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- It had sort of an
underground thing to it.
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The dropouts all skateboarded.
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- In Dublin it was very
much like a minority thing.
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And there was really, it
was definitely a subculture.
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- We just didn't do what
normal people at the time did.
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- It's always been that way,
you're not supposed to do it.
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You're not supposed to be here.
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- I don't know if anyone
would get that if they weren't
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really, like, totally
involved with skateboarding.
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- Anywhere we went at the
time, it was obvious that we
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were not the same or
we didn't really belong
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00:01:59,131 --> 00:02:01,119
in the mainstream.
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00:02:06,004 --> 00:02:08,503
- They call it a sport now
where years ago it wasn't
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00:02:08,527 --> 00:02:13,023
a sport it was just a
youth culture in a sense.
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00:03:22,482 --> 00:03:25,753
- No one really can say where
it started or when it started.
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I always thought it was in
the '50s and it got really
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popular in the mid-'60s and
when I was born, I was born
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00:03:32,542 --> 00:03:36,709
in 1965, Life magazine had
Patty McGee doing the handstand
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00:03:38,025 --> 00:03:40,363
that was the month I was born, '65.
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And it said the craze and
menace of skateboards, is what
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the title was on the
cover of Life magazine.
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My name's Todd Huber, I'm 47
years old, I'm the co-owner
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00:03:50,958 --> 00:03:54,523
and one of the founders of Skatelab.
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Skatelab is an indoor skateboard
park and a skateboarding
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museum as well as the official home to the
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00:04:01,749 --> 00:04:04,149
Skateboarding Hall of Fame.
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00:04:04,173 --> 00:04:06,308
Skateboarding started here in California.
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00:04:06,332 --> 00:04:07,943
There's different theories.
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00:04:07,967 --> 00:04:11,208
A lot of people say, surfers
invented skateboarding
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when there was no surf and
they wanted to keep surfing
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00:04:13,411 --> 00:04:15,354
so they would surf on the sidewalk.
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00:04:15,378 --> 00:04:18,362
But I like to say that us kids that lived
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00:04:18,386 --> 00:04:20,028
in the valley invented skateboarding
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because we weren't able to go surfing.
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Surf or not, if you're like
10 and you live in Simi Valley
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00:04:25,688 --> 00:04:27,858
which is a half an hour away
from the beach, you want
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00:04:27,882 --> 00:04:29,532
to surf, what's the next best thing?
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00:04:29,556 --> 00:04:30,793
Get on a skateboard.
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00:04:30,817 --> 00:04:33,361
We grew up skating my whole life.
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00:04:33,385 --> 00:04:35,792
But again, a lot of people
think it was a beach thing,
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started at the beach.
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I know that it was going on
all over California in the
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00:04:40,097 --> 00:04:42,040
early '60s, late '50s.
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- The origins of pool
skating was based in surfing.
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00:04:46,163 --> 00:04:49,098
And around the time that
skateboarding started getting
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developed there were a
group of surfers in southern
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00:04:52,409 --> 00:04:56,576
California that found a
way to emulate wave riding
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00:04:57,519 --> 00:04:58,779
through empty swimming pools.
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00:04:58,803 --> 00:05:00,667
- So there's empty pools
everywhere because it's so hot
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00:05:00,691 --> 00:05:02,928
in the summer, everyone's got a pool.
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00:05:02,952 --> 00:05:04,650
But if half the people
weren't bothering to fill them
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00:05:04,674 --> 00:05:06,169
that's like a dream come true.
55
00:05:06,193 --> 00:05:08,279
And I think it was just sort
of a natural progression.
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00:05:08,303 --> 00:05:09,188
You looked at the pool and was like,
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00:05:09,212 --> 00:05:10,767
woah, that looks pretty fun.
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00:05:10,791 --> 00:05:14,203
We did it, my neighbors moved
out and we drained their pool.
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00:05:14,227 --> 00:05:15,842
Like, we just turned on the
pump and drained their pool
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00:05:15,866 --> 00:05:17,109
because it had a for sale sign.
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00:05:17,133 --> 00:05:19,532
We skated that pool all summer long.
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00:05:19,556 --> 00:05:21,788
But when I was a kid in the
'70s we got to skate pools,
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00:05:21,812 --> 00:05:23,302
it was awesome.
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00:05:23,326 --> 00:05:24,916
- And right around that
time there's a big drought
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00:05:24,940 --> 00:05:27,877
in California so all these
back yard swimming pools
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00:05:27,901 --> 00:05:29,558
were empty because of the drought.
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00:05:29,582 --> 00:05:33,749
And so, they just sort of
figured out how to hit the
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00:05:34,641 --> 00:05:37,588
walls they way they would the waves.
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00:05:37,612 --> 00:05:40,646
And by the time I discovered
skateboarding, they'd
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00:05:40,670 --> 00:05:43,625
already figured out how to get airborne.
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00:05:43,649 --> 00:05:46,917
And so I was excited by
that prospect right away.
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00:05:52,513 --> 00:05:54,534
- More of a culture over
there in California, you know,
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00:05:54,558 --> 00:05:57,575
an accepted culture, where
as here you're sort of,
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it's not normal you know.
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00:06:01,023 --> 00:06:04,124
Dublin in the 1980s was so far
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00:06:04,148 --> 00:06:06,981
from the origins of skateboarding.
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- Here's a good example,
like this would be the front
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00:06:11,483 --> 00:06:14,370
of the roller skate and this
is the back and they flattened
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00:06:14,394 --> 00:06:16,899
this but this was like a heel cup.
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00:06:16,923 --> 00:06:17,838
See what I'm talking about?
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00:06:17,862 --> 00:06:20,244
It had piece of leather
that went through it.
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00:06:20,268 --> 00:06:22,496
I have the skates actually.
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00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:26,725
They flattened that heel cup
and then this guy he named his.
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00:06:26,749 --> 00:06:28,716
He called it the Tiki II.
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00:06:28,740 --> 00:06:31,622
So I bet his sister, or
whatever, had the Tiki I.
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00:06:31,646 --> 00:06:33,128
Like some dad might've made
this for his two kids for
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Christmas and they broke
their arm and their mom's like
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what are you doing?
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That is so dangerous and then
they threw it in the closet
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and I bought it like 40 years later.
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Again this is a roller skate cut in half.
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You can see the jagged cut.
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You know what I mean, it's
not like it was a machine,
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00:06:46,815 --> 00:06:48,462
some dude just cut it.
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His name started with a G.
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Lot of times they personalized it.
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That's a cool one.
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I like the homemade ones,
to me that's folk art.
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Somebody took the time to make those.
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00:06:57,727 --> 00:07:00,005
- They tell stories about,
you know, the old days where
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00:07:00,029 --> 00:07:03,602
you used to get a two by
four and nail a roller skate.
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00:07:03,626 --> 00:07:04,971
We actually did that.
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00:07:04,995 --> 00:07:08,531
My first skateboard was a
roller skate, cut in two
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00:07:08,555 --> 00:07:11,068
because I remember as a very
young kid my father bought me
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00:07:11,092 --> 00:07:14,470
a pair of these strap on
skates that you could adjust.
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00:07:14,494 --> 00:07:16,833
You'd slip them on over your shoes.
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00:07:16,857 --> 00:07:19,102
The funny was when people
talk about that, it was true.
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It did actually happen.
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So, that's where I started.
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How fast I could go down a hill.
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- It was looked at as a
really dangerous thing.
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- Oh, wow!
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00:07:34,448 --> 00:07:36,519
- And especially with the
horrible equipment, I think it
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really was and I think a
lot of people got hurt.
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00:07:38,987 --> 00:07:41,529
And so it didn't take that
long for parents to not really
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00:07:41,553 --> 00:07:42,708
be into it.
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00:07:42,732 --> 00:07:44,445
And they would take the
boards and throw them in the
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00:07:44,469 --> 00:07:45,962
basement or hide them from the kids.
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00:07:45,986 --> 00:07:48,335
The last thing they
wanted to have to do is go
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00:07:48,359 --> 00:07:49,775
to the ambulance.
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00:07:49,799 --> 00:07:52,506
- Even though I was kind
of small for my age when I
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00:07:52,530 --> 00:07:56,283
was younger, I did daredevil
things and I liked jumping
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00:07:56,307 --> 00:07:58,622
off the high dive and I liked
doing all that kind of stuff.
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So, when I saw skateboarding
I was like, yes!
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00:08:01,238 --> 00:08:05,278
There's a way to fly and do
acrobatic things and aerials.
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00:08:05,302 --> 00:08:08,135
And I was drawn to it immediately.
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00:08:14,225 --> 00:08:16,843
- Partly it got that tag because
in the beginning the gear
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00:08:16,867 --> 00:08:18,944
wasn't very skateable.
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00:08:18,968 --> 00:08:20,821
It was fun to do no matter
if it was skateable,
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00:08:20,845 --> 00:08:22,449
but it just, it wasn't very skateable.
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00:08:22,473 --> 00:08:24,837
So you could lose interest quick
and kids were getting hurt.
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00:08:24,861 --> 00:08:28,149
So I just think it eventually,
thank god, it evolved
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00:08:28,173 --> 00:08:30,648
into something that was
a lot safer and funner.
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00:08:30,672 --> 00:08:32,039
They invented the urethane wheel.
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00:08:32,063 --> 00:08:34,384
It's hard to see but this
the old urethane wheel.
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00:08:34,408 --> 00:08:37,660
And it was rubber and it
opened up a whole world because
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00:08:37,684 --> 00:08:41,139
they said that rocks and
cracks and stuff in the road,
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00:08:41,163 --> 00:08:44,115
what was the main cause of
people getting hurt and that
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00:08:44,139 --> 00:08:46,277
made it a lot easier to
absorb the bumps and go over
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00:08:46,301 --> 00:08:48,024
the cracks and handle the rocks.
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00:08:48,048 --> 00:08:51,528
I think that was a huge
turn and once that happened
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00:08:51,552 --> 00:08:53,459
then they started, the
boards got more skateable,
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00:08:53,483 --> 00:08:56,004
they started getting wider,
the grip tape got better,
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00:08:56,028 --> 00:08:57,221
the bearings got better.
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00:08:57,245 --> 00:08:59,350
Everything got better.
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So as the boards got
better, so did the riders.
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00:09:04,091 --> 00:09:06,258
- Skating is exhilarating.
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00:09:07,598 --> 00:09:09,181
It's very creative.
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It's very spontaneous.
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It can give you a sense of
self-confidence that perhaps
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00:09:17,342 --> 00:09:20,540
you haven't found elsewhere
because it's all about your
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own motivation and your own
challenges in overcoming those.
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00:09:24,805 --> 00:09:25,909
And it's constantly evolving.
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00:09:25,933 --> 00:09:28,644
The thing I love about skating
is that there is always
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something new to learn,
you can't do everything.
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There's always some new level
to reach or some new technique
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or something to improve on.
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00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:43,187
I started skating because my
older brother was doing it
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a little bit.
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He was a surfer and he would
skate when the waves were flat.
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Skateboarding was just sort
of coming into the main,
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I don't want to say
mainstream, but it was just
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starting to happen.
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00:09:54,387 --> 00:09:57,255
And then I noticed that some
of my friends were skating
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around the neighborhood.
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00:09:58,168 --> 00:10:02,334
And I started using my brother's
old board to join them.
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00:10:04,032 --> 00:10:07,096
And I didn't really, it wasn't
like, it wasn't an epiphany
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00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:08,618
or anything that I had
when I started skating.
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00:10:08,642 --> 00:10:09,483
I just liked it.
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00:10:09,507 --> 00:10:12,839
I like the motion and the freedom of it.
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00:10:14,749 --> 00:10:17,336
- I would've initially got
into it through, there was
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00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:21,809
a guy on my row, who would
have gotten a board probably
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00:10:21,833 --> 00:10:25,568
around 1987 or 1988
when it got really big.
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00:10:25,592 --> 00:10:27,786
Like when, I think it was
really small up til then.
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00:10:27,810 --> 00:10:29,385
And then it went through a
phase where it seemed like
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everyone got really into it.
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00:10:31,595 --> 00:10:34,416
And there was loads of guys
used to have jump ramps.
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00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:37,833
And I used to bring them
down to, it was Quinsworths
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00:10:37,857 --> 00:10:40,776
and Choiropac down in Blanchardstown.
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00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:42,996
So there used to be guys
down there and that was where
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00:10:43,020 --> 00:10:47,784
I first ever witnessed a
skateboarder in real life.
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00:10:47,808 --> 00:10:50,811
But up until then it would
have been Back to the Future.
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00:10:50,835 --> 00:10:52,594
- It was around that time
that some of my friends were
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00:10:52,618 --> 00:10:55,696
influenced by Back to the
Future and I think that's why
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00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:58,181
they probably spent three or
four months trying to learn
186
00:10:58,205 --> 00:11:01,187
how to jump over a two by
four on a proper board.
187
00:11:01,211 --> 00:11:04,681
- I had a paper route of
sorts and I wanted to get
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00:11:04,705 --> 00:11:07,817
a skateboard so I fucking made
one like every other kid did
189
00:11:07,841 --> 00:11:10,162
because you could buy them.
190
00:11:10,186 --> 00:11:12,472
And I went down do my paper
run around Sewards Village
191
00:11:12,496 --> 00:11:14,405
on it and went into the
dentist's cause I used to
192
00:11:14,429 --> 00:11:17,755
sell the newspaper to her
everyday and she one day
193
00:11:17,779 --> 00:11:20,673
just called me in, she says
I had this in the garage.
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00:11:20,697 --> 00:11:22,517
She gave me this fiberglass board.
195
00:11:22,541 --> 00:11:25,388
- I had a cousin who got
John Rider's Guide for Male
196
00:11:25,412 --> 00:11:28,135
and came up to our house few
weeks in the summer as the
197
00:11:28,159 --> 00:11:31,089
cousins come up and for
some reason just when he got
198
00:11:31,113 --> 00:11:33,860
there our local post office
got the polyprop plastic
199
00:11:33,884 --> 00:11:35,582
skateboards in.
200
00:11:35,606 --> 00:11:37,684
So John had a few bobs,
we bought two skateboards
201
00:11:37,708 --> 00:11:39,520
and straight down to Bushy Park.
202
00:11:39,544 --> 00:11:42,123
I spent, however long it took
to actually get from the top
203
00:11:42,147 --> 00:11:44,357
of the hill to bottom of the
hill and that was me starting
204
00:11:44,381 --> 00:11:45,559
skating and that was it.
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00:11:45,583 --> 00:11:48,438
It didn't continue all the
way because it did officially
206
00:11:48,462 --> 00:11:50,646
kind of die, the fad was gone.
207
00:11:50,670 --> 00:11:52,580
There was nowhere to skate
obviously was the key thing.
208
00:11:52,604 --> 00:11:53,902
So I kind of got into doing
other things, messing around
209
00:11:53,926 --> 00:11:55,011
on bikes and what not.
210
00:11:55,035 --> 00:11:57,266
- Probably about a year after
I started skating, I went
211
00:11:57,290 --> 00:12:00,390
to the skate park and saw,
I saw people flying out of
212
00:12:00,414 --> 00:12:04,797
swimming pools and that
was the moment for me.
213
00:12:04,821 --> 00:12:07,056
That was when I knew I was
going to do everything I could
214
00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,789
to figure out how to do that.
215
00:12:09,813 --> 00:12:10,813
How to fly.
216
00:12:14,514 --> 00:12:16,294
- I always just had a board
lying around but then I got
217
00:12:16,318 --> 00:12:19,440
into BMX bikes and all that kind of thing.
218
00:12:19,464 --> 00:12:21,722
I went off to New York and
I couldn't bring my bikes,
219
00:12:21,746 --> 00:12:23,163
had my skateboard.
220
00:12:23,187 --> 00:12:25,396
Saw guys skating in Madison
Square Gardens and stuff
221
00:12:25,420 --> 00:12:28,280
and oddly enough onto
walls about that high.
222
00:12:28,304 --> 00:12:30,725
And that's 1985 or something
like that and I was like,
223
00:12:30,749 --> 00:12:34,879
fuck the bike and away I
go you know?
