Skate Legends don’t come much bigger than Don Brider, sardonic wit and ruler of Southampton’s streets. Don’s all-pervasive influence has helped make British skateboarding what it is today, giving it that distinct slant which is the very antithesis of the mellow Californian style foisted on us in the seventies. We also have Don to thank for keeping the spirit of British deck manufacture alive in between Benji Boards and Death Box — any surviving examples of the “Softcore” boards he made with Mark Abbott must surely be worth serious money by now.
Don still lives in Southampton, where he divides his time between running Wear and Tear clothing, house-training Greg Nowak, and providing a stream of firm but fair constructive criticism on the skate scene. If anyone deserves an island all to themself, it must be Don — but what would he take with him?

The Board: I don’t know if you can just say a name like “Davross Model” or something like that for the deck. At the moment it would be the tramline six inch nose with fourteen wheel-base and six and three-quarter tail with a roundish tail, nice un-log-like nose tapering towards the back, with an H Street concave.
Or I could get the jig-saw out… Ooops: desert island — no jig-saw. OK: a Goff street or a Chris Miller. Trucks: just Indys. Wheels: 97, has to be — with a nice slide. It’s hard to name a brand, they’re all made in the same place anyway. Round ones.
The Skate Spot: That’s so difficult because there are things about everything I like. There’s Hastings mini-ramp, which is so rad — just like the first Farnborough vert ramp. Then there’s Dead Rabbit’s Ramp, which I had a big hand (cue joke) in. Then bits of streets everywhere. This is so hard (ooh, er). OK: I’d have Dead Rabbit’s ramp because it’s my baby and I know it would last — but probably kill me.
The Video or Film: You’ll not let me have home videos, will you?* Maybe “Some Like it Hot” because it’s just an all-round nice picture and because ‘being over 25 makes a girl think, you know’. Films are really such a throw away thing once you’ve seen them two or three times… But, yeah: “Some Like it Hot”. I don’t know what that says about me as a person… you decide.
The Person to Session With: It seems now that a lot of the time we all skate alone, even when we’re in a group. That may not make sense to some — but older skaters may understand the glimmer of a thought there.
Is this where I put in the Rob Able “who’s nicked my sarnies” quote? No. Well, I’d go skating with Greg Nowak then, but he trams so much I’d probably go into a coma. You get stoked on everyone really: not just one person. Oh, except GAZZA!!! Wow, foota!
The Record: A record is just that: a record of a live performance, or that’s what it should be. I’m glad you said ‘record’ anyway instead of ‘CD’ because, as usual, money kills everything and now profit hungry people kill the record in favour of the beer mat. Cure, Smiths, Cocteau Twins… oh, so many to choose from. OK: ‘Waterloo’ by Abba, because I haven’t played frisbee for so long.
The Book: Of the film? Well, it has to be my Garfield collection because his character is so rad. The cartoons on tv are crap because of the voice they used. OK, I admit I only read skate mags and the junk mail Sean Goff sends me, so I’m really uncultured, mate! Want a fight?
The Luxury: A girl Friday? No, you said no people….. Um…. A cardboard cut-out of Alex Moul to pray to? “Alexi Moul, Alexi Moul, he’s got a sphincter like a volcano hole…” No, for real: a telephone which I never have to pay for, so I can talk to people I care for and not have to panic about some profiteering bastards ripping me off, and my cat “Robert Smith” because everybody wants to be a cat.

* You can take what you want, as long as it’s printable.

Good solid skating. 1991 was a wonderful time, when street skating really was starting to come together. Although my vision of skateboarding was formed on ramps and skateparks in the dark ages, the street explosion of the early nineties was a wonderful time for me.

