I forgot who sent me this, but there’s a really good interview with Jeff Grosso on Concrete Disciples that includes lots of recent (rad) photos like the one above from MRZ. In keeping with the recent photos, the interview doesn’t rehash any of the old stories or his battles with addiction, it’s all about the present. Grosso was a friendly guy the last time he came through here.

An unnamed Domino Records band wants to shoot a music video in an empty pool in the L.A. area. They say it will take a good day of shooting, so it sounds like it will need to be a permission pool. I told the rep that it sounded like a lazy scam to find an empty pool to skate, but he assured me it was legit. They need skaters too, and there will be some sort of compensation involved. You can contact Robert Nell if you want to hook him up. In the mean time, let’s revisit a brief (incomplete) history of skateboarding in pool like structures in music videos. In the top row there are two shots from the current running band AFS (Arthritic Foot Soldiers) that has a video shot in a wooden bowl for the song “Chicks, Beer, Fame & Money” off the album Immature Nobodies. Check out the longboard guitar. It’s an interesting application, but not nearly as well done as the one featured on the cover of the Surf Punks first album My Beach. Then of course there is the grandaddy of all bowl riding skate videos, any of Agent Orange’s segments from SkateVisions. Another…

Some, but not all things Brennand Schoeffel: Brennand in the 1988 H-Street video Shackle Me Not, at Skatebored. Brennand on the cover of the October 1990 issue of Thrasher Magazine. 1991 Interview with Brennand from his time at Life in John Doe #34. A Life Skateboards advert from 1991 on Skateboarding Is. Two Brennand Schoeffel Life Skateboard models at Vaskateboards.com. And lastly, Brennand Schoeffel, currently a realtor for Rancho Buena Vista Real Estate. – Thanks to Johnny Lzr for the tip.

As art of the upcoming celebration of 20 years (!!) of John Doe Zine, they’ve just republished some old interviews, circa 1991 with such names as Christian Hosoi, Tommy Guerrero, Ben Schroeder, Bryce Kanights, Jason Carney, Steve Rocco, Armando Barajas, Rick Ibaseta, Tom Knox, Tod Swank, Lance Conklin, Mike Ternasky, Andy Howell, Neal Hendrix, Brennand Schoffel, Chris Pastras, Rick Ibaseta, Mike Taylor and Jim Theibaud. Yowza! Out of date to be sure, but interesting to read in the context of historical perspective and hindsight.. Be forewarned, it’s a short scroll from the interviews to some decidedly NSFW images. They really ought to do an interview with, you know, the real John Doe.

There’s an old 70’s snakerun park in the Het Hulsbeek recreation park located in Oldenzaal, Netherlands. For the past handful of years they’ve been holding an annual contest series there called “Oerend Hard” that looks like it’s more of a weekend festival of skateboarding and fun than a strict contest. Events typically include a standard downhill race, boardercross, jump ramp, best trick, and something you never, ever see anymore, the two man catamaran. The Netherlands Skateboard Federation, or Skateboard Federatie Nederlandis trying to have the park designated as a national historical monument, if for no other reason than they claim it is essentially the last preserved skatepark in Europe from the 70’s that is still in widespread use. I know there are still some 70’s skatepark remnants in the U.K., so perhaps the key phrase is “widespread use.” I don’t think the park is in any eminent danger of being destroyed, they are just being proactive about it. Check out the press release presentation that includes photos through the years, including the construction. It made the news, but I can’t understand a word they are saying, and it’s buried in a long video. I did find a nice video run…

Check out this 1995 Airwalk Shoes video featuring Jason Lee. There’s a lot of filler, but he skateboarding eventually kicks in. This was probably used for trade shows and the like. You can see some of Jason Lee’s early character work here. Who shot this?

I spotted this Bones parody shirt by Jeremy Fish at the Umbrella Market. Parodies of old skate logos are a dime a dozen, but I like this one. Bonus footage of a real life fish skateboard after the jump, thanks to a tip from reader Dylan.

Don’t worry, these guys didn’t send me anything, I’ve always been a fan of the Slasher graphic. I’m pretty sure that some smaller companies have already done the sword shaped skateboard, but for Santa Cruz it seems like an obvious choice. I’m actually more surprised that this board doesn’t have Keith Meek’s name on it instead of Emmanuel Guzman, especially considering the Meekster’s still active in their lineup. Speaking of the lineup, Monthly eBay favorite Jason Jesse’s Neptune board had been reissued.

This week’s Shot of the Week comes from Greg Baller, who was actually in a Shot of the Week last year. Greg was a partner in Burly Caps, a company that made… burly recaps for knee pads during the late 80’s and early 90’s. Burly Caps are back again, and the web site has a lot of pictures of vert riding in the Great White North from the same era. Burly Caps are made from UHMW plastic. What? Glad you asked: Ultra High Molecular Weight, much denser than you garden variety caps. Burly Caps, Right? This is Neil Blender in Vancouver BC, as shot by Greg. Neil Blender used to have a web site selling his art online, but he’s since moved his operation to an eBay store. There is still a few hours left to bid on his original painting (alternate version) for cover of the Best of Dinosaur Jr. See the full frame Shot of the Week.

Peter DiAntoni has a show opening tomorrow in Milwaukee (I assume) titled Salad Days: Turf 30th Anniversary. It’s all photos of Milwaukee’s Turf skatepark that also has an earlier run as Surf & Turf, before taking a brief rest while serving as a strip club. I guess they build wooden platforms covering the bowls. Sadly, it’s been permanently destroyed now. Pete D. was the proprietor of Clueless Zine, of which I have a couple issues, but haven’t yet added to the 80’s zine archives. Dang, I need to get on that. If you skated in the midwest in the 80’s you went to the Turf at least once. A lot of people travelled there from other parts of the country. It also appeared in some Santa Cruz and Gullwing videos, possibly others as well. For some it was a travel destination, for others it was more like a home. Mr. DiAntoni will be screening Turf shirts on site at the opening, and if you have your old park ID you can get one for 1/2 price. I wonder if that works via mail order? – Thanks to Matt Grasser for the tip. April 10th 7-10pm Vetter Denk Building 161 s.…