Yes, another entry in my ongoing quest to commemorate every skateboard I own. As I’ve said before, these blog posts are really just for me – so I can look fondly back on the boards I’ve owned over the years.
Actually, this is just a new deck only. I bought a new deck – a Death Skateboards Lurk II model – got it gripped, and switched my old Independent trucks and Death wheels over to this skateboard.
The trucks, wheels, bearings and hardware were all in fairly good condition still, so no need to go crazy. Those trucks cost big money!
I chose another Death deck, as I have done for a while, and so far it’s going great. Cool graphic too, till I scraped most of it on tail stalls and rock’n’rolls. The Lurk II is 8.25″ wide which suits me fine.
Here are the stats if you’re interested:
Death Skateboards Lurk II 8.25″ deck (with free Jessup griptape)
Independent Trucks 144 Mid Stage II
Death skateboards wheels 52mm
Independent Trucks GP-S bearings
Independent Trucks allen bolts 1″
The deck was purchased online from Native Skate Shop. You’ll already now I’m a big fan of Death Skateboards, with this order I also bought a Death t-shirt, to proudly declare my allegiance.
Continuing my ambition to document all of my skateboard decks, here’s my latest set up for 2021. My Death “Script” in red got worn out through a load of skating (or attempted skating, ha!), so I needed a replacement.
To take over as my day to day skateboard, I ordered another Death deck, the Benson Devil Woman from good ol’ Native Skate Store. It’s 8.5″ wide, great concave and a spectacular graphic from the legendary Liane Plant.
So amazing is this graphic, that I had second thoughts about skating it.
I already had a Death Patrick Melcher deck that I had bought and was planning to hang on the wall. Fantastic mermaid graphic (by L. Plant again, of course) which I’ve shared before on the Virtual Hot Tub, and I thought it would be great as a display piece.
I was in a pickle: do I set up and skate the Benson as intended, or switch to the Melcher? Both great graphics, great shapes and great boobs – but as classic as they are, I needed something to ride.
As the Melcher Mermaid is 8.25″ wide, that was the final deciding factor. Slightly less wide than the Devil Woman, I felt that this would suit me better. I’ve been right so far – the mermaid feels slightly more “me” than my previous 8.5″ Script deck.
The Patrick Melcher is set up with my Independent trucks and Death wheels – and I love it.
Which means that the Benson Devil Woman will go on the wall as an art piece. At least for now…
Rather than just write a post about my latest set up – as I have done in the past – I decided it was time to shake things up a bit. You see, I’ve inadvertently become a collector of skate art. I don’t have a lot, but I have a few pieces. Though I’m destroying this art on a regular basis, so who knows how my collection will develop – if at all.
Regular readers will already know that I’ve been partial to equipment from Death Skateboards for a long time. UK based company, great ethos, cool and durable products. You may have also seen my previous blog about my Richie Jackson pro-model. That was where the addiction started.
The art for the Richie Jackson deck was drawn by an artist called Liane Plant. I loved it’s detailed, clear and defined lines – a realistic portrait of Richie the master, done in an art nouveau* style. Very clever and quite beautiful. At least it was, till I skated it and shined the graphics off.
Liane has also produced other graphics for Death (along with other skate companies, bands etc). Last year when I needed a new deck, I picked up the Patrick Melcher model, which has a fantastic mermaid graphic. I was all set to stick the trucks and wheels on, then shred it – when I decided not to. This amazing creation will go on the wall instead.
I’m not a deck collector – they’re too expensive – and to be frank, in a house already cluttered with vinyl, toys and other collections, I just don’t have room. The only deck I have on the wall is a reissue of the classic Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp face, drawn by Jim Phillips. If I had the space and the cash, I’d have loads of skateboards on my walls. But for now the Melcher mermaid remains something of an anomaly.
Then this year, I bought another Liane Plant graphic – Eddie Belvedere‘s iron maiden model. Again, another intricately detailed work. It’s bold and grim, a very heavy metal deck graphic melding hot chicks and medieval torture. Totally in your face. But like the other graphics, I love it because of the realism that Liane has created in the characters.
I set up the Eddie Belvedere deck with my Indy trucks and Death wheels, and I’ve been skating it for a while. Great deck, lots of pop, now with a messed up graphic. Never mind, that’s what skateboards are for.
I am slightly regretting shining the graphics on this one though. Let’s see what my next deck will be. I’ll need something to skate, but will I be vulgar and unrefined enough to defile another work of art like this??!
You can see more of Liane Plants work here and on Instagram.
