New Issue Pre-Order

Okay, y'all...

...The new issue now on presale. Yes, it is a free local publication, but you can guarantee that you'll get a copy (reserve one for yourself) and help pay for more copies to be made with the presale. It is $5.00 shipped (CONUS only) or hand delivered by yours truly (Memphis only). All presale orders will get stickers too. All funds from the presale will go to printing.

Where the Heart is

Most of my trips back home to Russellville, Arkansas (where I attended high school, college, and briefly went to grad school) are with my son. We go to visit my parents out in the country. Sometimes we don't even make it in to town at all. He wants to be out in the open with the horses and his "Meme" and "PaPa."

This weekend I made the trip solo, and got the chance to skate and visit all my old favorite spots. Some are gone now, but I managed to find a possible new spot along the way. Other than with my son and a list of friends whom I care for very much, this is where my heart remains. It is here with my family, my town, my old skate spots...

This ditch wasn't there 10 years ago. Looks so fun!

This used to be a bank spot that went from a low of two feet up to 10 feet tall. Gritty yet fast. R.I.P.

My favorite ditch! Looks like it hasn't been hit in a looooong time.

Somebody needs some wax.

The Lot. This was the old meet up to skate spot. It still looks the same (just without the stuff to skate).

Lot 2

Another of the new ditch. I want to skate this!

Russellville Skate Park. Small but so fun!!!

This little bowl has so many possibilities! I can't wait to hit it again!

My ankle doesn't let me do stairs anymore.

Overview.

I'm planning a trip back to Russellville next month. We used to think there was nothing good to skate there. Now, I can't wait to hit it again.

new issue is started/jolly roger

First off, I've started the layout on luchaskate issue 5.  It will be available at Midtown Skateshop in Memphis in mid June. It will also be available for purchase from magcloud/luchaskate.com as a download or full glossy print.  AND you'll be able to read it on issuu (which will be embedded on the website).

So...

print (free while supplies last) at Midtown Skateshop.
print (around 5 bucks) available online at magcloud
download (like a dollar) available online at magcloud
read online without downloading (but embeddable) free online from issuu

That is a lot of different options, and I'm stoked to have them all especially Midtown Skateshop! Thanks again, Hunter!

Now, I'm also stoked to get these from Chad today:

So, anybody wanna sew that rad patch on the back of my patch/cammo/cold weather jacket? Come on, I know you want to.

Anyway, I'm stoked to learn more about these guys.

Duane Peters, Skate Rock, Me

As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, Thrasher Magazine's Skate Rock Tour came through Memphis on Wednesday, and I loved it.  To see that many top notch pros at a local spot was awesome. Heck, to see that many people at a local spot was awesome.  The skating was great, and the envelope was pushed to new levels (see video).

It seems that as they moved south toward Jackson (their next official stop) they picked up an impromptu music gig at a place in Oxford. From what I understand, things didn't go so smoothly in Oxford. In fact, there was quite a bit of online noise about the gig. Negative things have been said about both the skate/music crew coming through town, and about the Mississippi natives.

I'm not going to join up with either side on this.  I just have something I'd like to point out:

The skater in the video below is Duane Peters. His nickname is the Master of Disaster. He has fronted tons of punk bands including "The Exploding Fuck Dolls" and "U.S. Bombs." It is rumored that he is the person who first came up with the term Thrasher that was adopted both in name and theme by the magazine.

Part of me would love to see skateboarding be a squeaky clean activity that I could go out on weekends and do with my son. And, in fact, it can be just that. I think of a good friend of mine who has brought so much positive media to the local scene by being himself: a father, a skater, a caring citizen. However, we can't ignore the history of skating. Skateboarding was and is a sport for the misfit that doesn't fit in with the team mentality. It is an individual sport that smears the line between sport and art. It has reveled in a rebel image since the first young skaters were banned from riding the first skateboards. It continued through the punk rock heyday when the name Thrasher was born. It was the refuge of the small town weirdo kids in the 80's.

And finally, the rest of the world caught on that skating is amazing.

But we're still the misfits.

I'm not condoning behavior. I'm just pointing out history, and let's just say the name "Bad Shit" might just be a clue that this ain't gonna be Rodney Mullen doing a freestyle demo in short shorts and knee pads.

Jeff's Skateboard Page: Common Criminals: The Anthology of Stoke

Jeff's Skateboard Page: Common Criminals: The Anthology of Stoke: We skateboarders are a diverse and opinionated lot, each of us with our very own story about how a seven-ply maple plank with four urethane...