|
|
|
| Q&A: Michael Brooke - Publisher, Concrete Wave Magazine (7141 Posts)
|
| Topic |
Info |
|
Concrete Wave
|
|
On 7/28/2003
Dan Hughes
wrote in from
(162.78.nnn.nnn)
Sunday trip to Orcas Island Skatepark, WA and since I have the Caravan, I'm driving. Well, I threw all my skate mags in that I could find.
I've got 6 people in the van. And from young to old, the Concrete Wave was the most popular. People were grabbing them and reading them while on the ferry, and sitting around waiting for the ferry, reading the Concrete Wave. I was asked a couple of times how did I get these...
Comments like, "I remember him..." And Oh, I remember that place. Stories would be shared, and history recounted and laughed at. Thanks for a great Mag!
Oh, by the way, Orcas was really fun too! :-)
|
|
|
|
|
Too old... Ha!
|
|
On 7/28/2003
Geezer-X
wrote in from
(149.2.nnn.nnn)
I un-age in direct proportion to the amount of time I spend:
Skating. Any kind of skating, but especially racing slalom when it's a really really close match.
Riding my road bicycle really fast.
being in the company of excellent friends.
going around corners fast in and getting compliments for a cool car I restored.
Racing Go karts.
Being with my wife who digs that I dig all this stuff in the the old house we renovated together.
Being well, and reaping the benefits of trying to be a good person.
Be kind, be honest, never fail to take advantage of an opportunity to learn something or experience something new, and share it with someone once you've learned it. Skate a little every day. Appreciate it, 'cause it is a gift.
|
|
|
|
|
Age, and a quiver to go with it
|
|
On 7/27/2003 Chuck
wrote in from
(199.183.nnn.nnn)
Whenever I come home from work and the neighborhood kids are gathered in one of the nearby yards, two questions are inevitable. "Hey Mister, are you really a rocket scientist?" "Do you really race skateboards?"
I just started riding transition again, thanks to the convergence of several factors:
1) I finally found a set-up that I like.
2) I finally tried out the local park (a little less intimidating than the pool at the Y....20 years ago I would have laughed at that "shallow little thing").
3) The glucosamine is finally having enough long-term and sustainable effect on my knees that I can handle it.
4) I want to enter the banked slalom at Kona next year, and I gotta get comfortable with transition if I'm gonna do that.
Skating at the park a couple of weeks ago, I ran into one of the guys I used to ride with in the late 70's. I hadn't seen him since I left for college in 1981. We caught up, and talked about some of the places we used to ride back in the day. Three days a week, the "old guys" get together and ride there....a bunch of 40-somethings and younger folks who like to skate with more than one style. It's FUN.
Aside from a renewed sense of fun, the other thing age has brought to skateboarding for me is an expanded quiver. Growing up, I only had one board at a time, and maybe sometimes enough parts to put together a second one to experiment with different stuff. Now I just buy more....much to the Wife's consternation LOL ("Where are you gonna put those things? You don't have room for the ones you already have."). I don't know how many completes I have set up of the top of my head, probably 10 or so. But the ones that are getting the most traffic latley are my Deathbox Surface to Air Missile and my new Roe tight slalom board.
|
|
|
|
|
generation gaps?
|
|
On 7/27/2003
Brady
wrote in from
(66.21.nnn.nnn)
I`ve been fortunate to experiance a few spots where age does not seem yo matter. The common factor being bowls.
While at the 2001 Worlds Longboard Slalom event, I stopped by the Hangar Bowl. Old guys and young sharing the same stoke.
Then Alan G builds his vert ramp...same thing, young and old skating like brethren.
And to some extent, the bowls at the Y in WP (though they do have a street area).
And now something magical happens, Alan bowled in OLLiewood. Skating will start again this week and I can foresee more and more skaters, old and young, coming together to share the stoke.
It`s more like FLOW is coming back to SK8boarding.
|
|
|
|
|
tapping into something
|
|
On 7/27/2003
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.29.nnn.nnn)
Thank you all, these last few posts are wonderful!
They hit at the spirit as to why I do what I do.
