Category: Features

Below: Mad hatters (Photo: Tom Halliday)

In just three years the Vans UKSA National Skateboarding Championships has firmly established itself as one of the must-attend events on the increasingly busy UK skateboarding calendar. Much more than that, the NSC can boast that aside from offering the highest prize purse in a UK-based competitive skateboarding event, you can be rest-assured that the absolutely packed-full-o’-goodness weekend is responsible for the following:

1.       The reason why hotel staff in Corby suddenly has to work more than usual, and clean up more vomit, blood, pubic hair and broken glass than any other time in the year.

2.       99.5% of Dickfingers’ annual man-hug quota

3.       Craig Smedley’s inevitable career change into the world of freestyle urban dance.

4.       A reminder that Adrenaline Alley is absolutely bloody massive, and equally just as absolutely bloody freezing.

5.       Over half of the UK skate population suffering from sore throats from either shouting “ave it Dad!” during the bowl jam, “BENIHANA” on cue or rapping to Wu-Tang at the unquestionably legendary after party.

6.       Keeping Kunt and the Gang in business for at least another four years.

All silliness aside (but never forgotten – it is, after all, how UK skateboarding functions) the Vans UKSA National Skateboarding Championships will always guarantee one thing to all those in attendance: a jaw-dropping reminder of how quickly the standards of British skateboarders is rising. Every year, without fail Corby will witness handfuls and handfuls of bangers over the street, vert and bowl course from those that have been killing it all year; legends will rise up and remind everyone exactly why they deserve the title ‘legend’; newcomers will turn heads back and forth, back and forth; and heads will turn even more so back and forth as many are reminded why vert skating is so head-explodingly awesome.

So if you were one of the unfortunate folk who couldn’t make it, read on to learn exactly who landed what, who got banned from the finals, who impressed the ladies (scratch that… lady, singular) with headspins and who was so impressed by Kunt and the Gang’s performance that they felt compelled to buy the entire back catalogue. Even if you weren’t there, you were probably too boozed up on the Saturday night to remember anything whatsoever from the weekend; so remind yourself from the words you see before you here; the photos that surround them, taken by the omnipresent lens and flash setups belonging to Tom Halliday and Jamie Head; and a comprehensive edit of the weekend’s shenanigans courtesy of a dedicated cameraman capable of an unrivalled balancing act on Adrenaline Alley’s tightrope like fences, Nick Richards.

SATURDAY 23RD OCTOBER – THE QUALIFIERS/BOWL JAM/FOAM PIT JAM

Below: Steve King – B/S 5-0 (Photo: Tom Halliday)

Day one, the story’s just begun, it’s the UK Champs and we’re all having fun!

Okay, so that reference may be a little pitchforkian in terms of in-joke obscurity, even for those of you reading that did watch Ross McGouran and co. back in the day on Channel 5’s ‘RAD’. But it’s totally acceptable if you didn’t recognise it, because seeing the long-haired control-demon – barely recognisable as the same scrawny kid that tore US concrete a new hole all those years ago on the Vans ‘Grom’s Tour’ – absolutely run shit on the street course during the warm-ups made it pretty hard to focus on anything other than the here and now. Not only that, but it made it pretty difficult to imagine anyone other than last year’s champion winning again.

Fair enough, most of us had barely time to wake up from the lengthy and overpriced train journeys or squashed eight-in-the-back car trips but I think most of the eye-rubbing malarkey going on amongst the increasingly more populated audience was due to the amount of holy-shamoley moments going on in the training arenas. Ross McGouran, Daryl Dominguez, Harry Lintell, Caradog Emmanuel, Keith Walsh, Alex Barton and dozens more were bombing through the course in between heats with an apparently inexhaustible energy. Meanwhile, in the other training area dubbed ‘The Berrics’ or ‘The Corbics’, Steven King and Barber came bounding out of Dykie’s super-fun Postman Pat mobile (that got me from my hotel to the park each morning; I’m forever in your debt Matthew!) and tore the place up with those who felt the main course was a little crowded. Hammers were being dropped all over the shop basically, so don’t feel like the finals are when the action’s going to occur; when it comes to our merry nation of skateboarders and pissheads, you must expect the unexpected all the time.

The heats themselves went off without a hitch… excluding a couple of premature peakers who already sank one too many tins before shralping, and those that were having too much fun in The Corbics to hear Sanderson and Churchill’s fuzzy-megaphone-enhanced call of duty. Despite turning up almost a minute late, Barber came in and smith and feeble grinded his way to qualification much to the delight of the perpetually bewildered Crayon head honcho, Dykie.

As the heats progressed and more people stopped skating the ludicrously fun mini-mini-ramp to watch the action unfold it became clear that Superdead were essentially providing an unofficial demo amongst the competition. One of the most talked about newcomers this year, Nick Remon battled it out with the Lovenskate powerhouse Alex Barton and the heats were ablaze. Remon is one styled out and talented motherfucker with 360 flips as nonchalant as a certain Trapasso who shares his name.  Harry Lintell kept the Superdead talk omnipresent as he continued to assert himself as one of the UK’s most naturally talented skateboarders. In any other comp, the day might as well have been his.

Above: Nick Remon floats a nollie on the monster quarter (Photo: Tom Halliday)

Below: Jack Edwards – Feeble (Photo: Tom Halliday)

But this isn’t just any other comp. This is the definitive competition for all British skateboaders, the one to go to. And with a monster prize purse up for grabs, the boundaries are guaranteed be pushed by all those involved.  Isaac ‘The Killer’ Miller raised eyebrows with ninja caught switch heelfips, Korahn Gayle could have scored extra points for the amazing vibes he was throwing: kickflip f/s 50-50 to smile like a goon roll-away anyone? That’s exactly the kind of combo move pioneered jovially by Bristol’s finest. Radar maker and Unabomber’s latest activist, Keith Walsh clued a few people into just how gnarly the Irish skate scene has become while the weekend’s official powerhouse, Conhuir Lynn remained unsubtle in his reminder of how gnarly the Irish skate scene has always been. Speed, precision, consistency and power. Again, these were only the qualifiers. Mental.

