Over the past several years (let’s just say the past seven), I’ve slowly put myself out of touch with the skateboarding industry. I stopped reading every single magazine from cover-to-cover. Some of my favorite magazines don’t even exist anymore or have become strictly online mags. I remember when I used to know the latest gossip and industry news, I knew every skater and who they rode for. Yup, all their sponsors too from grip to eye-wear or what have you.
I can’t remember the last time I even looked at a magazine but I’m sure I just quickly flipped through it, looked at the pictures, and that was it. I find myself checking the Berrics Web site more than anything else these days.
Skatebook has refreshed my interest in the printed word. Just recently, I acquired the Lance Mountain edition of Skatebook. Not only did I take my time with it reading everything in it from cover-to-cover, I also read it three times! Some of my favorite chapters in this issue include the article about the legendary Lance Mountain, the sticker retrospective, the piece on the Brooklyn Banks, and the sections about Ethan Fowler, Ed Templeton, and Chet Childress. There were about twelve chapters total with some skate related advertisements at the beginning and end of the book.
Being a 30-year-old skater who still pushes wood on the daily, I feel that I can relate to Skatebook a little more than a 13 or 14 year old skater would. I’m not saying that the younger generation wouldn’t be interested in this book either. I’m just not interested in the newest hype, the letters sent in by the readers, and all those non skate related advertisements that clutter up today’s magazines. I opened up Skatebook to see photos that I’ve seen already and they brought back great memories for me. I don’t own hardly any of those old magazines, so it was great to revisit them in Skatebook.
Words: Ryan Miller (Paelon)
Contents: 1. the difference | by lance mountain 2. brooklyn banks | retrospective 3. bummer high | ethan fowler 4. the life of ryan | a star is born 5. sticker recall | a collective 6. ed templeton | the tempster 7. up the crooks | chet childress 8. droppin hammers | bart simpson parody 9. indy book | read and learn 10. gsd | this is (not) my life 11. fallen | ride the sky 12. tobin yelland| portfolio.
Buy Skatebook’s Lance Mountian edition for only $24.95 at www.skatebook.tv. Good shit!
