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| Q&A: Michael Brooke - Publisher, Concrete Wave Magazine (7141 Posts)
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big brother is gone,juice is still alive
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On 1/15/2004 matt
wrote in from
(209.240.nnn.nnn)
the juice mag email said that issue #57 will be out in febuary 04.its been over a year since the last issue.its long overdue if true.
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Big Brother Magazine is history!
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On 1/15/2004 Stubbs
wrote in from
(209.30.nnn.nnn)
It is official. The Larry Flint publication is no more. You'll have to get your poop talk elsewhere.
R.I.P.
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Meet skate legends Party at ASR @ the Vision Booth
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On 1/15/2004
Michael Brooke
wrote in from
(192.30.nnn.nnn)
If you are a skate legend or you know a skate legend or if you would like to meet a skate legend,
make sure you visit the Vision/Select booth at ASR show
Sunday...4pm
Free BEER!
See you there....Confirmed..Bill Danforth, Duane Peters
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Chris Olden's comments
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On 1/15/2004 Stubbs
wrote in from
(209.30.nnn.nnn)
You are right in line with those thought, Chris. It's similar to bad video editing where you see just a snipet of someones line in a pool. Take that FUEL Channel promo commercial with Salba, Ruel, Mountain, DP, Olson and Alva. That is a sick commercial but I would have much rather seen a few 3 or 4 wall lines by each of those riders as opposed to the grind or carve only. I want to see the entire playground!! I want to see how they got from the shallow to the deep and vise-versa. Tranlated into print photography this simply means I LIKE THE PANORAMIC SHOT THAT SHOWS THE LINE THE RIDER TOOK. Like a close up in a full pipe or something. That shot is better to me if the entire pipe is in the pic so I can see everything.
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The weather cleared briefly
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On 1/14/2004 Pauliwog
wrote in from
(64.5.nnn.nnn)
Hey! I finally got to go set cones and crank turns from 3pm - 7:30pm, it felt SO good to go ride. A recently met friend (thru skating) decided to try slalom for the first time and really got into it, he's 45+ and already has been skating since clay wheel days (he pre-dates me). He's also very NOT stoked about the whole "mainstream skateboard Mag" monoculture thing as well, and appreciates the CW ideology since I loaned him some copies. I don't want to see CW stay small, but then again the niche (big niche) idea isn't a bad one,like what was stated earlier "you can't be everything to everybody" or something like that(Action Now comes to mind). As far as getting kids(and adults) into other forms of skating, I really enjoy encouraging (to the point of harrassment sometimes) peaple sitting on the sidelines at our Portland/Vancouver to borrow a board and pads and race or at least try slaloming. Every race I got someone into it which was good to see them digging it. Well I'm now babbling aimlessly so I'll say "Later", Paul H.
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OB Surf Shop
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On 1/14/2004 Hamm
wrote in from
(199.41.nnn.nnn)
OB Surf Shop is rad. I live right down the street. They have all the cool stuff like the Jim Phillips Art book, the Rynn Noll books, and of course Concrete Wave, the book. If there is a Surf or Skate book that's still available, they likely have it, as well as al kinds of cool old Surf movie posters and stuff.
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Thanks Chris
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On 1/14/2004 -JC-
wrote in from
(63.184.nnn.nnn)
Chris Olden's post reminded me of a suggestion I wanted to make earlier... "What's your favorite wave?"
So many times I see a close-up of someone on the lip, but I never get to see the line that took them there. It would be great to see more of these parks/pools/ditches/banks/sculptures that people use as there "wave".
As far as letting the kids ride your toys... DO IT! I always drag out everything I've got with me at the park, or hill, and I never refuse to let someone try something new. The look on their face when they're done is well worth the price of admission. ;-)
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photos
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On 1/14/2004
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.29.nnn.nnn)
Chris,
I think you are reading my mind...for this new issue, we have taken some pretty new steps ...we have actually done what you asked.
when you get the issue, let me know if we have moved the ball forward...
we are only 1/2 way there folks...I hope you see improvement.
there are 3 or 4 particular photos that I think reach deep into the soul of what it means to be skateboarding in an incredible environment...
