Thrasher (magazine)


Thrasher is a skateboarding magazine founded in January 1981 by Eric Swenson, and Fausto Vitello, and published by High Speed Productions, Inc. of San Francisco, US. The publication consists primarily of skateboard and music-related articles, photography, interviews and skatepark reviews. The magazine also maintains a website, which includes segments with names such as "Firing Line" and "Hall of Meat", an online store, a video collection, a radio show, and a forum for registered users. The company also owns and operates the Double Rock indoor skateboarding facility, and the San Francisco skateshop, 66 6th.

History

Thrasher was founded in 1981 by Fausto Vitello and Eric Swenson, primarily as a way to promote Independent Truck Company, their skateboard truck company. The magazine's first editor was Kevin Thatcher. In 1993, Jake Phelps was named editor of the magazine. Mofo became the second staff member, joining Thatcher in mid-1981. With him, he brought the punk-skater ethic to the world thru his photojournalism, changing the essence of Thrasher, and in turn changing the sub-culture of skateboarding forever. In 1999, the magazine sponsored a PlayStation game called Thrasher Presents Skate and Destroy. Vitello's son, Tony, took over as owner of the magazine after his father died of a heart attack in 2006 and Swenson committed suicide in 2011. On March 14, 2019 long time editor Jake Phelps died.

Website

The magazine's website features regularly updated episodes of segments and hosts a forum in which registered users can engage in online discussion.

Segments

The title of "Skater of the Year" is awarded annually by Thrasher magazine. The tradition was started in 1990, and the accolade remains one of the most respected awards in global skateboarding culture. The title is bestowed to one skater annually and announced by Thrasher's editor. Chris Cole and Danny Way are the only double recipients. Milton Martinez was nominated for and won Skater of the Year for 2019.

Recipients

Partial Videography

Thrasher also released a periodic King of the Road video most years between 2003 and 2019.

King of the Road

In 2003, Thrasher started the King of the Road skateboarding competition. In the KOTR contest, a group of pre-invited teams of professional skaters are each given a booklet containing a series of challenges. Points are awarded at the completion of each challenge. The teams compete at the same time over a two-week period, in which they travel across the U.S. to complete as many challenges as possible.
KOTR has been held annually since its inception, with the exceptions of 2008 and 2009. In 2011, Thrasher and Converse hosted the competition in China, with the participation of the four biggest Chinese skateboard deck companies.

Skate Rock

Thrasher released a music compilation series titled "Skate Rock" under the High Speed Productions label. Skate Rock was conceptualized by Mofo. The first release was in 1983, with Volume One, and continued until Volume Eight in 1990. The series focused primarily on punk rock and thrash bands, and most of the bands were made up of skateboarders, including well known professionals and community stars such as Steve Caballero, Tony Alva, Bob Denike, Brian Brannon, Mofo, Pushead, Chuck Treece, and Claus Grabke.
Of the seven volumes of Skate Rock, all volumes were produced as a cassette available through Thrasher Magazine. Some volumes were also available as vinyl records.

''Volume 1''

Label: High Speed Productions
Released: 1983
Format: Cassette
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk
Label: High Speed Productions
Released: 1984
Format: LP
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk
Label: High Speed Productions
Released: 1985
Format: Cassette/LP
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk, Thrasher, Hardcore
Label: High Speed Productions
Released: 1986
Format: Cassette/LP
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk, Thrash
Label: High Speed Productions
Released: 1987
Format: Cassette, Compilation
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk, Thrash, Hardcore
Label: High Speed Productions
Released: 1988
Format: Cassette, Compilation
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk, Hardcore
Label: High Speed Productions
Released: 1989
Format: Cassette, Compilation
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk, Hardcore
Label: High Speed Productions
Released: 1990
Format: Cassette, Compilation
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk