The Non Stop fitting room archives: Part 1

Not so long ago, Non Stop Sports, OG Nottingham skate emporium and lunchtime lurking destination of choice, undertook a major refurb - transforming itself from the gloomy den of wonder that typified indie skateshops of  the 1990s to a modern-day airy, white-washed boutique perfect for displaying trainers and 5-panels to entrance time-served skaters and fashion bastards alike.  It is now somewhere my wife is happy to stand with me while I shoot the breeze with Robin, Ant, Elliott et al - when she previously felt a panic-inducing lack of air and sunlight.  Good work brothers.  Go there to get all the good stuff.

From the mid-1990s until the early 2000s, the walls of Non Stop's two fitting rooms were where we shared our photos of skating accomplishments, and where Non Stop staffers dutifully curated the achievements of Nottingham-based heavy-hitters - so badly composed photos of your mate from Beeston could sit comfortably alongside pictures of Gaz Jenkins conquering mighty rails and stairsets.  That the new, improved and updated Non Stop no longer has a place for possibly germ-ridden layers of incremental photo montage is probably no bad thing - both for the respiratory health of Robin and co, but also because the new generation are prolific in sharing their recent achievements via Instagram and Facebook, and through the city's excellent Varial photo magazine.

However, some heavy shit went down in those more innocent, pre-digital times, when paucity of facilities kept us on the streets in our various suburbs every week night and then together in mass in the city centre every Sunday, as comrade D-Bevs so eloquently recalled in the recent 200th edition of Sidewalk.  Although we (and I mean me in particular) photographed this stuff with a level of incompetence that younger, more skilled local photo dudes like Tom Quigley would rightly delete without hesitation - we snapped away with a lot of heart, if not any working knowledge of exposure and shutter speeds.   The walls of Non Stop's fitting rooms thus acted as an archive of our youth and a pretty significant slice of time in Nottingham's skate history.

Ant Orton, long-time Nottingham skate socialite and Non Stop brother number 2, has been kind enough to 1) keep hold of all these old photos; and 2) lend them to me to share on this terrible blog.

So, with no further ado, here is the first batch of photos from them days.  Please bear in mind that many of these have been pinned to a wall for 10-15 years, have been drawn on, stickered over, etc.- they are what they are, old photos from a changing room wall - the skateboard version of damp porn found in bushes - so they are faded, ripped and marked.  They also make me really happy.

Ally Couch - front nosegrind/over-crook on the Sneinton school rail - famed for Rushbrooke's back 5.0 Sidewalk cover.  Photo credits for this one go to Michael Wright, who did and does know how to take a decent photograph

Matt Blanchfield, big popper from a recent poppa - over road cone and curb gap/into little ramp at the close of the 90s.

Paul Langlois (AKA 'Guernsey Paul'...  Nottingham's answer to JB Gillet), 50-50 across the driveway round-rail at Derby Storm, c. 98/99.  He tried this switch as well and dislocated a couple of fingers in the process.

Ally Couch, D-Bevs (in his 101 era Jason Dill/Billy Valdes phase) and Neil Turner - some pub in Lenton, probably around 2000-2002

Norseman

Stoked on this dude's interview in the latest Dank magazine....    an OG's OG, and there's ever fewer of those left these days.

Oslo 5 (Henning Braaten) from Cyclone on Vimeo.

Your virtual imprint is hella weak, son

Between 2006 and 2012, for some unknown reason, I put together a video edit or two a year, which hardly anyone saw...  probably with good reason.  But, despite my lack of Dan Wolfe/French Fred level skills, I still reckon some pretty good, fun, relateable... mainly 'low impact' can't Ollie up 'em/don't Ollie down 'em skating went down in front of my barely competent fisheye.

Whatever.  In the hope of motivating myself and others to get out and skate, travel and film this 'summer' (the jet stream is stuck in much the same place as it was last year, so prospects of a bbq/perfect blue-drenched summer are minimal), here's a few of the 'better' edits.

Winter 2011

An edit to welcome 42 skateshop, and to pull together footage from the late summer/autumn of that wash-out of a year (but not quite the deluge of 2012).  Ignorant to the politics of local commerce, I foolishly jointly dedicated this to both 42 and Non Stop - the two legit skate emporia in Nottingham town - and the latter were royally pissed at me for doing so. Sorry...  I will make it up to y'all with my planned 'changing room photo archive' edit.   You can't deny the dope Taskforce track though.



Summer 2010

Almost three year's ago now we went on a rad expedition around south Yorkshire, north Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire - which was a lot of fun. even if it resulted in x1 broken ankle.  This edit mainly covers that trip, which only seems like yesterday, meaning we should go again...  soon.

Long Eaton Rifles and West Bridgford Daggers 2010

Outputs from a rad year of Manchester and London weekend trips and skating local streets at night and the pre-slightly dodgy refit Lady Bay park in the day.



