow n to two ngs. thi 1)A B&W telephoto shot with as ymm etrical com positio n and 3200 speed m. fil2)A color wide-angle shot that is cropped so tight and is so crooked that you ofte n can’t see who ’s doi ng the skati ng.This co uld be co nsidered “soccer a m om ” com positio n, but fort unatel y for Rich it always looksm a azing.O n to the nt poi … .. Rich isvery partic ular .H e likes pepper , but hates garlic .H e eats fish & chips at least once a week . H e prefers mwo en ofAsian desce nt, but rarel y sneaks a peak at n aythi ng dom estic .H e likes solid coloredard bo graphics , with m inim al m arki ngs, except for und aro the backuck. tr Suffice it y, toRichard sa grew up skati ng n i the 90’s, as did I.So tom ake Rich happ y, the Chrom atic seriess wa created .It has na abnorm all y bori ng approach toboard a graphic , which reall y couldn’tm ake m e any happier .I lo ve this series .

I’ve got a ng thifor basic phic gra desig n. Som e people nk thi‘basic ’ isjust bori ng, butI thi nk it ncabe nteresti i ng if wellught tho uot. W hy go for mgla our& glit z when you can just go for msi plicit y.O nce the urs ho of ncept co work were o ut of they,wa this series 7 boards of nl oy took a few urs ho to mco plete .I was reall y happy with the m , soI put aD elphi logo n the o top scree n of each board .The first un r had the exact sa m e color -wa y on all the boards , the n the seco nd r un had ndi i vidual color -wa ys.This is Reese ’s seco nd versio n, but it was never released as he departed mfro Elem ent before it cam e out.Every ti m e I have worked withese Re, I’ve reall y enjoyed it .I was ucky l enough to ha ve the opport unit y to desig n aN ikeD unk with m. hi As is alwa ys the case , the details n’t ca be disc ussed u bt it is releasi ng soo n.W e m ade this board to m atchup with the shoe ut other b circ um stances pre vailed .I’ve m issed worki ng with Reesever e si nce, but uckil l y Inow li ve ni S.F. and ra ndom ly eat at the m esaresta urant as him al m ost ver e y m onth.It’s alwa ys a pleas ure to un r n ito hi m. .gallery

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D onny Barley Ecotone N everReleased

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Bam M argera TravelW ell February 2004

Jake Rupp O rw ell N otYetReleased

Jason Lee Stereo Sounds D ecemb er 2003

My f riend PaulU rich created 100 handm ade skateboards forElement with originalartwork painted on each one.Ittook hi m forever and effectively ki lled hi s desire to mak e another skateboard again.Another r fiend ofours,John Trippe, made a documen tary aboutPaul, h is artwork and the boards he makes,which was entered into the U nderskatemen tFilm Festival. The response was so positive thatwe decided t o mak e a regularboard series using Paul’s artwork.Collaborating with hi m on t his pr oject was the best.Paul would dr a w a numb erof random pi eces and t hen I w ould create the layout and design of each board.U suallythe best design work happens aftermid night, once you’re sli ghtlydelirious.Paul and Iwrapped up the Travel Wellseries atabout4 am and t hen I flew down to Southern Calif ornia 3 hours later to present them to Element.Even though I couldn’t see straight,they were practically received with a st a nding ovation.Paul issuch a dedicated guy who s iu jst st a rting out on his journey.Keep an eye out.

Iaswstranded in Vancouverwaiting f ormy lawyer toFed-Ex some work visa papers to me. Itwas ni ce to be hom e,but I w a s couch surfing atmy girlfr iend’s M om ’s house.This series s i the result of being stuck n i a house waiting f or Fed-Ex t o arrive f or5 days. I w a s getting so frustrated and my entire li fe was st a rting to flash in frontofmy eyes si nce itwas o loking like my work visa approval might have been lost. It ’s hard being a Canadian in the States.AllI want to do iswork at some thing I ove, l butevery t ime I need to cross h te border itgets harder. h Tere are now fingerprint machines and cam eras t o a ssage f rom enteryou into the system like a p O rwe ll’s “1984”. Ido li ke the design of htese boards, butwhe n Ilook atthem, they puta bad taste in my mou th because t ie rminds me ofthe headspace in which they were created. h Te series iscalled“O rwe ll” because ofthe author, and how I feltlike a surveilla nce junky ta rcking my package t hrough the I nternet.Then,once I mad e t i tothe border, I ecame b the package and they were t racking me.D ouble-Plus-G ood.

un I rallmy ideas through a gr eat fr iend of min e,Tim Sedo. He will l awa ys set the r ecord straightifmy ideas are completely r idiculous, or vice versa.An opportunity was brewing with Stereo st a rting up again, o s Isat down and designed a bunch of board graphics f rom scratch.I grew up admiring Stereo, o s Ifeltlike I understood wha t the comp any was about.Tim kind of coaches me through my good and bad ideas. Jason and Chris were into t hese boards and they were r eleased in the second mon th of Stereo’s r e-em ergence.Working with these two guys has been awesome. It ’s a gr eat collaboration and they’re always down for fr esh ideas and respectmy opinion.I’m sure Jason may know this already, butwhe n Ihang out with hi m in publicspaces and walk behind him allyou hearisa constant murm urofthe exact sam e words… .”It’s J a son Lee!” I an’ c t think of anything that would dr ive me more insane, but he handles t i ilke a h cam p.It’s u jst bi zarre that they view hi m as t he actorand I iew v hi m as t he skateboarder.

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Jason Lee W allpaper N otYetReleased

D elphi M ood Sick N otYetReleased

At lea st10 to20 emails or phone callsa d ay from Jason and Chrisare pr etty much normal. It’s one ofthe pi tfallsofworking n i separate towns.Yetatthe same time,distance mig htbe a big benefit because ital lows me t o stay focused.Whe n we meetup and work together it’s i lke a r ceative t ornado.U sually,nothing gets finished butEVERY THIN G gets started.It’s exactly what a r ceative meeting should be and theirideas are al way s r eallyfun. h Te Pinwheel series isa p erfect examp le.We had been mes sing around with t his idea for days, but once we metup atthe Stereo Headquarters t i allcam e t ogether.The three ofus huddled around a o cmp uter while Benny Fairfax and g on t he couch. ClintPeterson were just sittin Soon enough,they were back behind the mon itor htrowin g outideas as well.M ost designers would cr inge at thatthought; but I like t i,for a d a y ortwo .O ne ofthe worst things isa designer who can’t take criticism. h Tere are times to trustyour opinions,but it ’s also imp ortant to li sten and try ot her people’s d ieas.

