A McSweeney’s review of Tony Hawk’s book contains this neat little passage:

Note: Starting in the early eighties, Hawk dominated ramp skating in ways that would be literally impossible to overemphasize. I’m not merely talking about his success in contests, although until he retired in 1999 he was all-but unbeatable, but rather I’m referring to the extent that his innovation and abilities consistently eclipsed those of his peers. To watch him skate was, and to a degree still is, to gaze into a widening chasm between skateboarding’s present and past. Whenever he dropped in on a ramp, the accepted boundaries of the sport were in a thrilling, beautiful flux.

Best thing since the Beez. Johnny Rad would approve.

The Search For Animal Chin is the pinnacle of 80s Skateboard films, all frosted hair and totally tubular dialogue – there’s even a ‘making of’ doco. Bonus awesome: Johnny Rad.

Kids today do it differently of course – according to this this Spike Jonez clip, Skating today is all in slow motion with explosions and that? You wouldn’t get very fit that way.

I’m impressed by the world’s biggest ramp, but seeing the Grange Hill kids skate, though, is the raddest thing I’ve ever seen. Bless.

Finding this clip has made me so *happy*