Scotland and Barcelona 2006

In the summer of 2006, a disorganised minibus full of Nottingham half-wits worked their way up to and through Scotland, hanging with (and being terrified by) such gnarly luminaries as Div Adam and honorary Scott, Paul 'Man' Sylvester.  One of the best trips of my life, preceded by the last time I visited Barcelona un-injured.  Got married that year as well.....   2006 was a good year.  D Bevs and Ad K took some amazing photos of the Scotland mission as well, which are worth unearthing.  Some early Bambi and Golding here, for Unabomber fans.  Promise to self for 2013: edit more skating to Dalek.



Kids

If you have fond memories of the 1995 Harmony Korine/Larry Clarke film 'Kids', or the Mixtape-era heyday of NYC skateboarding and the original Zoo York thing in general, you'd be well-advised to spend a moment reading this 'almost twenty years' later' piece on Kids by Caroline Rothstein.  Interviews with legends like Peter Bici and Jefferson Pang give you a mix of behind-the-scenes testimonies and where-are-they-now stories.  And, of course, a lot of memories of the late, great Harold Hunter.

 

Maybe this isn't the 'best' section on Mixtape (for that, I can't decide between Anthony Correa or Robbie Gangemi), but its a vivid illustrator of what Josh Stewart said in the last issue of '43' about strong personalities shining through, making  someone's skating both great and memorable. 

 

 

r.i.p. HH and r.i.p. the OG Zoo we knew and loved.  Hope reading the above article on Kids, or watching any part of Mixtape reminds the streetwear financiers now in charge of Zoo what poor custodians they've been. 
P.S. Nice to see Pang and Bici both looking mighty healthy for being in their forties (seriously?!)...  hopefully that's a testament of the elixir of youth from shredding on a plank for years. 

Like a Flailing Seagull

I had been meaning to post this little lot for a while, but my dilapidated old scanner's been playing daft bastards.  

First of all we have two more Nottingham-based Sidewalk covers from the mid-to-late-90s:

On the left, Alan Rushbrooke eases a well-balanced backside 5.0 down the yellow Sneinton school rail.  This was from the first copy of Sidewalk I ever purchased myself (issue 14, March 1997), and I read and re-read it with new guy enthusiasm. The rail in question has seen quite a lot of action.  I think its last appearance in a mag involved a Chewy switch crook at some point in the mid-2000s.  A particular snap I'd like to put up is of Blonde Boozing & Bellowing Buffoon, Ali Couch and his fully committed frontside over-crook down this very rail - which I believe still graces the inside of one of the changing rooms in Non Stop.  Creepy...  that guy is looking at you when you try on a new pair of super tight fitting Nike SB/Levis jeans.

On the right, Harry 'the bastard' Bastard (given name Alan Cuthbertson) boosts an indie out of one of the awkward hips of the late Broadmarsh Banks.  This is from the Jan/Feb 1995 mag, predating my entry to this absurd pastime but included in a stash of mags given to me by a former Non Stop employee as he went about exorcising skateboarding from his life (I got the Keenan Milton RIP issue of Transworld in that bundle, so there are benefits to being nice to bitter ex-skaters).

Then we have 42's own Scotty Underdown's Jan/Feb 98 Haunts Interview - which a bunch of us have been reminiscing about lately (my buddy Jerry presents it as a divining rod for taste: if you don't think this is amazing, you're an idiot).  I apologise for the poor quality of a couple of the scans - the original mag isn't in the greatest of nick, as it was another read and re-read favourite, and notable for including the Jon Weatherall cover I posted a bit ago, a dope Carl Shipman DC ad,  a Tom Penny Radlands switch-frontside flip driveway clearance, and an early example of why Finland is worth watching if you're in anyway inclined towards appreciating the massive pop/hip-hop school of street skating (Mikko Kivikoski's 'First Offence' check out).  Anyway, Scotty's Haunts interview is amazing, as you can see for yourself...  particularly dig the front board on the back of a bench and the window ledge crook grind.  Fresh moves from 'handy-bendy-Ghandi'.  

Nottingham's full of similar high-ish window ledges just crying out for crooks, back smiths or front noseslides.  

JB yo

If you're in Notts at the weekend, get yourself down to the 42 skateboard emporium for 17.30 Saturday (the 27th April), for a showing of Cliche's new video 'Bon Voyage'.

Eldridge and JB sections be all you need to know.  To get you in the mood, here's Monsieur Jean-Baptiste (to his momz, JB to the rest of us) Gillet's 411 Rookie's section from way back in the late 90s.  Basically, any 411 or Puzzle section that included dope French 'ip 'op (Lunatic in this case) and baggy-ass sweat pants is a must watch as far as I was/am concerned.  And to y'all 20-somethings out there, check out what a certain London-based mogul has to say about JB as his inspiration for the recent range of Palace threads:

Blueprint's 5 dopest moments

With internet voices still chewing over the succession of events that began with the departure of the Shier-led Blueprint team (including the ill-judged Canadian re-launch, complete with re-used, but hopelessly out-of-context Magee imagery, Hitler's disappointment in the whole thing, and the launch of Isle Skateboards) - lets eulogise the Blueprint we knew....  via a top 5.

