Shane Golder - lipslide

Photo: Jamie Sellers

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 Swimmer’s Ear
issue#12 Magazine

Unknown - 5-0 - Michael Stenerson

Fall 2003 The Photo Issue

Photographers Editors Contributors
-Michael Stenerson -Ryan Atienza Adam Sever Jack Boyd
Chris Pernula Jake/Trent Halfdal
-Dan Monick -Ashley Brookins Nicole Neally
Photos
-Jamie Sellers -Colin Simmons Nickie Kessel Ryan Leege
-Joe Blum -Chris Pernula Adam Sever Ben Olson

Since 1998, Swimmer’s Ear Magazine has been an outlet for Minnesota’s skateboarders, snowboarders. and musicians. If you’d like to help out
with photos, stories, interviews, articles or anything else, let us know. You can contact us at SwimmersEarMag@aol.com.
FINDING

REED IT NOW

Someone once said that a photo is worth a thousand words. If that’s true,
there is a lot of damn words in this issue.
Welcome to the Photo Issue #2
First...
Before Burton or Sims,
there was the Snurfer. It was
invented on Christmas day in 1965
by a man named Sherman Poppen.
He had created the board for his
daughter by strapping two 36 inch
skis together. Eventually the
Snurfer was mass produced and
roughly a half a million were sold.
Unlike the snowboards of today, the
Snurfer was only thought of as a
child’s toy. I found the board pic-
tured at a thrift store about five
years ago. It serves as a reminder
that snowboarding was once noth-
ing more than standing sideways
on a board and sliding down a snow
covered hill.
 News At Eleven

Events DAMN AM RESULTS

The finale of the Midwest BowlRiders Competition is Saturday
Oct. 25 at 3rd Lair.
The 3rd Lair's Video Festival is now Sunday, Dec. 21st at 6:00 pm.
The deadline to have your video in is December 19th. This is a real-
ly cool thing that 3rd Lair is doing, so if you have a video, you should
enter, it’s only $20. Check out 3rdlair.com for more information.
Local Skate News
The Thurman lewis promo video is now available, check at your
local skate shop or email matt@thurmanlewis.com
The second stop of the Damn Am Series was held at 3rd Lair on
Sept. 21, 2003. Local skateboarders Nate Compher took 2nd and
Jamiel Nowparvar took 5th in the Finals. Other local contestants
were: Casey Morrisey, Jeremy Reeves, Jake Smith, Tom Beggs,
and Elijah Collard. Check out www.damnam.com for full results.
Music News
The Crush played their last shows ever at the 7th Street Entry on
August 30, 2003. The show was rocking and The Crush will be
missed among the local music scene.

Mike Munzenrider won the $500 O.U.T. contest in Rochester.
Jake Smith is getting flow from Adio.
Steve Nesser placed among the top three at the Bayview Rumble
rematch in San Francisco along with Dustin Dollin and Sean
Stockton. Ryan Leege placed third in the "Shop Owners Contest"
at the same event.
Benji Meyer is working on another sure to be midwest classic...he's
currently filming with Dan Jackson, Andy Paulsen, Sam Mcguire,
Nate Compher, Ben Ragsdale and Seth McCallum.
The new cement park in Edina is now officially open. Minnesota
finally has a real cement park. I’ve seen photos of it and it looks
amazing.
Davey and Dan of The Promise Ring and Eric of The
Dismemberment Plan have formed a new band called In English.
There debut album should be out in the late fall/early winter on the
Anti Label.
Justin Lynch
Longtime Minnesota skateboarder Justin Lynch was involved in an
altercation at the G Shock Skatepark and may be receiving jail
time. Justin got into an argument when some dumb kid wouldn’t
remove the grind rail he was skating on top of the vert ramp. After
the dumb kid started his tantrum, he breaks Lynch’s new board and
in the end Justin flicks the kid’s face with the force of flicking off a
booger. Crybaby then calls his soccer mom, and she wants to press
charges. Justin’s will find out if he’s off to jail at his court date on
October 22nd. To read Justin’s full story check out hardflip.com

Foundation Camp/Mayhem in the Midwest Contest

Finally there is something fun going on in the Midwest this winter. Matt Peterson in conjunction with Fobia Board Shop and Wild
Mountain are putting on the 2nd annual Foundation Snowboard Camp at Wild Mountain ski area in Minnesota.. The camp will
feature guest pro coaches Chad Otterstrom, Seth Huot, Micah McGinnity, Matt Peterson, and Ryan Thompson. The camp ses-
sion will go on from Dec. 28-31 and feature a special set up park design for this event.. Following the camp, the first ever Midwest
contest will occur called Mayhem in the Midwest. This will be open to the entire Midwest and will feature Pro and Am divisions
with cash prizes. For more details check mayheminthemidwest.com.
MUsic
I’m Dying to Tell You I’m Dying

Less Than Jake “Anthem” Sire Records

The cool thing about Less Than Jake’s new album “Anthem” is that they collaborated
with underground artists to create paintings for each song. Artists like Shepard Fairey
and Jeff Soto mixed with LTJ’s signature punk/ska sound makes a great combination.
The cd also has photos and the video for “She’s Gonna Break Soon.”

The Lawrence Arms “The Greatest Story Ever Told” Fat Wreck Chords
The new album by Chicago’s Lawrence Arms has a nice blend of smooth vocals and gritty
vocals. Each singer sings half of the 14 songs on the album. The smooth vocals are on the
slower songs and the gritty voice on the fast songs. It would have been nice to hear both
vocals on the same track to create a different vocal effect, but it’s a good cd nonetheless.

None More Black “File Under Black” Fat Wreck Chords

NMB is Jason from Kid Dynamite’s new band. It sounds almost the same as Kid
Dynamite but has longer songs and the songs are really good. “File Under Black” is a
good punk CD that will keep your arms flailing and your feet kicking.

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes “Take A Break” Fat Wreck Chords
The Gimmes are back and this time they brought all the best covers by black artists with
them. “Take A Break” features covers by Whitney Houston, Boyz 2 Men, and R Kelly.
As with all Gimme albums, “Take A Break” is another great punk CD. What comes next
for the Gimmes? Covers of punk songs perhaps.

These Arms Are Snakes “This is Meant to Hurt You” Jade Tree
TAAS features members of Botch, Nineironspitfire, and Minneapolis’s Kill Sadie. “This is
Meant to Hurt You” is a great rock album. The first song starts every thing off heavy. Then
in songs 2 and 3, things slow down and get complex, leading into track 4 “The Blue Rose”
which is the best on the album. Song 5 wraps up the album nicely, and you’re ready for bed.

Hey Mercedes “Loses Control” Vagrant

With every ep and full length Hey Mercedes releases, they move further and further
away from their former selves as Braid and “Loses Control” is no different. What you’ll
find on “Loses Control” is 12 rocking tracks. The song “Quality Revenge At Last” is
very catchy and “Boy Destroyers” and “Go On Drone” are definite stand outs.

Mars Volta "De-Loused in the Comatorium"

If you do not already own this album, then you have not lived. No, in all seriousness,
you have yet to own a pulse. So go out and buy this album. Be born into sound. Give
your fetal ears a melodical treat.
-Ryan Norton
 More
MUsic
And, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire

Strike Anywhere “Exit English” Jade Tree

If you like punk with personal and political lyrics, then the new Strike Anywhere
album should please you greatly. “Exit English” is 12 songs of ferocious guitars and
growing vocals.

