This is probably the best tutorial on how to build a mini-pipe that you will ever see. It’s a quick view, so check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Old Man Army is at it again, this time interviewing 70’s skate legend Russ Howell. I know what you’re thinking. By the end of the 70’s nobody much cared about Russ (in the skateboarding world) so why bother now? Well, it’s an interesting read nonetheless, especially for Howell’s take on the Dogtown documentary. He’s got a bone to pick with Stacy. The guy he should have a beef with is Richy Carrasco. See, Howell set a 360 record in 1977 (35 spins) but claims a personal best of 163. Meanwhile, Carrasco beat his record in 1978 with 35.5 spins and then again in 2000 with 142 spins. I don’t know how Russ lets a guy get away with calling himself the 360 King when Howell’s best is 21 over the Guinness Record. Did you know Russ Howell currently has a signature model? Learn this and more in the interview at Old Man Army. Don’t forget to check out the official web site of Russ Howell which stays true to his old school roots by maintaining a look that is circa 1996 web design.

You heard right. Want to revolutionize the skateboard industry? Then start bidding on the patent rights for this Easily Steered Skateboard, which near as I can tell, aside from already being in production elsewhere, is essentially a shopping cart wheel, or a rotating caster. Fug. This was supposed to be a quick and dirty post, but instead it turned into a dissertation on the variety of caster wheel type truck systems. There are more than you’d think. Catch patent details and the most shopping cart action with skateboards seen since CKY.

At the urging of Old Man Army, Recent Skate and Annoy conscript Elder Skelter (long first time reader, first time caller) sent us this newspaper article scanned from the November 12, 1987 issue of the Valley Times. Things must have been pretty uptight in Geauga county Ohio for the authorities to get that bent out of shape over some innocuous graffiti. Talk about out of the loop! Reminds me of the scene in Rock ‘n’ Roll High School where Mr McGee asks “Who are these Ram Ones?” You can read the very funny (in a sad way) article and see the half-hearted correction they printed the next issue after the jump.

Subtitle: Agressiveness and spunk. I was cracking up about Billy Ruff’s 5th place gift certificate prize (for a PRO contest!) in the 1981 Del Mar freestyle contest. I began to speculate about what might have happened had Bruce Logan fallen an extra time. Maybe Billy Ruff would have gone on to become Rodney Mullen, and eventually been a major influence in the skateboarding industry. Instead, all we have is the reissue of one of the crappiest graphics of the era. I went back to the October 1981 issue of Thrasher to further investigate. Check out those results! That’s Billy in the top left pic, wining the bowl event. Ruff’s 5th place freestyle pushed him to the top of the overall standings, beating Caballero and Duane Peters. Duane entered the freestyle too. There’s a picture (see above: bottom right) with an excellent caption that reads “Duane did something.” The only thing that beats that? When you say Billy Ruff, you say ‘Fly like an eagle, and leap like a panther’. Agressiveness and spunk. For his agressive spunk and overall 1st place finish, Billy won $300 and a gift certificate for an undisclosed amount to an undisclosed location. These old Thrasher’s are…

This Stereo Sound Agency video is reportedly a promo for an MTV show that fell through. That’s too bad, cause this is about a million times better than Rob and Big, and I can confidently say that without ever having watched the latter. I get peeved when companies and skate celebrities decide to resurrect their old brands. It betrays a certain lack of commitment and something else I can’t quiet put my finger on. If you just want to cash in, just do limited series of re-issues, don’t pretend that you’re in it for the long haul again. However much I grouse, I can’t harbor any ill will towards Jason Lee. I like Stereo’s aesthetic, they’ve released a few cool shapes, and Lee’s too damn funny. Catch the vid after the jump

Small Time Skates of Hammond, Louisiana has a short tutorial on a clean, easy way to hang a skateboard on your wall like you would a picture. Sure, it’s not rocket science, but it’s as good of an excuse as any to post links to some pictures of Dreamland’s skate park in Hammond Louisiana. The locals sound like they are stoked on it. The park shot above is from SkateMS.com. It’s not all bowls. There’s a street section too.

After being pretty lax about it, Thrasher has finally gotten around to posting the last of the first 12 issues of Thrasher Magazine. I suggest you get on over there and get them all before they disappear. They are kind of hidden as it is. If you are going to download them, go with the Hi-res pdf versions instead of the jpeg slide shows. You can really blow them up big and read all the tiny captions. These old issues are great to flip through. They are full of lots of photos of skate celebrities looking like little kids, wearing goofy fashions, etc. Take a look at the kinds of coverage and editorial slant. These early Thrashers are more like Concrete Wave with an attitude than the Thrasher of today. There’s even a product review of a freestyle board where the uncredited author wonders why more hardcore-types aren’t into freestyle. It’s also interesting to watch the magazine become a little more polished with each issue. Check out the early heaviest advertisers, it’s not who you might guess. It’s fun on every page. Mofo chronicles a Big Boys tour over multiple issues, old spots, strange product ads, contest results, Fascinating stuff.…

Skateboarding adults are funny. Lulu Maude gives it the old Onion try in her post titled Harriet Miers Quits White House, Wants to Spend More Time Skateboarding Check it out here. Lulu’s profile says she is a “a retired schoolmarm.” What’s a schoolmarm anyway? Did she retire in the 1920’s? Just in case Take Your Medicine folds, we’ve got it here too.

Sure, you’re extreme, but are you Extreme!™? When you’re ready to get really amped to the max, you can kick it up a notch with the Limited Edition Travis Pastrana Skateboard. Or perhaps you’re just looking to update your eBay investment portfolio? Supercrossking.com says it’s collectable. Skateboarding seems like about the only Gold Medal Travis Pastrana hasn’t won in the Summer X Games. However, now is your chance to own a Limited Edition Pastrana skate deck. Made by one of the top skateboard manufacture’s using 7 ply natural maple with custom heat transfer graphics this board is sure to become a collectors item as did our Limited Edition McGrath skateboard last year. The deck measures 9″x 33″. Wheels and trucks are not included.