A good friend of mine once came to visit with a guy she was dating who turned out the be the Choir Boy Robber. After a quick change of clothes, he would make his getaway on a fancy track bike. The way they caught him was simple really. He had to ditch his bike once cause he got spooked. The bike was a tricked out custom job, not a Trek or Specialized that could be bought anywhere. The fuzz canvassed bike shops and one of them ID’ed him as Tom Justice. So he’s in jail now, gets out in about 4 more years I heard. He was kind of a dick to my friend. On the surface he was personable and interesting to talk to, but something about him always seemed suspect. We thought he was a dealer, actually. There were no bank robberies during his stay with us in Portland. Want to learn more about the Choir Boy Robber? There supposedly was an article written about him in Details magazine, and he’s got a page on Friendster. Holy cow, is Friendster still around? What’s the point of this? Oh yeah, some guys have been robbing banks and making getaways…

There are two things wrong with the Skateboard Park Tycoon game title. First, it should be “Skatepark Tycoon” or “Skate Park Tycoon.” Second, nobody really makes money running a skateboard park. Skateboard Park Tycoon combines a sims type atmosphere with all the fun of building your own pretend skatepark and and sitting there watching pretend people skate it. It was so good, they made three of them.

Dean Tyrell writes: A friend of mine who was patricpating in a Skate contest here in Palma (Spain) last weekend, broke a finger in practice. He went to hospital, got it fixed up in a plaster cast and came back halfway through his heat, (loaded on painkillers hence carefree expression in the foto) and still competed, probabaly with a semi-wet cast. Nice air too. Andres Moral. A very hot skater around these parts.   the foto says it all; the cast, the smile and the air… skateboarding. See the whole shot after the jump. Update: Photo by Albert Crespi

Buy the book.

Gumby and his band are performing at a skateboard rally, but before he can get to it the Blockheads steal Gumby’s board (7 minutes). You can watch a short segment here. No blockheads but Yes that is Gumby throwing up the hang loose looping and playing his guitar at the same time. Prickle on Sax, Goo on keyboards and Pokey on skins. For $1.99 you can download Gumby Adventures episode 86 from Amazon and it will be yours to cherish. Provided you have a Windows XP SP2 or Vista PC or Tivo Series2 or 3 box or a Video-ready Playsforsure portable device registered with them.

Swank Zine #6 comes to us from the collection of John Drummond. there’s no date on it, but Swank had moved to Solona, California, if that helps any. There’s a mention about a ramp session at Lance Mountain’s called “Lock at Lances.” Typical Swank fare, though not as artsy fartsy as they would get later on. Lots of pics by J. Grant Brittain. Swank Zine #6 Editor: Tod Swank Art: Tod Swank Photos: J. Grant Brittain, Tod Swank Featuring: Chris Black, Tim Noel, Owen Nieder interview, Carlos the owner of Fogtown skates, John Gibson, Salvador Dali, Eddie Reategui, Christian Hosoi, Mike McGill, Meck (?), Adrian Demain, Billy Ruff, Jeff Tautum, Lester Kasai Spots: Colton skatepark, Shell bowl, Lance Mountain’s ramp Honorable Mentions: Scarecrow Sakteboard advert. In the Zines section is a zine called “Hey U Dick” proported to be by and aboutt Steve and Art Godoy. Owen Nieder’s last words in the interview are pleading for Duane Peters to start skating again. Local Slang: Skat-gy (Skate energy) Check out Swank Zine #6, comment at the gallery.

There’s this thing called the Urban Circus that has “a contemporary look, it boasts dancing, swaggering, swinging, swaying and skateboarding.” The actual name is 7 Doigts (fingers), and it’s a French Canadian operation that is more or less a poor man’s Cirque De Soleil. Traces is the name of the particular show they are currently putting on. All the press keeps mentioning skateboarding, as if it’s an integral part of the show, but all the photos and various video clips out there suggest it might be more “skateboard-inspired.” But still, everytime something gets written about the show, basketball and skateboards get big billing. Well, I finally found some actual skateboarding. Looks like they are using them as little more than dance props. Extreme!™ I’d rather watch the guy who skates and dances on crutches, aka the Virtual Provocateur.

Just got my copy of the Hopeless Old Men On Skateboards Volume 2. Looks great, I’m pleased with the quality.

Girls get no respect skateboarding. Whether it’s some sleazy businessman making cheesy adverts, some sleazy web site editor reposting them, or Fuel TV running jiggle girls on top of the airing of the Skate Girl documentary. What happens when they end up on Mexican TV? Well, they get introduced by cast full of Cuchi Cuchi girls bouncing up and down in their seats like Charo. And of course, the closing set has the cast doing some lame sidewalk surfing in place. Chica Rider is a Mexican organization devoted to girls who skate. They were profiled on some sort of entertainment show on Mexican TV.