When We Was Rad:
Skateboard History from UK Vintage Magazine

Month: March 2008


  • Hot Wheels BMX and Skateboard Mail Order Advert 1988

    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…


  • Paul Wright, Todd Swank and other Luminaries in the Limelight

    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…


  • Night of the Living Skate Zombies: skateboarding in the Limelight Club

    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…


  • Steve Douglas: Vans Skatepark and Australians moving in on USA

    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…


  • Pacer Advert by Doug Cameron

    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…