I can’t believe I only just started riding BMX!

I got my BMX a short while ago but wanted to wait until it had a back brake before I took it to the skatepark. I bought Ted breakfast in return for brazing the brake mounts back on and on Monday I finally got to take my new bike for its first proper ride.

It was SO much fun. Pretty gutted I’ve never ridden BMX before but still, better late than never.

I went down to Kennington bowl where I started off rolling in and carving around before dropping in over the coping for the first time. Then we rode down to Stockwell where I followed Tom around a couple of times before sessioning small hump from the large bowl into the smaller one. Managed to get some air but was going pretty long and beginning to clear the landing so Tom suggested I carve round into it and go up the side so that it was more like a hip and the flat top was a little longer. I gave that a go and ate shit, skidding along the floor on my palms. Gotta wear gloves next time. It was ACE!!!! Wanna go to Brockwell Park pump track next.

Here’s Tom at Kennington Bowl:

This is me, borrowed from Thom not Tom’s blog. I’m riding my new Metal Bike which I love!

Sam just got a BMX too. She had her first go at the Brooklyn Banks back in NYC and loved it immediately then when she saw the FBM film at the Bicycle Film Festival, she decided her first had to be one of those. She is so damn busy that we haven’t had a chance to ride together yet but I can’t wait till we do. Here she is showing it off at home last week:

Bride of Frankenkat

I did the Halloween alleycat on Friday night and it was ace. We went as Immortal although my corpse paint didn’t last too well after a full five minutes with my head dunked in a bucket of water (or swine flu according to Minh ai) trying to bob for garlic. I managed to come 4th overall and first girl and Minh Ai came fifth on her first alleycat which was cool. I was expecting to come somewhere around the last place so was quite suprised!

There was some proper good facepaint on show!

 

Thanks to the organisers!

 

Brenton Salo’s Portland photos

I’ve been meaning to post these pics since I got them from Brenton Salo but I have been really busy with meetings and whatnot. The good thing is that Posy and I are now working with Knog lights so we’ll be cloaked in darkness no more. I’ve already been hit up by everyone I know for a set. Just hold your horses, buddies, lights coming to y’all soon!

So, the pictures. He’s good, eh? Brenton is dead handy with a camera and took quite a few of these on his Hasselblad and the rest digitally. Thanks dude!

 

Back in Old Blighty

After my adventures, I’m now back in Old Blighty trying to get on with some work and earn a bit of money for the next trip… and my bills! I had an amazing time in America – go check my blog over at the Charge Bikes site for some words and pictures.

Currently I have Catwoman curled up on my lap and the new Immortal album, All Shall Fall as my soundtrack. Can’t believe they released another album! I was gutted to miss them play in London (last year?) so maybe this means they’ll tour again. I’m on my first listen of a sneaky download with the picture disc ordered and winging it’s way to me. Sounds good so far although a little short at only seven tracks and slightly blander than their old stuff. Even black metal dudes mellow with age it seems.

On Saturday night I went to the launch party of Nikole Lowe’s new tattoo shop, Good Times on Curtain Road. The place itself is massive and looked amazing, so if you want to be tattooed by two of the most beautiful and talented artists around, get on the waiting list for Nikole or Saira Hunjan now!

   

Posy recently wrote an article on Saira for Cooler Magazine, so you can read a few words with the lady  if you follow this link. The accompanying picture (below) is by Sam Ashley

Catwoman pic courtesy of Sam Hart.

San Francisco

Posy and I are still kicking it in San Francsisco. We’ve been updating our blogs over at the Charge site as those guys were kind enough to help us out with our flights so we’re getting our blog on for them in return! Go check my Charge blog here and Posy’s blog here!

I’m off to San Francisco and Portland

Posy and I are off to San Francisco with our bikes in the morning and I can’t wait! Posy will be sticking around in SF for a week then flying home at which point I’m gonna head off the Portland. I’ve never been to either place and I can’t wait! There are a few record shops and burrito joints I want to check out plus some kinda crazy doughnut place in Portland that I’ve been told to go to but other than that, we’re just gonna play in by ear. SO EXCITED!!!

