Davoud Say’s Concussion is Done-.. Again!
Concussion became one of the best skate mags of all time. But like all good things, it too must die. RIP Concussion Magazine
Impermanence is the great constant. Everything dies. Even the good stuff. And in some long-running form of karmic pranksterism, usually the best stuff dies out too soon, while the crappy stuff seems nearly un-killable. Concussion is one of the few mags you wish could go on forever, much like Big Brother was. At least 2 other titles in particular are barely fit to line a birdcage with, let alone actually attempt to read, and yet they flourish, flush with cash from their advertorial partners. Carrying those other mags in your car as emergency toilet paper is possibly their best use. I clearly remember Davoud walking into Deluxe with his early xeroxed Concussion zines, over a decade ago, complete with fake ads for various Deluxe companies and then hanging around trying to score product in exchange for these unauthorized marketing campaigns. I think it worked maybe twice. I don’t tell this story to expose Davoud as some sort of kook, but more to point out that he was down to do just about anything to keep his zine going, and for that, Concussion became one of the best skate mags of all time. But like all good things, it too must die. Greenwood nailed down Davoud for a mini Q&A on the demise of a cellulose icon. This quote says it best: “No worries. Easy come easy go.”-Davoud
CD: Is Concussion really done this time?
Davoud: Yeah it’s done, I don’t see it coming back to life again, the advertisers weren’t feeling it. New dudes were into it but did not have the capital $$ to keep it going, or pay off our debt as it were, so it’s a bag. Oh well.
CD: How many years did you devote to it?
Davoud: From 1995 through now, almost 15 years I guess.
CD: What is your favorite skate mag now?
Davoud: I don’t know, I don’t really like any of them. Thrasher has some good stuff sometimes but there’s so much crap you have to sift through to find something interesting….honestly I think I enjoy the act of skateboarding a whole lot more than reading about it. The skateboard industry is something I really got sick of, and will never, ever miss. But whatever Dave Carnie is doing is about the only thing that keeps me entertained.
CD: Of all the internerds out there who do you love / hate the most?
Davoud: Internerds? I like the Sleestak but mainly just the upload your cell phone photos stakbot page. That shit is classic.
CD: What is your favorite article you’ve published?
Davoud: I enjoyed the Rumble in Ramona thing from last year, I thought that the photos came out pretty well, but I think my all time favorite was probably the Prague trip from Issue #2. That or I can’t remember.
CD: What is the worst advertiser you ever turned down.
Davoud: I’m not sure that we turned down too many advertisers honestly. I’m sure there was something but I can’t remember it. The One West ads were always pretty bad but we’d take anybody’s money.
CD: What was the advertisers that garnered you the most flack from skaters?
Davoud: I don’t know, whatever it was I doubt I heard about it. Those color ads in the last issue #41 were pretty damn lame though.
CD: Did you have a favorite photographer/contributor that always came through?
Davoud: Brendan Klein and Brooks Fritz (AKA the Concussion “new dudes”) were by far my favorite photographers
CD: Are you feeling more freedom? Are you enjoying your family and skating more?
Davoud: Ever since my wife started having babies 4 years ago I have not felt more freedom. I got pretty good at doing Concussion at work and having it not hinder my home or skate time, but I have not been skating as much as I’d like to. I have ridden a number of pretty good pools around here lately so I’ll take what I can get. Fuck it.
CD: What’s your best memory of Concussion going to be in 5 years?
Davoud: Concussion was a nice part of my life for a long time but I don’t think I’ll miss it. If I do then I will start up another zine so I can keep talking shit. My best memories will always be going on skate trips to places like Orcas Island and the Oregon parks, or trips that were vacations where I brought my board along and got to ride some cool shit, and then write the whole trip off as a tax write-off for a park review in Costa Rica, for example. Thank you tax code. Thank you skateboarding.