I won't give away any clues...just to let you know, we are working on some amazing new projects
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re:Skate photography
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On 1/13/2004
chris olden
wrote in from
(68.123.nnn.nnn)
Howdy,
Since I started skating again, I've been picking up surf magazines as
well as CW.(I think I've purchased two copies of thresher and promptly
threw them away) The one thing that bothers me about current skate
photography(versus surf photography) is that it's all about whatever
maneuver is being performed by the rider in the photo. In the surf mags,
the photos are for the most part, not only a picture of the surfer, but of the
wave as well. This was(to the best of my fading recollection) mirrored
in the skate magazines back in the late 70's early 80's when the composi-
tion of the photo mattered as much as the actual maneuver being performed.
Certainly, the quality of photos has come a long way with digital photography
and faster regular film cameras being readily available; but the "art" of
the photos has not.
I'd really like to see more photos in CW with the terrain as part of the photo
as well; somehow, there's more of a "story" to the photo when the terrain
is involved.
chris olden
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super session
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On 1/13/2004 matt
wrote in from
(209.240.nnn.nnn)
steve,go to obsurfshop.com,san diego ca they have the video on their website for $19.95. good luck
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super session
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On 1/13/2004
steve
wrote in from
(68.55.nnn.nnn)
is hal jepson super sessions still availible on vhs or dvd? if anyone has seen copies available please share with the group. they used to show surf films at the carousel hotel in oc md. super sessions is a definite to have. there was another film in the mid eighties that featured chappy jennings if any one has info please share.
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yep, you got the right attitude!
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On 1/13/2004
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.29.nnn.nnn)
You guys have expressed it well....it's the combination of print, video and actual skate experience.
We are ambassadors for change...by lending your longboard etc. to kids who have no opportunities to see or ride them, you are opening up a whole new world.
How many times have you been in a skateshop looking for products discussed on this site only to hear the owner say "well, the kids don't ask for anything but (insert short board company here)...so, we don't carry it."
Thank the lord for the core skate shops who are willing to take various types of products!
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Videos & Skate Access
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On 1/13/2004
Craigo
wrote in from
(208.255.nnn.nnn)
I completely agree with that 70's Skater! Seeing all the different aspects of skating is one thing, but actually participating is another. We need to enlighten the youth by giving them chances to ride the different types of boards, the different terrain, the different styles. I bring my longboards and other setups as well when I skate, and someone always asks to take a ride on one of my "different" boards. The young kids really like the 60" monster cruiser I built with Baku trucks and 76mm Krypto Classics. Its so completely different from anything they have ever seen, much less ridden. Actually, where I ride, the old-school pig decks are starting to become commonplace, as the Detroit area has a large and growing following. I always smile whenever I see Concrete Wave stickers on helmets and boards. I've passed out quite a few of them myself. There's one on the tile in the center of the bowl at the pool in the Modern park in Grand Rapids. I think I'll start "commissioning" parks by stickering them with CW stickers. Anyway, I agree that we all should let the kiddies ride our different boards to help promote all the skate styles.
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Videos
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On 1/13/2004 That 70s Skater
wrote in from
(219.89.nnn.nnn)
A lot of the talk in these posts about skate media has been focused on the magazines and their role in the skate scene. What about the videos? How many of you guys have seen or own the videos put out in the 80's and 90's? The Bones Brigade vids, the V11 vids etc? They were and are as big an influence for skaters of that day as the mags of the 70's were for us. And there is plenty of footage of all forms of skating in those as well. Pools, pipes, slalom, freestyle. Talking to young skaters they are well aware of the different types of skating. I don't think exposure to it via the media is a problem, it's more actual physical exposure to it. Having a pool to ride. Riding a long board. Carving slalom. Exposure through the media is one thing, but actual physical access is another, and that's where we as the skate community have to lead the way. We need more of us out there letting them ride our long boards, forming carve trains, setting up slalom courses, taking them to pool sessions. And having the equipment to ride it properly.
Every time I go to the park my board (Deathbox Bowman, Indy's, s#@!fires and Rockin' Rons Bearings) is ridden by a dozen different people, and they all love it. It opens up a whole new world of skating for them and exposes them to what can be done. That's more what will change the culture.
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cw
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On 1/13/2004
cfavero
wrote in from
(69.3.nnn.nnn)
michael,i know cw is going to blow up bigtime.its not about niche marketing or demographics in my opinion.i see so may young guys who are skating bowls and parks,i see it or talk to these guys everyday(and skate with them).for a lot of these guys it is not about re discovering,they ARE discovering.most of the heavy skating i see is on transition,now racing(slalom)is starting to hit here also.goodluck,cf
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next issue...
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On 1/13/2004
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.29.nnn.nnn)
That's it!
