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l Monday - September 29 - 10:12am l

Just received from my good friend Mike...

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I am sorry and saddened to send news of an untimely event. Pepe Martinez, has passed away.

According to Chris Hall, last Thursday night he slipped down some stairs in a NYC bar and died of a head injury. He will be missed.

Tentatively there is a memorial service scheduled at Pulaski Park on Saturday Oct. 4, (permit pending)

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I never really hung out with Pepe one on one (I had close friends who certainly did), but we all shared time at Pulaski and more than a few mini ramp sessions. As I get older, I value skateboarding and the friends it has given me even more.

I'll be sure to go skating this Saturday with some friends...


l Thursday - September 25 - 2:17pm l

Back in SF...nothing like traveling (to awful places) to make you value your home and city.

Florida certainly reminds me that there are certainly a lot of people between the coasts of this country. It's just a totally different world sometimes. Overwieght families feed their three year old kids Coke, large groups of teens wearing matching 'JESUS!' shirts, and weathered older women in short shorts and cracked flip-fliops praising Bush for his 'smarts'.

Featured + Elephant trailer


l Tuesday - September 23 - 6:37pm EST l

Yesterday I visited the Vans Park in Orlando. Decent. It was air conditioned, which surprised me as I went in. I quickly found out that compared to outside it was cool, but it was still hot as hell after 20 minutes. Two sizable mini-ramps (one with a spine), a huge street course, and a crazy pool (which wasn't very well designed). I skated for about an hour and 45 and left soaked and exhausted.

I have no tolerance for heat anymore...how the hell did we skate Pulaski in 90 degree heat all day? Damn.


l Monday - September 22 - 8:43am EST l

Orlando Florida. Awful. I just paid 5 dollars for a banana and a Snapple. I quit.

Listen + Shai Hulud - That Within Blood Ill-Tempered


l Saturday - September 20 - 9:49am EST l

Lost In Translation is beautiful, lovely, funny, and wonderful. Certainly my favorite film of the year. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are perfect.

It was strange seeing the film in Times Square (about as visually close to Toyko as you can get), away from my wife, while staying in a similar hotel. I want out and back to San Francisco.

Seeing Robert Towne (Frank's catch) and Donald Sutherland sitting behind us at breakfast yesterday morning was interesting. All I could think of was the line from Kentucky Fried Movie (That's Armageddon!),"And Donald Surtherland as the clumsy waitor."

Watch + Lost In Translation
Featured + Flysui game


l Friday - September 19 - 4:18pm EST l

Tired...I'm still tired.

The Bronx were pretty good Wednesday night. The Bowery Ballroom is a great venue. Much like Great American Music Hall, it's very classy with a great second floor viewing area. The Bronx were tight, and the sound was good. It was strange to see a sold out show start at 9pm with about 100 people there. I was out before the crowd came in I guess...


l Wednesday - September 17 - 7:38pm EST l

Here in New York City...and the hotel has a DSL line. Sweet. You've gotta love the W Hotel.

The business trip part...has been all business. Difficult and fairly crappy. Let's hope tomorrow goes better, or I will have a nervous breakdown...no question.

As expected Dillinger Escape Plan killed it last night. I'm going to have to say they are my favorite live band right now. The fog, the lights...and that drumming. Damn. They played two new songs which sounded really good. The tough part is that you really don't want to hear new song at a show. Still, the songs were amazing and their energy was insane. When is that new record out?

The Bronx hit the stage in an hour and twenty...got to go.


l Monday - September 15 - 9:28am l

Tomorrow at 8am I travel to New York City for the week and then on to Orlando (uggh) for a few more days. All in the name of work.

I'll be catching Dillinger Escape Plan on the Take Action Tour at Irving Plaza tomorrow night, and then The Bronx at Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday. Not bad. I'm also going to try to hit the Vans park in Orlando to keep myself sane...we'll see how that goes.

Listen + Bleeding Through - Portrait of A Goddess
Watch + American Splendor
Read + Lies and Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken


l Friday - September 12 - 3:47pm l

Holy crap! Food Fight! Grocery has a new site. And I'm in the link section! Why, oh why, couldn't they open in San Fran? If you're in Portland go there now.

After seeing this article posted (and bashed) on a right wing site, I felt I had to post it here.

"All this nonsense ended in Cancun this week, when thousands of activists converged to declare that the brutal economic model advanced by the WTO is itself a form of war. War because privatisation and deregulation kill - by pushing up prices on necessities like water and medicines, and pushing down prices on raw commodities like coffee, making small farms unsustainable. War because those who resist are routinely arrested, beaten and even killed. War because when this low-intensity repression fails to clear the path to corporate liberation, the real wars begin. The global anti-war protests grew out of the networks built by years of globalisation activism. And despite attempts to keep the movements separate, their only future lies in the convergence represented by Cancun."

