It’s a bummer to see a magazine we actually liked reading stop publishing, but it seems Concussion magazine has taken its own advice and is destroying itself, according to a story on Skate and Annoy.
Publisher Davoud Kermaninejad sent the news out to supporters via email last Friday night. He’s been half-seriously threatening to do it for years, but the harsh transitions of our shitty economy finally sealed the deal. . . He’s throwing in the towel as far as print issues go. He decided to go out with a bang rather than see future issues strangled by the ever-shrinking list of advertisers and the production budget that comes with them. You’ve got to respect his style.
When we spoke to Andy Howell last fall about the Artsprojekt website that he had created with Zazzle.com he presented it as a place where serious artists would be given the technology to create custom art products in limited runs. When he said “artists” we never imagined anything like Rob Dyrdek’s Wild Grinders clothing. But Andy certainly spins it well.
“Rob is a visionary, not just as an innovator of street skating, but for continuing to bring skateboarding lifestyle and art to the core and pop culture audiences in compelling ways, without losing sight of his true skateboarding roots,” said Andy Howell, former pro skateboarder and founder of ARTSPROJEKT. “Dyrdek and his Wild Grinders™ crew offer a cool brand for younger skaters, while maintaining authenticity which is crucial to a brand’s success and longevity. They understand what consumers want, and continue to push limits and take it to the next level.”
After looking at the product more closely we’re thinking a deal with Kohls or Kmart might be a better place for Rob’s little homies. But that’s just us.
A skateboard park in Poway, California may start fingerprinting skaters before giving them access to the park according to a story in the North County Times.
A new turnstile would unlock only after a scanner read and recognized the thumbprint of anyone who wanted to enter, said Poway Community Services Director Robert Clark of the city’s plan to curb vandalism and misbehavior at the park. Use of the park would still be free. . . . The system already is employed in parking lots, gyms and other facilities, but this may be the first time it would be used at a skate park, Clark said.
Reminds us a little of the old Bible verse, Revelation 13:17: “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Then again, it’s just for the lock and fingerprints are a lot harder to lose than keys.
Some pretty heavy Hawai’ians at last fall’s ASR Show were carrying around what looked like a SUP paddle with a wheel on the bottom instead of a blade.
It was a Kahuna Big Stick. And it is endorsed by Buttons Kaluhiokalani. Now, it appears that Surfer DudeMatthew McConaughey has picked up on it, according to a story on Celebuzz.
The actor/surfer dude went for a ride using a wheeled stick to balance himself and go even faster as zipped along the sidewalk, accompanied by his dog BJ.
Maybe the Big Stick is the secret to Hollywood abs.
We’re not exactly what you would call huge Nitro Circus fans, however, there are occasions when Travis Pastrana pulls off some cool stuff. Like this Big Wheel backflip at Bob Burnquist’s house spotted by the ever vigilant Kilwag at Skate and Annoy.
Having hung out at the top of that drop-in we can tell you this is way more messed up than it looks on video.
Athletes scheduled to compete are UFC veterans Kit Cope and Danny Abbadi and pro skateboarder Jason Ellis in his MMA debut. . . . MMAFighting.com will host Affliction Entertainment’s stream of the event at 7 p.m. PST.
Is Jason Ellis actually going to fight? Or is he just going to heckle his opponent to death? Either way, Lil’ Jon is going to perform afterwards.
Matix (which seems like a really new company to us sometimes) is releasing a book to celebrate 10 years in the action sports clothing business. It’s called This Is Progress and features the work of: Daewon Song, Marc Johnson, Rick McCrank, Rudy Johnson,Mikey LeBlanc, Reda, and many more.
The house in Karuizawa, Japan is called Shell, and it was designed by a Japanese architecture firm called Artechnic. . . Approaching the house. Anybody remember the elliptical transition fad on vert ramps?
We’re kind of surprised that Pierre Andre doesn’t have something like this hiding in the hills above Sole Tech.
You just never know the truth these days. According to a video posted on Thrasher Magazine’s website, Editor Jake Phelps says he “was fired yesterday” by High Speed Productions. Here’s what he had to say on the video clip:
Well I guess the who’s hated list that caused a lot of shit. But I got fired yesterday, I guess I’m going to have to keep skating more. . . . I don’t hate anybody. And I love everybody. Let’s all just keep skating. . . . If you have some more questions to ask me maybe I’ll tell you, we’ll go in a van on the road somewhere and I’ll tell you some funny stories and that will keep you occupied. . . . I’ll keep my own opinions to myself. I’m not a jock. I’ve done a lot of drugs. I’m just a regular guy and like I said, “The Truth Hurts.”
Though we know a lot of people who would celebrate Jake Phelp’s firing, we’re not going to start putting our party kit on just yet. . .
It’s a bummer to see a magazine we actually liked reading stop publishing, but it seems Concussion magazine has taken its own advice and is destroying itself, according to a story on Skate and Annoy.