224
00:12:34,903 --> 00:12:39,614
- I really started skateboarding
when I was quite young,
225
00:12:39,638 --> 00:12:43,124
probably six, seven or eight,
just on plastic '70s boards,
226
00:12:43,148 --> 00:12:46,125
what were called poly
props, polypropylene boards.
227
00:12:46,149 --> 00:12:48,929
And I, one of my first
bikes was real American
228
00:12:48,953 --> 00:12:51,158
kind of Schwinn stingray bike.
229
00:12:51,182 --> 00:12:54,932
Long saddle, big V bars
and I used to swap it
230
00:12:55,997 --> 00:12:58,857
with a friend of mine for
a go with his skateboard.
231
00:12:58,881 --> 00:13:00,342
And we'd just got around
the state jumping off
232
00:13:00,366 --> 00:13:01,867
curbs and stuff.
233
00:13:01,891 --> 00:13:04,186
- Ahh, first board was
literally little bit bigger than
234
00:13:04,210 --> 00:13:08,699
a two by four and with a
roller skate hack sawed in two.
235
00:13:08,723 --> 00:13:11,772
I spotted this roller skate
in my neighbor's back yard
236
00:13:11,796 --> 00:13:13,803
and there was some girls living
beside me and it was just
237
00:13:13,827 --> 00:13:16,284
getting rusted so I decided
to jump the wall one day
238
00:13:16,308 --> 00:13:18,024
and hit a hack saw to it.
239
00:13:18,048 --> 00:13:19,752
And just nailed it to the
front of the board, the back
240
00:13:19,776 --> 00:13:23,031
of the board and just started
bombing hills near my house.
241
00:13:23,055 --> 00:13:25,621
- Christmas 1985, I got my own board.
242
00:13:25,645 --> 00:13:28,312
So that was a toy shop purchase.
243
00:13:29,634 --> 00:13:32,881
We had no idea there was any
difference between a board
244
00:13:32,905 --> 00:13:35,284
purchased from a toy shop
and a board purchased from
245
00:13:35,308 --> 00:13:36,391
a skate shop.
246
00:13:37,420 --> 00:13:39,876
- Heidi Kelly had a sport
shop in Sewardson, he got in
247
00:13:39,900 --> 00:13:42,503
these big fat new looking skateboards.
248
00:13:42,527 --> 00:13:44,572
They were the business so I
bought one, started skating
249
00:13:44,596 --> 00:13:48,262
and eventually found out
about Clive up in Hill Street.
250
00:13:48,286 --> 00:13:51,522
Popped in there and realized
what I was skating was shit.
251
00:13:51,546 --> 00:13:55,949
And I got a flex board off of
Clive and I pretty much spent
252
00:13:55,973 --> 00:13:57,622
every single day at his place.
253
00:13:57,646 --> 00:13:59,823
In the shop, skating his
ramps and that's where it all
254
00:13:59,847 --> 00:14:01,215
kind of started you know?
255
00:14:01,239 --> 00:14:05,165
- My brother Clive had a
bicycle shop in Hill Street
256
00:14:05,189 --> 00:14:08,856
and he used to sell BMX
and stuff like that.
257
00:14:12,595 --> 00:14:14,668
So we used to race BMX's.
258
00:14:14,692 --> 00:14:18,192
- Started back in 1978, up in Hill Street.
259
00:14:20,588 --> 00:14:23,636
At the time I was doing
a bit of BMX stuff.
260
00:14:23,660 --> 00:14:25,491
I was probably one of the
only shops you could actually
261
00:14:25,515 --> 00:14:28,062
buy anything decent if you're into BMX.
262
00:14:28,086 --> 00:14:31,537
And skateboarding had been
around prior to that but it
263
00:14:31,561 --> 00:14:34,817
had become forgotten about, actually.
264
00:14:34,841 --> 00:14:37,686
It was sort of, it was starting
reappear in some of the
265
00:14:37,710 --> 00:14:40,610
magazines, mostly BMX magazines
you'd see the odd picture
266
00:14:40,634 --> 00:14:41,963
of a skateboard.
267
00:14:41,987 --> 00:14:44,519
But skateboards since we'd
last seen them had changed.
268
00:14:44,543 --> 00:14:47,992
- There was a magazine at the
time called Raz and that was
269
00:14:48,016 --> 00:14:51,277
a mag coming out of London
and if you could get that.
270
00:14:51,301 --> 00:14:55,668
You could get that in Esses'
but I remember the first issue
271
00:14:55,692 --> 00:15:00,302
I got it had a part of
the magazine would have
272
00:15:00,326 --> 00:15:02,088
like a mail order things.
273
00:15:02,112 --> 00:15:04,273
So this was before the internet.
274
00:15:04,297 --> 00:15:07,522
So there'd be all these
pages where I would list all
275
00:15:07,546 --> 00:15:10,518
the new boards that they had
and all the runners they had,
276
00:15:10,542 --> 00:15:11,683
and the wheels and stuff.
277
00:15:11,707 --> 00:15:13,885
And Clive's, had a tiny little ad in that.
278
00:15:13,909 --> 00:15:18,118
I remember cutting the ad
out and cello-taping that
279
00:15:18,142 --> 00:15:21,322
to the bottom of my board
just because I couldn't
280
00:15:21,346 --> 00:15:23,229
afford any skate stickers
and I remember thinking
281
00:15:23,253 --> 00:15:25,410
this makes me part of the gang.
282
00:15:25,434 --> 00:15:28,166
I've got a Clive sticker.
283
00:15:28,190 --> 00:15:29,993
- So one of the lads got a
board and another one of us
284
00:15:30,017 --> 00:15:32,115
got a board so then I'd say
from the kind of mid-'80s
285
00:15:32,139 --> 00:15:34,693
onwards was skating proper.
286
00:15:34,717 --> 00:15:36,851
And that was kind of where
Clive's came in and all that.
287
00:15:36,875 --> 00:15:40,278
- In Dublin, it was very
much, it was a minority thing.
288
00:15:40,302 --> 00:15:41,802
It was definitely a sub-culture.
289
00:15:41,826 --> 00:15:45,112
And I think if you saw
someone in town who had like
290
00:15:45,136 --> 00:15:48,078
ollie marks on the side of
their shoes or who was wearing
291
00:15:48,102 --> 00:15:51,635
a Santa Cruz t-shirt or
something you would kind of give
292
00:15:51,659 --> 00:15:53,523
them a nod or just chat to them.
293
00:15:53,547 --> 00:15:55,452
- Back then, you might as
well have been a leper.
294
00:15:55,476 --> 00:15:57,811
I mean the looks you got and
people would go out of their
295
00:15:57,835 --> 00:15:58,881
way to have a go out you.
296
00:15:58,905 --> 00:16:01,954
Either physically or verbally,
like you'd see them out,
297
00:16:01,978 --> 00:16:03,392
what you doing skateboarding?
298
00:16:03,416 --> 00:16:04,833
You know, that's for kids.
299
00:16:04,857 --> 00:16:06,759
Or you know even, I remember
skating through town with
300
00:16:06,783 --> 00:16:10,785
Johno and Peace and all
the crew and guys be coming
301
00:16:10,809 --> 00:16:12,991
trying to give you the elbow on the path.
302
00:16:13,015 --> 00:16:15,835
Or going out in the road or
trying to literally knock you
303
00:16:15,859 --> 00:16:16,909
off your board.
304
00:16:16,933 --> 00:16:18,593
It was like being an alien
or something in Dublin.
305
00:16:18,617 --> 00:16:20,978
You could
skate down the street
306
00:16:21,002 --> 00:16:24,236
and they would be like,
oh bloody skateboarders.
307
00:16:24,260 --> 00:16:26,154
- Then the security guards
would come out and hassle us,
308
00:16:26,178 --> 00:16:28,247
there was always the security
guards after a certain
309
00:16:28,271 --> 00:16:29,521
amount of time.
310
00:16:32,170 --> 00:16:33,617
- Not even on Good Friday?
311
00:16:33,641 --> 00:16:34,650
- It doesn't matter.
312
00:16:47,353 --> 00:16:49,819
- Okay, literally one minute
and we're out of here.
313
00:16:49,843 --> 00:16:52,426
Guards are here in two minutes.
314
00:16:53,938 --> 00:16:56,487
- In the '80s and in the
early '90s it was kind of
315
00:16:56,511 --> 00:16:57,423
looked down on.
316
00:16:57,447 --> 00:16:59,544
But it just was, it was a
core group of lads that were
317
00:16:59,568 --> 00:17:01,037
hitting it up.
318
00:17:01,061 --> 00:17:02,744
- And once in a while the
cops would come chase you out
319
00:17:02,768 --> 00:17:04,883
but they didn't, they'd tell
you to leave it wasn't like
320
00:17:04,907 --> 00:17:06,639
they were going to haul you
in or whatever, unless you
321
00:17:06,663 --> 00:17:09,420
maybe were damaging something
but we were just skating.
322
00:17:09,444 --> 00:17:10,963
That's the thing about
skateboarding, you were just having
323
00:17:10,987 --> 00:17:13,473
a good time and isn't that
what you're supposed to do
324
00:17:13,497 --> 00:17:14,391
when you are a kid?
325
00:17:14,415 --> 00:17:15,991
You know, like, that's what
you do when you're a kid
326
00:17:16,015 --> 00:17:18,389
have a blast and that's
what it is, it's a blast.
327
00:17:18,413 --> 00:17:20,218
- Kind of draws a different kind of head.
328
00:17:20,242 --> 00:17:23,670
Most of the lads weren't
really into to team sports
329
00:17:23,694 --> 00:17:26,909
or whatever and just more
attracted to things like skating,
330
00:17:26,933 --> 00:17:29,671
biking, blading, whatever you know?
331
00:17:29,695 --> 00:17:32,388
So, I don't know, they're
the sort of people I like
332
00:17:32,412 --> 00:17:34,224
hanging out with.
333
00:17:34,248 --> 00:17:37,421
Just doing something a little
bit different from the norm.
334
00:17:37,445 --> 00:17:39,021
- I think that we're
just afraid of things,
335
00:17:39,045 --> 00:17:43,398
something different, it's
like people like to be safe in
336
00:17:43,422 --> 00:17:45,503
their heads and if they
see something new they're,
337
00:17:45,527 --> 00:17:47,514
get rid of him.
338
00:17:47,538 --> 00:17:50,835
I don't know, it's weird.
339
00:17:50,859 --> 00:17:53,044
- Young lads are into football.
340
00:17:53,068 --> 00:17:54,463
Not everybody's into football.
341
00:17:54,487 --> 00:17:56,391
And generally you find
people who like skateboarding
342
00:17:56,415 --> 00:17:57,902
hate football.
343
00:17:57,926 --> 00:18:00,788
- I think a lot of, there's
a lot of similar sort of
344
00:18:00,812 --> 00:18:04,425
a trait, if you like, in skating
in that from my experience
345
00:18:04,449 --> 00:18:06,675
most of the people who are
into it aren't really the team
346
00:18:06,699 --> 00:18:08,417
sports type people.
347
00:18:08,441 --> 00:18:11,789
I went to a Christian Brother
school, it was gah, it was
348
00:18:11,813 --> 00:18:13,820
hurlin, it just didn't really
hold any appeal for me.
349
00:18:13,844 --> 00:18:16,639
So, where other lads would
be off training and playing
350
00:18:16,663 --> 00:18:18,603
matches and that, it was something to do.
351
00:18:18,627 --> 00:18:19,655
Simple as that.
352
00:18:19,679 --> 00:18:22,561
And as soon as there was a place
where people could at least
353
00:18:22,585 --> 00:18:25,786
meet, which was Clive's, and
then from there go off on
354
00:18:25,810 --> 00:18:27,293
a mission where you got to.
355
00:18:27,317 --> 00:18:28,907
But as soon there was some
sort of a central place
356
00:18:28,931 --> 00:18:31,599
that meant it was something
kind of permanent rather
357
00:18:31,623 --> 00:18:34,176
than just this transitory,
temporary thing.
358
00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:37,885
- When I started skating, I
did it at a time when it was
359
00:18:37,909 --> 00:18:39,659
deemed really uncool.
360
00:18:41,305 --> 00:18:43,465
It had come and gone.
361
00:18:43,489 --> 00:18:45,507
So, basically since I was
still skating, it was like,
362
00:18:45,531 --> 00:18:47,096
you're still playing with that thing?
363
00:18:47,120 --> 00:18:47,997
Are you serious?
364
00:18:48,021 --> 00:18:51,044
It'd be like, you still do yo-yo's?
365
00:18:51,068 --> 00:18:55,235
And so, I didn't care so much
what my schoolmates thought
366
00:18:56,533 --> 00:18:59,013
because I already knew that
I loved it so much that
367
00:18:59,037 --> 00:19:00,943
wasn't going to affect me.
368
00:19:00,967 --> 00:19:04,670
And I played baseball and I
played basketball and I did okay
369
00:19:04,694 --> 00:19:07,154
but it wasn't something
that I kept improving at.
370
00:19:07,178 --> 00:19:09,010
- The reason why I got into
skateboarding was when I was
371
00:19:09,034 --> 00:19:11,981
really young in I think,
first or second grade, we had
372
00:19:12,005 --> 00:19:14,465
show and tell on Friday at school.
373
00:19:14,489 --> 00:19:16,669
And my mom had bought me
this little roller derby
374
00:19:16,693 --> 00:19:19,517
skateboard, a little mustang,
and I took it with me to
375
00:19:19,541 --> 00:19:22,201
show and tell and the teacher was bummed.
376
00:19:22,225 --> 00:19:25,800
It caused sort of a
disturbance in the class.
377
00:19:25,824 --> 00:19:28,280
Everyone wanted to try it and
the teacher was all scared.
378
00:19:28,304 --> 00:19:31,981
And she told me to never bring
it back again, don't ever
379
00:19:32,005 --> 00:19:32,834
bring it back in.
380
00:19:32,858 --> 00:19:34,597
And ever since then it just sort of stuck.
381
00:19:34,621 --> 00:19:35,616
Maybe that was what was cool about it.
382
00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,337
When I saw everybody else
really wish that they would have
383
00:19:38,361 --> 00:19:40,640
brought that to show and
tell something spoke to me
384
00:19:40,664 --> 00:19:43,016
and like wow, it was pretty cool.
385
00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:46,684
That's how it started for me
and then I've gone on and off.
386
00:19:46,708 --> 00:19:49,699
Once I got my driver's
license I stopped skating
387
00:19:49,723 --> 00:19:50,533
for a little while.
388
00:19:50,557 --> 00:19:52,229
That always happens, girls and cars.
389
00:19:52,253 --> 00:19:54,278
And then I got back into it after college.
390
00:19:54,302 --> 00:19:56,078
- When I went skating,
every time I went skating,
391
00:19:56,102 --> 00:19:57,203
I learned something new.
392
00:19:57,227 --> 00:19:59,846
Even if it was just some minor technique.
393
00:19:59,870 --> 00:20:03,037
And I found this community
of people at the skate park
394
00:20:03,061 --> 00:20:07,048
that were very like minded
but also had the same attitude
395
00:20:07,072 --> 00:20:09,596
like fuck those guys, who
cares what they think.
396
00:20:09,620 --> 00:20:10,716
We love this.
397
00:20:10,740 --> 00:20:12,245
And I really enjoyed that.
398
00:20:12,269 --> 00:20:16,616
And I loved that we had this
community we're sharing ideas,
399
00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:21,075
we're trying to figure out
how to do new things together.
400
00:20:21,099 --> 00:20:23,885
Skating was so experimental then.
401
00:20:23,909 --> 00:20:27,987
Anything went, whatever you
could figure out that was new,
402
00:20:28,011 --> 00:20:29,600
it was like, oh, there's a new thing.
403
00:20:29,624 --> 00:20:30,491
You'd get to name it.
404
00:20:30,515 --> 00:20:33,417
Maybe someone took a picture of it.
405
00:20:33,441 --> 00:20:34,808
I think skating is hugely creative.
406
00:20:34,832 --> 00:20:37,165
It is very much an art form.
407
00:20:38,660 --> 00:20:40,132
- I think it's a real,
sort of, physical art.
408
00:20:40,156 --> 00:20:43,400
When you look at some of the
pictures of Hasoi or Hawk
409
00:20:43,424 --> 00:20:45,323
coming out of the ramps and you see them.
