Jan and Dean’s 1964 song Sidewalk Surfin’ is pretty much the first skatesploitation song. I haven’t actually researched that, Doc Skaterock probably knows for sure. It’s easily the most famous one. As a young lad I remember buying a cutout Jan & Dean greatest hits compilation on cassette tape just because of this song. Before we were exposed to the larger world of punk rock and skate rock, we actually used to derive a bit of stoke from this cheesy tune, and later on would bust it out for a laugh and some nostalgia.

What’s a Rich Eisen? He’s a guy with a sports talk show who got a skateboarding lesson from a man who needs no introduction. Shortly after this clip was uploaded, an intern was fired for forgetting to turn on the deinterlace option.

Here’s an excellent time capsule of skateboard harassment from a local Springfield Illinois news channel concerning a proposed ban on skateboarding downtown. Local business and civic leaders speak out against “skateboard terrorists” in advance of the ban, which ultimately passed. The video was digitized from a decrepit old VHS tape, so there are tracking issues and the sound doesn’t always sync right, but it’s still a good watch. One of the skateboarders makes a reasonable request for a public skatepark to serve the needs of the population, and they did get one after only 25 years. – Thanks to Nick Rudd for the tip.

Northeast Bend, Oregon skaters are stoked to get a new skatepark in Rockridge park, but not too stoked on the proposed Evergreen design, described as a “lunar landscape.” Here’s the thing, they just want a regular skatepark, and not a throwback to some terrain not really seen since the 70’s. I remember similar pushback to the modern snake run that was supposed to happen in Gabriel Park. In the end the design changed on the fly during construction and we got the best of neither worlds. However, Gabriel Park is still a fun park with a lot to offer. The Rockridge park design is unique, and would probably be a lot of fun to ride, but it won’t offer the typical skatepark experience. Northwest skatepark building companies have traditionally been on the forefront of unique designs and features, but there will always be those that just prefer predictable reliability. How do we balance the risk? Will locals adapt and enjoy? We won’t know for sure until it gets built. Would I want this if it was the only skatepark in my area? It probably wouldn’t be my first choice. In addition to an existing skatepark this lunar landscape, Bend is…

Clarence is one of my favorite shows on TV. That’s favorite shows, not just cartoons. I’ve been anticipating a skateboarding episode since the show premiered. In the second season it’s finally happened with episode 9 titled “Skater Sumo.” Ryan “Sumo” Sumozski is Clarence’s friend, not a Japanese wrestler. When some girls from school show up with new skateboards he flips out with envy. Sumo’s large family is cash strapped, so he has to make his own. Clarence has his own issues, and sticks to rollerblading. Will Sumo leave his best friend behind? This is the best portrayal of skateboarding in a cartoon that I’ve ever seen. It captures the pure joy of being young on a skateboard for the first time, and at the same time it’s aware of skateboarding culture in today’s world. You can catch a couple previews over at Cartoon Network. If you don’t get Cartoon Network you should resist to the urge to watch the bootleg clips on Youtube because none of them are complete and they will ruin the experience of watching the entire episode unfold organically. Try to find a way to watch this intact if you can. There’s bunch of stills after the…

I find the title of Fox 4 of Kansas City, Missouri’s story amusing: “Young residents continue to build skating facility at Columbus Park despite knowing it will eventually be torn down.” Yes, you silly young residents, keep beating your heads against the wall. It’s another sanctioned DIY spot with planned obsolescence in it’s future. Sound familiar? The spot looks good, but what is it called? It seems to be in the middle of nowhere, yet somehow developers have their eye on the location. Get some while you can, you never know how these things will end up. Yes you do, but keep your dreams alive, young residents.

The April 27th episode of the Steve Harvey Show featured those two child prodigies you’ve likely already seen on Facebook, Sky and Ocean. This time the video is online, unlike the last time Steve Harvey talked about skateboarding on TV. Old man Steve (not Grover) actually got on a skateboard too. [Source: Girlisnota4letterword.com]

Adam Crofts sent me a beat up copy of the Keane Brothers debut album from 1977 because it had skateboard on the cover. I listened to it, hoping that the song Keep On Rollin’ was skateboard related, but it wasn’t. The album is a truly awful mix of 70’s disco, soul, rock, country and bubblegum. It’s a freaking awesome train wreck. I noticed the producer also had the last name Keane, so I figured this was a showbiz father trying to get rich off his kids, and that this was probably the last time anyone ever heard of the Keane Brothers, if anyone ever heard of them at all. Of course I was wrong. The Keane Brothers had one of those variety shows that were all over the 70’s like flies on shitty music, and they appeared on the Tonight Show and the Mike Douglas Show. On top of that, the opening sequence of their variety show prominently features the Keane brothers on skateboards.

Another appearance of skateboard as an answer on the Family Feud with Steve Harvey. The question might have been “Name something you ride” instead of “Name something men keep doing even though they are too old.” Not sure if this was a rerun or not, but I did not catch this, nor any other episode. – Thanks to Daymond for the tip.

Check out this clip of Jan and Dean lip-syncing Sidewalk Surfin’ on American Bandstand. August 22, 1964. Dick Clark talks with audience a little bit about skateboarding (a young man’s game?) and half the “band” actually does sidewalk surf on the stage. There’s even a little bit of dorking around during the lip sync session. See what passes for a “trick” in 1964. All in all, a very interesting clip showing skateboarding and skatesploitation in mid-60’s popular culture.