Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official feast day in the early seventeenth century, and has gradually become a secular celebration of Irish culture in general. To celebrate this special day here this year, we decided to treat you to a feast of culture seen through the lens of Irish skateboard photographer and Shiner’s main man in the trenches, Jerome Loughran.
JL: Growing up in Northern Ireland and then later re-rooting myself to Wales allowed me to meet people along the journey that have left an impression. During that time, I have never forgotten those that helped me shape who I am today, so I could have easily added another 20 photos in this feature. These 5 photos are just some of the amazing skateboarders that made an impact on this man behind the lens. Enjoy.
Only fitting that any St.Patrick’s day photo article would be kicked off by none other than Jay Dords. Dords is the guy has held the scene together in Ireland together for years. He is a true skate legend. He’s one of those rare skateboarders who has not only kept the scene going in the dark days, but he’s never seen a penny from all his hard work and crazy ideas either. You know what though? It never breaks that big smile on his face! This photo was shot after a weekend of Jay building this DIY block in Derry, Northern Ireland. Jay built it, consumed some Harp lager and then proceeded to shred it. What is more Irish that Thin Lizzy and Harp Lager? (besides the stereotypes!!) Dords influenced me to get out there and get involved, and now all those years of him asking me questions about f-stops has unleashed a mean photographer in him too. Watch that space.
This is Mark Munson. Meeting Munson is like meeting a brick wall at 50mph, you won’t forget it! The man knows what’s what and won’t ever be afraid to tell you so! I’ve learnt so much from this guy over the years. His team management skills are basically made up of “stop crying and do it you wanker!” His approach usually works as well! I’ve been on many rad trips with Mark and would always be glad to have him in the van or at the park shouting abuse at me. There’s a slight Irish link in this photo as it was shot in Greystones, just outside of Dublin.
Less of an Irish link here but I went on a skate trip to Ireland with Marc Churchill once so hopefully that counts! Everyone knows Marc. If you don’t, where have you been hiding?! Weird that that the guy I used to watch on Channel 5’s Rad TV show is now the guy that constantly calls me and keeps me in stitches with one of his many comedy personas. Marc is constant entertainment and also knows how to do a good sticker job! If I had to only shoot with one guy for the rest of my life it would be Marc, basically because it’s like shooting with 12 different guys! This photo was shot in Oregon. If you have not seen the Punch An Eagle In Flight tour edit yet, do it.
For those that don’t know this guy, this is Darran ‘Grim’ Ward skating the Chepstow park. Grim is best known for running Freestyle Skateshop in Newport, Wales. Grim has been my landlord and housemate for nearly 10 years and I have been through so much with this guy, it’s unreal. This photo should have seen light of day much sooner, as he has always had my back and gets hyped on my photos, so this should stoke him out. Not only is he the biggest and gnarliest vegan I have ever met, he is officially the only person I know that has punched himself out in anger at leaving the house without his wallet! He was driving at the time and I was in the passenger seat!
This is a photo of Caradog Emanuel with an ollie up and out to crooks. He is another Welsh skater that I have had the pleasure of traveling with over the years. ‘Dog’ is like Churchill- a stand up comedian. Put the two of them together and you have an ultimate double act! Caradog has a fresh approach to skateboarding, something that sets him apart from others. If you haven’t seen his section in Kill City’s Rookies video yet then, damn, get yourself a copy and break open a Guinness!
Last night, the Prince Charles Cinema played host to Slam City Skates’ first ever skate video, City Of Rats, celebrating 25 years of service in London’s skate scene. The grins of the 6.30pm sitting were ever present as they left the screening making way for the final showing for Slam staff, various pro’s from all over the country and London skaters keen to see what has been in the making now for a few years.
The 56 minute video put together from the hard work of Henry Edwards-Wood was kicked off by Nick Jensen following a well received dedication to Bingo (RIP), whose huge pop reached many London window sills, ledges and benches to a mellow, 60s tune. Joey Pressey’s part and a cameo by Benny Fairfax dropped before Snowy and Joe Gavin (who has big news coming soon) got into the mix and raised spirits in advance of a mates section, where Jason Caines‘ massive road gap ollie received a huge applause, and tricks from Ben Jobe, The Gonz and many more skaters, old and new, provided the entertainment.