410
00:20:45,347 --> 00:20:47,031
It's like a work of art.
411
00:20:47,055 --> 00:20:51,222
It's like sculpture for a
minute and then it's gone.
412
00:20:52,768 --> 00:20:55,715
- In our day, the only way
you could judge anyone's
413
00:20:55,739 --> 00:20:59,706
prowess was through
competition so that became the
414
00:20:59,730 --> 00:21:01,087
sporting aspect of it.
415
00:21:01,111 --> 00:21:04,386
Though sometimes those
worlds clash where people say
416
00:21:04,410 --> 00:21:05,258
it's not a sport.
417
00:21:05,282 --> 00:21:08,531
Well, we compete in it, it's
active, so yeah it's a sport.
418
00:21:08,555 --> 00:21:11,175
- You could get a rule book.
419
00:21:11,199 --> 00:21:14,199
This is the rule book and
this is just a supplement.
420
00:21:14,223 --> 00:21:16,665
It says interim rule book,
official rule book will be
421
00:21:16,689 --> 00:21:18,734
published in '66.
422
00:21:18,758 --> 00:21:22,065
And this just tells you,
this is the rules right here.
423
00:21:22,089 --> 00:21:23,842
This entire content of the
rule book remains the property
424
00:21:23,866 --> 00:21:26,116
of the National Skateboarding
Championships and no portion
425
00:21:26,140 --> 00:21:28,958
of this rules may be reproduced
without written permission.
426
00:21:28,982 --> 00:21:30,065
They're done.
427
00:21:31,078 --> 00:21:33,663
These are discount coupons
but here's flatland, slalom.
428
00:21:33,687 --> 00:21:35,125
These are the different
types of competitions.
429
00:21:35,149 --> 00:21:36,406
Downhill slalom.
430
00:21:36,430 --> 00:21:38,512
It tells you how to set up the course.
431
00:21:38,536 --> 00:21:40,713
It talks about, two seconds
from the first marker,
432
00:21:40,737 --> 00:21:42,575
knocks over, all the rules.
433
00:21:42,599 --> 00:21:46,199
Trick riding, kick turn
rates, total points scoring.
434
00:21:46,223 --> 00:21:47,223
Hints.
435
00:21:48,576 --> 00:21:50,610
So this was sort of what was
going on in '65, which was
436
00:21:50,634 --> 00:21:52,462
the year I was born.
437
00:21:52,486 --> 00:21:54,675
So skateboarding, my
parents weren't into it
438
00:21:54,699 --> 00:21:59,384
when I was born, I think
they were into school.
439
00:21:59,408 --> 00:22:03,890
- Clive was always well into
the BMX thing and for me it
440
00:22:03,914 --> 00:22:06,367
was the bike shop first
and gradually you started
441
00:22:06,391 --> 00:22:07,752
getting skateboards in.
442
00:22:07,776 --> 00:22:11,031
So I would have been aware
of Hill Street from very,
443
00:22:11,055 --> 00:22:13,795
probably from when I was 11 or 12 maybe.
444
00:22:13,819 --> 00:22:16,207
- There's a thing in my
family where basically we,
445
00:22:16,231 --> 00:22:20,721
there's seven boys in my
family and we always loved
446
00:22:20,745 --> 00:22:22,956
things with wheels on them actually.
447
00:22:22,980 --> 00:22:24,690
And that kind of came from
my grandmother who was into
448
00:22:24,714 --> 00:22:26,877
motorbikes and then my
dad was into motorbikes.
449
00:22:26,901 --> 00:22:30,281
And our whole family would
be, well, out of the seven
450
00:22:30,305 --> 00:22:32,447
brothers, six of us would be into bikes.
451
00:22:32,471 --> 00:22:35,023
A few of us have raced
bikes and stuff like that.
452
00:22:35,047 --> 00:22:36,959
So we were always in, as kids
growing up, we were always
453
00:22:36,983 --> 00:22:40,411
into making things with wheels
go-karts, scooters, whatever.
454
00:22:40,435 --> 00:22:44,928
And because my dad sold
bicycles and we would have had
455
00:22:44,952 --> 00:22:47,078
lots to work with, lots
of bits and pieces.
456
00:22:47,102 --> 00:22:49,280
So, I would say that's where Clive's thing
457
00:22:49,304 --> 00:22:51,853
with skateboarding came.
458
00:22:51,877 --> 00:22:54,864
- Well, they kind of went hand in hand.
459
00:22:54,888 --> 00:22:59,055
Anyone who is into BMX riding
has a certain attitude.
460
00:23:00,726 --> 00:23:02,029
There's a bit of risk in the sport.
461
00:23:02,053 --> 00:23:04,254
It's an individual sport as well.
462
00:23:04,278 --> 00:23:06,601
You can put your own mark on what you do.
463
00:23:06,625 --> 00:23:08,966
Skateboarding's the very same.
464
00:23:08,990 --> 00:23:10,744
And I suppose it was just
a natural progression.
465
00:23:10,768 --> 00:23:13,436
- The BMX magazine that started
showing one or two pictures,
466
00:23:13,460 --> 00:23:17,062
started showing towards the
end, it was one or two pictures
467
00:23:17,086 --> 00:23:19,441
pictures of BMX bikes and
the rest of the magazine
468
00:23:19,465 --> 00:23:20,913
became skateboarding.
469
00:23:20,937 --> 00:23:23,818
You could see the pickup,
the interest in it.
470
00:23:23,842 --> 00:23:27,617
- Skating was coming up, a
bike shop would carry a few
471
00:23:27,641 --> 00:23:29,936
boards naturally and so
on because it's kind of,
472
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:30,960
it all fits.
473
00:23:32,028 --> 00:23:33,901
And then ultimately skating
really took off so the bikes
474
00:23:33,925 --> 00:23:35,403
went out the back door.
475
00:23:35,427 --> 00:23:37,426
Boards came straight in the front.
476
00:23:37,450 --> 00:23:40,128
- I'd always had an interest
in skateboarding so it was
477
00:23:40,152 --> 00:23:43,831
a natural progression to
keep the skate shop going.
478
00:23:43,855 --> 00:23:45,066
And I enjoyed myself.
479
00:23:45,090 --> 00:23:47,287
I loved coming in to
work on a Monday morning.
480
00:23:47,311 --> 00:23:50,757
- Well, definitely the skate
shops in the urban areas
481
00:23:50,781 --> 00:23:53,184
are the places where everyone
congregates and that's where
482
00:23:53,208 --> 00:23:57,702
all the new, all the new
ideas and all the new videos
483
00:23:57,726 --> 00:24:00,474
and everything and the news is shared.
484
00:24:00,498 --> 00:24:03,153
And so I think it's, yeah, I
think it's hugely important.
485
00:24:03,177 --> 00:24:06,446
I mean, obviously, it's hard
to keep a brick and mortar
486
00:24:06,470 --> 00:24:08,872
place going these days with
the advent of the internet
487
00:24:08,896 --> 00:24:10,834
and everything accessible elsewhere.
488
00:24:10,858 --> 00:24:14,542
But it's definitely a great
place to collect ideas
489
00:24:14,566 --> 00:24:17,710
and usually the skate
shops are the ones that are
490
00:24:17,734 --> 00:24:19,331
growing the scene.
491
00:24:19,355 --> 00:24:20,821
- We watched the videos up at Clive's.
492
00:24:20,845 --> 00:24:23,045
We'd sit there for an hour or
two and then we'd all go out
493
00:24:23,069 --> 00:24:25,575
and try to recreate it ourselves.
494
00:24:25,599 --> 00:24:28,707
Which didn't really happen too
well but we tried.
495
00:24:28,731 --> 00:24:30,956
- Usually the skate shops
are the ones that are holding
496
00:24:30,980 --> 00:24:34,798
the events, they're sponsoring
the events that are putting
497
00:24:34,822 --> 00:24:39,016
talented skaters on people's
radar outside of their area.
498
00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:40,724
And so, I think they're hugely important.
499
00:24:40,748 --> 00:24:42,635
- This lad on my road, I
can't remember his name,
500
00:24:42,659 --> 00:24:46,504
but he was the first person
I met who had a pro board.
501
00:24:46,528 --> 00:24:49,766
So I remember kind of
around that time asking him
502
00:24:49,790 --> 00:24:51,425
where he got it and that's
when he mentioned about
503
00:24:51,449 --> 00:24:54,916
Clive's little skate
shop down in Hill Street.
504
00:24:54,940 --> 00:24:59,107
- I mean I can clearly remember
as I got closer to Clive's
505
00:25:00,516 --> 00:25:04,683
I could hear this very
distinctive clack of skateboards.
506
00:25:05,719 --> 00:25:07,844
And I didn't really know
what to expect I just knew
507
00:25:07,868 --> 00:25:09,559
that there was a skate shop there.
508
00:25:09,583 --> 00:25:12,571
Kind of turned the corner
at the top of Hill Street
509
00:25:12,595 --> 00:25:17,021
to see this fairly substantial
shop covered in graffiti
510
00:25:17,045 --> 00:25:21,328
and dozens of skateboarders
just rolling around out
511
00:25:21,352 --> 00:25:23,689
the front of the shop.
512
00:26:05,404 --> 00:26:07,086
- I felt at home, I felt
freaked out first of all,
513
00:26:07,110 --> 00:26:09,128
because there was lads there
who kind of knew what they
514
00:26:09,152 --> 00:26:10,478
what they were talking
about and I had only ever
515
00:26:10,502 --> 00:26:12,504
seen stuff in magazines.
516
00:26:12,528 --> 00:26:14,481
And Clive being Clive, with
a smoke hanging out go up
517
00:26:14,505 --> 00:26:15,588
and his ways.
518
00:26:17,412 --> 00:26:19,049
But, yeah, that didn't last too long.
519
00:26:19,073 --> 00:26:22,773
Second or third time in there
and you felt like it was home.
520
00:26:29,522 --> 00:26:31,651
- You all have a nice day now, you here?
521
00:26:31,675 --> 00:26:34,854
And you all come back again real soon.
522
00:26:34,878 --> 00:26:36,951
- It was amazing scene to
get into when it really
523
00:26:36,975 --> 00:26:38,130
started kicking off.
524
00:26:38,154 --> 00:26:40,107
And everyone used to meet up
there and they started putting
525
00:26:40,131 --> 00:26:41,780
ramps out the front.
526
00:26:41,804 --> 00:26:45,045
It was just, it was like
a biker gang or something.
527
00:26:45,069 --> 00:26:49,236
- Size wise and by today's
standards, it was a small place.
528
00:26:50,266 --> 00:26:52,768
It was small but when
you're a kid and you walk in
529
00:26:52,792 --> 00:26:55,128
and all you see is just wall
to wall skateboards, it's like
530
00:26:55,152 --> 00:26:56,568
it's like Aladdin's cave.
531
00:26:56,592 --> 00:26:58,470
It just seems huge.
532
00:26:58,494 --> 00:27:01,185
- Going into the shop then, I
mean, that was an experience
533
00:27:01,209 --> 00:27:06,060
in itself because there was
the vaguely intimidating factor
534
00:27:06,084 --> 00:27:08,403
of actually getting to the
place and then to kind of
535
00:27:08,427 --> 00:27:11,590
walk into this shop that just seemed to be
536
00:27:11,614 --> 00:27:13,364
full of crazy people.
537
00:27:17,904 --> 00:27:20,212
- And the shop was kind of
a focal point because it was
538
00:27:20,236 --> 00:27:23,494
the only shop that stocked
anything like that.
539
00:27:23,518 --> 00:27:26,116
- I think the first time I
went in there, I'd heard about
540
00:27:26,140 --> 00:27:28,315
Clive's for years and years,
but obviously I was only
541
00:27:28,339 --> 00:27:31,423
an eight or nine year old
kid so I couldn't really be
542
00:27:31,447 --> 00:27:33,657
jumping on a bus into town.
543
00:27:33,681 --> 00:27:36,189
But I used to just hear about
it though the older lads
544
00:27:36,213 --> 00:27:39,826
in our area of skaters and I
think one of the first times
545
00:27:39,850 --> 00:27:42,818
I went in there was with
my confirmation money.
546
00:27:42,842 --> 00:27:44,970
- I mean, I had no idea
who was working there.
547
00:27:44,994 --> 00:27:49,194
I had no idea what I was
meant to ask for and I was
548
00:27:49,218 --> 00:27:52,630
really aware of my cheap
supermarket skateboard
549
00:27:52,654 --> 00:27:53,800
under my arm.
550
00:27:53,824 --> 00:27:56,087
It became fairly obvious
who was working there when
551
00:27:56,111 --> 00:28:00,041
Clive came out of the back
room and there's this fairly
552
00:28:00,065 --> 00:28:03,751
big guy, leather jacket, he
kind of walks out, starts
553
00:28:03,775 --> 00:28:06,203
cursing at everyone and
yelling at everyone to get
554
00:28:06,227 --> 00:28:08,791
the hell out of the shop, go
out and skate, clear the place
555
00:28:08,815 --> 00:28:10,864
so he can do a bit of work.
556
00:28:10,888 --> 00:28:12,596
- Clive's the man really,
you know what I mean, really
557
00:28:12,620 --> 00:28:15,169
he's like, I don't know he's
kind of like the surrogate
558
00:28:15,193 --> 00:28:17,587
dad to a lot of the fuckin
dysfunctional fuckers that
559
00:28:17,611 --> 00:28:20,201
were around at the time.
560
00:28:20,225 --> 00:28:23,363
- And in first place, I just
want to say at this stage,
561
00:28:23,387 --> 00:28:27,137
I did not judge, I had
nothing to do with it.
562
00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:32,597
Peter Rowen!
563
00:28:33,579 --> 00:28:35,814
- It wasn't like it was a
certain group of skateboarders
564
00:28:35,838 --> 00:28:37,095
in the country who went there.
565
00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:39,380
Every skateboarder in
the country went there.
566
00:28:39,404 --> 00:28:40,993
Because that was the only real shop.
567
00:28:41,017 --> 00:28:42,524
Everyone just went there.
568
00:28:42,548 --> 00:28:43,665
And I think it was cool.
569
00:28:43,689 --> 00:28:46,520
It seemed to be like there
was definitely a good sense
570
00:28:46,544 --> 00:28:50,415
of community there and it
was just really exciting.
571
00:28:50,439 --> 00:28:53,040
The place, as I'm sure people have said,
572
00:28:53,064 --> 00:28:54,884
it was a rough spot.
573
00:28:54,908 --> 00:28:57,813
And I remember going there, the
first few times I went there
574
00:28:57,837 --> 00:29:00,160
on my own, just getting lost
and ending up getting chased
575
00:29:00,184 --> 00:29:01,334
out of the flats.
576
00:29:01,358 --> 00:29:03,887
And just, you constantly see
people running into the shop
577
00:29:03,911 --> 00:29:06,905
who would have been chased
in by heads outside trying
578
00:29:06,929 --> 00:29:08,634
to start with them.
579
00:29:08,658 --> 00:29:12,111
- I was slap bang in the middle
between two blocks of flats.
580
00:29:12,135 --> 00:29:14,160
There was Hill Street on
one side and Hardwick Street
581
00:29:14,184 --> 00:29:15,700
on the other.
582
00:29:15,724 --> 00:29:19,384
And it would have been
a hard neighborhood.
583
00:29:19,408 --> 00:29:21,481
I mean back then it was pretty basic.
584
00:29:21,505 --> 00:29:22,788
We didn't have much money, any of us.
585
00:29:22,812 --> 00:29:24,636
Pretty rough.
586
00:29:24,660 --> 00:29:26,915
A lot of rough heads around
Hill Street from the flats
587
00:29:26,939 --> 00:29:29,530
and pretty much most days you get hassled.
588
00:29:29,554 --> 00:29:32,645
I remember one guy, the
guy across from Clive,
589
00:29:32,669 --> 00:29:35,124
he thought he was American,
he had all the VA,
590
00:29:35,148 --> 00:29:36,980
he looked like Clint Eastwood or something
591
00:29:37,004 --> 00:29:38,593
or at least he thought he was.
592
00:29:38,617 --> 00:29:40,807
He used to have all the VA
cars, they were pretty cool.
