Congrats to Danny Cerezini who has just turned pro for Blind Skateboards, and will be featuring in the new Blind video out in the summer.
For more info, walk like the Grim one over to www.blindreaper.com
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Author: Crossfire
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Slam and Docu party
Document have re-designed their skate mag are re-launching with a party tied in with Slam City Skates this Thursday night.
The mag is apparently going for the all out lifestyle/art angle with a new David Hopkins edited pull out featuring art, music etc and comes in a new shape.
Check out Cold Ones on the night fronted by Russell Longmire on vocal duty and Heroin skater Howard Cooke on guitar. More about them on here soon.
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David Ford Interview
29.01.08
Interview by Dee Massey
With today’s seemingly disposable flash in the pan bands, it’s a breathe of fresh air to come across an artist whose seems more interested in creating beautifully constructed, intelligently written and simply produced songs that the pomp and glory of the industry.
Hailing from Eastbourne, David Ford is home grown talent at it’s finest. With his second studio album making waves on both sides of the Atlantic, he is one of the few UK artists to crack the US, signing to Columbia in 2004. His annual Milk & Cookies charity tour is one of the most sought after tickets in town, treating the audience to hours of his own tracks and covers, with cameos from other artists including Fran Healey.
His song writing has provoked flattering comparisons to Ryan Adams, Ben Folds, Damien Rice and even the great Bob Dylan to name but a few. His tracks have a dark, brooding resonance to them, creating emotional depths that listeners can identify with – but are they the key to the real David Ford, or merely a brilliant disguise? David took some time out on his current UK tour to chat with Dee Massey about it all, and once thing was for certain, in twenty minutes we barely touched the surface of this talented song writer.
So David, I know you’re on tour at the moment, so whereabouts are you today?
Right now I’m just walking into Sheffield Memorial Hall, a nice little place in Sheffield unsurprisingly!
And how the UK tour going so far?
The tours been going fantastic, it’s been a very pleasant experience! I’ve been playing a lot of nice little, sit down theatres, so it makes it all a lightly more intimate, not so much a rock ‘n roll show, it’s been a bit more of a performance thing.
Sounds good. To go back to basics – you’ve been solo for a few years now, having left Easyworld – what do you prefer, being in a band or going it alone?
I definitely prefer not being part of a band, the whole democracy of being in a band is something I miss, but someone’s always got to be in charge. But at the same time you have this pretence of equality. It always kinda means that creatively you have to compromise in ways that you don’t necessarily feel are justified. I’m glad to not have to do that anymore. Also being solo give you more options – like the kind of show I’m doing at the moment where there’s only three of us on the stage, we get to be a bit more creative in the way we perform the song. The last time I toured there were nine of us in the band, and sometimes I can tour alone. It …keeps it fresh for me, and hopefully for the audiences, so they can come see a show on one tour and come to the next door without seeing the same kind of show.
You’ve had some really flattering comparisons to Ryan Adams, Ben Folds, Tom Wait ad even Jeff Buckley – how do you feel about those kind of comparisons?
I’ve also had some less than flattering comparisons as well! [laughs]
Let’s just forget about those..
Yeah, well I think it probably pays not to take notice to any comparisons at all, I’m not really bothered. People will always try to say one things like another thing when it really isn’t.
So who are your major influences?
I don’t really know what the difference is between stuff that’s influenced me, and stuff I really like. I listen to Tom Waits records pretty much all the time; he’s one of my favourites. I tend to listen to old records; modern music is in a pretty shabby state. I don’t think it’s for a lack of potential talent, I just kinda think the industry is not designed for the production of great work, it’s all part of this very disposable culture that we’ve ended up with, whereby people have a huge hit for one week and then they can go to hell after that. I really like records from the 1970’s because they feel like they have a much more solid foundation, they’re well written and they were built for the right reasons.
Talking about song writing, all your songs seem to have a confessional feeling towards them, do you have a secret formula for writing them?
That’s entirely an illusion, the songs aren’t confessional, they’re not personal – not to me anyway.
But I’m sure there’s plenty of people sitting at home reading huge depths into your lyrics?
Oh no, I mean – I definitely do pore over the lyrics, but it’s not me pouring my heart out, I find that quite vulgar, the thought of that. I do try to write songs to cover the subject matter the best I can. Obviously at some point the songs will have some kind of emotion or intensity I hope, but it’s not necessarily my raw emotions, but hopefully it’s more of a universal human thing that other people can identify with as well. I mean [pauses] there’s no point in writing songs just for myself…. I hope that other people can identify with what I write, otherwise there’s no point in sharing. You might as well just sit in your bedroom and stay there.