After the carnage the judges were left to make the tough decision as to who to put through to tomorrow. I would like to take this opportunity to dispel any rumours that there is any bias at play here for it’s simply not the case. The decisions made by the panel were spot on as I’m sure anyone present would objectively testify, and when the panel is comprised of Churchill (the undisputed master of beats), Simon Skipp (one of the friendliest rippers from Essex), Cates (CATES!) and Porno Paul (now more family friendly than ever!), the money being dished out is in good hands.

While they were tallying up points, everyone else was throwing themselves into the Maverick Bowl Jam. Some quite literally (perhaps sub-consciously aware that he was going to be banned from competing the following day, Rob Smith took his chance to go out with a bang) and others just trying not to get smashed up. But, be it through coincidence or otherwise, whenever Mark ‘Teabag’ Murray dropped in everyone else just sat and watched. Having already won The Battle of Hastings he’s definitely one to sit, watch and be blown away by. Total pisstake levels of control, complimented magnificently by Manhead’s huge airs, Dan McDermott’s flip out nonsense and Greg Nowick being Greg Nowick. The relatively unknown Luke Jarvis made a bit of a name for himself too; he’s got some sick tricks for sure.

Above: The effects of alcohol. (Photo: Tom Halliday)

By now those who aren’t boozed up are starting to wish they were and those that are, well… are. So what better time for Dickfingers to team up with Haunting Skateboards and get everyone to throw their beaten bodies into a big pool of foam! Check the Writer’s Tailblock edit here to peep rocket backflips and impossible amounts of homo-erotic male bonding that only young BDF can bring to the table. And that he did. And how.

THE LEGENDARY (?) AFTERPARTY

There is nothing questionable about the legendary nature of a Vans UKSA NSC Afterparty. Not content with simply living up to the notorious reputation of being the definitive sausage fest of the year, what makes the party so special is seeing so many of the UK skate scene hanging out, gunning down the proverbial breeze, meeting up with friends old and new and getting totally plastered like a festive family dinner ran by lunatics. We have everyone’s favourite Uncle Churchill dropping beats from a laptop surrounded by bottles of Peroni; ‘Bad Dad’ Dickfingers with his step-brother Powley ordering in questionable entertainment (who are we kidding? Kunt is a champ), organising a typically homo-erotic round of musical chairs and hugging people a little too much; Cousin Smedley who has more urban moves than an awkward contemporay ‘street’ musical cast; and of course, the rebellious teen (have a guess…) who tries to fight everyone in sight and gets thrown out on his arse more times than I hiccup out the words “another 5 beeeeeeeers pleasseee”. It’s legendary in all true meaning of the word, apart from, well… being based on a legend. The video footage says that it actually happened and that’s more verification than probably anyone present could muster; for all I know it was all a dream.

The staff at Corby Rugby Club deserve a big thank you for not just putting up with us, but joining in with the madness and keeping that amazing mood constant throughout the night. Bring on next year. Oh wait, there’s still the Finals… of course.

SUNDAY 24TH OCTOBER – THE FINALS

Oh boy it’s the big day! Slowly after clearing up all the teabags on the floor and the puke in the lav, we waddle outside of our respective hotels and into the hangover-curing crisp sunshine that only a town as absolutely ridiculous as Corby can offer. Entering a mammoth Asda Café and seeing 90% of the UK skate scene hobble around ordering full english breakfasts is one of the most bizarre set of circumstances I’ve ever been involved in. You’d think there was something important happening right? Well, try telling that to the sea of glazed eyes that constituted all of Asda’s punters this morning. Thankfully, the unstoppable Korahn Gayle was in attendance to rouse everyone’s spirits and after an impromptu (and complete) rendition of Judy Garland’s ‘Get Happy’ everyone was ready for the next six hours of total carnage.

Above: Manhead – Mansized Nollie Frontside Heelflip (Photo: James Head)

First up was the Rubicon Girl’s Comp, and after a gameshow style introduction courtesy of UK’s premiere event host Bob Sanderson those that braved the hangover were rewarded to the constantly growing standards of British female skating. Claire Alleaume has more natural style than most people in the entire competition but was narrowly edged out of the top three by Lois Pendlebury, whose bundles of energy led her to pull a tonne of tricks out of the many UKSA New Era hats to earn third place. Lucy Adams brought heaps of nonchalance as she sleepwalked kickflip variations over the hip to snag the silver while Helena Long just ran tings. Speed, power, style… proper first place and best female skater in the UK material.

Below: Conhuir Lynn – Flip Frontboard (Photo: James Head)

The street semi-finals suggested that it really could be anyone’s game. Though the favourites from yesterday’s qualifiers (Harry Lintell, Manhead, Ross McGouran, Korahn Gayle, Chris Oliver) continued to drop bangers with a near unrivalled consistency Sunday saw many step up their game big time. Conhuir Lynn won it for me in the semis by absolutely slaying his run. Didn’t miss a trick, landed everything proper and went at mach ten throughout like a boss. Unfortunately he couldn’t keep up the consistency in the finals but earned the crowd’s support as even after a major snapper he persisted way beyond time to nail a perfect flip front board down the rail. What a champ. Look at it over there on the right. Bonkers, right?

The semis also saw jaw-dropping manouevres from Caradog, who took a break from posting videos of birds queefing on facebook to one-up all the steezy tricks his was hammering down on Saturday. Similarly, despite slaying it in the qualifiers Keith Walsh decided that he wanted to blow this competition up a bit and began flying over the funbox in a way no one else had thought of. Alex Barton kept up what was essentially a performance, waking a few people up to this criminally underrated skater and Alex Lally made a name for himself after replacing the banned Rob Smith in the semis. Barber managed to keep his wits and land some crazy stuff though competition was fierce and though impressive, he just missed the final 12, chilling out for the rest of the day until the insane best trick comp.