593
00:29:40,831 --> 00:29:42,734
Up at CLive's we'd be watching
him every day and he'd go
594
00:29:42,758 --> 00:29:43,987
up and down the horse.
595
00:29:44,011 --> 00:29:46,352
But he'd always, he particularly
didn't like me or Johno
596
00:29:46,376 --> 00:29:47,954
so he was always having a go at me.
597
00:29:47,978 --> 00:29:50,264
And I just used to stand
there laughing and Johno'd be
598
00:29:50,288 --> 00:29:51,098
laughing at him.
599
00:29:51,122 --> 00:29:53,520
And he'd come up and give
shakes but he never hit us.
600
00:29:53,544 --> 00:29:56,021
But I think after a
while he grew to like us.
601
00:29:56,045 --> 00:29:57,082
Same with the guys in the flats.
602
00:29:57,106 --> 00:29:59,360
But it was hard, Dublin
was very hard then.
603
00:29:59,384 --> 00:30:02,807
It wasn't, there was no
flash cars or money around
604
00:30:02,831 --> 00:30:04,331
like there is now.
605
00:30:05,610 --> 00:30:07,574
- It's part of an older part of Dublin.
606
00:30:07,598 --> 00:30:09,831
It was mostly just the local
kids from the flats would
607
00:30:09,855 --> 00:30:12,492
always give the skaters hassle.
608
00:30:12,516 --> 00:30:14,696
- And I know they have horror
stories where you go to
609
00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:18,275
Ireland and Irish are gonna
bash you in and what have you.
610
00:30:18,299 --> 00:30:21,146
And I heard things of Hill
Street and what have you where
611
00:30:21,170 --> 00:30:24,607
kids have been robbed and what
have you and I, I was just
612
00:30:24,631 --> 00:30:26,300
a young nipper at the time as well.
613
00:30:26,324 --> 00:30:28,754
So I was like, ohh, is
it going to be alright
614
00:30:28,778 --> 00:30:30,815
or is it going to be sketchy?
615
00:30:30,839 --> 00:30:32,256
- Bleak for sure.
616
00:30:33,383 --> 00:30:34,985
And even the setting of
Clive's, where it was,
617
00:30:35,009 --> 00:30:39,540
like Hill Street off the back
of the garden, remembrance
618
00:30:39,564 --> 00:30:40,706
kind of Belvedere direction.
619
00:30:40,730 --> 00:30:43,616
It was just, it was a kip,
it really was and I remember
620
00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:45,954
even the first couple of
times, I used to cycle in
621
00:30:45,978 --> 00:30:48,291
and it is the old thing
of you'd be coming around
622
00:30:48,315 --> 00:30:50,029
the corner, you'd be pulling
your socks up kind of thing.
623
00:30:50,053 --> 00:30:52,886
Head down, don't make eye contact.
624
00:30:54,098 --> 00:30:56,202
It was a rough gaffe,
there's no two ways about it.
625
00:30:56,226 --> 00:30:58,592
- Hill Street probably wasn't
the best of all areas for
626
00:30:58,616 --> 00:31:00,904
skateboarders to be skating in.
627
00:31:00,928 --> 00:31:03,228
You know, you'd arrive with a
new board and then you might
628
00:31:03,252 --> 00:31:05,943
get your new board robbed
from a few of the locals.
629
00:31:05,967 --> 00:31:09,176
That was always a bit of a
task getting up to Hill Street,
630
00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:10,997
especially if you're a small kid.
631
00:31:11,021 --> 00:31:14,289
I was probably 11, so
wandering off to Hill Street
632
00:31:14,313 --> 00:31:17,347
when you're 11 years old,
100 pounds in your pocket,
633
00:31:17,371 --> 00:31:19,225
trying to get a new board and hope to god
634
00:31:19,249 --> 00:31:21,036
you didn't get robbed.
635
00:31:21,060 --> 00:31:22,949
- It's not a street you'd
go up to with your wallet
636
00:31:22,973 --> 00:31:23,905
in your pocket.
637
00:31:23,929 --> 00:31:27,511
If you had money maybe
put it in your sock.
638
00:31:28,822 --> 00:31:32,694
We'd have lots of run ins
with the locals and they,
639
00:31:32,718 --> 00:31:36,115
there was always, like maybe
for a month it might be cool
640
00:31:36,139 --> 00:31:38,190
and then something would kick it off.
641
00:31:38,214 --> 00:31:39,563
Some argument or something.
642
00:31:39,587 --> 00:31:43,300
We've had bricks thrown at us
and running after us with iron
643
00:31:43,324 --> 00:31:47,491
bars and mad face offs with
extremely aggressive locals.
644
00:31:49,388 --> 00:31:53,529
So yeah, it wasn't the
friendliest part of the city
645
00:31:53,553 --> 00:31:55,455
to be skating in.
646
00:31:55,479 --> 00:31:56,576
- And it was a bit mad alright.
647
00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:58,160
You didn't need a helmet
for falling off your board,
648
00:31:58,184 --> 00:32:00,362
you needed a helmet to dodge
the coal being thrown at you.
649
00:32:00,386 --> 00:32:04,926
It was lethal
up at Hill Street.
650
00:32:04,950 --> 00:32:07,687
I can remember one day Clive
having to do, half a dozen
651
00:32:07,711 --> 00:32:10,458
runs up to Temple Street hospital.
652
00:32:10,482 --> 00:32:12,694
Kids getting injured with these
gangs from around the corner
653
00:32:12,718 --> 00:32:14,181
throwing rocks and you name it at us.
654
00:32:14,205 --> 00:32:17,795
We were complete weirdos
as far as north inner city
655
00:32:17,819 --> 00:32:21,240
Dublin people saw us,
you know what I mean?
656
00:32:21,264 --> 00:32:23,759
- Some of the kids used to
have to come up Hill Street
657
00:32:23,783 --> 00:32:27,642
or Parnell Square and come
down Denmark Street to try
658
00:32:27,666 --> 00:32:32,256
and find the shop so occasionally
they were come running
659
00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:36,058
in through the door being
chased by a local mob.
660
00:32:36,082 --> 00:32:37,995
People got used to that.
661
00:32:38,019 --> 00:32:40,493
- Johno used to work at the
shop so he was probably one
662
00:32:40,517 --> 00:32:42,417
of the best skateboarders
in Ireland at that stage.
663
00:32:42,441 --> 00:32:44,479
So everyone knew Johno.
664
00:32:44,503 --> 00:32:47,304
Same with Pete Rowen, Clive's brother.
665
00:32:47,328 --> 00:32:49,246
And then a few of the other
heads that were so young
666
00:32:49,270 --> 00:32:51,796
at that time you probably
wouldn't be allowed to hang
667
00:32:51,820 --> 00:32:54,696
around with the older guys
like you're just one of
668
00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:56,118
their little kidla.
669
00:32:56,142 --> 00:32:58,315
- Johno used to work for
me years and years ago.
670
00:32:58,339 --> 00:33:01,191
He was a young kid at the time.
671
00:33:01,215 --> 00:33:03,775
And he was from the south side.
672
00:33:03,799 --> 00:33:06,945
But he used to get a bit of
stick from the locals and
673
00:33:06,969 --> 00:33:09,284
he got a bit of a name for himself.
674
00:33:09,308 --> 00:33:11,413
- You'd be trying to serve a
customer and the kids would
675
00:33:11,437 --> 00:33:12,928
be throwing cans in.
676
00:33:12,952 --> 00:33:17,565
Going down to the end of
the street one of the days,
677
00:33:17,589 --> 00:33:19,000
I basically grabbed one
of the kids and threw him
678
00:33:19,024 --> 00:33:19,967
out of the door.
679
00:33:19,991 --> 00:33:22,314
Next thing I know there's about
30, 40 lads with iron bars,
680
00:33:22,338 --> 00:33:25,507
like all fucking 14 year olds
or whatever come and chasing
681
00:33:25,531 --> 00:33:26,777
all the skaters.
682
00:33:26,801 --> 00:33:28,928
And there was more of us but
all of the skaters booked off
683
00:33:28,952 --> 00:33:30,764
down the road and there's
like me and two of my friends
684
00:33:30,788 --> 00:33:34,482
still here, defend
ourselves with skateboards.
685
00:33:34,506 --> 00:33:36,200
But it was pretty mad.
686
00:33:36,224 --> 00:33:38,414
- He took off and I said
to Johno you better go home
687
00:33:38,438 --> 00:33:41,586
early because this could be trouble.
688
00:33:41,610 --> 00:33:44,105
So Johno took off the rest
of the afternoon and about
689
00:33:44,129 --> 00:33:48,341
20 minutes later two men
in their, I would say 50s,
690
00:33:48,365 --> 00:33:49,671
walked into the shop.
691
00:33:49,695 --> 00:33:52,154
One had a hammer in his
hand and the other guy had a
692
00:33:52,178 --> 00:33:56,746
crowbar and they had
another kid in tow with them
693
00:33:56,770 --> 00:34:01,511
and they were saying is
that him, pointing at me.
694
00:34:01,535 --> 00:34:04,529
And fortunately the kid said,
no, no it was only a young lad
695
00:34:04,553 --> 00:34:06,130
I don't see him.
696
00:34:06,154 --> 00:34:09,146
And they inquired after
Johno and I said I've never
697
00:34:09,170 --> 00:34:10,465
seen him before.
698
00:34:10,489 --> 00:34:13,743
That's sort of a memory that sticks.
699
00:34:13,767 --> 00:34:17,399
Where I was almost killed.
700
00:34:17,423 --> 00:34:21,590
- Check out my feet, then go
to my board, then go to here.
701
00:34:28,709 --> 00:34:30,381
Hi can I help you?
702
00:34:30,405 --> 00:34:34,744
Johno was like, he was like
a sort of 16 year old version
703
00:34:34,768 --> 00:34:36,757
of Mike Tyson, you know?
704
00:34:36,781 --> 00:34:40,078
- Johno was good at dealing
with the security guards.
705
00:34:40,102 --> 00:34:41,102
- Oh no!
706
00:34:47,780 --> 00:34:49,006
- Would you guys get out of here please?
707
00:34:49,030 --> 00:34:50,656
Get out of here.
708
00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:52,855
You came close to crashing.
709
00:34:52,879 --> 00:34:54,303
- How the fuck did I almost hit him?
710
00:34:54,327 --> 00:34:58,788
Get your facts straight and
get back to your fucking car.
711
00:34:58,812 --> 00:35:01,837
- You get out of this area.
- No.
712
00:35:01,861 --> 00:35:03,256
What gives you the right to tell me?
713
00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:05,143
- Because I pay taxes.
714
00:35:05,167 --> 00:35:06,578
- So do I, so what?
715
00:35:06,602 --> 00:35:07,833
Big fucking deal.
716
00:35:07,857 --> 00:35:10,287
- You could cause an accident here.
717
00:35:10,311 --> 00:35:11,478
- Oh fuck off.
718
00:35:13,318 --> 00:35:17,485
- If you don't want, the
police will get you, okay?
719
00:35:18,569 --> 00:35:20,980
- I heard stories about
Clive keeping a big bat under
720
00:35:21,004 --> 00:35:23,214
the counter and I don't
whether that's true or not but
721
00:35:23,238 --> 00:35:26,894
that could've added to the mystery of it.
722
00:35:26,918 --> 00:35:28,865
And that was part of it as well.
723
00:35:28,889 --> 00:35:31,148
- I heard stories about
him with his baseball bat
724
00:35:31,172 --> 00:35:33,300
and stuff so I was like, I
wonder if this bloke's going
725
00:35:33,324 --> 00:35:35,740
to be like super gnarly but
he was like the friendliest
726
00:35:35,764 --> 00:35:37,295
down to earth bloke ever.
727
00:35:37,319 --> 00:35:41,486
- So I know he used to keep
a wooden night stick for
728
00:35:42,458 --> 00:35:47,083
beating up the locals but he
used to have a harpoon gun
729
00:35:47,107 --> 00:35:49,909
on a nail and I used to ask him and say.
730
00:35:49,933 --> 00:35:52,355
Cause as a kid I'm going,
what are you going to do with
731
00:35:52,379 --> 00:35:54,087
that you know?
732
00:35:54,111 --> 00:35:57,597
I said would you shoot
someone if someone came in
733
00:35:57,621 --> 00:35:59,132
and tried to hold up the shop?
734
00:35:59,156 --> 00:36:00,785
And he said, no, I'd let
them get over the counter,
735
00:36:00,809 --> 00:36:04,540
cause he kept the till
in a room in the back.
736
00:36:04,564 --> 00:36:09,530
So he'd say, no, no I'd let
them get and empty the till.
737
00:36:09,554 --> 00:36:11,333
He said what I'd do is just
as they're climbing back
738
00:36:11,357 --> 00:36:13,628
over the counter is I'd just
unhook that and I'd shoot
739
00:36:13,652 --> 00:36:16,952
them up the arse with it.
740
00:36:16,976 --> 00:36:18,074
I think he wasn't messing either.
741
00:36:18,098 --> 00:36:20,017
He would have wouldn't he?
742
00:36:20,041 --> 00:36:23,563
- But the locals, when I moved
in there first, used to try
743
00:36:23,587 --> 00:36:26,128
and take advantage but they got
to know me and I got to know
744
00:36:26,152 --> 00:36:30,090
them so I didn't get a whole
lot of trouble from them.
745
00:36:30,114 --> 00:36:32,821
- What I thought when I was
going there was I was thinking
746
00:36:32,845 --> 00:36:36,139
it was gonna be even more
underground and even more sketchy.
747
00:36:36,163 --> 00:36:40,725
And the actual real vibe
was, when I got there,
748
00:36:40,749 --> 00:36:45,544
we got to Clive's shop or what
have you and loads of kids.
749
00:36:45,568 --> 00:36:49,364
All wanting to hang out and
skate and it was totally
750
00:36:49,388 --> 00:36:50,995
warm and welcoming.
751
00:36:51,019 --> 00:36:52,644
Kind of like the first
time I came to California.
752
00:36:52,668 --> 00:36:56,570
I was like am I gonna get
shot going to the shops?
753
00:36:56,594 --> 00:36:57,615
It's not like that is it?
754
00:36:57,639 --> 00:37:01,226
You experience it and you
go alright there's sound
755
00:37:01,250 --> 00:37:03,014
people here, there's sound people there,
756
00:37:03,038 --> 00:37:04,853
there's sound people everywhere.
757
00:37:04,877 --> 00:37:07,550
It's just who you choose to hang out with.
758
00:37:07,574 --> 00:37:11,426
- Because I liked skateboarding
myself I thought it was
759
00:37:11,450 --> 00:37:13,364
great to see other people.
760
00:37:13,388 --> 00:37:16,579
Because there were very few
skateboarders in the old days,
761
00:37:16,603 --> 00:37:18,082
in the early days.
762
00:37:18,106 --> 00:37:21,634
So, as more kids started getting
into it and not just kids,
763
00:37:21,658 --> 00:37:24,266
I mean older guys as well, but
as they started getting into
764
00:37:24,290 --> 00:37:26,328
it it started to grow.
765
00:37:26,352 --> 00:37:28,526
- We started off, we used to
go to building sites, pinch
766
00:37:28,550 --> 00:37:32,270
timber whatever we could
get our hands on, go down to
767
00:37:32,294 --> 00:37:35,297
what looked like abandoned
piece of land and build
768
00:37:35,321 --> 00:37:37,154
a half-pipe and so on.
769
00:37:38,509 --> 00:37:40,398
Anything you
wanted to skate was DIY because
770
00:37:40,422 --> 00:37:44,589
it just didn't exist so, I
mean I built so many ramps.
771
00:37:46,777 --> 00:37:49,075
- There was kind of an outlaw
feel in a way up at Clive's
772
00:37:49,099 --> 00:37:53,083
because the cops would always
been called around and tell
773
00:37:53,107 --> 00:37:56,788
them to get the ramps in
off the road and they'd be
774
00:37:56,812 --> 00:37:59,515
telling them to ask the
kids to stop skateboarding
775
00:37:59,539 --> 00:38:02,206
on the Central Bank or whatever.
776
00:38:03,316 --> 00:38:06,712
Clive puts some ramps and
some grind bars and things
777
00:38:06,736 --> 00:38:09,292
like that in front of the shop.