Killing Joke “S/T” Zuma Recordings

Knock Knock. Who’s There? It’s the Killing Joke dipshit. The Killing Joke’s new album
is no laughing matter. It will probably make little kids cry, because the music is down-
right scary, not to mention the horrific “It” like clowns on every page. Thundering
drums and guitars with a deep evil gravelly voice makes a boogy man effect. Boo.

Okkervil River “Down the River of Golden Dreams” Jagjaguwar

A couple parts Songs: Ohia, a few parts Ben Folds Five, and a small part Beatles can
sum up the sound of Okkervil River. Beautiful songwriting with intricate instrumenta-
tion makes a great album.

The Wrens “The Meadowlands” Absolutely Kosher Records

The best thing about The Wrens is the story behind the band. If you ever get a chance
to read it, please do. “The Meadowlands” captures every struggle the band has faced
over the years. Stand out songs: “Faster Gun”, “She Sends Kisses” and “This Boy is
Exhausted”.

The National “Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers” Brassland

It’s hard to classify the National’s sound. Some songs are indie with a little bit of alt
folk/country feel. Other songs are just plain indie. Just a bunch of good songs on a plas-
tic compact disc.
Thurman Lewis
Promo Video
Interview with Matt Roesch

This was your first time filming and editing a skate video, how
did it go for you?
It was fun and annoying. Fun to see the video progress as I
worked on it and made changes. Fun to sculpt and mold it into
the personality of a Thurman Lewis video. Annoying in how
long video editing can take. And annoying how my lack of
video-editing knowledge limited so much of what I wanted to do.

What was the hardest part of the whole process?

For me the hardest part was getting the footage. I was always
editing the video in my head a few days or even weeks ahead of
where I was on the computer, so that just all fell into place. But I
was unable to film everything, and so I got help from Joe Blum and Benji Meyer who together filmed all of Dan
Jackson's footage and most of Andy Paulsen's.

Are there plans for a full length video in the near future?
Definitely. I'd like to start work on it this fall, both filming skaters and coming up with new ideas. I guess we
could've extended this video another 10 minutes and had a full video, but besides wanting all new footage, we
wanted it to have more of theme with character and light-heartedness - a reflection of how Thurman Lewis sees
skating.

How long did it take to complete the video?

I have no clue. Andy Paulsen and myself went out and filmed all of the black and white footage for the intro
one afternoon, probably back in April or May, and that weekend I put together what would eventually become
the intro. I then worked on it quite a lot up through July. The 3 weeks before it premiered, I dropped everything
and video edited non-stop.

Are there any plans of adding new members to the team?

For sure. We postponed the idea of a new team rider until after the
video was done. Now its done. Maybe 1 or 2.

What can we expect from Thurman Lewis in these last few months of 2003 and in 2004?
Benji Meyer and myself are gonna work on a new website. We're gonna continue to sponsor local events and try
to keep the MPLS scene strong. We're pushing Thurman in Amsterdam through our boy Flip, letting them know
the good news of Thurman. Brainstorm for a full video. Demo. Appreciate dry concrete while we have it. Hang out
and grill burgers and watch the leaves change to orange and yellow and then gone. Wait for the snow to melt.
Review
The Thurman Lewis Promo Video captured everything
that Thurman Lewis represents. The video showcases the
talents of Andy Paulsen, Dan Jackson, Sean Hanley,
Dom Hess, and Jesse Reed. There is a lot of great skat-
ing by all the members of the team. Andy Paulsen
brings together some old school flair and some new
school trickery with a well skated part. Newest member
of the team, Dan Jackson, proves he can skate and does
some technical heelflip variations. Sean Hanley and
Dom Hess are up next. Sean skates rails that most pros
would skate and even has some footage from Tampa.
Dom does the biggest kickflips in MN and has a very
solid part. Jesse Reed’s part was my favorite. The music
and editing went so well together. Then add Jesse’s skat-
ing and you got one hell of a part. The credits have a
section with late Co-Founder Jason Everhard, which is a
touching ending to the video.

Even
More
MUsic
The Fire Theft “S/T” Rykodisc
The Fire Theft is 3 members of Sunny Day Real Estate. Now before you go running off
to buy this CD, there is something you need to know. This sounds nothing like SDRE.
If your expecting the same sound from SDRE’s “Diary” “LP2” or “The Rising Tide” you
won’t find it here. The Fire Theft is way better. Give it a listen and grow up.

I picked up these two magazines at Extreme Noise in Minneapolis. Both magazines are similar but different. Both magazines are mag-
azines done by record labels. Both also have too many pages devoted to music reviews. Slave Magazine #8, $4 (left) is from Virginia
and is the better of the two. Lots of good articles about screenprinting and gardening. They also have fiction and music interviews.
Status Magazine #19, Free (right) does very well with their band interviews, but falls short on design. All the good design is in the
ads, which by the way, there are a lot of. This issue includes interviews with Rocket From the Crypt, Thrice, and Poison the Well.
Check out www.slavemagazine.com and www.statusinc.com/magazine for more information on both.
Zine Reviews You can’t rely on the Internet for everything. Paper Is Better.

It seems nowadays that you can get anything over the internet. I mean, you can shop, watch movies, meet people, make payments
and a billion other things. One thing that I totally despise is e-books and web zines. What is so hard about leaving your house to go
to the bookstore? I don’t understand why anyone would want to download an ebook, just to read it off of their computer. Think of
the eye strain. Web zines or e-zines are equally stupid or worse than e-books. I can understand that web sites are less expensive and
are easily updatable. But what good is it if you can’t take it anywhere. Paper zines allow you to read it anywhere. You can read it in
line at the DMV or while taking a crap. You can read a paper zine just about anywhere while doing anything. With all that said, the
following magazines are a good example of what can be done in the name of paper.

City One #6 - San Jose, CA. - Free -This is the zine that Adam got the idea to do a magazine. This zine was
done by Erik Olson, who does the Powell Skate One Magazine and who is a wonderful photographer.
Unfortunately, this zine stopped publishing a few years ago, and it would most likely be very hard to find. City One
was well designed and a well written magazine that was a lot of people’s favorite.

Almost Famous #2 - Texas - Free - When I first saw this zine I almost shit my pants. Full
Color and a very high output when printed makes for a beautiful magazine. This is definite-
ly one magazine everyone should checkout. It’s designed by Travis Howell and showcases
the skateboarding talent of Texas. The photos are crisp and clear, and the articles are great.
Email travish@skatenet.com for info.

Copper Press#12 - Michigan - $5 - Copper Press is an 8 x 8 music magazine that

also features skateboarding, snowboarding, and art. This magazine is very well put
together. This is the first magazine that I’ve read that has made me want to check out
the bands in it. This can be found at the smaller bookstores or you can go to their
website www.copperpress.com.

Kingpin #4 - Europe - $6.99 - Kingpin is probably the best major skate magazine
that I have seen. It is formatted like Skateboarder Magazine. Kingpin features arti-
cles and interviews with Europe only skateboarders. Kingpin is very intelligently written. Each issue features
“Here Comes the Rain” which includes reviews on books, films and music that you should buy. It also features
articles about re-threading your axel and overthrowing the government. Kingpin can be found at most major
bookstores. The only bad thing is it’s 7 bucks because it’s from the UK.

