Another free slash: black label plague in Europe.

A MONTH-LONG TRIP TO EUROPE with stops in England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Spain. The crew included Childress, Adams, Pontserlli, Ben Gilley, Alex "The Duska" Horn (Red Kross am), Thrasher's own filmer, P-Stone "The Human Beer Vacuum," and special guest (on occasion) Shit Gilley.

The trip was mad; not as much skating as we like, but tons of food, booze, jokes, landscapes, and bad driving. Lots of demos and appearances ... what the hell is a "shop appearance" anyway? Come check out seven drunk dudes from America! Everyone in our crew got along for four weeks, and no over-flaired-out rock star babies in the group at all. Not fucking one! We could all live without Preston's gas--anyone could--but overall this was another free slash in the education of life. I'll tell you one thing, I'm not stopping. Once you stop you forget. Don't stop. Endless grinds forever.--Crooks

THERE'S NO REAL STORY TO THE TRIP, JUST CERTAIN THINGS THAT HAPPENED:

--BEING CARTED AROUND by distributors to attend demos is like a free vacation. Leaving the hotel at 9:00am to drive four hours to a demo is harsh. Then you get in the van and there are two cases of beer. Four hours later you arrive at the demo bloated, drunk, and hungry, with tons of kids wanting to see everyone rip. Slash grinds and rock and rolls is what they get.

--I FARTED IN A LARGE BAR and was called out by two girls plugging their noses. I tried to deny it, but one of the girls bent down and smelled my crotch area and confirmed it was me. Dirty Euro girls. They're lucky it wasn't Preston.

--P-STONE CAN CONSUME, on the average, 15 beers a day. Multiplied by 30 days, that's 350 beers on the trip (which is on the low end).

--ALEX HORN PLACING HIS PASSPORT in an empty wine bag on the train. Lost it. Got the nickname 'The Duska."

--COULDN'T WAIT TO GET OUT of England and eat some real European food, for half the price.

--IN THE MOUNTAINS OF AUSTRIA, watching seven-year-old kids smoke cigarettes who already have stained yellow fingers.

--HOW MANY TIMES at a demo are skaters like Chet Childress asked by a skate kid, "I have this 20-stair gap down the street, do you want to skate it?" Answer: "Fuck No!"

--SHIT STORIES ALWAYS COME UP on trips and are usually talked about during dinner in mixed company. Ponts went to use the phone booth in England and stepped in what appeared to be a heroin addict's fresh dook. Nickname coined soon after: "Dooky Foot."

--DISTRIBUTOR TOURS involve bringing six of their own videographers and photographers all over the place, like flies on shit.

--DRIVING RIGHT PAST good street spots and trying to get them to stop. "No, we can't stop. You must be at the demo on timer 

--COMING BACK TO AMERICA with a booze problem and a nicotine habit from smoking so many hash/tobacco joints.

--WE ASK TO BE TAKEN to street spots and they take us to a 220-stair handrail with a curb in front. They don't understand why nobody will get out of the van. "Don't you want to skate the handrail?"

--WHILE SKATING IN ENGLAND, everyone wants to know who the dude is that looks like Roger Daultry. It's Ponts.