Years skating: 2 years Where from: Hackney Skate with: Curtis McCann, Tony Luckhurst, Si, and my little brother, Isaac Where: South Bank mostly and around my area — there are a few good spots here, but sometimes you get a bit of trouble from people Current set-up: At the moment I’m riding a Powell Franky Hill, Independent trucks and Real wheels. It’s fully rad: the Real Wheels are small and light and the Powell board’s really sturdy with a good pop on them, and it feels really comfortable beneath my feet Favourite board in the past: A New Deal Andrew Morrison with Indys and Spitfires Working on: Front foot Ollie impossibles, backside lipslides on benches and stuff — I can do them on curbs, but I’m trying to progress onto higher things — and a lot of push-it, fiddly tricks on flatland Rate: Tony Luckhurst, Curtis, Rudy Johnson Music: Fully — Jungle Brothers, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul Food: Yeah! Taco Bell! Rad! Favourite skate video: At the moment the H Street bootleg Plans: If a sponsor comes, it comes, but I’m not really bothered about that at the moment. Just skate as much as possible, finish school and then hopefully skating will play an even bigger part in my life. Travel: The first comp I went to in Scotland, I came fourth and that was OK. Hopefully I’m going to the Eindhoven contest and I do want to travel so much. It’s fun, meeting all the new people. It’s one of the bits about skating that I enjoy the most. Why’s skating important to you: The satisfaction of learning a new trick and making it, and when I’ve done a trick, hearing somebody go “Rad” — that makes me feel good. What could improve skating most for you: A lot of people say there are too many little grommets around, but we were all grommets at one stage… What frustrates me most in skating is not making simple tricks — little tricks that I would be able to do if I was by myself every single go. Last words: If I didn’t mention somebody who I’m really good friends with, I’d just like to say ‘Hello’ and ‘keep on skating’ and also “Hi, Mum and Dad”

Years skating: 3 years Where do you live: Hackney Where do you normally skate: South Bank Rate: Hensley, Jason Lee, Curtis and Sam Who do you normally skate with: Sam, and everyone at the South Bank Is it true that there’s an attitude problem at the South Bank: A bit — sometimes people talk about you behind your back. All these rumours get spread around Favourite video: Not the New H Street Video Music: Anything really — the music from skate videos Food: Anything Sponsors: Life Current set-up: Life Ron Allen, Indys and H Street Revolution wheels Tricks you’re working on: 540° tail-grabs, frontside 360° tail-grabs… Favourite trick that you do: 360° Ollie tail grabs Newest trick: 360° One-foots to fakie — I learnt those at Uxbridge Do you skate ramp a lot: I haven’t skated ramp for months, but I just got back into them. I’m going to get into vert this summer as well Raddest thing seen (live): Gonz doing a 180° 50/50 down Shell Centre Travel: I want to go to Münster this summer, quite a lot of us are going Have you ever invented a trick in your head: I made up frontside Ollie shove-its before I’d seen other people doing them If you had to shoot someone, who would it be: I’ll have to pass on that one Favourite sweet: Maltesers If you had your own board, what would it be shaped like: It would have a big nose, a roundish tail, a bit of a pointed nose and pretty straight rails Do you think they’ll ever get rid of the skaters at the South Bank: I don’t think they will. I heard they were going to put the slabs back where they’ve dug them up, because of people walking through with stiletto heels. They’ll leave the bars there though. Worst slam: I’ve never broken anything and I’m quite stoked with that. My worst slam was on a lipslide on a grind bar and I landed on my back with my fingers underneath and bent them right back and sprained them. I tweak my ankles a lot, like on nose-bumps when you go to do it and your foot slips off Are there any places which have gone that you really miss: South Bank! The banks: how good was the hip? And the atmosphere. That’s what I’d like to get back again.

If you haven’t seen the film, please go over to the Rollin Through the Decades official site and take a look. Buy a DVD while you’re there.