Southbank legend Femi Bukumola raised the roof with some vocal skills introducing Palace Am, Karim Bakhtaoui, whose 5 stair magic ender once again brought more howls before Jin Shimizu rolled the City streets. Robbleyard, Tanner, Howes, Todd and Danny Brady shared footage to Radiohead’s Black Swan tune followed by the Vagrants section that has some great skating from Madars Apse and the euro contingent before two of Blueprint’s finest, Neil Smith and Jerome Campbell both stepped up with a fantastic joint part that brought cheers from a stoked crowd.
The Slam shop crew have a section in this alongside a huge pick of friends and family who all have tricks filmed in various spots around London, Bromley and beyond. This makes the shop video feel as real as it can get as it includes extended family which rightly part of the successful blueprint of 25 years of Slam being in business who rightly boast at the intro of this film are the oldest skateshop in Europe. So, it’s not just a collection of bangers from the likes of Chewy Cannon, Lucien Clarke and Steph Morgan who have a section dedicated to them towards the end, the film has tricks from everyone which again, proves popular tonight from the full house that are witnessing Henry’s hard graft.
Casper Brooker‘s section is packed with goodness. Really impressive stuff. Rory Milanes then closes the show with a fantastic section that deserved its placing within this huge montage of (mostly) UK skateboarders and gives you an insight into what’s to come from Palace in the future and where Hold Tight Henry leaves us hanging before his next chapter wherever that will be. He was nothing but relieved on the night after a gruelling fight to get this one finished and hats off to him for the dedication.
As far as shop videos go, City of Rats will take some beating, but as we all know, your local skater owned shops are the ones who supply the goodness for everyone and they will have their turn to try and match this once the dedication is recorded onto a hard drive. This week though, the honours have gone to Slam and now it’s up to the rest of the UK’s independent scene to step up to this mark. Roll on Great Britain.
Here’s a few shots from the night (thanks to Mark Brewster), pre order your copy of the DVD here.
Interview by Craig Questions
Portrait by Richard West
There are so many things I could write about Jake Snelling. I’ve known him for a while now and I’ve experienced pure energy and also the madness that is Jake. I remember first meeting him at Stockwell but I never really thought anything of him, he was just some kid with a shaved head and pulled-up socks. When I got to know Jake I realised how real he is and how determined he is with everything he does. You can’t ask for a better friend, always giving you half or everything he has and always down for anything, and I mean anything. Whether it be climbing into the sewers of Paris, going on skate missions with no sense of direction at all, or just plain mayhem in any form of the word.
I feel Jake and I get along so well because we are both passionately obsessed with 80’s skateboarding, collecting old memorabilia, fictional characters, and we also have a rare sense of humour. Most days Jake will call me up and will spend hours talking about skateboarding, old films, and situations that will never happen making him one of the funniest people I know.
I’ve seen him do a lot of crazy things, Every story you will hear is true which just adds to his legacy. I know that he does not give a fuck about what any of you think and he will always stay so true to what he thinks is real. I envy his ability to learn tricks at the click of a finger, he’s modest, he has the biggest film collection I have ever seen, he’s a live wire and he’s one of the best skateboarders ever.
Every interview starts with the usual who are you. we know all that and we know you’re from Worthing so let’s ask what’s the skate history of Worthing and why did you start skateboarding?
When I was fourteen I used to be a little shit hanging round the skatepark doing nothing. I could already skate along on my Dad’s old beaten Santa Cruz board, and two Brothers who are skateboarders called Jack and Harry moved around the corner from me. They said I should just start properly, so I have been skating since then.
I think Worthing’s always had a good skate scene. I don’t know too much about its history of skateboarding, but what I have been told by Bram Weeks and Alan Glass is that it used to have a really strong street skateboarding scene. Bram has showed me a couple of issues of RAD magazine with Worthing in it, one has a sick photo of Colin Pope boardsliding the Guildbourne rail which is really fuckin’ gnarly.
When I first met you I would of never thought of you as being such a skate nerd. Why 80’s skateboarding? What’s so influential about that era of time?
