The Minutemen. I think the first time I ever heard them was on a Skate Rock compilation. They were always championed by Thrasher. The DVD of the documentary has been out for a while. MC weighs in with a review of the 2 disc DVD, which you can buy from the web site along with some pretty cool looking skateboards that say it all. Check it out.

As I was putting these together I got a report from field agent Wes Cording that he had a fun session there today but it got rained out. Apparently there are several parked cars full of skaters waiting for the rain to stop again. Until then, here are some more pics of the opening day of Pier Park. Does anyone know what happened to the Nike SB team? There are links to more pictures from other sources as well. None of my shots are very good, but that’s OK. The Park isn’t going anywhere, and you’ll soon be sick of seeing it here on this site. Ready? On to Pier Park Skatepark Opening Day.

Lost in all the hubbub of the opening of the park is the fact that there is a lot of work to do if we want to see the rest of those 19 parks built, or if we want to see a roof and lights over Pier Park. Skaters for Portland Skateparks has been carrying a cross on your behalf for five years now. The opening of the new Pier Park hasn’t stopped them from giving even more as seen in this novelty check symbolizing a very real donation of another $1000 by SPS to Portland Parks.

The email came to me in German, which I can’t read. We cover stuff from the U.K., so why not? Looks like there is a Claus Grabke retrospective in a traveling skateboarding art show. This one is in Stuttgart Germany, or I don’t know my geography. I like art. I like Claus Grabke. There was a really good interview with him in issue 57 of Juice magazine, including an interesting bit on his short stint with Powell, and how Peralta kept trying to mentor him, with Claus talking about how he already had a father and didn’t need another one.

I know she was an important figure in the NY scene but I can’t stand her. It’s very fitting then, that she headlined the last show at CBGB’s before the urinals and everything else got packed up and shipped to Las Vegas for what will likely be a very cheesy tourist trap incarnation of CBGB’s. The International Herald Tribune says of Smith:

Smith refused to wax very nostalgic, instead claiming at a pre-show news conference which doubled as a soundcheck that “CBGB’s is a state of mind” that will carry on elsewhere for a new generation. She later noted with relish that CBGB, at 33, was the same age as Jesus.

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Oh god, shut up! Assorted links to CBGB’s stories, including one in China after the jump.

Yeah not much of a fake out, huh? It just had to look a little less than obvious. Rich Burton took this pic. See it larger after the jump.

I don’t know how this park compares to the new Upland, but the consensus around PDX is that we have a world class park. More pictures later. This is just to tide you over. That’s Shawn Reinert airing out of the pipe into the deep end. Click it to make him big.

What can I say, I’m a little giddy about this damn park. Waiting for my batteries to charge up before I head back. Could have uses a few pops of the external flash, but no matter, the park isn’t going anywhere. Click to see it bigger.

Last night. Four minute exposure. Mark and I running around popping the flash. It’s drizzling there right now. Hopefully it will clear up soon! A couple lucky kids who were “pressing glass” sleeping in their car after getting booted from the pipe at 4am – they got to get a quick 5 minute session at 8am when the setup crew started to arrive. Will they be the only ones today? See this picture bigger.

Yep. This is what it looks like tonight as we camp out to keep the poachers and graffiti losers out of the park for one last night so everything will look pretty for the Mayor and Nike. I’m predicting it will be tagged by Wednesday. See you tomorrow morning. Be prepared for way to much coverage.