Sunday, December 19, 2010

books, books and more books!

art, skateboarding & life + two dvd set by andy howell
ironxhanger ©art, skateboarding & life is an action packed story that is related in a series of awesome visuals. in his first monograph andy howell’s work on the deck and as an artist is presented within the context of an expansive network of artists, skaters and agitators, all bent on having an impact. it is an intense mixture of interviews, narrative text and non-stop visuals that follow howell’s journey through pro skateboarding, the action sports industry, and allied segments of the diy movements within art, music and design.

the two dvd set features interviews with artists and skaters, skate videos, and music by alyashaowerka-moore, monkey wrench, mass prophets, the blowing rock triplets and more! — directed by ted newsome (former art/film director of transworld skateboarding) — contains interviews and videos with andy howell, shepard fairey, ed temleton, rodney smith, and other artists and skaters. plus full length videos from new deal, freedom, and howell’s personal archives!

the disposable skateboard bible by sean cliver
ironxhanger ©with the release of disposable: a history of skateboard art in 2004, author sean cliver made a brilliant attempt at artfully cataloging every important skateboard deck ever released. in the process, he created a classic, but was left feeling less than satisfied. ever the completist, the gaping omissions in the first book gnawed at him and drove him to envision compiling the ultimate encyclopedia of skateboard decks.

while disposable: a history of skateboard art was beautiful, capturing the essence of the aesthetic, the disposable skateboard bible sets out to be the ultimate guide. the author’s industry insider status (mesmerized by his first visit to a skate shop in 1986 he went all out and in 1989, landed his first job as a designer at powell-peralta) allows him to guide readers through the culture and experience, the art and the mania of the skate world with authority and expertise.

as the boards take center stage, fascinating vignettes and recollections by an a-list of skateboarding personalities from tony hawk to mike vallely, mark gonzales to mark "gator" rogowski, steve caballero to stacy peralta and more, complete the book.

skateboarding is not a crime by james davis, photographs by skin phillips
ironxhanger ©electrifying full-page color photos of skateboarders in action will attract readers to this history of the sport. davis traces skateboarding back to its origins in surfing and the homemade toys of the 1950s to the huge industry it is today, covering developments in equipment, shoes and safety gear as well as stars like tony hawk, mark gonzales, waves of devotion and eric koston. chapter two looks at skateboarding around the world, from the us and canada to south america. australia, japan, europe, and more. davis then goes on to discuss skate culture: skateboarding music, fashion, art, contests, the nomadic way of life, and authority and rebellion. the last chapter examines skateboarding media, such as magazines, videos, and the movies, and describes some skateboarding tricks and techniques. skateboard fans will love this, and the photos are quite amazing.

cliché: résumé
ironxhanger © cliché: résumé spotlights the largest, best known european skateboard brand from its humble beginnings during the days of vhs and polaroids to the present. classic skate photography takes center stage with crucial work from some of the industries' most renowned lens-men such as mike o'meally, olivier chassignole, oliver barton, alexis zavialoff, benjamindeberdt, fred mortagne and more.

this epic narrative is given form with a lively text written by transworld skateboard’s mackenzie eisenhour. "resumé" chronicles the tactics of jérémie daclin, as he launches cliché skateboards in france in 1997 and pours his heart and soul into a start-up with no money, investors, or even employees. daclin’s shoestring budget never held him back, as breath-taking tour imagery ranging from athens, greece, to new york city, to the island of sardinia and italy quickly makes clear.

interviews, tales of camping in sewer tunnels, rental van tours, and home-cooked meals are all integral to the story of resumé. this modus operandi at the heart of cliché’s strategy culminates with the gypsy tours 1 & 2 — a skateboard "survivor"-style challenge to team skaters, forced to test their mettle by traveling with no secured lodging on only 10 euros a day. more recently, cliché has broken into the american market, just as daclin dreamed, and now with the release of "resume", tackles the rest of the world too.

concrete 2 canvas: more skateboarders' art by jo waterhouse
ironxhanger ©since the first time a graphic was hand-drawn onto a board, there has been a deep-rooted connection between skateboarding and art. the culture of skating is a very creative and visual one, with by-products such as board graphics, videos, stickers, magazines and clothing. as more skater-artists emerge, skateboard magazines feature more artwork in their pages, and there are an increasing number of exhibitions focusing on skater art. bringing together the finest artwork produced by skateboarders around the world, this second volume of skater-art follows on the successful first book, concrete to canvas. each artist's work is highly individual and distinctive, and there is a huge variety in genre, style, method, medium, subject matter, inspiration and influence. the work featured includes digital art, street art, fine art, paintings, drawings, doodles, illustration and installation.

blabac photo: the art of skateboarding photography
ironxhanger ©blabac photo: the art of skateboarding photography is a stunning chronicle of a youth movement as seen through the lens of mike blabac, a man who is as dedicated to his craft as he is to the skateboarding lifestyle that inspired it. for millions of people around the world, skateboarding is more than a mere hobby or a sport—it's a way of life that has shaped everything from fashion and music, to video games and art. blabac photo proves that point with 300 awe-inspiring images that communicate the stories and exploits of some of the most creative athletes to ever step on a skateboard including eric koston, stevie williams, colin mckay, rob dyrdek, and danny way. as skateboarding evolved over time, from a hobby for kids on the venice boardwalk into a global culture, skate legends were born, records were broken, titans of industry materialized—and mike blabac was there to document the history of the movement as it developed before his eyes.

mike blabac is one of the preeminent skateboard photographers of his generation. his career has been built on a strong work ethic, a small dose of good fortune, and an undying love for riding on a small board with four wheels. his parents gave him his first camera at age 13, but he didn't grasp the full power of photography until he started looking at skateboard magazines. in the early '90s, blabac caught his first break. he began taking pictures of a rising skater named josh kalis, and an image off the first roll he shot ran as a full page in transworld skateboarding magazine. in the '90s, blabac moved to california, where his career took off. he began shooting spreads and covers for the top skateboard magazines, including thrasher and skateboarder, and eventually became staff photographer for mad circle and girl skateboards. In 1999, blabac joined friends ken block and damon way and helped to shape the image of their at their rapidly expanding skate shoe company, dc shoes.