When you go into the studio to record, do you have all your songs demoed and ready to roll, or it the recording process a more creative one, where you write as you go?
I write incredibly slowly, and I think I have a very strict quality control regime. I very rarely have that jamming style of writing, where you just come up with stuff and write a song in an afternoon. Most of my tracks take months to create, and even then sometimes I’ll get right to the point of it being finished and I’ll decide I don’t like it anymore and no one will ever hear it [laughs]
A perfectionist! Do you enjoy the recording process, actually being in the studio laying down tracks?
To be totally honest I don’t spend that much time in studios, I prefer to record at home.
So how much of the last album [‘Songs For The Road’] was recorded at home?
I did about half the tracks at home, and then we went into the studio to finish it off, but that was kind of at the behest of my label, who got to the point where they didn’t feel they could trust me to deliver a commercially viable record at home.
So what kind of set up have you got at home? It is all straight to tape and simple, or are you pro-tooled up?
Yeah, I do use pro-tools, but I don’t like to get into all the trickery of it. I essentially use it as a tape machine and editing box, I don’t go crazy with wild plug-ins, I like to keep everything as organic as possible, and use real instruments as opposed to digital things.
I understand you mostly produced it yourself? Would you ever bring in an external producer to oversee a whole album?
We did use a producer for some of the tracks on this album, again, it wasn’t necessarily my idea, and I absolutely hated it. I’m wouldn’t want to be produced again. That’s no detriment to the producer that we used, it’s just not something like I like. Maybe I’m a control freak, I consider it part of my creative remit for making records, I want to have an involvement in the sound of the record.
That said – would you ever want to produce someone else’s record?
I’d love to at some point. I think that could be a really interesting challenge because, not having to be so close to the material, it’d be very different recording and producing someone else. I’m not sure I’d have all the skills to pull that off [laughs]. Essentially the way I produce my stuff is just to record it, and I’m really not interested in trying to get something that sounds great for radio and stuff, and I think the making of a great record just isn’t enough these days – I mean it is for me but not for the industry.
What do you think about bands just releasing material digitally, without a hard format?
I’m a bit of a traditionalist, I like to have a physical thing you can hold in your hand, I like to read the inlay notes, I like to buy records and LPs. But I do think in this day and age it’s useful, it empowers the artist a bit more. It gets to the stage where bands like Radiohead are able to bypass the need to have a record deal and bypass that machine, I mean obviously it’s easy for them because they’re one of the biggest bands in the world and could get away with anything they like [laughs]….but I think it’s good that any decent band with a decent sound is in the position to do their own thing without labels.
Not that it is some horrible big conspiracy, I just think if record labels do find themselves with a fantastic record, I think mostly it’s a happy accident, because mostly they’re trying to find something that they describe as ‘competitive’. I don’t think music is a competition, it’s not a sport, there are no medal ceremonies, you don’t get to win the world cup in song writing, I think good work should be rewarded, I think it’s a great shame that people who actually write music and make records have to consider its commercial potential when they’re doing it rather than just saying I’m to make the best record I can possibly make.
Now I’ve got a few quickfire questions for you, and then I’ll leave you in peace. I hear you got robbed on tour…
Yep, in Philidephia…whilst I was asleep!
Apart from that what was the worst thing to happen on tour?
Well on this tour we’ve have three parking tickets! [laughs] That’s not that bad, but slightly irritating, I’ve not had a parking ticket on tour before and now I’ve had three!
But bad things happen in threes, so least you’re in the clear now! What three essential items do you always take on tour?
Well, I could do the really obvious one like a guitar, a piano and an amplifier…but that’s kinda dull isn’t it? If I’m going over to America, the amount you can take in your luggage and the amount of stuff I need to take just to make the show work means that I literally just take essentials undies and a load of instruments! [laughs]
What’s the most shameful CD that you own?
I have no shame in anything I own, but I’m sure that some people might say that my copy of Face Value by Phil Collins is a little misplaced. It’s a great album! I think in the mid 80’s Phil lost his way somewhat, but I feel his debut effort is an album of great worth…[laughs]
What album should everybody own, apart from Phil Collins obviously..
And mine..
