It’s… imminent. Photoshop work by Kvon.

Apparently, killers are kosher again for legendary Vision Skateboards. You used to be able to get Mark Rogowski’s shape with the word “Vision” in place of skateboarding’s most famous murderer. Market research must have proven that the public has a short term memory for distasteful acts such as rape and assault, but a long term love for nostalgia. Now you can get the Gator re-issue board as it was in his glory days. No word on where those royalty checks are going. Yes, It’s a proud legacy.

East coast favorite and former Spitfire pro JR Neves passed away saturday, still no official cause of death. This is a detail from a Brooks Fritz shot of Neves at FDR back in 2005. Be sure to check out the whole image at Skateboard-revolution.com. Deluxe has posted an old video part as well.

This is Weirdo Skateboards rider, test pilot and representative Tom Beeson The photo was shot by Dwayne Sackey at the Berkeley Skatepark in Berkeley, CA. Get some hot, weird action.

I almost forgot to do a Shot of the Week, so I pulled this one out. This is street skating circa 1989, and part of that scene was being a dick to pedestrians and cars… This shot involved the fake ollies (layback ollies?) where you skate up to something and put your hand on it to support your weight while you ollie the board onto whatever impossibly high obstacle was in front of you. Of course, nowadays people could probably ollie onto the hood of a car without help. I still love to do this trick, and recently brought it out of retirement, although not on the hoods of a cars belonging to people I don’t know. The guy in this pictures shall be named only as “Carl” as he has since gone onto become a productive member of society, and probably wouldn’t appreciate this picture showing up in his background check the next time he applies for a job. Check out the full frame Shot of the Week.

I don’t know which former powerhouse brand has fallen further from grace. Nash, Variflex, Vision or now Kryptonics. If this concept had come from World Industries in the 90’s I would have praised it as the pinnacle of satire. Instead, the aptly named Skater in a Box is toy store/sporting goods fodder without irony. Still, I might need to get one of these: Skateboarding is an image; no one wants to be or look like a poser. That’s why the Kryptonics Skater In a Box has everything you need to fit the part of a real skateboarder… …Add in your Kryptonics skull beanie, chain wallet, and wristband and you’ll have everything you need to hit the skatepark or the streets. The board graphic is quite clever, actually. All of these items can be yours for about 60 bucks, so you know the quality is not an issue.

I have a vague recollection of this style of Levis commercial. This one dates back to 1977 and briefly features some kids and possibly even a gorilla on a skateboard. It’s hard to tell compressed and small, plus the psychedelic nature of the animation doesn’t help any. – Thanks to Eric Shea for the tip.

The review of Mingus Park, also known as Coos Bay, is deep and smooth with fast coping. The street area has yet to be developed. When you pull up, it looks like a 1950’s flying saucer. The pool is deep and fast. The shallow end is a hero’s drop in. The deep end is fun and easy to ride. This is the link between Reedsport and Port Orford. You can now skate yourself silly on the coast hitting a park every half hour. There were about a hundred people skating on Saturday, the day after it officially opened. I would like to thank the Mayor for his hand-written invitation to Mingus Park. Hope to see him next time I drive through. P.S. Surrounding the park are baseball fields and tennis courts; none of them used. Eight great iPhotos after the jump. Thanks to EPM for the gorgeous shot of yours truly. He’s got some more shots of Matt Kline killing it.

Taking a little time off to mourn the loss of a friend of mine who died in his sleep over the weekend, Jay Bennett. If the name is familiar, Jay might be most famously known as a member of the band Wilco. He appeared on every album up to and including Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, after which he quit and/or was fired, depending on who you ask. Before that he was a member of Steve Pride and His Blood Kin, and before that he was in a band called Titanic Love Affair, or TLA for short. This was an early promo I shot of TLA in the late 80’s before they appeared on MTV and in Rolling Stone. Jay is pictured in the center. That’s a Thrasher Freedom sticker sideways on the brim of his hat, actually.

First off this month I want to thank all of the folks who email in to tell me how much they enjoy the column, whether it be to the email address here or on skullandbones. I’m glad that so many people all around the world seem to enjoy my pontificating and nonsense. Also for those that send in links to auctions etc, that is much appreciated too. I may not use them because I don’t feature decks on price alone anymore. The photos have to be good, and something has to appeal to me aesthetically. But still, keep sending them in, especially if you see a bargain. They are difficult to spot. Check out eBay Watch: April 2009