Baby Skins...

So, have you ever wanted to save money and make your own food at home? Ever wondered waht to do with all those old baby skins laying around?

Well now with The Baby Bullet all your food & money problems are solved.

As of the end of this post I am currently listening to "Get Over You" by The Undertones from the compilation "DIY: Starry Eyes UK Pop II (1978-'79)" released in 1993.

Adult Chocolate Milk...

So, finding peace with mai inner child was easier than I thought... the key?
Compromise...

As of the end of this post I am currently listening to "Ghosts of Princes Towers" by The Real Kids from the compilation "DIY: Teenage Kicks, UK Pop I (1976-79)" released in 1993.

St. Charles, IL 60174 #1...

Bowling with *Ray at the Beedump in St. Charles, IL. 60174

*Ray McDonald

As of the end of this post I was listening to soem god-awful music that only a bar in this town can provide... soemwhere between radio Disney® and a shart.

Ravers Are Smokers Too...

So, walking back to Patrick Melcher's place, from Echo Park in LA on February 15th, I came across this pack of dope azz cigz, bro.
Rave cigs, for the health conscious raver.

*may not prevent Candy Flipping or premature K-holing.

As of the end of this post I am currently listening to "Traitors" by Apteka from the "Traitors 7 inch" released in 2010. They are from Chicago, IL.
Shoegaze Forever!!!

Steve Fauser...

So, I was at a play it again sports last week in St. Charles, IL. 60174... and saw this used deck with soem autographs on it. One of them, I swear says "Steve Fauser."
I sent this pic to a mutual friend [Jeremiah] with no text, only the picture and he immediately wrote back "Steve Fauser? Did you send this to him?"
I wrote him back saying "that's exactly waht I thought. You should send the pic to him and find out, I don't have his number."
I have yet to hear if this was his autograph, but I would like to think so. Just imagining a kid in this area who went to a demo and got stoked the way he skated enuff to get the courage to ask for his name forever on his grip tape.
Steve now rides for The High5 skateboards along with Steve Nesser and Preston Harper.
(The hurricane pic is taken at the elementary school by mai house, on street over.)

As of the end of this post I am listening to "Banshee Is Pissed" by Blisargon Demogorgon from the compilation album "Goblins Gathering" released in 2007.

She's My Ex...

So, I dunno if y'all like this song as much as I do, but when I first heard this in 1990 I was all like "who the frick is this?"

I had no clue, I heard Descendents back when I was in like 8th grade (12-13) in this dude's van who we skated with, he was 3 years older and just got his license, but I had no idea the name of the band. All I remember were the songs "Sour Grapes" "Wendy" "80's Girl" and of course all the fart out takes in the studio. I was all giddy when I heard them and the album I later learned to find out was "Enjoy!"

Since I didn't know the band's name I eventually lost touch and just kept to finding new music through Trasher in Igor's Record collection. It wasn't until when "Somery" came out in 1991 (now 16) the I realized that this was the band I heard in that van years ago. So I then started searching for all the cassette tapes by that band, CDs hadn't become the norm yet even though I bought mai 1st CD in 1989. That CD was "Wrong" by NOMEANSNO, but that's for a later post.

So, seeing that I had no clue who Descendents were, I therefore had been missing out on ALL, or at least so I thought. Turns out that I'd been listening to ALL for the last year and had didn't even know it.

When I turned 16 in 1990 I started driving out to Rockford, IL. to skate at Rotation Station. Soemwhere along the way a blank black cassette tape turned up in mai glove box, and for the longest time I never listened to it because I thought it was a different blank black cassette tape that mai brother had left in the car, until I was looking for soemthing in the glove box and saw two blank black cassette tapes...

This piqued mai interest and I put in the unknown tape, there was a studio album with a dope track called "Hot Rod Lincoln" and other songs called "Mary" "Scary Sad" and "Bubblegum" that were awesome, and of course the song in this video.

The other side of the tape had a live release by the saem band. But... W[ho]TF was this group and how & when did this end up in mai car?

For about the next year I just listened to that tape loving every note, chord, melody, and every emotional pulling string. Even when I heard "Somery" in mai friends car the dei he bought I hadn't known they were both related, not until about 1992 (18).

Now, I know I was prolly a late bloomer on knowing who ALL were, but I had been listening to them for the past 2 years. This all came about when soembody was in mai car and I was playing the tape and told them the story above about it just being in the glove box not having any idea how it got there. They were all like "Dude, this is ALL, the guys from Descendents after they broke up."

So then I flipped out, now I had a name to go with the music and I could spend all mai, soft earned, teen money on their discography. I then hit up every used record store at any chance I got, rifling through their tape section looking for anything by them.