Obviously!
I think Blue Valentine by Tom Waits is a wonderful record. It’s very rewarding once you get past his strange singing voice.
What’s your poison? What’re you drinking when you get off stage?
Well on this tour I’m driving so I’m on the fruit juices at the moment!
Well I was going to ask you what the best hangover cure was..
I can’t really tell you what the best hangover cure is …[laughs]. But obviously it’s a fry up and a cup of tea, it’s tried and tested never fails.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
It was Dire Straits! I was about nine, my dad took me.
Did it help mould you into the songwriter you are today?
You know what, I think it doesn’t hurt! I grew up in a fairly shitty little town, and we weren’t on any gig circuit , we didn’t have cool bands coming to play in our town and I was never really exposed to lots of bands, I grew up in the 80s – I never heard The Smiths ever – but I did hear Dire Straits and Phil Collins [laughs] – in a weird sort of way, I feel it gave me a certain grounding in uncool song writing and I think it’s a valid thing these days, I think there’s a lot of importance placed on being cool as opposed to actually making music of any kind of quality, and songs that actually mean something.
What’s your worst personality trait?
I forget people’s names, the second I meet them I forget their names – it’s not because I’m self important or anything. I’ll meet someone, and they’re say hi, my name is so and so, and the second they’ve said it, it’s gone, and I always have to ask them again. That’s quite a bad trait isn’t it? I’m just forgetful in general, I forget things I’m meant to be doing, I get caught up in particular individual things I’m supposed to be doing and I forget all the other things.
Where would you most like to go on tour?
Well I’ve never been to Japan, and I always quite fancied the idea of Japan. But I feel like I’ve been everywhere else that I wanted to go to. Touring in America is really weird but very enjoyable.
And you’re off on tour of the US again soon?
Yes, I’m going in a couple of weeks, can’t wait!
Well David, thank you so much for taking the time to chat, good luck with the tours – hope to catch a show soon.
It’s been a pleasure!
David Ford’salbum ‘Songs For The Road‘ is out now on Independiente Records – check out www.myspace.com/davidford and www.davidford.mu for all the information.
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Slaughter at the Opera
Globe Shoes and Thrasher are to join forces this March 1st and present a night of amazing skateboarding from the famous Sydney Opera House in Australia.
The follow up to last years Double Stack Cash Attack on the Gold Coast looks like it will be a smash with skaters confirmed to skate a bespoke MONSTER RAIL including Stefan Janoski, Eric Koston, Rick McCrank, Chris Haslam, Mike Mo Capaldi, Greg Lutzka, Alex Olson, Lewis Marnell, Mark Appleyard, Brian Anderson and many more..
£50,000 dollars are up for grabs, expect this to be broadcast on the Globe site at www.globe.tv/slaughter
The Drink Tea Get Rad campaign is starting to move rapidly across the country as armies of skateboarders are taking their PG tips on the road for winter sessions.
Reports from as far as Inverness have reached boiling point as skateparks start to wonder if the stains of the good old British cuppa will be a insurance hinderance for skatepark owners countrywide.
Please report all sightings of this pandemic to www.lovenskate.com where your nerves will be calmed with herbal or hot green tea.
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Open House at Black Box
Carlsbad may be thousands of miles away from here but it’s getting sessioned.
Click here to find footage of the open house session at the Black Box warehouse including tricks from new riders Pete Eldridge and Slash.
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Brutalism 1: Nowhere Fast
Captains Of Industry Books
www.captainsof.com
Buy it for £5 direct here.
Have you ever stopped and looked around you, only to discover the world that you live in isn’t what you’ve been led to believe? Brutalism One does exactly that. It grabs the rose tinted glasses, and smashes them to pieces on their alarming honesty. The poets’ raw words strike with a devastating candor that is a bright light in an otherwise murky world.
In their own words, the Brutalism movement is one of ‘total control, total creativity’, this is anarchy for the new world. Open your eyes and see the truth. This is the essence of Brutalism. Wipe away any misconceptions you may have about life – this is where we all come from, and where we all could be. In the same way a slap across the face frees you from hysteria, the book frees you from apathy. Frees you from fear. Afraid to strive for what you want? Then this is all you have. Their words bear warning – this is there. This is coming.