....  but not just any old top 5, oh no.  Back in the day, before their vids became unfairly associated with middle-of-the-road indie, Blueprint were rap as hell.  Waiting for the World (2000) marked a transition point from rap Blueprint to a more widely accessible indie Blueprint, but that vid still layered on dopeness with a thick old trowel - especially the use of that bonafide banger of an OC track.  Blueprint's pre-2000 freshness was consistent with an aesthetic that channelled the mix of architectural imagery, conspiracy theories, and blatant rap references, that may seem a bit ill-judged in retrospect, but conveyed the requisite audacity for a new company on the up at that point in time.

So, in no particular order -  please find below 5 of the OG Blueprint's dopest moments:

Mark Baines: Mixed Media (1996)

In an interview in Sidewalk some years back, Magee voiced regret over choosing a song about 'the streets of New York' (by Kool G Rap and DJ Polo) for a kid from Worksop.  However, at the time it blew my sock off....  flowing street lines in some brutalist, Orwellian looking spots (heavy MK and Shell Centre usage in videos of that era), with a song that was full of swagger and self-assurance.  It captured the UK's rising fascination with all things US east coast - pre-dating 1998's classic Mixtape - and was certainly a track I played in my head whilst skating round Sainsbury's car park in Beeston.

As well as super popped flat-land and on-point ledge tricks, many of them switch, Baines knew how to throw a mid/late-90s outfit together - baggy ass Droors jeans plus a bucket hat, a look that Lucien Clarke and other Palace dudes have been working hard to bring back, provoking enthusiasm  from US commentators.

Colin Kennedy: Waiting for the World (2000)

"You lack the minerals and vitamins..." This remains one of my all time favourite sections, and not just for the inspired song choice (OC, 'Time's Up').  How the hell did a white Scottish guy, with a funny shaped head and a penchant for knitwear, bang out a section at least as dope as a brace of sections from Chocolate, Aesthetics or Zoo skaters from the same era?  Impeccable switch skills, amazing trick execution, and a contender for the best switch heel ever performed is why  (complete with backward looking 'this IS switch, motherfuckers' steez).

This section isn't on Youtube, but is on Mpora....  re-watch it then go and try and perform an all-switch line with just 2% of CK's perfection: http://mpora.com/videos/AAd8uo1hbttc

You might increase that to 25% if you play this in your head while you're doing it:

Rob Selley: Anthems (1998)

Again, awesome track choice (Camp Lo, 'Luchini'), and one of my favourite ledge heavy sections of all time (whilst CK is more of an all rounder).  Seriously, much of this still stands up today - switch flip 5.0 shove-its, switch backside nosegrind reverts in lines, get me?  Also no reference to Selley is complete without noting the Addidas Superstar devotion.  Wish I was able to skate in shell-toes, then I'd purchase a baggy-ass pair of brown chords and an XXL white polo shirt to go with 'em to try and revive that sartorial combination (a high water mark of mid/late 90s preppy freshness).

He may have legendary status these days, but Selley was an opinion-splitter back in the day - allegedly a certain Anti-Hero loving emporium, either Ideal, Wisdom or Fleapit (depending on the teller) had a picture of a yo grinding Bobbie G on their dart board.  If you plan to embark on a day full of ledges, its highly recommended that you watch this to amp yourself up beforehand - again, not on Youtube, but on Mpora: http://mpora.com/videos/HaOTZ8H1L

However, the original vid for Camp Lo's 'Luchini' is on Youtube...  what.

Chewy Cannon: Lost and Found

Of the younger generation of Blueprint guys, Chewy was always the standout for me - ledge tech with Busenitz-like speed and Quim Cardonna-like looseness.  Although I would have obviously dug this section more with a Wu-Tang instrumental, the whimsical pop tune works well with Chewy's carefree approach.  Some of the lines are next level (the switch Ollie then nollie full cab at the start of the section, then the switch Ollie and switch backside flip line at the Palma de Mallorca plaza mid-way through both stand out) whilst you can really see the roots from Selley's earlier stuff in his trick selection: both are fans of a sneaky, mid-line switch basckside nosegrind revert for example.

The Build and Destroy Promo (1998/9)

And finally, the Build & Destroy promo - which was originally tacked on the end of Neil Chester's excellent Sheffield-centric indie vid 'Through the Eyes of Ruby', having previously been produced for a 411 industry profile that never came to pass.  The start is amazing - the rain and thunder, the sub-Silverstar graphics and then the banging Alpha Prime track comes in (Misanthropic).  People often refer to a couple of Shier's lines in this as the dopest things ever filmed on British soil - but I dig the

Scottish contingent in this (Col Kennedy again, and John Rattray's Southbank frontblunt ender).  CK's bit wouldn't have looked out of place after Jeff Pang's section in Mixtape (love the frontside Ollie out of the wheelchair ramp over the railing...  Pang as hell) and a solid announcement of Scott Palmer's arrival....  "I tried to be doooope." (with strong South Yorkshire/North Lincolnshire accent).