When We Was Rad: Skateboard History from UK Vintage Magazine

“Lija gets on with what he wants to get on with. Including competitions sometimes, but not on this occasion” — that was the oblique caption to this full-page picture of a skater who deserved more coverage than he got at this time.

They attracted like-minded souls. Visiting vert skaters would beg rides out to the ramp in search of their own kind and would smile when they got there and found them. And the party would rage on. Right through autumn it raged on. There wasn’t really any need for an excuse like John’s birthday — they just played on and on while a different world skated to a different tune all round them.

This is the story of those sessions, of all sessions, of the forgotten art of vert skating which has nothing to do with the competitions you see so often. Continue Reading »

One of the most fabulous private ramps soared for a while in the home-counties just North of London. A Fallbrook equivalent, perhaps, sessioned by a select group of local initiates and visitors.

BARBECUE AT BEAST MANOR

Look at the trees in these pictures, look at the leaves. See how they change from green to gold, and then drop off. This story is a fake. It’s not about a barbecue at Beast Manor at all: it’s about the end of the summer of 89.

In fact the party in the pictures took place: there was a barbecue to celebrate John’s thirteenth birthday. But there was a party every weekend at Beast Manor, come to that. As the skate scene in Britain fragmented into micro scenes, each jealously guarding their fragment of street, bank or mini-ramp, a band of good old vert skating boys took to the hills north of London… Out of the remains of an old midi-ramp scene grew a new one which had acquired the taste for vert.

Age, years of skating or technical skill did not matter. All that counted was attitude: a commitment to skating and playing hard all weekend long. Occasionally they would bust out on forays to vintage skate places in the surrounding area, but for the most part they would shred on their big ramp — free from the snake sessions, the posing and the trick-up-manship of the overcrowded minis.

CAPTION: Treating the skate establishment with total contempt: Lunn, Grapefruit to Fakie

Billy’s and Off Beat Sportz often appeared on the same page. Both were solid supporters of the skate scene throughout these years, as was Superbike in Ilford. There’s a fascination is seeing these old prices as well as the restrictions imposed on the graphics by the technology of the day. That Superbike advert looks as if it was reproduced from a fax — presumably the only way of meeting the deadline.

G is also for Gator… Alongside various skate gods of different eras we also find references to Steve Douglas’ “Go For It” zine from the dark ages and (topical note: there was a fuss about a BBC DJ using the word “gay” raging at the time of this post) Gay Twists.

GODOY Art & Steve

Prime example of a surprisingly rare species: skating brothers. Originally had a double model out on Skull then went their separate ways (H Street and Circle A). Then re- joined to form Iron Cross skateboards

GAFFER TAPE

The wonder stuff: essential skate accessory for patching/ holding together everything from shoes, to pads, to ramps. Always scam it: it is NOT DONE to own your own roll.

GATAIR

Boosted 360 Foot-plant originated by Gator (Mark Antony)

GATOR

He’s used this name consistently but,See: ANTHONY, Mark

GAY TWIST

Fakie 360 Mute Air

GECKO

Seventies UK skate manufacturer/ distributor. Imported brands like ACS, G&S, Powell Peralta at one time. Also manufactured Pacer Catalina boards which gives a clue to the current incarnation of the same people as Pacer.

GELFAND, Alan ‘Ollie’

Rose to prominence from Florida in late seventies along with Mike McGill. One of the first Powell Peralta skaters. Bequeathed the no handed aerial which was named the ‘Ollie’ after him. Continue Reading »

For me this page is all about the Rollermania advert. Other UK shops and distributors often expressed strong views about Tony and Lou’s shop. It was a Bristol cult for many, many years during the dark ages and throughout the revival of skateboarding in the UK. There’s got to be a conscious irony about portraying themselves as pirates, I think. They were certainly fiercely independent and added spice to the whole business at a time when it was small enough for personality to really count.
The Sports Unlimited advert is an example of what might happen when someone didn’t supply their advert copy in time, for whatever reason.

In years to come Billabong were to have a major impact on the skateboard market, but at this point they were still seen here as a surf company. I cannot remember who was their distributor in the UK at this point and have no idea who paid for this ad.

I get the feeling John Coffee would have hit it off with Gavin Hills when Vernon and Gavin went to do their feature on the skateboard scene in Northern Ireland…

JOHN ‘Hotte Bnuroot’ COFFEY

Last Comment –I’ve got one foot on the golf course already

Influences–G. Hotte Wireneck Leyburn and D. Hotte Bubbleneck Anderson

Ambitions–To dissassociate myself from the more prolific elements in the Northern Ireland skateboard scene and to put an end to the protracted debasement of my life

Music–The Undertones (sic)

Age–29

Favourite trick–Kickturns, cause wher weould you be without those guys

Hopes for the future–To look good on paper

This double-page advert UK from mail-order stalwarts, Rollersnakes, was a bold change from their normal format. They normally used smaller adverts to generate interest, but in this case they used two pages to list a full range in true home-shopping style. In 1989 the cost of trying to illustrate all those products would have been prohibitive: sales would never have justified the cost of scanning all those pictures let alone the charges for page make-up in the days before DTP — so this is a text-only advert. A simple price list in fact.
Decks were all around £40 and wheels tended to be £30 a set. So no big changes there!

David Walsh supplied words and pictures on Jason Ellis, at a time when the Melbourne star had only been skating three and a half years.

JASON ELLIS

by David Walsh

Age – 18 (just)

How long skating – Three and a half years

Home town – Melbourne, Australia

Favourite place to skate – San Jose warehouse, Nunawading, Torquay, Beaumaris

Favourite food – All women

Who do you skate with – James, Christian Biancardi, Gregor, Gary, Lee, Hugh and the ultimate the Sac

Most under-rated skaters – Steve Salisian, Ross Goodman

Raddest thing seen – Matthew Schroeder at the Vans mini-ramp contest jumping off the handrail of the vert ramp and landing on his board on the flat of the mini-ramp

Favourite trick – Kickturns

Worst slam – Locked up on an axle stall when I was learning how to skate and I broke my wrist and dislocated my elbow

Where have you travelled – Lots of places, Canberra, Sydney, Queensland, Adelaide and California for six months

Do you like backyard pools – yeah, they rule: they are the most fun to skate out of any terrain

Last words – One bourbon, one scotch and one beer

Al first glance this advert appears to be 100% BMX, but in fact there’s some token skate stuff there alongside the surfwear from Billabong plus Town and Country.