80’s Zine Archives: Swank Zine #6
Swank Zine #6 comes to us from the collection of John Drummond. there’s no date on it, but Swank had moved to Solona, California, if that helps any. There’s a mention about a ramp session at Lance Mountain’s called “Lock at Lances.” Typical Swank fare, though not as artsy fartsy as they would get later on. Lots of pics by J. Grant Brittain.
Swank Zine #6
Editor: Tod Swank
Art: Tod Swank
Photos: J. Grant Brittain, Tod Swank
Featuring: Chris Black, Tim Noel, Owen Nieder interview, Carlos the owner of Fogtown skates, John Gibson, Salvador Dali, Eddie Reategui, Christian Hosoi, Mike McGill, Meck (?), Adrian Demain, Billy Ruff, Jeff Tautum, Lester Kasai
Spots: Colton skatepark, Shell bowl, Lance Mountain’s ramp
Honorable Mentions: Scarecrow Sakteboard advert. In the Zines section is a zine called “Hey U Dick” proported to be by and aboutt Steve and Art Godoy. Owen Nieder’s last words in the interview are pleading for Duane Peters to start skating again.
Local Slang: Skat-gy (Skate energy)
Check out Swank Zine #6, comment at the gallery.
Lock at Lance’s was a Jam non-test thingy in 1984. Funny to read where Owen Nieder mentions not riding for Fogtown anymore after Carlos wouldn’t pay the hospital bills. In the summer of ’84 Owen slammed really hard at a NorCal backyard ramp contest. Rang his bell good and went into convulsions on the flat bottom. Ended up getting hauled off in an ambulance. Remember that BK?, T-Roy?
Brittain is amazing.
did he just bite britain’s photos from tws or get exclusives.
I’m pretty sure he wasn’t cutting them out of Transworld. This zine might have predated Transworld,or maybe he got the out takes.
Owen’s slam was Gnarly with a capital G! Alley Oop BS Air? Didn’t he break his wrist? The place was raging until SLAM….silence. I believe Ffej has it on video. I won a Fogtown board in that contest that I rode for about a year and later discovered it was mega-warped. Didn’t Tommy G win the pro? That contest reminds me of Little Louis for some reason. What’s up with him?
So that dates this issue to 1984.
I have a video of that contest I got from Al Asbe (OG Lopes local). Don’t know who shot/edited it, but it has cheesey early 80’s titles and vid effects.
It doesn’t show the actual slam, but during one of Owen’s runs it flashes a couple times to him KO’d and strapped in the gurney. Kinda spooky.
No pro for TG, everybody was AM then. Sponsored and Unsponsored divisions.
Oh yeah, there were only like 10 pros back then. I’ll see if Ffej has the slam. Al Asbe!!