Keeping things chronological is difficult when so much gnar went down, you understand. Shit was most exciting. But before the epic final battle and the best trick bonanza there was the stunning vert finals which was a needed reminder for some that vert is one of the most exciting forms of skating to watch. Yeah, fliptricks over the hip are great (really, I love ’em) but it just doesn’t match up to Sam Beckett, Andy Scott and Jussi Korhonen get tech and spinny too many feet above safe, comfortable ground. All competitors manned up against Adrenaline Alley’s monsterous ramp and watching the likes of Sean Goff, Jake Anderson and Pete King style out on something I wouldn’t dare touch was a highlight of the day for sure, but the top three were truly a different class.

Pro-tip: If you are ever present at a Vert comp, be sure to bring a filmer with you. Not just to capture all the insanity, but there’s something strangely amusing and compelling about a filmer jamming a camera to their face and turning back and forth like a hypnotic gif. Trust me on this.

Below: Ross McGouran – Gap to Nosegrind (Photo: James Head)

After some greasy grub it was time for the final showdown. Now, whether it’s the eye of the tiger or the thrill of the fight but the final sessions always seperate the gnar from the gnarliest. Everyone killed it, there’s no doubting that. The standard of British skateboarding has unsurprisingly risen again and the consistency of some of these kids goes beyond comprehension. But Ross McGouran is unstoppable and has been since I can remember watching Rad all those years back. He’s fully matured into one of the best skaters to ever come from the UK and there is no doubting that. That gap to nosegrind is rewind material summoned out of no where – was it second try? Who cares… it’s mental.

But 2010 was the year of the fresh faced newcomer. Keith Walsh has been killing in quietly for years but could easily have taken this – he went big, got tech, landed everything and perfectly too. Harry Lintell proved that the hype behind him is totally legit, he’s up there with Barney Page in the UK’s current wave of amazing skateboarders. Cleaner-than-Gallant’s-white-tee-collection style, unbroken lines and a difficult trick selection. Speaking of Barney Page, anyone who peeped his massive air on the ski jump would have wondered how things would have turned out if he was involved in the finals. Check the video edit below for the madness.

Somehow, this weekend continued to deliver more than what anyone could have expected, as the Mob Gip Best Trick Jam went offfff. Caradog re-crowned himself king of the backside lipslide with a kickflip backlip 180 out on the sloped ledge to claim his £100; Korahn Gayle just about managed to hold on to a flip backtail bigspin out but ending up rolling into the judges as they were announcing the winners, shame. Chroliver tore apart the long handrail alongside Barber, whose backsmith pop over earned him a cool £100. But it was Will Golding who finally put a huge full stop at the end of a spectacular weekend with a flip nose manual nollie flip out down the sloped block. Absoludicrous.

Above: Harry Lintell – Nollie Backside Flip (Photo: James Head)

Sunday night was defined by long train journeys and a tetris effect style recollection of the competiton’s collective insanity whenever eyes were shut. As skateboarding continues to become more prolific and forgettable in the digital age it’s events like this that stay with us, be it in our minds or in write-ups like this one or video edits like the one below or the countless others. Those that attended supported UK skateboarding and were rewarded generously with what UK skateboarding can offer. If you couldn’t make it, then we hope all the fuss around it will persuade you to go next year. It’s worth it.

Because, you see, UK skateboarding is awesome.

Stanley

You can watch Nick Richard’s stellar footage from the day below.

Words: James Brewer
Photography: Alan Hickenbottom

Walsall, a town made famous by Noddy Holder with his band Slade. Well, ok, maybe not famous but still. A town that’s home to… well, ok, not much. But don’t be put off as it’s now the host of yet another one of Maverick’s fine skateparks thanks to dedicated campaigns by the local scene and a lot of co-operation from the local council.

After hearing such good words about it I decided the tempation to go was too much for me to take and I went down there on a cold Autumnul Saturday morning.

The park is located just a 5 minute drive from Junction 10 of the M6 at Walsall’s ‘Arbouritum’, which gives a nice backdrop to your skate. On top of that with a ‘pitch and putt’ just around the corner and the infamous ‘Walsall Illuminations’ about to start this could be well worth the day trip!

It was built for around the £100,000 mark and is a testament to what can be done with a small space and budget. With quirky bumps and ledges, this park, although only open for just over a week, has become a hit with the surrounding Black Country and Birmingham scenes. If you fancy getting tech then you’ve got it, with perfect manual pads that double up as a miniature MK esque ‘T block’. Just watched the latest Anti Hero edit but can’t quite skate tranny that well?! Then Walsall’s also got a brilliant 3 ft quarter that is great for training up your Tony Trujillo skills!

Like all new parks, it is currently real busy, the usual Henley’s t-shirt crews are all down thinking they’re doing jumps on Argos’s finest BMX. On top of that the current wave of kids on scooters has hit it hard too, but these are all things I think we have to expect when a place like this is built. Regardless, The Black Country is quite fortunate to find itself in a wealthy position when it comes to outdoor parks. With Tamworth, Wednesfield, Smithswood and now Walsall all within a half hours drive from each other it’s making the Midlands a great place to skate.

Maverick are hosting an opening day at the park on Saturday November 13th at 12:00pm. London rippers and all-round nice guys Chris Oliver and Daryl Dominguez will be there to get gnarly for everyone; definitely one not to miss!

In between dodging BMX’s and getting my shin smashed in by a skateboard I managed to film a short edit with a few locals. Check it out and I hope to see you there soon!

Caught In The Crossfire – Walsall Skatepark from James Brewer on Vimeo.

Here’s the opening jam video too.

Walsall | Maverick Opening Jam from Maverick Skateparks on Vimeo.

Ali Boulala returned to the global circuit, touring with friends and making welcome appearances again this year in a manner some would lazily apply to that of a ‘changed man’. In reality, as anyone who popped along to Wholesome last week to check out KR3W’s new footwear range would have noticed, Ali is the same lovable, eccentric, warm, impeccably dressed and instantly friendly human he always has been… he just as a new ring on his finger.

It helps that he’s around such good friends and has excellent support from his sponsors KR3W and Flip. Lizard King had only met Ali for a few days before making one of his infamous impulse purchases and buying Ali a new iPhone after his old one suffered a mysterious fate at the bottom of his wife, Amanda’s bag. When you consider that footballers have the tendency to be absolute gits to one another, it’s no surprise to see a team gel so well not just with each other, but everyone who offered a hand out to be shook. This is something that barely exists outside of skateboarding.

