Customer Reviews

Stalefish: skateboard culture from the rejects who made it

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The Dogtown movies got people interested in the history of skateboarding, but Sean Mortimer's book throws a wider net to encompass some of the biggest names in skating. It's not a book about contests, sponsorships and who made up what tricks (although that is a component of the book). To me it really was a celebration of what skating meant to-, did for- and brought about in the lives of these skaters. Readers will find out how some of these guys used skating to escape unhappy family lives; how it feels to be a celebrity at 14 and then a has-been at 18; what it's like to be so obsessed with a "hobby" that nothing else matters. There are funny stories about being on the road; meeting skating idols and then beating them in competition; and a bunch of other inside info that really makes these skaters seem more real than an any X-Games interview can. It's all told in the words of the skaters with great photography.

If you have any interest in skateboarding get this book.

While Sean's work on Rodney Mullen's biography wasn't quite what I hoped, Stalefish is an awesome, often intriguing collection of almost roadtrip tales from the legends who've made skateboarding into what it is today.

There's a lot of funny stories here making you realize just how haphazard the whole skate scene was back in the 1980's and early 1990's.

The layout and the production values are excellent too. Highly recommended to especially those who grew up on skateboarding back in the day.

This was given as a gift to my oldest son who was a sk8er. he loved the book

Thank you so much! My husband is an avid skateboarder and he started reading the book immediately after he got it on Christmas!

Bought this book for English class during my first semester in college. Really provides you with a better understanding of skateboarding and its history. The book features a versatile selection of legendary skateboarders. I was fortunate enough meet Sean, and got my copy signed. Awesome author and awesome book!

As a skateboarder, I found this a very interesting book. I simply couldn't put it down. It largely consists of extracts of interviews with skateboarders about all aspects of skateboarding and is written in their own words.

This is fortunate because Sean Mortimer is not a good writer. He ghost-wrote Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen's autobiographies and did not do a good job at all. I've seen articles written by both Hawk and Mullen in skateboard magazines over the years and in my opinion both can write better than Mortimer. Those two books are both readable - but only because the stories themselves are so compelling. The writing style is amateurish to say the least. Mortimer should have stuck to skating. Unfortunately, his poor writing does creep into Stalefish via the small introductory sections. Mercifully, these can be skipped.

Skateboarder/writer Sean Mortimer, who helped Rodney Mullen and Tony Hawk with their autobiographies, brings you a wonderful new book about skating. This volume is a collection of interviews on skateboarding and skate culture from a variety of people within the skateboarding subculture and industry. It's far more thorough and detail than I expected when I bought it sight-unseen. If you are at all interested in the history or culture of the sport, this volume is indespensible.