When We Was Rad: Skateboard History from UK Vintage Magazine

Hot Wheels were one of the most consistent advertisers in the magazine. They were fiercely dedicated to BMX and probably felt very sad at the direction R.a.D was taking. I have great sympathy for that position having survived for years in a world where skateboarding had been completely eclipsed by roller-skating (disco, to rub salt in the wound) and then BMX.

All manner of celebrities names are dropped in this glimpse of how things were when the notion of skaters as VIPs outside of the skate world was a novelty.

Interesting to see that Nick Philip took some of the pictures. This must have been just before he left for California. John Chennels supplied the Sean Goff and Todd Swank pictures.

Vernon Adams wrote the words and I’ve managed to extract the text from a scan of the magazine in his honour:

A plane. A time. A smell. Where am I going? Where have I been? A one way ticket from Clubland on a return trip to the mainstream. Acceptance, but on whose terms? Exploitation? Or some backyardramp fantasy? The Night of the Living Skate Zombies was certainly one thing.unique.

Rumours abound of fashion mongers drifting into skating as its credibility rises. But from the first whispers this was plainly different. The build up was well publicised and calculated- tempting the punter with fruit too ripe: NEW TERRAIN. Food for skater’s appetites, offered for the taking, with no fee to session.

Outside the Limelight many could be seen. ‘Tree entry for you and your stick it said. Very few weren’t married. Wurzel headed the impatient throng trailing down the avenue. Passers-by looked on. ‘Clubbin Diary’ said 70s retro: never had so many been seen by so few

The parting of the doors revealed a sight of joy. A DJ perched high in God-like overview, surrounded by TV monitors flicking frames ofwheeled gods of a different kind. Below this altar another: a mini-ramp of epic proportions – 4 feet high, 12 feet wide with 7 foot transitions and tight-rope sized platforms for those about to entertain.

While others drank in affordable locals, the skate crazed started to session. Within an hour a hefty line-up of names and latter day jesters were snaking their way onto the virgin surface. Wiring the ramp was paramount for some,second nature to the more experienced. Someone more at home than most was Tod Swank. He lives under (literally) a ramp ofexactly the same dimensions. It showed. He blazed all manor of lippy tricks. Davie Philip showed up with hissmooth style, bringing along his Backside Pivot to Tail. Smith Grindsetc. Goff skates everything and anything with authority: he tweaked his airs to the max and took apart the lip with fervour.

Phil Chapman, Wurzel, Owen Neider, Crispin, Bob, Lunn, Damon, Smileon, Ian Lawson and Rob Dukes participated with merit. Others were no less worthy of mention, but memories dissolve in large cans of Pils. One who could not be forgotten was Pete Dosset. Anyone could be forgiven for thinking they were watching him skate a half-pipe: his tricks were no different. Hand- plants, Airs and the Lip passed through his recital as early morning crept towards dawn.

Girls in leather mini skirts and rich Arab club-goers had left in amazement hours before, but the stamina freaks raged on while night busses and skaters entwined to form mobile platforms for critiques of the evening’s events.

The ramp that John and Ross built, that Dan Adams, Rob Dukes and Will assembled,was good. Although Vision and Slam City’s money couldn’t help the lack of thick ply which Martin Herrick exposed with his weighty repertoire. Kevin Staab and Joe Johnson didn’t bother to skate. They headedstraight for the V.I.P. lounge where they met up with a Gaye Biker on Acide and left in search of the Damned.
All said and done, this was a good evening. Some even likened it to the old open party nights at Rolling Thunder. Everyone enjoyed themselves: they were provided with everything that could be needed: music, beer, videos, bands, pro skaters and the ultimate main attraction- new terrain.It’s not every day a ramp springs up in middle of London.
Almost any club entrepreneur could have supplied the ramp, but it would have only been a side attraction- used only to be fashionable on their restricted terms and then discarded like last year’s designer outfit. Here skating was the focus, unrestricted, ‘by skaters for skaters’, containing that certain anarchist undercurrent only skaters sow and then thrive on. Ultimately a success…

Early signs of skateboarding about to cross-over into mass culture. This event took place in the Limelight Club which was a notable establishment in 1988.

Sponsorship was provided by Vision and Slam City.

Even if this wasn’t the first event of its kind it was certainly one of the first. The idea of having a skateboard ramp in such a stylish venue was very new at the time. These days it’s gone through being commonplace and may even be developing a retro charm.

The top photo of Wurzel was by John Chennels and the overview at the bottom was by Paul Sunman. Vernon Adams wrote the words.

Two things in this month’s instalment of news from America catch my eye. First is Steve writing about Vans planning to build a big skatepark. I think at this point it was to be at their factory, not the shopping mall extravaganza which came later. But I think that the move towards providing big and exciting facilities was an important one which turned out to be the shape of things to come.

There’s also a mention of various Australian (and Kiwi) skaters making the move to the USA. I also find that very interesting in the light of the huge impact the Australian skate scene was to have on the whole industry.

I’m fascinated by the dynamics of this, the way people from places with relatively small scenes, places where you had to be fanatically motivated to be able to skate at all, were able to prosper to an astonishing degee once they got into California. Steve Douglas, of course, being another obvious example of the phenomenon. As is Bod, who gets a mention on this page as just having moved to Venture.

The photo of Bod was by Dan Schaaf.

I thought I had written about the photo of Steve before, but a quick search suggests that I haven’t. We once got a complaint about this picture from someone who resented the idea that we were employing “some kid” to write our American news page.

The picture had been taken many, many years before at one of the notorious ESA Awards ceremonies at Bowes Lyon House in Stevenage. It shows Steve winning the junior vert skating award, or something like that — the culmination of his first big season in skateboarding, I think. As such it was one of the key moments in a career which went on to help shape skateboarding worldwide. I am always astonished when I think of what the person in that photograph went on to do in a world which we would not have dared imagine at the time the picture was taken. A world which he helped create.

Where did this come from? I had forgotten this. I can remember Doug Cameron doing graphics for Pacer, but this advert had slipped from memory.

There’s so much in here, even if you don’t get half the in-jokes (and I certainly don’t). I wish they had done more of these, but in pure commercial terms I suspect the big question would have been “what was this actually trying to sell”? I can spot mentions of Pacer Hogs, Hardcore wheels, the Festering Pharoah board plus Gary Lee and Neil Danns signature models.

Who cares? Phony Tony is still alive and well today, I suspect.