When We Was Rad: Skateboard History from UK Vintage Magazine

Angry BMX riders mix it with self-publicists from Banbury and a wide scattering of foreign coverage in this strange letters page. Even the downhill racers get a look in. Gavin kept his comments to a minimum this month. Also of note: a letter from David Foldvari, who has cropped up more recently in these parts, and one of the sporadic appearances of our original email address on Telecom Gold (we used to publish it sometimes, but I think we only ever received one email from a reader).

Letters
R.A.D Magazine
Bowling Green Lane
London EC1R 0NE Fax: 01 833 3199

Email: Telecom Gold

72:MAG90459

IN PRINT IN ONE

Dear R.A.D

Start lively, makes joke, states point of letter, sums up. Yours (witty insertion)
Ricky of the DHSS
PS Witty comment

FISH

Firstly can you print the two pictures of the two sk8ers I’ve enclosed…
(repeat ad nauseam)

Richard Sutton
Banbury
Who works at the skate shop in Lords in Banbury and is so desperate for fame that he deluges us with letters and pictures. Sutton claims he’s the one on the left. We’ll spare you the jump ramp.

MIRROR, MIRROR

I’m beginning to think you’re just there to make profits off of hype- crazed skaters. Who cares about the friggin picture of the caged monkey and the caption by it? If scoots were taking over the country let’s face it your pages would be filled with silly scoot photos and captions. It’s got real good photos, they’re getting worse though.
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Ouch! This must be the weakest M Zone advert of all time. And yet… When I look at it now I marvel that M Zone chose to run a “shoe” advert at a time when most people would have concentrated on selling a wider range. It turns out that had spotted the way things were going once again. But, like many of us, they never actually reaped the benefits.

My recollection is that this was one of a small series of videos produced by Lol Creme under the name “Videola”. This was a skateboard one, but others were more music-based. Lol’s son, Lalo (?) was the skate connection, I think.
There was some very snotty comments floating around at the time about clippings from Peralta’s cutting room floor, but I had my usual “everything’s for the best, in this, the best of all possible worlds” glasses on, and I liked it. No taste, obviously.