There’s a documentary on skateboard graphic in production called SK8FACE. The web site was down for a while, I think they got blown out from a mention on the Skateboard Mag. Sure, everyone’s favorite book on skateboard graphics, Disposable has already tackled the subject, but from the trailer it looks like SK8FACE might have more of a 20,000 foot view as opposed to Disposable’s more obsessive compulsive approach. It’s hard to say actually. After watching the first couple seconds of the trailer I was afraid it was just going to be A Wes Humpston tribute film, but there are plenty of other voices in there such as… well there are too many to mention. Notably absent so far are two of the figures who arguably had the biggest impact on skateboard graphics, Vernon Courtlandt Johnson (VCJ) and Jim Phillips. Let’s hope they can get those guys on board. I can’t find any information about who is actually behind this project, or when it’s scheduled to be released, so after you’ve watched the trailer you’ll know as much as me. Yes, they talk about eBay, and speaking of eBay and Disposable, Sean Cliver was supposedly working on a book about collectors…

Peggy Sue is a painting by David Mann who used to do a lot of work for Easy Riders until shortly before his death in 2004. His first gig was illustrating posters for Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s Choppers magazine. I poached this from Max Schaaf’s 4Q Conditioning. There’s a gallery of David Mann paintings online but this particular image is a bit larger. Wikipedia says his centerfolds started appearing in Easy Riders in 1973, so I’d date this picture from the mid to late 70’s.

I don’t read Thrasher with any sort of regularity anymore, sometimes I flip through it at the hippie grocery store in my neighborhood. however, I bought the last issue so I could check out an alleged Naked Raygun interview. Since I had already bought the cow instead of stealing the milk for free, (or maybe I was there to buy milk) I read the rest of it and was really surprised. A couple features caught my attention, especially a China/Vietnam tour diary by Michael Burnett. I had it in the back of my head to make a rainy day post about how I might start reading Thrasher more regularly. Cue plate of shrimp coincidence. Michael Burnett is having a book release/photo show/reading at Cal’s Pharmacy in Portland tomorrow, July 11th from 7-10 with live music by Yes Father. The book appears to be called… The Outskirts of Awesome. DISCLAIMER: I took the liberty of replacing the original photo on the official flyer with a different picture I poached from his web site. Artists really love it when you appropriate and mess with their vision. Don’t let them tell you any different. Even if they seem like they are getting irate…

Watch this brilliant video called Opus 11: A Real Fake Skateboard Video by Alexis Milant. After you watch the video, click through to read the rest of this post. Spoiler Alert! – Thanks to Eric Cherry for the tip.

Issue number three of Preparation S is courtesy of the collection of Sonny Robertson of SPS fame. Preparation S is from Palestine, Texas, circa 1987. It’s all meticulously hand lettered, and almost every page is covered down to the last bit of white paper. This issue is mostly comprised of the “Staff” of Preparation S, except for a spread on Art and Steve Godoy, and a few other pics of Texas locals like future Zorlac pro Rob Mertz.

No idea what this is about, it came in off the wire late last night. Sorry for the short notice but that’s how we do stuff over here. If you took part in last years’ Go Skateboarding Day “Search for Mikey Chin Video Challenge” than you need to make sure to stop by The Dept. tonight @ 8:00PM for the premiere of the footage and the crowning of the champs. If you get this info and were on a team, make sure to let all your other goofy buddies know.

Perfect for the Ryan Sheckler’s in your life: A Must For Teenage Skate Boarding Fanatics ! Is it a skate board…………. no it’s a Mirror ! For those who like the quirky side of life, try our skate board mirror… to be admired but definitely not to be ridden! It costs £110.00, and at today’s exchange rate, it can be yours for about $215.

This is a test of the DIY Skatepark Advocacy System. If this were an actual Marginal Way benefit you would be… Oh wait, it is! Art Show Benefit for Marginal Way Skatepark! Mission in West Seattle Thursday June 12th 8pm 21+ Raffle/DJs/Videos Silent auction featuring: Tait, Paul Fujita, Q. Quigg, Bruno, LJ, Jesse Edwards, Aaron Filion, Chris Adams, Ego, Roy Wonder, Bobcat, Manbeast, Curtis Alton Jr., Romero Taylor, Eric Holt, Caveman, Leon, Jay Meer, and Lafferty Brothers. DJs: VerseOmega, Treva, Hightower. Videos, Footage and Slide Show featuring Jay Meer’s Archive. Raffle: All the goods! 100% of proceeds goes to Marginal Way Skatepark! Where: Mission 2325 California Ave. SW Seattle, WA 98116 8pm 21 and over

Expanding on an idea already in practice elsewhere, designer Kris Lovett has made some heeled shoes for women out of used skateboard decks. He/she has put a battle of the sexes spin on it, although the irony of making heeled shoes for women out of the discarded waste of a traditionally male dominated past time surely must have occurred to Kris. I guess they aren’t high heels. Maybe someone will make a corset out of skateboards next. Used skateboard decks continue to pile up due to the production of over 100,000 decks per month in the United States alone. Reply explores this material waste stream as a resource for women’s shoes. By utilizing the overall shape and material properties found within the deck, the women’s shoe takes on an interesting aesthetic quality. This project is also a reapplication of waste skateboard decks in an unexpected way. By taking a movement-based leisure product mainly utilized by males, a creative method of reuse is reapplied to a movement-based market for Eco-conscious women. Pictures archived after the jump, but you really should see them at KrisLovett.com. [Source: NOTCOT.org]

There’s this thing called the Urban Circus that has “a contemporary look, it boasts dancing, swaggering, swinging, swaying and skateboarding.” The actual name is 7 Doigts (fingers), and it’s a French Canadian operation that is more or less a poor man’s Cirque De Soleil. Traces is the name of the particular show they are currently putting on. All the press keeps mentioning skateboarding, as if it’s an integral part of the show, but all the photos and various video clips out there suggest it might be more “skateboard-inspired.” But still, everytime something gets written about the show, basketball and skateboards get big billing. Well, I finally found some actual skateboarding. Looks like they are using them as little more than dance props. Extreme!™ I’d rather watch the guy who skates and dances on crutches, aka the Virtual Provocateur.