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Classic Slam City and Billys Adverts from 1987
Two original ads from companies still active in skateboard mail order in twenty years later. Slam City adverts were a staple part of the R.a.D Magazine world, each with its own distinctive graphic style. The picture is from Meanwhile II and I would assume Paul Sunman took it. I don’t know who the skater was.…
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Southsea Skatepark Bowl, featuring Carl Westfield from 1987 Rad Magazine
Context, we loved to show the context… John Thurston, manager of Southsea Skatepark and a key player at the time, can be seen at the right. Another caption on this spread says “It’s easy to come up with silly things to do on a scooter.” The appeal of scooters was transitory, unlike that of the…
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Pacer Street Scooter at Southsea Skatepark from Rad Magazine
A hangover from the BMX days (and maybe a throwback to the seventies incarnation of Skateboard! Magazine) was the inclusion of product tests. These standard features of consumer magazines eventually disappeared from R.a.D, but at this point we were still following the convention. Southsea Skatepark was rad. So was Carl Westfield. Enough said.
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Classic Skateboard and BMX Adverts from 1987 Rad Magazine Issue 58
This page contains some key British skateboard advertisers from 1987. Some of them are still around. Rollersnakes appear as “Rollernsnake” (another mistake) offering Tracker, Powell, Vision and Alva — interesting to see a truck company at the front of the list instead of the usual deck brands. Bike City Bromley are there ( “now incorporating…
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Lucian Hendickse Interview Conclusion from R.a.D 1987.
This interview was published at a turning point in the history of skateboarding in Britain; it closed with a look back over the dark ages which were coming to an end. I liked it in the old days. Hanging out in Alpine Sports. It was much more mellow. It was a better scene in those…
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R.a.D T-Shirt Advert featuring Nick Philip 1987
Out of his box indeed. All of it out of the mind of Nick Philip. This is the authentic “Read and Destroy” original T-shirt. There was also a pure magenta/pink one, of course, this being 1987. Very over the top by today’s standards. Yours for only £10.45 including the 50p for postage and packing. Rare…
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Lucian Hendrickse Centre Spread R.a.D Issue 58
“Lucian Hendrickse, Reverse Sad Eggplant, Brighton, October 1987” says the caption. This would have been a skater’s choice, not a photographer’s one. I would have ignored this as too dark and moody. Just as well that the skater-viewpoint always won the day. One for the obsessives: note that the R.a.D logo on the centre spread…
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Lucian Hendrickse Interview Part 4 1987 R.a.D Magazine
Caption: This started out as a Method Air. Lucian’s determination to push for the ultimate in contrortion totally transforms the move. The result is so extreme it looks like a Japan. There’s lots of good skaters at South Bank. Floyd Reid for example is a really good bank skater, but everyone just hangs out all…
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Skateboard History Quaterback, NHR, Hills and Empire Skate Warrington Adverts 1987
Another classic skate shop, Quarterback, get to show their roots. Hills was also a significant player at this point, even though their advert concentrated on the infamous scooters. NHR were sticking to the BMX purist approach, while the Empire Skate Building in Warrington were skate through and through. The Warrington roller rink played a crucial…
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Lucian Hendrickse Interview 1987 Part 3
Two things come out of this for me now, Lucian’s very acute perception of the state of skateboarding in Britain just as it was about to go big-time again, and his sense of frustration. Wanting it and not wanting it. There were some very knowing sound-bites: “Publicity and money changes — everything. I’d like to…