I can still remember the feeling of running down the driveway to retrieve the latest issue, creasing corners and smudging pages before the mailman even
rounded the block.
I loved it.
Transworld made me feel like I was part of the industry, while mags like Thrasher and Slap were more of an insight into how the skaters lived, Transworld was my glimpse into how the industry functioned. I knew I wanted to be behind the scenes of skateboarding, even at a young age I was fruitlessly creating company names and trying to invent new techniques that would revolutionize the industry.
I enjoyed reading the interviews and articles, but the photography was what I was drawn to the most. Transworld always had a certain art about them. Cramming a skater into a fisheye lens, squeezing every last fraction of space, is an art in itself and it has a certain appeal, but it is not always my cup of tea. I like the fisheye look and I am in no way discrediting that, but as a photographer myself, I enjoy a well composed photo.
If you can give me some depth of field, foreground objects, maybe some leading lines with a properly lit subject, then my eyes will see the resonance of a trained eye, a thoughtful composition, and a precisely executed plan. Not only the photography, but their whole motto of “Skate and Create” really inspired me. Unfortunately, due to a consolidation of companies by American Media, Inc.
Transworld’s print service has been forever discontinued. Kids across the world will now have to search out the positive industry vibes through the internet on their various electronic devices. No longer will pages be turned with those familiar creased corners and smudged pages. No longer will noses be filled with the smell of pages fresh off the press with a gloss so fine it has a reflection. The age of physical manifestations of culture, art and beauty are coming to a bitter end. With only a few actual print publications left for skateboarders, we and the future generations will be forced to look at skateboarding through a lifeless glass screen powered by a soul sucking device. Maybe it will force us to pick up our heads up and enjoy the skateboarding right in front of us. It could possibly be a good thing for the average skateboarder.
If we all remove our selves from the device and return the session, it’s possible that physical things like printed magazines will no longer be taken for granted. Let’s keep things in the physical world, where things actually exist.
R.I.P. Transworld Skateboard Mag.