Got a sweet package of clothes from Carhartt for the trip too.Thanks guys! All in grey scale but let me tell ya that’s an improvement on my prior insistence on everything being black.  I used to dye my hair black too. Haha! Bloody goth!

I just shot next year’s Carhartt look book, partly in Basel and partly here in London with Sam Hart. Here’s one from the first set. Sam’s are being edited as we speak.

Nike 6.0 Tunnel Jam

I’m lucky enough to have a really good life and I spend a lot of time enjoying myself. Since I left my job in press at Warner records I’ve been doing all manner of things to keep myself afloat whilst building up my own business, Final. I guess some may see an inability to concentrate on one thing a hindrance but I reckon it just makes multi-tasking a breeze. I would much rather have a load of different stuff on the go and bits and pieces on money coming in that to devote myself to the daily drudgery of office life. So the good thing is that as a freelancer, I am available to all sorts of things that crop up as I can shift my work around to suit myself.

So, I ended doing a few days work at a super secret BMX jam in a tunnel near Portsmouth. Tunnel Jam was ace! I drove a few riders around then stood and watched some of the best in the world ride the course. X Games gold medallist Garrett Renolds was so so good, but I tell you what, the British riders were seriously amazing as well. The course was amazing; super fast and tight and some riders nearly touched the ceiling out of the quarter. The good thing is that NIKE paid to have the park built in the tunnel and are leaving it there for the locals to enjoy. Lucky them. Tell you what though, I was standing on top of the viewing platform watching them go off and just thinking how lucky I was myself to be there watching.

Having said that it really made me want to ride and I was down there for a few days without a bike as there wasn’t enough room in the car to take one! Pretty frustrating! Couldn’t wait to ride when I got back plus I just heard one of my best friends, Sam, is getting a BMX this week too.  Now we can get to grips with BMXs together. SWEET.

New tattoo by Thomas Hooper

Thomas Hooper is such an amazing tattoo artist and I was lucky enough to get tattooed by him on Monday. He made a start to this tattoo around my hip and it hurt like hell on the belly. Eventually it will all be shaded with some wispy clouds at the top with a negative space moon and a couple of ravens. And I’m getting a similar wolf on the other side. I’m gonna look like a bloody zoo if I don’t stop soon!

Better start saving for flights to New York to get this finished as Thomas upped sticks to live with his lovely wife a while back and now works at New York Adorned. Check out Thomas’ blog here

Carhartt BMX jam

I went along to the Carhartt BMX jam at the weekend. There was an alleycat on at the same time as part of the Bicycle Film Festival but I decided I’d rather go to the jam as there were gonna be some amazing riders in town.

It was pretty mental; in the end about 200 guys turned up with me Grace and Sam being the only females in attendance. We started off at Wandsworth roundabout and wound our way through town to the Barbican.There was some really good riding to check out plus we got to see some new sports which we definitely want to go back and session. We stopped off in an estate somewhere near Battersea and the little kids watching just couldnt believe what they were seeing. They were particularly taken with Taliban Tom who they called ‘The Hippy’ and it was cute seeing how excited they got. Quote of the day from the nippers had to be ‘Trust me, the hippy’s got skills – the hippy rocks!’

Hell Yeah site is down

I didn’t renew my hosting as I was too busy actually enjoying myself rather than sitting in front of a computer! Should be back up later today though. Whoops! I’ve been enjoying my new Charge Scissor which is ACE! So nice!

Bollocks, was gonna write some more stuff but this computer sucks and is so slow and I’m late for work at SHop 14.

Wait, one more thing! Don’t forget Posy and I are are throwing a party for the Bicycle Film Festival on Saturday night at Jamboree on Cable St. FREEEEE BEEEEEER thanks to Meantime Brewery and Carhartt!