THE WESTSIDE STYLE OR UNDER THE SKATETOWN INFLUENCE "Traditionally, on the Westside, the varied beach and adjacent communities have been a hotbed of skate action. In the '60s, the Santa Monica Bay area spawned both the original Makaha and Hobie Vita Pak teams. Personalities like Fries, Johnson, Bearer, Woodward, Saens, Blank, Archer, the Hiltons, Trafton, et al., established the freestyle standard for the world. They wowed the masses in innumerable demos at department stores throughout the land, showing city slicks and farm boys alike a glimpse of the Westside style. Even today their exploits are regarded with awe. After all, people still mention Skater Dater.   "There are explanations offered for the area's early emergence as a skate power. The most common is the "origin of the species" proposal. Simply stated, it goes that since skateboarding itself originated in the mid-'50s as an invention of the Malibu surf crew, the people who lived in the vicinity were naturally more proficient. Other reasons may be found in the region's diverse topographic contours. Canyon runs, storm drains, banked dopes, swimming pools, dams, concrete pipes, and parking lots abound. Consequently, all sorts of skating situations were readily accessible.. "Well, the spots are still there, and over the last decade new faces, drawing heavily upon this local heritage, have pioneered some radical new approaches. This style made its public debut at the Del Mar Nationals 18 months ago in the incarnation of the now notorious Z-boys. The boys made quite an impression with their hard-driving, low-slung, pivotal, bank-oriented moves. In the words of the Mellow Cat hisself, 'There was so much aggression, they were more like a street gang than a skate team,' or as the reporter from the Evening Sentinel put it, 'While everyone else was standing up, these kids were turning all over the ground.'   "Since the stepping forth of the Skatetown-based Z-boys and their innovative trips, they have been widely imitated, but no one yet seems to have mastered the finer points. 'I see guys who have copied one or two moves, but they don't have it… they just skate, get down, slide, stand up and move on to their next trick—the problem is that their approaches are not integrated.' — N. Pratt "On any given day, practitioners of the new Westside style such as Adams, Alva, Cullen, Constantineau, Muir, Oldham, Cahill, Oki, Kubo, Peralta, Pratt, Ruml, Hoffman, etc. can be seen on the streets where you live (at least it you dwell in Skatetown), carving out new legends for an even newer era.   'The whole thing has been going on up here for a long time, now the trip is out of the bag, and the influence is spreading… ' — Tony Alva." SkateBoarder Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 6, August 1976

Surf photos by Bill Parr

	Team Horizon West

Nathan Pratt & Randy Wright

Randy  Wright

Dan McClure

Dan, John + Jay Adams McClure Brothers John McClure

				Allan Sarlo
	VICIOUS LIES AND MORE INTERPLANETARY COMMUNICATIONS DOGSTAR The incredible powers of the Dog Star (Sirius), brother to the dark star, are a well-known and much-documented phenomenon. Accounts of this celestial body’s effects are common to the recorded histories of all cultures. For instance, on August 25, 1943, LIFE Magazine observed that “it was a time when the Dog Star rises in the heavens, when the heat of the midday sun can supposedly make dogs go mad, and hair hangs heavy on a woman’s nape.” The Dog luminary’s most recent ascendancy, which was coupled with a total lunar eclipse yielded a series of typically bizarre occurrences. HOSPITAL RAGA Euell, Sidehack and the Pirate were all checked into Santa Monica Hospital for assorted repairs. The boys, who refused to accept the limits of their incapacitations, terrorized the ward in general, and the young nurses in particular. They were last spotted in the lobby doing off-the-lips in their wheel-chairs. THE WRITINGS ON THE WALLS Conflicts, being what they are, come and go. It seems that in these recent days, certain negative utterings and slurs have been directed towards the DogTown province by persons whose credibilities remain unknown and unproven. The canine community remains largely silent, since the time of reckoning is soon at hand. Perhaps during these troubled times, the cryptic truths are best revealed, as in the Bible, by looking at the writings on the wall. A recent survey of assorted walls in Santa Monica California provides these pearls of wisdom, Live clean, skate clean,” crossed out and replaced with, “get down and dirty.” - General Telephone Building Southern Comfort puts you to sleep.”- Back of Star Liquors Flush twice, it’s a long way to El Cajon.”-Interior Municipal Pier Restroom Repent—your time’s gonna’ come.”-Main Street Mercy Mission You may think that you are, but we know that we are.”-East River Pump House …and “for a good time call 399-9911”-Alley Behind Gold’s Gym Truth is where ever you find it. Look around, the only question is… once you find it, how are you going to use it? SkateBoarder Magazine vol.3 #6 July 1977
		contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | G.E.F. Early Dog Days