Everything man. It’s the best time. The boards, the tricks, the skateboarders. Everything seems so much better back then. Maybe it wasn’t. I don’t know because I was not around, but just stuff like old street comps were amazing. They were so sick that everyone would just invent tricks, do streetplants and fuck about. People like Neil Blender, who looked like he never took it seriously, would just fuck about and have fun. Then you have Jesse Martinez, who would fuckin’ attack shit, like frontside wall-walks whilst smashin’ through the wall! Phat methods off jump-ramps! It’s just dope. That’s what I mean about those times, there were so many rad characters in skateboarding, most of them for me were at their peak in the 80’s.
There didn’t seem to be any downers during the 80’s skateboard scene. The 90’s vert scene died and street was in, whereas in the 80’s, vert was booming, people were ripping pools, street skateboarding was happening but hadn’t yet been labeled. I also think the best graphics came from that era too. People are still stoked on the Screaming Hand, Roskopp graphics and all that shit.
What do you think about skateboarding now and who gets you stoked to skate?
I like skateboarding now. I think you and I are in our own little world so it’s good. I just watch all the old Santa Cruz videos like ‘Reason for Living’ and ‘Risk It’ to get stoked. The old Consolidated videos are rad too. Any Andy Roy footage gets me hyped. He screams really loud and has a sick energy about him. I love his aggressive style as well, that’s how I ‘try’ to skate.
I always rate a skateboarder on how many tricks they can do that I’ve never seen before. So what is the most unseen trick of today? Like for an example ‘Frankie Goes Fakie’, invented by Lester Kasai in the early 80’s (a tweaked backside air-to-fakie like a method) – who have you seen do them?
‘Wallwalks’, like ‘Hella Spins and shit. Jess the Mess is the man at them. ‘Woolly Mammoth’s’ which Todd Swank and Neil Blender had down – nobody really does them today. I want to learn a ‘Poliki’. It’s a layback air, but you grab it on the outside rail. Lester Kasai invented that one too, I think. It would be good if more vert skaters did HO HO plants.
I’ve seen you do a lot of stupid stuff like when you got arrested in Paris. What’s the story with the girl at the Hastings Jam?
I’ll keep it short. We were at the Hastings Jam after-party at the Source. I got really drunk and couldn’t really skate so we were fuckin’ with people. It was full of faggots anyway and you got annoyed at some dickhead punk girl because she was talking about sucking boys off to try and be cool. You told me to get the knife from the hog roast and scare her, so I got it and screamed at her whilst holding the knife and she thought she was the shit and grabbed the knife and it cut all her hand. Her mate said she was gonna punch me and shit. She didn’t in the end because I kicked all the shit off the table and made a mess. It was good tho! We did have a right laugh. I always get in to trouble because you tell me to do things.
I know your dad skated in the late 70s what’s the deal with that bank in Brighton?
There’s some bank behind Churchill Square in Brighton. My Dad and his friends used to hit it up from the top and carve down. When they hit the curb they’d try and carve back up. It’s really gnarly.
Top 5 skateboarders of all time and why?
I can’t choose, I have too many…for sure Andy Roy because he’s gnarly as fuck! Jesse Martinez, Rob Mertz, Craig Johnson, Neil Blender, Tim Jackson
What’s the biggest influence in your life?
Skateboarding as a whole, and my Dad is a big influence.
In the future what do you want to do in terms of life do you still want to be part of the British skateboard scene?
Yeah that would be rad. I don’t know how my knees will hold up as they’re pretty fucked. I would love to get a job in the skateboard industry when I’m older, or me and you are gonna make the best British skateboard company ever.
Top 5 people to skate with?
Craig Scott, Joe Howard, Cates, Stevie Thompson, Dan Singer
Why are you so good on a skateboard?
I’m not, I’m shit.
Any last comments?
Thanks to Gee at Rollaway skate shop for sorting me out, Jonathan Hay who does HOAX, well stoked, Joe Howard, Dan Cates and Craig Scott.
Thanks to Craig Questions, Matthew Bromley, Jerome Loughran and Richard West.
