What It's All About?

The thought had crossed my mind to write up a few paragraphs of text which tried to get at the core of what I am hoping to accomplish here. Then it dawned on me: a picture is worth a thousand words:

Thrasher Magazine, September 1984, cover detail

(Alright... well maybe just a few more words!) The photo, of course, is taken from the September 1984 issue of Thrasher Magazine and famously shows Natas Kaupas riding off a wall as photographed by Craig Stecyk in Santa Monica, CA. (In fact, I think it was this wall on Ocean Park Blvd., though, if so, the mural changed since that photo). From what I'm given to understand, that was the first time that trick was shown and it blew people away. Many apparently wondered if it wasn't the equivalent of "photo-shopped" for its day.

So why is this photo what it's all about here? This photo is first of all located in that part of the world where skateboarding became what it is. Second, it shows a skater of the sort and from the period that I intend to feature heavily. Third, it was photographed by an eminent skate photographer, himself a legend, one who is attached to the Dogtown scene and era. Finally, it features the kind of creativity that is inherent to skating, both in terms of the physical creativity of manipulating one's board, but also artistic creativity. (And finally, it's just a great shot!)

Why Another Skateboarding Site?

Well, why not? The internet and social media are all about sharing, and I will quite happily be looking at those sites and linking to them from time to time. But that being the case, I also hope to make some original contributions. That could take the form of book reviews or movie/documentary reviews related to skateboarding, it could be original photography or original thoughts and writings.

Sites like this also work best when readers contribute their own things they find interesting. In view of that, if you find an interesting bit of skate art, an interesting deck, old skate photos showing you in action, or if you want to contribute your own skate art, skate photos or the like, please do send them my way!

I'm looking forward to the ride.