Skatepunk

Although skateboarding as an activity could never be ruined as long as somebody keeps it pure and real, I'm overwhelmed with a sense that skateboarding's industry is falling apart, or at least falling prey to evil forces. Maybe evil isn't the right word, because skateboarding has always been subject to evil forces. Maybe the right term is detrimental forces. Money. As more and more companies sell themselves for millions of dollars it seems to me that the spirit is lost. Yes, I know that Ken Block and Damon still actively run the DC Shoe company, but is their soul in it? Those guys always seem uneasy and disheveled. Vans is now owned by Lee Jeans, they're not doing the Warped Tour, they're not doing their Triple Crown series, (none of that really matters, though) and team riders can't even get the shoes they want anymore. Element's soul was lost long ago. Rumor is that DVS is about to be bought by Billabong. It's not that skateboarding is getting any smaller--it's not. But it's not getting significantly bigger, either. The amount of kids who skateboard has grown a little, but hasn't grown as fast or as huge as the business of skateboarding. The business of skateboarding has grown because kids, the "youth of America" have bought in, and are spending their money, and their parents' money, like hotcakes to look how a skateboarder used to look. (Many skateboarders have evolved their look continuously away from what mainstream folks think they do look like or should look like.) As skateboarding companies clamor to get a piece of that pie before it's all gone, their souls go out the window, too. Isn't enough money enough? Where will skateboarding be in five years? Ten years? I'm not sure either. It's a great age for skateboarding, as they all are (yes, even the horrible little-wheel/big pants era was important in the development, because now we know some things not to do!). But the future is now and dare I say that a lot of decision makers need to check themselves? On the other hand, I've contended all along that nobody will ever be able to truly rape the soul of skateboarding as long as there are people who go ride a pool, slappie a curb, bomb a hill, play SKATE, tailslide a ledge, or grind a rail. The act is pure, and remains a beacon to the business. Let's not let it get turned around.

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