It was an enormous pleasure to catch five minutes with Ali to talk about his physical recovery and when he expects to be back on the board. And he will be, there’s no doubt about that.

Ali and Amanda Portrait: Stanley
B/W Photography: Shad Lambert

So the last we heard about your physical condition you were waiting for an operation to sort out the calcium deposits in your hip… what’s the news on the operation?

I’m still waiting for my operation, as soon as…

Intermission: Understandably, Ali is getting a lot of attention from the fashion expert heads lurking around Wholesome. Just as the interview gets started, Ali is approached by a gentleman fascinated by his unsurprisingly eye-catching footwear. He inquires as to whether his shoes were purchased in France and Ali isn’t hesitant to correct his misjudgement, informing him that they were in fact a present from his friend Braydon in America, or specifically Vegas, as he likes to pretend he’s from. This unprecendented interruption takes the interview on a brief detour away from the revelation we want to hear onto a discussion about shoes… given that this was a footwear line launch I suppose this was to be expected. Ali returns to the microphone after the winklepicker connoiseur buggers off…

The KR3W shoes look similar to what you’re wearing actually… that’s some sophisticated shit right there…

Yeah! I know. I really like the shoes they have on show upstairs. I can’t wait to get some.

Back to the operation, what’s the situation?

Yeah, I’m still waiting. But Geoff said that he’s going to pay for it, either as a wedding present or something. As soon as this tour is over I’m going to have the operation done privately. Obviously they’ll be some physiotherapy but hopefully by summer I’ll be doing some tricks and not just rolling around!

Where will you be living – are you staying in Sweden for the recovery process and then going on tours or are you thinking about moving?

I don’t know really, I think about moving all the time! Haha. Like, even now we’re in London and I’ve already said “yeah, we should just stay here” I’d say this to Amanda, “come on we’re already here let’s just not go back”. But then we have not much money and blah blah blah London but then we move back to Sweden and it’s exactly the same!

It would be great to have you back in the UK… what’s the best memory you have of living here?

I remember back when I was 16 and in Liverpool, that was fun. We were just kids going out skating in the freezing cold … which thinking about it probably wasn’t the best memory at all! Haha. Then I lived in Brighton, I don’t know how long for but it was fun. Not much skating happened but it was fun. And London is just London. Being here is great.

So how’s life changed since you’ve actually got married? Congratulations by the way!

Haha, not much actually. But I have this ring on my finger (Ali shows me his ring) and that’s it!

How’s this tour been so far?

Really good. It’s so much fun to be going around with all my friends again, and meeting Lizard King… he is hilarious.

That photo of him ollieing over you at Bercy made it pretty evident that you two got on really well.

Yeah he’s so funny. Before I even met him I kind of knew… I had this picture in my head of what he’d be like and it was exactly right. In Hamburg, when the tour started I met him for the first time and it felt like I’d already known him for years.

Is there anyone else you’ve met on this tour?

Maybe Horsey… I probably saw him around when living in London though.

Didn’t Horsey get lost in Birmingham? Did Lizard chase him away?

Haha! That was the rumour…

So how about your skating… now that you’re not in the dark about the operation anymore when do you hope that you’ll be on the board again?

I want to go back on as soon as possible man. As soon as this tour is over I can get the operation done privately through Geoff and I can get recovering properly. Since I’ve come back to Sweden I’ve just been waiting for seven months.

Will you be back 100%? The way you approach skating has always seemed to be very demanding for the body… will you carry on in such a way or will there be a little change maybe?

I don’t know, see the doctors don’t really know about skating but they have said that my leg will be 100% back of its full ability so to me that means I can probably skate exactly like I did before.

Do you have anywhere specific you want to go once you’re healthy?

No where specific, anywhere would be fine, I’m excited to go anywhere so long as I can skate again. Even flatground, it doesn’t matter where it is.

It must be torture for you now waiting…

I haven’t skated since the accident in 2007. I can just about stand on the board and maybe roll but nothing else… that’s it, I can’t even ollie because of my hip.

Did you keep up to date with what everyone else was doing in skating?

Yeah, I was sent magazines, Thrasher, some Swedish magazines and Amanda would bring in some magazines every now and again… every time they’d be more new names of people I had no idea existed. There’s been so many videos.

Everything is going straight online now…

Yeah that’s it… there’s been so many videos. I haven’t really seen any of the new ones. I’m so behind.

Flip have stayed with you, KR3W have welcomed you back and so many of us out there can’t wait to see you skate again. Have you had any interest from any other companies now that you’ve started travelling again?

Nothing that I know about. Flip were there, then KR3W brought me back on after I got out of prison but other than that I don’t know. Obviously I have to think of how I can make some money again so I can live! It’s good that KR3W are making shoes!

Could you see yourself skating in those? They’re a bit off-the-board style for most I’m sure…

I could! I could definitely skate those shoes! No one is really on KR3W Shoes or anything, it’s still just KR3W. It’s a really great thing to be a part of.

Well the music is starting to get going properly now so we better let you get back to the launch… Thanks for your time Ali, we hope the operation goes well and you’re back on the board soon!

(Ali makes a typically stylish and nonchalant wave of ‘no problem’ and is swiftly joined by Amanda who jovially rouses him out of the swish leather chair hair and whisks him upstairs back into the night.)

Jamie ‘Arghh’ Morley is a weird one for sure. Not because of his fairly unemployable interests and hobbies section on his probably-non-existent CV but because of how much of a gentleman he is to skate with. It’s not often you meet someone who is as inviting they are terrifying. And it’s even rarer that you come across a person who can quite jovially talk about his fairly unbelievable photographic portfolio of dead animals before shredding the shit out of what ever is in front of him desperately trying to avoid hitting a kid on a scooter. In fact that will only happen if you come across Jamie ‘The Pirate’ ‘Arghh’ ‘Kickflip’ Morley can indeed kickflip better than anyone as if heelflips were unorthodox in his bizarre youth-inspired personal religion. He could do heelflips I’m sure, but he’ll probably be too busy getting burgers tattooed on his arm and washing the smell of dead foxes out of his clothes. He’s basically the perfect fit for French’s company that emerged earlier this year, Witchcraft.

