Fire your art director!

Maybe the conversation went like this:

Stacy: "Tony, I got a great idea for your new add!"
Tony: "O.K."
later that day...
Tony: "Stacy... I quit"
Stacy: "Now what on earth would make you want to do that?"

I found this old Powell Peralta add on calstreets.com I wonder if Vernon Courtlandt Johnson did the face paint on Tony? Anyone know?? Powell Peralta had some crazy adds back in the day.. I miss those days.

Then and Now

More than twenty years has passed since I started skateboarding. A lot has changed. Much has stayed the same. I am more chill and I am more uptight. I have more money and more bills. My family has grown and my love for them overflows. The world has turned, I am still here. That front-side air feels like the first time! I would like to tuck my knee. The movement is a little different. It will take work. I am also working on a front side air to tail and a finger flip front side air to tail. It will take work.

Anti-pro

I always wanted to be sponsored. Ya know!? I mean, wouldn't it be great to have a short but distinguished list of companies that want to slap their logo all over you... In return they would give you an unlimited supply of shoes, clothes, skateboards, guitars, Drums, energy drink, watches, etc, etc, etc. But who wants to give an endorsement deal to some unknown mid thirties guy who is pretty good at everything but masterful at ... well... nothing (at the moment). So like other cool kids that never grew up I turn to D.I.Y. My plan is to come up with my own designs for everything I like, make my own designs and... well... sponsor myself. Heck, why not? I have to buy the stuff anyway so why not put the name of the financier (in this case me) all over it. Undoubtedly some will say this is the highest (or lowest) level of narcissism. For me it's just another avenue for expression... art. So I set about to express myself in new ways but more importantly I endeavor to enjoy the fruits of my labor or just plain have fun. I don't have any of my own designs done yet but I did do one spoof design for my little brother P. Here is your design P! Now all we need is $200 and we can make one! LOL! oh well... maybe we will just stick to the $29 mini logo.

I created this image from the ground up in photoshop ( no picture was used or harmed), Inspired by another fun photo shop pic, I faked the reflections and everything.

working on it

Everyone wants to get better. We want more tricks in our bag. Sometimes skaters get frustraited with doing the same tricks over and over. We have to do the same tricks over and over. why? Because its not just about landing the trick... it's about style... art! You can land a trick, then you can get it consistent but it might take years to get it styled. Right now I am working on style... and getting things bigger and higher. Here we document the state of my less styled tricks. Hopefully future posts will show a big improvement.

Foot on the coping, but the jump is pretty small. I want to get this trick huge like Steve Steadham or the late Jeff Phillips. I think this trick is called a "boneless" or "boneless one". What's the difference? If anyone knows the difference feel free to advise.

This summer I got hand plants down low but I have been working them up the the coping. I didn't land this one, but I will soon. My ramp is about six feet tall, almost to vert. I am a long way from getting this trick on an eleven foot vert ramp but that is the goal.

"My shoes, they're dirty"

Actually, the real quote is "my shorts.. they're dirty". The line was spoken by skateboarding great, Ray Underhill in the epic skate movie, "The Search for Animal Chin". The quote is part of the funniest scene in the movie. Sadly, Ray passed away recently after a long battle with a brain tumor. We had a death in our family this year as well. You can think it over from every angle but death doesn't make sense. All that we can do is live, love and make the most out of every precious moment we are given. When we think of the people we have lost we must focus on the joy that we shared with them. We must not fear our own mortality. Knowing that life wont last forever is fuel to get up every morning and make it the best day ever. Breathe deep, spend lots of time with the ones you love, laugh, write a song and skate hard!

Saturday morning trip to the Fruita wasteland park

NEWS (who cares?) as it happens!

We went to the Fruita skate... eh... park this morning. We made the most of it and tried to do our part to make the park a .... um... better place.

Hey, city of Fruita, thanks for the park but it really needs maintenance. The skatelite on the ramp is broken up in a very bad way, it's a real hazard. Let me know if I can help. ps We cleaned up most of the trash that everyone leaves around. I looked for a restroom for ten minutes before settling for a few tall weeds... Come on Fruita... at least put a port-a -potty out there.

Rumor has it that the city of Fruita is going to build Haul in a new "Woodward" park. That's great and all... but I really wish there was a vert ramp around here.



Drea resting.

We met this cool kid named Forrest. He's pretty good on that bike.

Kvon backside.

Kvon frontside

Asylum9 backside

Asylum9 backside alt view

Asylum9 rock to fakie

HAIL THE SOUND

Hail the sound is my band. I mean, I play in several other great bands but Hail The Sound is my deal. Adam (my cousin at left) has been playing drums for Hail for almost three years. Asylum 9 (my brother Philip at right) has been playing bass for Hail for about five months. We practice every morning (mon-fri) at 7am. I love playing and writing music. I shot this quick pic of hail the other day in my garage while we were loading gear. The random crap in in the background is testament to my crazy life of "american dream meets skateboard, rock-star want to be". One thing is for sure... I hold onto my passions and I find a way to make an unlikely situation work for the best! Ya know..... I wouldn't have it any other way!