One of Germany‘s finest, Danny Sommerfeld, is skating the streets of Frankfurt am Main in a new clip, bringing real street skating with a definite 90’s flavour right into your home. With black and white imagery and a grainy and raw overall look, new clothing label TPDG Supplies Co, specializing in pants and accessories, is piping up. Reason enough to let them introduce themselves properly.
Who are you and where are you from?
We’re a skater owned and operated brand based in Hamburg, Germany. We’re currently hard at work to get our new website going and to put together our first collection of denim and pants. We’re also going to throw in a couple of accessories and t-shirts. But as they say; Haste makes waste.
This promo video is inspiring, reminded us of the good old days.
It’s nice to see how a lot of people can feel the love and passion we put into that first clip. As skatekids from the 90‘s, our focus always has been on actually go out and skate the streets, to live the counterpart to all the stunt-skateboarding ruling the media these days. We want to bring back some of the spirit of the good ol’ days to 2012.
How did TPDG come about?
When pro-skater Danny Sommerfeld was facing the headache of sorting out yet another sponsor deal with yet another clothing manufacturer, the idea to launch TPDG Supplies Co. was born. With support by graphic-designer/skateboarder Ben Wessler and photographer Eric Mirbach, TPDG was founded in 2010 somewhere in between Gießen, Cologne and Hamburg.
And finally, what is it all about?
TPDG is all about skateboarding. It’s about the streets. TPDG is about gritty imagery, dirty hands. About jersey barriers and brick walls, gangsigns and bloodstains. It‘s about well-made garments, clean styles and classic cuts.
We all know that sessions are going to become increasingly more difficult due to the weather this winter, but as usual, the hardcore will be out there filming no matter how cold it is, indoors or out – so this comp is for you.
WHAT ARE THE RULES?
There are no rules. It’s a straight forward skate video comp. Your edit can be as short or as long as you like. You can film your video anywhere you like. In a skate park, on the streets, bowl, vert, pool, anywhere – just read this, get inspired, phone, email and get your friends together and start filming. If you already have fresh footage sitting right there from the last month or so doing nothing. Use it. The winner will take home £200 once we all decide who should win it and run online with others that impress.
HOW YOU SUBMIT YOUR EDIT:
Edit your video, upload it to youtube, vimeo or mpora and submit a private link to us via our contact page so we can watch it.
WHEN IS THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS?
The deadline is February 29th so you have about 6 weeks to get this together.
Every year there are characters out there who give their all to our beloved skate scene. I’m talking about the characters that our scene cannot live without. The hardened, the driven few who have chosen their paths to document what goes down. The dedicated who barely get a chance to actually skate themselves all year round.
If there was one person this year who surpassed this level of commitment in skateboard filming, we would surely all be on the same page with the results. Henry Edwards-Wood has spent most of this year either searching for new spots, gazing through a viewfinder, pushing hard to keep up with the mandem rolling in front of him or sat in front of the computer, cutting up footage and meeting deadlines. His video edits this year have captured the true essence of skateboarding, fueled by a desire to document speed and free flowing skating that we all feel when we push down the street.
A combination of Henry’s imperturbable demeanor and a passion to make honest films has led to his work being recognised worldwide even more this year, so it’s a pleasure to award 2011’s contribution to filming single handedly to Hold Tight Henry who also managed to find time to make an exclusive ‘All Stars’ video edit for this feature.
It’s been a busy one but was there a personal highlight from 2011 that comes to mind overall?
I don’t think I can really narrow it down to one. The main highlight for me was going fully freelance, leaving Kingpin and getting to work with some amazing skateboarders from all different corners of the world who I’m totally stoked on. Creating videos was also the highlight.
Before we go any further we should drop this Best of 2011 edit that you have put together as I’m sure our readers are probably wondering who’s in it….
This edit features footage from some of my favourite projects I worked on over the last year and documents the people I think smashed it the most, or at least are my personal favourites to watch. One of the best things about my job is I get to work with my favourite skaters, whether it’s London locals like Lucien, Rory and Tanner or living legends like the Gonz and Lucas. These are my personal favourite clips of those guys based on their aesthetics or just undeniable dopeness!