It was a total pleasure to talk and skate with him on a cold October day in Stockwell. Read on to learn more about the pirate, how Witchcraft really got started, what he’d do if he appeared on Dating in the Dark and other things you probably didn’t want to know but you’ll be glad you do afterwards, I promise…

Interview: Stanley
Photography: Mark Jackson
Skeleton Portrait: Matt Boulton

Let’s get things started with a formal introduction Mr. Arghh, what’s your full name, how old are you and where do you hail from?

Jamie Arghhhh, 28,  Saaaaff Laandaan.

You’ve had a fair few nicknames, ‘The Pirate’ and now simply, ‘Argh’ are the ones that immediately come to mind… what’s the story behind these and have you had any other nicknames we should know about?

I looked like a pirate because I had all these gold coins and a parrot. ‘Kickflip’ was another because this one time I did one….

How many kickflips do you do during an average session?

Not many… couple hundred.

Tell us a little about your relationship with Witchcraft and Funeral Fog Hardware head honcho, Mr. Richard ‘French’ Sayer, how long have you been skating with him? How has his artwork and lifestyle influenced the way you think about skateboarding?

Ahh man, five years? His artwork’s rad, best in the biz. As far as influence goes he just helped me be myself and cemented the things I already liked about skating in my  life, showed me it was ok to hold onto inspiration from your youth, in spite of current trends, which can be hard to hold on to as you grow up.

Did you have any input towards the inception of ‘Witchcraft’?

About six pints of goats blood.

Please, if you will, describe to us in detail, exactly how Witchcraft got started…

Started out as a pretty basic sleepover; baking cakes, playing with dolls… when French brings out a Ouija board he got from Alanina Glass, a bigger girl… real mean sixth former. So after much debate we decide to try it out, we get a glass and both take hold, we ask if any spirits are there and the glass shifts to ‘yes’. We then ask ‘who?’ and the glass starts shifting all over the board spelling ‘die’, ‘fuck’, ‘whore’, ‘strangle’ and other such horrors, then there was a loud crash and the walls began to bleed. In shock, we both withdraw from the glass on the board and it falls and smashes on the floor releasing an evil spirit. The loose, lost spirit flys into French’s nose and takes hold of him… we tried to get the evil out but nothing helped. After troubled times of watching heavy metal bands with Alanina, hanging out in graveyards, skateboarding at night and drawing pornographic images, it came as no surprise that French was to spread his evil message through an evil company.

How close is this to what actually happened?

Pretty close.

French has spoken about the company summing up everything he thinks skateboarding is about: good graphics, ideas, death metal and DIY spots etc. What do all of these things mean to you and what is it in skateboarding that you personally find to be rad?

We have pretty similar outlooks on that stuff, give or take… the building blocks I had to work with when I started out were the Questionable video and the first Zero video, then Welcome to Hell. I stand by those videos covering the bases of the things that attracted me to skateboarding.

How about taking pictures of dead stuff? When did that ‘hobby’ start?

I wanted to become a serial killer one day… just trying to get a foot in the door.

How many pictures of dead animals have you taken? Are there any animals you’d really like to come across?

Couple hundred. Whatever Predator is… I could steal his laser.

What’s the gnarliest, most terrifying and disgusting photo you’ve ever taken?

Not that gnarly, but this leathery badger that had sun bleached skin with maggots inside on a hot summers day, the whole thing was pulsating with feeding maggots. The smell was so bad it stayed with me for 45 minutes it was hard not to ralph.

We understand that your other hobby is getting shit tattoos. How much of your body is covered now and what’s the best story behind one of them?

76%, I got a cartoon burger that’s the logo of this burger place in Brighton we used to go to years ago and take the triple burger challenge then crawl to punk shows and then drive home.

Recently we heard about Living TV’s ‘Dating In The Dark’ show asking for skateboarders to participate. If you were on the show and French somehow organised it with the producers that you could be as gruesome as you liked for the benefit of keeping a skater’s gnarly, what would you do in pitch black to a member of the opposite sex who had no idea who you were or what you look like?

Maybe remove the gallbladder see if they explode, I heard crows do it to frogs…

You’re known for shredding a lot of skate parks regardless of how ‘shit’ they can be. What are your top three favourite ‘shit’ skate parks in the UK to skate and what is it that makes them fun?

Oh man, I don’t want to say ’em out loud, in case they keep building ’em. There’s fun to be had most places..just fuck around

How many kids have you bumped into now?

6 fatalities.

You’ve had some recent footage skating one of Laup’s newer creations since the destruction of Laupside earlier this year. Tell us a little about Laupside and the DIY spots you’ve skated…

They are just the best. Rough and hard to skate.

What’s the best thing you’ve skated that Laup has built?

The first quarter he built at laupside was rad and exciting as it was something new.

There’s something very British about customizing spots or making the most out of something very shit. I’m surprised no one over here as done an Alv and made a little film about it, would you guys be keen on making a little DIY doc with Laup and co?

That’s a great idea. Although I don’t wanna see Laup’s penis ala Pontus Alv.

Would you get Alan Glass to edit in clips of naked bitches getting cut up, or is that stuff saved exclusively for Witchcraft promo material?

He splices those everywhere-corporate promos, wedding videos… he has no shame.

You recently embarked upon a tour with your polar opposite brothers at Lovenskate. What sort of good vs evil antics did you get up to?

Got concussion on the first day, that was pretty much all she wrote for me… just usual shit, water pistol fights, shouting at people in traffic. It rained a lot, my head was pulsating with no real sense of time.

Roughly how many cups of tea were drank on the tour?

667

Who had the gnarliest trick/bail/hangover?

Lovenskate Stu’s teet.

Best tour you’ve been on?

Vietnam. Charlie everywhere.

Finally, any words of wisdom you’d like to share or people you want to big up?

Always wipe from front to back.

