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Warp Tour 2002
 Tune in, dear friends, to another episode of press pass shenanigans with your intrepid switch correspondent. Our current drama starts in the Switchmag Atlanta field office as our reporter wakes up way too late on the afternoon of the Warp Tour:
 Thursday, August 1st started off badly, because at midnight I was still almost six hours away from home with a truckload of furniture. Poverty, a sprained ankle, and late rent had forced me to drive to New York and back in four days, but I had to make it back to Atlanta for the Warp Tour stop at Lakewood Ampitheater. So I soldiered on, determined not to let the Switch audience down. I made it back into Georgia as the sun started to rise and I resigned myself to more of a nap than the hard dose of good sleep I really needed.
 Of course some fool named Murphy came up with this stupid law a while back and I slept right through my alarm clock. I drove to the ampitheater as fast as I could and, on the advice of my roommate, proceeded to the staff parking area to see if my credentials could get me a prime spot. I told the guy at the gate I was press and he let me straight in, no questions asked. I was somewhat surprised how well that worked and a fear crept into me that perhaps it was too easy. After that dude at the gate, nobody asked to see my pass until I got to the vert ramp and pulled out my camera. I was immediately told I had to have a pass to shoot any photos and that I had to go to the media registration tent. I hadn't seen a registration table, or even a single person with a Sharpie when I entered the grounds so I knew the party had started.
 But no matter, I wanted to see Mike Frazier skate the ramp. Nobody could tell me where the registration tent was, but I finally deduced that it was backstage, which meant I was caught in the middle of a catch-22. I couldn't get to the registration tent without a pass, but I couldn't get the pass unless I got to the tent.
After five minutes of convincing, security let me in on the condition that I check back with them on the way out to verify my claims. It was critical now and I cautiously found my way to the media desk. As I waited, I recognized Andrew W.K. in the middle of a radio interview on the other side of the room. Seconds later, I had my media pass. Easier than expected, but not glitch-free.
 I made it back to the ramp and learned that I had missed the contest, but that Jeff Byrd had won. I cursed my oversleeping self but got out my gear to make the best of it, which is easy to do when Steve Caballero is around. I shot a few photos and then saw that Cab had gone and grabbed a guitar and was playing with one of the bands on the main stage. That guy that rollerskates on vert heel-to-heel style took the opportunity to get a few runs in with Jon Comer and a few other guys who skated the ramp like they did it every day or something. Strange. Over on the mini ramp, Graham Bickerstaff was killing it with some kickflip grabs and Rhett Freeman was trying not to get killed by one beefy crew guy who wasn't feeling Rhett's frontside flips. I spent most of the rest of my time hanging around the Ambush tent watching unsuspecting girls get squirted with water pistols.
I had a good time at the warp tour this year, which was my first, and I plan on returning. Next year I promise I'll even know which entrance to use.
Baker Bootleg East Coast Premiere
On October 7, The boys of Baker decided to come out to the East Coast for a premeir of their new video BAKER2G "7day Weekend" at the now famous "Tattooed Mom". Here's how it went down.
The video was great with narration from lil' up and comer, trucker mouth Knox Godoy son of a pro skater Steve Godoy. BAKER2G was just for fun but looks like the might become riders for the now "Baker Board Co.". The video contained footy of Ellisa Steamer, Mike Maldonado, Jim Greco, Dustin Dolan, Ali Bolala, and Andrew Reynolds. Eric Ellington did not premiere on the video and is now back with zero. Ellisa did not leave her sponsor Toy Machine to become a piss drunk, but she is any ways.
A good time was had by all. Everyone was merry and feeling good. The video was insane with a killer sound track that ranged from good metal classic, to old fashion Rock and roll. The skating was off the hook and unbelievable.
 Such pros showed Mike Maldonado, Bam, Greco, Andrew Reynolds, J.R. Neves, the Choclate team was in town also but to many Lagers to remember who. The premiere was low key and a lot of fun make sure all you kids and big kids buy the vid when it comes out. Baker Boards should be out soon too.
Getting arrested sucks!!!Getting arrested sucks. Okay that summarizes this article so there's no point in writing anymore. Alright for all you bookworms out there who spend more time looking at skate magazines and videos than you do on your boards I'll add some fancy talk and make it seem like there's more to it than just plain sucking.
 Being arrested wouldn't be half as bad if the pigs would just eat a tic-tac before they started squealing in your face. This is good advice for all cops "check your breath before you wreck y our self because your chronic halitosis is bad for my health.
The worst is campus cops because they are bestowed with way too much power in relation to the size of their brains. When they get their badges it becomes their strap-on. All the power and respect they lack in life they extract from these little shields that they hide behind. They become the almighty campus gods who uphold all laws and throw the first stone and all that junk.
Like this guy on USC campus the last time I was harassed looks at my ID and says, "Are you still at this address?"
"No." I said.
"You know that's failure to change address?" he says.
That's when I smacked him in the shins with my Indies and brought him down to his knees where he belonged. Just kidding, he had a real nervous recruit, with an itchy nightstick arm so it would have been a bad idea to tempt him. I would have become the white Rodney King of skateboarding.
 They kept threatening to take us to jail for trespassing when in fact we were on state property. They had not seen us skateboarding and I just happen to be an alumnus of the particular school where we were skating. So I have immunity basically. They really had no grounds to arrest us. But they had nothing else to do so they decided to occupy their time by screaming fart-scented curses in our faces at the top of their hog lungs.
Here's the funny part. They did not want to be filmed. They kept asking me to turn off my camera, put the lens on and put it in my bag. Filmers beware: you do not have to turn your camera off for anyone. They can yell all they want but under no circumstances can they touch you or physically turn off your camera. That would be assault for which you can have an officer arrested. The catch to this is you cannot instigate a fight. If an officer tells you to move on you had better move on because if you don't he can take you to jail. But if you are not being told to leave or if you are across the street or in a public place you can run your camera as long as you want. Just be ready for the cop to get really mad and to spray your lens with his acidic poison donut froth. Also be ready for him to put you in his car and charge you with something else just so he can arrest you. So weigh the pros and cons. Is it worth the trip "downtown" to get that footy of the not so rare campus beast?
Skateboarding in the Mall The old mall (which will remain nameless as will the city and skaters) rested on the side of a well traveled road in an area of the city that had seen its prime. Open doors beckoned us, voices of the skate gods seeped from within as we approached. It had already been scouted, hushed roumers had moved thought the close knit community of skaters with details vague to keep the rabble away.
The crew rolled deep, three full carloads, most from out of town who had came in to hang. Rain had broken plans for a street battle, so we had no choice but to follow the hints and cryptic clues for some kind of session. Anticipation mounted, Can we get in? Will we get busted? Whats it like? Is it worth it?
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Sometimes at night you can hear them out at the ramp or in the bowl. But in the morning they are right back where they were before, with just a trace of scratched paint or worn metal to indicate that they were slashing some heavy grinds the night before. These are some of the antics that these all metal skateboarding sculptures have been seen performing. I think they are just imitating life as they see it...skating life that is. 
around my ramp, don't assume they are just hanging out. They are on duty as ramp security...guardians of the great black work of art known far and wide...or as Transworld magazine calls it..."The Blair Witch Ramp". 