Containing six poems from each Brutalist, (Ben Myers, Adelle Stripe and Tony O’Neill) each recounting their experiences of their Northern hometowns, they put their experiences down on paper, undressed and unadorned. There is no smoke and mirrors with these memories – we are dragged from our 2.4 children existence, into the real heart of Britain. Drugs, sex, alcohol, – the world they grew up in. These towns are the true home of the asbo, laid bare for our inspection.
The unadulterated honesty that each writer puts into their poems fills them with emotions that at first glance you don’t expect to find. The crudeness of the topics – losing your virginity behind the back of a pub – becomes an inspiring tale of heroicness, a modern day knight in shining armour – and one that this modern generation can relate to. As the book progresses, each poem flows from one to the next, the constant theme of home, escaping it, being drawn back, escaping again. These invoke the memories that each and every one of us has with the place we grew up. They call up feelings of fear and desperation. The awful world we have clawed our way out of – knowing that at any moment we could be sucked back in. What if my world is an illusion? What if this is really who I am? These are poems for the modern generation; they thrust the underbelly of Britain that we all try so desperately to ignore straight in our faces. With all the agony that these realisations bring, there is a constant beacon of hope bursting from the pages. You can get out. You can be something more. You can. We did.
For anyone who feels the mundane monotony of life is dull – think again – it’s there, it’s yours, make it beautiful.
Ceinwen Jarvis
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‘Gorgeous’ Dave Watson Interview
Words: Joe Moynihan
Photos: Andrew Belson
Have you ever arrived at a skate spot, and felt like you’re not alone? The ever so gentle, rolling sound of urethane slowly eradicating itself upon smooth concrete, haunting you, and making you feel slightly uneasy?
Well, chances are, at least if you happen to be in a certain fuchsia coloured car park in Essex, that it’s none other than young David Watson. Lurking away in the shadows, only to come out of nowhere and probably pop a switch flip over your head, which, more than likely will have more style to go with it than an absoludicrously well trained, shape-throwing ninja could ever demonstrate.
Besides the surrounding enigma, Dave is a rad guy who is just having as much fun as he can with skateboarding. So if you ever hear that sound of someone hard at lurk in a multi-storey, it might just be him, and you should go and chill with Dave. He’s the home of witty banter. I managed to catch up with him over these cold winter nights, and talk about the usual stuff – smashing in vans, bongos, being gorgeous, warehouses and chiefing infinite refills from burger king, you know, stuff like that. Watch your backs…
The beginning is generally a good place to start, what made you first pick up a skateboard?
I think the first time was when I was about 13 I guess. Some mates of mine were heading down Rom skatepark on bikes and rollerblades. I didn’t have a bike or a pair of rollerblades so I found some old Toys-R-Us board in my shed and took that. Just so I could go and see this ‘ROM’ place. I got there tried to roll down a bank and probably received the first of many Rom inflicted grazes to come. I think that my first day skating at Rom kind of put me off, as after that I didn’t skate again until gone fourteen! That park was scary.
So at what point did you realise that you weren’t going to put that skateboard down again?
Second time round me and a mate were bored of playing football and basketball, so I decided to get my board out again and I was hooked. We’d take turns trying to ‘jump’ on it, I think we had seen someone do an ollie on that previous trip to Rom a while back – couldn’t believe it was possible – didn’t even know what it was called till a few weeks after we got the hang of it, ha! We basically skated round the local area for few months, the library two stair was the place to be. I think I got my first magazine, Thrasher, from Wham! in Lakeside. I realised what a proper skateboard was and got one for Christmas! I was well happy with that, a Black Label deck, Indy trucks and some abec seven bearings – I was really into the ‘abec7’ rating back then for some reason. Haha.
Weren’t we all? Haha. Essex isn’t exactly renowned for it’s wide array of skateable terrain, what sort of spots was you skating when you first started out?
I was living in Ockendon at this point. We basically just skated flat ground at the library. It had some really small curbs and couple of steps, it was amazing, cardboard boxes to ollie over and all sorts. After about six months my mates gave up, by then I had found the Lakeside car parks, which are about a 15 minute skate from my house. So no matter what the weather was like I was always down there. I even met my mate Dan Charley there, he was older than me, so I kind of learned a lot things from him to start off with. I started going back to Rom every weekend, couldn’t skate it at all but kept going back for some reason.
What exactly IS so special about Lakeside? I don’t even know and I somehow end up skating there at least 5 times a week.
