So October 2009 was a big one. If this was anything to go by, then we can say that the downtown is over, at least in regards to the pocketbooks of serious skate collectors! Lots of stuff went for over $1000, and some went far higher than that. What do some of our big spenders do for a living I wonder? And are they even skaters? Or do we have art collectors out there who are starting to expand into old skateboards? Or do we have famous/rich folk who used to skate and who know want to recapture a piece of their youth and they don’t care what it costs to reclaim it? And just who the fuck has $5,000 discretionary income burning a hole in their pocket these days anyway? Just some interesting thoughts to ponder.

Check out eBay Watch: October 2009

I was in high school when a friend turned me onto JFA. He had a sarcastic sense of humor and found JFA’s “Beach Blanket Bongout” to be the most brilliant thing ever. The Valley of the Yakes EP had skatefish on skateboasrds all over it, so that was an instant turn on. Then there the subtleties of “We Know You Suck.” In college I bought the Mad Garden EP just for the Peanuts theme song, and wore that record out. JFA could come off as seemingly inane, but at the same time often brilliant when it comes to distilling an emotion into a couple minutes of barraging vocals and guitars. The end results were greater than the sum of the parts. Some 25 plus years later, JFA is still out there. They’ve got a new live album on DC Jam Records titled “To all our friends.” This is the Brian Brannon interview on Skate and Annoy.

[Photo: Pat McGinnis]

A nefarious character going by the name of “Crete Cult” sent in some shots of the new Kelso, Washington park being built by a non-name construction company. As for the review…

Rides good…Good Tranny with no kinks

Well, there you have it. Anyone else? I recall there was some to-do about the contractor, but the details escape me in a haze of web hosting service outages.

Watch a time lapse video of some cool stencil art by D*Face in a private bowl, then Salba and friends shred it. From a distance it looks like a pile of leaves that blew in, but it’s actually skulls. Video and image gallery at Arrested Motion, or watch the video after the jump.

– Thanks to JF for the tip.

After a really rocky month and many false starts, Skate and Annoy has been back up for over a week now. It seems like we’ve lost about 40 -50% of our traffic, but the trend is creeping upward. Do me a favor and spread the word that we’re here, (we’re queer- or mongo? goofy?) get used to it. In order to distract you (and me) from my failures, here’s a video of my good friend House of Neil skating in below freezing weather with a hangover on January 1st, 2003. And also, it smelled like sewage. Enjoy!

I went to the grand opening of the Toxic Skate shop last weekend to check out the new bowl. It’s really fun, but not without a few flaws. The corners can be unpredictable and the decks are miniscule, but the bowl is fun as hell to ride. The giant wall ride on one half of the long side really makes this bigger than just the sum of it’s parts. The shop is in a small industrial park in Vancouver. lack of traditional neighbors made it easier to get the go ahead to have all ages shows there. It could be a cool little scene. Rich from EPM has some shots from early in the day before it got crowded.

You know how we hate controversy at Skate and Annoy. That’s why I am reinstating Daddy Yo… Just kidding! (maybe not…) Steve Berra launched an online directory of skateshops. He’s got a video about explaining how it’s just core shops, etc… He neglects to mention you have to pay to be on the listing, something like 5k a year. I guess the controversy is in the fact that the site is pitched as an independent and unbiased resource when in fact it’s nothing more than paid advertising, like the Yellow Pages. There has been some bickering back and forth on Twitter and the Slap boards, it’s real Interwebs skateboarding drama that brings to mind this picture, as seen at the Gay Ocean. You can get a more detailed accounting over at Haveaboard.com. They’ve got all the pertinent links too.

Need more bitchy gossip? Ryan Scheckler’s business manager reportedly embezzled 365 grand. Perez Hilton has the skinny.

– Thanks to Bobcat for the tip.

The Economists has an article talking about the greed and selfishness of today’s youth, and their lack of involvement in public service sector. I’m not sure about the public service record, but I’m pretty sure the previous generation’s greed is a huge part of the reason we’re in this mess. What’s the point? The illustrator used a skateboard to portray the folly of youth. You could be upset if you cared, but if you think about it, skateboard media itself does a good job of perpetuating the stereotype. Not all of it, but a sizable portion. I was talking with an industry insider this summer who expressed some regret over that, while fully copping to perpetuating negative stereotypes in skateboarding through his own product and actions. Ah… What are you going to do? Do as I say, not as I do? Skate and Destroy or Skate and Create? Does anyone care?

– Thanks to Seth Levy for the tip.

Rumor has it that Rip City Skate’s indoor facility will be opening as soon as this weekend. MC saw some progress being made. Built in accordance with legendary Portland miniramp zoning ordinances, this picture doesn’t quite let you know how tight this spot is. It’s going to be challenging, but fun. I still haven’t made to Epic yet. I need to check both of these out. Enlarge-o-rama.

Wow. I can’t believe this one flew under my radar for so long, but it was released a mere year after Thrashin’. I’m not sure what this movie is about, but it’s got two Playboy Playmates and a skateboarding goon (Hey! that’s Russ Howell?1) who meets a spectacular untimely demise. Is it because he’s doing handstands down the middle of a highway, or because he’s spinning 360’s with an inflatable doll? Both valid reasons, to be sure, but not there are other extenuating circumstances. Playmates are well known for their acting chops, so you know this clip is… not going to feature them.

– Thanks to Skate D for the tip.