Skatedork #1-4 - New Jersey/Oregon - $1 - $2 - Masterminded by skateboarder Steve

Voss, Skatedork features skateboarding from a very amateur level. The articles aren’t about the top pros or which
am is on fire. The articles lean toward getting a small town a skatepark, finding an abandoned concrete skatepark,
skateboarding in the rain, and various non-fiction stories. If you’re not into the glitz and glamour of current day
skateboarding, then Skatedork is for you. Check out www.skatedork.org for more info.

When did you start taking photos?
I started taking photos of my friends with a borrowed cam-
era at Del Mar Skate Ranch in 1979. I worked and skated
there. I worked there from 1978 to 1984. I was the manager
for 5 of those years.
What was your first camera?
My first camera was a Minolta SRT 201 with a 50mm lens
and then a 20mm.
How did you get into photography?
I got into it by being around pros coming to the skatepark
and thinking that it was a pretty good opportunity to shoot
these guys. I knew nothing about photography. I matched
the exposure needle and focused and shot. I learned by look-
ing in Skateboarder and then Action Now magazines and
figuring out the angles and lighting. I then shot hundreds of
rolls.
photographer
How long have you been taking photos?
Started in 1979, so 24 years, started in 1983 for Transworld.
I am the only Photo Editor since then.
Do you have any formal training?
I shot skating first and then took every photo class that was
offered at my college. It all helps my skate stuff.
How is taking pictures now different from when you first
started?
Skate photography was more basic back then, manual cam-
eras and one flash at night. It's more technical now, slave
units and multiple flashes, fast flash synchs, digital cameras.
Of all the pictures you take in a month how many make it
into magazines?
In the early years I did 50% of the photography. now I might
have a couple of photos in an issue. I can't and don't shoot the
top skaters. I shoot my posse and the other photogs shoot theirs.
I run the photography department, working with photographers
and picking photos, a lot of office and computer stuff. I shoot
studio photos, product, portraits, etc. I shoot ads too. I shoot
skating one or two days a week.
Has there ever been a photo where you’ve been like “man, I
wish I was there to take that.”?
Every time I see a great photo or a great moment, I wish I had
been there.
What is the hardest thing about being a photographer?
The hardest thing is when you misread a situation and blow the
shot.
Where has being a photographer taken you?
Physically, it has taken me to Europe 6 times, Japan 2 times,
Australia, Canada many times and all over the US. Mentally and
spiritually, photography has taken me to the highest places. It is
as much to my life as eating and breathing. I think about it con-
stantly.
What advice can you give people looking to get into photog-
raphy?
Start with the basics, don't get caught up in the gear. Take a
class to learn the shortcuts. Shoot loads of film of your friends,
they are great guinea pigs. Once you get better, shoot for local
shops and work your way up from there.
What do you think of digital photography?
We are actually shooting the digital Canon EOS1D for
sequences. 8 photographers for TWSkate have them, we are the
first skate mag to switch over. Digital is here, can't stop it.
What kind of effect does digital photography have on film
photography?
It saves money and heartache of missed tricks. It is instant, it
cuts out the waiting for film and scans. I still love film though.
Do you shooting black and white, or color photos?
I shoot both b&w and color. B&W is so beautiful though, it can
be so dramatic and photojournalistic.
Do you
have an
idea on
how you
want a photo
to come out
before you take it?
I sometimes know in
advance or right when I see
the spot, but then it might be a
happy accident or the second angle.
I like when it's more spontaneous.
What is important for people to know,
who want to get their photos into a major
publication?
You need to start from the bottom like in any field. If
it was easy, everyone would be in the magazines. It's hard work
and perseverance. I shot for 3 years before getting published and
that's when there were 4 photographers. Find a style to work in
to set yourself apart from the others.
Who and what are you favorite subjects to shoot photos of?
I love to shoot any type of skating except sequences, I am not a
robot. I like to shoot skaters with good style and are fun to hang-
out with. Anybody who makes skating look great!
Have you ever opened the camera before rewinding the film?
Opening your camera before rewinding is so dorky, I do it a cou-
ple of times a year and I feel so stupid. It’s always the sequence
they made too.
What makes a quality photograph?
The "quality" photo is the one where all the elements come
together and the stars and planets are in line. Light, exposure,
angle, action, attitude all meet and create that photo that makes
you want to go skating. It's the photo you pause on for one sec-
ond more before turning the page.
Who are some of your influences?
I was influenced by the photographers that came before me
(Cassimus, Bolster, Stecyk) and am influenced by the guy's pho-
tos that pass across my light table everyday, I learn from them
too.
What is your all-time favorite photograph?
Of my photos,the Chris Miller pole cam photo and the Chin
Ramp 4 handplants.
What did your parents think of you making a career out of
photography?
My parents knew I would have a creative job, I was always
drawing and had planned to go to Art school. They think it's
cool, they know I love it.
What exactly does a photo editor at a magazine do?
I control all of the photos that come into TW and I take care of
and direct the photographers. I also work on ideas for articles
with the Editor and work closely with the Art Director on the
look of the mag. We are all a team...seriously.
What qualities do you see in a good photographer?
A good photographer is someone that works well with others and
gets "The Goods"!

What’s the biggest expense among photographers? What do you do with all the photos you take?
Equipment is costly, especially if you are a gear junkie like me. I have 25 four drawered file cabinets of over 20 years of
photography... no joke.
Is there anything in you camera bag that you wished you
had, but you don’t? What is the price difference in film now, and when you first
Hasselblad 120 Macro lens and a bottle opener. started?
I think it doubled, but I haven't
Is it important to take paid for film since 1984. Gas has
courses in quadrupled.
photography to
become a good How many rolls of film
photographer? have you gone through in
Taking courses saves your career?
time, money and I have tried to figure
film. that out. I guess many
tens of thousands.
You have been More?
taking photos for a
long time and you’ve put Is there anything you don’t like about skateboard photogra-
a lot of money into it, what phy at its current state?
has kept you taking photos and not I am 47, so there is a lot I don't like about it. Negativity is one
quitting? big thing I don't like about it. I try to focus on the good things.
It's better than digging a ditch. It is the best job. I have done oth- Anyways, it's just skateboarding, kind of small in the realm of
ers and this one has those beat by a mile. very serious global events.

What is the most amazing thing you’ve seen on a skateboard What is the biggest mistake most photographers make?
through your lens? Quitting. And forgetting to put film in their camera.
Alan Gelfand doing the ollie at Del Mar ( I wasn't shooting back
then). He defied gravity. I once saw a guy balance a raw egg on
his nose while doing a ho-ho.
Check out www.jgrantbrittain.com to view some of Grant’s
personal work and skateboarding photos.
 All Photos by Mark Beemer
With Paint it Black, why did you decide to do the vocals?
Basically, When I write music, I have a very specific idea of what the vocals should sound like. Finding the right person to do the
job, someone with the right voice and the right ideas, is very difficult. At the same time that I was thinking about how hard that
would be, I was also realizing that something about the songwriting process was starting to feel really incomplete to me. I’ve always
written music, but had very little influence on the ideas that are expressed in the context of that music. That’s no longer satisfying
to me. Plus I’m a big control freak…

How have you made Paint It Black different from previous bands (Kid Dynamite and Lifetime)?
That will be instantly obvious to anyone who hears us. The music is harsher and more serious, and the content is more directly polit-
ical. I don’t think that it’s necessarily political in a preachy abstract way, but more in a way that reflects my own personal experience.
I don’t think it’s particularly useful to sing about politics in manner that isn’t personal, because it tends to come off as phony and
naive. The change in direction form my old bands is in direct response to the things that have happened in my life, and to the pro-
liferation of shallow music in the underground scene.