Bod Boyle s it he president ofG iant Skateboard D istribution, but Iknow him fr om whe n he r ode hi s bike to work in San Francisco rather than com muting 2 ormore hours a day in Los Angeles. He and hislady f riend, Theresa Castro, were the fi rst people t o help me out once he U S.Between Bod, Johnny I moved t o t Schille reff and Bob Kronbauer, I we o a o ltof gratitude for their tu rst in helpi ng me get a careergoing. Thisboard graphic f orJason Lee isa summa ry ofthe fl owe r vases t hatBod and Theresa have i n t heir amaz ing house inVenice. I usuallystay with them anytime Ineed to go down t o Southern Cali fornia, and this board graphic was created f rom their couch while one oftheirtwo cats,D irt y or Clean,hung outbeside me. They're the raddest cats ever.D irt y s i a fat cat who s i cross-eyed and acts more like a dog, whileClean isskinny and throws up all he t time.Som etimes they call her“CatM oss”, and I guarantee you thatby 11PM she willbe lke freaking out and r unning around the house i a bucking br onco.

Irew g up on a3-acre farm in a smallBrit ish Columb ia town called Armstrong. When I wasn't atschoolorskating,I s pent most ofmy tmie with t he animals t hat li ved there. We had a dog nam ed Teddy, a a ctnam ed Buttons,3 goats nam ed Floppy, Spotty& Sunshine and a donkey named D elphi.Yes, the goats’ names teeter on genius,but I w a s 8 years ol d.They all died of old age, butmy parents did mak e us eat our2 pi gs we had for a short st int. Ist a rted using the name D elphito do design work under as hom age to my ol d f riend.N ow it’s st a rting to gain mome ntum and becoming it’s own entity. an I’ve always wanted t o have a p roject thatI c call my own. Working for a o cmp any gi ves you the il lusion ofhaving some thing to hide behind, but I w a nt to be held accountable f orthis project.I might ust j be the slowest gr a phic designerwhe n t i come s t o my own ideas, as mos t of hte stuff si a yearortwo ol d.Butwhe n I look atitI eal r lystill lo ve it.It ’s coming together atan unbeli evably sl ow pace,but I ope h to mak e t i work for all he t rightintentions. www.d elphicollective.com .mattirving

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Chris Pastras Pinw heel February 2004

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It was decided Matt Irving would hold this issue’s Gallery feature far before any direction or concept could be established as per its content. Naturally following the pattern of our last Gallery features, I asked Matt if he’d submit a collection of photos, which he supplied promptly albeit with some hesitation… Fair enough, as Matt is a graphic artist and not a said photographer. Regardless, Matt’s photos from his travels posses a strong composition and each creates an individual entity. Within the two or so months of procrastinating -in true skater form, I could feel Matt’s discomfort with the feature and as a result he submitted to me the collection of ten graphic designs shown on the previous four pages as the most obvious solution.

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From an editor’s point of view I admit some concern for the initial “commercial” message that might be perceived by readers, and feared the Gallery would appear as a catalogue. All these thoughts dissipated when I recalled my reasons for being a graphic designer myself- or “drawer,” as we’d be referred to in grade school. I was brought back to the simple life of the Okanagan where Matt also grew up, and realized that I couldn’t be the only kid who shared the same fondness for skateboards as for skateboarding. There must be more people out there who while idolized the name on their deck, possessed a fascination and curiosity for which the artwork was derived. While emulating skate styles from greats such as Stereo’s Jason Lee and Chris Pastras, also gleaned some inspiration from their keen business sense, and wondered where their graphic ideas came from.

About ten years later Matt Irving is the very person he wondered about. The talented creator of the graphic concepts the next generation of curious minds are skating: Art Director for Stereo Skateboards. – Sandro

The highway barrier is an amazing concrete formation that bears a resemblance to an instant quarter pipe, but perhaps its closest relative and concept behind its level of difficulty is the tight transition of the shallow end of an empty pool. Any trick that can be pulled successfully on a highway barrier takes some brutal skill, as you have to usually hit the block head-on, taking in the abrupt force of the transition, thus trying to get anything happening on the lip. Just hanging out and carving the walls of a barrier is fun as hell, but getting to the top (without ollieing) is a whole other story that takes some years of experience fucking around on tight transitions like sketchy backyard quarter pipes and any steep asphalt banks that happen to be around. Some pros are well known for their transition style highway barrier skating abilities such as Mike Vallely, Matt Hensley, and the mighty Jason Adams. There are many more examples of tight transition skaters, but skaters like Jason Adams have had specific parts and continuous photo shoots of barrier skateboarding specifically. Now that is cult.

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Skateboarding on highway barriers has a long, cold history. Reading old 80’s issues of skate maga-

zines, I’m always fond of stories about the more bad-ass vert pros who were regularly kicked out of the concrete skateparks of the time, sending them out to make the most of the skatepark parking lot. This was, in their words, the birth of curb and parking block skating. Simulating all their vert tricks and having a good time within the “freedom” of the skatepark parking lot, these outcast vert skaters gave birth to such tricks as the curb fast plant, the curb boneless miller flip, and eventually the rail slides and grinds that we’ve all grown accustom to. An old article by the great Neil Blender had some points about “reaching vertical.” In his argument, no matter what we do in skateboarding we are simply trying to reach vertical. Accompanying the piece were pictures of wall rides and I think I remember a powerful curb skating picture as well. Achieving vertical is a very important idiom as it deconstructs the act of skateboarding and builds an argument for the theme of “getting into something.” From ollieing up to ledges, to wall rides, to curb slappies, if you really take a look at the aesthetic forming, it is indeed some primitive need for us to overlap, slappy, and grind a vertical structure. With all this said and done, we have to consider the parking lot again. As the curb reaches its lengths, we also have the common highway barrier aka the Jersey barrier aka the meridian to consider that structurally accompanies many a curb and parking block.