I know instinctively that I have tapped into something that is about to explode....It will take some more prodding and pushing, but eventually, skateboarding will change.
Variety and inclusion will reign once again. I can promise you that Concrete Wave Magazine will NEVER waver from the stoke that is manifested in old guys getting back into it and younger guys (or girls!) learning about the rich heritage skateboarding has to offer. We will never stop showcasing all types of skateboarding. We will not emulate some of the other mags who have sadly (in my opinion) turned into marketing machines.
But rather than complain about the sorry state of skate media, I have decided to take things into my own hands...If I only harness the energy of 1/10 of the soul that is out there, I know I can move mountains...
But my gut tells me that I can capture 100% of the stoke out there...I know that the word is spreading...I know that more than just mountains are going to be moved.
|
|
|
|
|
51 AND STILL SKATING !
|
|
On 7/27/2003
Rene' "Cannonball" Carrasco
wrote in from
(66.81.nnn.nnn)
I'm 51 yrs. old, and I'm still diggin' it - and competing in
FCR and IGSA/WLAC slalom racing.
I practice with my brother Richy THE BROWN BOMBER,
and also CHICKEN - - -
try keeping up with those guys ! ! !.......YIKES !
...Got some Old School Skate photo's on my website -
go to www.renecarrasco.com - it's a 4 pager.
Mike - thanks for producing such a cool Skate Mag -
not to mention Skate History Books that will live forever !
- - - THE CONCRETE WAVE and SKATELEGENDS !
I'll be seein' everybody at the "Worlds" @ Morro Bay !
........ - Rene' "Cannonball" Carrasco.
|
|
|
|
|
Another "Old guy" story
|
|
On 7/26/2003
Dan Hughes
wrote in from
(207.254.nnn.nnn)
My story is similar to Bear's.
My old boards were kicked around for years in the garage, my son would jump on them and ask if he could have a board. I would tell him to play baseball or basketball. Don't skate, I'd say, it's a waste of time, no college scholarship or anything for skateboarders (I did get him a board or two, though). So, he got into baseball. Got really good at it too. Teams wanted him to play for them. One day we were in Downtown Renton, where they had just completed the skatepark, near the baseball field (We were there for the baseball). Before the game I wandered over there to check it out. I had heard a lot about it, but didn't participate in the design meetings, or anything. I wasn't skating at the time, I was pitching batting practice and other more important stuff, or so I thought, at the time. I looked the park over, and watch the kids skate. I thought, wow! This is a cool. This is similar to Olympia's skatepark, where I use to pay money to skate something like this. Hmmm... Wheels started turning.
Around the same time, I was looking for a treadmill or something to keep myself from getting fat, as that was beginning to show itself, in the tighter fitting clothes (Honey, did you leave my clothes in the dryer too long? No dear, you're just getting old!).
So, I decided to get my old board out, my old Rector shorts, pads, old protect helmet. My old DT Board with Sims "The wheel" wheels (Purple). I was set. I told my son that I was heading out to the park at 6am. I didn't want to skate with anyone (I felt I would be embarrassed, I didn't know how to drop in or anything). He said, "yeah right...". So, Saturday morning, I'm hitting the park. There's not a soul around. I was just starting at the bottom, and kick turning. I could still frontside grind after all these years, it was like it was yesterday! I was having so much fun, I lost track of time. And headed back home 4 hours later. Came inside, and collapsed on the couch! I couldn't move. I was so tired and beat. My son asked me, "Did you skate at the skatepark today?" I told him I did, and he said that he wanted to go next time I go. My wife was wondering why I couldn't do any chores. She thought that this new skateboarding thing was killing me, and that I should stop (of course).
But, I couldn't stop. I was hooked. I went and picked up some new equipment, and the next saturday morning I had 4 teenagers (my boy and his three buddies) who all wanted me to wake them up on a Saturday morning at 6am to skate! All of them wanted to learn, and were fascinated that this "old" guy was a better skater than them. We did the early morning thing for about two months. Then I felt more comfortable skating with others, as did my boy and his buddies.
