After exhaustive research of the very crowded field of contenders, Skate And Annoy is finally able to give you the definitive top 2 record covers featuring violinists playing while riding a skateboard. In the interest of fairness, I’m going to list them in chronological order. Drumroll please… First there was the country, rock, Cajun and calypso sounds of Steamin´ Freeman, a guy who once hailed from Bellingham, Washington. Who knows, maybe he can be found lurking at the Bellingham skatepark. Then in 1979, Rounder Records released Mark O’Connor’s “On the Rampage,” which he recorded at the ripe young age of 17! So it likely wasn’t the record company’s idea that he pose on a skateboard. According to this review, he was an excellent bluegrass player.

UPDATE: Added videos of Mark O’Connor concert performed on skateboards.

When this came up for auction I made myself stop following it because I was trying to save money and my basement is already filled with all kinds of bullshit. Now I’m kicking myself because it sold for only $40, although I think shipping was something like $20 if I recall correctly. Still, for the money, this is the kind of bulshit I should have added to my collection. On the surface, the board is nothing special, but on closer inspection the truck and wheel combination is pretty interesting. It’s got 60’s style Chicago Trucks with the sheet metal baseplate, and yet it has 70’s era urethane wheels. Then there’s that awesome color sticker with a hotdog skateboard that says “Frankly the Best.” The icing on the cake is the 2 color screen printed graphic on the box. They were really giving this thing the hard sell.

– Thanks to David Maes for the tip.

I’ve been remiss in posting this on S&A, as it is about a week old by now, but it has been reported that Mike Weed passed away. I’ve read it was after a battle with lymphoma. There appears to be no official announcement online, and Weed’s official web site has not been updated at this time. You can read a 2009 interview with Mike in Juice Magazine #66.

There’s something about the tactile quality of these old, molded magnets that is really pleasing. Most of the ones I’ve ever seen were molded in the shape of a state or a tourist attraction. As a kid I ate a metric ton of Freakies cereal, and collected a lot of Freakies character magnet that sometimes came as the toy in the box. This Skateboard Happy magnet dates to the same era, a time when there must have been a lot of anger in the sport. Paying 10 bucks for this would make me angry though.

I thought I was going to steal these two Sport Girl dolls for $10, but they ended up going for $42, which is more than a grown man should spend on skateboarding dolls from the 70’s. I’ve shown this unlicensed Farrah Fawcett packaging before, but I’ve never seen the red variant. The three bullet points on the Sport Girl are Rooted, washable hair, twist and turn waist and vinyl head. Vinyl head? How luxurious! And there you have it, day 3 of “Doll a Day” week.

Sure, the last post was about something manly and useful – making your own concrete coping. Now I’ve decided that it’s “Doll a Day” week. This is Dashing Daisy, a Barbie clone made in the 70’s and sold in the UK. It’s actually “sort of” interesting in that she was allegedly designed by a mod fashion designer Mary Quant who was a bit of a celebrity in the UK fashion world at the time. Even so, they look like junk. I guess the Dashing Daisy variant had more movement than the standard Dull Daisy. The skateboard version came in at least 2 colors that I’ve found, and seems to go for about $75 U.S. despite the lack of perceived quality. Daisy Doll Skidoo 65705 is dated at 1977. WTF is a skidoo?

This is mockup of PEP# 326, with notes by the colorist. You know how comic books are drawn by one guy, inked by another, and colored by another? PEP #326 was published in June of 1977, which explains the combination of two massive 70’s fads, the skateboard and the CB Radio. I still hate Archie, if you’re wondering, but I’m also trying to feature him once a week. This colorist’s proof starts at $90 on eBay. There are no other skateboard stories or illustrations in this issue.

– Thanks to David Maes for the tip.

Laura Thornhill featured in Dynamite Magazine #42, published in 1977. Sylvester Stallone on the cover, what is next for Sylvester after Rocky? four more Rocky movies of course. Listen, I don’t care if he only made 3 more or 5 more, so don’t bother to correct me if I’m wrong. This is the third appearance of skateboarding in Dynamite Magazine here on S&A. Complete spread and text after the jump.

The Cami Three Aces (Tres Assi) model, a six wheeled, three truck plastic skateboard made in Italy at some point in the late 70’s or early 80’s most likely. Actullay, that top graphic makes me think it’s 80’s or possibly even later. I’ve been on the lookout for the six wheeled plastic skateboard as seen in this post. I think the side by side truck configuration is more rare. I’ve seen the three aces configuration on more recent boards. And then there’s the Wheelie Board. Finding a 6 wheeled plastic skateboard on the internet is tough, you’ll turn up endless Penny board knockoffs and collections of regular wheels without an actual board. So who knows if I’ll ever find the right one. Meanwhile, what about the Three Aces? Pretty damned cool, although $200 bucks is a steep price for a plastic board, but it is pretty rare. What I need is more disposable income.

– Thanks to David ODK for the tip.

A sticker from Adidas that looks to be of 70’s vintage, based on the somewhat narrow skateboard, hockey style helmet and odd implementation of pads. As seen on Ebay.