What opportunities have you gained being the vocalist?

The opportunity to feel like I’m going to throw up for twenty minutes straight, and the opportunity to run my
big mouth, and the opportunity to feel even more self-conscious than usual. Seriously though, it’s harder work
onstage than playing guitar ever was.
 How long did it take to write and
record “CVA”?
That’s really a long story. I basically never stopped
writing after Kid Dynamite broke up. The song
“Less Deicide, More Minor Threat” was actually
written in the studio while KD was recording
“Shorter Faster Louder” in September of 1999.
The Paint It Black album was ready to record in
the spring of 2002, but due to Dave Wagenschutz’s
touring schedule with Good Riddance, and Dave
Hause’s touring schedule with The Curse, we
couldn’t schedule recording until September 2002.
Then Dave W. injured his back the day before we
were supposed to record, and we ended up post-
poning until March 2003. When we heard the fin-
ished product we decided in needed to be remixed, so we postponed the release yet again. It’s been one long fucking frustrating farce.
But it’s finally finished and coming out this summer, and I love it.

How many songs were written for CVA and how many made onto the CD?
Anything I wrote that wasn’t satisfactory got scrapped before it reached the point of even showing it to anyone else in the band.

Will future Paint it Black albums be as short as CVA?

I hope so.

From the live photos I’ve seen of Paint it Black, it appears you’re not playing guitar in
this band. Was it your personal decision or was there no need for a second guitar?
We need a 2 nd guitar desperately because Dave H. never comes to practice, and we need someone to cover for his mistakes. I don’t
play guitar in this band because it’s physically impossible for me to do that and scream at the same time, and also because it’s much eas-
ier for a band to give a dynamic live performance when guitarists aren’t saddled with vocal duties.

As a musician, do you think it’s important to have a cause that you work and stand for?
What causes do you think are important?
I think that it’s important to stand for something. Some people feel that “it’s only rock and roll” and that content isn’t important. I think
that’s a lazy approach. Music is about passion, and I sing about things that I’m passionate about. I’m not going into a list of important
causes, because we could fill up a lot of space, but let’s start with Peace and Justice, neither of which seem to be priorities in our coun-
try at this point in time.

Did having the stroke effect the way you play music, and how you act on stage?
Yes, absolutely. It changed the way I understand life and death, and the intensity with which I try to live life. I
think that this comes across in the music, both live and on record…

“Racism... Do I even need to say that

it’s one of humankind’s greatest evils?”
How do you feel about these topics:

TV
I have a love-hate relationship with TV. On one hand, I think that it’s one of many devices in our world that relieves us of the respon-
sibility of thinking critically, and in that sense it can be very dangerous. On the other hand, it’s only a tool that’s as bad or good as the
person using it. I do watch TV, but I recognize that it makes me lazy, and I constantly struggle with the idea of getting rid of it altogeth-
er, an option which has made some friends of mine much happier. It’s an easy way to shut my brain off after an exhausting day, but ulti-
mately there are better things to do.

Racism.
Do I even need to say that it’s one of humankind’s greatest evils?

Government, the economy, and war

We didn’t elect this administration, so in a very real sense it is fraudulent. Our president is certainly one of the stupidest, most danger-
ous men in power in the “first world.” The economy is fucked for several reasons, first and foremost too many resources devoted towards
waging illegal warfare. Which gets us to #3. The war the U.S. is currently waging was initiated under false pretenses and is clearly an
imperialistic action aimed at expanding the U.S. sphere of influence. Contrary to what GWB and his propaganda team would like us to
believe, this war was never aimed at promoting democracy or defending American lives.

Education
We need effective schools more than we need bigger prisons. But we continue to invest in the latter and divest from the former. There
is a caste system perpetuated by the fact that a community’s school budget comes solely from property taxes. It systematically limit’s
opportunities for children from poor communities. A community full of homes valued at $20,000 will of course have fewer resources
per child than a community full of $400,000 homes. This is fundamentally fucked…

Clear Channel
Fuckers…
Since the FCC’s recent decision to further deregulate media ownership, a single entity can own several news outlets and cultural out-
lets in a given city. When one company can own most or all of the “competing news or music stations in a given community we lose
diversity of perspectives and opinions, and we allow a multinational corporation to define the limits and parameters of discourse on a
given topic. It’s pretty obvious why this is so scary. If a certain perspective on a given news story benefits the corporation in question,
we can bet that other perspectives won’t be available to us. Clear Channel in particular tries to monopolize live music promotion in
some cities, and they tried to fuck with our independent scene here in Philadelphia.

What do you want to achieve with

Paint it Black?
World domination, baby…

Any thing else you want to add?

Thanks for the interest and the support…
What got you into photogra-
phy?
My friend Josh Wildman.
When did you move from
Colorado to California?
1995
How’d you get a job at
Transworld?
Grant Brittain didn't want me to
work at 7-11.
Do you prefer shooting b/w or
color photos?
Both.
What kind of equipment do you
use?
Canon.
Do you take photos everyday?
I try..
How’d you get into shooting for
NBA players?
My brother put me in contact with
a guy at the NBA.
How is taking photos different
than filming people for you?
Lighting is very important.
Do you prefer 16mm or Digital
video?
16mm
What do you think about digital
photography?
I love it. It has it's place.
What is your favorite photo
taken by someone else?
Spike Jonez, kickflip melon of
Jeremy Klein.
What photographers do you
look up too?
Spike, Grant, Walter Iooss.
Have you had any formal train-
ing in photography?
No.
What advise can you give other
photographers trying to get their
photos in major publications?
Patience.
What is it about photography
that keeps you taking photos?
The final results.
How often do you mess up your
photos?
Everytime I shoot.
Atiba
What else do you do besides
take photos?
Play music
How did you get into making
beats(music)?
Atiba Jefferson
I just wanted to play piano and I
got a keyboard..
Is music a side project or some-
thing that you’re trying to pur-
sue?
Just a side pipe, that’s all.
What equipment do you use to
make music?
MPC 2000
What do you see yourself doing
in ten years?
Taking pictures.
What is important to know for
those just getting into photography?
Only do it if you love it ‘cause if not
you will stress out.
Who are your favorite people to
take photos of?
Everyone.
What skateboarders are the
easiest to take photos of?
Lee Dupont
Dan Wolfe
What is Closure?
A retrospective skate video of stuff I filmed from 1993-2003

How long have you been working on Closure? How does it feel that you finally have it done?
Almost two years off and on. Feels great to be done. A big weight has been lifted off my shoulders

How many hours of footage did you go through to find footage for this video?
865 hour long tapes. So 865 hours.

Why did you decide to make Closure?