Next issue will feature scratch and smell "grip tape and urethane" cover
Back to reality...
I got Warren Bolster on board and he is amped....for those of you who don't know, Warren BUILT SkateBoarder into a publishing giant...it was his drive that created the best skate magazine ever.
If we can duplicate even a 10th of the stoke that SkateBoarder provided, we will on our way....
Scott - better contact me re: advertising!
cheers
michael
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The Smell Of Skating
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On 1/12/2004
Scott (Stillboardin)
wrote in from
(63.139.nnn.nnn)
Michael,
When you mentioned the smell of griptape in a shop it reminded me of my own return after a 20+ year layoff.
I was visiting my parents 2 years ago at Christmas and my brother pulled out an old board of mine. I wanted to set it up so I found the local shop and went in to buy some trucks and wheels. I walked in and the memories came flooding back as soon as the shop smells hit me! I had forgotten the sweet smell of urethane and griptape and wood. It was as if I was back in 1980 and a shop rat again. I sat and BS'd with the kid in there for over an hour and tried to get up to speed on the latest but found the new school boring and unimaginative. But the smells of that shop made me want to skate again and since I have found CW and all the "old school" companies again I have begun my own skate business so I can have the smells around me all the time!
Scott
www.stillboardin.com
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skate mags
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On 1/12/2004 matt
wrote in from
(209.240.nnn.nnn)
its cool buddy,i took your post the wrong way. i am 44 yrs old,i am glad to been around to see jay adams etc back in the 70s.we probably wont see it again in our lifetime.people bash jay adams for his tattoos,he had a prison term.we all make mistakes.the man still rips.i wish kids could watch surf/skate films like hal jepsons super session 1975.that was the best of both worlds,you will ever see.
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skatemags
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On 1/12/2004
buddy rawls
wrote in from
(128.158.nnn.nnn)
I want to see the history. History is a very big part of skating. I live for seeing old footage and pictures and reading, now. But 21 years ago, when I was 18 yrs old I could care less. Today's 18 yr olds are most likely the same. I was not saying history is not worth watching/reading. What I was saying is that the average 18yr old skater defined by the mainstream media that reads skateshoe ads, does not care one iota about the history. Thats where I feel that Concrete Wave comes to the rescue. thats where I also meant that the mag was not for everyone. the demand is narrow, but it is definitely there, and aint it by the 18yr old 'media defined' skater. It is by 30yr+ crowd.
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precisely why I started the mag...
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On 1/12/2004
mbrooke@interlog.com
wrote in from
(209.29.nnn.nnn)
This is EXACTLY why I started up the mag
I wanted to get a dialog going again...for too many years it's been too myopic
Skateboarding is everything discussed in these two posts...
it's picking up on the mags...it's dissecting a skater's style...it's lovin the smell of grip tape at a shop...it's bashing about history...it's about getting EXCITED about skateboarding...
This is why I scream at people ... this is why I let kids try my boards...i want them to experience it all. it's not all about rail slides and ledges. it never was...but that is what most skaters see.
I want to take risks ...I want people to ask themselves "what the hell is Concrete Wave going to surprise me with this time?!!"
I want to but the holy crap factor back into all skateboarding...
you remember the holy crap factor, don't you?
that's when you see something and you go "holy crap! that's amazing...and you show it to your skate buds.
You CANNOT change the past...what's done is done...but we can borrow from the great legacy that is surfing...surf legends are revered and honored...sadly, skateboarding has for many years, ignored its great legacy. I aim to change this....or at least get people thinking again.
We are coming out swinging in 2004...there will be articles that will raise a few eyebrows...not because they are raunchy..but because they really get into what it means to be a skater. Both young and old will be able to debate their merit...
it's all good...
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skate mags
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On 1/12/2004 matt
wrote in from
(209.240.nnn.nnn)
i disagree buddy,history cant be repeated,but its there to see the progression.herbie fletcher was skating pools in 1963.there is a picture of him in juice 2yrs ago.most of the 70s icons are either dead or in jail.but its nice to go back and see their groundwork.tony alva still skates at 46 yrs old.he has a spot in skateboard history,maybe not to a 18yr who wasnt around back then.skaters had a surf style back in the 70s.to me tony hawk has a stickman style.he still gets radical.juice comes from a rough area,venice beach ca.it reflects the the enviroment.ty page was doing handstands back in the 70s,that was boring.while the z-boys were ripping up the pools.just my opinion.
