Possessed to Skate

I recently went to the Punk Rock Flea Market in Philly and scored a handful of records with skate covers. First up is the Possessed to Skate compilation LP. This record was put out by 625 and Pessimiser/Theologian in 1997 and features a number of power violence bands (including Spazz and Charles Bronson whose split was previously featured on BPA).  There are a number of songs about skating on here, including the awesomely titled "Skatin' and Satan go Hand in Hoof," but my favorite track is Asshole Parade's "Launch Ramp" (found at 15:30 in the link below). Don't miss Palatka's '70s skatepark-style logo on the back.

The New Archies

I visited my In-Laws today and went through a big box of my wife's old comics. About 97% of these were Riverdale related, and a few of them had skateboard related covers. The best of the lot was this gem, issue no. 4 of The New Archies from 1988. This is apparently a tie-in for a "top rated" cartoon of the same name that ran for 1 season in 1987. It looks like the classic "kids" version of a show that is always terrible (with the obvious exception of The Muppet Babies). The cover features Reggie pulling a frontside air on a deck with mirrored griptape while a mulleted Archie looks on. They look like they are on a pretty nice doubles run though. Check out Jughead's sweet hot dog grip job in the background. Unfortunately there are no stories inside that feature skating.

Lego Skate Shop

The Lego skate shop brick came with the City Corner set (7641) which features a bus, pizza place, a bike shop and a skate shop. Below is a Lego self portrait.

Skate Zombie

More shirt graphics should have rails! This graphic was taken from a 1987 Valterra deck. I'm not exactly sure who made the shirt but they kept the '80s color scheme.

Bad Antics

Bad Antics' self-titled debut 7" EP features a rather crudely drawn skeletal invert.  It looks like he is riding an old Gator complete with tailbone. This EP was released on CD in 2006 and then on vinyl in 2007. It features 2 songs about skating: "Skate or Die" and "In the Deep End" (tracks 3 and 4 respectively). Bad Antics hail from Southern California and are still active.

Mickey Mouse II

Mickey returns for his second appearance, this time in pin form (his last appearance was as a bendable figure). It looks like Mickey is dropping in on some sketchy transition. There is not much info on this pin online but what I did find said it was from the '90s and from Euro-Disney.

Squinkies

Squinkies is a game made up of tiny figures that you put into gumball machine type plastic spheres and then roll some dice. I didn't finish reading the directions so I have no idea how to play but I think there some sort of battle going on. There are 3 series, each with the same figures in different color schemes. These guys are from series 2. These were originally sold at Target but they clearly didn't sell very well because they all ended up at Goodwill.

Side by Side

Doggy Style's debut LP Side by Side was released in 1985 on Flipside Records. The cover features a bunch of decks, a drawing of the band, and graffiti style logo. All of these factors add up to a seemingly questionable release, which is probably why I passed on this so many times at RTX in College Park, MD. My friend finally convinced me I needed it ("Dude, it's got "Rookie Cop" on it!") but told me to steer clear of the later LP with the Duane Peters cover (which was always in the bin). This album is a mix of some pretty decent punk tracks and a few not-so-good funky tracks. It's definitely their most solid release and probably the only one that anyone needs (although I also have the previously featured Live at Sun City 12"). 

PoppyPawz

PoppyPawz is a Dizzy Dancer, which is apparently just an animal stuck on a top. In addition to his frightening smile and appearance he also makes noises and lights up his tail when you touch his face. He comes with a "Swirlin' Skateboard" to spin on. Judging by the pastel colors and failed attempt at cuteness I guess this is supposed to be marketed to girls.

Australia Pin

Not too much to say here. This pin is from Australia and judging by the neon colors, triangles and board shape I'm gonna guess that this dates from the late '80s / early '90s.

Radical Discharge

Radical Discharge is a crossover band from Baltimore, MD. Imagine a thrash-influenced version of the Mean Jeans who are more inspired by Johnny Utah than Ted Theodore Logan and you get a little idea of what is going on. The above graphic was used to advertise their debut LP release party (which I attended last night). Unfortunately, this is not the cover of their record nor is it a t-shirt graphic (at least not yet or not one they had for sale last night). In addition to their new LP they also have a 7" out, both on Wallride Records. Check 'em out here.