It would've been ideal to film for 10 years and then put out the video so all the footage was new/never
before seen, but that really wouldn't have been possible. I just wanted all my favorite stuff crispy &
clean on one DVD. VHS looks crappy and deteriorates.

I’m assuming that you didn't use all the footage you had shot over the years for Closure, will
there be a Closure 2?
Probably not, I used all the best stuff, so I wouldn't want to make a throw backs video.

Who’s in it, and how long is Closure?

All my favorite street skaters and friends. It's 50 mins long.

How was making Closure different than making your previous films? Was it harder or easier?
Harder organizing all my thoughts and the footage, easier cause I only had to answer to me.

How do you think Closure compares to other videos released this year?
Definitely not as hyped and 'gnarly'. Just good street skating. I think you get
your money's worth, none of the footage has been on DVD and I packed a
lot of tricks in there for ya.

Now that Closure is all done, what’s next for you?

School. I-Path. Rasa Libre.

Check Out
www.danwolfe.tv for more information on Closure.
These Arms Are Snakes
Photos by Robin Laananen
What other ex bands is TAAS comprised of?
Brian was in Botch, Onalaska and is currently also in Roy. Steve was
in Kill Sadie, Joe was in various bands around Washington, Ryan
was in Nineironspitfire and TAAS is Jesses first band.

Why did you choose to release an ep first and not an full length?
We chose to release an ep first as an introduction to a band no one
has ever heard of, and it was something we had always planned on
doing when we first recorded the songs on our demo.

How long have you been together?

We have now been together for a little over a year as serious band.
We all played together for a while before we really started writing
songs that we felt were actual songs. A lot of what we did in the
beginning was just space jams and getting to know each other musi-
cally, and then it started to formulate into what we are now and
decided to make it a full time thing.

What can someone expect from your live show?

Hmmm... Well we've been told that we're extremely loud, which is
a good thing, I think. Steve is usually climbing around in rafters or
pipes or something if it's available to him. He can't really seem to sit
still which is also a good thing, but we've also been told that we're a "very-high-energy-band" to watch live. We also do our own lights,
so watch out for those. We just try and provide entertainment value for those who watch us. It's extremely boring to see a band that
just stands there and sounds exactly like they do on record. It's rather disappointing, so we try to provide something entertaining for
everyone to see.

Has a full length been written or recorded yet, if yes, what is the release date?
No, the full length isn't done yet. We're still working on that bad boy. It should hopefully be done and recorded by this winter. It kind
of depends on our and Matt Bayles schedule, but we're optimistic about it being recorded in the winter for sure. Next to touring, get-
ting our full length going is our top priority.

You're on tour with the Blood Brothers now, how is that tour going?
The tour with the Blood Brothers was amazing. We couldn't have asked to be on tour with better people and a better band. They were
amazing to be able to watch every night and hang out with as well. Not only that, but it was really nice to be able to play in front of a
packed house every night thanks to them. I could never say enough great things about them. It was definitely one of the best tours I've
ever been on.

How is TAAS different than other bands you've played in?

Well I've had the fortune of playing with some really good people throughout my playing "career" and that extends into TAAS as well.
So, I feel really fortunate to have been able to play with the guys in Nineiron and now TAAS. As far as differences go, I think just per-
sonalities in general will always be extremely different from person to person. This band probably wouldn't sound anything like it does
now if any one person in the band wasn't there. So it's definitely interesting to figure out everyone's eccentricities in any band.
 What direction is TAAS heading?
It's tough to say at this point since we're still writing what will end
up being only our second release. It's hard to be subjective about it
when I personally still have no idea what direction we're going in.
But as long as we're still challenging ourselves then I'm going to be
happy with the way it comes out. We're not trying to rewrite any
songbooks but as long as we present ourselves in a way that's refresh-
ing to us and challenging to us then I think we're definitely doing
our job correctly.

Was Jade Tree an obvious choice when looking for a label?

Definitely. Jade Tree is a label that we've all respected for a long
time. They've always put out records that they have enjoyed and
have been able to get behind 100%. That's saying a lot when many
labels have started to put out releases that they think will just make
them money, and while that might be fine for them, it's just not
something that we can get behind. So it was obvious for us to go
with Jade Tree when they showed a genuine interest and explained
what they were all about.

What are you doing to keep yourselves occupied when between shows?
Most everybody except for Steve and I had jobs to return to from this tour, so I've actually been concentrating on trying to write more
music. That's about all I can do since we'll be going on tour again soon. Brian and Joe will be going on tour with Brian's other band,
Roy in September, so watch out for that. They'll be on tour with The Weakerthans.

What do you want people to get out of the ep?

Well, to be honest, it's not really meant for that. Hence the title of the record. It's more of a release and for us to get something off of
our chests. That's not to say we don't want someone to not get anything from it. Because really, we hope everyone does take something
from it, but I'm not really sure what that is or what I think it should be.

It seems as though TAAS is already a popular band, did you expect this much hype before the ep came out?
No, not at all! We've been feeling overwhelmed ever since our first few shows. It's not something any of us ever expected. We've only
been a band for just over a year. So it's really strange to get this much hype before the release of any kind of record.

Is Robin Laananen a big part of the band, she seems to take a lot of TAAS’s photos?
Hmmm... yes and no. We've all known Robin for quite some time and just about all of us have been shot by her at some point in time
over the past four or five years. So I guess it wasn't even a question of who to use for photo's. She's extremely professional without feel-
ing like we're in a professional environment. She also makes it very easy for everyone to have their photo taken without feeling uncom-
fortable. She's good like that, and we think she's one of the best photographers around right now anyway, so we feel lucky to be shot by
her. She came on tour with us also, which was awesome. She was there to document it and sell merch for us as well. So expect to see
something regarding the Blood Bros/Dance Disaster Movement/TAAS tour soon.(www.redhedpictures.com if anyone is interested)
This is Meant to Hurt You

What is the scene like in Seattle, and how does it compare to other music scenes?
Seattle right now is great. There are a ton of great bands to play with all the time. It's very nice to be able to play with different sound-
ing bands all the time. We've had the fortune of playing with everyone from Playing Enemy to Cobra High and Minus the Bear. So it's
nice to be able to play such diverse shows. We're very lucky in that regard because Playing Enemy could never be able to play with Minus
the Bear and we're able to play with both bands and nobody thinks anything of the billing.

If possible, can TAAS be in a specific genre of music, if yes which genre? Or are you creating something new?
You're probably asking the wrong person this question. I'm sure we fit in somewhere but we'll argue that we don't. Just for the reason
that we can play with such diverse bands and people don't really think anything of it. But then again, I don't really think we're creat-
ing anything new. I think we're presenting it in a way that we feel is refreshing and different take on it. But to call it something new
would be a little weird and probably not true.