Worth a read. I say fuck the WTO. It IS a war, and let's hope the activist can make a dent.

l 7:42am l

Music Legend Johnny Cash Dies at 71

I'll always think of my Grandfather when I hear Johnny Cash. I never knew if he was a big fan, but I remember the only record albums in my grandparents house being Johnny Cash albums. In my mind they were always linked...both were hard living and drank heavily, but had a very soft side as well. Turns out they both died from diabetes related causes. Cash outlasted my grandfather, but I'm sure Pop drank and smoked for longer than Cash...(this was my home page for a bit)

Also passing last night was John Ritter, who was just 54.

Featured + Real - Loose Trucks , Loose Women video


l Thursday - September 11 - 3:50pm l

Thrasher has finally posted some video from the Bayview Rumble Best Trick contest a few weeks back. Dustin Dollin took it.

I'm really liking the design of these new Deluxe ads....

l 7:53am l

I posted this last year...most links are still live.


l Monday - September 8 - 8:25am l

Bush is calling for another $87 billion to spend on the conflict in Iraq. "We will spend what is necessary to achieve this essential victory in the war on terror." Really. When will this victory on terror be delivered? Right about the time the weapons of mass destruction are found? How does anyonewin a WAR on terror? Is it anything like that war on drugs? And I guess the Amercia public STILL believes there is a link to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and Iraq? even after he admitted to making all that up? Fucking sad.

For anyone keeping score that's a total of $150 billion for the 2003 War Iraq, compared to the $9 billion his father spent in 1991. You beat yer Daddy GW! We're all very proud.

In other news two redesigns went up this weekend...a great one over at Exitwound, and uh, well...another one at Static Void.

Watch + The Best of Will Farrell
Featured + thisisamagazine #10


l Friday - September 5 - 3:55pm l

My pals that make up West Side Vegan Posse over in Portland (Food Fight! Grocery and Herbivore Magazine) are getting MAD media coverage. Check the article.

Speaking of all things animal liberating, check out the redesigned Bite Back! site. It contains an AMAZING interview with Paul Watson, captain of the Sea Shepard fleet. Talk about a true hero...


l Thursday - September 4 - 1:50pm l

Great show at the Warfield last night...I'd almost say it was worth the insane price tag.

Opening was the Reverand Horton Heat. I'd seen the Rev like 5 years ago in DC as an opening act. Live, these guys are great...but their records just don't hold up for me. Still, you can't beat a Rat Fink inked, flamed stand-up bass and super quick double bass drum stills. A solid 30 minute set.

The Dropkick Murphys played 45 minutes too long. Bag-pipes, punk, and tin-flute don't mix. Boo. Fucking boo.

Now hitting age 47, Johnny Rotten is just as captivating as ever. The Sex Pistols just flat out rocked. Steve Jones is such a good guitar player (it was his 48th birthday yesterday...everyone sang), and Matlock and Cook held it all together. When every song is a classic it's hard to pick favorites...but 'God Save The Queen' and 'Pretty Vacant' were certainly standouts. During the encore of 'Anarchy in the UK' Rotten was hit in the head with a half full water bottle. He proceeded to call out the guilty party ('fucking cunt!'), got security to grab him out of the pit, and then lead the crowd in a chant of 'Wanker! Wanker!' as the tard was led out of the hall. Good times.

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Get an Aquada car/boat and forget the high Golden Gate and Bay Bridge tolls. Just drive across the bay for 235K. So long suckers...

Watch + The Karate Kid
Featured + featured


l Wednesday - September 3 - 8:26am l

I've added three songs from The Bronx to the Playlist. Such good stuff, enjoy.

Mother Jones has a fantastic feature online right now, The UnGreening of America, How The Bush administration is rolling back 30 years of environmental progress. Worth reading without a doubt.

Hey, where are those weapons of mass destruction anway?

In case you can't see Stoked in your area, iFilm has a few large video files of some key footage.

Sex Pistols tonight.


l Monday - September 1 - 12:14am l

On Saturday, I witnessed the Bayview Rumble Best Trick contest at the Think warehouse. Holy crap. Fakie kickflip to 50/50 on the handrail by Corey Duffel. huge ollie over the funbox to backside 5-0 by Stockton. Hundred of handrail attempts. Dustin Dollin took the prize of 10 grand with a HUGE kickflip to frontside 5-0 down the ledge. Hopefully someone will post some video of it soon.

Also, go see Stoked. It paints a great picture of 80's skateboarding. It also does a great job of giving you a very detailed profile on a troubled young man. A great film.

Charles Bronson 1921-2003.

Listen + The Bronx - s/t
Watch + Stoked
Featured + Automodown (Jesse Jesse super site)


August 03 archive