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Go Back To TheLate 80's
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On 1/12/2004
Buddy Rawls
wrote in from
(128.158.nnn.nnn)
there is a whole lot more to the skatemarket than what the 'other' magazines show, or even no about.
Your magazine is a niche of this skateboard market. Your first editorial write-up in the magazine basically defined this niche and set the criteria.
I myself am completely happy with the niche. Where else could I read about Ty Page again. I thought he was a goon (then), after these years and reading the interview, I was sorry for even thinking those thoughts years ago. The Curt Kimbell interview, the badlands interview, Jay Smith, and ALL the others that I remember, but just cant type fast enough are outstanding.
Skateboarding is not a 'history' activity. I had no desire to have a steel wheeled board in the mid 70's, or to research those early skate pioneers. All I new when I started was Logan, Brewer, Hobie, etc. Past is past, thats it.
Todays skaters (mostly) are the same way. They could care less that pool skating was being ripped apart long before they were born, or ditches or slalom, or serious quantities of 360's. they only care about street skating and current scene. Their skate activity is defined by the media they read. then it propogates from there. Just as it did for us.
Juice mag was great, but it was too 'rough' for me and my current life. Concrete Wave has turned out to be a great read. I keep all the issues at hand and look thru all of them regularly. I really miss the Kanoa or Val Surf type ads though.
You cant sway the industry wholly, but you can bring back the old guys and make a dent or even form a new sector of the market.
Like Steve Olson and Dave Hackett said, referring to skating, Its so old its new.
And this is happening all over!!
Concrete Wave is not for everyone, but it is definitely for skateboarding, the way I remember it. And the way I still do it.
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go back to the late 80's
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On 1/12/2004
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.29.nnn.nnn)
Like many of you, I kept many of the magazines from the 70's and 80's (unless your mom threw them out when you left the house!)
Clearly, you can see that up until 1989, all types of skateboarding was covered in the mag...perhaps not a huge amount of each discipline, but enough variety that I kept buying them.
There were, perhaps, 6 shoe ads - Vision, Airwalk, Etnies, Simple......
My point is this...85% of skateboarding is done by people under the age of 18...
they follow what they see in the magazines (just like we did)...if they see variety in skateboarding, they will assume that variety is a part of skateboarding. If it's all about giving "kids" what they want, then how do you explain the fact that the skate shoe market was a 10th of the size when to compared to 13 or 14 years ago?
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today at the skate park..
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On 1/11/2004 Shane
wrote in from
(198.81.nnn.nnn)
today i went to the skate park,swept and dryed it,got some help from a couple of 12 year olds,got asked if i skated or just swept the park.i told them that i like a clean skate area and that i did skate.one of them said adults dont like skateboarders,so i told him i wasnt a adult,that i was only 44.he walked away confussed.
so i started skating my longboard which cought there eye.so we talked about longboards and then i turned my longboards over to them.my boards are 39"and 46" long.they rode them for a hour and a half before i got them back.they were stoked about riding longboards.
i also let them look at a issue of C W.they never seen one before and they both thought it was a great mag.so they left finding out that there is more to kickflips in skateboarding.
i also showed some of the older skaters the same issue,one had read C W before but hasnt in a while becouse he cant find them in this area.they past it around and they still have it.they borrowed it for there friends could read it.they realy liked it.the pictures cought there eye,and they realy liked the articals.they werent just one type of skateboarding being coverd is what one guy said.so i guess i did my good deed for the day.but ill have to take my long boards with me now when i go to the skate park,i know those little kids will want to ride them again.
later.
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response
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On 1/11/2004
Brady
wrote in from
(68.211.nnn.nnn)
Let`s back step and see how new school and subsequently the mag`s shift to that direction...
First, parks closed enmass forcing skaters back into the streets.
Then it was a younger core group of skaters that took this direction and with the fast change of spender dmographics to a younger audience, it was natural for the mags to gear thier ads towards them.
Also keep in mind that as young children grow, there comes a time when they start going through that rebellious stage and having THIER own style of skating was just a natural extension of that. Kids have a way of figuring what`s cool to them.
So knowing how they got there, it`s just a matter of exposing them to other forms of skateboarding. AND THIS IS CRITICAL!!!. Show the fun of carving a hill or feeling the transition of roundwall,or they might do the norm and drop skating because of boredom (like most new schoolers reaching adult age) and they could even become skaters for life.
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