"Riding the Grape Dragon" has been the only song released off of the EP. Is that a good representation on how the EP will sound?
Yeah definitely. I think that song is a healthy mix of what we've got going on on the rest of the ep. Some of the ep is a little more crazy
and some of it is a lot more toned down.
The Duluth Bound High Roller Escapades
We received our invites from Master Jack Boyd of the finest clothing man-
ufacture in the world, Stacked. It seems they were throwing a multi mil-
lion dollar movie premier for there first big budget summer hit, The
Stacked Video. I was extremely interested in attending. Plus I would get
the chance to rub elbows with some of Minnesota’s finest movie directors
and skateboarding celebrities. I was in a bit of a pickle though. On the
same day as the premier, I was supposed to fly to Paris with Mark Gonzales
to do a photo shoot for our next issue. I called Mark and told him I had
to reschedule the trip to Paris.
The day of the premier started with a 30 foot Hummer H2 Limo picking
up the Swimmer’s Ear Execs and 25 of their closet associates. The H2 was
24 Carat gold plated with platinum trim. It included a 56 inch flat screen
TV, with complete surround sound. A full bar with only the most elegant
Wines and Spirits available. A ten person hot tub and the band
Radiohead was on board to keep us entertained with their lovely music.
On the way up to Duluth we stopped at the Casino in Hinkley where we
had the VIP treatment. We ate a full steak buffet and were treated to the
comic stylings of Jay Leno. I stopped over at the black jack table and
quickly took the house for 1.3 million dollars on a single hand. “21 is
unbeatable” I say to the dealer and the security escort me out of the build-
ing with my check.
We arrive just out side of Duluth to an awaiting helicopter. We needed a
fancy entrance to the premiere, and nothing says fancy like a diamond
studded helicopter. Up we go and on the way to the super deluxe Nor
Shore Theater, we throw 100 dollar bills to the streets below. There is no
better way to spend money. The people below run to catch as much
money as possible. After finding no where to land the Heli, we decide to
BASE jump out to the theater below. We bail out at about 2500 feet and
parachute to the Red Carpet.
There were thousands of people lined up out front. In attendance were
such stars of the film, Ryan Leege, Steve Steitz, and Jack Boyd himself.
Jack welcomed us and showed us to our front row seats. The Nor Shore
theater was filled with 18,000 screaming fans and celebrities.
Mr. Boyd introduced the movie and what followed was a beautifully
filmed, masterfully edited, skillfully skated masterpiece, which later won
6 Oscars, 3 Golden Globes, 2 Day Time Emmys and 1 Latin Grammy
award.
Unfortunately my 13 megapixal digital camera was snatched at the pre-
mier by an over zealous security guard, so you will have to take my word
that all this actually happened. - Adam Sever
 The Stacked Video Review

Skateboarding videos don't impress me much anymore. All the videos that come out have all the same tricks done by many
different skateboarders. How many times can you watch a nollie heelflip down some stairs or a lipslide down a 15 stair rail?
The current state of skateboard videos aren’t very exciting, so the big companies put in skits, party footage, and drunk
naked chicks to reel the oh so important 13-18 year old target market to buy their product. All this ranting brings me to
the Stacked Video. Put together by the fine people at
Midwest Brand and 218 Productions, the Stacked
Video, is one of the best videos I have seen in the last
few years. The Stacked Video, showcases the undiscov-
ered talent of Northern Minnesota. There was so much
style in this video, that it would make John Travolta in
Saturday Night Fever embarrassed. The stacked video
shows everything skateboarding should be. It shows how
much fun you can have on a skateboard. It shows skate-
boarding at its best. Its not all glitzy and overproduced,
like a P. Diddy video. There are a lot of things The
Stacked Video is not, but only one thing it is, the best.

Stencil Photos by Nicole Neally

Limited Quantities done by hand

I don't really have a solid answer for the limited quantities...I just thought that it would be cool maybe like five or ten years
down the road when we have our huge, highly anticipated super video come out to hear people say "Dude they used to be rad,
now they sold out. Their first video was way cooler". Then have another kid say "They had a first video?". Plus I wanted to
have a real limited edition series, not the "We only made 165 million of these, supplies are limited".

The reason for the numbering and

hand stenciling was just to give peo-
ple something different and one of a
kind. I did them right outside my
house so on some of the copies
there's some dirt or grass specs. I
call them the "Limited Edition
Minnesota Dust and Possibly Poop
Particles Series".

The stencils were done by hand...it

took about 3.5 hours to make each
Stacked one and the names took
about the same. The maintenance
is a pain in the ass...I can only do
about 20 at a time before having to
clean the stencils which takes about
an hour and half. - Jack Boyd
Interview with Jack Boyd
How long did the Stacked video take to make filming and editing?
I know we started filming right after the first FOD video, which was about a year
and half ago. The editing started maybe four or five months ago, but there was def-
initely way more time being put into it during the last week. Stressfest for sure.
How come you didn’t advertise the video until a month before the premiere?
I think too many jump the gun on that sort thing and end up overdoing it. They
build up people’s expectations too much, then when the whole thing drops they
leave them standing there holding a limp dick so
to speak.
How do you feel the premiere went?
That was one of the best times I’ve ever had. We
had a good turnout and people really got into the
video. Good audience reaction is what your real-
ly looking for when you have a premiere. Then of
course, when you throw bands and liquor into the
mix...
Did you accomplish everything you wanted to
do with the video?
For the most part. I know a lot of people question
everything they see or hear, whether it be some
know-it-all pecker shooting off their mouth or
something posted on a message board. “They’re
not a real company, they don’t even make pants”.
It’s like there’s an instruction manual to having a
company. You gotta do this, advertise here and
demo there. There’s hundreds of companies out
there and most of them look the same and oper-
ate under the same guidelines. There’s no sense
in kicking the fuck out of a dead horse. So yeah,
I guess we may not be a “real” company to some
people but our priorities lie in skateboarding.
And that’s why we made the video.
What was the hardest part about the whole
process?
I would say the decision making. I definitely wanted a certain look and feel for the
video. I’m sort of a picky person so I would tell someone that they should take out
a certain line or trick because it looks weak, but at the same time they’re stoked on
it for whatever reason. You just have to be understanding towards certain things
and learn to negotiate and compromise and not be so bull headed. But all in all it
came down to what the skater wanted. They put in the work and it’s their reputa-
tion on the line. I’m just here to vouch for the guy.
How many people came to the premiere?
The video was supposed to start at 7:00 and about twenty minutes to, there was
like 25 people there. I totally thought people weren’t having it and was starting to
get nervous. But right at seven it rushed and we ended up starting about forty min-
utes late. It was somewhere around 230-240 people that showed up. So thanks to
anyone from out of town who made the trip.
Did you expect that many people to show?
I was hoping for at least 100-150 people, so I was pretty surprised at the final show-
ing. A few days before the premiere I had one of the chicks that works at the the-
atre call me and tell me that if I didn’t quit using the flyer with the almost nude girl
on it, that no women would come to the video. Retarded hippy, there were tons
of girls there.
Who do you think had the stand out part?
It’s hard to say because everyone's style is really different. I like Jake’s part because
no one had really seen anything of him yet and he doesn’t have the “good little kid”
ego, he just sort of wanders around lost with a
weird look on his face. Cripes (Steve Seitz) has a
good part too. He put in a lot of work and spent
his fair share of time on the cripple couch.
How did all the riders feel about the video?
Everyone was mostly happy with it. A couple of
them wished they had a few more things or longer
parts, like Ryan. He had a bunch of crap going on
all at once like school S.A.T’s, running the shop
and being married. Double (Den Davey) is a
freak when it comes to filming and editing so he
was out the morning of the premiere redoing lines
he didn’t like or fidgeting with music. But if it
wasn’t for him it wouldn’t have been out until Fall
2010...I’m a procrastinator.
How do you choose who to put on the team?
For me the biggest thing is personality. I’ve put
people on in the past before without really getting
to know them and it ends up sucking. They’re
more pumped on telling people that they’re spon-
sored instead of actually caring about the compa-
ny or what it stands for. As it stands right now the
team is the best it’s ever been. They’ve never
been “Yo man, what’s up with my box”, it’s more
like “Hey dude, my shit’s looking chauncey, can I
get a few things?”. They’re patient and take it for
what it is and what we want it to be.
Is there a sense of Midwest Pride in the video?
Not really too much. I tried to stray from playing the “Midwest Pride” fiddle and
just do something that anyone from anywhere would enjoy. Like it or not, there’s
a lot more to skateboarding than what you see around here. Most of the riders are
from around this area, but again, it’s a case of a personality, not local pride. Den
and John (Feick) both have the MN Fever pretty bad, so you see that reflected in
their parts. To me Minnesota is like a cheating girlfriend. You stay with her and
put up with her shit and she still turns around and makes a misery of your life. For
seven months out of the year anyways. But in the words of the Motley Crue, it will
always be “Home Sweet Home”.
Do you have any plans for another video anytime soon?
There’s talk of a few different projects. I know FOD wants to do another video
soon. Double has talked about doing a skateboarding influenced softcore porno I
think I want to get in on. Maybe a short Fonix promo...guess we’ll wait and see.
What do you have planned for the future of Stacked and Fonix?
Skateboarding and tomfoolery...
 F O T O

