Salad Days

“Smooth” is how Pete DiAntoni describes Turf, the legendary, but now defunct, Milwaukee skate park, “smooth concrete, beautiful curves”.  Even a novice, like myself, understands the importance of those simple words when it comes to skateboarding.

Pete said that upon walking into Turf, the first time nearly 30 years ago, “my life was changed”. He found the energy and excitement inspirational and starting taking photographs of the skateboarders This documentation is the subject of of the Vans sponsored Salad Days at the Vetter Denk building, 161 Pittsburgh Ave,  Friday, April 10,  7-10 p.m.

It’s tough to write about a subculture without sounding either nostalgic, or like a poser, so I’ll spare you any attempts to capture what Turf was in a couple words – you had to be there. And if, like me you weren’t, you could check out the exhibit and see why skateboarders across the country were talking about this Milwaukee skatepark.

To make the evening complete WMSE DJ Eric Von Munz will be on hand spinning; the Buzzcocks, B-52’s, Sex Pistols, the Cars and more of the new wave and  the punk rock that fueled the subculture phenomena.

Coincidentally both Pete Diantoni and Eric Von Munz are part of the creative team behind Cog; a magazine dedicated to another subculture; bike messengers – but that’s another story.