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One major detail that has dominated this introduction/tribute to highway barrier skating is the theme of simplicity. Like slappy curbs, highway barriers are all over the place. In other words, there are concrete “temples” in virtually every neighbourhood to practice the fine art of tight transition skateboarding. Simplicity and deconstruction most often can lead to primitivism if not considered conceptually. Some “primitive” cultures have had belief structures that tend to be extreme, or again, simplistic to the “common” man. As of late, I’ve been seeing examples of worship begin to delve from the world of skateboarding to heightened extremes. Yes, we have always had the burning of the boards to signify a good full pipe find, or the almighty pool skating hordes, but Vancouver is starting to show signs of something a little more specific and unique: the skating exclusively of highway barriers – or rather, THE BARRIER KULT. This horde’s ‘zine has popped up in some skateshops, and I’ve seen tags of the abbreviated expression BA.KU. on some commonly skated barrier spots, but no one has seen them skate in person. Also, no one knows who they are due to their faces always being blacked out in the pages of the ‘zine. Another strong detail of their “kult,” other than the strict barrier skating, is the presence of Satanic imagery throughout their ‘zines signifying, in my opinion, the paganistic worship of the simplified vertical qualities of the highway barrier. For instance (comparatively), Black Metal and highway barrier skating have many parallels: abruptness, disharmonies, tight transitions (musically and objectively), brutal force (the music versus the style needed to navigate a barrier), etc. are all descriptions that fit both worlds. We have conjured up a little tribute to the world of highway barrier skating and decided to try and get in a little on the BARRIER KULT worship (via emails with their leader). Whereas sunny California gave birth to the pool skating burlesque, Canada is showing signs of a much darker, yet equally burly movement in skateboarding. - Sam McKinlay.

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ARTISAN

Shown here: Changes, c.2003.

For more information email zebulonaustin@shaw.ca.

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ZEB AUSTIN

Zebulon Austin was born in northern Canada 28 years ago in the Yukon. Living in a very secluded area he had little to do, but kept himself occupied with sketches of animals and carvings of various things around him. Now he has combined the two mediums of art and developed what he calls paint carving. It’s a process of building up layers of paint mixed with various hardeners and then carving away at the surface to produce an image. He utilizes the shadows caused by the carving to hide color or make certain colours visible from certain angles. This gives the picture a life-like quality that changes depending on the lighting. As Zeb continues to develop his art, he plans to share his knowledge with a school for artists also interested in paint carving.

CHRIS DYER

As a Perusian skater residing in Montreal Quebec, Chris Dyer has been encompassed by culture his whole life. Spending the first seventeen years of his life in Lima, Peru, Chris enjoyed surfing, skateboarding, and rioting at the local soccer stadium with his then street gang. He’s always been a person of nature and a fan of positive music such as reggae- his companion on many hitchhiking ventures to flee the cold winters of Canada. Chris’ passions go beyond skateboarding and art though. He’s an activist for the environment, who last year had a radio show and newspaper column at his college where he would pass on more progressive philosophies he’s learned from life. He doesn’t impose his views, but only wishes to share the truths of our world, in hope of it being a better place in the future. Currently Chris is focused on himself, but passes on the good word through his positive creations.

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“Skating is a meditation for your soul and the board is altered after a while. By the time the wood is finally beaten and broken, it is much more than just waste, but an old friend that served you well. I like to do my pieces on my old skates cause I find the energy captured in it can pop back into the images and smile back at me in gratitude.” Check out www.positivecreations.ca

Shown here: Chris’ 80’s skate posse in Lima, Peru. “Another Demention”, c.2003. “80’s Toy”, 2003. artisan.

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While it may not be difficult to come across a skateboarder passionate about skateboarding, it is a real challenge to fine one that understands the true value of living life to it’s fullest. Jessie is one of those non-stop-live-every-dayto-accomplish-as-much-as-possible sort of people. So when her interest in photography blossomed and bloomed, it really came as no surprise to those who know her. While everyone else is asking questions, Jessie’s actually out there figuring shit out. Jessie has a good eye, and with every day she spends behind her camera, the pictures get better and better. I’m not sure what she’s submitting for this interview, but the photos she took in Cambodia are rather wonderful. Yeah, it’s definitely Jessie’s passion for living life - something she holds in the highest regard - that’s inspiring beyond what mere words could possibly describe. - Saba Haider

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stian David Chri y b w ie rv Inte

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It is a ten by ten foot room with a high ceiling and an ensuite bathroom, very luxurious for a rigged up darkroom. The walls are covered with test strips of prints, at this point the Cliché Asia tour is most prominently displayed, with my photos from this interview covering an increasing amount of wall space with the odd scattering of Fecalface.com photos. A floor to ceiling collage basically. So far the darkroom is just blessed and everything miraculously fits. For instance, there is a huge window that we needed to block the light from, coincidentally there was also an unsightly oversized painting in our hallway that we were trying to get rid of – the painting was the same size as the window, it made a perfect fit. Next to the window there is a lightproof fan that sucks in fresh air and spits chemical laden darkroom air out at the neighbors. Below the window is the enlarger, next to that a table for the chemical trays, then an industrial sized sink with a dubious drainage system. (left): frontside noseslide, vancouver.

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What drew you to photography initially I wasn’t especially interested in photography until I realized the potential to produce different types of images. I didn’t know that there were cameras with different size film or that you could make sepia tone prints or that you could darken or lighten parts of the photo in printing. I think the specific point when I realized the potential for all of that was when Joe Brook gave me some prints of medium format shots that he’d taken of me for a school project he was doing.

You have a darkroom in your home; take the reader through a quick verbal tour of the premises. interview.

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What have you been taking photographs of lately? I’ve been trying to take more photos of people, especially night photos. At bars, parties and music shows. This is all relatively new to me and I’m still playing around with it: experimenting, guessing with exposure times and finding out how much motion blur looks good, and at what point it just doesn’t work. I’ve been shooting the night stuff with 3200 speed film – I don’t want to use a flash – it’s too intrusive – I want to capture scenes as they are, I don’t want the attention to shift to my camera.