Now, I skate about three times a week, and I'm still having more fun then I ever have. It's even more fun now, than it was when I was a teenager.
www.northwestskater.com
dan
|
|
|
|
|
Too Old To Skate
|
|
On 7/26/2003
Eric 31
wrote in from
(12.81.nnn.nnn)
Never too old to skate.
I'm 37 now and me and my younger brother started skating back in '78 stopped for a while from 81 - 85. Got back on and have never stopped since. Skating is just the most fun thing to do that I CAN'T quit. Obviously my skate rat days are over but that doesn't mean I'm any less into it now than I was back then. Same goes for my bro.
I'll stop when I can't physically skate anymore. Not one minute sooner.
|
|
|
|
|
Too Old to Skate
|
|
On 7/26/2003
CKnuck
wrote in from
(24.102.nnn.nnn)
I've heard that one for about 27 of the 29 years or so I've been Sk8'n.
The other thing that has been a constant but just since Nov of 2002 is "Your too young to be a Grandfather".
Well I guess I'll just have to Sk8 with my Grandson more often to help spread the word that sk8'n is great.
There is a form of sk8'n for almost everyone, enjoy.
|
|
|
|
|
The Age Difference
|
|
On 7/26/2003 Sasha
wrote in from
(67.74.nnn.nnn)
It seems to be true that media and marketing are focusing on youth to promote skateboard sales, but in reality, most of the places I skate have a very large percentage of guys in their thirties and fourties.
That age group is mostly who I skate with and who I get along with as they are serious about skating and making it a lifestyle thing. The younger kids are almost like a flash in the pan. A few stick with it, but for the most part seem to lose interest after a short while. The young faces at the skatepark are always changing while the older guys I know keep throwin down year after year......
I hate to say this, but experience does seem to come with age, so the guys that have been skating forever have the most impressive knowledge of equipment, technique, are more motivated to step it up etc. Plus they're nicer to me than the younger guys cause I'm not a threat to them. They know I'm just a little girl and they're not worried about me skating better than them.
I learn so much from watching that I'm honored to be able to be around the older AND wiser crowd.
|
|
|
|
|
Oldness
|
|
On 7/25/2003
-JC-
wrote in from
(63.184.nnn.nnn)
Joe & Nick; thanks for raising the Red Dragon in my blood... Dylan was the original.
Bear; YOU ROCK!
Snoball; your words are a constant balm to my "soul". [wink]
There is nothing better than being in your Forty's (and I don't mean beer) and getting the sideways glance from your peers as you skate past their little fenced-in lives.
|
|
|
|
|
Random thoughts of someone"TOO OLD TO SKATE!"
|
|
On 7/25/2003 Bear
wrote in from
(68.97.nnn.nnn)
I was skating pools before punk was synonymous with skating.
I stopped skating in 81' when the scene changed, parks were bulldozed, most of my friends had quit, I couldn't afford to get arrested for trespassing in someones pool and I couldn't really relate to the "younger" skaters.
For me skating by myself held little attraction, I fed off the energy and comraderie of sessioning with my friends. Watching each other go for it, pushing each other to new limits, and then unwinding together, talking about what just went down was part of the life of skating for me.
Jump ahead 20 years, I have 7 children, 3 of em boys who are all into the "kickflip stuff". I was never into that aspect of the sport, so I just watched em.
Then the city built a skatepark (Edmond, Oklahoma), me and my oldest friend (we skated together, went to jail for skating Parker Pool together and all assorted kinds of mayhem back in the day) took our kids up there to skate it. Our kids didn't have a clue how to skate the bowls or vert, so we both hop on their boards to show them how it was done. It was all instinct for us, needless to say our kids didn't get much of a chance to skate that day and we dads had to get our own boards.
At 44, I am older, fatter, and slower than I used to be, but all the basics are there. I still consider myself to be a pool/vert skater. And I get a kick out of it when some kid comes up to me and says "I wish my grandpa Skated!"
I laugh to myself when the "OLD MAN" contests start at age 30, I WISH I had started back skating at 30, I was in much better shape.
I am more careful now than I was when I was young, it takes longer to heal from slams. And I know my limits (for the most part)
As long as I am healthy and have one of my boys or friends to skate with I will be skating.