Ryan Colin
Joe Blum Dan Monick
Atienza Simmons
 I S H U

Ashley Chris
Jamie Sellers Marvelous
Brookins Pernula
This is
Marvelous
Name: Michael Stenerson “Marvelous”
Age: 25
Geographic Location: Today Iowa, tomorrow who knows.

How did you get into taking photos? It’s funny cause when I was little, I always wanted to be a photographer, but my parents told me
it was too hard to make money. Then I took a photo class in high school, just kind of fooling around with it and takin photos of my
friends. I remember taking a few skate photos but always felt limited with the equipment that I had; a little shitty Nikon with a 50mm
lens. Looking back I wish I would have taken it more seriously and learned more early on. But I was just too preoccupied with skating
and chilling with my friends. Then in college I got a job at the Minnesota Daily. It was there that I really learned how to be a photog-
rapher, what photography was, and some of the different ways to make a career out of it.

What do you do to make your photos stand out from others? Make sure those joints are tight like pussy.

Do you have any formal training or are you self taught? A little bit of both. Mostly trial and error, and asking lots of questions of
other older and/or more experienced photogs. Art school can pretty much suck a dick when it comes to technical shit. They can teach
you how to make an ill print, but when it comes to exposing your film in funny ways and with flash, they're lost.

What is the hardest thing about shooting photos? Getting those fucking lazy skaters to get it together and getting the damn filmer
out of the way. I swear, that's why I don't shoot more skate photos. "Ooohhhh, I can’t do it if were not gonna film it" I don’t ever want
to hear that again. “Call me when you're close”-that’s my new motto. First off, filming and photographing do not always work well
together, they can but more often than not they don't. In my opinion, people (filmers and photographers) are using the fisheye lens too
much. As a visual recorder, they should be looking for nice compositions. There is not much you can do composition-wise with a fish-
eye lens. Don't get me wrong I use that shit too, but it seems more often than not that's what you're gonna see in the mags or on the
vids.

Do you prefer b/w or color photography? Depends on the mood, the situation, and what type of image you want to come away with.
Jay Haugen - Minneapolis, MN
Den Davey - Fifty Fifty - Duluth, MN
Peter Madson - Wall Ride - Iowa City, IA
peter piper popped some poopers and in turn learned
frontside airs in 12 foot concrete bowls in Novi, MI.
1

6
 3
4

Seth McCallum - Frontside 180 8

 Lone Tree Fall Festival. Lone Tree, IA. 2003

What do you think makes a quality photo? You have to have your technical skills on point. No out of focus, no bad lighting. Know
where your light is coming from. Frame that shit up nice. Do it all in the camera. "Techin' in the camera" as my friend Amirali would
say. That means when you scan it or print it you don't have to do anything to it, cause it just comes out perfect. And finally the over-
all vision. Some people have it some don’t.

What kind of equipment do you use? Nikon digital SLR's for newspaper stuff, and Nikon film SLR's for everything else. I like exper-
imenting with different types of cameras. I used a 4x5 view camera for a bit and that was great, I really want a Leica. But right now I
just own Nikon, a couple F4's and a a F100

Who are your favorite people to shoot? What,? Are you trying to get me in some shit?? I already have a tough enough time getting
cats to shoot with me!

What are some of your favorite photographers and photos? I really like Gabe Morford, Pete Thompson, Alex Webb, Henri Cartier-
Bresson of course, Steve McCurry, Jon Humphries. It's a long list but these are just a few.

When setting up a shot, do you have an idea of what the photo will look like? Pretty much always with skateboarding. I think that
if you don't have an idea, you’re gonna have a lot of stuff that doesn't turn out as nice as you would like. That's different though with
documentary stuff. In that situation you kind of just vibin' off other people, waiting for moments to happen and constantly on the move,
always trying to "see" that next shot. Even then though you're looking for photos as you're taking them. Looking for good compositions.
But at the same time when you're photographing people you might make a really great photo off the cuff. Or when you're doing street
photography a lot of that is just spur of the moment. Sometimes from the hip.

Do you have your own setup for processing and developing film? Depends on where I'm at in life. Sometimes I have access to labs
from where I work but I have never had my own. I have access right now though so I'm pretty stoked.

What does photography mean to you? You don't want to know.

ashley brookins
Age: 20
What kind of equipment do you use?
Old Cannon AE-1...I got it for $25 from a lady at work...What a deal eh?
Geographic Location: Golden Valley, MN
Who are your favorite people to shoot?
When did you get into photography? Strangers.
I've always liked taking pictures, but it wasn't until I took a Black and
White class last year that the love began. When setting up a shot, do you have an idea of what the photo will
look like?
Do you have any formal training or are you self taught? Yeah, I usually plan it out, but sometimes I just mess around to see what
I took that Black and White class, and I'm now in a Color one. will happen.

Do you prefer b/w or color photography? Do you have your own setup for processing and developing film?
B/W, it's easier to get good prints. Someday...For now I just use my school's.
 Jamie is 17 years old and
has been shooting skate-
board photos for one year.
He used to live in
Rochester, MN, but now
he lives in Tampa, Fl.