778
00:38:09,316 --> 00:38:12,307
Now, Hill Street, it's quite
a wide street but I mean he
779
00:38:12,331 --> 00:38:16,274
didn't have a recessed
shop or a patio or anything
780
00:38:16,298 --> 00:38:18,674
like that, this was ramps
just literally stuck out
781
00:38:18,698 --> 00:38:19,940
onto the street.
782
00:38:19,964 --> 00:38:22,232
- We used to see pictures
in magazines and videos
783
00:38:22,256 --> 00:38:25,460
and that and all the Americans
had skateparks and ramps
784
00:38:25,484 --> 00:38:28,080
and nobody here had
anything really so I started
785
00:38:28,104 --> 00:38:29,990
putting ramps together.
786
00:38:30,014 --> 00:38:32,689
I used to make them so I
could fit them in the shop
787
00:38:32,713 --> 00:38:35,850
at night and when I opened
in the morning I'd take them
788
00:38:35,874 --> 00:38:37,580
out and assemble them.
789
00:38:37,604 --> 00:38:39,869
I'd have to get in early
to make sure I got at least
790
00:38:39,893 --> 00:38:43,226
three parking spots in a
row right outside the shop
791
00:38:43,250 --> 00:38:44,866
because that's what it took
for some of these ramps
792
00:38:44,890 --> 00:38:45,973
to be set up.
793
00:38:46,855 --> 00:38:48,711
I used to occasionally get
in a bit of trouble from
794
00:38:48,735 --> 00:38:50,724
the police saying you can't
put ramps on the street
795
00:38:50,748 --> 00:38:53,084
and I'd assure them I was
going to take the ramps
796
00:38:53,108 --> 00:38:55,555
in as soon as they were
gone, which never happened.
797
00:38:55,579 --> 00:38:59,879
So the ramps stayed there
for quite a number of years.
798
00:38:59,903 --> 00:39:02,229
Clive, he stuck
two mini ramps beside the shop
799
00:39:02,253 --> 00:39:05,076
so that was kind of a plus for
going to Hill Street because
800
00:39:05,100 --> 00:39:07,778
at least then you'd get a little
skate in the ramps as well.
801
00:39:07,802 --> 00:39:10,426
There wasn't many ramps back in the day.
802
00:39:10,450 --> 00:39:11,938
So it was something new
and it was something
803
00:39:11,962 --> 00:39:13,294
different to skate.
804
00:39:13,318 --> 00:39:16,031
- I remember those ramps
beside the shop and you used to
805
00:39:16,055 --> 00:39:19,430
have to go in to Clive's
and I think pay like 50 fee
806
00:39:19,454 --> 00:39:21,893
or something so you could
go in and skate the ramp.
807
00:39:21,917 --> 00:39:24,524
And they'd have these little
stickers, like a fluorescent
808
00:39:24,548 --> 00:39:27,953
sticker that they'd put on your
truck and then you come out
809
00:39:27,977 --> 00:39:30,217
of the shop and go around
to the shed, kind of, where
810
00:39:30,241 --> 00:39:33,072
the ramps were and I think
you have to show someone
811
00:39:33,096 --> 00:39:34,500
that you had the sticker
and then they'd let
812
00:39:34,524 --> 00:39:36,137
you in to skate.
813
00:39:36,161 --> 00:39:38,568
- Next door to the shop
there was a little old man
814
00:39:38,592 --> 00:39:41,250
who used to make furniture
and he had a premises,
815
00:39:41,274 --> 00:39:45,890
which was basically just
a tin roof, one story.
816
00:39:45,914 --> 00:39:49,327
He was there for a good few
years but when he moved out
817
00:39:49,351 --> 00:39:53,057
I think he eventually died and
his son took it for a while
818
00:39:53,081 --> 00:39:56,071
but cleared this big, big
shed out and I inquired
819
00:39:56,095 --> 00:39:59,419
as to who was renting it and
I ended up taking this place
820
00:39:59,443 --> 00:40:02,331
as well and putting in mini ramps.
821
00:40:02,355 --> 00:40:05,167
And these would have been,
nobody, most of the kids
822
00:40:05,191 --> 00:40:07,727
would never even see a mini
ramp apart from a picture.
823
00:40:07,751 --> 00:40:10,125
- Once Clive put the ramp
in next door, then there was
824
00:40:10,149 --> 00:40:11,723
a real reason to come there.
825
00:40:11,747 --> 00:40:14,031
And you'd regularly see lads
coming in school uniforms
826
00:40:14,055 --> 00:40:16,206
and the bag would go behind
Clive's counter and in they'd
827
00:40:16,230 --> 00:40:18,429
go and they'd be at school.
828
00:40:18,453 --> 00:40:21,988
- Sometimes they would take
a day off school and leave
829
00:40:22,012 --> 00:40:25,109
the school bag in the shop
and disappear next door
830
00:40:25,133 --> 00:40:27,467
for a couple of hours to
skate on the mini ramp until
831
00:40:27,491 --> 00:40:30,656
around about 4 o'clock when
they were due home with their
832
00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:32,497
school bag and off they went.
833
00:40:32,521 --> 00:40:35,311
- There was a tiny little
barn type building right next
834
00:40:35,335 --> 00:40:38,961
to the shop and the ceiling
was probably eight feet tall,
835
00:40:38,985 --> 00:40:40,902
like your normal house.
836
00:40:42,111 --> 00:40:44,162
So he built these miniature
little half-pipes like the ones
837
00:40:44,186 --> 00:40:45,685
we have here for the kids.
838
00:40:45,709 --> 00:40:48,242
He built two of them and we
used to go down and just session
839
00:40:48,266 --> 00:40:50,183
all day, it was packed.
840
00:40:51,610 --> 00:40:54,243
It was the only indoor place
and apart from Clive's own
841
00:40:54,267 --> 00:40:56,465
backyard ramp, it was the
only place that skaters could
842
00:40:56,489 --> 00:40:58,375
actually go and skate
without getting busted by
843
00:40:58,399 --> 00:41:00,296
a security guard or something.
844
00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:02,781
- At one stage, I thought it
was time to maybe do something
845
00:41:02,805 --> 00:41:04,776
on a slightly bigger
scale than just have ramps
846
00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:05,936
outside the shop.
847
00:41:05,960 --> 00:41:08,785
So there was a place in Dunleary, it was
848
00:41:08,809 --> 00:41:11,808
the Top Hat Ballroom in fact
I think it was Wally Wabits
849
00:41:11,832 --> 00:41:13,165
then after that.
850
00:41:14,739 --> 00:41:17,849
The Top Hat Ballroom had a
lovely maple wooden floor
851
00:41:17,873 --> 00:41:19,862
and a balcony viewing area and all that.
852
00:41:19,886 --> 00:41:23,618
And it was only used on a
Thursday night for bingo,
853
00:41:23,642 --> 00:41:25,325
which was a terrible shame.
854
00:41:25,349 --> 00:41:29,103
And I found the guy who owned
it lived not too far away.
855
00:41:29,127 --> 00:41:31,621
And I asked him would it be
possible to maybe take it
856
00:41:31,645 --> 00:41:35,312
on the weekends and put
in skateboard ramps.
857
00:41:36,262 --> 00:41:39,385
And he said, well, it's a maple
floor and I said absolutely
858
00:41:39,409 --> 00:41:41,503
perfect because that'd be a nice surface
859
00:41:41,527 --> 00:41:43,709
for skateboarding on.
860
00:41:43,733 --> 00:41:46,548
So he gave me the go ahead
on that and I ended up
861
00:41:46,572 --> 00:41:49,225
making bulliture ramps.
862
00:41:49,249 --> 00:41:53,807
Basically we nailed them to
the maple floor every Sunday.
863
00:41:53,831 --> 00:41:56,684
But it wasn't being used
for anything else so nobody
864
00:41:56,708 --> 00:41:58,469
really minded.
865
00:41:58,493 --> 00:42:03,266
And for quite some time I
think, maybe twice a month,
866
00:42:03,290 --> 00:42:06,323
the Top Hat was open for skateboarding.
867
00:42:06,347 --> 00:42:08,866
Everybody paid, I think
it was a pound at the time
868
00:42:08,890 --> 00:42:10,471
to come in and skate.
869
00:42:10,495 --> 00:42:12,813
And all those pounds went
towards building new ramps.
870
00:42:12,837 --> 00:42:15,000
It started to get bigger and bigger.
871
00:42:15,024 --> 00:42:16,527
- It kind of just developed naturally,
872
00:42:16,551 --> 00:42:18,434
what else could you do apart from Clives.
873
00:42:18,458 --> 00:42:21,550
Like Clive would put on
a Top Hat competition.
874
00:42:21,574 --> 00:42:24,473
Like anything that was done
was basically done by Clive.
875
00:42:24,497 --> 00:42:27,557
Like the point dapo
compettion and the Top Hats,
876
00:42:27,581 --> 00:42:30,209
the Powell demonstrations
and all that kind of thing.
877
00:42:30,233 --> 00:42:32,030
Clive's responsible for all that.
878
00:42:32,054 --> 00:42:36,221
Can we stop skating please?
879
00:42:38,759 --> 00:42:41,592
Okay, Peter, do you hear that now?
880
00:42:42,461 --> 00:42:44,182
There's no skating around upstairs.
881
00:42:44,206 --> 00:42:46,539
No skating in the back area.
882
00:42:48,691 --> 00:42:51,941
- In 1990, the Bones Brigade came over.
883
00:42:53,249 --> 00:42:56,541
They were used to touring
Europe and England and I don't
884
00:42:56,565 --> 00:42:58,831
think Tony Hawk had ever
heard of Ireland before.
885
00:42:58,855 --> 00:43:01,071
I wouldn't have thought he
knew where it was on the map.
886
00:43:01,095 --> 00:43:04,239
- In the '80s the Bones Brigade
was the sort of preeminent
887
00:43:04,263 --> 00:43:08,430
or the premiere skate team
consisting of guys like
888
00:43:09,343 --> 00:43:11,889
Steve Caballero and Lance
Mountain, Mike McGill,
889
00:43:11,913 --> 00:43:14,509
Rodney Mullen, Tommy Guerrero,
myself and then a whole
890
00:43:14,533 --> 00:43:18,737
slew of amateurs and other
pros that came in not long
891
00:43:18,761 --> 00:43:22,114
after that were all very
iconic in their own way.
892
00:43:22,138 --> 00:43:25,525
And so, a lot of people were
looking to us in terms of
893
00:43:25,549 --> 00:43:29,716
innovation and for touring
we were the go to team.
894
00:43:31,091 --> 00:43:32,933
For the most part, I mean
obviously there were other teams
895
00:43:32,957 --> 00:43:36,677
Santa Cruz Vision and they
all had some super good riders
896
00:43:36,701 --> 00:43:40,917
as well but I think collectively
ours was sort of the best.
897
00:43:40,941 --> 00:43:43,313
I made contact
with a few people in England
898
00:43:43,337 --> 00:43:46,178
who I knew and said, look, you
know, it'd be great if these
899
00:43:46,202 --> 00:43:48,113
guys could come over.
900
00:43:48,137 --> 00:43:50,153
They said well if you look
after them for the weekend,
901
00:43:50,177 --> 00:43:51,707
we'll send them over.
902
00:43:51,731 --> 00:43:54,826
So I agreed to that and
Tony Hawk and a few others
903
00:43:54,850 --> 00:43:59,017
came over and we put on a
big demo at the Top Hat.
904
00:44:01,730 --> 00:44:03,170
- I suppose you could say
to me it'd be like getting
905
00:44:03,194 --> 00:44:05,328
Muhammad Ali over here to box, you know?
906
00:44:05,352 --> 00:44:08,878
Like Tony Hawk is that kind of stature.
907
00:44:08,902 --> 00:44:12,548
He's, I think Tony Hawk
made skateboarding huge
908
00:44:12,572 --> 00:44:16,390
and acceptable because he's
such a good role model.
909
00:44:16,414 --> 00:44:18,835
He had all the computer games,
he made it acceptable for
910
00:44:18,859 --> 00:44:21,006
kids to skate now.
911
00:44:21,030 --> 00:44:24,252
So yeah, it'd be like Muhammed
Ali coming to a small boxing
912
00:44:24,276 --> 00:44:25,772
club in Dublin.
913
00:44:25,796 --> 00:44:27,579
That's what it'd be like.
914
00:44:27,603 --> 00:44:32,025
- Well, I remember, I remember
our European tour vividly
915
00:44:32,049 --> 00:44:35,873
because I mean that was the
longest I'd ever been overseas.
916
00:44:35,897 --> 00:44:38,441
I think we were gone for almost six weeks.
917
00:44:38,465 --> 00:44:40,581
And so we were going all over
Europe and then they said
918
00:44:40,605 --> 00:44:43,043
yeah we want you to go to Ireland as well.
919
00:44:43,067 --> 00:44:47,087
And we took a ferry which
seemed like forever to me.
920
00:44:47,111 --> 00:44:50,218
As a kid, not really being
much of a world traveler,
921
00:44:50,242 --> 00:44:53,992
understanding the layout
of any of that area.
922
00:44:56,102 --> 00:44:58,189
- The whole thing skating
with Tony Hawk at the time,
923
00:44:58,213 --> 00:44:59,796
that was brilliant.
924
00:45:01,381 --> 00:45:02,374
Who was there?
925
00:45:02,398 --> 00:45:06,445
It was Nicky Guerrero,
Tony Hawk, Mike Manzoori,
926
00:45:06,469 --> 00:45:07,802
and Bucky Lasek.
927
00:45:10,091 --> 00:45:12,869
All still skating, it's rad you know?
928
00:45:12,893 --> 00:45:16,326
It was great to go down
there and skate at that event
929
00:45:16,350 --> 00:45:20,967
because you were skating with
real idols at the time so.
930
00:45:20,991 --> 00:45:23,191
That was cool that Clive
had managed to organize that
931
00:45:23,215 --> 00:45:24,522
whole thing you know?
932
00:45:24,546 --> 00:45:27,939
- When we would walk around,
especially when we were near
933
00:45:27,963 --> 00:45:32,012
the area of the shop,
people would be scrambling
934
00:45:32,036 --> 00:45:33,126
and recognizing us.
935
00:45:33,150 --> 00:45:36,130
I mean I guess it'd be the
same thing today but what
936
00:45:36,154 --> 00:45:37,532
would happen is everyone's
on their cell phones
937
00:45:37,556 --> 00:45:40,351
and immediately there'd
be a crowd.
938
00:45:40,375 --> 00:45:43,547
So, I guess lucky for us or
unfortunately for everyone
939
00:45:43,571 --> 00:45:45,577
else they didn't really have
that speed of information
940
00:45:45,601 --> 00:45:46,875
at the time.
941
00:45:46,899 --> 00:45:51,022
Obviously, the Irish
skaters were very passionate
942
00:45:51,046 --> 00:45:54,464
and you could tell there
was a vibe just in terms of
943
00:45:54,488 --> 00:45:57,725
non-skaters where things
could get ugly because
944
00:45:57,749 --> 00:45:59,493
you know we looked different.
945
00:45:59,517 --> 00:46:01,621
I mean, anywhere we went
at the time it was obvious
946
00:46:01,645 --> 00:46:05,121
that we were not the same
or we didn't really belong
947
00:46:05,145 --> 00:46:07,145
in the mainstream scene.
948
00:46:08,065 --> 00:46:12,477
And so, I remember feeling
a bit uneasy walking around
949
00:46:12,501 --> 00:46:14,870
but at the same time when the
skaters would encounter us
950
00:46:14,894 --> 00:46:17,174
they were like out of their minds excited.
951
00:46:17,198 --> 00:46:21,920
- Shortly before opening time,
I decided I'd have a look out
952
00:46:21,944 --> 00:46:25,326
and see was there anybody
there waiting to get in.
953
00:46:25,350 --> 00:46:29,240
And as it ended up, there was
a cue right down the road.
954
00:46:29,264 --> 00:46:32,823
And I think there was
about 700 or 800 people.
955
00:46:32,847 --> 00:46:34,555
Now the Top Hat wasn't that big so it was
956
00:46:34,579 --> 00:46:36,466
packed to capacity.