Thanks to these people… Neil Dawson, French, Glass, Gorm and Gonella at Tweakerzine, Jackson, Jon, Jaynesey, Boulton, Ben Coughlan, Alex Irvine, Aam Ashley, Frank, Lyam Sparkes, Witchcraft, Stu at Lovenskate, all at Slam City, John Balchin, Radam, my girlfriend, Chris Pulman, Wes and Sofi at Rock Solid Dist, Ham Bobet, Laup, Sam Bailey, Rich Gilligan, Stevie Thompson, Tim Mogabitch or Moose or whatever his name is, Joe and Zac at Crossfire… anyone I forgot sorry my brain hurts.

Watch his superbly shot Second Coming edit by Sam Bailey below, and a short and sweet ten tricks edit that Jamie landed for Stanley in just an hour at Stockwell. Switch blunts!

Witchcraft Skateboards – Second Coming – Jamie ‘Arghh’ Morley from Sam Bailey on Vimeo.

Below: Wallride (Photo: Jerome Loughran)

Stephen Delves AKA Joxa is your full-on ‘skate rat’ who never seems to get enough of it. Whether its skating a grubby bowl or discussing the latest Hewitt photo on the web he always seems to have skateboarding on the brain.

Hailing from the industrial town of Barrow he has now found himself stuck at the bomb site in middle earth known as Coventry. A scene well known for having a ‘skate hard and skate fast’ attitude which fits Joxa’s personality perfectly!

Not one scared to travel you will find the tea drinking, flat-cap-wearing Cumbrian at most events around the country with a smile on his face and inevitably making the comedy slam of the day. So here’s a little look into the life of this Japanese loving skate nerd.

Interview: Brewer

So Joxa, let’s start off with the question that seems to start off every interview. Name, Age, Hometown etc

My name is Stephen Delves or Joxa to most. I’m 24 and come from Barrow-In-Furness which is in Cumbria.

You moved from Cumbria down to Coventry. Without meaning to be rude to all the Coventry residents…why?!

Barrow is pretty much stuck in the middle of nowhere and the easiest way to escape was to apply to universities. I didn’t want to do the common thing of applying to places close to home, like Manchester or Lancaster so I applied around the Midlands  and got accepted to Coventry. I knew a few heads from down there already and I quite liked the fact that it was a small city, so off to Coventry I went. It was such a massive change from living in Barrow. Coventry seems to be in the middle of everywhere so its easy to travel!

So now you’ve been there a few years do you still think it’s as rad?

It’s pretty good here! I’ve never really had any trouble walking the streets and such and I usually feel pretty safe. It has a lot of good spots and a good crew of skaters too!

I remember the first time I heard of you was on N26 talking about the ‘Skate Shack’. What was that?

The skate shack was Cumbria’s only indoor skatepark. It was around in the 80’s and you can see footage of it in the old Deathbox video. Inevitably, it closed down in the early 90’s but before that it had a whole host of famous pros visiting, like Cardiel and even Tony Hawk!

Rock Fakie (Photo: Jerome Loughran)

What was the scene like growing up in Barrow?

Well Pokemon cards stopped being cool and skateboarding was in. My friend got a board so I started skating with him and a few mates from school. After a couple years they had quit but I had met Iain, Antony and Steve who were older than me and had been skating before the Tony Hawk games made skateboarding popular so I continued to skate with them. We travelled quite a bit up north to places like Bones in Bolton and Stockport. It was usually just us four going places and skating Barrow every night and occasionally meeting up with skaters in other parts of Cumbria. We just went out because there was nothing else that was fun to do.

Would you say the lack of ‘real spots’/’real scene’ lead you to skate as quirky as you do?

I don’t understand what a real spot or real scene is!

Everybody has influences in the way they skate, what gets you excited to go out and shred?

My friends! There’s nothing better than skating with your friends as you all push yourself. Seeing my friends do something rad gets me stoked, so they’re my real influences.

Blunt yank-in (Photo: Jerome Loughran)

Your heavy influence from Japanese skating has lead you to go skate there, how many times have you been now?

I’ve managed to get to Japan three times.

Would you say the skate scene is totally different there, and if so, how?

I would say the skate scene there is certainly unique. They have a lot of crazy spots that just breeds very different skateboarders. They all have such a positive attitude towards skateboarding too.

Below: Judo Block (Photo: Garry Jones)

A few people may have heard the story of you vs Phelps and TNT before but for the people who haven’t, what happened?

Haha. Basically I was in Osaka and I was very drunk. Later that evening we were going to go watch Phelps and Trujillo’s band Bad Shit at a club somewhere downtown. When we got there they were outside so in my drunk state I tried to talk to them. Unfortunately they were both acting like utter knobs. Since I was drunk, I gave them a load of abuse and somewhere between dissing the current American economy and calling Trujillo a turd I punched Phelps in the chest. I think he hugged me after that and I got a photo with him. Later I managed to break into the VIP area, give them more abuse and pass out on the sofa only to be woken up by Trujillo’s girlfriend saying I was about to miss the best gig ever, whilst being handed a t-shirt!

As a well known member of the ‘I attend every event’ club what makes you go to all of them?

Its usually a good place to see friends I haven’t seen in ages and the atmosphere is usually pretty good. I haven’t been to as many this year because I had to pay my Uni fees which sucked!

Living in the Midlands over the past 3 years you will have seen a lot of parks popping up here there and everywhere. How do you feel about this and you got any favourites?

Obviously it’s a good thing, although I’m still waiting for Cov council to realise how important it is for them to build a much more modern park!

Out of all the parks I think Wolverhampton’s Wednesfield plaza is one of my favourites that I’ve been too.

You’ve been known to pad up and skate vert in the past, any plans for a 900 followed by a computer game coming up?

Only if I can have Jef Hartsel and Tim Jackson as playable characters. If you do 100 slappies you could unlock Blender.

Seeing as how we started let’s end this with stereotypical ending. Anybody out there you’d like to thank?