Coolcuts

Carrots get pretty extreme when you add some ranch dip. The latest triathlon craze: home run derby, skateboarding and diving.

Caketopper

This dude was made in 1990 by Bakery Crafts, which is apparently a company that sells a lot of decorative cake supplies. He's riding a deck with an enormous tail and is in a rather unusual position. I think he might be coming back in with a tail-tap but that doesn't explain why his feet are facing backwards and why he is looking off into space.

Sk-8 or Die

Sk-8 or Die is a compilation 7" EP from 2001 featuring 5 thrash bands playing songs about skateboarding, including What Happens Next? covering The Faction's "Skate and Destroy." It also includes Lifes Halt, No Reply, Fistfull, and Dirty Dirt and the Dirts as well as numerous sound bytes from Powell Peralta videos. The cover feature a dude eating it pretty hard, so hard that his pants are falling down (or falling up in this case). Is that belt even doing anything? There is also a limited alternate cover that features slightly modified Animal Chin artwork.

Rude Dog

Rude Dog was a character created in the mid '80s by Suns Sportswear to market clothes with angular neon graphics to surfers/skaters/posers/etc. He's clearly a Spuds MacKenzie rip-off (only way more extreme). In 1989 Rude Dog followed the time-honored tradition of Ernest P. Worrell and Max Headroom and made the leap from advertising to mediocre television show. I have absolutely no recollection of this show but it apparently revolved around Rude Dog and his canine crew (the Dweebs) running a garage and driving around in a pink Cadillac while avoiding Herman the dog catcher. Not surprisingly, Rude Dog and the Dweebs lasted only 1 season. The intro linked below is reminiscent of Poochie's introduction on The Itchy and Scratchy Show, complete with rap. I'm not sure exactly when these figures date from but it is probably around the time of the show. There was third figure but he was rollerskating so I melted him.

Deathreat

Deathreat comes in as the 50th skate punk record posted on BPA. The cover shows a bunch of boards leaning against what is most likely their tour van. While this is a cool image I would've put side one's graphic of a sick edger with a Deathreat board on the cover. Side two's graphic is a picture of the band at a skatepark. This 7" EP came out in 1998 on Partners In Crime. Members of Deathreat later went on to be in His Hero Is Gone and Tragedy, and while I unfortunately never saw Deathreat I did see both the latter bands. The first time I saw Tragedy they played the Crispus Attucks house just outside D.C. They arrived early and were very excited to check out Lansdowne Skatepark for an afternoon session before the show.

Tootsie Pop

Tootsie Pops date back to the '30s and their wrappers have changed a bit over the years. At some point in the '60s or '70s they added and updated some of the characters, which included adding the skateboarders. The wrappers have remained virtually unchanged since then. The skaters are located across and slightly down from the coveted Native American shooting a star (which supposedly gave you good luck or a free bag of candy) but was really just as likely as any other graphic. Everyone knew that the skaters were the real good luck charm.

Littlest Pet Shop

The Little Pet Shop animals are supposed to be cute but they come off as pretty creepy. This dude is from 2011 and doesn't appear to have a name but is marketed as "Tricks & Talents Ferret." In addition to his skateboard he also comes with some carrots and a chew toy. His trick is that he can blink and push when his head is depressed (as shown below). He is also shown below on his package which depicts a crappy skatepark that has no ramps - only roll-ins.

50303Grind

Roskopp and Superbad released the 50303Grind split 7" EP in 2009. The split is a joint release by Ragerizer! Records and 303 Records. Roskopp hails from Denver, CO while Superbad are from Portland, OR. It's not hard to guess that the skating influence comes from Roskopp, they even used part of the Roskopp 5 graphic for their inner label. The cover looks like it is inspired by the "Pool Joust" section of Skate or Die!, with the creature wielding a dagger and the skeleton whipping some bone nunchuks above his head. Imagine watching that battle and you get an idea of how this record sounds. Roskopp's skate track "5-0 Pork Grind" is linked below.