How has having a darkroom at your disposal helped your photography? Having the darkroom has definitely got me shooting a lot more photos. Before the darkroom, shooting was the beginning step of spending too much money, first on the developing, but the biggest expense was having prints made - and when I got the prints back I usually wasn’t satisfied with them. I would think how the print could have looked better if they (the photo lab) had burnt in the clouds to bring out more detail, or printed it with more or less contrast, it usually wasn’t how I had envisioned the final product looking, and it just cost too much. So now that I’m printing everything I’m much happier about shooting it in the first place. The printing makes such a difference. I remember Tony Cox once mentioning that he thought the printing of the photo was the fine art part of photography, and that certain photographers really brought out that aspect in their printing, like Brian Gaberman whose printing differentiates and makes the photo into something that no one else could make or replicate. In that sense I’m just beginning to learn the art of photography – by being able to print in the same place with the same set up I’m able to learn and anticipate exposure times and develop little particularities. In a skating parallel, I’m just figuring out what shape of board I like: where

exactly to set my feet up for different tricks, developing particular griptaping habits and rituals and all that other nonsense that makes skaters skaters rather than just someone who has a skateboard. What type of equipment do you use in your photo work? I shoot all the night time (High speed film) stuff on my Nikon FM2. I shoot a lot with my Olympus Stylus, its good for a point and shoot. I have an Olympus PENEE half frame that I really like, though I haven’t been shooting with it that much lately. What about films, what films are you using to capture your images? I occasionally shoot colour film, I like the way some cross-processed stuff looks, but I don’t have access to printing colour photos. My ventures in medium format film are limited to a few rolls of Illford HP5 400, shot on my Holga. I mostly just stick to 35mm, black and white film – 90% of what I shoot is split evenly between Tri-X 400 and T-Max 3200. As a resident of San Francisco, and having lived there since the mid-90’s, what changes have you witnessed to the state of skateboarding there?

I used to visit SF a lot, starting around 95’, at which point EMB was already a serious bust, but everything else in that vicinity - Hubba Hideout, Pier 7, and the Bay Blocks - were all in their prime. It didn’t matter which of those spots you went to there were tons of people skating - it was great. I met so many friends like that, which in turn made it easier to come back on future visits. Union Square was without a doubt my favorite spot, partly just because I like night skating, and that was a nighttime spot – but it also had a variety of stuff to skate made out of nice marble. Unfortunately, by the time I moved here these spots were becoming more and more of a bust, but it was still all right because they were all downtown. If there was no one skating at the library, you could assume that they’d been kicked out and you could just skate downhill to the next spot – because of the slight downhill all along Market Street it was easy to go from one spot to the next. It was great because you would always see groups of people skating all the way along Market Street or at spots like the low-to-high, or the Wendy’s benches. You never had to call anyone to organize a session, you could just go out and everyone would be there –that’s a good feeling

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always windy there and once your there you can’t really skate around, you get trapped there – its like a skate park in that way. That spot is in the middle of nowhere, it’s as though it was built on purpose to get skaters out of downtown. Another major change to the skate scene, aside from the actual spots, was that for a while it became almost impossible to move here. It was completely unaffordable, not many 18 year olds could afford to move out of their parents’ place and pay 3000 dollars a month for a loft in San Francisco. Now that rent is becoming

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cruising down the street with a huge posse. Now a lot of those old spots have been redesigned, some knobbed,some with permanent police surveillance, but also new spots have been built. Lately, I’ve started to see more people out skating downtown again – but the spots don’t really seem to be meet up places like they used to be. So now you have to call people up and organize a session, and you don’t get to skate down the hills with 50 skaters when the cops pull up. A lot of people skate 3rd and Army, but its way out on the edge of the city, its almost

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more affordable again since the dot com crash, it seems that more skaters are moving here again, so it’s changing again for the better I think.

With the increase of skateproofing, be it knobs or reconfiguration of plazas, where are skateboarders congregating? Where are people getting together? Aside from 3rd and Army, or maybe Wallenberg on the weekends, there aren’t

interview.

really any meet up spots like there used to be. A few bars around town have dollar drink nights. For a while that seemed to be the thing to do, there was a bar for every night of the week, I wasn’t into it, so I’m not exactly sure whether the bars stopped those nights, or if everyone just stopped going to them. It seems that the skate and art communities have blended together. I see most of the people that I used to see skating Union four years ago at art shows now. It’s the same skate community, plus more like-minded people, that might have been playing music

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ollie, san francisco, CA [ o ] richardhart.

or surfing while skaters where skating Union Square. I love seeing all the new artwork; Jeremy Fish had an amazing show last night at the Upper Playground gallery. I talked to people at the show last night and made plans to go skate with them tomorrow and then tonight there is a show at the 111 Minna gallery, That’s sponsored by FTC – so a lot of people will be at that too. Aside from the galleries, there are websites like Fecalface.com that keep the community together, there is something happening at least a couple times a week and you can just look there to find out what it is and you know that everyone will be there.

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Does skateboarding need the cyclical cleansing as we have seen in the past when the core participants stick with it, and the rest fall by the way side to get the soccer moms to stop dropping their kids off at the skatepark rather than the soccer pitch? And, due to all the public skateparks is it even possible for a recession in skateboarding’s popularity to take place as we have seen in the past? No, I don’t think that skateboarding needs a cleansing. The more people that get into

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backside 50-50, paris, france [ o ] richardhart.

skateboarding the more interesting it is. But I would like to see the industry make more of an effort to control the quality and way that skateboarding is presented to the mainstream. When skateboarding comes up in conversation with everyday acquaintances, they say “oh, you do that” as they gesticulate their arms back and forth to create a ‘U’ formation, as images of trapeze artists form in their minds. The general public needs to be given a more varied view of skateboarding when it is introduced to them. Everyone should see that skateboarding can be whatever they want it to be - that’s what has brought skateboarding to where it is now, transitions, banks, ledges, rails, parks, vert – all of it is skateboarding.

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Where would you like to see skateboarding in ten years? Every once in a while I see this older guy with grey hair skating down my street on a long board, playing a ukulele. I’ll be happy if in ten years there are more people skating with a smile on their face like that guy has. Of course I also want to see new adaptations like the over crooks, but maybe the over-Barley grind.

As long as it’s fun and creative with style, that’s what I’ll hope for in skating, always. .interview

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limited quantity back issues

words and photos by Felix Faucher We had good quality time in Venice Beach. First a session at the mini skatepark with Bobby McKinley and Frank Hirata, then the notorious sand gaps. Grant Patterson begins a line with a switch frontside heelflip over a sand box while the undying California sun goes to rest.

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It was a cold Friday, four in the morning and minus thirty two degrees in Montreal, Quebec. I took a cab, went by Eric’s place and to the airport. We met Gianmarco Alaimo, Oliviero Fontana, and Alex Bastide there and boarded into a very small airplane. I like winter time for a number of reasons: the impression of pureness of a fresh snowfall, snowboarding, cinema festivals… But most important yet is the contrast created by the change of seasons, something that spices up life and gives a good measure of our evolution. This said, when you have been living in temperatures of minus thirty two degrees, although I just returned from Peru, the prospect of going south is always welcome. We bumped into Grant Patterson and Dave Lapchuck on our transfer in Pittsburg, then Jason Crolly at the LAX airport in Los Angeles. A mere five hours and I switched from cold Canada to the sweet and warm temperatures of So Cal, my first time ever in skateboarding heaven.

