Category Archive: United Kingdom
Super Jank!
I’ve seen and skated a few indoor ramps over the years, and I’m talking inside a proper house indoor, not a garage or a barn. This setup is pretty small but it’s fun to watch this little kid sessions it and rearrange at will like a little Lego set. I watched the whole thing, and every time I started to get bored another funny variation would pop up. Schaeffer McLean’s dad has out-GVKed Grover, somewhere in the U.K.. Apparently this kid is an internet sensation who has been ” uploading edits since he was 4 years old, currently one of the most watched skateboarders in the world with over 18 million You Tube views” This video is a couple years old, and the kid has gotten better, so it’s only a matter of time before we spot him breaking down, crying on his own MTV show. Still, you can’t watch this video without smiling.
Vintage skate harassment
Original vintage no skateboarding poster on sale at Antikbar. Published by the British Railways Board in 1978, it will set you back £325.00 or about $560. Pretty cool, but not that’s a steep price. There must be a British Railways Board collector’s scene.
Southbank fight
Skaters in London are fighting to save the legendary and historical spot known as Southbank. The Southbank Centre wants to build retail shops to help fund some other renovations and redevelopment. The plan calls for building a nearby skate spot that would actually be 10% larger than the existing floor plan, but the community of skateboarders aren’t having it. Ironically, Southbank Centre management and supporters of the new development are accusing the skateboard community of bullying the public image of Southbank Centre through manipulation of the press and PR. There are some great quotes an article in Metro. – Photo credits, the senior Mrs Kilwag. Yes, my mom is in London. She even signed the petition.
Insert tab A into Slot B
The shot in the top frame of a newly completed skatepark in the UK looked pretty clean and made me want to find out more about the spot. In the course of looking it up I saw that the builder Four One Four Skateparks, are using the CNC process to cut transitions and horizontal some supports, especially on bowl corners. It’s interesting that they use a stepped completely horizontal approach in those bowl corners. Notice that where the surface meets the back braces are not perpendicular. Instead they rest on two adjacent corners. I’m not sure if that makes in difference in the longevity of the bowl, but it’s got to make the design and assembly process a hell of a lot faster. I’ve always held wooden bowl builders in high esteem, and this approach means any monkey could assemble it. It’s a case of nostalgia vs. progress, but I can’t imagine there are that many ramp builders out there with access to big enough CNC machinery. Some of the shots on the site make it look like the surface isn’t included in the CNC process though, so there’s still room for John Henry on the ramp building floor. This…
Cheeky Weekly
The Cheeky Weekly was sort o the English equivalent of the Weekly Reader found here in the U.S., although maybe less education oriented. It merged with another publication in 1980. There’s a blog devoted to documenting those old issues, which is where these 1977 skateboard pull-out issue images were found. They go into quite a bit of detail about everything they post. That Cheeky sure is a handsome fella. – Thanks to Boy from Skate Malasia for the tip.
Where’s Penny?
In the vein of Where’s Chin, and of course Waldo, Jon Horner made another illustration to accompany Flip’s Tom Penny Cheech & Chong graphic. The large versions are up on Gentlemanly Conduct. As seen in Sidewalk Magazine. – Thanks to Simon Mrozinski for the tip.
Rastamouse
Rastamouse, is a BBC production featuring a detective and/or special agents who fight crime and play in a reggae band. Awesome voices. Visit one of their many web sites if you are in the mood to giggle and annoy your wife. Love it. Looks cool too. Rastamouse is not just a one episode skater, he’s on board for book covers and personal appearances as well. – Thanks to Andrew Mendoza for the tip.
Antifornia
Are you sick of fly by night DIY spots? Not me. Check out this short documentary on Antifornia in the UK by Sean Pointing. Antifornia is pretty much a one man show by an interesting character named Dave Dixon, seemingly antisocial but easy going and friendly at the same time. It takes all types tomake the skating world interesting. In fact, that’s your homework assignment for the month. Go skate with someone you don’t like and and make a point of having fun. And I mean skate with them, not just at the same time and place as them. Meanwhile, watch Antifornia after the break. – Thanks to Mike Egbert for the tip.
Please skate in our BMX pool
Apparently the did let four wheeled freaks in the pool. And yes, I agree with the reader comment who finds the fact that they plastered “The Pool” all over everything. I get it. Everyone gets it. It was built in a pool. The place probably still reeks of chlorine. They must pay their branding managers well. Skate footage courtesy of Caught in the Crossfire after the jump. – Thanks to Keith “method” Ayers for the tip
Pool build time lapse
A bit of stretch featuring this BMX only facility on Skate and Annoy once, let alone twice, but I’m a sucker for time lapse construction movies, and this spot is cool. Check it out after the jump, some before and during footage, and lots of footage of guys on bike – not skating but still killing it. – Thanks to MC.











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