I probably would have given up when my other mates did if I didn’t realise it was there. It helped me progress with learning tricks a lot. I met a few other skaters down there who were all older than me by a good few years. They all had cars and I ended up going skating with them down at this park in Sevenkings, nice, smooth floor and lots of different stuff to skate. I skated there any time I could, used to bunk the train all the way there from Ockendon if no one was driving. We had some really good sessions at the weekends with my mates, Paul, Lou, Sanger, Grant and Dan. It was rad skating there. I skated there for a good year and a bit, but if I weren’t there I was normally in those lakeside car parks skating the flat or just here and there.
Where did the name ‘Lakeside Ghost’ emerge from’? You don’t look or act like a ghost, surely ‘Lakeside Lurker’ would have worked for connotation and alliteration purposes alone.
Well, I suppose I used to skate there so much at first, I would be down there and I’d see some other skaters I didn’t know. I wasn’t exactly very confident with talking to people or anything like that, so I guess I would keep my distance and skate on the other side of the car park or the floor above. In that respect, I was always the kid hanging round in the shadows like a weirdo or a ‘ghost’. Because I was always there every time people skated, it must have seemed like I was haunting the place haha. I didn’t realise people were calling me that for ages until a while after. I’m not some sort of weirdo, honest!
How did you get involved with Clown?
I used to see Simon Skipp around now and then. I think Russell at Hoax had just started helping me out with boards and other stuff. He was a lifesaver as before I was just riding the most haggard setup. The same deck for months and months, a wheel falling off more or less every week. I think Skipp had seen me about few times skating down Rom maybe. I got talking to him about the MFI spot one time and that was probably the first time I spoke to him. I didn’t see him about for a while and randomly bumped into him at Romford train station one night and he just said he’d help me out with boards. I started skating with him a bit round Romford at weekends. A few months later, Kev Parrot came back from Australia and I went on a trip to Barcelona with Skipp, Kev, Bobby, Bailey, Dom, Henry, Tom Ball, James G and Ross McGouran. That was rad, everyone was killing it. I was still a bit intimidated skating with people who were all so damn good. It was fun though.
Clown were rad. Whatever happened with them?
I’m not really sure. I started getting proper Clown packages after the Barcelona trip for a few months and then it just sort of went a bit quiet. I think maybe the bloke that was supposed to be running it got more involved with his music promotions stuff or something. By then I think Benny Fairfax had already left, and Chris Oliver too, so it was a few things like that that meant it had come to an inevitable end. I was always really into Clown long before I started getting boards. Benny Fairfax was my favourite skater when I was younger. I was well happy to be involved, even if just for a little bit before it eventually went under.
I think the first time I met you was in the old Allied Carpets warehouse, practically an infamous skateboarding Mecca in its day. Tell us a couple of stories from there, namely the time you defended the face/faith with your wheely board?
Ah, the MFI Warehouse. That place was so good. Me and a couple of mates found it and got in there. It had a perfect laminate wooden floor, loads of wood around to build stuff, a ready made seven foot kicker, rails, metal edge boxes and manual pads. Someone even got the proper shop lights on. It was seriously a dream. We had this place for a whole winter. There was a Burger King over the road that you could get free refills at so we used to go in there and fill up a litre bottle for free any time we wanted. Things started getting a bit sketchy when some local louts found out about it and had a rave in there one night. We went there one day and the entire place was just soaked in beer, like an oil slick on the floor. It cleared up after a while though I think. They kept on coming back though and one day there was me and a few mates skating and some other younger kids. A few chavs started to try and smash the lights up, leaving loads of glass on the floor and that. We asked them to stop and they did. Well, at least until about ten more of them turned up and started carry on.
We decided it was time to leave because we would just get done in if we told them to stop. As we were all walking out the door, one of ’em started mouthing us off. I swung for him and missed. Haha. Next thing I know another one has ran from behind him, punched me and split my eye open, then all of them flooded out the door and started kicking me on the floor! Some random guy that was there with his girlfriend jumped on all of them, allowing me to get up. I saw the guy who had punched me and smacked him with my board! We all legged it as the guy just flopped – hard. Apparently he broke his jaw, and there was some blood and shit. He went to hospital and everything! After that I couldn’t really skate there as there were always people looking for me. I did go back there a couple of times though. It was ridiculous. They had ‘Dave’s Gonna Die‘ written all over the place! Right, that’s the last time I’m going to tell that story!