Was there a specific skate trip that you were on board to film that stood out the most?
I would have to say the Converse x Grey European road trip. It’s the longest trip I have been on to date and was made by having such a great crew on board. I managed to see so much of Europe I would probably have never seen otherwise. Two weeks in a van could drive anyone against each other but we just had the best time and produced a phenomenal amount of high quality footage. Harry Lintell blew my mind on a daily basis. Ches bossed it the whole way. Rory smashed it as did Charlie and Phil, it was just the funnest time with the most rewarding end product.
What edit are you most stoked on from everything you’ve filmed this year?
I think that would be the ‘One Week in Paris’ edit with Tanner. It came out way better then we imagined when we got on the Eurostar to Paris. It was a combination of finding that perfect tune, having great footage and of course Tanner’s undeniable flare on a board. I think I like it the most because I got the balance between making an edit that features pure street skating and also appealed to a wider audience. A lot of people tell me their Mum’s love that edit, which is funny but amazing!
I’m pretty sure that quote will end up on a t-shirt mate! Haha! So what about tunes as they hard to clear, but obviously make video edits come to life. Has there been a specific song you felt that worked best from one of the edits that you have out together in 2011?
Yes, that would be this one. ‘I C Sky’ by The Shutes. I used it on the Uncommon Places video for Rory’s section. I shot a music video for them earlier in the year on the Isle of White where they record and they gave me their unreleased album and that track was on it. Their sound was fresh and powerful and I instantly wanted to make an epic section with it. 2 months later, the opportunity presented itself. The best part is that the band are stoked on skating, some of them used to skate themselves, they came to the premiere and were super stoked.
What about other people’s edits, any music you personally thought worked really well for their footage?
Lev always smashes it music wise. The Palace NY and Battle of Normandy edits had banging soundtracks but I couldn’t pin it down to one.
It must be frustration to get footage filmed for promos sometimes, what trick was the most torturous to film?
Tanner’s last 2 tricks in the Cliché Flow part we did at the beginning of the year were probably the most painful for me. It was the day before we needed to finish it. It was early January, so bloody cold and I was super ill. He was battling with this boat ledge that went into a wall and he got a switch 180 5.0 revert into it which took a while. I was delirious with the cold and could barely speak – just so ill. I thought we were done but he wanted to try a backside 180 nose grind revert, which I know is a trick he’d never even done on a ledge before. It was another hour of struggling in the cold with busy traffic but we got there in the end! That was an ordeal!
Did you have a specific ‘”shit, I wasn’t recording” moment that springs to mind?
Touch wood haven’t really had one yet. I try to never miss anything. Usually I get them when something funny happens and or someone does something really funny when they aren’t trying the trick so I’m not recording. I love all the funny stuff that happens when your out so I’m gutted when I miss random occurrences.
So on that note, what made you laugh your ass off the most whilst out filming?
So much stuff happens when your out on the streets. I guess making the Stella Supply Co. promo was the funniest project. The Karim security beef had me in tears but everything about that project was fun and there’s a lot of clips in there that make me laugh. It’s just always fun when your with a good crew.
Best thing about the internet and skate videos?
The internet gets it out there in everyone’s faces almost instantly. You can get great feedback by seeing the views and comments. There’s also minimal production costs and no waiting for a DVD to get duped, plus you can show people on the other side of the world what’s happening in your scene.
Worst thing?
Quality control seems to go out of the window. A lot of stuff gets put out that lacks any real substance. What’s hot one day is gone tomorrow, people seem more interested with the quantity of content they put out then how impacting it is. Also with the almost instant turn around, spots and tricks in long term projects can get blown out by some web edit, its getting harder to sit on footage for bigger projects
What’s the best scene video you’ve seen this year?
I’m ashamed to say I haven’t seen any this year. Not by choice but I have just been so busy working on my stuff that I haven’t got round to getting copies of them. As soon as I finish the Slam Video I’m gonna catch up. I especially wanna see Pusherman from Manchester plus a load of others out of Sheffield and London.
What about company videos?
