Written by Johnny Franck – Beardo Comic by Evan Sheiflebine

As most of you already know, this December’s issue of Slap is the very last. After 15 years and 199 print issues, the magazine that represented “Skateboarding, Life, Art and Progression” has taken itself out of backseats, bathrooms and back pockets and now will only be available on your glowing box of choice via the internet. Senior editor Mark Whiteley had this to say in a recent interview with Transworld Business, “It’s a changing time out there, in the media, in the economy, in skateboarding. Rather than try to struggle indefinitely against the tide of all these changes, the decision was made instead to go with out strongest asset for the future, and that’s our website.”  In other words, times are changing and Thrasher’s little brother has dropped out of art school and enrolled in some business development classes at the local community college.

But change is good, right? At least that’s what they say. Unfortunately, it seems, they usually only say it when change has been forced upon us. It’s what you tell your friends when their girlfriend dumps them, when they get laid-off or when they get drunk, pass out and someone shaves off all their body hair. They are words of encouragement and optimism for those who have suddenly fallen on hard times. I mean, let’s face it, change is only good if you’re not doing so good. Otherwise, why change at all? So we can only assume that this drastic shift is a sign that things have not been going so well at Slap lately. Most likely, the problems that led to this decision had to do with ad sales, circulation, the ever-increasing costs of printing and binding…you know, money problems, the kind that will be eliminated with an all-web version of the magazine.

But you can’t fault Whiteley or anyone else at Slap. It’s highly doubtful that this was an easy decision to make. It has to be tough trying to maintain a small publication when you’re competition is so large. And by large I mean physically large, fashion magazine large. Like you’re-half-way-through-the-thing-and-you’ve-barely-stumbled-upon-the-contents-page large. Flip through some of the thicker skate mags out there and you’re likely to find all kinds of out-of-place ads for anything from deodorant and hair gel to hotdogs and Famous Stars and Straps. Famous Stars and Straps, people! Seriously? You know those dudes who question your sexuality from their passing trucks when you’re skating on the corner. Yeah those guys are Famous’ bread and butter. But I digress. The point is, how could Slap keep up with the Joneses when the Joneses all pander to (or are owned by) outside companies that see us as one big dollar sign?

Nevertheless, what’s done is done. But it leaves us with two looming questions: What does this say about all of us who consider ourselves skateboarders and what happens if other mags start to follow suit?

The first question can be answered rather simply. We did not support the magazine that for years projected an image of us that was closest to how we saw ourselves: creative, thoughtful and different. A subscription to Slap cost about $30 a year. That’s the equivalent of a Gatorade a month. Minus the cost of the free Slap t shirt that came with the subscription and you’re down to less than a dollar a month. For future reference, if you like a company, support it in any way you can. At least if it goes under you can still rock the shirt and say you tried.

The second question is much more complicated.  It’s a question of the value of the internet and whether or not it is good for skateboarding. On the plus side, thanks to Youtube, we now have at our fingertips every obscure piece of skate video history from Sheffey’s part in the Life video to Gator in Psycho Skate to unused Guy footage from Tim and Henry’s Pack of Lies. It truly is a beautiful use of the technology. On the other hand, the more time we spend on message boards, the less time we spend on skateboards. And this, without a doubt, is a bad thing. There are those who will argue, as Whiteley did, that media is changing, that digital is the future. They might bring up the fact that advances in digital media have completely changed how we receive and listen to music as an example. But haven’t Ipods made it easier for us to listen to music anywhere we choose instead of making it harder? What’s more convenient, flipping through a magazine in your local skateshop or bringing in your laptop, plugging it in (because, if you’re like me, your battery doesn’t last so long these days), finding a wireless network, then…oh wait. Your buddies are taking off. Shut down your laptop, roll up your charger…you get the point. I’m being a little dramatic but really, what happens if the remaining mags go the same route to save a buck? What will you plaster your bedroom walls with? Printouts from your parent’s late model HP? We all know it’s just not the same. Plus you’d spend more money in ink cartridges in a month than you ever would’ve spent on a subscription. What if Slap’s new business model appeals to other areas of the industry? Imagine your local skateshop closing its doors and selling exclusively online in order to save the cost of overhead. Where would you lurk? My point is that skateboarding, at its core, is about going out into the world and experiencing it firsthand. Unfortunately, Slap will no longer be out there with you. Perhaps Scott Bourne said it best when asked in the last issue whether or not he’d be checking out the new Slapmagazine.com, “I’d rather hold something in my hand.”