Shogo Kubo, one of the founders of the Zephyr Skate Team, died last Tuesday while surfing in Hawaii. The legendary Z-Boys revolutionized skateboarding, taking it from fun sidewalk frivolity to extreme rebellious expression. Immortalized in the film Lords Of Dogtown, Kubo and the rest of the Zephyr crew are credited with inventing vertical skateboarding in the 70's when they used to seek out empty pools in Venice neighborhoods and began turning them into impromptu skate parks. Kubo was presumably killed in a surfing accident, found dead in the water. He is remembered and mourned by many, including friend and teammate Stacy Peralta.
One of the more stoic members of the Z-Boys crew, Shogo could still hold his own with the likes of Tony Alva and Jay Adams. He just did it more quietly (via ESPN):
"'Shogo had good style and to me that was the most important thing about a skateboarder,' said Glen E. Friedman, who documented the Dogtown scene in iconic images from the 1970s. 'He really grew into this incredible competitor and, as an adult, became a very caring and nice person who commanded a lot of respect from everyone.'"
While a documentary and a biopic have been made to tell the story of the Z-Boys, Shogo may not be very well remembered. The films tended to focus on the more dynamic and colorful characters (via TMZ):
"'We were all outsiders, but he was a triple outsider,' Peralta told TMZ Sports. 'He actually learned to speak English through skateboarding. He didn't have any money, so we were always pitching in for him, but no one cared. As a human, he was incredibly sweet.'
"As for Kubo's passing while surfing, Peralta told us, 'He passed away doing something he loved. It's poetic. The only thing that would've been more fitting is if it happened during a front side aerial.'"
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