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for more information about the above mentioned books, go google 'em yo'selves, a'ight?

peace.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

don't make me!

ironxhanger ©please, i thank you!

goodnight!

peace.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

thrasher magazine soty 2010!

thrasher magazine ©click on the image above to enlarge.

the party went off, and so did leo. here's the phelper handing over the skater of the year trophy and leo's speech. everybody loves leo — congrats bro! for all skater of the year 2010 coverage check here.

Friday, December 10, 2010

ride the best! fuck the rest!

bad fukkin' ass skate thrashers from liverpool, england!!! a tribute jam for the best skateboard trucks man ever made! chekkit!!!



angels have harleys, we got indy pride
straight to your veins to corrode your insides
spawn of four 275s molten rage
pledge your allegiance + your life is changed

drop in full speed, hellbent, heaven sent
bomb drop, roulette, hang up, eat shit
rise above all the rest

the newest and hottest everything is obsolete
were built to grind to destroy all the 'crete
fucked board, coned wheels, your bearings are spent
heavy metal under your rig you're 100%

drop in, full speed, hellbent, heaven sent
bomb drop, roulette, hang up, eat shit
free yourself i'd rather fight than quit
tools of the trade as you light up the lip............. possessed!

paid my dues, earned my stripes
broken body, i'm down for life
fw mfwides grosso rides 169s

ride the best fuck the rest
the backbone
independent!
- short sharp shock.

short sharp shock ©
check out short sharp shock.

edit: a big thank you to foxy from the band sss for uploading this on youtube and emailing me to update! much appreciated! cheers mate!

sculpt or die!

check out this amazing life like sculpture of steve caballero done by ehren bienert. fuckin' jaw droppin' siq! speechless... much respect!

ehren bienert ©the sculpture.

ehren bienert ©the image used.

ehren bienert ©steve caballero.

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circa 1994... i was standing outside my jr high school waiting for my mom to pick me up. i watched in fascination as two fellow 9th graders rolled by on their skateboards. mike manidis looked up at me after attempting some sort of flip trick and said, "i know there is a skater in you." (mike is currently directing the element skate camp, and i think that makes perfect sense.)

he was right, and the following year i began skateboarding. 15 years later, i still ride. a lot happened in the interim of course. i (barely) graduated high school, went to art school in philadelphia, started sculpting professionally, got married, bought a house etc etc. through all the ups and downs, i had two constants. my art and skateboarding.

during the 7 years i spent sculpting for mcfarlane toys, i had a lot of time to reflect on my interests. at some point in 2007, it dawned on me that i could combine the two great passions of my life in to one pursuit. i could sculpt skateboarders. few things in my life have seemed more obvious. i could combine my years of experience in professional sculpting with my years of experience as a skateboarder. i immediately felt as though i had found my 'niche'. and so with no real goal in mind other than enjoying myself, i went home that night and started sculpting a skateboarder at my kitchen table in our tiny studio apartment.
- ehren bienert.

check out more of ehren bienert's amazing works, here.

peace.

skateboard decks tapestries.

it's nice that ©
in the art basel convention center, mounir fatmi’s skateboards covered in prayer carpet tapestries were mesmerizing. the colors were so vivid, and i enjoy the play between a sacred tapestry covering a skateboard. the colors shimmered on these prayer rugs, and seemed ironic that they were mounted on a skateboard – a fun ‘toy’ meant to ride around the streets with. maybe the artist wanted to comment on the sacredness of riding skateboards? either way, i think they are fabulous. they were shown scattered about the floor at lombard-freid booth.

- it's nice that.

check out mounir fatmi.

peace.

january 2011: 30 years of thrasher magazine!

ironxhanger ©click on the image above to enlarge.

thirty years of thrasher. free poster, free sticker, grant taylor on the front, a classic covers article on the '80s mags, the first ever thrasher tattoo, the story behind the first cover…and the rest of the inside contains one of our best issues, period. we'll be looking back on the past three decades throughout 2011. this one kicks it off.
- thrasher magazine.

ironxhanger ©click on the image above to enlarge.

photo / scan: pinkviolence



erik ellington sits down with lizard king and picks through the january 2011 mag.

thrasher magazine ©
check out thrasher magazine.

Thursday, December 09, 2010

it's neckface, bitch!

mike leavitt ©
click on the image above to enlarge.

this one is super old but anyway... it is an interactive action figure of the illustrious neckface! standing nine inch tall, d.i.y. hand crafted and sculpted with polymer clay done by none other than mike leavitt. fukkin' awesome job, i must say! big up!

mr. leavitt has sculpted a plenty of d.i.y action figures of iconic "celebrities" & "symbols" and does other forms of mediums too. but this one sure does take the cake! it's fukkin' neckface, yo! can't go wrong with that ma'faka, man. and if this wasn't sold, i'd pay some good money for this one of a kind, well..., then again... maybe not. ha!

mike leavitt ©
check out mike leavitt.

peace.