Because this site is still part of the Skatewing Preservation Society, enjoy these pics of a red Skatewing. This one is in pretty good shape until you get a look at a side view of the tail. Once again, this site is also the only member of the Skatewing Preservation Society. – Thanks to Allen Weekes for the photos.

Check out this 1989 CBS Records compilation titled “Skate Hard.” Nothing says “Skate Hard” in the 80’s like a skeleton shredding the wasteland, or a garbage can for that matter. The board may say early 80’s but the Rectors and fingerless gloves say… well, early to late 80’s as well. It’s got a curious lineup of bands, many that I know and sometimes love, and a few that I’ve never heard of. The vast majority of the acts hail from Australia. There are many that are comparatively well known like the Hard-Ons, Cosmic Psychos, Celibate Rifles, and Screaming Tribesmen. Then there are those that are more (globally) obscure, like Ratcat, Ya Ya Choral, Hitmen, Massappeal, Proton Energy Pills, Voodoo Lust, Hellmen, Psychotic Turnbuckles, Splatterheads, and the Kryptonics. Did the Kryptonics get their name from the wheels? I have not been able to discern this. This compilation seems like a great time capsule of a musical scene in Australia, except for the bands that aren’t only out-of-place geographically, but musically as well. Why include Ozzy Osbourne, Living Colour, The Godfathers, and 24-7 Spyz? Probably because the brass thought those names might expose fans to the Australian scene. Here’s a worthless tidbit…

Douchebag rightwing video personality Tim Pool tried to co-opt a local DIY scene in Martinsburg, WV by throwing money at them unsolicited. When rebuffed publicly, he ended up buying the property as an “investment.” While the spot still remains open, and skateable, the locals are less than keene to engage anymore due to uncertainty about what Pool will do, and not wanting to be involved with a guy who associates with White Nationalists and says things like “Vice President Kamala Harris is Hitler and Stalin combined but times 200.” To be fair, the spot looks like it could use a cash infusion, but Pool’s offer (20k!) was for the purse in a trick contest and not for the spot itself. According to the article, Pool himself admitted he bought the spot partially to get back at the “woke” crowd that didn’t want his involvement. The locals have been taunting him (“Tim Pool can’t slappy.”) and he has posted videos to debunk that, bragging about his “first try” tricks. So yeah, another stable genius. Money can’t buy you a decent personality. Yo, Barry, can you believe this? Source: Washington Post via Yahoo News. Thanks to Troy Sliter for the tip.

The Olympics came and went without the chatter surrounding the initial inclusion to the games in 2020. NBC featured a few seconds of skateboarding in TV commercials and yet they didn’t seem to promote it much otherwise. I watched quite a bit of the events split between about 5 different channels terrestrial TV, but only managed to catch the women’s park finals despite having the TV on in background and scouring the channels regularly. Someone in programming decided show a metric tonne of handball, filed hockey and water polo instead. I imagine it was easily accessible streaming via Peacock, but I wasn’t interested enough to look for it. One thing that I did notice this time around was the lift on the ban of skateboard brand names on the graphics of the board. In any case, this concludes my essay on Skateboarding in the Olympics, except to say that Tech Deck released a bunch of 2024 Paris Olympic fingerboards, including a few sets with obstacles. One of those sets was for Sky Brown, who actually won a bronze medal.

This cat scratching post in the shape of a skateboard comes from Suck.uk. I avoided another obvious choice of post title because Ted is a douchebag. This product is mildly amusing. – Thanks to Garrett for the tip.

If you were exposed to it as a child and have a good heart you’re likely a fan of Richard Scarry’s children’s books and characters. Lowly Worm was always one of my favorites because he was so ridiculous looking and had such of zest for life despite not having any appendages. Super 7 has a line of licensed Richard Scarry merch that includes action figures and this very excellent t-shirt. After a quick inventory of my Super 7 related posts Ive realized that I’m constantly complaining about the price, so I’m not going to continue the traditions. I’m the proud owner of this t-shirt thanks to Father’s Day, and even if it wasn’t a gift, it’s still reasonably priced. You can get an action figure combo with Huckle Cat and Lowly that unfortunately does not include a skateboard but is still moderately priced. On the right is a rug spotted at a street fair in Bellingham Washington. I can’ recall if this is an actual illustration from a. Richard Scarry book but my gut says it is, and if I ever get to that storage unit I’ll see if I can find out what book it came from. Cars and…

The bi-monthly children’s magazine Jack and Jill started in 1938 and is shockingly still in publication. On the left are 2 covers from 1977 and 1978. On the right is the August 2024 issue. A quick search of the the golden year of 1965 turned up no cover appearances in Jack and Jill, and a casual search of other decades so far has shown some examples of rollerblades and roller skates, but so far no other skateboards. – Thanks to Darren Haugen for the tip.

They keep cranking ’em out. I don’t have an affinity for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but they are starting to wear me down. This Mondo Gecko figure from Super 7 is pretty cool. $55 cool? I’m not so sure. Maybe if I made better decisions in life and didnt waste so much time, effort and money on skateboarding ephemera I wouldn’t have to think twice about it.

VibeRide is still claiming to be the world’s first longboard with a brake, which seems patently false. They’ve redesigned their original concept from a couple years ago, and this time it’s quite a bit simpler. Although they don’t give you a very good closeup of the mechanism, its looks to be the same sort of setup you see in traditional caliper brakes on bicycle, with the calipers pressing the pad out against the wheel instead of in agains a tire rim. This is aimed at the longboard market so I guess you don’t have to worry about hinging up that cable on anything. In videos they mention that it’s not meant for serious downhill use either. There’s an emphasis on beginner use, and the Switch is pretty clever in that it allows you to start with a leash, and replace it with a foot pedal once you’ve gotten the hang of it. This is the lightweight version of their original concept, which they still offer for sale. My stance on tools and setups for beginners has mellowed with age. I could see this being pretty useful for some kids or clumsy adults who wanted to get into skateboarding purely as…

Yes folks, the Caricature of Dorian Gray, as opposed to the picture, by Mannequinonthemoon. – Thanks to Hon Don Gerard for the tip.