Yeah! First shout outs go to everybody I’ve ever had a skate with! I’d like to thank Iain, Antony and Ste for keeping me skating in Barrow. All the mates I’ve made in Coventry and around the midlands especially Mark ‘Frocker’ Hewitt, Daryl, Burrell, Ade, Slasher Sam, The Hell Crew, Gnargore and the rest. All the lads in Bristol, Bob, The Plews, 80’s street legend Habgood. Scalamere and the Haunting crew, Jim and all at Ride skateshop, Anne Marie, Powley. Rogie. Tyreman. Devo. Frost and Icky. Questions. Zorlac and the Death team. Tsuyoshi and the Felem Pirates. Fos, The Osaka daggers and everybody I probably forgot! Anybody who has basically given me a floor to sleep on, a cup to drink tea from or was just generally up for the shred! Ok I’m going to go skate …

Watch below for a short, sharp edit of Joxa radness courtesy of Andy Rayner.

There are plenty of enigmatic personalities in skateboarding, but rarely does the enigma come with as much substance as Heath Kirchart. It’s unheard of that a skateboarder puts out a part as inspirational as his in Sight Unseen in 2001, almost a decade after his curb-tech part in Foundation’s Super Conductor Super Collider, and then silently raises a bar he was always carrying almost another ten years later in AWS’ Mindfield. Concentrating on nothing but what he personally wanted from skateboarding he achieved what more or less everyone would love for free, the ability to do whatever he wanted on a skateboard.

Yet, he remains to this day as modest, quiet and as self-deprecating as he always has been, reluctant to take interviews too seriously and straight up refusing to acknowledge the extent to which people love him. This has – whether he likes it or not – led him to be one of skateboarding’s most endearing characters whose ability on a skateboard will never cease to astonish me.

This year he made his farewell to actively filming video parts with some final eye openers in Emerica’s Stay Gold and so we decided to pay our respect in two ways. Firstly, we managed to steal five minutes from him for some words as he cycles across the USA in the kind of eccentric manner only someone who has previously had a game of skate against himself could achieve. Secondly, we have gathered a collection of our favourite video parts that can be watched online so anyone who missed out on his early days can witness the career of someone who has made skateboarding exponentially better than it would have been had he not given up the paper boy job and skated more. Here’s to you Heath, we know you won’t raise your glass with us but we love you all the more because of it.

Interview: Stanley

Now that you’ve hung up your professional boots are you excited to just go out and skate for yourself again?

I’m just excited to be able to skate without the pressure of having to work on a trick to film. If I feel like cruising for a week a month or a year I can.

Would you get pissed if someone wanted to film you now, even if it wasn’t for a part?

I imagine I’ll still go skate with Miner, Jet, or Greg and if I feel it would look cool I’d film it.

Foundation – Super Conductor Super Collider (1993)

What kind of work do you reckon you might end up into now that you’re not skating? You’ve said before about how you’ve never wanted to do a real job so have you had any ideas or is it a wake up and see deal?

I’ve never want to HAVE to get a real job, I always wanted to work a job because I felt like doing it not because I have to make ends meet. I haven’t really decided what direction I’m going to go in yet.

Would you involve skating in future work in any way… or will it just be a pastime?

For me to work in skating it would have to be for a brand I really like and get behind. I couldn’t work for someone I wouldn’t ride for.

Foundation – Rollin’ Thunder (1995)

You’re often labelled as enigmatic or quiet, do you feel that this is sometimes a misunderstanding or that remarks that you’ve made have been taken out of context?

I’m quiet. I just try not to make a fool of myself. I’m not a very easy conversation.

What did you learn from skateboarding? A lot of people talk about how it offered them a unique path in life that no other pastime can provide, but what did it do for you personally?

It allowed me the freedom to be who ever I wanted to be. I was never told to do anything. In my entire career I was only “talked to” like once or twice.

Birdhouse – The End (with Jeremy Klein 1998)

Who or what got you into skating rails?

I think it was just the progression of skating at that time. I was in the generation of big rails and tech rail skating. That’s what you did if you wanted to stand out.

What decade for you was the most fun and why?

90’s, it was just about going out and filming with your friends. No pro filmers or nothing, you just filmed each other. Their was no pressure. The flipside was that there was no progression and it looked like shit.

Baker – Bootleg (1999)

In the last ten years you started and finished with two sections that many consider to be among their favourite parts of all time. Did the way in which you approached skating change in any way after the massively positive response for Sight Unseen?

I live in a very small circle so when that video came out it was just another video coming out. Only now that people still talk about it do I feel that it was something memorable.

You must get it a lot of praise now though, right? How do you take it these days?

I don’t get much of anything. I could skate a skatepark for a couple of hours and not have one person talk to me or even stare. I always felt bad that I was paid to endorse products when skaters didn’t even recognize me.

Transworld – Sight Unseen (2001)

Your last video part in Stay Gold wasn’t included on the iTunes version, are you happy that your career filming parts remained only or the physical video and DVDs put out?

Yeah, I like that it may drive a could more people into the skateshops. Plus it’s hidden so you have to want to see it to see it.

What’s your opinion on where skateboarding is going online?

Everything is so instant now. I couldn’t keep up, as soon as someone does something the next day it’s online for everyone to see. It took years for me to get things together for people to see.

Emerica – This Is Skateboarding (2003)

Will you be skating the mega-ramp again any time soon?

I’d skate it any chance I get, but there is only one and I’m not really “in”.

Was it your idea to have a game of skate against yourself?

Kinda, I just headed down to Emerica and Jet, Timothy and I decided to do it.

Battle At The Emerics – Heath Kirchart Vs Heath Kirchart (2009)

Looking back on the twenty years would you have changed anything?

Yes, a lot. But I don’t want to bring up the things I’m not proud of.

What will you miss most about skating professionally?

The money, the traveling, the family aspect of it on tour.

What will you miss the least?

The interviews.

Alien Workshop – Mindfield (2009)

Click on the picture above to stream Heath’s Mindfield part directly from Greg Hunt’s website. It’s one of the finest parts ever produced and should be seen in the best quality imaginable.

Despite his nickname (that I won’t mention as he hates it) Dave is actually a pretty decent chap. Dave first started sending me some footage a few years ago and it was clear from the start that he had a certain talent on the wooden plank. He’s also raised eyebrows a few times on the Ride With Us tours and he never shies away from a game of skate as he rarely loses.