Hopefully I will be able to skate a pool or park with my grandkids. That will good.
|
|
|
|
|
Total punk rock from a Welsh guy that drank himself to death in 1950
|
|
On 7/25/2003
Joe & Nick
wrote in from
(12.243.nnn.nnn)
Mr. Moore,
I beg your indulgence. While David Bowie and Churchill offer worthy sentiments, Dylan Thomas said it best. Or if your prefer, "It's beter to burn out, than to fade away."
Happy Birthday Hughie!
Joe & Nick
Do not go gentle into that good night
Dylan Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
|
|
|
|
|
NEW CONCRETE WAVE MAG SUMMER 2003
|
|
On 7/25/2003
ERIC 31
wrote in from
(12.81.nnn.nnn)
Just got the new Summer 2003 issue of the mag. I'm stoked. It is great as always. That's why I'm a subscriber. Just in time too as me and my son are going skating tomorrow morning (as usual). Ron Allen (H-Street, Fun) has been doing free clinics at our local skatepark on Saturday mornings for kids. That's way cool. My son, who is 8, is stoked on that and can't wait to go. Ron is way cool and rips just as hard as he did in the 80's.
Anyway great magazine and thanks for putting it out.
|
|
|
|
|
That Certain Something
|
|
On 7/25/2003 snoball
wrote in from
(68.200.nnn.nnn)
I have 5 longboards. Out of them, my favorite hands down is my custom Bozi Mad Bomber.
I can throw flashbacks on it, flywheels, or avila's and i like having those options without having to swap in risers. The finish is gorgeous and durable, the deck is solid and strong, and the responsiveness not matched completely by other set ups. Very comftorable under the feets :-)
For bowls, my Gravity Team Rider. Takes lots of abuse and just a pleasure to play with.
|
|
|
|
|
golden years...
|
|
On 7/25/2003
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.183.nnn.nnn)
youth is wasted on the young...
of course, there are a lot of folks who spent their entire youth wasted...and carry that on to middle age.
I am waaay closer to 40 than 30...
Run for the shadows in these Golden Years?
NEVER
In fact, I look to Winston Churchill who said it best:
WE SHALL NEVER SURRENDER!
You think it's odd skateboarding with 3 generations?
Try publishing a magazine for 3 generations.
Older dudes like seeing their 70's hero's.
Less older dudes like finding out what happened to their 80's hero's
And those under the age of 14 have never seen photos like this before in a skate magazine!
the skategeezers are coming, the skategeezers are coming!
|
|
|
|
|
Age and Quivers
|
|
On 7/25/2003 hugh r
wrote in from
(205.216.nnn.nnn)
I'll be 42 in a few weeks. Skating is still an important part of my life even though I don't have much in common with the skate culture. I'm just some dude who skates! And have been for over 30 years.
About a month ago, my brother (who's a couple of years younger than me) and I were carving the hill my mom lives on... on our push back up, this lil' ol' lady gave me the ol' sideways glance and said "aren't you boys a little big for that?" I smiled as I passed her and replied "That's why we ride long ones!" She smiled and shook her head.
I used to get funny looks in my neighborhood, but they've all gotten used to me over the past 7 or 8 years... now I just get smiles!
I'm still trying to get back to the level of skating I was at when I was a kid... it's rough! But it does give me something to shoot for!! HR
|
|
|
|
|
too old to skate??
|
|
On 7/25/2003
yoyo
wrote in from
(217.6.nnn.nnn)
... too old to skate if you are older than 40???
I guess for most outsiders that don't skate, it is a pretty strange imagination. I am mostly involved in Flatland Freestyle these days, and at contests or jams we have three generations under one roof. It is really interesting to watch different styles and approaches.
On a sidenote, California local Bob Staton turned 60 last week end and even entered the Casper Classic Contest; besides his grandson Nils. For those who don't know Bob, he is a major driving force in the Freestyle resurgence and founder of the WFSA (world freestyle skateboarding ass.) and various other local organizations.
