Drew Toal—
Has there ever been a good book about skateboarding? I was just watching Thrashin’ for the millionth time the other day, and thought, “Man, this story of Corey Webster and his one-man skate crusade against nemesis Hook (and his band of loyal Daggers) as they battle first at the joust and then at the big downhill,” would make for a riveting read. I had hopes for that When Skateboards Will Be Free book, but it turns out that it wasn’t really about siiiick Acid Drops at all. Disappointing.
Has someone written a novelization of Gleaming the Cube, yet? Could we do that?
Has someone written a novelization of Gleaming the Cube, yet? Could we do that?
hi drew,
thrashin’ is also one of my favorite movies of all time…i’ve seriously watched it close to 70 or 80 times (over about 20 years)…i used to make the kids in my neighborhood call me Corey (cause i was the best in the hood!)…and dammit they did…that movie is so full of quotes it’s ridic…one of my favorites, and the one i quote when i’m drunk most often…”i remember him when he was ralph and he lived in the valley. now he’s monk and he thinks he’s coooool…” and then maybe the best of the movie “you send mom a picture of you looking like a wild indian and you want to lecture me?!!! “that wild indian look happens to be stylin, chrissy!!
as far as skateboard books…yeah, don’t know of any fictionalized ones…though have you read sean cliver’s disposable a history of skateboard art? just finished that a couple months ago…wow, an amazing book, an amazing photo archive of a dead artform…interviews with VCJ, Pushead, Blender plus a million others…and cliver’s narrative working for powell from powerhouse to disaster…super recommend…
hi drew,
thrashin’ is also one of my favorite movies of all time…i’ve seriously watched it close to 70 or 80 times (over about 20 years)…i used to make the kids in my neighborhood call me Corey (cause i was the best in the hood!)…and dammit they did…that movie is so full of quotes it’s ridic…one of my favorites, and the one i quote when i’m drunk most often…”i remember him when he was ralph and he lived in the valley. now he’s monk and he thinks he’s coooool…” and then maybe the best of the movie “you send mom a picture of you looking like a wild indian and you want to lecture me?!!! “that wild indian look happens to be stylin, chrissy!!
as far as skateboard books…yeah, don’t know of any fictionalized ones…though have you read sean cliver’s disposable a history of skateboard art? just finished that a couple months ago…wow, an amazing book, an amazing photo archive of a dead artform…interviews with VCJ, Pushead, Blender plus a million others…and cliver’s narrative working for powell from powerhouse to disaster…super recommend…
Sean Cliver’s book just shot to the top of the queue. Thanks for the rec.
“CHRIIIISSSSSSYYYYYYYYYY!!!!”
Or, if you prefer:
“It’s just an aggressive style of skating.”
Or, probably my favorite:
“Breakin’ is a memory.”
The whole chess, mixed heritage brothers theme seems ripe.
I never read Nick Hornby’s Slam, but it seemed like a complete outsiders view of skating. Any inclusion of Tony Hawk into the discussion of authentic skateboarding is immediate read flags. Sorry Tony, but it’s true.
Authors use skateboarding as a backdrop, an interchangable activity, and not the way of life, the artform, that millions of skaters see it as. In those authors defense, it’s a hard thing to write about passionately about skateboarding and make it interesting to people who don’t skate. Probably because a lot of skaters fail to see a deep universal meaning in what they do. It’s a very self-fulfilling practice that doesn’t reallty lend itself to introspection. Then again, if Joseph O’Neil can write a book about Cricket and make it interesting (did he, btw?), then someone can do it for skateboarding.
I know right now there’s about a hundred MFA students reading this right now going “Shutup!Shutup!Shutup!” Someone out there is very close. The idea is in the air, ripe, waiting to be picked, as prophecied by this question on HTMLGIANT.
I never read Nick Hornby’s Slam, but it seemed like a complete outsiders view of skating. Any inclusion of Tony Hawk into the discussion of authentic skateboarding is immediate read flags. Sorry Tony, but it’s true.
Authors use skateboarding as a backdrop, an interchangable activity, and not the way of life, the artform, that millions of skaters see it as. In those authors defense, it’s a hard thing to write about passionately about skateboarding and make it interesting to people who don’t skate. Probably because a lot of skaters fail to see a deep universal meaning in what they do. It’s a very self-fulfilling practice that doesn’t reallty lend itself to introspection. Then again, if Joseph O’Neil can write a book about Cricket and make it interesting (did he, btw?), then someone can do it for skateboarding.
I know right now there’s about a hundred MFA students reading this right now going “Shutup!Shutup!Shutup!” Someone out there is very close. The idea is in the air, ripe, waiting to be picked, as prophecied by this question on HTMLGIANT.
or Tony Alva’s “beat it ya Val jerk…”
or Tony Alva’s “beat it ya Val jerk…”
Everything I learned about prophesy-ing, I learned from Iron Maiden’s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.
Sorry if I ruined anyone’s nascent novel, btw.
And also, surfing has been written pretty well. I read Tim Winton’s last book, which was good and essentially about surfing, with a backdrop of autoerotic asphyxiation (sp?).
***shameless self promotion***
***shameless self promotion***
Ovenman by Jeff Parker.
Ovenman by Jeff Parker.
i second ovenman.
i second ovenman.
i wrote a story about skateboarding. i used to ride skateboards alot.
i wrote a story about skateboarding. i used to ride skateboards alot.
all of my life i have been preparing to write the ulysses of skateboarding, mountain dew, and sexy parents
all of my life i have been preparing to write the ulysses of skateboarding, mountain dew, and sexy parents
yeah, ovenman is a great book. its not about skateboardin per se, like thrashin is. but the main character, when thinfinger, is a skateboard punk, death metal band front man, pizza shop manager. so yeah, there’s that. read the book.
yeah, ovenman is a great book. its not about skateboardin per se, like thrashin is. but the main character, when thinfinger, is a skateboard punk, death metal band front man, pizza shop manager. so yeah, there’s that. read the book.
I will read this with interest. Thanks bros.