This is a sneak preview trailer for a one off exhibition of 3 deckades of skateboard art that howies and Shiners Distribution are curating at howies 62 Queens Road store in Bristol running from April 17th.

Chris Allen of Shiner has kindly agreed to let us have access to their whole archive of decks. We’ve chosen over 200 favourites which will be on show for a month. With boards from every deckade that Shiners have been distributing the biggest names in skateboarding to the british public it will be a treat for any skateboard fan and graphic freak . There will be decks on show from
Dogtown, Sims, Sant Cruz, Powell Peralta, Vision, Schmitt stix, G & S, Zorlac, Alva, Santa Monica Airlines, plus a host of others.

There will also be a series of one off decks painted by guest artists that will be auctioned for unicef at the end of the exhibition. All boards are hand painted,  Jim Phillips, Geoff McFetridge, Pete Fowler, French, Kev Grey, Will Barras, Mr Jago, China Mike, Marcus Oakley, Andy J Miller, Chris Bourke, Mr Bingo, Bowlegs, Millie Marotta, Gav Strange, Danny Wainwright, Jethro Haynes and Nigel Peake’s boards will all be on show for the month.

Dont miss it.

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Richard Hell- “The Kid with the replaceable head”

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Lonnie Donegan-”Puttin on the style”

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The first-ever film version of Lewis Carroll’s tale has recently been restored by the BFI National Archive from severely damaged materials. Made just 37 years after Lewis Carroll wrote his novel and eight years after the birth of cinema, the adaptation was directed by Cecil Hepworth and Percy Stow, and was based on Sir John Tenniel’s original illustrations. In an act that was to echo more than 100 years later, Hepworth cast his wife as the Red Queen, and he himself appears as the Frog Footman. Even the Cheshire cat is played by a family pet.

With a running time of just 12 minutes (8 of which survive), ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was the longest film produced in England at that time. Film archivists have been able to restore the film’s original colours for the first time in over 100 years.

Music: ‘Jill in the Box’, composed and performed by Wendy Hiscocks.

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At the end of March James is doing a talk at the Southbank Centre.  He’s fresh from a winter spent doing new research in America, and here he delivers his verdict on what any new government must do to save the environment. All that for £12.00.

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This is what the kids are up against from the Law Enforcement Office

Robs film hopes to address a lot of social issues, we probably wont get to see it over here but maybe it will be out on DVD. Please take a little mo to read the plot and intention of the film, a lot of good may come from it.

Here’s a statement from Berkela Motion Pictures about the upcoming debut:

“LOS ANGELES, CA (May 29, 2009) –  From the studio that introduced the critically-acclaimed Bra Boys in 2008, Berkela Motion Pictures will soon release their skateboarding film, Street Dreams, in select US theatres on June 12, following its June 8 Los Angeles Premiere.  Street Dreams will prove to be an instant cult classic showcasing skateboarders and their tireless struggles with disapproving parents, harsh police tactics, and the hope of getting a sponsor and going pro.  Pro skateboarder and television personality Rob Dyrdek makes his writing, producing, financing, and starring debut in the film which showcases some of the world’s greatest skateboarders. The story for Street Dreams is a writing collaboration between Dyrdek and Nino Scalia, his longtime friend and skateboarding industry insider.  Paul Rodriguez, Ryan Sheckler, and Terry Kennedy also star in this one and only skateboarding film told by skateboarders to show mainstream audiences the reality of the street skateboarding community.  Christopher “Thes One” Portugal created most of the Street Dreams original score.  Hip hop impresario Pharrell created the film’s anthem “Hoppin’ Over Fences” as well as provided N.E.R.D. tracks for the movie.  Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park also scored a section of the film.

