I was digging around for more skateboard guitars and someone mentioned the Ben Harper video for Ground on Down, which led me to the SK8 lap guitar from Cole Clark Guitars on some sort of loosely affiliated Ben Harper web site that isn’t the official one. That lap guitar has the good sense to have Indy trucks coupled with a poor choice of World Industries wheels. And then there’s the Ben Harper longboard, with artwork created by someone you’d never guess… Winston Smith, the man behind the Dead Kennedy’s logo and accompanying photo collage artwork.

I’ve got a Weirdo Skateboards deck to give away. Near as I can tell, it’s either the 8 1/8 inch wide model or the 8 and 1/4 inch wide model, depending on how you measure. It’s got a 14.25 inch wheel base, and was made by P.S. Stix, so you know the quality is there. All you have to do to enter is to send in a picture or (Flickr link, YouTube, whatever) of yourself or a friend being a weirdo on a skateboard. Define Weirdo? I dunno, skateboarding with a prop or costume of some kind, an overabundance of clothes or lack of clothes, wigs, masks, animals, wackyboards… Don’t worry, GVK is disqualified. We’ll be posting entries as we get them, and then I will pick a winner at random, but I reserve the right to chose the winner if there is something/someone that is especially weird. I’m going to say this contest will be open to readers anywhere. I’ll ship the board but the winner will be responsible for any tariffs if they happen to live outside the U.S.. Thanks again to Weirdo Skateboards. Now go let your freak flag fly! Let’s see some killer dork sessions -…

Normally I’d be all over something like this, but I like the board so much that I don’t feel compelled to ridicule the optional equipment shown, namely the $25 aluminum scooter handle. I mean, If you are going to ride a scooter-skate, you don’t want to risk getting hurt on some cheap toy… Right? I think I can see where they are coming from on this, and that means I’m in a weird place right now…. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for these old solid aluminum decks, and I am solidly behind manufacturing a liquor store board that happens to be a near museum quality reproduction. This would probably fall under the movie prop category, since the wheels look the part, but have been upgraded to center set bearings so you could actually turn at speed without feeling like the wheels were about to blow out . The firm known as Roger Brothers Downhill makes these, as well as a surprising host of other machined products, including a skateboard deck with a built in bottle opener (where the skyhooks would go…) Now I’m definitely a fan.

Bugs bunny used always call everyone a “maroon” in those old Looney Tunes cartoons. It might be an intentional mispronunciation of moron, and less likely to be the other definition, a loud signaling firework, or the descendants of escaped slaves living in a certain part of the West Indies. So, speaking of Bugs, what about Daffy? Along with handstands, the daffy is one of the last remaining truly “old school” tricks to make a comeback. High jumps, excuse me hippie jumps came back, so why not the daffy? I guess there are v-sits and catamarans still out there too. I found this this photo on Skate Curiosidade, a site in a language that I can’t decipher, but I’m going to guess Portuguese? In the enlargement you can see the skatepark above appears to bee in a very tropical location, more so than southern California. Who knows? Plenty of daffy, handstand, and even barrel jumping action at Skate Curiosidade.

This is a detail of this week’s Shot of the Week, and another one from the archives. I can’t remember who this kids was, but I do remember feeling like I was becoming obsolete when I saw this young kid ollie to 5-0 on an overturned bike rack. It was something I would have thought of, but not pulled off. Anyway, this is one of the last skate shots I took before moving out of the Champaign-Urbana area to start silkscreen business in Chicago with a few partners. Needless to say, I didn’t skate a lot in those first years of trying get the business off the ground. This remains one of my favorite shots, partially because it reminds me of a pinnacle in my life. Dang, that kid looks familiar. Check out the full frame Shot of the Week.

Oh no! It’s a picture of a pool on the Internet. This one from S&A reader, of a pool that was kept under wraps for quite a while (over a year) until it was independently discovered by multiple parties near a corporate campus. This shot is fairly old too.

I got a lot of positive response from the time lapse of MC’s bowl pour, and one suggestion to bring it up to date with some actual skating. Well kids, the skating inside the bowl has been put on hold now that the tile is in mid process. Actually, the coping has go on before the wheels can hit the crete again. MC doesn’t want to risk cracking the top layer of tiles. I snapped some pics of the tile job last night.

Thursday night July, 2nd, Chet Childress and Bryce Kanights are collaborating on Organized Chaos – an art/photo exhibit at the Hecklewood Gallery. A bit of Bryce’s organized effort and Chet’s maximized chaos. Free PBR and old punk tunes. The show opening rolls from 7-10pm and runs through the end of July. Come for the free PBR stay for the art or is it the other way around? Check out a larger image of the flyer.

Well… not all press is good press. From the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission web site: Loaded Boards Recalls Orangatang Skateboard Wheels; Blow-outs Pose Risk of Injury to Riders WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. Hazard: The recalled skateboard wheel’s core can shear and blow-out causing the wheel to separate from the skateboard truck’s axle and bearings. This poses a risk of serious injury to riders. It looks like about 1200 sets were affected. Loaded Boards has received 10 reports of wheels separating, but somehow (luckily) no injuries have been reported. If you’ve got a set affected by the recall, you’ll get a replacement for free. Visit the Orangatang Wheels web site for more information on the recall. Alternately, contact Loaded Boards Inc. toll-free at (877) 855-0708 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, e-mail the firm at coreissue@loadedboards.com. – Thanks to Mrs GVK for the tip.

Jim Murphy has organized a Native Skate Jam on a six-foot high half pipe at the the Smithsonian Institution (Potomac Atrium National Museum of the American Indian). The session is on Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5 at 12 and 2 p.m. daily. The skate jam is in support of “Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America” that is open through Sept. 13, 2009. Speaking of Ramp it Up, Betsy Gordon sent in some snaps from the exhibit.