The first thing to strike me in Cali was the area’s huge curb cuts, they look like small pyramids on Paramount Boulevard. We also witnessed the oldest operating MacDonald’s restaurant, a very unique masterpiece of design reminiscent of the Jetsons cartoon. Besides that MacDonald’s, the only place we could find for food was Mexican; every day of the trip we would eat at least one taco meal. A cool thing about the Mexican places was that most of the time, when I would order my food in Spanish, I would get better service. A lot of Mexicans in those restaurants barely spoke English so they were pleased when I made it easier for them. On our first day, we met with Dan Pageau at his house in Long Beach. The following week seemed unreal: perfect spots, perfect weather, awesome skating by all, no serious hassles with the authority, everything went by like a dream. The crew was tight too. We all learned to deal with each other during the Under Attack summer tour and the fact that this time we were less than half the number along with a flexible schedule of pure street skating made for a good vibe.

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This was the less California-looking spot of the trip. The landing was as harsh as they made them in Canada, and it was pretty cold for a So-Cal night. Dave Lapchuck ollies for dollars.

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On the second day of the trade show, most of us decided there was more to do in San Diego than looking at bikinis. Dave Brouillard and Dayne Brummet brought us to this handrail. Oliviero was so happy to find a Californian rail to skate, he frontside lipslid it even though the drop scared the hell out of him.

We moved from LA to San Diego after a week to attend the ASR Trade Show and skate the local spots. ASR was similar to any other business seminars. My previous experiences attending these kind of shows were in the fields of Interior Design and Multimedia Technologies and I had more fun at those than in ASR. The only plus were the bikini girls, but it’s not like you could get them a drink and start a conversation when they’re working. Speaking of drinks, we attended the Etnies party, thanks to our friend Garret Louie, and had some quality time among numerous pros. Some of us also made the trip to Tijuana to party. The ambiance is very aggressive out there, not because people were looking for trouble, but the stress that reigns in and outside the bars. The waiters will grab your head without warning, pour tequila in your mouth for an eternity, shake your head fiercely then ask for money. Crolly had the shot of his life, and watching him get “the shake” made us all fall into hysterics. underworldincalifornia.

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The Underworld lifestyle Cali tour of 2004 posing in front of Dan Pageauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence. Front row: Dan Pageau, Grant Patterson, Terrence, Alex Bastide, Dave Lachuck, Felix Faucher and Oliviero Fontana. Back row: Eric Lebeau, Gianmarco Alaimo and Jason Crolly.

Traveling with Jason Crolly is non-stop fun. Even without speaking; the guy radiates comedy. Here he is running for speed at a Long Beach spot. Uncontaminated Crolly at his best.

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We hit this gap on our third day in Cali. The first time Grant tried this he got stuck on the landing and hit the back of his head really hard on the ground. He wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t down at first to try it again, but when he looked back at the gap, revenge started boiling. He ran back to the starting point, got his speed, and did this perfect nollie flip second try.

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Dan was jubilant about his hommies visiting him. He skated hard everyday and let skaters stay at his place. This nollie heelflip at the Chino big four was flawless, just like the landing surface at the spot. In California there are way more airplanes than clouds floating in the sky. Jason and Terrence found this spot next to our hotel in San Diego. Large frontside noseslide by a black-haired Crolly.

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When the 10 days were up, some of us had to get back home, while others stayed. Most people felt sad to move back to the cold, but we all agreed that the trip went by like butter and that there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t much to improve. Thanks to Underworld and Alex for making it happen.

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Hey Kids! Stash those surf boards, and toss your rollerskates! There’s a new sport in town, and it’s sweeping the nation. Skateboarding! is it’s name and it’s here to make waves. So all you surf rats gather around and let me – let you - get in on somethin’ new! It’s a trend that’s gaining momentum on the streets and taking sidewalks by storm! Throw on your Levis, slap on some slip-ons, and be a part of this smart, fresh, and exiting mode of transpo... It’s taking North America by storm!!

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In these few short years that saw the creation of the skateboard, it’s fashion trends were simply a mere reflection of the teenage culture, and minimalistic approach to fashion in the sixties. Unreserved, untried, underdeveloped – skateboarding’s first days caught the attention of a beat generation in America simply starved for something new, and something exciting. In it’s quick rise and fall of the time, I only hope that we in our present generation can learn from these fluctuations in our sports popularity, and try an attempt at keeping our industry as consistent as humanly possible. We at Color will try to do our part.

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Cuda Whisker Denim by Lakai. fashion/irration.

Ten t-shirt by Fourstar..

Miner Denim by Matix.

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THE “CREATIVE” VERSUS THE “COM M ERCIAL” A Discussion w ith Yogi Proctor

By: Sam McKinlay

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The age-old debate between those involved in the graphic arts and the creative beings behind gallery and “high” art has always had many artists and critics at their wits end. In University I was always the one who was very biased towards the world of mass marketing versus personal studio pursuits, feeling that personal development was restricted when a certain commercial frame is placed around the subject in which you are working. Just like in the world of skateboarding, there has always been a fine line between the worlds of the commercial graphic artist, and the romantic idea of the painter or sculptor who has definite ideas of his/her own resulting in, “who gives a fuck what the viewers think, I did it for myself.” Of course, the historical cases of commercialism ebbing into the art world are never-ending, especially when we consider the classic and Renaissance painters and their duty to a patron and /or a church wall. The art world of the past centuries almost completely revolved around the paying customer, resulting in a good resume for the painter or sculptor and many future jobs to put bread on the plague-ridden table. Many of the artists of the time also participated in the experimentation of the art form which resulted in movements like the Renaissance, the Sublime, and all the way up to the eye-opening world of Impressionism. Of course, the early 20th century DADAists played around with cases of human instrumentation and regularity as the obscene, but the 1950’s found a more blatant approach to realizing our place on this consuming/media based planet. This ideology grew into the world of “Pop” art that staked a claim on the world of over-commercialization, subjecting viewers to the obvious, but now in the context of the gallery space or the street itself. Andy Warhol subjected the viewer to his/her own lifestyle making the everyday object sublime, but also the assemblage artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns of the 1950’s to the 1960’s were using the same themes to bastardize the commercial world with common identifiable aesthetics mixed with powerful techniques which extended the works into personally gratifying expressions (for the artists and potentially the viewer). As expected, the art

