The Gonz is a Legend

Mark Gonzales is a professional skater and artist. He is known in the skating world as the pioneer of modern street skating.

Gonz came on the skateboarding scene at age 15 with a modern approach to street skating and made the cover of Thrasher magazine's November 1984 issue.

In 1986, Gonz busted a groundbreaking ollie at the Embarcadero in SF. So historic was this ollie , the spot became forever known as the 'Gonz Gap'. Also in 1986 Gonz and Natas Kaupas were the first skaters to skate handrails. In 1987 he was one of the first skaters to skate switch.

Gonz went on to further influence skateboarding as it modernized with the 1991 video Video Days by Blind Skateboards(a company he created around 1989). The name Blind was an intentional slight to his old sponsor, Vision. And in 1993, Gonzales was the first skater to kickflip his namesake, the Gonz Gap at Embarcadero. After leaving Blind Skateboards, Mark went on to start two new companies: ATM Click and 60/40 Skateboards (which is now out of business). Mark skated for Real Skateboards before launching Krooked Skateboards.

In 1998 Gonz did a performance in a German Museum im Mönchengladbach on Dec.

Gonz has also established a parallel career as an artist, having shown at the Alleged Gallery in New York and various galleries worldwide.

Gonz has appeared in a few movies, including RWC's head honcho Rost's favourite film Harmony Korine's 'Gummo', where he wrestles a chair. He was also the male lead in a 1997 Spike Jonze short film, How They Get There.

He is also a poet and author and has published several books including Social Problems, High Tech Poetry, Broken Dreams, and Broken Poems. In 2008, Drag City released a book called The Collected Fanzines that consists of reproductions of old zines that he collaborated with Harmony Korine in making.

Gonz in a Nissan commercial directed by spike Jonze.