Category Archive: Magazines
Kevin Thatcher on Trasher, in Thrasher
Apparently in the world of skateboarding there are these things called magazines, and in particular, the longest running skateboard magazine called “Thrasher” is still a thing. Why on earth would Skate and Annoy link to Thrasher? We like to help out the little guys. Yuk, yuk, yuk… You should definitely check out the Kevin Thatcher interview from the January print issue that just went online. Hey kids, Kevin was a name once synonymous with Thrasher. It seemed inconceivable that there would ever be a Thrasher magazine without him, but to hear him tell it, it was definitely a group effort. Learn about the gory, glory days of mechanical paste ups before everything became Wild Riders of Keyboards… Photo: Self described Pro-for-5-minutes Kevin Thatcher in the Winchester halfpipe in 1978, by Gary Medeiros as seen at Tunnel Skateboards.
What is a Swatch?
Girl is Not. 4 Letter Word has a good read on Stephanie Person, a female black professional skateboard from the 80s. I could not recall her specifically appearing in mags in the 80’s but she did, and I do remember the featured “Sugar and Spice” article in Thrasher. Her experiences as a black female skater in the 80’s are unique even to other female skaters in the 80’s and not all for the reasons you’d expect. It’s notable that her career and sponsorships were result of her smart thinking and persistence. I only wish this had been a little more in-depth. One amusing side note: The editors’s note has to explain what a Swatch is for younger readers. – Thanks to Jason Lilly for the tip.
Skateboarding, it’s not just for old MEN anymore.
I expected this to be another article on old skateboarders, but the print issue of the June 2019 issue of ESPN Magazine instead features a brief excerpt of photographers David Burnett’s exhibit titled Fourth Quarter: Senior Athletes and Their Indomitable Spirit, currently showing at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Fl. That’s an old friend of the site Judy Oyama in the two page spread there, probably wishing they’s actually shown her skateboarding. The web site article has some, well… gnarly looking senior athletes. The hockey team is my favorite. There’s also can alleged photo of Mark Lake in there too. I say “alleged” because the caption reads “Skateboarding legend Mark Lake, 61, began his pro career at 19. Here, he takes one of his patented “Nightmare” boards for a spin at the Ramp48 Skateboard Park…” but the photograph is a guy on rollerblades. I don’t know if that’s Mark on roller blades or not. I couldn’t have picked him out of a lineup in the 80’s let alone today. While opinions on the Nightmare remain mixed, we can all agree it doesn’t look like a pair of inline skates.
The Zen of Elle
This is the cover of Elle Zen from the Spring 2018 issue. I couldn’t find any more photos from the cover session, but the web site had a couple “articles” including one that translates to “3 good reasons to go skateboarding.” From the picture I assumed at least one of them was going to be fashion accessory or dating related… but they’re all very good reasons: To feel good about yourself. To be fit. To have fun. They also have another article titled Mettez-vous au longboard! Although article is actually about surfing, it is inexplicably illustrated with a woman posing on a skateboard.
Milo Ventimiglia in Men’s Journal
This is the actor Milo Ventimiglia appearing on the cover and inside the November, 2018 issue of Men’s Journal, with a skateboard. He looks pretty comfortable on that cut down waterski. – Thanks to Tim Rafferty for the tip.
Forever Young
Grandpa has a long board, and a radical attitude. This is the March, 2017 issue of Prime Time, an Rhode Island publication described as a “contemporary magazine speaking to the mature market, caregivers & medical professionals.” – Thanks to Poeser for the photo.
High Times Guide to Un-Olympic Sports
The July 1996 edition of High Times features the pot smoker’s dude to un-Olympic sports, with New York City’s Ryan Hickey getting “high” air on the cover. I do not own this issue, so I don’t know what they had to say about skateboarding. Now that skateboarding is going to be an olympic sport, will they print a retraction?
Brian Anderson Playboy Interview
Brian might not be the first Anderson you think of when it comes to Playboy. How it all shaking out for him, post coming out in Vice? Turns out, very well. Read about it in his interview in Playboy. It’s a good follow up to an excellent video. I do take issue with the headline Playboy’s editor’s chose. It basically says, “Brian opens up about opening up.” I want to interview him about this interview, just so I can title the post “Brian Anderson opens up about opening up about coming out.”
Gonz, Stoned
Mark Gonzales is interviewed over on Rolling Stone. It’s technically an interview as he is asked some questions, and “answers” them in typical Gonz fashion. Among the hot topics, you can sort of learn his take on skateboarding in the Olympics. What’s he doing in Rolling Stone? I suspect it has something to do with Adidas reps reaching out. Check out a trailer for Away Days after the jump.
The J is for Japanese
Michael J. Fox made some commercials in Japan for the Honda Integra in the late 80’s and early 90’s that were essentially designed to remind you that Fox was in Back to the Future without having to pay Robert Zemeckis and and Bob Gale. This is a print piece that looks like it was probably a magazine feature and not an advertisement. The Chris Miller deck dates to 1988 according to Art of Skateboarding, but the print piece appears to be from 1989. Because I first saw it on FB, it’s nearly impossible to trace to it’s original Internet source, but it might be this Michael J. Fox fan Tumblr. Unfortunately, there’s no real information about what it says or what it’s from. It’s likely related to the commercials because although none of the 5 versions I saw contain any skateboarding, a few contain scenes with the red guitar shown in this print piece. UPDATE: Added a vague translation.











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