movements of the late 1960’s and the 70’s also exemplified the themes of the commercial artist, again twisting the ideology into personal escapades and therefore questioning the viewer. Conceptual artists such as Joseph Kosuth, like the works of the some of the Pop artists, used age-old “graphic” art processes to achieve a powerful “standardized” aesthetic that a viewer could recognize, but also take part in meditating over. Identifiable objects and graphic art structures began to have a new meaning to the viewer. We can discuss the mastery of this analogy with the almighty more recent artist Jeff Koons, but we should save that for another time (just trust me; check out his “The New” 1980 series to see the genius). An interesting “case study” of art in the world of skateboarding is again, the fine line skateboarders tread to achieve any form of expression within the industry. In many cases, artists involved in the skateboard world are usually “stuck” within a defined space. Time and time again we see examples of the artists who skateboards restricting him/herself into crowd pleasing ideologies and works that evolve into commercial platforms. Some powerful suggestions can be made with the tools used within the graphic design genre, but one must be careful to not step over the line and always have in the back of his/her head, “I wonder if people will like this.” This “line” between the commercial and the creative is filled with suggestion and commentary. Therefore, the stage is set for a look at the graphic design/art work of Yogi Proctor. Yogi has been the design guru behind the graphic art of Emerica, and as of late he is also the creative base for the look and aesthetic of the deck company Popwar. The strong, minimal, and hard edge pictorial development behind Popwar has had time to flourish within the advertising pages of skateboard magazines and the walls of stores, thus gaining notoriety in accomplished artist circles. I had a chance to discuss with Yogi themes of creativity versus commercialism and how to try not to make a balancing act out of it.

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The Word Is Popular.

COLOR: I ASKED ARTIST ALEX MORRISON TO ALSO DISCUSS THIS TOPIC: THE S K ATEBOARDER’S FASCINATION WITH THE FLAT/PAINTED IMAGE.

Yogi: The flat image is very simple, very naive, but with those qualities it is also very psychologically defining on the part of the author. Like written type itself it can be a clear visual definition of an otherwise abstract thing. Skateboarding itself is an act of youth at a time self-definition. Therefore, that form of controlled, defined imagery goes with the cultural territory at large. But, I do have to say, that I think the art of the skate world is very naive compared to the cultural and psychological progression that the act of skateboarding itself has had on the world. Skateboarding is such a creative and progressive way of seeing and reacting to the world around us. I do think that if more people could apply the exploratory values of skateboarding to their art, then we may really achieve something to be taken seriously. C: THE

FINE LINE BETWEEN IMAGERY GENERATED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES AGAINST WORKING FOR ONE’S PERSONAL GRATIFICATION.

Y: I gain satisfaction from pretty much all the work I do. All the work I do is an exploration of reaction to aesthetic values or situations. The commercial arena is a great testing ground for my personal work. C: GRAPHIC DESIGN SKILLS COMING INTO PLAY IN YOUR OWN ARTWORK.

Y: I would say that my artwork has more influence over my commercial work in terms of where ideas or techniques first develop. My personal photography has had a huge effect on my work as a whole. Using a camera taught me a tremendous amount about composition. Although it was never a planned thing ... I merely picked up a camera as travel companion, but soon realised that I was applying the same “search and discover” approach to photography that I enjoyed so much about skateboarding.

C: COMMERCIALISATION OF AN ART IMAGE AND ITS ROLE IN SOCIETY.

Y: That is a very broad question. The roles of an art image in society can be endless and complex, but its purpose when used as a commercial device is almost always based on the interests of commerce. High art will always have the pure and individual mystique that commercial art strives for.

C: GRAPHIC DESIGN AND ITS ROLE IN THE ART WORLD.

Y: Well, personally I would say that I look at developing the image of a skate company as an art project in itself. All my work is personal at one point or another, but I would say that most of my commercial work is practice for my most personal thoughts, works or techniques. There are no boundaries for artistic freedom within a skateboard company, just decisions along the way on how to manipulate the defined production method. But, obviously when there are groups of people involved you have a certain responsibility for something to succeed. C: SOCIETAL INTERPRETA TION OF YOUR GRAPHIC WORKS AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE BUSINESS ASPECTS OF THE SKATEBOARD COMPA N Y.

Y: Well, when running a business you have to make ends meet, if you don’t there’ll obviously be foreseeable consequences. A skateboard company has a pretty small reach as a whole. But, that reach is directly towards a very exploratory group of people (skaters). So, boundaries can be pushed or explored within skateboarding that other commercial arenas could never venture into. I would say with Popwar we try to achieve or promote an awareness of individual curiosity. C: THE VA RYING DEGREES OF CREATIVITY VERSUS COMMERCIAL INTENT IN THE DIFFERENT FACETS OF YOUR DESIGN (SKATEBOARDS, ADS, WEB DESIGN, ETC.).

Y: Well, the main difference is the parameters of the product itself, a deck is a deck, so obviously I approach it differently than I would a 6’ square photo collage. But, that is not a matter of limitation, I approach the whole of my work in terms of the ideas that I continuously get, then it becomes a matter of choice of where to place those ideas. I tend to think that there is no such thing as a bad idea, you just have to choose where to place it correctly.

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Y: I am not sure commercial graphic design has any significant role in the culture of high art. As soon as it tries to be taken seriously as art it is taken out of its commercial context and presented on a purely aesthetic or cultural level. This transference of context is something that commercial art strives for through the false presentation of assimilation, but that high art can achieve through pure aesthetic value. Most pop art would be a great example of this effect. Works such as Roy Lichtensteins enlargements of comic book scenes; enlarged to seemingly represent the complexities of culture at large, where as the comic books themselves represent teen angst or escapism at most. A pure appropriation (rip off) of another man’s work on the part of Lichtenstein, but that is the freedom of the artist... a freedom from commercial restraints. But, who has had more of an effect on culture?... the imaginary superman or the artist himself, Lichtenstein? You can’t really judge it, but the fact that both are successful in their own right means that they tap into the larger values of their culture.

C: Y O U R A RTWORK AND HOW IT’S ACHIEVED WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE SKATEBOARD COMPA N Y.