Years skating: 5 years Home: Codsall, near Wolverhampton Where: Aston Banks, and any nice wide mini ramp like Bury Who with: Benny, Zippy, Tom and all my friends from round the country when I see them Current set-up: Real Blank-blank, Indys and Street Razors Working on: Backside Ollie nose-blunts, doing things longer and faster Is going fast important to you: Yeah… Favourite tricks: Backside Smith flappies (number one street trick) and nose-bump grinds as well. If you had to shoot someone, who would it be: Cliff Richard Favourite sweet: I can’t think, I like loads, put everything Does skateboarding help you pull: No Video: Don’t ask me that What would you like to be asked: I don’t know…. Music? Alright: A lot of music, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Junior, some Hip-hop, funk stuff — Funkadelic and Parliament Funniest thing that’s happened recently: Me and Benny were going up the escalators at the station and this bloke standing in front of us kept farting Travel: I go all round the country and this year I’m going to Europe for a month Favourite skaters: Mark Gonzales, number one, Steve Claar, Davy Philip and Tom (the Curb King of Birmingham) Do you look up to people: I look up to anyone who stands over six feet tall One thing which would make skating better for you: A nice indoor wide mini ramp in Birmingham Dislikes: I hate it when you go somewhere and you’re trying to be nice to people and they treat you like you’re being freaky. Or you go somewhere and you’re not talking so they think you’ve got an attitude, so they don’t talk and you think they’ve got an attitude Anything to say to the nation: No, not really: leave me alone.

I met loads of great people through skateboarding. Jagger is one of them.

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

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

How did you start? I did BMX, then my bike got nicked and I though “skating’s cheaper” so I thought I’d try that. After about a year I was thinking of giving up and I put a notice up in Buddies with my board for sale, but they took the sign down and hid it because they thought I should stick with skating.

Plans. Finish school, skate as much as I can, travel. I’d like to go all over the world, skate every ramp.

As far as I know things are still going according to plan.

By the way: the other photographer with the T90, bottom right, is Shane Rouse.

Favourite skaters Steve Salician, Ben Schroeder, almost everyone.
Raddest thing ever seen Anything Ben does.
Plans Skate lots of different places and things. Try to do good at contests this year, but if I don’t I won’t really care because it’s funner to cause trouble at contests than to do good.

Favourite trick: Anything fast, dangerous and to fakie.

Last words: There is more to life than you think and the sooner you realise that, the better. I’d like to say thanks to M Zone, Lilian my girlfriend, Karl and Roz.

Fifteen years later I suspect Jason might still say the same about a life which has seen a lot of changes. But he’s still skating fast and still dangerous, as far as I know.

More from Jason Lunn at Chilled Heat.

I liked it in the old days. Hanging out in Alpine Sports. It was much more mellow. It was a better scene in those days. I was just as bummed, but things were getting better, now it is better and I’m still bummed. I never bought anything from Alpine, but I used to go there all the time and hang out. There’s nothing like that in skating now. People just don’t hang out together any more. Except at South Bank.
I like to think about the good old times like the slalom competition at Meadowbank in Scotland. I was the smallest one there and the smallest always gets picked on. I woke up the day after the contest after what I thought then was a hectic night — I was only about 12 — and everyone was laughing at me. I felt really paranoid for about ten minutes, then I went to the bathroom and looked at my face. I was graffitied from head to foot. Iron Crosses, glasses, the lot. In indelible ink. I had to scrub at my face with a toothbrush for about an hour to get it off. That was a good time. I didn’t think so at the time, but everyone was just into just hanging out and having a laugh.
I can remember hanging out with Dan Adams and trying to be American, going to all the skate places and hanging out. When we were learning how to skate. Going to Romford and watching people like Winston May. Learning frontside airs in the half-pipe and landing them right at the bottom because I didn’t realise that you had to let go early to land on the top. Dobie and Winston were cracking up for hours. They just stood at the top of the half-pipe laughing at me.
They were good days because there was a good involved crowd, good skaters, all just wanting to have fun and session at the same time. Skating at Harrow with people like Colin Taylor: he used to do six foot frontside airs in the old days and make everything.
There’s been lots of good and bad things in the last ten years; more good than bad.