Z-Boys.com archive - "DOGTOWN CREW" SkateBoarder magazine 2001
SkateBoarder Magazine 4/2001
The dudes
Tony "Mad Dog" Alva, Jay Adams, Shogo Kubo, Bob Biniak, Jim "Red Dog" Muir, Wentzle Ruml IV, Paul Constantineau, Wes "Bull Dog" Humpston, Arthur Lake, Stacy Peralta, "Baby" Paul Cullen, Marty Grimes, John Palfreyman, Nathan Pratt, Allen Sarlo, Chris Cahill, Skip Engblom, Jeff Ho, C.R. Stecyk III, Billy Yuron, Dexter Greene, Steven Piccolo, Chris Dawson, Jose Gallon, Gary Rosa, The Kaisers, Ray Flores and Glen E. Friedman.
Founding fathers
Skip Engblom, Jeff Ho, and Craig Stecyk are the ones who popularized it, they ran the Zephyr Surf Shop. But Tony Alva and Jay Adams were the most prominent skaters.
How somebody got down
It was a matter of being at the right spots at the right times and people either thought you were cool or they didn't. Had to have style. Hang out at the Zephyr shop.
Mode of operation
Search and destroy.
Enemies
The police and the kooks who were getting all the coverage in the magazines down south, but it was more media hype.
Base of operation
West L.A., Venice and Santa Monica
Soundtrack
Ted Nugent, Hendrix, Aerosmith and Led Zep.
Timeline
"75 to '79 were the peak years
Memorable moment
Hanging at the DogBowl was the perfect scan-a pool that you were allowed to skate in Northern Santa Monica, a rich neighborhood. Someone from the crew worked it out so they could skate. Totally tight, and no one could get in unless you were part of the crew. Other than that, they were used to being chased out by disgruntled property owners, with chainsaws, baseball bats and shotguns.
Influence on skateboarding
They were the first ones to go looking over the fences. Skateboarding would have become little league baseball without them. The first ones to get radical and terrorize-the idea of people seeing skateboarders rolling down the street and thinking they are rowdy, and no longer grouping them with bicycle riders, exists because of DogTown. Before them it wasn't looking to go in that direction. DogTown was like Hell's Angel's for people who were too young to ride motorcycles. Now everyone knows that if you have an empty pool in your backyard people will want to skate it, but back in '76 that was inconceivable. They would break into houses, skate their pool, steal their stereo, smoke some dust and leave. Brought the outlaw aspect to skateboarding. First rebel image that the industry failed to control. Also a multicultural group of people before that was a cool thing in other sports, there were Mexicans, Asians, blacks, Jews and whites all mixed together. A documentary chronicling the DogTowners is premiering at the Sundance Film Festival this year. They also invented Frontside airs and handplants.
