The bootleg graphics (on the top picture) look exactly like the ones on the original Variflex decks. Variflex shifted production to Taiwan somewhere in the 80’s, so maybe they made both branded and unbranded decks at some point. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to bootleg such wildly successful graphics. Variflex had a great pro team and produced very decent skateboards in the end of the 70’s and the beginning of the 80’s, but then started to produce rather shoddy completes. You can marvel in the mediocrity in the Living Variflex Museum (of Crap), or read about their history on Skateboard Of The Day.

Thanks to Walter Meus, J.P. Begel and Pat Cash for the pics. Thanks to kilwag for the edits.

Never trust anyone over 30. Even old metal heads and socialist punks can turn on you. Billy Bragg has come out against the coalition of skateboarders trying to save (Southbank). You can read about it in the aptly titled “Billy Bragg Is A Knob, Ignore Him And Help Save The Southbank Undercroft,” found on the Void. Another huge surprise, Rob Zombie is allegedly trying to get what must be one of the world’s smallest skateparks torn down, and not becasue he thinks skateboarders deserve a better one. It’s because the park makes too much noise…. Wait, seriously? I say “allegedly” because it’s all hearsay from the Connecticut community web site CTBoom, and they don’t credit any outside sources. They did manage to unearth a 1998 MTV promo video of Rob Zombie and Jamie Foxx skateboarding with the aid of some stunt doubles. So this is the world we live in. You heroes, be they rockers or punkers, will all eventually turn on you. And yes, it’s got too many notes.

[Rob Zombie photo: Encyclopedia Metallum ] – Thanks to Shawn Fendick for the tip.

I have absolutely no context for this video, but that shouldn’t stop us from making wild speculations. Anybody want to watch a video of a kid with a skatebaord being hit by a cop car?

– Thanks to Eric Cherry for the tip

Alright, I’m clearly going to have to start a typography tag. This image comes from Butterick’s Practical Typography. Don’t judge me Butterick, I just read the quick guide and haven’t had time to fix all the errors on S&A. I’m also busy gathering all my goofy skateboard fonts.

So yeah, it’s strictly product placement time here. Unpaid, to be sure, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a recent picture of Stacy Peralta on a skateboard. For some reason I remembered he had knee or hip injuries that were keeping him off the board. It’s good seeing him on a board. Here’s one that came with the announcement of (the second version) of his Hipster model, the Hipster 2. Although I don’t see a goatee on that action shot. I don’t know…

Amelia Brodka is featured on the cover of the August 2013 issue of Pacific San Diego magazine. There’s also a 6 page feature inside. Photos by Dan Sparagna. It looks like the web site for her documentary on female skateboarders, Underexposed has been updated as well. You can read the whole issue on Issu, but I’m still getting server time out errors when I visit it, so you can check out the relevant pages after the jump.

[Source: Vert Skateboarding]

Feeling stressed? Grab your bath salts and some candles, drag you subwoofer into the bathroom and enjoy a soothing bubble bath while watching this latest (actually old) fashion look book from Koch shot at a very lovely skatepark. No more frontside grinds, release your aggression. Let it go… UPDATE: Added some retina-relaxing images.

At about 11:40 in the Chris Rock episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee you can watch Jerry profess his unsolicited admiration for skateboarders. Weird. I first saw this via Jeff Hedges on Facebook. Not that weird. There’s no embedded video so you’ll need to click through. I’ve watched a handful of these and overall they are pretty good. Some that you’d think would be funnier aren’t, but some that you’d expect to be less amusing are surprising. Jerry, I gotta take issue with your comment on the 1971 Porsche 911 Carrera (See the Seth Myers episode) . I believe the distinction of the first aerodynamic spoiler to be sold on a stock consumer car belongs instead to the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, which was literally a race car they had to sell to the public in order to qualify for Nascar. It was such a game changer that Nascar changed the rules to get rid of them. In fact, the Plymouth Superbird designed at the behest of Richard Petty (to keep him from leaving the team) came out with an almost identical spoiler in 1970, so that Porsche would actually be the third consumer care to have an aerodynamic spoiler. Really, Jerry? Sure, they lack the subtlety of teh porsche, but you have to give credit where credit is due. I expect all you readers to click through a couple times. I want the show’s sponsor Acura to think that skateboarders have lot’s of money. I’ll be checking the mail for my review model. I think the TSX Sport Wagon would do nicely for Mrs. Kilwag. I’ll stick with my ’93 Civic until the last plastic part breaks and I need duct tape to keep the door closed.

My dad is such a loser by youtube user Marcus Johns. Almost too short! – Thanks to Kathleen Conahan for the tip.