957
00:46:36,490 --> 00:46:40,728
- I remember the crowd
being super excited.
958
00:46:40,752 --> 00:46:45,128
And for us that was a pretty
big crowd but the fact that
959
00:46:45,152 --> 00:46:48,723
they were kind of so close
and on top of us and anything
960
00:46:48,747 --> 00:46:50,404
we did they were stoked on.
961
00:46:50,428 --> 00:46:53,564
And there's some places, I
don't even know, I can't make
962
00:46:53,588 --> 00:46:56,945
rhyme or reason why certain
places go off and some don't
963
00:46:56,969 --> 00:46:58,964
but on that tour we
definitely did some demos
964
00:46:58,988 --> 00:47:01,011
that just fell flat.
965
00:47:01,035 --> 00:47:05,556
I mean we skated well but it
was just like, eh, well, cool.
966
00:47:05,580 --> 00:47:07,477
And in Ireland they were like we walked in
967
00:47:07,501 --> 00:47:10,170
and they were like, yeah
they're here and you do
968
00:47:10,194 --> 00:47:12,456
a little ollie and it's like, ahhh!
969
00:47:12,480 --> 00:47:17,359
And that's way more fun for
us, not that we need or we're
970
00:47:17,383 --> 00:47:20,193
looking for tons of praise
all the time but it's way more
971
00:47:20,217 --> 00:47:22,338
fun with people that excited.
972
00:47:22,362 --> 00:47:24,749
Tony Hawk
and the Bones were good.
973
00:47:24,773 --> 00:47:26,445
They put on a great show.
974
00:47:47,132 --> 00:47:50,069
- Biggest ramp we had in
there due to size of storage
975
00:47:50,093 --> 00:47:53,521
and that was a quarter pipe
about five foot tall but he
976
00:47:53,545 --> 00:47:57,744
managed to pull a 540 on it
which is absolutely amazing.
977
00:48:22,308 --> 00:48:26,803
- When I was 15, 16 the nearest
park to us was Northampton.
978
00:48:26,827 --> 00:48:29,260
We used to go over there
with a friend and we'd get
979
00:48:29,284 --> 00:48:31,531
the ferry over and spend
four, five hours on the train,
980
00:48:31,555 --> 00:48:33,692
stay up all night and
arrive at the skate park
981
00:48:33,716 --> 00:48:35,913
by eight o'clock in the morning.
982
00:48:35,937 --> 00:48:37,833
And we'd stay for the weekend
and then go home and that
983
00:48:37,857 --> 00:48:40,470
was, that was our skate
park even though it was in
984
00:48:40,494 --> 00:48:42,491
a different country.
985
00:48:42,515 --> 00:48:45,022
- I heard about Simon's skate
park which is down in Sir John
986
00:48:45,046 --> 00:48:49,943
Rogers and Skee and that would
have been '92 to '93 even,
987
00:48:49,967 --> 00:48:52,216
I don't even know if it lasted that long.
988
00:48:52,240 --> 00:48:53,657
That was amazing.
989
00:48:53,681 --> 00:48:56,502
- That was Simon and Paul
Mckeen, opened that up,
990
00:48:56,526 --> 00:48:58,190
that lasted for about two years.
991
00:48:58,214 --> 00:49:00,588
They managed to open that
on the back of a big squeeze
992
00:49:00,612 --> 00:49:05,311
event, it was on down in the
Point Depot I think in '92.
993
00:49:05,335 --> 00:49:06,997
So I think skating looked trendy.
994
00:49:07,021 --> 00:49:10,033
It was on the RTA we had a big
ramp set up for the weekend
995
00:49:10,057 --> 00:49:13,701
and I think it was a bit
of grant aid coming in to
996
00:49:13,725 --> 00:49:15,286
new businesses starting.
997
00:49:15,310 --> 00:49:18,208
- Yeah, we had the Flip
Guys which was at Death Box,
998
00:49:18,232 --> 00:49:19,938
I think at the time, which are like
999
00:49:19,962 --> 00:49:21,355
world famous skateboarders.
1000
00:49:21,379 --> 00:49:25,462
- That was actually, that
was a really cool demo.
1001
00:49:26,901 --> 00:49:28,653
I don't even know if it was a demo really,
1002
00:49:28,677 --> 00:49:31,927
it was just like skating with the guys.
1003
00:49:34,866 --> 00:49:38,094
Which was rad about those
days, the old Death Box days.
1004
00:49:38,118 --> 00:49:40,652
It wasn't like a set thing
and there'd be someone on the
1005
00:49:40,676 --> 00:49:44,837
microphone going, okay and
now this guy's dropping in.
1006
00:49:44,861 --> 00:49:49,028
It'd be like alright nice to
meet you, let's go skating.
1007
00:49:51,557 --> 00:49:54,076
And that's good and that's
probably hard to do nowadays with
1008
00:49:54,100 --> 00:49:58,020
all the skate nobbing and
authorities and what have you.
1009
00:49:58,044 --> 00:50:01,865
So like in those times
you could go and do that.
1010
00:50:29,996 --> 00:50:31,599
- Unfortunately, it just closed down.
1011
00:50:31,623 --> 00:50:34,476
Run into financial trouble.
1012
00:50:34,500 --> 00:50:36,311
The location wasn't great.
1013
00:50:36,335 --> 00:50:38,447
A lot of skaters got put off
having to go to it because
1014
00:50:38,471 --> 00:50:41,922
you had to fight your way down the keys.
1015
00:50:41,946 --> 00:50:44,856
And you'd get all sorts
of scumbags from that part
1016
00:50:44,880 --> 00:50:49,708
of town just, they'd corner
you, there was no where to run.
1017
00:50:49,732 --> 00:50:52,635
So a lot of kids stopped
actually going and that kind of
1018
00:50:52,659 --> 00:50:54,971
made life a little bit
more difficult for Simon
1019
00:50:54,995 --> 00:50:57,328
with that park so it closed.
1020
00:50:58,503 --> 00:51:01,024
After that, the next park
was my own, I opened a place
1021
00:51:01,048 --> 00:51:05,186
called Pipeline 2, up on Predominat street
1022
00:51:05,210 --> 00:51:07,877
and it lasted a good six months.
1023
00:51:08,926 --> 00:51:10,509
A great investment.
1024
00:51:11,948 --> 00:51:14,882
We had no plan information or any of that,
1025
00:51:14,906 --> 00:51:16,792
not that we cared.
1026
00:51:16,816 --> 00:51:19,883
We were closed down, we
were ordered to close.
1027
00:51:19,907 --> 00:51:21,694
So we did that.
1028
00:51:21,718 --> 00:51:24,633
Went back to college to do
a degree, thinking it'd be
1029
00:51:24,657 --> 00:51:25,723
good for my future.
1030
00:51:25,747 --> 00:51:28,988
Did a marketing degree, finished
up really well, got a nice
1031
00:51:29,012 --> 00:51:33,235
two and one degree went back
and built another skate park.
1032
00:51:33,259 --> 00:51:37,638
That was Rampant Ramp,
did that away in Gallaher.
1033
00:53:28,134 --> 00:53:30,254
- Like I have a fond memory
of skating down the street
1034
00:53:30,278 --> 00:53:34,445
in Ireland with all the
Irish guys around and we were
1035
00:53:36,066 --> 00:53:38,643
just blasting down the
street and we would hit spots
1036
00:53:38,667 --> 00:53:40,505
on the way to spots.
1037
00:53:40,529 --> 00:53:42,660
And they were like, no way, this is cool.
1038
00:53:42,684 --> 00:53:44,572
And I was like this is cool
for me because I'm skating
1039
00:53:44,596 --> 00:53:47,765
new stuff I've never seen or been to.
1040
00:53:47,789 --> 00:53:50,706
So, yeah, that was an amazing time.
1041
00:53:53,355 --> 00:53:55,264
- All different corners of
Ireland were coming down,
1042
00:53:55,288 --> 00:53:57,283
spending the weekend going skating.
1043
00:53:57,307 --> 00:54:00,814
Like you'd see 50, 60
skaters at a time going down
1044
00:54:00,838 --> 00:54:03,012
on Collins Street and going
down to Baggot Street, going to
1045
00:54:03,036 --> 00:54:05,608
Central Bank, going around
to all the different spots.
1046
00:54:05,632 --> 00:54:07,926
Starting at 10 o'clock,
coming back at six.
1047
00:54:07,950 --> 00:54:10,778
Hang out for an hour,
watch a video and then
1048
00:54:10,802 --> 00:54:13,552
go do it all again at night time.
1049
00:54:15,045 --> 00:54:18,098
- We were like the muskers
of our generation, you know
1050
00:54:18,122 --> 00:54:22,360
what I mean, like we would
get pinned up by loads of kids
1051
00:54:22,384 --> 00:54:24,543
and be signing everything.
1052
00:54:24,567 --> 00:54:27,546
It'd be like, I've got to try
and practice, like you're not
1053
00:54:27,570 --> 00:54:29,700
giving me much of a chance here.
1054
00:54:29,724 --> 00:54:30,548
But they didn't care.
1055
00:54:30,572 --> 00:54:32,493
They would be like yeah man
and that was our vibe too.
1056
00:54:32,517 --> 00:54:35,233
We would like yeah, you appreciate
what we do, we appreciate
1057
00:54:35,257 --> 00:54:36,924
you appreciating us.
1058
00:54:39,393 --> 00:54:41,370
It was totally like that in Dublin.
1059
00:54:41,394 --> 00:54:42,833
It was amazing.
1060
00:54:42,857 --> 00:54:47,527
You can't not love the fact
that someone's appreciating
1061
00:54:47,551 --> 00:54:51,718
what you're doing because
if you are you're killing
1062
00:54:52,616 --> 00:54:54,125
yourself right there.
1063
00:54:54,149 --> 00:54:57,983
You're basically going,
everywhere you go it's kind of
1064
00:54:58,007 --> 00:54:59,908
a family vibe.
1065
00:54:59,932 --> 00:55:03,989
I've always said you know
it's possibly one of the only
1066
00:55:04,013 --> 00:55:06,443
sports where you could go
and you're guaranteed to kip
1067
00:55:06,467 --> 00:55:08,452
on someone's sofa for free.
1068
00:55:08,476 --> 00:55:11,226
It's a welcoming thing like that.
1069
00:55:13,680 --> 00:55:15,474
- I think skating's one of
those things, that once you've
1070
00:55:15,498 --> 00:55:17,605
got a skate board, like
you've got friends everywhere.
1071
00:55:17,629 --> 00:55:21,784
Like you can sleep on someone's
couch, it's a passport book.
1072
00:55:21,808 --> 00:55:25,225
- Yeah, Clive's was absolutely like that.
1073
00:55:26,083 --> 00:55:29,187
I guess for me, I'd never
been to Ireland before so
1074
00:55:29,211 --> 00:55:32,018
I was expecting them to be a bit rougher.
1075
00:55:32,042 --> 00:55:36,218
But no, everyone there
was super welcoming.
1076
00:55:36,242 --> 00:55:40,325
Clive was sound and everyone
loved us coming out,
1077
00:55:42,783 --> 00:55:45,866
which was really flattering and nice.
1078
00:55:46,845 --> 00:55:49,762
So obviously that was reciprocated.
1079
00:55:50,974 --> 00:55:55,141
We loved the vibe back, that's
what skating's like isn't it?
1080
00:55:59,660 --> 00:56:00,469
- At the back of Central
Bank my dad was doing
1081
00:56:00,493 --> 00:56:01,302
a delivery and I remember
again I saw somebody jump over
1082
00:56:01,326 --> 00:56:02,136
one of the shores and it
turned out to be a few of the
1083
00:56:02,160 --> 00:56:05,909
local lads that I hung
around with for years.
1084
00:56:09,930 --> 00:56:13,533
So, Central Bank was a huge
influence on skateboarding
1085
00:56:13,557 --> 00:56:15,026
back in the day as well.
1086
00:56:15,050 --> 00:56:16,387
- Yeah, Central Bank.
1087
00:56:16,411 --> 00:56:19,626
Kind of mid-'80s, mid to
sort of I'd say '86 to '87,
1088
00:56:19,650 --> 00:56:21,119
we used to skate in there.
1089
00:56:21,143 --> 00:56:24,147
And pretty much for a period
of time, we were kind of
1090
00:56:24,171 --> 00:56:26,132
left to our own devices.
1091
00:56:26,156 --> 00:56:29,210
And there'd only be a couple,
say Rog, Shaggy and meself,
1092
00:56:29,234 --> 00:56:32,835
there'd be a couple of
lads skating and the worst
1093
00:56:32,859 --> 00:56:34,414
that would happen is a
security guard would come out
1094
00:56:34,438 --> 00:56:36,350
and say, oh lads you're
making a bit of noise there.
1095
00:56:36,374 --> 00:56:37,759
And we'd just go.
1096
00:56:37,783 --> 00:56:39,420
And when it was a little,
small crew like that it was
1097
00:56:39,444 --> 00:56:42,066
no major drama, nobody got
too pissed off about it.
1098
00:56:42,090 --> 00:56:44,416
But as skating definitely
got more popular and then
1099
00:56:44,440 --> 00:56:47,016
Central Bank became a hangout
spot, it was just, you could
1100
00:56:47,040 --> 00:56:49,093
see the security guards
going, I'm not having this,
1101
00:56:49,117 --> 00:56:50,784
this is bullshit.
1102
00:56:50,808 --> 00:56:53,643
- I think we were just
cruising the streets.
1103
00:56:53,667 --> 00:56:56,214
We were just chinin' it,
you know what I mean?
1104
00:56:56,238 --> 00:56:58,167
Just like blasting down
the streets, big posse.
1105
00:56:58,191 --> 00:57:02,358
I'm sure the locals were like
what the hell's going on?
1106
00:57:04,243 --> 00:57:07,217
That's the more fun vibe that I remember
1107
00:57:07,241 --> 00:57:09,538
from being out there.
1108
00:57:09,562 --> 00:57:13,268
We went to one spot where I'm
not sure if it's the ledge
1109
00:57:13,292 --> 00:57:16,605
over into the street gap
and then there was some of a
1110
00:57:16,629 --> 00:57:19,630
start off in there and we
got busted pretty quickly
1111
00:57:19,654 --> 00:57:22,497
so we got kicked out real quick.
1112
00:57:22,521 --> 00:57:26,817
So we didn't really get
to skate it too much.
1113
00:57:26,841 --> 00:57:29,183
- There's four minutes left okay?
1114
00:57:29,207 --> 00:57:31,660
Four minutes and then
we need to shut it down.
1115
00:57:31,684 --> 00:57:33,351
Ohhhh!
1116
00:57:40,887 --> 00:57:42,888
That is sick!
1117
00:57:42,912 --> 00:57:45,634
Here, let me see that again!
1118
00:57:45,658 --> 00:57:46,658
Ohh!
1119
00:57:47,629 --> 00:57:49,962
Show us there?
1120
00:57:52,390 --> 00:57:54,054
- Skating was getting
busier and busier and busier
1121
00:57:54,078 --> 00:57:58,324
as a sport, there were so
many newcomers, all the time.
1122
00:57:58,348 --> 00:58:00,557
I remember we'd meet up and
we'd almost be whispering
1123
00:58:00,581 --> 00:58:04,500
to each other, we're going to
Skees, you know the red bars.
1124
00:58:04,524 --> 00:58:07,321
So we had a name for every spot
that we skated around town.
1125
00:58:07,345 --> 00:58:09,500
Red bars was called red bars
because the bars we skated
1126
00:58:09,524 --> 00:58:13,181
were red, pretty creative
bunch of individuals there
1127
00:58:13,205 --> 00:58:14,622
naming our spots.
1128
00:58:15,745 --> 00:58:17,938
But we used to have to whisper
to each other where we're
1129
00:58:17,962 --> 00:58:20,596
going, go around the corner
and boot it down the hill
1130
00:58:20,620 --> 00:58:23,563
so all the little, the little
kids wouldn't follow us
1131
00:58:23,587 --> 00:58:25,203
because we used to get followed
and it was like a train
1132
00:58:25,227 --> 00:58:26,812
going through town.
1133
00:58:26,836 --> 00:58:28,811
Central Bank kind of got shut down.