Time for another new deck. I got this Death Skateboards Richie Jackson deck a while ago, thought I’d share some pics of it for posterity.
I bought the deck from Native Skate Store, who provided a really good online service. I requested that it was gripped (as I’m crap at gripping decks) and it arrived all done and looking pristine. It was very affordable and delivered quickly, no pain at all.
Regular readers will already know that I’m a big fan of Death Skateboards. I’ve had several Death decks and I’ve loved ’em all. A very cool company with a rad, individual approach to skating and a great aesthetic – their products are tough and reliable, always up to the job.
This time around I opted for the Richie Jackson pro model. Richie is an inspirational skater who constantly evolves and develops new ideas. His innovative style is just ridiculously creative and constantly forging new ground. Google him now!
The extraordinarily detailed Art Nouveau graphic is breath-takingly detailed, I probably should’ve just kept the deck to put on the wall. I’ve skated it and the graphics are shined from rock’n’rolls on curbs. Should’ve bought two, I guess. Such is the transient nature of skateboard graphics…
This phenomenal art is by Liane Plant, and I think her work is incredible. Some of the best art I’ve seen on a skateboard since the eighties classics. I apologise whole heartedly to Liane for destroying the graphic. It may well be a crime for a skater as bad as me to defile something so beautiful.
So anyway, the deck is 8.25″ wide and I set it up with my trusted Independent trucks and Death wheels. So far, it’s been a blast.
Thanks to all the above, long may you roll!
The Death Skateboards website is here. Go take a look.
Richie Jackson is all over social media, just search – you won’t regret it. There’s some stuff on the above Death website, too.
The amazing art of Liane Plant can be seen here. I need some T-shirts and stickers.
You can visit Native Skate Store for all your needs by clicking here.
And finally, here’s a picture of me being a total dork, trying to ape Richie Jackson’s style, rocking an old paisley shirt. Just thought some of his psychedelic magic might rub off. I bought that shirt back in 1990, knew it was worth keeping hold of… And no, I didn’t really wear the shirt to skate in, I chickened out. As great as Richie is, even I am a little old for hero worship on that level…!
Everyone has their own personal choice. Over the years I’ve seen many amazing skateboard graphics – some intricate, some clever, some stupid, some risque. Back in the 80’s it was mostly skulls and gore. At the end of the decade, these themes became extinct, replaced by ironic cartoons and brand logo appropriation. You name it, it’s probably been featured on a deck somewhere. There are great examples of art of all styles.
The two giants of skateboard graphics in the 80’s, at least in my eyes, were Vernon Courtland Johnson and Jim Phillips. VCJ created the many iconic designs for Powell Peralta such as the Ripper and Skull and Sword. Awesome graphics that made my eyeballs pop, as a kid nurtured on comic book art and monsters.
The art of Jim Phillips featured on many Santa Cruz decks, including classic pro decks for Jeff Kendall, Jeff Grosso and Jason Jessee. My absolute favourite though was the Rob Roskopp street model, with a huge ugly face on it.
I first saw the Roskopp graphic in my sisters Smash Hits magazine, of all places. They did one of those lame “introduction to skateboarding” type of features, with things like “how to talk like a skateboarder”. It did feature UK hardcore band The Stupids however, and a model holding the deck in question.
As soon as I saw it, I loved that graphic. It was big, bold and over the top – but beautifully detailed.
A couple of years later, I eventually acquired a Santa Cruz Roskopp Face of my own. The deck itself was white, with the graphic in black screaming out from the bottom of the board. I was very happy that regardless of the fantastic art, it was a great shape and well made board. So the decision wasn’t made purely on the artwork.
I don’t remember what happened to that particular deck, I probably wore it out and swapped it with someone. There’s a photo of it somewhere.
A few years ago, I picked up a reissue of the Roskopp deck. It’s yellow, with the same great graphic as I had all those years ago. It’s never been skated – I keep this one on the wall, right above my desk (I have other boards for actually skating). It hangs there as a proud reminder, and an example of great skateboard art. That’s what this skateboard is to me – pure art.
In my opinion, the Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “face” is the best skateboard graphic ever.
You may remember recently that my post about my Variflex Joker skateboard was the fifth most read article of the year. All well and good, but the photo used to accompany that blog post wasn’t the best.
So I have attempted to make up for that earlier oversight here, with some more pics of the board in question.
Remember this skateboard isn’t the original one I rode in the 80’s – I found this on a site selling old boards and snapped it up. It was brand new, complete – sealed in plastic and everything. Nice bit of kit for my collection.
Please take a look at the original post about the Variflex Joker here.
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 