Oldie
CULTURE CLASH (#TBMG (Throw Back My Galveston)
But Damn Goodie By Culture Clash staff | Photos pg. 20 & 21 courtesy of Boog William “Boog” Cram, age 56, was born and raised in Galveston. When it comes to authentic Galveston, Texas skater- he is your man! When the publisher of Culture Clash decided to do a surf and skate issue, Boog immediately came to mind for our #TBMG section. Boog has been skating the streets of Galveston since the mid 1970s and knew every jump, ramp and grind before anyone else. In fact, he most likely declared it! As a boy, his favorite skate spot was his backyard which included “a small half-pipe”, 9.5 feet tall and 8 feet wide, amongst two others with similar dimensions. Boog remembers skating the original Galveston Skatepark at 85th Street and Seawall, not too far from “the slab” which is a current local favorite. He recalls his two biggest teenage influences as Bobby Morrow and Alvin Cooper, “these guys were like the Gulf Coast version of Stacy Peralta and Tony Alva”. ‘THE TRICK’ that young Boog worked tirelessly to master was known as the Miller Flip, a full 360-degree flip. “I loved the feeling. It took me a while to learn it but once I did, I put it in my bag of tricks!” The Miller Flip, as many above the lip tricks on the half-pipe, positioned Boog with the other upper-level riders of the time and quickly earned him a sponsorship with Quiksilver and SIMS Skateboards. He was now on the 1981 circuit and began to skate contests, demos and shows for anywhere from 10 to 1000 people. The rest, as the say, is history! Today Boog is still doing what he loves and is a true inspiration to the community. Find him behind the counter at Ohana Surf and Skate on Seawall Blvd. or rocking-out with fellow band members in his KISS Tribute Band, KISS ALIKE & Green Day Tribute, Green For A Day! C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • M A R C H /A P R I L 2 0 1 8
Boog C ram, ide ai r on t he ‘Blue Ramp’ at Housto n’s fa Pipeli med ne Ska tepark ; circa 1979.
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(Below): Alvin Cooper perfecting the layback air at Houston’s Pipeline Skatepark; circa 1979.
Boog Cram, age 29, held-up doing a straight ACME/invert; circa 1990. 21