1134
00:58:28,835 --> 00:58:31,215
They started to put barriers
up so we started to look
1135
00:58:31,239 --> 00:58:33,997
at other spots and then Baggot
became literally the home
1136
00:58:34,021 --> 00:58:36,032
of skateboarding in Dublin for, I'd say,
1137
00:58:36,056 --> 00:58:38,062
a good eight, nine years.
1138
00:59:38,450 --> 00:59:40,946
Because we had good spots
to skate, smooth surfaces
1139
00:59:40,970 --> 00:59:44,481
to skate we were able to progress
on a daily basis as well.
1140
00:59:44,505 --> 00:59:46,634
- Baggot Street you could,
you could make a film alone
1141
00:59:46,658 --> 00:59:51,268
about the stuff that
happened on Baggot Street.
1142
00:59:51,292 --> 00:59:54,492
It was like the most amazing skate spot.
1143
00:59:54,516 --> 00:59:57,295
Like one of the most
amazing European spots ever.
1144
00:59:57,319 --> 00:59:59,851
- Baggot Street is, has
always been the hub of Irish
1145
00:59:59,875 --> 01:00:02,626
skateboarding, even now
people would always love to
1146
01:00:02,650 --> 01:00:04,662
skate Baggot Street because
of skate stuff it kind of
1147
01:00:04,686 --> 01:00:07,186
had that mystical theme to it.
1148
01:00:08,754 --> 01:00:10,183
The place was just perfect.
1149
01:00:10,207 --> 01:00:13,855
The whole plaza and all it
was was just marble ledges.
1150
01:00:13,879 --> 01:00:15,140
And a few small steps.
1151
01:00:15,164 --> 01:00:18,557
And then this gap that
went out over the foot pad
1152
01:00:18,581 --> 01:00:19,838
onto the road.
1153
01:00:19,862 --> 01:00:24,029
- Baggot Gap was at the
front of main Bank of Ireland
1154
01:00:24,919 --> 01:00:27,496
headquarters, is it A or B?
1155
01:00:27,520 --> 01:00:28,931
I'm not sure.
1156
01:00:28,955 --> 01:00:31,396
Shows how much attention we
paid to the actual building
1157
01:00:31,420 --> 01:00:35,345
but there's a long wall that's
about yeah high and it's,
1158
01:00:35,369 --> 01:00:38,658
we used to, it was a common spot just to,
1159
01:00:38,682 --> 01:00:41,644
trying to ollie onto it, grind along it.
1160
01:00:41,668 --> 01:00:45,422
Just do various tricks onto
the wall but the big thing
1161
01:00:45,446 --> 01:00:47,636
to do was skate all along
to the point where it
1162
01:00:47,660 --> 01:00:50,469
dropped down a flight of
steps and then there was
1163
01:00:50,493 --> 01:00:53,098
a foot path and then a road
and you're trying to ollie
1164
01:00:53,122 --> 01:00:57,289
off the top of the wall clear
the footpath onto the road.
1165
01:01:00,206 --> 01:01:02,244
- So you could do tricks from
this block over the footpath
1166
01:01:02,268 --> 01:01:03,435
onto the road.
1167
01:01:05,170 --> 01:01:06,100
Perfect ground.
1168
01:01:06,124 --> 01:01:10,530
Whatever kind of stone
the ledges are made from.
1169
01:01:10,554 --> 01:01:13,932
They just, they just
were perfect to skate.
1170
01:01:13,956 --> 01:01:15,289
Ohhhh!
1171
01:01:18,785 --> 01:01:21,008
- I mean you can go down to
Baggot Street somedays and 50,
1172
01:01:21,032 --> 01:01:24,424
maybe even a hundred people
skating Baggot Street.
1173
01:01:24,448 --> 01:01:27,444
Funny when the cops came,
everyone scampered every different
1174
01:01:27,468 --> 01:01:31,635
direction on just one car.
1175
01:01:32,935 --> 01:01:34,536
- And then every few months,
the Bank of Ireland would
1176
01:01:34,560 --> 01:01:37,400
pay for some lad with a
sprayer thing to come along
1177
01:01:37,424 --> 01:01:40,820
and spray all the wax off and
you'd get there and be like,
1178
01:01:40,844 --> 01:01:42,927
ahh fuck, back to square one.
1179
01:01:42,951 --> 01:01:45,612
So there'd be like three or
four lads out there waxing
1180
01:01:45,636 --> 01:01:47,165
the ledge, just kind of moving down a bit.
1181
01:01:47,189 --> 01:01:49,548
- We were all down skating
Baggot Street, then a riot van
1182
01:01:49,572 --> 01:01:52,574
pulls up anyway, we're not
really doing anyone any harm
1183
01:01:52,598 --> 01:01:55,990
but they pull up anyway in force.
1184
01:01:56,014 --> 01:01:58,714
So we all scampered every
different direction.
1185
01:01:58,738 --> 01:02:01,921
We hid in a back of a
Georgian building under
1186
01:02:01,945 --> 01:02:05,753
a little bridge type
thing and the next thing
1187
01:02:05,777 --> 01:02:10,204
the guards come in, come out
of the darkness.
1188
01:02:10,228 --> 01:02:12,984
They took our boards off
of us and they told us that
1189
01:02:13,008 --> 01:02:15,120
if we could make it to
Harcourt Terrace police station
1190
01:02:15,144 --> 01:02:17,984
before they did, we could
have our boards back.
1191
01:02:18,008 --> 01:02:19,882
Funny enough, we knew the
city, we skated every lane way
1192
01:02:19,906 --> 01:02:22,841
in the bloody place and we
got to the guard station
1193
01:02:22,865 --> 01:02:25,449
before the car with all
the boards got there.
1194
01:02:25,473 --> 01:02:27,532
They never even took our
names, they just handed
1195
01:02:27,556 --> 01:02:28,462
the boards back.
1196
01:02:28,486 --> 01:02:31,103
I think they saw the funny side of it too.
1197
01:02:31,127 --> 01:02:34,516
- That was the kind of, our
Mack Bauer and Barcadaro
1198
01:02:34,540 --> 01:02:36,399
or whatever back in the day.
1199
01:02:36,423 --> 01:02:38,224
Yeah, the Baggot Gap, I
just want to say it was
1200
01:02:38,248 --> 01:02:42,670
McMamana did it first just
I want to clear that up.
1201
01:02:42,694 --> 01:02:46,777
And yeah, that was the
main spot, that was, yeah,
1202
01:02:47,728 --> 01:02:51,685
like you'd go down there and
skate all day and you'd get
1203
01:02:51,709 --> 01:02:54,625
kicked out, you'd go around
the Quaranty SB, get kicked out
1204
01:02:54,649 --> 01:02:56,939
of there, back around to Baggot Street.
1205
01:02:56,963 --> 01:02:59,861
- I have heard that Dublin was
kind of at the foreground of
1206
01:02:59,885 --> 01:03:03,754
skate stop and was doing it
before any other large cities.
1207
01:03:03,778 --> 01:03:06,826
That some of the companies
behind making actual skate
1208
01:03:06,850 --> 01:03:08,708
stoppers were Irish based.
1209
01:03:08,732 --> 01:03:12,381
I don't know if that's just
conspiracy theories I've heard.
1210
01:03:12,405 --> 01:03:14,156
- For as long as I've been
skating, there's been rumors
1211
01:03:14,180 --> 01:03:16,657
about oh you know, it's
definitely gonna be capped
1212
01:03:16,681 --> 01:03:18,878
next month, it's definitely gonna go.
1213
01:03:18,902 --> 01:03:23,069
And then just turned up
one day and it really was.
1214
01:03:23,998 --> 01:03:26,415
- It's time for you to leave.
1215
01:03:29,183 --> 01:03:31,352
You understand what I'm saying?
1216
01:03:31,376 --> 01:03:33,209
Get on your vanguards.
1217
01:03:37,708 --> 01:03:40,176
You're being televised
already so you needn't
1218
01:03:40,200 --> 01:03:41,867
be televising again.
1219
01:03:49,581 --> 01:03:53,255
- In a way it was probably
a lesson in disguise because
1220
01:03:53,279 --> 01:03:55,376
it meant that people went
and started exploring parts
1221
01:03:55,400 --> 01:03:58,024
of the city that they,
that they didn't before.
1222
01:03:58,048 --> 01:04:00,923
- People started going down
to IFSC and they'd skate
1223
01:04:00,947 --> 01:04:05,101
IFSC and they'd go down to
skate park and people would just
1224
01:04:05,125 --> 01:04:06,631
find other spots.
1225
01:04:06,655 --> 01:04:09,116
There was always like Leeson
Street, the Conrad Hotel
1226
01:04:09,140 --> 01:04:11,214
was another place that people used to go.
1227
01:04:11,238 --> 01:04:12,967
There was always somewhere
else but Baggot Street
1228
01:04:12,991 --> 01:04:15,823
because it was such a big
bank, it was such a nice place
1229
01:04:15,847 --> 01:04:17,822
to skate with a lot of people.
1230
01:05:05,591 --> 01:05:07,691
- Like I was saying before
about how people kept saying,
1231
01:05:07,715 --> 01:05:11,132
ah, Baggot Street's going to
be capped, like that spot's
1232
01:05:11,156 --> 01:05:12,348
going to be gone.
1233
01:05:12,372 --> 01:05:14,937
And you heard it for so long
that you stopped believing
1234
01:05:14,961 --> 01:05:18,512
it or you're just like whatever,
like it's not gonna happen.
1235
01:05:18,536 --> 01:05:22,238
And then, to be honest, it
was kind of the exact same
1236
01:05:22,262 --> 01:05:25,226
in terms of the skateparks
where for years you heard
1237
01:05:25,250 --> 01:05:27,638
there was always petitions
going round and people saying
1238
01:05:27,662 --> 01:05:29,521
yeah there's going to be a
park here, there's going to be
1239
01:05:29,545 --> 01:05:32,252
a park in Mongstan and there
was always rumors of like,
1240
01:05:32,276 --> 01:05:36,308
ah there's definitely a
public park happening.
1241
01:05:36,332 --> 01:05:38,559
And I just totally stopped
believing it, I was just like
1242
01:05:38,583 --> 01:05:39,969
it's not going to happen.
1243
01:05:39,993 --> 01:05:43,414
- The whole skate stopper
thing, there are kids, I mean
1244
01:05:43,438 --> 01:05:45,994
my real passion for skating
and the thing I'm probably
1245
01:05:46,018 --> 01:05:48,933
most proud of is actually
getting some skateparks built.
1246
01:05:48,957 --> 01:05:52,093
And again, Roger Cavagnaugh
and Michael Reedy, Shaggy,
1247
01:05:52,117 --> 01:05:54,067
a few of us, we put the
first petition in to
1248
01:05:54,091 --> 01:05:56,728
Dublin City Council in 1986
and we got a skate park
1249
01:05:56,752 --> 01:05:59,346
in 2004, I think it was.
1250
01:05:59,370 --> 01:06:02,838
So basically, 20 years of
asking, during that time I was
1251
01:06:02,862 --> 01:06:06,432
absolutely resigned to
the fact that it was
1252
01:06:06,456 --> 01:06:07,997
never gonna happen.
1253
01:06:08,021 --> 01:06:10,558
And I can understand, you're
a business and you happen
1254
01:06:10,582 --> 01:06:12,624
to have a ledge in front of
your place and these kids
1255
01:06:12,648 --> 01:06:15,187
come and they're chipping
it, scratching it and all
1256
01:06:15,211 --> 01:06:17,158
you're thinking of is some
kid is gonna crack their head
1257
01:06:17,182 --> 01:06:19,438
open and I'm gonna get sued.
1258
01:06:19,462 --> 01:06:21,129
- Just skating here.
1259
01:06:21,995 --> 01:06:23,562
- I'm just warning you.
1260
01:06:23,586 --> 01:06:26,820
The guards appear out of nowhere.
1261
01:06:26,844 --> 01:06:29,927
Put the cones back where they belong.
1262
01:06:30,918 --> 01:06:33,258
- So I totally understand
it but my argument to that
1263
01:06:33,282 --> 01:06:37,024
would be those kids are
going there mainly because
1264
01:06:37,048 --> 01:06:39,228
there is nowhere else for them to go.
1265
01:06:39,252 --> 01:06:41,984
So, this is the thing, you
just see it with the skateparks
1266
01:06:42,008 --> 01:06:45,081
and you see it like here in
Bushy and Lucan and the lads
1267
01:06:45,105 --> 01:06:48,484
obviously down in Greystone's
as well, it just pulls kids
1268
01:06:48,508 --> 01:06:50,254
in, it gives them somewhere to go.
1269
01:06:50,278 --> 01:06:52,753
And it's that permanent thing
that skating never really
1270
01:06:52,777 --> 01:06:54,087
had before here.
1271
01:07:50,244 --> 01:07:55,036
- And as with everything,
it's a love hate relationship.
1272
01:07:55,060 --> 01:07:57,231
But yeah it's got to be good
for skateboarding isn't it
1273
01:07:57,255 --> 01:08:01,088
because you're getting
more people interested.
1274
01:08:01,973 --> 01:08:04,283
Even that stops you skating
street spot, it's like real
1275
01:08:04,307 --> 01:08:06,888
street spot, so what
have you but then there's
1276
01:08:06,912 --> 01:08:09,404
more skateparks being built
and that obviously good
1277
01:08:09,428 --> 01:08:12,153
for everyone in the long run.
1278
01:08:12,177 --> 01:08:14,297
As a place for kids to go
where they're not going to be
1279
01:08:14,321 --> 01:08:18,452
doing stupid stuff and then
they can skate, enjoy themselves
1280
01:08:18,476 --> 01:08:22,643
and make new friends and
again like a social good time.
1281
01:08:28,327 --> 01:08:31,394
Everyone feeds off everyone's
energy and everyone
1282
01:08:31,418 --> 01:08:32,668
has a rad time.
1283
01:08:33,917 --> 01:08:35,584
How can that be bad?
1284
01:08:36,578 --> 01:08:38,358
- Skateboarding, it's like a video game
1285
01:08:38,382 --> 01:08:39,877
that's never complete.
1286
01:08:39,901 --> 01:08:43,678
Every generation that's come
to it has brought a completely
1287
01:08:43,702 --> 01:08:45,035
new level to it.
1288
01:08:45,950 --> 01:08:48,593
It's like as I said, when
I first got into it I was
1289
01:08:48,617 --> 01:08:51,185
inspired by somebody learning
how to ollie over a two
1290
01:08:51,209 --> 01:08:54,095
by four, somebody ollieing over a grate.
1291
01:08:54,119 --> 01:08:57,539
The generation five years
later then saw kick flips
1292
01:08:57,563 --> 01:08:59,002
and flip tricks.
1293
01:08:59,026 --> 01:09:01,893
The generation five years
later is like, oh maybe if we
1294
01:09:01,917 --> 01:09:04,307
ollie and we could flip and jump that gap.
1295
01:09:04,331 --> 01:09:06,638
So now at the moment you've
got some of the guys that we
1296
01:09:06,662 --> 01:09:10,531
sponsor doing flip tricks down 16 stairs.
1297
01:09:10,555 --> 01:09:13,700
It's just it's normal for
them because they saw what was
1298
01:09:13,724 --> 01:09:16,740
done by say the last generation.
1299
01:09:16,764 --> 01:09:18,911
So it's gonna be insane to
think what skating's going
1300
01:09:18,935 --> 01:09:20,941
to be like in another 10 years time.
1301
01:09:20,965 --> 01:09:24,796
- The high that I'm always
going for is the moment that
1302
01:09:24,820 --> 01:09:28,604
I make something that
I've never done before.
1303
01:09:28,628 --> 01:09:30,569
Even if it's something that
has already been done by
1304
01:09:30,593 --> 01:09:32,020
someone else, it doesn't matter to me.
1305
01:09:32,044 --> 01:09:35,038
It's the idea that I've
gone a step further and I've
1306
01:09:35,062 --> 01:09:38,683
overcome something and I've
made something possible
1307
01:09:38,707 --> 01:09:41,178
that I only imagined.