This film takes place where the skateboarding culture is most foreign, the Midwest.  Like all skaters, Derrick Cabrera dreams of being sponsored and one day going pro. He is an up-and-coming skater with all the talent, but he has the world against him.  His parents and classmates cannot understand how Derrick has so much passion for something that has no future in their eyes.  He is only accepted in his skater crew of friends, but as he gets better and better, some of those friends become his biggest rivals.  After getting arrested and facing ultimatums with his father and girlfriend, he runs away with his skateboarding crew to Florida for a big skateboarding contest that will change his life.  A street skateboarder’s constant battles are showcased through Derrick Cabrera’s character and the film’s amusing yet serious plotline.

With the attention Street Dreams is sure to garner, Rob Dyrdek hopes to continue to gain momentum for a true skateboarding movement that will open the door for serious social issues to be investigated and rectified.  There are over 10 million self-identified street skateboarders in the US alone, and the majority is actively seeking natural obstacles found in urban public environments, which is illegal and sometimes harshly enforced.  Until now, authorities have chosen to ignore police brutality toward skateboarders—there are even prevalent videos online showing young male and even shockingly female skateboarders getting beaten by cops caught on tape.  Tired of skateboarders being treated as nuisances by public authorities,

Dyrdek has taken it upon himself to change how the world sees the sport.  After great struggle, Dyrdek was recently able to get through to the City of Los Angeles, and he even rode the world’s largest skateboard through L.A. with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who now supports Dyrdek and his efforts.  In February 2009, Dyrdek created and launched Safe Spot Skate Spot through his foundation and in conjunction with the city of Los Angeles.  The new skateboarding haven gives street skateboarders a safe and legal area to skate in a park’s natural landscape complete with the desired elements such as park benches and rails. The Safe Spot Skate Spot Program will help cities meet needs of skateboarders, and interference with traffic, residents, and businesses can be eliminated.

‘Street Dreams is a continuation of our renegade movement.  It is important for the mainstream audience to be aware of the issues and obstacles street skateboarders face today,’ says Jason Bergh, Executive Producer at Berkela Motion Pictures.  ‘Berkela’s mission is to raise awareness and bring these types of stories to life as we did with Bra Boys.’ Sal Masekela, Executive Producer at Berkela Motion Pictures states, ‘With Street Dreams, Rob Dyrdek finally gives us a story of modern day skateboarding culture that doesn’t make a mockery of this unique, collective passion celebrated by kids across America.’  ‘I have so much respect for Rob, and I know that everyone at Berkela is proud to be a part of his ongoing mission to bring the realities of street skating to a mainstream audience,” adds David Katzenberg, Development Executive at Berkela Motion Pictures.

The full-length film will be released in select theaters on the west coast on June 12, 2009 and the east coast on June 19th.  For more information on Street Dreams, please visitwww.streetdreamsmovie.com.”

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Wooden Shjips

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Kate Maki

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Roxy Music-Remake/Remodel

My darlings, my sweets, my lord, if there was something to believe in, something worth seeing that even though it might be the long distant memory of  the young Roxy Music, it still would move one to don a tiara, feather boa, wear some silk flares and the stack heels then this may help rekindle that fire. Love is the drug..

For those of you able to get to “the London” it might be worth it.

The BBC have a delightful program up on Oliver here.

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Can-i want more.

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Skinnyman-Dark and Cold.

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Wreckless Eric- Pop Song

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Carol Batton

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Click here for the website.

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Kris Vile ripped in Pool and i cant find any footage of it but here’s a great clip of him anyway doing it on the steel drum ramps of Bath.

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Acid Mothers Temple

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Dick Dale and the Deltones

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There’s no point me telling this story so i’ll leave it to my good friend Paul to tell it how it is.

Hi Tim

Was in the pub watching the inevitable occur at Elland Road last night and found myself sat at the bar next to Dr. Geebers – the pebble man.

I had heard about him a few days before, creating a pebble sculpture on the beach in Criccieth so i guessed that it might be him. I do tend to frequent my local pub for local people….

