Maximum Rad: The Iconic Covers of Thrasher Magazine

Description

For thirty years, Thrasher has been the bible of the skateboarding world. Collected here for the first time are thirty years' worth of outrageous, memorable, iconic, and collectible covers-front pages that caught every skater kid's eye and became the most treasured records of the history of the skate scene. From early pioneers such as Jay Adams, Tony Alva, and Steve Caballero through the giants of the 1980s and 1990s, including Tony Hawk and Brian Anderson, to such legends of the scene today as James Hardy and Justin Figueroa, every icon of skating has graced the cover of Thrasher, captured in mid-air and mid-action by the sharpest shooters around. Organized chronologically, and including every cover published in Thrasher's first thirty years-even long out-of-print and hard-to-find collectible issues-the book at last reveals the stories behind these legendary cover-photo shoots, as told by the skaters, photographers, and editors who made these the most iconic mementos of skate culture.

Thrasher was founded in 1981 in San Francisco and has been regarded as the most influential and authentic skateboarding and skate-culture magazine ever since. They are also responsible for Thrasher: Insane Terrain, Skate and Destroy, and Epic Spots, all published by Universe. Craig Stecyk is credited as the godfather of the sport of skateboarding as it is known today. Stecyk gained notoriety for his artwork on surfboards in the early 1970s, was involved in the founding of the infamous Zephyr surf shop in Venice, California, and remains one of skateboarding's most important photojournalists.

"The book is entitled Maximum Rad: The Iconic Covers of Thrasher Magazine and it promises to deliver nothing short of gnarly nirvana." ~Yahoo! Sports "These incredible skate moments immortalized on film by the sharpest photographers that have graced the front of Thrasher will be accompanied by behind-the-shoot stories as told by editors, photographers and the skaters themselves." ~Hypebeats.com "Highlights include their earliest issues, which feature half-pipe shredding skaters decked out head-to-toe in protective gear; a more recent cover illustrated by Neck Face of a balding skater grinding the edge of a coffin, an a ridiculous-so ridiculous it looks Photoshopped-shot of John Cardiel jumping through a hoop of fire." ~Nylon for Guys