My 2c, YOYO
|
|
|
|
|
Right on, Andre!
|
|
On 7/25/2003 Stubbs
wrote in from
(209.117.nnn.nnn)
19??? You are only 19??? Good for you!
|
|
|
|
|
That certain something
|
|
On 7/25/2003
-JC-
wrote in from
(63.184.nnn.nnn)
I keep at least three completes in the back of the car at all times (along with pads, lid, gloves, and 2 gallons of water), but when it comes to those "grab one and run" moments, it is usually the Arbor Bomber 45 [RII-180/Route 70's]. It's a capable all-arounder that can handle hills, bowls, ditches, or just plain cruisin' around.
|
|
|
|
|
That certain something
|
|
On 7/25/2003
Tom M.
wrote in from
(164.227.nnn.nnn)
For downhill it would be my Bozi MBII / ABEC-11 Flys-83/75As / R2-180s / PT7-sealed. Although I have 3 other longboard completes (long being 40" or longer), the Bozi setup comes alive every time I step on it.
For parks it would be a close call between my BDS 38 / Gravity Street-Gs 66/97As / Indy 215s / Bones Swiss 6-balls, and my Afroman Numbchuck / Gravity Street-Gs 66/97As / Indy 166s / Bones Swiss. The BDS -- which is a fairly new addition -- was a random setup for this board (i.e., first thing I "threw" together). It is extremely nimble for a 'big' board and quite stable. The Afroman is not-as-nimble, but provides a sense of solidity under my feet (seems to be much heavier than the BDS -- even with the lighter trucks). Right now -- if I had to choose only one to take to the park -- it would be the BDS.
|
|
|
|
|
That Certain Something
|
|
On 7/25/2003 Craigo
wrote in from
(208.255.nnn.nnn)
My main board right now is a Deathbox Hackett (one of the early thinner ones), Tracker 184mm Darts and 59mm 95A Spitfires. I mostly ride ramps, so that's it. I'd say my second favorite at the moment is my 60" monster cruiser (that I made, 3/4" 14-ply baltic birch) with Baku trucks and 76mm Krypto Classics. I only have seven complete boards in my quiver, but each one is for a different purpose, and I ride them all.
|
|
|
|
|
That certain something
|
|
On 7/25/2003
LimeySteve
wrote in from
(195.92.nnn.nnn)
Here's one I'd like to throw open.
I think it's fair to say that most people reading this [espacially the older ones] have a bit of a quiver thing going.
So what is your WEAPON OF CHOICE .
You know what I'm talking about, you've got all this exotica hanging there but for some reason you always choose THAT board.
It may not be the most expensive or newest piece in your arsenal but it's got that certain something Kudos? attitude? mojo? call it what you want , but you can't quite put your finger on it.
For me it's my Skaterbuilt 12" pig [makes me smile just sitting there].
|
|
|
|
|
My board IS my therapist
|
|
On 7/24/2003
Andre
wrote in from
(12.237.nnn.nnn)
This is somewhat related to Craigo's and JC's post:
My skateboard IS my therapist. After reading the editorial on my Concrete Wave (it arrived, thank you lord, it arrived), I couldn't help but grin. I`m only 19 years old, and have been skateboarding for about 4 months, after coming back to de DFW area, from Rio de Janeiro.
I have been living in this area since '98, and since then I was almost always depressed, through high-school, drugs (a "phase" that has ended, and isn`t missed), and many attempts to pass time. I had given up trying to have fun, I just wanted time to go by.
It seems that in Rio EVERYONE longboards... Six months back there left a deep impression on me, and riding my friends boards led me to buy one almost as set foot back in Dallas. Now I ride everyweekend, if not more often, and always come home smiling.
Everyone that knows me has noticed this, including my parents. They understand that skateboarding is my "salvation", my escape valve. They don`t like my scarred back, my brothers broken wrist (I got him hooked on it as well), or my best friend's concussion, but they encourage me to go out and skate as often as I can. I guess what I`m trying to say is this: The people who know me know what skateboarding means to me. At the very least, they see the difference it made in my life
Andre
P.S. sorry for the long post, I got carried away.
|
|
|
|
|
Therapy
|
|
On 7/24/2003
-JC-
wrote in from
(63.191.nnn.nnn)
How often do you see a skateboard parked outside a therapist's office?
Only when the therapist rides it to work.
|
|
|
|
|
