New Thrasher editor-in-chief and professional photographer Michael Burnett had reminisced the days when his mentor and legend Jake Phelps was still alive.
The post was a greeting to the Phelper's birthday. "In the dream, we are pushing through the downtown of a big city." Burnett wrote. "'Look, there's Jake!' He's across an intersection. Points at us and laughs. 'Come with us!' we yell. He waves us on with a flick of his hand, smiling. We watch as he turns and pushes off down a hill."
After Phelps' passing in 2019, the skate bible was never the same, and more core skateboarders and pro skaters acknowledged that skateboarding has become more corporate than ever.
Phelps would never allow corporations to infiltrate Thrasher magazine. Unfortunately, he is gone, and we at ShredER will always have honor and integrity for the love of skateboarding culture, just like Phelper's mindset towards skating.