How long were they after you for? I’m fairly certain I overheard people looking for you a good few months after…
Well, apparently the guy’s older brother was some kind of wannabe hard nut that kneecapped people and stuff! I basically had to be careful not to go near Grays if I could help it, as, let’s face it; anyone with a skateboard stands out there anyway. Turns out they did beat up a few skaters up because they thought it was me or was involved with the fight. They were just idiots basically, pretty silly stuff. If I went skating down the Lakeside car parks on my own I was always a bit on edge. It’s all fine now though as this was a long time ago now.
‘Gorgeous Dave’. What’s the story behind that?
I think it’s been said that it first came about a couple of years ago. I went to Ipswich for some little comp thing with Skipp, Kev and Nigel. Munson was there and I think they were just shouting abuse at people skating and unfortunately they called me the G word. Since then it just stuck, I think Kev and Skipp are kind of responsible for keeping it going, Powley too, I don’t even know if he knew my actual name at first. It was just ‘gorgeous’. It can be embarrassing at times though – having an older, bald and slightly pervy man calling you gorgeous in front of strangers!
Haha! How did you get involved with Vans?
Well for a while I had been skating with Skipp and trying to film stuff with Kev Parrot quite a lot, kind of seeing if I could get hooked up again. One day Kev just mentioned that Powley was looking for a few flow riders for Vans and said he’d spoken to him about me. I think after he saw some footage, Powley gave me a call and said he’d help me out and that was that. I was well happy with that. Cheers Powley!
The UK Vans team are ripping right now, what’s it like skating with some of those beasts?
Yeah, everyone on there is so good, it’s really sound. I don’t know, I suppose it can be quite intimidating sometimes if you’re at a comp and everyone is skating at this whole other level. It kind of just messes with my head in those situations, like I would just choke. Just a confidence thing I guess. I should sort that out! I don’t know, I really prefer going street skating and seeing what you find and then skating that way. It’s a lot more fun to be out and about in a city or wherever rather than in a park trying to ‘perform’ for people. Don’t get me wrong its good to see people pushing it at comps and that but I’m just not that down with it myself. I think skating is about fun and I prefer skating things that aren’t purposefully built for skating. It’s fun skating with everyone though now and then. Tyreman’s a funny guy.
Who do you tend to skate with the most?
I skate with Skipp and other random people at weekends if I’m trying to shoot photos or whatever. Sometimes a local crew of us head down Dagenham skate park for a little cruise around, then in to London to skate black wallride tunnel and that general area lately. My older friends that I skated with when I was younger have all stopped skating due to work and other ‘grown-up’ duties. Lou and Paul do come out every so often though. Was out with Kev quite regularly but he’s been busy lately with other projects, so I’m just skating with whoever is about really, trying to film whenever I can. Usually different people are off work on different days during the week so I get to skate with someone different like Nigel Davies, and Tom Ball has been out a bit lately, which is good.
I often bumped into you ‘ghosting’ around Lakeside car parks by yourself, I know a few people who for some reason aren’t comfortable with skating alone. As long as you’re skating, it doesn’t matter right?
Yeah, sometimes I prefer skating on my own, especially down Lakeside, like if I think of a trick I really want to learn, I can just go down there and skate and I don’t have to think about anything else. Or if I get stressed out with anything or people are nagging at me I can go there and I know its going to be peaceful and quiet, just depends what mood you’re in I guess. Other times I prefer skating with friends, or just anyone who’s enjoying it.
How was Newquay?
Newquay was really good. I was still having trouble with my knee from when I smashed it in on the first day of the ‘Are We There Yet?‘ tour, so I couldn’t really skate. I tried a bit but after ten minutes or so the pain would kick in from where I was moving it about too much. In the end I was only there for a couple of days. Chris Oliver won I think, Kris Vile skated really well too, everyone did. We were staying at the beach trip hotel which was insane; you can skate on the dance floor and everything! There was a mini ramp in there too! It was good simply to chill on the beach and mill about watching the vert or mini ramp jams then have a little drink later on maybe. Ben Nordberg tricking me into dropping him off at his house in Bath on my way back to London was a bit of a nightmare though. Getting lost in Bumpkin land by myself afterwards with no money, any sense of direction, and then missing the M25 turnoff and heading straight through central London, getting seriously lost whilst my petrol was running out, I just about made it home!
Didn’t you get chucked out a club at one point for playing the bongo on someone’s head? Or was that Kris?
