Speaking of long awaited reissues, Van Halen is on tour with David Lee Roth. I love Van Halen. OK, I’m out of the closet now, in terms of rock and roll. Van Halen requires David Lee Roth to be considered the real Van Halen. Others need not apply. Are we on the same page here? Good. Now someone please tell me where this old picture of David Lee Roth on a skateboard came from. This is the largest size I have, and everyone knows Diamond Dave is larger than life. Actually, any larger and you might be able to see some brains peeking out. Nice sack, man! This is as good as an excuse as any to call for celebrity skateboarding photos. Send them in. [Photo: Right – Official Van Halen]

UPDATE: In the wake of the passing of Steve Schneer some 7 years after this post was written, I feel it’s important to point out the title of this post is a reference to his famous Ho Ho plants and how these magnet embedded skateboards would make it so much easier for kids to do this trick. There’s no disrespect intended towards Steve, and in fact in meeting him a few times in my capacity as editor at S&A he was always very friendly and never mentioned it. 

My kid plays with these little toy figures that have magnets in their feet that stick to small skateboards. They are called Tech Deck Dudes and there are something like 60 of them now. They are fun to play with for both of us, although I can’t figure out why some of the guys have weapons too. They obviously call to mind the old Sky Hooks, which you can still actually buy from no less than three (Count ’em. 1, 2, 3.) manufacturers. Apparently there’s no current official trademark holder. But Sky Hooks are so 70’s, and magnets make for a more up to date dork session. Besides, you could just change shoes if you didn’t want to engage them on your regular board. There was a company that actually manufactured these things under the name Magnatron a few years back, but they disappeared quickly. Apparently one of the guys involved with that company (as a skateboarding advisor) is carrying on. For $60 he’ll retrofit your deck and shoes and turn it into a Magnet Skate. No word on whether it will cause creepy, unexplained flesh colored blurs to appear over your face like they do on his web site.

The real skateboard world may never be ready for what could be conceived as a gimmick in skateboarding since it’s altering it and doing it in a different way. But never the less with or without magnets, kids will still be trying things like we did. Duct taping their feet to the board, using inner tubes from bikes and lifting their boards with them etc.

That about sums it up. More pictures and video after the jump. Thanks to Bob Mechtly for the tip.

The Daily Herald from Arlington Heights, Illinois has a thoughtful piece titled Once a skater, always a skater and closer to (our) home, The Columbian has another not so thoughtful article titled Just About Everybody Can Go Extreme. These articles are a dime a dozen lately, but there are a couple of items of interest here.

As you can see, this is a double-monther. I was on vacation visiting my family in England in September, so I got totally behind on my August report. Consequently I decided to combine the best of August and September so you at least get to see the August stuff.

I’m also introducing a new feature this month: it’s the “Board of the Month”, where I pick my favorite board from the months selection. Look for the bold type.

Check out: eBay Watch: August/September 2007

We pretend to be a legitimate source of information on skateboarding and culture here at SnA, but really we’re just a couple of guys wise cracking at a keyboard. Nothing illustrates that more than the fact that I have two links in this post that were supposed to be related, but I’ve lost my notes and context so can’t make a thoughtful analysis. Aww hell, I’m posting it anyway. First we have a gallery of anti skating devices called Unsubtle deterrents. None of the photos are amazing, but the collection sure has an nice calming effect for some reason, even though it should make my blood boil. I only wish they were all the same size and orientation. Next we have a paper by Ocean Howell titled “The Poetics of Security: Skateboarding, Urban Design, and the New Public Space” Sure it’s a bit dry, but the gist is that “skateboarding is exceptionally good at drawing attention to the quietly exclusionary nature of the new public space.” In other words, public spaces are being designed to force the public to use them in ways that the public doesn’t necessarily want to. It’s like the grandmother that gives you $10 for your birthday but tells you you have to put it in the bank and not spend it on comic books or candy. Gee, thanks. There’s a pretty obvious conclusion to draw about modern skatepark design from a street skater’s point of view. In any case Ocean’s article exists on an online archive that craps out after seven pages of text with titles like “Voyeur-god vs. the Spatial Practitioner” that all have to do with skateboarding in public spaces. I haven’t read it all yet. I thought there was no limit to how much I was willing to geek out about skateboarding, but apparently I found it.

