I’ve always found this cover image… appealing. I had assumed it was actually a surfing rag when I first saw it, but later found out it was the precursor to Concrete Wave. I tried to pay the four bucks to download a hi-res pdf but found the whole process convoluted and unsatisfying. (Update: It was a stray link that was supposed to be removed. free now!) You can see a larger version of the cover after the jump. What’s with the handstand shot? It’s just filler I found here while looking for a big version of the cover.

It’s a funny coincidence that I was listening to the Trilobites I Can’t Wait For The Summer To End when I got the email tip about this song. “Summer’s not a bummer. It’s a stunner, and it’s now.” Sure, Marc Bolan was not known for the depth of his lyrics, but rather for being the the supreme effeminate glam rock guitarist and vocalist whose half shirts, onstage mincing, high heels and general rocking cool stage presence and persona were not even approached again until the likes of Prince. Marc must have had a fascination with skateboarding too. This is Skateboard Music features a demo of his titled “Skateboard,” and this video clip performance of “Celebrate Summer” from his UK variety show simply titled “Marc” features skateboarders performing in front of a blue screen. Unfortunately, the song and performance are pretty flat. Not exactly a good introduction to T Rex for the uninitiated. Apparently, Marc was also an advocate for skateparks. You can watch the video and read an excerpt from an interview with Mr Bolan talking about the exciting new sport of skateboarding and what government officials should be doing to promote “skateboard tracks.” – Thanks to Eric Shea for…

Going off right now right here You’ll have to register but it doesn’t take long. I couldn’t get the low bandwidth version to go but the bigger one worked. Thanks to Troy Sliter for the heads up.

Danimal picked up the latest Transworld skateboarding and and saw MC’s book in print. First question is, what is Danimal doing reading Transworld Skateboarding? Dude, you’ve just been outed.

The previous issue (1058) of Rolling Stone had a feature on Skatopia. It would never occur to me to actually pick up a copy of that magazine, so I missed it. The web site has a photo gallery that you have to get ten pictures into before you can actually see any skating. they’ve also got “exclusive” footage from a trailer for Skatopia, The Movie that is supposed to be out in 2009. I haven’t seen the article so I don’t know how long, bad or interesting it is. I seem to remember Rolling Stone had an article about Dogtown that predated the documentary, but if you search for it now yo uhave to sift through endless Lords of Dogtown reviews and and soundtrack information. – Thanks to Michael Brooke and Larry for the tip.

I got back from vacation and found a free monthly neighborhood paper sitting in the pile of neglected mail. The cover story of the Sentinel is Skateboarders Without Borders. It’s about local D.I.Y. project that is not so much of a secret, but still, the article pretty much gives the exact location and shows a landmark photo that all but draws a map for you. On top of that, the author interviewed the current land owners. I heard there was a “bust” of sorts during construction but that there were no real consequences. If they weren’t already numbered, my guess is this spot is about to become extinct. I hope the guy in the interview used a fake name.

Q spotted this and Dave Tobin told me about it. It was a newspaper insert advertising Qwest high speed internet.

From Dennis the Menace, August 7th. I guess I should have tipped off MC. Although I’m not sure this is the type of skate comic he’s interested in. Dennis’s unnamed friend must be sporting clear grip tape.

Here’s another edition of Skateboard Gossip from My Wife, who incidentally, gets all her info from gay men who write celebrity blogs on the Interwebs™, so you know it’s relevant to this site too. First up, It’s Ryan Sheckler on the cover of ESPN Magazine, although it looks like he’s been replaced already. No, the word “Hot” is not editorial commentary from SnA, rather it’s from Perez Hilton, who seems to have a bit of a non-heterosexual man-crush. He’s reported on Sheckler before. Guess what? He’s officially a celebrity once non-skating gay males start fixating on him. This one is for the haters. From the cover, Sheckler appears to be quoted as saying “I want to give them more reasons not to like me.” It’s official again! Ryan Sheckler is Punk Rock! I’d love to get the rest of the context, but ESPN has some sort of convoluted “Digital Edition” of the magazine designed to annoy people enough to not want to read the content online for free. Part two of our feature is Linda Hogan, wife of Hulk Hogan, visiting their son Nick Hogan who is in jail for pulling an attempted Vince Neil. What did she bring him…

The LA Times reports that skaters and BMX riders alike are not too happy with ESPN’s Superpark course built by a BMX crew. The main complaints are “too small” and “tight transitions,” although you’d be hard pressed to tell by some of the photos. The Flying Tomato reminds us that this is the first year for the event, and next years will likely be better. Shaun White may be right, or he may just be more interested in making bad miniseries for HP computers. I seem to recall hearing that some of the early vert ramps in the X Games were kind of crappy too, but they eventually go that right. With more money on the line now, they’ll probably get right on that. Although the general public seems to only be interested in the Mega Ramp. [Photo: Los Angeles Times] – Thanks to Mac for the tip.