Caught in the Crossfire

Monster Network Cinema

When the media is bleached by American school yards, Barcelona and the new hot spots, it’s a pleasure to see some colour with a local backdrop. Paul Gonella and filmer Russ Cowling have produced a visual aid for anyone seeking inspiration as we enter the Autumn. Their little production is aptly named Into the fall and it highlights most of the Essex scene without a single perfect spot in sight.

The overall power of this DVD carries on the fact that the skaters featured have done good with all the odd terrain god has sprinkled in their path. Watching them handle their spots makes you look out your window and think, “That looks just like the kind of crap I have to skate everyday!” Obviously an imaginary gap has been bridged, and skating imperfect spots has become fun again (Was it ever not fun..?). Spots aside, you’ll also notice the two generations present in this project. On the one side you have the Old boys with their wall rides and simplistic stylings, whilst on the other hand there’s the young boys teching things up and lacing together sweet lines.

This age difference lifts the weight of that beer gut you inherently earn as an old boy, but also inspires the young ones to go and skate something different. Add to this mix a soothing soundtrack that doesn’t rinse the tracklistings of major productions or popular music and you’re quicker out your blocks to skate than Linford Christie in his heyday. Lame comparison, I know, but you get the point.

Without going into too much detail, the old boys have still got the moves with the odd switch frontside rock ‘n’ roll thrown in for good measure, or friend Jon Haywood popping a silky half cab blunt 360 back in on mini. The young boys are led by the suave style of Veran Tull and the quick foot skills of David Underwood*. These two are faces worth watching for the future. Nollie heelflip frontside crooks anyone? Plus, take note of the way the music fits several skater’s parts. This keeps the feature flowing.

*I have just been informed that Dave is actually in his 20’s. just don’t tell the groupies!

Featured skaters: Sandy, Steve Bailey, Paul Gonella, Russell Cowling, Adam Leeds, Sam Juner, David Dixon, Jay Tate, Ben Sutcliff, Neil Smith, David Underwood, Veran Tull and Friends.

Music:

Intro – Film School

Mrs Bean – The Essex Green

Hats off to Harry Kewell – the International Karate Plus

Moving – Suede

Who gets the blame – Vinyl

The Illiad – Tapes ‘n’ Tapes

Hercules – Aaron Neville

Feel good factor – The Hermit Crabs

School boys charm – The American Analogue Set

www.monsternetwork.co.uk

Ralph Lloyd-Davis

For anyone that’s ever ridden a skateboard, there had to be that one moment in time that made them want to start thrashing about on a stump wood. More often than not, that moment occurs in front of the shitbox (TV). You see, before there were 5 DVDs dropping every fortnight, or Radical television programmes and Extreme skate tournaments, coverage of our beloved culture was pretty damn sparse.

If you woke up early on a Saturday, you might catch a glimpse of a skater being filmed with the proper dad-cam on some kids show, or maybe a news piece about urban youth culture slotted in before the weather report. Whenever that happened, you grabbed the first cassette tape available and clocked the footage a.s.a.p. Do not tape over Volume 1 is that crusty magnetic band.

Paul Gonella is a grizzly face of cyberspace who freelances as a skateboard historian. His love for the scene runs deeper than the pockets of Phil Knight, and deep within his treasure chest of memorabilia, he beholds some real gems.

This DVD is a celebration of all those snippets of television that lit the fire for many of us and stoked us out to get skateboarding. Obviously this feature does not contain top knotch multiple angle VX3000 shots of all the hot Californian amateurs killing it, but it does have priceless one-off footage of London’s first Vert ramp featuring Mark Gonzales (!), in depth interviews with Tony Hawk, Stacy Peralta and a walkthrough the then epic Powell Peralta headquarters.

The top draw prizes go to an old UK champion and legend Lucien Hendricks knocking ten footballs off stands atop a Vert ramp in front of Bruce Forsyth and his crowd for the gameshow You Bet!, and the bizarre freestyle dancing duo Primo Desiderio and his wife Diane on the Paul Daniels Show. Shocking! You won’t find any of this footage ever again, so a copy of Do not tape over Volume 1 is mandatory. Plus, it will only cost you £4 p+p which is an utter bargain for all the rare footy this DVD features.

Contact Monster Network here or find him lurking at www.monsternetwork.co.uk where you can pay pal cash as a swap for this fine DVD today.

Ralph Lloyd-Davis