This is clearly a Kevin Staab bootleg. More than one company seems to have copied the ‘Mad Chemist’ graphic in the past. We had some here and I have seen some other fake Staabs around.  The original deck was designed by John Lucero in 1986 for Sims. Also, this fake one is made by Saturn, the same company that produced the fake Monty Nolder from December. It was also the same seller who sold this deck on eBay. This one went for £10.73 after 5 bids. Thanks to John William Davies for the tip and Chandra Ruegg for the pictures.

Secret background compound in the “Weird Woods of Maine.” I didn’t even notice the wooden ramp the first few times I looked at this photo. [Photo: (with Permission) Rob XXXX]

This is a commercial with skateboarding in it that I can get behind. Death Wish Coffee presents The Late Riser. – Thanks to Mezmer for the tip.

Pause magazine wants to redefine men’s fashion: The skater boy is the contemporaries new man and fashion wants him for their own.AW or SS it doesn’t matter….THIS IS THE FUTURE. This guy so surreal looking I can’t even laugh at this. A one point the video is like Charlie Sexton in a Devo video. Sometimes he looks like a computer animation. The model is one angular mofo. The video runs from skateboarding to motocross to a quasi bullfighter look. I keep expecting Ali G or Bruno to pop up. And the title, so hopelessly out of touch/fashion. That was popular in 2002! I don’t know why, but this whole thing fascinates me. It makes me want to stand in the corner of a skatepark and do the fake make out thing with my hands around my back. Yes, I know there are no corners in a skatepark. “Bonus” Avril Lavign video after the fashion disaster. [Source: Caught in the Crossfire]

Avenue Trucks is the latest attempt to redesign the skateboard truck. It’s getting harder to come up with new ways to fix something that isn’t broken, but they managed to do it. They must have used up all their creativity by the time it came time to choose a name though. The combination leaf spring baseplate looks like it would bend all to hell if anybody other than a little kid was riding it. They have a video showing it in action, and it looks stable for the most part, although it does dip pretty low at points. If it’s the same rider that they show at the end, he’s not exactly taxing the board. Benefits? I imagine they’ll claim some sort of extra carving feel, maybe a shock absorber for high impact landings? Maybe they are cheaper to manufacture. It’s hard to know, as the web site is retry much just a place holder right now. You’ll find more info on their Facebook presence. Even as I can hear the choruses of naysayers, I’d like to ride a set of these just to see what it feels like. That’s going to be their biggest challenge. I can’t imagine a…

Sewa Kroetkov for Lenovo computers is the focus of a commercial in Lenovo’s campaign awkwardly titled “Make your DO come true.” On the the DP’s list of things to do, maybe reshoot the 2/3 of the action that resulted in butt shots. I had to look up Sewa Kroetkov because I am an old man whole lives in a cabin in the woods, but he’s a real guy from the Netherlands and not a construct of a creative director’s imagination. The example of Sewa giving up life as an accountant to skateboard for a living seems at odds with Lenovo’s target audience. They’re saying he’s a “doer” and people who “do” use Lenovo notebooks. The unintended message is “Screw a straight job, go skateboarding!” – Thanks to Matthijs for the tip.

Mark Ruffalo (the Hulk in the Avengers) is mad about skateboarding, as in he looks like he’s a little crazy in this photo from the Daily Mail. He’s rockin’ a Penny Skateboard (logo visible on the front truck) and some kind of crazy digital camera with a gold lens. – Thanks to Mrs Kilwag for the tip

The two works are Unknown Pleasures and Closer. And that’s it. Everything else, is merchandising. Merchandising of memory. Chances are, if you see anything with the name Joy Division on it that isn’t music, a book or a movie, it’s a bootleg. The quote above is from the 2007 documentary Joy Division which you can (and should) watch for free on Hulu, at least for now. The quote appears in the last few minutes of the film and the speaker is off camera so I’m not sure who it is. The image of a Joy Division inspired skateboard is superimposed over a famous band photo for a few brief seconds during the quote, which I thought was an unusual choice. It could have been used as commentary on Joy Division’s cultural appeal spanning the decades from the 70’s to the new millennium, implying the music is still modern. They might have chosen a skateboard because it looked more interesting than a bootleg t-shirt. Then again, maybe the skateboard in question was designed by an astronomy fan. REVISION: The Hacienda sells licensed Joy Division coffee cups. Err… right.

Chuck E Cheese squares up against the venerable Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse certainly holds the edge in sheer quantity of appearances on a skateboard, but Chuck has the advantage in this presentation. Actually, he kind of looks like a skatepark hipster. That’s a pencil sharpener on the bottom of his skateboard, not a battery pack for an electric motor. Production date on both of these items are unknown.

St. Patrick’s Day graphic from the Powell Peralta page on Facebook. Honestly, I’m surprised there was no limited edition board to go with it.