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Mike Christie, no comply kickflip up, nollie heelflip body varial down. SF, CA. [ jeremy.pettit ]

ping three times instead of a single photo accompanied by a caption with some new obscure name for what you’re looking at. During this feverish progression of skateboarding’s development, it wasn’t feasible for photographers to think of shooting sequences when videographers were taping the tricks anyway. But sooner or later the storm calmed down and it was viable to tidy up our situation and take pride in the presentation of what we’ve captured… Beauty. All quality was sacrificed by the rapid demand to breakdown and document the tricks that magazine readers yearned for. Soon as skateboarding began its selfcleansing process to put an end to pressure flips and knee knocker style, the mad dash to flip one’s board as many times possible was over. Videographers went back to filming lines and capturing individual styles, skateboarding went back to skateboarding, and photographers appropriated the video grab using motordrives that have since graced us with the quality photo sequences we see today.

Traditionally it can be argued that photography leaves more to the imagination – making for a more interesting medium. After all, there is no question whether a trick is landed when it’s on tape. Each video grab tells it’s own story not unlike a traditional photo. The relationship between a filmer and skater is a unique one that follows through in capturing the skaters every subtle move from pop to landing. Never will you find a photographer with his finger still pressed on the trigger while a skater is freaking out in frustration over a trick. There are many aspects of skateboarding reserved for photography, and those that are reserved to be captured in video, such as the fluency and subtleties projected in a single push on a skateboard. Those miniscule frames that even the fastest motor-driven cameras still miss are what captures a skaters over all being. Perhaps the most power is bestowed upon a videographer when all photographers are absent. But still justice isn’t served for these tricks go undocumented in print. The following images have been chosen by the people behind the video cameras in production of the Antisocial Video: Ryan McGuigan (Green Apple), Jeremy Pettit (North), Stacy Fillion, Kurt Filippone, and Rick McCrank. Each grab is significant in its own way, and all poses a quality only a videographer could capture. .movement

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Skateboarding in every sense of the word is movement: the industry, the tricks, the culture and most of all the artistry. Canada is rich with stronghold skate shops that converge to sponsor amazing groups of skaters and generate solid team videos. Possibly the most predominate of these shops is Vancouver based gallery/shop Antisocial. While not demonstrating what could be defined as the traditional skate shop, Antisocial is owned and operated by the ever so sweet Michelle Pezel, and everybody’s favorite Canadian Pro, Rick McCrank. When hanging out at a skateshop too much used to mean bringing home bad manners, a Propaghandi tape and new words like “felching,” Antisocial at its worse will only send an eager young mind home with a keen interest in art, a Bobognargnar vinyl and a new found obsession with Ms. Pac Man. Just as skate shops have conformed to a more professional and cultured marketplace, it too took skateboard media some time to react to the rapid pace that skateboarding spun into in the early nineties. A clear display of how quickly skateboarding progressed in the early nineties is the Video Grab. These magical clips of frozen life finally gave skate-nerds around the world a clear breakdown of tricks such as Rodney Mullen’s triple heelflips; for now you could see the board flip-

by sandro grison.

Dylan Doubt | Japan [ ryan mcguigan ]

This spot was at the end of La Rambla, right on the water. That day we chilled on the water drinkin 40’s of Xebeca. Oh and this Japan was in a line that didnt make it in the video. Maybe if you’re ever over here I’ll show you the footage. Barcelona, Spain.

Quinn Starr | Wallride [ rick mccrank ]

There will always be The Gonz there will always be Jason Lee there will always be Gino and there will always be Quinn Starr. UBC, Vancouver.

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Quinn Starr | Ollie [ jeremy pettit ]

This is one of those spots where I wish I was shooting photos. In fact I remember saying to Dylan that day that I wish I had my own 35 mm still set up and I’d shoot a vertical shot from almost straight on so that you could really see Quinn threading the needle. I think Quinn is the only skater to ever step to this booter because of that awning overhead. Here, Quinn proves to himself and the awning that he is unstopable. Vancouver, BC. antisocial.

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Mike McDermott | Nollie [ stacy fillion ]

“I went home to Winnipeg, Manitoba in the summer with my brother for a family reunion. Stacy came with us because he calls Winnipeg home as well. We both thought it would be a good idea to skate there. If you pause the footage right at the crossfade, you can see my brother and some super buds lurking.” - McD.

Michelle Pezel | Hippy Jump [ rick mccrank ]

Michelle had no intention of putting this in the video and she’ll probably kick my ass for it being in this magazine, me and Michelle at 3 in the morning force-filming. Vancouver, BC.

Mid way through a double front flip to board, to a back lip down thirteen in a line, I swear. UBC, Vancouver.

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Jesse Booi | Floater [ rick mccrank ]

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Rick McCrank | Backside Nosegrind [ ryan mcguigan ] Keegan Sauder | Power Slide Landing [ rick mccrank ]

This was probably before we even thought of making a video, Keegan was just warming up for the paddleboat slide he did on the rail, when I caught this rare kootshoot. UBC, Vancouver.

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Mitch Charron | Switch Backside Heelflip [ ryan mcguigan ]

At the end of the video you see an irate security gaurd say “250 dollar tickets for skating on campus.” He softened up and let us go on a warning. We then stumbled upon this gap that Mitch, McD and Sascha (Daley) began to session. McD Frontside Bigspinned it, Mitch decapitated both McD’s and “shit’s” boards before landing the shit out of this one. That same security gaurd bumrushed our show again, but we played dumb and said we thought we were off campus. He bought it, which bought Sascha a few more tries on a fakie flip... Ten minutes later security boy is back for the third time. Again he lets us go. I wonder what Dylan is thinking? Ashland, OR. antisocial.

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Wade Fyfe | Varial Heelflip [ stacy fillion ]

Usually people just skate the edge of the barrier but someone had the idea to lay the wood so you could boot over it. Wade tried throwing a couple over and it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take long before he road away. Vancouver, BC.

Keegan Sauder | Nollie [ rick mccrank ]

This day will forever go down in history as the day the BC Place triple set was conquered. First try nollie (in a line).

Trevor Dunnitt | Splash [ ryan mcguigan ]

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After being told to leave more than once in a language we did not understand, 6 stories up, a nice little old lady takes matters into her own hands.

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gary robinson | wallride [ o ] christian.

nathan lacoste | ollie [ o ] faucher.

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sam roberts | canadian rock nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; roll [ o ] woytowich.

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scott furkay | backside kickflip [ o ] ying.

eric mercier | bluntslide [ o ] shura.

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alex rothbauer | 5-0 [ o ] wong.