1308
01:09:41,202 --> 01:09:43,865
And to this day, it's still
like, that's still the big buzz
1309
01:09:43,889 --> 01:09:48,045
for me, that's what I'm
still chasing even though I'm
1310
01:09:48,069 --> 01:09:49,913
relatively old for doing it.
1311
01:09:49,937 --> 01:09:54,036
But I still love tinkering
new stuff and trying new
1312
01:09:54,060 --> 01:09:56,410
techniques and watching
this whole sport evolve.
1313
01:09:56,434 --> 01:09:58,735
It's amazing how far it's gone.
1314
01:09:58,759 --> 01:10:00,259
- I'm Keith Walsh.
1315
01:10:01,324 --> 01:10:05,320
I'm a skateboarder from O’Devaney Gardens.
1316
01:10:05,344 --> 01:10:06,254
It's brought me everywhere.
1317
01:10:06,278 --> 01:10:10,444
It's brought me to all over the
place, like America, Europe.
1318
01:10:12,874 --> 01:10:16,707
I started on the streets
and then through time
1319
01:10:17,929 --> 01:10:21,857
skateparks started getting
built like all over the place.
1320
01:10:21,881 --> 01:10:24,872
- Dublin City Council
eventually started to listen
1321
01:10:24,896 --> 01:10:27,915
to skateboarders that
we've been telling them for
1322
01:10:27,939 --> 01:10:31,629
like 25 years, you
should build skateparks.
1323
01:10:31,653 --> 01:10:33,305
- Like what are they gonna do
if they don't like football
1324
01:10:33,329 --> 01:10:36,855
and they don't like rugby
or whatever else like that?
1325
01:10:36,879 --> 01:10:38,769
You definitely need facilities like that.
1326
01:10:38,793 --> 01:10:41,195
- And we had been at them for
years and years and every time
1327
01:10:41,219 --> 01:10:45,605
we approached them we
were told, it's a fad.
1328
01:10:45,629 --> 01:10:48,158
And they waited about 25
years and suddenly discovered
1329
01:10:48,182 --> 01:10:50,027
it's not going to go away.
1330
01:10:50,051 --> 01:10:52,660
So, they started putting in skateparks.
1331
01:10:52,684 --> 01:10:55,300
There's a fine example in
Bushy Park and Traamore
1332
01:10:55,324 --> 01:10:58,611
and Swords and Blanchardstown
and we've probably got
1333
01:10:58,635 --> 01:11:01,313
a total of about 35 skateparks
in Ireland now which is
1334
01:11:01,337 --> 01:11:02,837
great, about time.
1335
01:11:04,690 --> 01:11:07,861
- When Bushy Park was built,
like that was the first kind
1336
01:11:07,885 --> 01:11:11,718
of really good public
park that really worked.
1337
01:11:14,757 --> 01:11:18,009
And I think the corporation
could see, or like the council
1338
01:11:18,033 --> 01:11:20,906
could see that it was getting used.
1339
01:11:20,930 --> 01:11:22,028
- Just promoting skating.
1340
01:11:22,052 --> 01:11:24,675
The more parks that open
people will keep skating.
1341
01:11:24,699 --> 01:11:26,981
Now a lot of people back in
Clive's day would give up
1342
01:11:27,005 --> 01:11:29,215
because they're getting sick
of street skating, getting
1343
01:11:29,239 --> 01:11:32,476
sick of kicked out of spots,
there was no ramps but now
1344
01:11:32,500 --> 01:11:34,828
the skateparks everywhere
that keeps all the skaters
1345
01:11:34,852 --> 01:11:37,426
interested and all the
parks are different.
1346
01:11:37,450 --> 01:11:39,651
Like you've got ramp parks,
street parks, there's a bit
1347
01:11:39,675 --> 01:11:41,480
of everything for everybody.
1348
01:11:41,504 --> 01:11:44,278
- There's always cops telling
you to get away from a certain
1349
01:11:44,302 --> 01:11:45,865
spot or something.
1350
01:11:45,889 --> 01:11:48,341
It's like trespassing or
something but now you can just
1351
01:11:48,365 --> 01:11:51,365
go to any skatepark now and enjoy it
1352
01:11:52,797 --> 01:11:57,383
instead of getting, worrying
about getting kicked out.
1353
01:12:42,406 --> 01:12:46,949
- Yeah, without a doubt
Clive's was the focal point
1354
01:12:46,973 --> 01:12:49,663
for all of that, like
starting point, yeah.
1355
01:12:49,687 --> 01:12:51,399
Daddy Clive, yeah.
1356
01:12:51,423 --> 01:12:53,080
Not really Clive!
1357
01:13:09,294 --> 01:13:13,139
- Most of us are still skating
to this day but I think
1358
01:13:13,163 --> 01:13:17,699
it was the sort of cohesion
we had as a group growing up
1359
01:13:17,723 --> 01:13:21,739
and all the time skating
that maybe kept us skating.
1360
01:13:21,763 --> 01:13:24,309
You know, there was always
someone to skate with.
1361
01:13:41,079 --> 01:13:42,438
- I still skate every week.
1362
01:13:42,462 --> 01:13:46,516
I'd love to be able to
skate everyday but I can't.
1363
01:14:00,541 --> 01:14:02,835
- It's one thing I can put
my hand up and say I'm good
1364
01:14:02,859 --> 01:14:05,427
at this and build decent parks.
1365
01:14:25,869 --> 01:14:28,048
- I think one of my earliest
skateboarding memories
1366
01:14:28,072 --> 01:14:31,175
is skateboarding on a plastic
board when I was maybe seven
1367
01:14:31,199 --> 01:14:34,160
or eight down hill next to
where the skatepark is now.
1368
01:14:34,184 --> 01:14:37,841
So it was kind of like beautiful,
kind of circle of events
1369
01:14:37,865 --> 01:14:39,717
coming back around.
1370
01:14:55,619 --> 01:14:59,398
- But for us guys from Dublin,
I think that was, if you
1371
01:14:59,422 --> 01:15:01,262
were into skateboarding,
that's where you went.
1372
01:15:20,529 --> 01:15:24,196
- I suppose in the old
days it was, sort of,
1373
01:15:25,287 --> 01:15:27,829
a very underground thing
to be a skateboarder.
1374
01:15:27,853 --> 01:15:30,268
Whereas nowadays because
there's so much of it on
1375
01:15:30,292 --> 01:15:33,448
like EuroSport and a lot of
the cable channels and that,
1376
01:15:33,472 --> 01:15:37,521
it's accepted probably more
now as a regular sport.
1377
01:15:37,545 --> 01:15:40,541
Especially with people like
Tony Hawk because I know
1378
01:15:40,565 --> 01:15:44,310
he's very successful with
Playstation and Xbox 360 games.
1379
01:15:44,334 --> 01:15:46,875
A lot of kids would have got
into skateboarding because
1380
01:15:46,899 --> 01:15:51,597
they probably got an Xbox for
Christmas and played the game
1381
01:15:51,621 --> 01:15:54,089
first and wondered if
they could actually skate
1382
01:15:54,113 --> 01:15:55,994
and sort of took it from there.
1383
01:15:56,018 --> 01:15:58,088
- Oh, I think any growth
in skating is positive.
1384
01:15:58,112 --> 01:16:01,048
I've never thought that
somehow we had to covet it
1385
01:16:01,072 --> 01:16:03,109
and hold it away from people.
1386
01:16:03,133 --> 01:16:06,131
I never could figure out
as a kid why more people
1387
01:16:06,155 --> 01:16:08,085
didn't appreciate it.
1388
01:16:08,109 --> 01:16:09,778
So that wasn't really my frame of mind.
1389
01:16:09,802 --> 01:16:13,350
I liked that it was different
but I didn't necessarily like
1390
01:16:13,374 --> 01:16:17,196
that it separated me from the
kids I went to school with
1391
01:16:17,220 --> 01:16:18,906
all the sudden.
1392
01:16:18,930 --> 01:16:23,097
Or that I was marked to be
doing something so strange.
1393
01:16:24,021 --> 01:16:27,425
And so when I see
skateboarding as it gets bigger
1394
01:16:27,449 --> 01:16:29,672
and more appreciated by more,
you know, nowadays parents
1395
01:16:29,696 --> 01:16:30,995
encourage their kids to skate.
1396
01:16:31,019 --> 01:16:33,533
That didn't happen when
I was a kid, at all.
1397
01:16:33,557 --> 01:16:35,047
The exact opposite.
1398
01:16:35,071 --> 01:16:37,865
And I think that's amazing
because the people who have
1399
01:16:37,889 --> 01:16:41,225
devoted their lives to it
are finally able to make
1400
01:16:41,249 --> 01:16:42,810
a living doing it.
1401
01:16:42,834 --> 01:16:45,779
Not that they're cashing in,
it's just that they're finally
1402
01:16:45,803 --> 01:16:48,716
validated for all their effort.
1403
01:16:48,740 --> 01:16:51,290
And that's how I feel about
it and so when I see these
1404
01:16:51,314 --> 01:16:53,799
skateparks cropping up all over
the place I'm amazed at it.
1405
01:16:53,823 --> 01:16:55,450
I love it.
1406
01:16:55,474 --> 01:16:58,429
- We would get to work
for what we wanted to do.
1407
01:16:58,453 --> 01:17:00,198
Kids nowadays they just
need to pick up a board
1408
01:17:00,222 --> 01:17:01,616
in a skate shop.
1409
01:17:01,640 --> 01:17:04,139
And then go to the park
and watch some guys skate
1410
01:17:04,163 --> 01:17:06,845
and then an awful lot of
what you'll learn from, or
1411
01:17:06,869 --> 01:17:09,255
how you learn to skate
is through observation,
1412
01:17:09,279 --> 01:17:11,205
watching other people skate.
1413
01:17:11,229 --> 01:17:13,064
Partly the motivation and
then you'll also see their
1414
01:17:13,088 --> 01:17:15,137
techniques and so on.
1415
01:17:15,161 --> 01:17:17,818
Of course, we had to watch
VHS tapes which were probably
1416
01:17:17,842 --> 01:17:21,809
two years old at the
time and try to replicate
1417
01:17:21,833 --> 01:17:23,808
what they're skating.
1418
01:17:23,832 --> 01:17:28,129
And if you like ramps you have
to build your own and so on.
1419
01:17:28,153 --> 01:17:29,783
We all grew up skating
through a little recession
1420
01:17:29,807 --> 01:17:30,974
way back when.
1421
01:17:32,260 --> 01:17:35,890
- Eh, they're lucky little
bastards, excuse the French.
1422
01:17:35,914 --> 01:17:40,081
- It's way more, well, it's
way more accepted in terms of
1423
01:17:41,101 --> 01:17:44,238
mainstream recognition of being a career,
1424
01:17:44,262 --> 01:17:45,929
a legitimate career.
1425
01:17:47,462 --> 01:17:50,917
When I toured Ireland, we
get on an airplane and people
1426
01:17:50,941 --> 01:17:53,139
would be like what do you do?
1427
01:17:53,163 --> 01:17:55,715
I'm a professional skateboarder,
they would just laugh.
1428
01:17:55,739 --> 01:17:59,571
- Well, let's just hope
there is a future in skating.
1429
01:17:59,595 --> 01:18:02,857
Like, full stop, because if
there's not that's going to be
1430
01:18:02,881 --> 01:18:05,980
a lot of people disappointed.
1431
01:18:06,004 --> 01:18:10,017
I think as long as people
keep doing it and progressing
1432
01:18:10,041 --> 01:18:13,291
and what have you, it's gonna continue,
1433
01:18:14,623 --> 01:18:16,902
people ain't just gonna stop.
1434
01:18:16,926 --> 01:18:20,382
Like people didn't stop when
in the '70s when it was big
1435
01:18:20,406 --> 01:18:24,224
and then yeah it died
out for a bit but then
1436
01:18:24,248 --> 01:18:26,694
it came back, right?
1437
01:18:26,718 --> 01:18:30,215
Then, yeah, there's been a bit
of a lull with the recession
1438
01:18:30,239 --> 01:18:33,355
lately and what have you
but it's coming back again.
1439
01:18:33,379 --> 01:18:36,815
So, it's the same with any
kind of thing isn't it?
1440
01:18:36,839 --> 01:18:41,006
There's times and waves of
when things are really big
1441
01:18:42,585 --> 01:18:45,668
and trendy and then when they're not.
1442
01:18:47,722 --> 01:18:51,837
And it's probably just going
to carry on along that vibe.
1443
01:18:51,861 --> 01:18:56,028
Let's just hope it keeps,
with all the now the new media
1444
01:18:56,935 --> 01:19:00,763
attention and the tv shows
and what have you, hopefully
1445
01:19:00,787 --> 01:19:03,604
it just keeps like building
up and the skate industry
1446
01:19:03,628 --> 01:19:05,975
keeps going strong.
1447
01:19:05,999 --> 01:19:08,038
And if not, it'll just be
underground again and we'll
1448
01:19:08,062 --> 01:19:10,880
all be a bunch of nobheads
skating down the street together.
1449
01:19:10,904 --> 01:19:11,987
Wicked.
1450
01:19:12,011 --> 01:19:16,094
Sounds alright to me.
1451
01:19:17,006 --> 01:19:19,204
- I was just trying to worry
about the kids coming to skate
1452
01:19:19,228 --> 01:19:22,802
and keeping the kids that are
trying to decide if they're
1453
01:19:22,826 --> 01:19:24,558
going to be a skateboarder or not.
1454
01:19:24,582 --> 01:19:26,569
I just want to try and make
them into a skateboarder,
1455
01:19:26,593 --> 01:19:28,865
make them, help their decision along.
1456
01:19:28,889 --> 01:19:31,142
Instead of getting into football.
1457
01:19:31,166 --> 01:19:34,097
Instead of picking up that razor scooter.
1458
01:19:34,121 --> 01:19:36,667
Stick it with a board a little
bit longer, it's so fun.
1459
01:19:36,691 --> 01:19:39,542
You really think we just
made all this up to try
1460
01:19:39,566 --> 01:19:41,368
and take your money.
1461
01:19:41,392 --> 01:19:43,265
It's cause we're skaters and
that's what we like to do.
1462
01:19:43,289 --> 01:19:44,289
It's fun.
1463
01:19:45,938 --> 01:19:47,864
- And I love that it's as
much of an art form as it is
1464
01:19:47,888 --> 01:19:51,604
a sport, I mean its active,
it's competitive but it's also
1465
01:19:51,628 --> 01:19:55,620
very creative and I've met amazing people
1466
01:19:55,644 --> 01:19:59,193
through skateboarding because
it attracts people that are
1467
01:19:59,217 --> 01:20:01,134
that think differently.
1468
01:20:02,623 --> 01:20:04,703
- I think he really loved
what he was doing and he,
1469
01:20:04,727 --> 01:20:08,953
he was living and working
outside the normal parameters
1470
01:20:08,977 --> 01:20:12,333
of life and I think he loved,
genuinely loved pushing
1471
01:20:12,357 --> 01:20:15,982
the skateboarding to
new levels in Ireland.
1472
01:20:16,006 --> 01:20:18,300
And I'd say that's why you know.
1473
01:20:18,324 --> 01:20:20,018
It was exciting times.
1474
01:20:20,042 --> 01:20:24,282
- But I really think
skateboarding had a place and by
1475
01:20:24,306 --> 01:20:27,063
providing the facilities
I think now it's starting
1476
01:20:27,087 --> 01:20:29,837
to take off and long way at last.
1477
01:20:31,162 --> 01:20:34,249
I hope it's still around
when I'm dead and gone.
1478
01:20:35,318 --> 01:20:36,670
- One more you're off on your ear.
1479
01:20:36,694 --> 01:20:39,361
What you gonna do?
1480
01:20:41,690 --> 01:20:43,283
Don't fucking touch my camera, right?
1481
01:20:43,307 --> 01:20:44,181
- I told you put it down.
1482
01:20:44,205 --> 01:20:45,714
- Don't fucking touch my camera.
1483
01:20:45,738 --> 01:20:47,469
Don't fucking touch my camera.
1484
01:20:47,493 --> 01:20:49,445
- I fucking dare you to hit me.
1485
01:20:49,469 --> 01:20:51,191
I dare you to hit me.
1486
01:20:51,215 --> 01:20:54,988
I bury up to hell you fat racist fuck.
118657
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