Citizen, But Without Permission: Urban History of Skateboard Equipment, Rituals, & Terrain By Zachary Moldof

Zach is back. His third book, Citizen, But Without Permissions, finds his voice fully established and stepped into, sure of himself in what can now be considered classic “I’m gonna tell it to you” skate-writing fashion in the vein of Stecyck and Carnie.  The book is bold, with Moldof expounding on a lot of hard-earned wisdom and ideas. Part skateboard history and utility guide, it defiantly rejects the Dogtown rundown pier drought “day without waves” origin narrative of skateboarding opting for a more universal discovery by kids across the country, and possibly world, in the early 1910s. This is supported by the book’s opening: a series of primary news sources – the earliest being from the forever innovative state of New Jersey – chronicling the new trend of “skatemobiles” among youth.

Moldof explains how this book rose from the ashes of a previous project and acts as a primer for the history of skateboard equipment which, he argues, helped to establish the skate rituals we all practice today in a broader sense of what we know as skate culture (.eg. the innovation of hard wheels helped create certain street movements that turned into skateboard rituals or tricks). He thinks these rituals should be more incorporated into the civic systems that help create the places where skateboarding happens. It almost feels like a two-part book. The first part seems to be designed for the uninitiated: Zach’s history of skateboarding for those who don’t know it. As a skateboarder, I knew a lot of the facts and dates he referenced, but the book didn’t provide any sources or insight into them that would help convince a non-skater using it for research. The opening salvo of news articles set up a promise of primary sources that isn’t entirely delivered on. Even so, Moldof presents a philosophical angle on how skateboarding is situated in a context of larger pre-existing cultural norms that leads us into the second half of the book.

Here, Moldof details how the rituals and innovation outlined in the first part of the book can be adopted into the process of skatepark design by municipalities – getting skateboarders involved in the process enough to fundamentally change how it works – the way they got involved in their own equipment and utilities by owning companies and making their own products and videos. Moldof has done a lot of public advocacy work around skate parks and with youth and has ideas from that lived experience for what can be improved with contemporary skatepark design. It is a long, robust argument tinged with poetic arrangements such as “A skatepark is a place where your interior self shapes your entire self by realizing imagine actions.” The illustrated examples of good and bad skateparks at the back of the book definitely got me thinking a little more deeply about skatepark and obstacle design, and I finished reading thinking about how I relate physically to ideas like spatial logic in human made environments. Not a bad line of thought. Ultimately, though, the hidden gem here is the Florida angle. I don’t recall if Moldof states that he is from the state of Florida, though he is, and he leans heavily on Floridian historic skate figures like Alan Gelfand (Moldof has a his own version of the ollie origin story) “Professor” Paul Schmitt, and skatepark innovators Tim Pain and his company Team Pain. It’s a hint at a Floridian history that is relevant to skating today, and I can’t help but question if that would be a worthy endeavor for a book alongside my thoughts about skatepark design.

Zach also runs a monthly book club through his organization, Skate Bud, about enriching your city through skateboarding. More info on that here.

– Abada

Digital Treasure Trove

As much as I enjoy scouring Ebay and accumulating vintage skateboarding books and zines, I recognize that sometimes it might be wise to rein in the drive to hoard. Perhaps you (or your partner?) feels the same way, realizing that storage space and finances have their limits. Fortunately, you can still get that adrenaline high from discovering something new by exploring the Internet Archive and it might even inspire you to digitize your own collection and extend access to others.

If you are unfamiliar with the Internet Archive, I recommend creating an account because there are some absolute gems that you can browse and “borrow.” My favourite source for zines is The Ragged Edge Collection with over 240 digitized zines thanks to Brad Marx, as well as a few skate videos and punk show recordings. I was especially grateful when an issue of True Devotion by Bonnie Blouin and Gigi Gits was uploaded that I had never seen before, and for the EDO zines out of Springfield, VA, which contained photos from the 1980s of the elusive Cyndy Pendergast.

I’ve also had a blast checking out these retro books on skateboarding in the 1970s. Some are better than others, which helps me save a few dollars when I’m undecided about making a purchase! Enjoy.

Skateboarding is For Me (1978) by Lowell A. Dickmeyer

Skateboarding (1978) by Dorothy Childers Schmitz with photos by Stan Sharp

Skateboards: how to make them, how to ride them (1977) by Glenn and Eve Bunting

The Skateboard Book (1977) by Ben Davidson

Better Skateboarding for Boys and Girls (1977) by Ross R. Olney and Chan Bush 

– Porter