Skull Skates has actually been available in the US for at least five years, but you had to go to one shop, Cal Skates in Portland, Oregon to find them. Blitz Distribution just signed on to distribute Skull Skates on a wider basis in the US, with the none other than Bill Danforth heading up the effort. You won’t find Skull Skates at Zumiez, as Bill and company will be screening the potential vendors down to limited group of core shops. The shot of Bill up top is actually from a Life’s a Beach ad in the June 1989 issue of Homeboy Magazine. Remember that one? In any case, you’ve got to see the whole shot, it was sent in by a friend of Bill’s for the sole purpose of annoying him. Some friend! Here’s the press release.

Vision Street Wear (through Select Distribution) is pimping a limited release of the Vision “Tribute Series” including, for immediate delivery the “Gator Ramp (with his actual name on the boards)” I pressed the sales rep for information on who gets those royalties, and after a few elusive, vague responses I ultimately received the answer that Select somehow owned the Gator name from the get go, and so they don’t need to pay any royalties. I don’t know how that pans out for the boards “with his actual name on it.” My guess is Mark failed to trademark “Gator” and didn’t think about it since it was already his nickname. He probably figured he didn’t need to. Remember When He started going by a different name? Mark Gator Anthony or something… What does Mark “Gator” Rogowski have to say about the re-issues? He spoke up about it in Sean Cliver’s (great) new book, Disposable The Skateboard Bible. One redeeming (and useful) gesture would be for companies that still sell decks with the old Gator graphics (with or without the name) to please direct what would have been royalties to organizations devoted to ending violence and promoting understanding. That could be really…

Your reviews are coming. I’ve been working on a new back end to present our product reviews, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Back populating the the old reviews has been taking a lot longer than I thought, and it’s finally made me realize how much static HTML can suck, especially when it’s really old and poorly formatted! That’s Danimal above riding a Toy Machine Billy Marks Fiberprime deck. I’ve got Atomic Wheels, Tarantula Trucks, Dekline shoes, and a host of other, long, long overdue reviews.

Ahh… Facebook ads. Check out the selection of skateboard bearings at VBX.com, prices range from $5 a set to $320 a set if you buy the fully ceramic ones, and I mean fully ceramic, right down to the casing. Of course for slightly more than $350 you can get 100 sets of “ABEC 7” Bearings. Buyer beware. Rockin’ Ron, were are you?

A lot of people are excited about this book. Disposable was reprinted in several editions with additions. The Disposable Skateboard Bible (Or Disposable II, depending on where you look) is available from Gingko Press. I’ve got conflicting information on cover art and page counts, but I’ll find out soon enough when my copy arrives in the mail. (Update: The Gingko site has prerelease information and graphics, as they are in the middle of a site re-design.) The scope of the book is supposed to be broader. I asked Sean Cliver if the new book encompassed the first one, and here’s what he had to say: …it’s an all-new book. a complement to the first, really. 1) Includes 60s/70s stuff; 2) Includes a lot more 80s stuff that didn’t fit the first book; 3) Includes new artist/rider stories from like VCJ, Greg Evans, Art/Steve Godoy, Gator, etc.; 4) much more of a “collector” bias in its opening words. on that note, it’s also far less wordier than the first book with more pages devoted to board images (a total of like 2500 i think?). Can’t wait to see it. He’s been working on this for a few years now, and with…

Normally I’d be all over something like this, but I like the board so much that I don’t feel compelled to ridicule the optional equipment shown, namely the $25 aluminum scooter handle. I mean, If you are going to ride a scooter-skate, you don’t want to risk getting hurt on some cheap toy… Right? I think I can see where they are coming from on this, and that means I’m in a weird place right now…. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for these old solid aluminum decks, and I am solidly behind manufacturing a liquor store board that happens to be a near museum quality reproduction. This would probably fall under the movie prop category, since the wheels look the part, but have been upgraded to center set bearings so you could actually turn at speed without feeling like the wheels were about to blow out . The firm known as Roger Brothers Downhill makes these, as well as a surprising host of other machined products, including a skateboard deck with a built in bottle opener (where the skyhooks would go…) Now I’m definitely a fan.

Well we’ve got skateboard lighters, so sure, why not have skateboard knives? So says Snake Head Kives, the “Maker of the world’s first Skateboard Knives.” These two are already available, or at least they exist, as there doesn’t appear to be a way to buy them. They have three new styles in the making as well. Meanwhile, Dogtown Skateboards has a limited edition signed Jesse Martinez model. I didn’t realize Dogtown was a real company again. They’ve even got re-issue Bigfoots. I’m still more than a little turned off by the Dogtown fashion line. Track suits anyone? This was a couple years ago, and it was in an asian market, so who know if it was even legit. – Thanks to William Buckley for the tip.

Hello is a collaboration between skateboarder Buddy Carr and graphic designer Antonio Carusone. The result is pretty slick, in my opinion. The retro cruiser market is getting pretty crowded, but there’s always room for one more, if you do it right. There’s a whole photo set of this complete up on Flickr, and the board specs are available on Tail Tap.

When they aren’t busy trying to get me to advertise, the folks at Punk Radio Cast have teamed up with extreme sports friends Jones Soda to release some limited edition labels in a variety pack. They “collaborated” with five artists, including the Bad Brains, and four other bands you don’t care about. Considering the potential, it’s a weak execution.

Here’s the answer to everyone who’s been clamoring for t-shirts, well at least that one guy… Skate and Annoy merchandise booth is now open. These aren’t phantom t-shirts either. They actually exist in a big box in my living room. Price: $15 for the first one. $10 each additional. Shipping: $5 flat fee for up to 3. (Canada $7 USD) Buy a shirt and help me make my mortgage payment this month. Failing that, how about giving me a job? I’ve sunk low. Buy and Destroy! NOTE: To the guy who sent in the gushing fan mail for the GVK stickers a long time ago,we had something special planned for you, but I lost the envelope with your name/address. Send me an email with a brief recap of you letter, so I’ll know it’s actually you.