I prefer to watch old videos, the classics. So maybe WTFTW, First Broadcast, Static 2 etc…
Out of all of the videos that have dropped online this year, what’s in your top 3?
1. Neil Smith’s pro part. I couldn’t wait for this to come out as I knew it was going to be ridiculous and I wasn’t disappointed. Smith is probably the gnarliest bastard in English skating but not in the most obvious way, the spots he skates in this part are rough as hell.
2. Brian Delatore – Welcome To Habitat part. I don’t really have to say much about this, it’s raw as fuck. He’s one of my favourite guys to watch from the other side of the pond. So raw, so fast and very well done.
3. Tom Knox – Blueprint/Emerica promo. Another great English part that probably opened a few eyes this year. Having seen Tom from being a little skate rat years ago to bossing it like a man, I wasn’t that surprised as I knew how good he’d got, but it was great to watch and obviously very well produced too.
Who is your UK Skater of the Year?
Harry Lintell. Everyone knows by now, dude is next level. I got to see a lot of it close up. Kids the future.
What are you looking forward to most in 2012?
I’m looking forward to finishing City of Rats, the Slam City Skates video. It’s been so intense filming lately that I’m looking forward to it all being out of the way and watch the end product at the premiere. It’s hopefully gonna do really well as it features the best skating I’ve ever shot in my opinion. So yeah, that’s basically all that I’m looking forward to, finishing it and being a free man so I can go skating myself a lot more!
Watch the trailer here and look out for premiere details in the New Year.
The London premiere of the Kill City Skateboards Rookies DVD followed the Xmas Jam this year at Mau Mau’s. It’s a beastly collection of footage that comes in at 33 minutes and showcases the team better than anyone would have expected.
Half of the team had never seen the full length film before this night as they were skating in Barcelona so this premiere was particularly noisy!
There are no spoilers in here, just photos from the event, so you will have to go out and support British skateboarding this Xmas and pick up a copy as it’s released on December 15th in all decent skate shops. Do it.
Surrounded by blue skies and a winter chill, the Crossfire Xmas Jam warmed a few hundred people at Bay 66 Skatepark this December. The rain held, the skateboarding poured and only four people managed to spill blood on the day. Thankfully there were no broken bones to talk about.
Manny Lopez came off worse by running into Tim Prozorov and suffered a collision injury that forced the ambulance service to drive him to the nearest hospital for stitches. Adrenaline was needed to slow down the bleeding so it could be stitched up so he will be feeling sore this morning. Get well soon Manny, we all missed watching you skate.
Some big stuff went down in this afternoon session. Notable mentions to Chroliver, Nowik, Cullen, Raemers, Zwijsen, Collins and many more on the day. A rowdy crowd then filled the after party who roared along to the premiere of the Kill City Skateboards Rookies DVD. It was the first time some of the team riders had seen the film due to a trip to Barcelona last week and it did not disappoint.
We noticed this week that a skateboard chainstore decided to poach footage from our event and release it immediately to market themselves across the internet. This is seriously lame as another skate shop had sponsored this jam and the store in question had not asked permission to film at at our event. They did not mention the sponsors that made this event possible whatsoever and these are the core brands of our scene that allow us to run this annual get together. Support skater owned shops this Xmas people. Keep your local scene alive.
Enjoy the official video edit to get the full picture of what went down on the day courtesy of Andy Evans.
Every year we look back on the video edits that made the cut, the ones that surprised the most, the tricks that made our eyebrows raise and the overall contributions and dedications to skateboarding at ground level.
The UK has produced more skateboarders than ever who have proved they can cut it at the highest levels. We are currently seeing another shift where pro’s are getting a run for their money by the upcoming ams who are hitting the road, getting amongst it and most of all, getting down to business. London based skater Tom Knox has put in the hard work this year. His Blueprint/Emerica section hit our homepage on day of release and rightly spread worldwide to claim the recognition it deserved across the board. Raise a glass to Tom today as he is Crossfire’s Fresh Blood of 2011.
Enjoy his Reflections looking back on an incredible year in skateboarding and expect much more from him in the future.
What did you learn most from 2011?
