Tube Socks and VERY Short Shorts: New Book Features Stunning Rediscovered Photos of the 1970s Hollywood Skate Scene
- Images of young blondes and tanned people recall the laid-back origins of skating
- “Skateboarding happened in many places, but not like California,” recalled photographer Hugh Holland of the time
Rediscovered photographs of the Hollywood skate scene in the 1970s reveal a golden age for LA and the young people who profited from it.
The stunning images were taken by photographer Hugh Holland in the summers of 1975-78, the products of which he now has turned into a book ‘Locals Only: California 1975 – 1978.’
“Skating was happening in a lot of places, but not like in California,” the artist told ID.
“To me, it felt like it was the center of everything.”
Bold attitude: A young, faded and tanned blonde filled with skating scars stares at Holland’s camera
The children pictured were between 13 and 19 years old, Holland later recalled
Holland documented the transition from an after-school social activity with few rules and a laid-back atmosphere to its emergence as a popular competitive sport.
The sun-drenched images sat unsorted in boxes for years, he told the publication, until they were shown at an exhibition in Sydney in 2015.
Today, 30 of the best photographs of bleached and tanned blond youths enjoying the freedom of their youth have been incorporated into the book, each page of which can be removed and made into a frameable poster.
When asked why he stopped filming the scene after 1978, Holland recalled, “I kind of lost interest. Things started to change.
“It all started with skate parks and contests – suddenly all the skaters were wearing t-shirts with company logos on them. And knee pads and elbow pads and helmets.
“I was interested in that shirtless, sockless, shoeless time.”
Holland documented the evolution of skateboarding from a relaxed social activity to a competitive sport
Each page of the book can be extracted and turned into a poster
Photographer claims LA smog gave photos their ‘yellowish, orange tint’
“I mostly worked on weekdays, so I would go out in the late afternoon. Another reason I love my photos is that they have this sunset look,” Holland recalled.
“I was interested in that shirtless, sockless, shoeless time,” Holland later said, explaining why he lost interest in skateboarding after corporate branding took over.