OK. So I’m adding a “Shot of the Week” post category because a lot of these pictures have more history than the SOTW format allows, and I might as well let people chip in their own recollections or similar experiences. This week’s SOTW is from a 1984 Peoria Journal Star article on skateboarding and punk rock or something to that effect. The Peoria in question is Peoria Illinois, the same Peoria that is referenced in the familiar saying “But will it play in Peoria?” The shot is of Peoria’s premier (at the time) punk (dare I say skate punk?) band Caustic Defiance, a project of collaboration with the infamous Steppe brothers and our own Dr Brad in his more defiant and skinnier youth.

Steve Cave knows pro skaters but he won’t flow! Aww, come on man, give me Shecklers phone number! Haw! Haw! Steve does About.com’s skateboarding blog, AKA How to apply grip tape and clean your bearings, and he’s compiled tips on how to contact pro skateboarders. Tip #1: Don’t ask him! Actually this post just an excuse to reference the old “Maps to the skaters… Holmes!” scene which is one of the highlights in Animal Chin. Tip number two? Buy the map!

I can’t stop watching this video of a Primo slide to back flip. Ok, it’s very light on the slide, in fact, I think it’s just called a rail stand? Freestylers help me out here. Freestylers? I don’t know who this shorty character is but he reminds me of the high school wrestling team. Check it out after the jump.

[Source: Wiskate via the Skateboard Mag]

This is a shot of a well known Portland skater Wes Cording taken in 1980 at a skatepark in Philadelphia called the Roxy or Roxbourough or something. Wes originally submitted it for the blue fiberglass ramp collection, but I am using it to announce that Wes is getting married tomorrow and all interested parties should meet at Union Jacks tonight if you want to send him off in the customary fashion. That’s not him on the cover, but you get the idea. Wes cleans up real good, you can see the proof after the jump.

Everybody sing!

Who can take a sunrise
Sprinkle it in dew
Cover it in chocolate
and a miracle or two?

The candyman Handstand man!
The Handstand man can
The Handstand man can cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good!

I’m not going to begrudge anyone from trying to make an extra buck off of a web site, but the Handstand Man is really, uh, pushing it. He’s got one claim to fame, and it’s a burly one to be sure, he’s ridden a handstand down the infamous Signal Hill. That’s gnarly, but he won’t show it to you unless you pay $14 for the DVD. He has some still photos for sale, but has graciously provided a few “free” pics for downloading as well as a couple of video clips you can watch for free, as if that is some kind of rarity. Let’s see, anything else? Most of the pics don’t show his face and he performs most of his stunts in track pants, sometimes even white sweatpants! The whole site is a trip:

“The ballsiest skateboarding action sequence I have ever filmed!!”
As quoted by James, the video cameraman who filmed the stunt.

Hey kids! head on over to the Handstand Man, and look for his new model out on Skatekings – HA! I kid, but if ever there was a perfect match…

UPDATE: NEWS FLASH!!!!! The Internet is full of jokers! It has come to our attention that the Handstand Man was actually being impersonated in some of the comments. Those comments have been tagged accordingly. We fell for it. I even looked up some the email address and IP’s to see if he was being spoofed because some of the responses seemed over the top. Anyway, the real Handstand Man is not such a bad guy when he’s not calling you gay or inviting you to throw the first punch. The copyrighted images are still being replaced with these lovely artist’s renditions, and Brad is making a few changes on his web site as well. PLEASE! Let us never speak of this again.

[Source: South of the North]