The sound of my shoes

The trainer queue. It's something I've only ever read about. Anything from a handful to hundreds of dedicated souls waiting outside a shop for anything from a few hours up to a week to get their feet into that special pair of trainers on the morning of release. This weekend, I finally bit the bullet and tried out the experience for myself. But the queue is just part of the story...

On Friday night, I was lucky enough to get an invitation to the UK release of the Fluff SB book launch. The book, presented by Nike Skateboarding and dutch skateboard magazine Fluff, comprises photographs by Marcel Veldman, following 117 riders from the European Nike SB teams on various tours through 19 European countries.

To celebrate the book release, there's an exhibition of photos from the UK content of the book at the Nike Sportswear London shop, 1948.


The show opened on Saturday, but I was there for the party on Friday night. As most of the photos were taken in Ramsgate, the exhibition has a traditional British seaside resort theme, with the photos displayed on the walls of beach huts.

Keeping with the theme, there was also free Nike SB/Fluff rock. And a free copy of the (600-page, 5kg) book for everyone who was invited. There was also free beer. Lots of free beer.

After the Nike party, it was on to party two. It started out as Kate's birthday party, but soon turned into a celebration of Kate and Steph's engagement.

Getting home from drunken karaoke at about 2am, I went to bed for about two-and-a-half hours before getting up and heading out into the snow to pick up one of 12 pairs of Nike Zoom Bruin SBs, designed by the people at Fluff magazine, that were released to promote the Fluff SB book.

Swaddled in all my warmest clothes, some of which I hadn't worn since climbing Mount Kenya in the summer of 1997, I got (back) to 1948 (the aforementioned shop, rather than the year) around 6am, definitely feeling the after-effects of the free booze consumed in the very same place not 12 hours before. There were two people already there. They'd turned up at 1am and slept in their car. Between then and 10.30, when the shop opened, people turned up in dribs and drabs, until there were about 16 people (unfortunately for the last four, the fact that there were only 12 pairs had previously been just been a rumour).

Despite one of the guys in front of me also being a size 8, I was very happy to pick up a pair in my size. Very happy, very relieved and ridiculously tired. All in all, the trainer queue was an enjoyable experience, but not one I'm planning in making a habit of.

For those of you with an interest in photography or skateboarding, the Fluff SB exhibition runs until 14th February and it's well worth a look.

My 15 minutes?

Following on from the the photoshoot of me and my trainers (I might have mentioned it). I've become what is known as an 'internet sensation' (albeit a very, very small one).

The above image turned up on the Classic Sole blog. I was dubious about the pic. With, as it turns out, quite good reason.

Look at us through the lens of a camera

I was subject of a photo shoot last Friday. I answered a request by a photographer on the Crooked Tongues forum looking for people involved in the trainer industry to be photographed for an upcoming exhibition he's putting together.

Having seen Errol's Flickr stream, I decided to drop him a line. Not only do I have quite a big collection (in terms of normal people, but compared with other trainer 'collectors', mine is pitiful, but then I don't see myself as a collector, I just buy what I like the look of and wear them), I also write about trainers for N-SB.org.

Below are a selection of the pics taken. The rest should be up in The Sneaker Business section of Errol's Flickr soon. All pics copyright Errol, www.errolphotography.com, used with permission.

And it's over to the public vote...

At the risk of sounding like Simon Cowell, which is not something I would usually be worried about doing, I'd like to request you all to use your democratic right to vote. No, it's not to have 'Jedward' physically morphed into one using a car crusher, glue gun and someone with the surgical skills of that deformed tube-dweller from Creep, it's about skateboarding.

Having several day's worth of holiday to use up before the end of the year but no money to go anywhere, I've been forced to stay indoors by the weather. That hasn't been too bad because I've been working my way through a backlog of skateboarding DVDs I've bought but not found the time to watch – largely because they are one of the few things that actually require complete concentration when watching, so I can't keep one eye on the internet, looking at shoes.

First on the list was The Big Push 2009. For those of you who don't know, The Big Push was started by Percy Dean of the much-missed, sadly closed Document magazine. The concept is that the skateboard teams of different companies are given a list of places to visit and tasks to complete in different regions of the UK, but only a few days to do it in.

All participating teams film their progress and the final edits are compiled into an hour-long film. The DVD is currently available as a cover-mount with the November issue of Sidewalk magazine. Alternatively, you can watch them all on the Big Push site. You can also vote for the film section you like the best. I think you should all vote for the Nike SB team. Not only because it's really good but also because I know the guy who stepped up as temporary team manager for the competition and I'd like to help him out.

Let the music play

Fuck Buttons @ Heaven, 27.10.09

pic from www.thelineofbestfit.com

ATP Film screening/Les Savy Fav @ The Kentish Town Forum (yes, I'm aware of its new corporate name), 26.10.09

Pixies @ Brixton Academy, 06.10.09

I think I'll stick to writing.

It kicks like a sleep twitch

"If Ian Curtis had lived till New Order."

It's a statement that could not only be seen by many people as wrong, but is also of dubious taste. And could get an equal number of people quite angry. So that's why it's in speech marks – to show it's a quotation. A quotation from me. But I decided not to actually say it, hence it being a quotation. Still with me? No? Never mind.

In This Light And On This Evening is the new ablum from Editors. And it's brilliant. I've had a soft spot for this band for a long time, and not just because they were spawned from the same city I was. Their previous efforts might have been loved by the Daily Mail (you weren't expecting a link there, were you?), so it's understandable that a switch in style was needed. That's not to say their previous two albums weren't good. Actually, they weren't good, they were so much better than that. Anyway, electronic is the path Tom Smith et all decided to take. I know that 'indie' band (read: bands what use guitars) have been turning to the synth for a while now but Editors have proven that you don't need to be at the forefront of a movement to make it work.

I've been caning it on Spotify, but fully intend to buy the 'deluxe edition' of the album as it comes with an extra disc with additional songs. Oh, and I've got tickets to see them at Brixton in March next year.

This obviously isn't a review. It's just a rambling way to post a link to a great album.

Simpler times...

It's funny how old things crop up in conversation. A while ago I was talking to somebody and Where's Wally was mentioned. That reminded me of something from when I was much younger. I was sure than in a Where's Wally book I had as a young 'un there was a cheeky topless woman hidden on the beach scene page. So I went online to try and find it.

I found the official site, the annoyingly titled 'Find Waldo'. On a side note, I'm not going to get into the whole Wally/Waldo thing, there's plenty of that on t'interwebs, although it doesn't take long for the American to be put in their place (case in point here, in the comments).

Anyway, the beach scene was indeed one of the three scenarios included on the site. Imagine my surprise, though, when I found the woman's bikini top had been redrawn on her, instead of its original place on her towel!

Obviously, this caused me to worry about the memories of my youth that had apparently become quite disturbingly warped. But then I found the original book from 1988 at my parents' house. And my memory had served me 100% completely, absolutely, spot on right. Don't worry, I got a scan:

And, if needed, here's the proof that it's from the book.

Right, now I'm off to rewatch some Disney films to find the supposed hidden porn.