Not much really, it went by so fast! Just how to be productive with my time, as I’m not in school anymore so I can do whatever I want for the first time in my life. It’s really fun, but can feel strange sometimes.
How are you getting by as an am rider living in London and what other interests outside of skateboarding are filling the hours?
Well, I still live at home so my rent is not as much as living on your own, plus I save money by eating here. I have a big family and we all live at home, so I spend as much time as I can with them because I know one day when I eventually move out I will not be able to. It’s really fun, I am definitely lucky to have the family I have around me. I play a lot of music in my spare time. Guitar and flute. I also swim all the time, play football, tennis, and watch loads of movies.
Best personal moment of 2011?
Probably getting my part finished and released. I worked quite hard on it so was good to see a final product.
How long did it take to put together and what did you feel was your biggest achievement from it?
It took about a year, but it went by quickly as we were filming through the winter, plus we had no camera and injuries to deal with. The biggest achievement is probably the spots that we found. At the time I didn’t really realise the missions we went on because either me, Jake or Smithy would mention a spot we found and we’d just all go skate it. Once it came out, quite a few people mentioned the previously unskated spots that we had we discovered and that felt like quite an achievement as London is quite a hard city to do that in.
What was the most ridiculous thing that happened whilst filming for it?
Probably the time when myself and Jake we’re going to film some stuff with quite a few people, but one by one they bailed out. So we decided to skate this spot near his place in Peckham. I tried a line for a little but wasn’t feeling it, so we decided to go back to his and except the failed mission. Then some dude asked us where a street was that we didn’t know, he hung about for a sec, then grabbed Jake’s camera bag. When Jake tried to pull it back he bottled him round the face and ran off. It was so horrible. He was bleeding everywhere and had the most swollen face. He took it like a man though until he realised it was a WKD bottle!
Watch Tom’s Emerica/Blueprint section filmed by Jake Harris and edited by Dan Magee.
What was your most memorable skate trip of the year?
I have just returned from a trip to Japan with the Blueprint boys and it was one of the best places I’ve ever visited. We had a really good crew, weather and skate spots. I’ve never been to Japan before so it was cool to see what everything is like out there. The locals showed us an amazing time too.
The Japanese skate scene seems quite unique, what’s it like in comparison to here?
It’s really good man. I look at the guys I’ve seen in videos and they have a very unique outlook on skating. But when you go there it’s just like any other scene. Their skating is up there. I saw a girl do a backside flip out of a foot of vert, was insane!
Did you hit up any of those Gou Miyagi rail spots?
Nah, not really. There are tiny rails everywhere though and so many spots. The Japanese respect authority over there, so unlike England, you don’t skate a lot of the spots you pass on the street and go to the ones you know aren’t a bust. I think if you lived there you could find some crazy obstacles for sure.
Who ate the strangest food on the menu from that trip?
Most the stuff you eat is strange. There is some stuff that the locals eat. I didn’t try it but Sylvain (Tognelli) did and said it was the strangest thing he’s ever eaten. It was so alien to his taste buds!
If you had to pick a tune of this year what would it be?
I only started listening to Bob Dylan’s Street Legal album this year, so good.
Most satisfying line made this year
There were a few but probably the line at Liverpool Street where I end with a fakie ollie down the stairs. It was the middle of winter, I hadn’t filmed anything in a while. I was trying it for about an hour and just couldn’t make it. Then my wheel fell off! I got a friend to give me one of his and he said that I would only have one more try and luckily I made it.
What was the newest trick added to the bag this year?
Switch back smiths.
Skate DVD you watched the most?
Dimestore The Duece.
Who would be your MVP of the year?
Neil Smith.
Who are your Fresh Blood tips for 2012?
Casper Brooker, Kyron Davis and Jacob Harris.
What are you looking forward to most in 2012?
Traveling a bit more and hopefully get myself to some places I haven’t been yet.
Backside Smith. Photo by Percy Dean
Let’s end this on some quality viewing. What are your top 5 video edits of the year?
1. This is a web part of Gilbert Crockett. I think the footage was just a compilation of a load of web stuff he’d already had out. I watched this a lot before I went skating this year as really gets me hyped.