And I’m still not 100% sure whether he is goofy or regular.

‘ave it Rapey…

Intro: Phil Clutton
Interview: Stanley
Portrait: Nima Elm
Photography: Harry Wheeler

So you’re currently living just outside Brighton, have you been there all your life?

Yeah man, been here since day one!

And how long have you been skating for now?

Round about 7 years.

What’s good and bad about growing up skating in the grand old town of Burgess Hill?

Damn son! Well one of the main pros has gotta be the ledge, it’s perfect, always buttered real good. There are a lot of good ledge spots and local schools, good for get techy and sorting some tasty lines out. But the amount of decaying old people that roam Burgess is unbelievable, the town centre is the epicentre for most of them.

It must be good living so close to Brighton too, right?

The beach is always pretty good after a west pier flatground session, just gotta keep those eyes peeled for the used jonnies and shitty knickers on the beach but other than that it’s good. Summer times in Brighton with the amount of buff nuffs is always pretty healthy.

Handrail ollie

So you’re getting product from Osiris, Dephect, Nueu and Another… how long have you been getting stuff and are you on the way to getting a deck sponsor now?

Yeah they are sorting me out great. I think the first was Nueu about 3 years ago and the most recent being Osiris! Psyched on it! Also check out Kickzoo! Death help me out now and then for boards.

How are you doing for boards? Is the real reason you skate ledges instead of stairs and gaps because you’re trying to make that wood last?

Well normally I am on a ledge hype but when involving stairs you’re bound to get some board casualties. I always try and make my board last as long as possible… I have ridden boards that are long past their sell-by date!

Tell us what stuff you are filming for right now…

I just finished a Dephect edit [which you can see at the bottom of this interview – Ed.], I’m also working on a Tweaker Zine article that will have an edit to accompany it. P.12. Also something with Mint magazine. There is always something going on.

Are you planning on going to uni?

Recently I have been thinking about hitting uni. I am looking into at the moment hopefully moving towards the big smoke next year! Just gotta find the right course.

Is there anything you’d like to get more involved in filming wise if you move away from Brighton?

Yeah man for sure I would love to work on something like a whole street section that would be dope. Hit the streets of London… East India and Shoreditch, lines for days! I wanna try and hook up with Morph soon as well.

Crooks. Street as you like.

You like to travel I’ve noticed… where in the world have been skateboarding?

I love travelling. I have been to Paris, Barcelona, Prague, India and a load of places around the UK. India is a crazy place to skate man, all about the moped runs… hitting the speed bumps and dodging cows was mad.

Tell us about the time you went to Barcelona and completely ran out of cash… how did you survive?!

Well I was in Barcelona for 6 weeks and the last 2 weeks I had no money which was kinda hard. Beforehand I stocked up on this cereal called nougat which was chocolate parcels with milk; that was a pretty healthy diet for the last 2 weeks. I was just super hyped to be in Barca and tried not to think about the money situations. But on my return journey to the airport I forgot about the €5 bus charge so had to sell my shoes to get back to the airport. But it all worked out! Some guy got some tasty kicks and I got home!

Are there any other stories of you managing to blag it abroad or even at home on a low budget?

Right, where do I start? On one occasion I got a plane ticket bought for me to Barca and left with £20 in my pocket. Ended up getting housed and fed with help from Keith Allan who I met at MACBA and did not know him before that trip. It ended up being a super good trip! On the first Ride With Us tour I managed to scrape together a tenner for the trip and it lasted the whole week! I think I came back with £7 in my pocket. It was pretty good, thanks to all those Shell garages across the country!

Front blunt

You are known for cleaning up at games of SKATE, when did this hobby start becoming a way of getting some income?

Not really sure, it all started with the éS Game of Skate UK final in 2008 and then a bunch of other games all over. I think it’s a good game, you gotta be on point! One fatal primo and you’re done!

What’s your go-to trick when playing SKATE?

Gotta go with the nollie flip. Either that or a nollie heel body varial.

In your recent trip to Skegness all your tricks were either switch or nollie… was this a coincidence or do you just like the challenge?

Not sure really it just turned out that way, I like skating nollie and switch a lot. There was not really any thought behind it just turned out that way. GoofyOoo.

I understand you’re a big fan of chess, do you have a go-to attack plan?

There are a few tactics I use, I try and change it up every time so it makes it a challenge and tests the brain. Sometimes I hit them with the pawn wave or just straight up bishop attack!

As we’re approaching Winter, let’s hear about the wet days… How do you spend your time chilling other than a little bit of chess?

Oh god, well a combination of things, the collaboration of Facebook and Youtube normally hit me pretty hard at the start of the day! If it’s wet then this continues! A few games of chess, brews and gaffas and you got the perfect combination right there! I always try and keep on top of college work but this involves more brews and gafs. There is a bar in Burgess thats nicknamed Jurassic park because of all the grim veloceraptors in there! It’s alright there, once I saw someone giving birth on the dance floor! That was different!

What if you’re too desperate to skate, where would you go to avoid the rain and still shred?

Wet days are not so bad… means I can catch up on a bit of college work. But when it overwhelms you and you gotta skate then we have a couple of warehouses in Burge which are handy. Got a few ledges in there, banks and stuff too… one of them is real crazy! It used to be a cat vaccination centre where they mix up all the chemicals, pots of acid and test tubes lying around you don’t wanna be slipping out in there! It ended up getting called acid house!

But recently we found a real golden nugget out in the middle of nowhere me and my mate found a derelict chicken coop it’s pretty much twice the size of Bay66 and undercover! I am really hyped on this and the construction of ledges has begun! Should be a dope spot!

What does this phrase mean to you – ‘peace out sienana biafera sugunga butraser nollie flippers’ ?

This is crazy! This phrase once started of as “peace out son” and it got more and more warped. I don’t know the actual translation but looks like there is some nollie flip action going on at the end there!

And what words of wisdom would you like to share to the skaters reading this?

Always get on a blackberry hype!

Siempre Rodando

SSBSTS

Go skate!