Stalefish: Skateboard Culture from the Rejects Who Made It

Front Cover
Chronicle Books, Apr 30, 2008 - Sports & Recreation - 192 pages
How is professional skateboarding different from, say, professional golfing? More scabs, for one. And is skateboarding actually a sport? In Stalefish, veteran journalist and former pro skater Sean Mortimer interviews Rodney Mullen, Steve Olson, Tony Hawk, Stacy Peralta, Jamie Thomas, Lance Mountain, Tommy Guerrero, Russ Howell, Mike Vallely, Dave Hackett, Daewon Song, Jim Fitzpatrick, Steve Alba, Kevin Harris, Bob Burnquist and Chris Haslam in search of answers, and to discover what drove them and millions of other disenfranchised youth to obsession with empty pools, sewer ditches, and handrails. This book may not settle the sport versus subculture versus cult debate, but with stories of skate-induced ulcers, skatepark torture, ramp arson, trespassing, the birth of punk, and more, it captures like no other how skateboarding can derail your life in a beautiful way.
 

Contents

FOREWORD
11
INTRODUCTION
12
TIMELINE
12
THE START OF THE TROUBLE
14
Jim Fitzpatrick
16
Russ Howell
19
Stacy Peralta
21
Dave Hackett
24
Rodney Mullen 104 UCHISOTO
38
Tony Hawk 114 WEAPONS OF MASS PROPAGANDA
42
Mike Vallely
44
Daewon Song 124 CONTESTS
48
Jamie Thomas
51
Bob Burnquist 142 MY GENERATION
54
Chris Haslam
57
SPREADING THE GOSPEL
152

Steve Olson
26
Steve Alba 60 PRO SKATER
28
Lance Mountain
30
Kevin Harris 84 SKATE SPOTS
33
Tommy Guerrero
35
TAKING IT TO THE STREETS
162
THE INDUSTRY
172
THE AFTERLIFE
182
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Copyright

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About the author (2008)

Sean Mortimer was a sponsored skateboarder in the late '80s. He is the former editor of SkateBoarder Magazine and the author of HAWK Occupation: Skateboarding with Tony Hawk and The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself. He lives in Southern California. Tony Hawk was ranked the best skateboarder in the world by age 16. He lives in Southern California.

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