Haha, that was on the Neue, ‘Ride With Us‘ tour, which was a right laugh. We went to some terrible club one night. Well, the club was ok-ish if not a bit empty and a little bit chavvy maybe. We were just having a laugh like you do, I think bongos might have been involved maybe and then next thing I know I’m getting dragged to the back door in a headlock by a bouncer, Tyreman too! Turns out the bouncer thought that I had poured a pint over someone or something; Ollie had tried to sort it out with the bouncer and got kicked out as well! So we’re outside feeling pretty pissed off and bemused, and I think we may have stupidly taken some aggression out on a nearby van. We decided that it must have been was bouncer’s because it was black and A-Team looking.
As we were walking round the front of the club to go home some bouncers grabbed us and got us in arm locks, again. I seriously thought they were gonna kick the shit out of us. They said they had seen us kicking the van on the CCTV and the police were on there way. We just denied everything. So they take us round the front and try and take us inside. All the time the bouncer was telling me they’re gonna kick me in inside the club somewhere. Crapping it! I spotted some of our group and shouted to them to talk to the bouncers. I think someone called Powley and he turned up when the police did and managed to talk sense to them. Meanwhile Ollie had escaped the bouncers only to be kicked in by three scousers on his way back to the hotel! I don’t think bouncers in Newquay particularly like outsiders.
You got a shockingly high nollie flip into a bank captured on that trip. And I’ve seen you switch flip with some sort of demon pop. What’s with those regular flips mate?
Yeah, I don’t know really, I just seem to be able to do some switch things easier than regular. Just swings and roundabouts I guess, its probably just a case of if you can do it just as good or better switch your not gonna do it regular are you? And my kickflops (that’s gotta be typo of the century!) are different every day! Nollie stuff has always been my favourite.
Tell us the story behind the photos you’ve got for this interview.
The ollie is just an ollie that hurt my legs. The nollie bigflip manny is down the road from my house, haven’t really got another manny-bank-pad spot. Not sure if it’s legit or not, bit small, ha ha. Nice metal legs landing! And I just learned frontside wallrides a little while ago and I’m well into them, I know it’s ABD switch at this spot but who cares? I like the photo and it’s my favourite trick right now.
You were at the last Crossfire Southbank Jam yeah? How was it?
I made it to the Southbank Jam. Did Vile win every thing? That one was fun to watch the kids killing themselves, ha ha! And the two forty year olds in the thick of the product toss was hilarious. Proper grappling for the stickers amongst the kids. They looked really stoked as they walked away with an extra small tee shirt between them. I was stuck in Ockendon for the Christmas one because of the trains. I’ve been to a couple though and they’re always good fun, more of a jam vibe and being at Bay Sixty6 there’s a lot more room and more obstacles obviously, so it doesn’t seem as hectic. The one after the park revamp was good fun.
What have you got in store for this year then?
Well skating as much as possible, and hopefully not getting injured at all! Not being in Ockendon too much if I can help it, only to build my top secret bowl spot near my house. Hopefully going away with Vans, going Newquay again at some point, possibly doing something with Santa Cruz and shooting photos and filming as much as I can for a section in Andy Evans‘ next video. Learning some carpentry skills and traveling back and forth to Oxford to see my girlfriend at Uni. Basically just having fun skating.
Drop those shout outs…
Yeah, basically just thanks to everyone who’s ever helped me out, Powley at VANS, Jerome@Shiner for the Santa Cruz and Krux, Zac at SS20. Massive thank you to Simon Skipp for helping me out for the past few years. Kevin Parrot, Russel Cowling for the Hoax stuff back then, Styley, Andy Belson, B-Town Nick, Macy Peach, Dagenham Skatepark, Emily Putz, Lou and Paul for helping me out with things, Grant, Ryan Vear and everyone, Nigel Davies, Dan Charley, Chadwell Heath Dan and Sanger for being hilarious. Just anyone one I’ve ever had fun skating with.
Categories
Cates likes it long
Dan Cates popped his head through the window last week, saying he was off to Bay Sixty6 to do a bit of filming with Phraeza. Now this is Cates, so “do a bit of filming” is never that straightforward and the longboard in his had was a bit of a clue.
Click here for bowl shredding a dude cruising.
Categories
Double 0 Zero get Hi
When not riding his backyard mini ramp Lalo Creme and new band Double 0 Zero are making top choons with tight units. ‘The Hi Hi’s’ is the first track to be unleashed with this video below.