Anyone yearning for a glimpse of skate culture at its purest, look no further - salvation is here! The book is called Disposable: A History of Skateboard Art, but anyone who knows skateboarding knows that the boards marked the era and they were much more than just art. From the graphics on the boards, they made stickers, posters, shirts, logos, etc. Some even became personal tattoos! So the personal connection they had with its audience was a lasting one. They were images that got burned so hard into our subconscious skate minds that even a glimpse would remind you of the famous trick by that pro, unleash nostalgia of the era and any memories of you owning that board. So unless you were a total pussy and saved your graphic, it's likely you ended up thrashing your board within a week (hence the name Disposable). This made original boards very rare and now the nostalgia for those crude, raw, offensive, punk graphics are at an all time high. That's why this book couldn't be more timely. I know, my roommate Pinto is addicted to rebuilding vintage time specific decks down to the wheels (50+ boards). So, although the book is about art, the story gets much deeper. Artist Sean Cliver takes you through the history of it all like never before with 237 pages of full color photos, side notes, and best of all - personal stories from the pros and artists themselves. As we know, stark, shocking graphics are coming back with a fury (Mishka) but as the author suggests, "If there's any connection with skate culture and the mainstream, keep it in your head... I simply enjoy the graphics for what they are." Here's some of the contents: Companies: Powell, Santa Cruz, World Industries, Alva, Black Flag, Skull Skates, Shut, Hook-ups, etc... Skaters: McGill, Rodney Mullen, Cab, Mountain, Vallely, Theibaud, Jason Lee, Hawk, Roskopp, Miller, Klein, Randy Colvin, etc.. And Artists: Pushead, Jim Phillips, Wes Humpston, Andy Howell, Barry McGee, Chris Johansenn, etc... Recommended.

reviewed by C'mish