2. Neil Smith’s well deserved pro part.
3. I really like watching raw footage, something about it makes me really want to go for a skate. This makes me want to go throw myself down some stairs as he makes it look so easy.
4. Brian Delatore has been around for a while but has blown up in the last year. This welcome to Habitat video shows what his skating is all about. Good spots, fast lines and sick tricks.
5. It was such a pleasure to go on trips with Sylvain this year. He’s always up for an adventure.
There’s nothing like ending a year with a discussion with arguably skateboarding’s finest technically gifted, all rounder. Enjoy Daewon Song’s end of 2011 round up and expect more ground breaking magic from his big bag of tricks next year.
So, let’s reminisce as far back as January with your New Year’s Dae edit, how long did that part take to put together and what was your most enjoyable trick from it?
That part had footage from 2 years back. I never got to use it and as soon as the Berrics mentioned doing the New Years Dae part I started filming for another 3 months. The funnest trick in there was the 360 flip in that narrow full pipe! I got worked but it was so worth it and fun.
Other than that edit, what are the most satisfying personal moments of 2011?
Any day where all my friends are off of work and we go skatepark hopping! We don’t get to hang out all of the time and skate so these times are fun. Taking my son bowling for his Birthday and getting that hug too!
Over the years, what skate trip was most memorable looking back?
Australia was the worst and the best! First off, I was with a lot of friends filming for the DVS Skate More video. That trip was insane. Hot, annoying and crazy! We had a few of the worst people on that trip but traveling with Gabe (aka Beergut), Daniel Castillo and Colin Kennedy who now works for the Berrics and did the New Years Dae edit was fun. On that trip I also remember trying to fight Reda from meeting him for the first time. We became really close friends from then on. So much fun!
What music did you listen to mostly throughout 2011?
I’m backing the old Mobb Deep album or a lot of Radiohead songs! It’s real slow but I need that in my life. I also listened to the Alaska in Winter album a lot which was the song in my New Year’s Dae part.
If there’s one story to tell from this year that none of us would know, what is it?
The smoke alarm went off for all the hotel rooms and I unplugged the fire alarm in my room because it was loud! Ten minutes later, six fire trucks show up and two cops! I’m thinking what the f#@k is going on!! They want people to evacuate …….and then I’m thinking my alarm was going off because it’s serious! Well, they finally came to my room and look around and spot that I unplugged the alarm. They look at me in rage and explain that “as soon as you did that, it notified the Fire dept and the cops!” Wow, I used the wrong firewood and the smoke set it it off and I was charged an additional fee! Haha!
OK, let’s talk tricks. What was the most satisfying trick that you made this year?
I got one trick filmed at a manny drop/manny b4 in Torrance. They put a gate around it! Kind of sketchy but at least I got it and maybe try it again somewhere else. It’s a 180 fakie manny fakie bigspin heel to manny.
What are the newest tricks in the bag?
Backside 360 ollie nose wheelie and lasers a little more consistent on transition.
What’s the trick that got away?
Switch bs 360 ollies!
Best trick that you witnessed in 2011?
My homie Jon’s double laser heel at Paramount skatepark! He works at the airport, has 4 kids and still handles business.
If you had to pick one person, who would be your MVP of the year in skateboarding?
I wanna give it up to Torey Pudwill! He handled business and me and him have a lot of new plans with DVS!
What are you looking forward to most about 2012 personally?
Filming for my new Almost part and working on new projects for DVS and MATIX, just enjoying the simple things in life and loving my son!
What are your top 3 skate video edits of all time?
1. John Cardiel – Transworld part
2. Sean Sheffey Life video
3. PJ Ladd – Wonderful, Horrible Life
Do you watch many skate videos these days or are you glued to the web?
I just watch everything! YouTube kids that are having too much fun and freedom!
Let’s wrap this up with a message for kids wanting to get sponsored out there…
Focus on fun and then get up and try! Do what you feel, not what you see!
Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official feast day in the early seventeenth century, and has gradually become a secular celebration of Irish culture in general. To celebrate this special day here this year, we decided to treat you to a feast of culture seen through the lens of Irish skateboard photographer and Shiner’s main man in the trenches, Jerome Loughran.
