Security from Randos and Beer Can Pipes (excerpt)
When I arrived in Denver I needed a job. I answered an ad in the Rocky Mountain News to work as a security guard at “local concert venues.” This concept amazed me given my slight stature. I envisioned holding back the mad hordes up front, and drinking beer backstage with the band. Well, it turns out I wasn’t up front or backstage, but I did receive an event STAFF shirt. I did get an orange vest and two orange flags. I looked like a hunter lost on an airstrip. I would be parking cars.
The pickup truck stopped on the south side of Fiddlers Green Amphitheater. I hopped out. As I turned around to greet my co-worker(s), a cloud of dust met me. A few hours later a guy in a golf cart came to check on the situation. He instructed and informed me on the night’s events: I was the sole parker. And I’d be parking a mall-sized parking lot of ZZ Top fans.
Anthem Magazine
"Riviera Gallery"
"Oaklandish"
Inked Magazine
"Autumn Bowl"
Images Chris Morgan
Before arriving at Autumn Bowl, I wasn't blindfolded and driven around in circles. But it wasn't easy to find. Mother nature, a hangover, and secrecy conspired against me.
Walking down Greenpoint Avenue, the winter wind off the East River felt like needles. I ducked into a doorway as my contact came pushing down the street. I would soon learn it was worth having the top layer of my face torn off.
For those outside New York City's skate culturati, the legendary spot was founded by Autumn, an independent shop, owned by a husband and wife.
The Bowl lives in an old warehouse, in an old warehouse area, that like all old warehouse areas can be prone to fires. One of these blazes broke out next door, and many feared its destruction, but it escaped.
If skating ever had a tree house, this place would be it. Or is it more a cathedral? The walls shoot up and up, making it feel like a fortress. Entering the space, I received suspicious looks. Entrance yes, acceptance maybe. As a guest, I resigned to never mention the whereabouts to anyone for fear of waking up beside a horse’s head. The regulars pay dues and acquire keys. It filters in the respectful. Membership includes: vert, seamless transitions, and lip-to-lip cement coping. Everyone looks out for the Bowl. If you haven’t paid up, you can’t crash it. If you make a mess, you clean it up. Autumn’s mission: give NY skaters a place to rip year round.
The sound of trucks grinding cement coping into sand, battered my brain wonderfully. I couldn’t imagine a better cure for my banged up head.
Wooooo
Wooooo magazine featured hilarious conversations with celebrities, actors, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers.
Peddeled the hell out of it. Made lots of calls. Talked distribution. demographics, the brand, rates and specs, sent media kits.
It was hard to get companies -even the ones who love and respect what you're doing- to run an ad, no matter how creative or relevant the publication.
But with a scrappy and persistent stubbornness, we secured some nice clients for issue 6: NIKE, Ace Hotel, and Orange Amplifiers to name a few. Got some swag from vendors.
Wooooo Magazine