Even though I had got a guitar for Santa's Birthdei 1990, I never started to play the above song until September 2010. I started playing it in all power chords until one dei I was just fucking around with finger placement and strummed it the right way and thought "hey, that's the opening to..." and put it on, played the beginning a few times and they had the saem notes. I was zooo pzyched to have stumbled on how to play it correct, and now here we are.

The next step is to get all the notes of the solo part nailed down...

As of the end of this post I am currently listening to "Country Girl" by Q65 from the album "Singles A's & B's (disc 2)" this track was released in 1971, I forget the compilation year.

Hand Drawn...

 So, I drew these images yesturdei on blank 1.5" circles of soem scrap glossy paper.

I hope you like them soemwaht...

 I scanned them and plan on making buttons of them...

 Maybe I'll draw a few moar, I have 5 blank ones left.

As of the end of this post I am currently listening to "Visions" by Infinite Dimensions from the album "Alien Synthetica" released in 2006.
I first found out about this group from the website called Beatbiz.

Mike Owen...

So, I have a friend named Mike Owen, and he just skated in the Vans Protec Pool Party on Saturdei, May 21st, 2011. He moved from Chicago to San Diego and started doing skateboard lessons and even has a website for it. (name link) Since moving out there he has been getting noticed and having epic sessions at Lance Mountain's pool, Bucky Lasek's house, and the Creature dewdz at Rumble in Ramona just to name a few. Creature was doing a demo at 3rd Lair once and invited Mike to come skate with them in it, and he didn't even ride for them.

(Mike chillin' at Wilson Skatepark in Chicago)

Anyway, yesturdei he skated his ass off and the judges just wouldn't shut up about him, the were all gaga over him. He placed 1st in the pro qualifiers and ended up getting 8th in the finals.

I think he nay have even gotten the best trick award for his Alley Oop Fakie Nose Grind around the corner of the square bowl. I say "may have" because they never actually said if he did, I just know that the crowd and the announcers went ape shit when he landed, but when Duncan was calling out winners I swear he said "...and in ?th place Alex Perelson, won best trick..."

So, I dunno waht the verdict is. Can't seem to find any "full" results yet and no word of the actual best trick winner. As far as I remember nobody else landed anything.

But hey, mai video feed was choppy and judging from the pixelization prolly in 240p. 

(photo: ©MRZPhoto/ConcreteDisciples)

I remember when I first met Mike at an indoor Chicago skatepark called Drop-In, he was prolly no moar than 12-14 and the raddest thing was that his Dad started skating at the saem time he did, so this is prolly maybe 1998 'cuz I've only been to that park maybe 3 times. They had a mini-ramp with a 1 coping spine.

So I start talking to Dad and he told me that he just started skating when Mike did. That was an inspiration to me because at the time I was 24 and feeling like I was an old skater. He was Mike's biggest supporter, most Dad's would scoff at or just not even show any interest, but this guy just stood there next to him learning to drop in together, ollies, grinding truly bonding with no generation gap. 

We would end up being friends and going on weekly skate sessions to skate the park & bowl of a Northern Chicago suburb park called Triple R and then afterward all go out to eat at a local TGIFriday's and Mike would sneak sips of Dad's brew.

 (Lien Method @ Wilson in Chicago)

Every time I was skating at Wilson it was always a treat to see Mike come skate, not only to watch, but because he had a shitty job in the North Subbys waiting tables, if I remember correct, and he hated it. The look on his face when he would start talking about work was depressing, to see this talent have to endure such BS would almost bum me out. When he would put the board under his feet all that would disappear.

He'd usually bring his acoustic guitar with him and just sit on the bumper of his car with the trunk open or under the BBQ shade tree and play. The skatepark is like a 3 minute walk to the beach and soemtimes he'd just go hangout by himself there for a bit to relax and cool down from destroying the bowl.

He's so humble, just quiet and smiles a lot. We always told him to GTFO of Chicago and move to Cali. We're proud that he finally did.

 (Alley Oop Back Smith in Chicago. photo: Tony Francesconi)

I was there the dei that this trick (above) went down, he prolly tried it maybe 3 times and just pulled it soooo smooth and rode away, no high 5's, no hootin, just a shy smile. It's always a treat to see him skate DIY street spot with the saem effortless flow he possesses on vert or in a bowl.

Mike has since dropped his long-time board sponsor Character™ Skateboards to start riding for Prophecy and now just rides for Character™ Blue Collar Hardware.

As of the end of this post I am currently listening to "King Of Hearts" by Black Widow from the album "Come To The Sabbat: The Anthology (disc 2)" released in 2003.
Early 70's Satanic classic rock.