Chapter 9 – It’s Like Deja Vu All Over Again
You didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what would happen to skateboarding once it was showcased in the biggest film of the summer of 1985 – “Back to The Future.” After toiling for close to four years in obscurity, skateboarding EXPLODED in popularity. Pro skaters used to making $100 for a first-place win suddenly found their fortunes changing dramatically. Contests moved from underground to national exposure. Vert skating captured the public’s imagination, and corporate sponsors came calling.
A decade before (in the 70s), skateboard clothing and footwear played a small but significant role in the boom. I’m looking at you, OP and Vans. In the 1980s, however, skate fashion and lifestyle products became critical. Airwalk, Swatch Watches and Vision Street Wear were everywhere and not just on skateboarders.
Thrasher Magazine showcased various genres of skateboarding in the first four years of its existence (1981 to 1985). There was vert, downhill, slalom, street and freestyle. But as things became more popular, the focus mainly shifted to vert. Transworld pretty much followed suit. Sound familiar? This is precisely what happened in the 70s – the tunnel vision again sowed the seeds for future destruction. Variety is the key to keeping the quite fragile skate ecosystem from a boom/bust cycle. I have repeated this mantra for over 30 years and plan to keep saying it for the next three decades…at least!
As skateboarding and fashion merged with skateboarding, a stunning amount of money rolled into the skate industry. For skaters who grew up in the 1970s and had a pretty independent mindset, the lack of authenticity set the stage for a reset.
The thing about revolutions is that you don’t always see them coming. I happened to be one of the amateur skaters competing at the SkateWave contest held in Toronto in 1987. There were only two categories – half-pipe and freestyle. Although there was a street skateboarding contest back in 1983 (won by Tommy Guerrero), it would take another 4 years before street was an official category.
The “Hell Tour”
There is no denying that street skateboarding was starting to gain popularity, but in 1987, the focus was mainly on vert, with a dash of freestyle on the side. The SkateWave contest brought skate pros from the USA, including Mike Valleley and Steve Rocco. The two were on something they called their “Hell Tour.”
I managed to spy them skating downtown on Yonge Street (Toronto’s main drag), doing something I had never seen before, let alone contemplated. I watched Mike skate down the sidewalk and suddenly do a noisy stand-up powerslide. As soon as the unaware pedestrian freaked out hearing the disruption, Steve was there with his Polaroid camera, snapping a shot. It was an outrageous act, sure to cause trouble. Yet, as a skater, it was also oddly amusing.
What a strange sensation it was watching them terrorize an unsuspecting public. I spent a few minutes trying to comprehend where all this would lead. I got my answer a few years later when World Industries, led by Steve, completely upended skateboarding. The company that he had co-founded back in 1987 wound up being a major disruptor. During his reign, the fortunes and stature of key skate companies like Powell-Peralta, Tracker, Santa Cruz, Vision and Sims all waned.
Pablo Picasso famously said, “Every act of creation begins with an act of destruction.” When skateboarding’s connection with punk and alternative culture strengthened, it wasn’t an anomaly; it was something that skateboarding has always done. The SkateGeezer Manifesto is not here to debate the merits of Steve Rocco’s actions. This has been done in several books and, of course, in the film “The Man Who Souled The World.” I remind you that when skateboarding goes through change, it generally comes from the outliers and not some boardroom. Steve Rocco was an outlier.
Counter-intuitive Thinking
Over 25 years ago, I met a man named Norm MacDonald. For many years, Norm was the manager of Ultimate East, one of the largest skateboard distributors in Canada. One thing he said to me that has stuck with me throughout these past few decades perfectly describes skateboarding’s rise and fall in popularity: “When skateboarding is in, it’s out, and when it’s out, it’s in.” The counter-intuitive thinking makes sense when you think about it. At the same time, it pigeonholes skateboarding somewhat. I’ve often said that the immediate freedom, low cost and absolute joy that skateboarding brings is too good to keep for just those under 21!
At the start of skateboarding’s third boom, videos were extremely rare. As time progressed, the uniqueness of the first few videos quickly faded. Skateboarding loves to oversaturate. But then again, if skateboarding was covered like football or baseball, would that change how people feel about it?
As in the previous two booms, the mid-80s explosion of interest attracted numerous entrepreneurs and investors. Most of these folks were driven by one thing – money! Few of them committed to skateboarding culture. The market got saturated with competing brands and products. As things turned sour, many companies bailed. The 1987 market crash and subsequent economic slowdown didn’t help. Maybe the real problem was the “get rich quick mentality” that seems to have reared its head throughout skateboarding history – once again!
I’ve always maintained that skateboarding needs to be more like Las Vegas or the bike industry. It’s all about cultivating customers and meeting them where they are at. Vegas doesn’t care what you’re spending money on – 5-cent slots or $1,000 bets in poker. They are happy to have you in their clutches, spending your money. The bike industry will gladly sell you a $75 bike up to $10,000+ rims. The skateboard industry is primarily focused on the under-18 crowd who buy street skateboards. As a result, they are continuously losing potential customers as these people perceive they are “too old” to continue skateboarding. The idea of cultivation seems quite obscure.
I felt things were on a downward spiral when my 50-year-old father started wearing Airwalks. He found the shoes comfortable to his credit, but he had no idea of what they represented. He didn’t even realize he was buying skate shoes!
As skateboarding collapsed in the early 90s, it went underground – again! Over time, it changed into something different – as it had always done. Vert was officially pronounced dead – by Steve Rocco, and the focus was on street skateboarding.
In January of 1994, after a trade show in San Diego a group of skateboard heads got together for a discussion. Their meeting notes have been available on line for over 30 years. In the next chapter, you’ll get to see them for yourself.