Another long break with nothing to say, apparently. This blog format isn't the same as the old Randumb Notes, which was a lot more free-form... but anyway, I've been busy traveling and most of my photos are going to Facebook. Gotta get more going here.
These are good things happening over the last few months...
.Altamont's SkateRock tour with Thrasher and The Skateboard Mag was maybe the best tour of my life. Thirty skaters, two bands, four vans, ten days of non-stop action. Words can't express. It was perfect. The Goat and Bad Shit bring the original spirit of Skate Rock to a 2010 level that would make JFA, The Big Boys, The Faction, Los Olvidados, Aggression, and all the other OG Skate Rock bands proud. Mofo, too!
.Maloof Money Cup in New York City: good skatepark, good contest, and the park was left for the community, which is awesome!
To order the Faction "Collection" CD, email Mark (at) skatepunk.net to check remaining stock.
The Faction was a hardcore punk rock band from Halloween 1982 until Halloween 1985. Coming from the heart of the Northern California skateboard scene, (San Jose, numbskull: if you thought I was talking Frisco, you're wrong!) the band was one of the original "Skate Rock" bands whose music and lifestyle tastes centered on skateboarding and punk rock.
Mike Rusczyk was a longtime am for Foundation, but took the plunge and turned pro in 2006. Because he'd be a man-am for a while, Foundation and Mike sorta made a big deal out of his retirement from am-status. It was funny from an outsider perspective, if you got the joke, but may have overshadowed Mike's real talents on a skateboard. Mike's always been a creative person and it shows in his skating as well as in his everyday life--Mike can skate anything with style whether it be rails, blocks, gaps, or transition. Check his parts out in Cataclysmic Abyss right here:
In case you are unfamiliar with Garry Davis, here's a rundown on this guy. Garry was the first person to make a skateboarding zine. He was the first person to have a "street" pro model skateboard. (I know that sounds weird, but back in the day, there were boards for vert skaters only!) He invented the boneless one, or boneless. He does great sweepers, and during the late '80s El Cortez pool sessions in downtown San Diego, he did backside tailslides, layback style, on the lip of the spit drain. He was on the cover of Thrasher (May 1983) and wrote "Steep Slopes" in that mag for several months. He was one of many who lived at Del Mar Skate Ranch over the years, and for a long time, Garry wore black pants with skeletal bones that he painted on them. Exclusively. He also wore a devil lock for a long time. He has been the main creative force known musically as Custom Floor for about 10 years now, and is afraid of no experimentation.