He is inspiring in that he is homeless with all the issues that seem to go with this. He decided in May last year to walk down the coast from Brighton and make a couple of Pebble sculptures as he went along. He wanted to walk along the coast because he wanted to stop drinking during the day etc.. this shortish walk has now turned into a determination to walk around the coast of Britain. He is now walking around Anglesey and is due to create his next sculpture in Beaumaris early next week.

He is writing a book about his experiences/journey etc and all proceeds of the book will go to the homeless.

He is on facebook here

There is a youtube clip from Amroth

Not really sure about how else to contact him. If you can give him any publicity on the howies by the way blog.

He is living off the generosity of people who meet up with him, usually only when he is making his sculptures. So any publicity that he gets will I am sure help him on his journey.

Hope you are well.

Paul

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The Raincoats-Dont be Mean

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Julian Cope-Laughing Boy

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In Cardigan with a population of around 3 or 4 thousand we have three supermarkets, Tesco Aldi and Somerfield. Sainsburys have now been added to the mix and the new one is being built on the fields that surround our offices. For decades the fields have been used a place for dog walkers, conker collectors, sledge users, kids playing with balls ad bikes and not to mention the wildlife. Down by the stream  that runs through the fields there are always Herons. Not anymore now these buggers are here. Work started a while back but these past few weeks have been heartbreakers as we’ve seen some beautiful hillside hedges get ripped to pieces. Then they started on the trees. Yesterday a few of the bigger ones got lopped and today an even older one got the chop which is in the blurry video above. How can this be progress when the land is taken away to profit their shareholders who dont even live here at the expense of a community who do. Jokers the lot of them.

Jon Heslop will be doing a proper blog about it soon, in full gory detailed destruction of the green fields that surround us.

The Carnaby crew mailed me this, it looks great, back a while i took the train from  Osaka to Tokyo and dropped off at various points looking for Ryokans and a Buddhists sect called the Vajrayanas (not found as apparently they are mostly in Tibet) and i rode part of the route on my BMX bike as i wanted to check out the beautiful countryside. I rode nowhere near the 500 plus Kilometres this bunch did.  Cant wait for the full release.

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It’s been tough times for the Blueprint fellas of late, but put the past behind them they have done and just  like the ever proverbial pheonix they have morphed into something (dare i say this) better. i cant post the clip so you’ll have to click to watch it. I’m just so happy to see Shier, Jensen, Kennedy and the team giving it all here. Get ready to feel better than good.

In defence of street photography

Following a series of high profile detentions under s44 of the terrorism act including 7 armed police detaining an award winning architectural photographer in the City of London, the arrest of a press photographer covering campaigning santas at City Airport and the stop and search of a BBC photographer at St Pauls Cathedral and many others. PHNAT feels now is the time for a mass turnout of Photographers, professional and amateur to defend our rights and stop the abuse of the terror laws.

Amelia’s magazine has a great feature here on the protest gathering.

Check out their own site here.

I’m no expert on this but are the banks obligated to pay back the cash the Government gave them? Billy thinks so and tells us why here. Poor bugger must be regretting Red Wedge by now.

The EyeWriter project is an ongoing collaborative research effort to empower people who are suffering from ALS with creative technologies.

It is a low-cost eye-tracking apparatus & custom software that allows graffiti writers and artists with paralysis resulting from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to draw using only their eyes.

The Eyewriter from Evan Roth on Vimeo.

Most of you will be too damned young to remember TV Smith the lead singer of the 70’s band the  Adverts, alas i remember them well. Old men still sing great songs.

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The Scaffold

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Nico-the Falconer

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When Jon Heslop was lucky enough to go to this years Do Lectures. The talk he came back talking about the most was Michael’s. This is what he said:

“He’s an architect who is well into Biomimicry. He’s part of a project named the ‘Sahara Rainforest Project’ who’s ultimate aim is to reforest the Sahara by building greenhouses that produce water by capturing it from the air. It’s total genius.”

or not…………………….thanks to wulfmorgenthaler

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Wheels of fire

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