Not every zine was a winner. Then again, not every zine was as bad as it seemed on first impression. This is Concrete Crusaders #2, an eight page affair with no date and no mention of who put it together with the exception of someone who did some transcribing. Despite the raised expectations that the Electric Ocean logo provides, on the surface this zine is sucky, However, it was probably the work of one guy, a lone outpost in his community. That’s right, whoever made this was the Dances with Wolves of Ohio skate zines. He went to Ann Arbor Michigan and got some decent pics of Brian Mank, a Midwest staple of the time. Whoever made this zine may not have had a lot of artistic talent, but he was probably stoked by Thrasher to do his own thing, and he did it. This is issue number two, and the editor seems despondent by lack of reader feedback. Of course with a title like “Boring Summer Issue,” what can you expect? Summer should be the best part of the year for skate coverage!

Tom Miller over the capsule doorway at Irrigon skatepark photo by Steve Gump.

Steve Gump has posted a photo set from a session last weekend at Irrigon with Tom Miller, Dan Hughes and Tom Kilroy. Looks like the crowd has thinned out somewhat.

Chi-Town Shred was the king of all Chicago skate zines in the late 80’s. I don’t know how long they published, but I’ve got 7 issues, the latest being #9. Their wacky web site (yes, they are online!) shows a cover for “the Last Issue” which looks like #11 from 1990. These guys had a short but prolific output. I think the key was photo-heavy issues without much blabbering on. That’s a good way to go. Our problem at Skate and Annoy which we still have, was we wanted to pretend we were a real skate mag with stories and coverage of events, interviews, etc… As a result we would unbearably delay getting things out, which explains our 12 year gap in printing. We got distracted, but we always intended on putting out another issue. I was still printing photos from negatives for the next issue in the late 90’s.

Closure from Dan Wolfe, circa 2003. Go check out Dan’s Homepage and purchase a DVD or VHS tape from him. Chances are, if you like watching skate videos, you’ve seen a part that Dan Wolfe has filmed.

The Tony Hawk Foundation just announced it’s Spring 2007 Grant Awards. Find out if your town is one of the 23 listed that will be dipping into the pool of $200,000. The foundation has given out over $1.7-million since it was established in 2002. In 2005 they had an operating budget of 6% and actually spent 80% of their revenue on program services, which should earn them a high rating according to organizations that rate charities. The other 14% of their budget went to fundraising events like the Stand Up For Skateparks benefit. (Hey Andy MacDonald, keep your eyes up!) Find out if your town is on the list after the jump.

This was a Canadian zine out of Ontario. I’ve got four issues, the latest I have is #17. That’s Freezine as in “freezing,” not “free.” This is a good one, not a lot of reading or actual skate photographs if you analyze it, but put together well enough to make it seem like you were getting a lot.

And so begins my project to scan all my old zines and make them available for older skaters to relive their past, and for the younger generation to make an archeological dig into skateboarding culture before it was so easily accessible. These were the days of press type, scissors and rubber cement. Typewriters and hand lettering, or at most computer printed text xeroxed and shrunk and cut up and pasted into the layout to make it fit. Yes, I am aware that Xerox is a proper noun, and not a verb. It makes me want to cry in my Kleenex. First up, Harsh Vibes #2 (revised edition, actually) from Milwaukee. Exact date unknown.