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paul machnau | frontside 180 [ o ] christian.

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jordy | feeble [ o ] christian.

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torey goodall | frontside bigspin heelflip [ o ] christian.

zach wilkins | boardslide [ o ] power.

jason cooper | switch backside tailslide [ o ] christian.

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darrell smith | switch kickflip [ o ] wong.

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rod ferens | 360flip [ o ] christian.

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LOOK

(here) Debora wears the chung belt in creme by RDS, and DC Avatar HE in grey/white with a Mina sock. Danny wears the Criteria Shoe in carbon/red and Riot MTL Denim in black by DC. Killers tee and Ripp zip up hood in black/ red by RDS. Vestal watch. (opposite) Danny wears DC Colton Pant in grey, with black DC Waxstar Tee and Scorpion watch by Vestal. Debora has on the Tigre zip up hood and Neeny Bikini by RDS, with a dark grey Ospry skirt by DC. (small) Debora shows the Beta Jersey Tank in grey by DC. Danny wears the RDSâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;Oye Bandana with DC Rift DX Denim in Light Indigo with the Agent shoe in royal/orange. Accessories | Alien Workshop Skateboards, Poet; iliterate Hair Styling | Melissa Majeran @ Helmet Photos | David Christian Styling | Jason Robinson

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Models | Debora De Merich of Lizbell Agency and Danny Phillips.

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CASA B Y

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Everything that was old is new again. Skateboarders are wearing tight clothes and garish outfits, bonelesses, wallies, and no complys are hip tricks, Christian Hosoi is sponsored again, and even Duane Peters has ads. As with everything and everyone else from the day, CASA has also resurfaced. Most of you readers are probably not familiar with CASA (Canadian Amateur Skateboarding Association), but in the good old days there was a governing body for skateboarding in Canada, responsible for Canada’s first pro-am contest in Expo ’86. As I have learned, this was the doing of Monty Little, who after putting on a contest in Vancouver’s Stanley Park in 1976, was approached by Safeway and asked to put on more skate events. After the first real skateboarding World Championship Monty Little, along with Bruce Mathie, formed CASA.

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Up until the sad fall of skateboarding in the late 80’s, CASA was responsible for running contests across the country, providing lessons, and getting Canada’s first concrete public skatepark made (SeyLynn). But now CASA is trying to re-form and looking for (skater) interest in having a governing body for Canadian skating, which is harder than it sounds because skaters don’t appear too interested in being organized. There is a reason to organize though, not only for more and better skateparks, but also the apparent Olympic interest in skating. Snowboarding is the Olympics new cash cow, and where else are they going to look next? It wouldn’t be hard to cash in on our increasingly popular (mainstream) sport. The problem is who is going to cash in? In Australia, skateboarding is under the jurisdiction of rollersports and run by rollerbladers at the contest level. Their government has invested $400 million (AUS) into youth oriented sports (e.g. skateboarding, BMX, and rollerblading), but because the government recognizes the Australian Roller Skating Association (RSA) as the governing body of rollersports, they were who got the money and the skateboard community has yet to see a cent. The problem is that to have bigger contests you need to have insurance and rollersports has insurance programs already in place for events, parks, and coaching. Yes, coaching! Can you imagine before practicing for a contest having some surly hockey drop out screaming at you to do more squat thrusts so you can boost your ollie height? Insane. Here on our continent there is the equivalent to RSA, it is the USA Roller Sports (USARS), which is rumoured to be recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the authority on skateboarding in the US. casa.

A N T O N I O

B L O O M

I’m neither pro-Olympics or anti-Olympics, I just don’t care, but we need to have an organization of sorts for skateboarding to protect our interests, whether they are for or against. Or, we need a governing body to stop skateboarding from becoming an Olympic sport. Whatever your slice of pie is, if you were to be skateboarding in the Olympics would you really want rollerbladers deciding what you were going to wear when you did your runs? To get shit rolling, Chris Perry has resurrected CASA, at least at an initial stage. But Chris, a wealth of information and a proverbial whirlwind of skateboard lore, told me that even in its initial stages CASA has a lot of work to do before the government or any other organization will recognize it. For CASA to be recognized as a governing body it has to follow these standards of an organization: govern the sport, represent the sport and all its participants, set the rules and regulations/standards, make important decisions, apply and obtain funding/ sponsorship, work with other organizations/government, and promote the sport. It also involves setting building standards for skatepark facilities/competition courses, being responsible for safety standards and safety guidelines, insurance, standards of materials, monitoring injuries and accidents; ensuring good working practices, health and safety policies and procedures. It would also have a membership scheme that provides coaches, follow a code of conduct, support elite performers/provide a grant to enable athletes to compete in competitions, support professional athletes, and it would also set the rules and regulations/format for competitions, pro and amateur, plus the scoring and judging – a points system. The organization would also be responsible for providing and distributing information, researching the sport, in charge of gear/funding, keeping and providing records and rankings of competitions, and provide a register of pro athletes.

Now that is a whole lot of work that needs to be done, especially for skateboarders who usually have an ingrained distaste for any authority. Basically, we all have some growing up to do if we want to see a governing body for skateboarding in Canada. If we don’t, someone else can claim that we are a part of their organization, like rollersports, and co-opt our sport for their own interests, not unlike what skiing did with snowboarding. And as with everything in life, this issue has its high and low points. Sadly it is inescapable, but when I asked Chris about the pros and the cons of CASA being a governing body for Canadian skateboarding, the pros he gave me, in my opinion, outweighed the cons.

Pros - Outside non-skating organizations and interests will not be able to take over skateboarding. - “Big picture” decisions about the future of skateboarding will be in the hands of skaters; or at the very least, skaters will have a place at the table when the discussions go down. - Governments and other groups will have a direct link to the skate community and be able to access skaters’ expertise and input regarding the issues that effect us. - People who need help getting insurance will have a resource. - Better skate parks will be built. - CASA will be able to grow and promote amateur skating. - All other conventional benefits a sporting body would provide. Cons Much of this depends upon how CASA develops, but by applying conventional terms (i.e. governing body, organizing, sport, training, coaches, etc.) to skating, one might argue that the very nature, culture and soul of skating will change. It will be incumbent upon skaters to run CASA and ensure that it stays true to skating. By skaters for skaters... if we fuck it up, at least it was us that did so.

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TRAVIS STENGER MIKE MCDERMOTT AARON JOHNSON MIKE CHRISTIE ERIC MERCIER