Jamie Sellers
Jamie has been skateboard-
ing for 4 and a half years.
He also has interests in
snowboarding, photography,
filming and eating.
Jordan Garris - Board Slide
Sam Schafer - Noseblunt Slide
Jordan Garris - Crooked Grind
Jordan Garris - Nose Slide
Shane Golder - Backside Smith Grind
Chris Pernula began taking photos during an unhealthy obsession of looking
through other people's bedroom windows. Over the years he became
quite skillful at climbing trees, jumping backyard fences, and evad-
ing on-foot police pursuits. After several restraining orders and
an owl mishap, he redirected his subject matter to focus on
skateboarding and snowboarding, which he still shoots
today. When he buys his own house, he plans to have

hris
a dark room. Not a room to develop photos, just a
room that doesn't have any lights where he can hang
out and tell scary stories.
C

Pe
la

rnu
Phil Wright - Ollie
Paul Pernula - Snowskate Gap
 I am an urban assaultist by trade....wandering the earth like
Caine....spitting Mao....armed with some aerosol chrome and John Blaze in
my dome....my camera is my sword....a modern day warrior and hero to
many....el mysterioso kid, seen?
 Alex in binds of despair

Spray Cans
 I Love Skateboarding

N Train - NYC
Welcome to Minnesota
Queens Trainyard
 Shadows in an Abandoned Playground
Red Rock
Shadows
I grew up in Minneapolis and after a lot of fits and
starts I now live in Los Angeles. My photography
background is a series of coincidences and acci-
dents. So are the best pictures. The day I got
Dan Monick
kicked out of a writing class in college was also the
same day I got accepted into a photo 1 class that
I had applied for on a lark. That pretty much
sums it all up right there. I take photographs
because I cant seem to stop. Also my memory can
1. Croix 2. Har Mar / Atom 3. B O D N
be horrible at times.
4. Crowd 5. Har Mar 6. Jim 7. Micky Mosman
8. Queens of the Stone Age pedal
Dan Monick
http://www.dmonick.com/
Croix of American Monster
Har Mar Superstar and Atom
Book of Dead Names
Crowd at Edge Fest, Somerset, WI
Har Mar Superstar
Jim
Micky Mosmon
Pedal of Queens of the Stone Age
 Age: 23
Geographic Location: Moneyapolis

How did you get into taking photos?

It's always been a creative outlet for me to express my inner feelings.

When did you get into photography?

I was born with a death lens shaped birth mark on my right shoul-
der, so right away my parents bought me a vx1000 and put me to
work filming go kart races and scoot skate competitions.

What do you do to make your photos stand out from others?

I shoot Chips-X in the nude. I'm the only photojournalist in town
that has the extremely rare xxx-lens.

Do you have any formal training or are you self taught?

Every photographer is self taught.

What is the hardest thing about shooting photos?

Trying new things.

What do you think makes a quality photo?

A good story to go with it.

joe blum What kind of equipment do you use?

A Holga 120S.

Who are your favorite people to shoot?

Thanks to Frankenplus, Colin, J-Ho, Jackle, Treeves, Treelijah,
Beat minor, Zed, Sam, Munz, Show, Neal, Rieman, Todd Brown,
Ben, Heck, Jesse, Matt, Tony-Bone, Sissi, Scott and anyone else's
souls I have stolen or have helped me out over the years.

When setting up a shot, do you have an idea of what the photo

will look like?
I try to make sure to have a lot of lurkers in the background, and
sometimes it's nice if randoms pop in to see the aggressive maneu-
vers too.

What does photography mean to you?

To me a photographic image is a majestic expression of the inner
beauty that is human existence.
Dan Jackson - Halfcab Heelflip
Elijah Collard - Kickflip
Jeremy Reeves - Backside Tailslide
Elijah Collard - Switch Frontside Flip
Sam Mcguire - Frontside Bluntslide
Jeremy Reeves - Fakie Ollie
Ryan Atienza
Age: 17
Geographic Location: Crystal, MN
How did you get into taking photos?
-When I first started skating I always bought those disposable cameras to
shoot photos of my friends skateboarding and eventually my dad gave me
an SLR and said, "If you can figure out how to use this thing, you can use
it." So I guess that's how it started.
When did you get into photography?
-I think I started out in 6th or 7th grade but I started shooting seriously I
think in 9th grade.
What do you do to make your photos stand out from others?
-I don't really know, I just shoot what I like and if it turns out better than
others, then I guess that's cool.
Do you have any formal training or are you self taught?
-I am completely self taught.
What is the hardest thing about shooting photos?
-You always have to be prepared. Sometimes I'll go out and get to what-
ever I'm shooting and I'll be like, "Damn, it's really dark, I wish I brought
some 800 film," or "I knew I would need that polarizer." Now I just carry
a big ass backpack full of stuff.
Do you prefer b/w or color photography?
-I like both, it just depends on the subject.
What do you think makes a quality photo?
-Something that captures the moment, makes you feel like you were
there, like you could feel the weather and smell the smells; stuff like that.
What kind of equipment do you use?
-I rock the old school equipment: Canon AE1, Canon T70, Yashica MAT
124-G
What are some of your favorite photographers and photos?
-Gordon Parks, all of the people that shoot for National Geographic, Jai
Tanju, there's a lot but I can't think of them.
When setting up a shot, do you have an idea of what the photo will
look like?
-Yeah, everything that I look at I think of as a picture. It's something that
I've always done and it really helps, and if something I see looks really cool
or I compare it with something that would make a good picture, I usually
shoot it.
Minneapolis
Josh Bachman
Did you know that Duluth was
once home to more millionaires
(per capita) than any other city in the
world? Duluth is located on the western most tip of Lake
Superior, halfway between the Twin Cities and Canada. It has
an area of 43,067 acres and a population of 86,000, making it
Minnesota’s third largest city. You can’t talk about Duluth with out mentioning Lake
Superior. Lake Superior has enough water in it to cover all of North America in
3 feet of water. It has 3 quadrillion gallons of water that make up 31,280
square surface miles. It has an average depth of 483 feet and its deepest
point is 1,333 feet deep. The lake is home of over 350 shipwrecks
including the famous Edmund
Fitzgerald. Lake Superior is Duluth
known for its clear, cold water and agate beaches. It has an
average temperature of 40°F and is large enough to dra-
matically affect weather patterns is surrounding areas; in
Duluth, that means warmer winters and cooler
summers. Duluth’s average high Summer temper-
ature is 77°F and it’s average low Winter tempera-
ture is -2°F. Duluth’s Industries include tourism,
healthcare, financial/banking, mining, paper,
communications, education and shipping.
Interlake cargoes of iron, grain, coal and stone
combine to make Duluth the top volume port
on the Great Lakes with a total of $250 million in
annual economic impact. Duluth was rated first in the
United States for quality healthcare in communities of its
size and one of every seven residents are employed in healthcare.
Duluth is also known
for its great skateboarding
Steve Steitz - Kickflip Photo by Michael Stenerson
 Den Davey - Gap to 50-50 Photo by Michael Stenerson

Jack Boyd - Footplant Photo by Nicole Neally

Den Davey - Switch Crooked Grind Photo by Ben Olson
Josh Monsaas - Ollie Photo by Ryan Leege
Josh Monsaas - Ollie Photo by Ryan Leege
 Dan Johnson - Melon Photo by Ryan Leege

Duluth is also known

for its great skateboarding
Duluth information from visitduluth.com
Trent Halfdal - Hardflip
Photo: Jake Halfdal
Andy Paulsen Dan Jackson Sean Hanley

Dom Hess Jesse Reed

The Thurman Lewis Collection

Promo Video Out Now
Check local skate shops for availability
 Saturday, October 25
FINALE 3rd LAIR Skatepark–MPLS

850 Florida Ave So.

Golden VAlley, MN 55426
763-797-5283

www.midwestbowlriders.com
 mer's Ear Maga
m
Swi

zine
Wasting Paper Since '98
9487 Polaris Lane North
Maple Grove, MN 55369

Minneapolis Skyline - Colin Simmons