Online Silverscreen 1: Concrete Poets “Writers Block”
Posted on October 06, 2007.
For a city as rinsed skateboard-wise as London, you seem to have uncovered some pretty amazing unseen spots. Is exploring your surroundings still an important part of day to day skateboarding in London?
Mate, finding a new spot in London is like discovering a gold mine. First rule is don't tell anyone, cos in London if you let a spot slip, it will be rinsed within a week. New spots are exciting purely cos there's no ABD list and it just hypes people up to skate. I'm always looking for new spots, although I tend to find all the best ones completely by accident, usually when I'm stuck in traffic and I try take a shortcut, i'll get lost but i'll stumble across a banger of a spot. Im sure there's still tons of unknown spots in London, its just about looking around outside of central.
When you think back to the time you were working on Writers Block, what one story or event sticks in your mind above all others?
Malaga for definite, was one of the best times of my life, and everyone else said the same. Just pure skating heaven, everyone was on a hype and went off but we also just had good times as mates there. The most memorable event can be seen at the end of the Malaga edit on the website, when we all got mad drunk for free in this Irish pub when england got knocked out of the world cup. Just all the antics and shit that happened that night is the funniest stuff ever, Howsey and Greg messing with Kyle on the floor of the bathroom when hes out off it, and bits you dont see in the vid where Faris was so fucked he filled up the entire bide and a sink with vomit and was just sitting on the toilet naked looking like a fragile mr Burns. Man it probably doesnt even sound funny, but its the funniest shit ever to remember.
What is your personal favourite piece of footage in Writers Block?
Man its hard to pin it down, I love all off Yappa's footage and just wish there could have been more of it, I think I like his half cab heel into the bank best for 3 reasons, firstly, its textbook Yappa - pure control and steez, secondly it was the first piece of footage I filmed when first got a VX1 after having my 2 stolen and the video got back on track, lastly it was filmed at sunset so the colours are just the sexiest thing I have ever seen, all golden brown and beautiful. I love it when you get that perfect mix of good skating and perfect setting.
Photo: Concrete Poets
Is there anybody you would have liked to have had a section with on Writers Block but didn't have chance to?
Well really, it would have been great if everyone in the group section could have had a full part, specially Faris and Yappa. Faris has been so unlucky in that his ankle has been fucked for literally the whole time we made the vid, every time they got better he'd fuck it up completely again. Faris is such a sick skater, mad tech and good style but his footage doesn't really reflect that and its all really old. Yapski as well, he kinda got involved abit later so he always had less footage but he's also been plagued with ankle injuries, a full Yap section would seriously blow minds, were working on a full one now that were done with this, honestly though I don't think the world was ready for one yet, wait till it happens, the world ain't ready.
I take it that now this is out of the way you're not going to chill out on the whole video making tip, what upcoming projects have you got in the pipeline?
Loads of stuff really, most of my effort is gonna be going towards the Slam video, Magee has got me, Morph, Dominguez and himself all working on it, its gonna be pretty epic man like a massive London video to show the whole world what's up. Magee wants to turn Slam into a global brand and the videos gonna be a big tool in doing that. He's talking about filming the whole thing on High8 and is getting together a fleet of High8 VX1e's, He's going for the whole easter exposure gritty style so its pretty exciting seeing how that pans out. Other than that I'm gonna be filming a lot with Rory and Jin for the Landscape vid and with Steph and Lucien and Shaun Witherup for their prospective companies as well as Slam. Concrete Poets ain't dead either though, it may be along way off but expect a new full length video in about 3 years or so which will probably be a collaboration with Morph and 3L.
Anybody you'd like to thank?
Yeh man, all off CP, Baines, Magee, Marshall, everyone at Story. Henry and everyone at Slam for their support, Morph, 3L, Chris @ Science Skateboards, All the South Bank faithful, Alec, Felix, Fraser, Finn, Fos, Ches, Shaun Witherup, Steph, Lucien and Rory and anyone else I've forgotten. Safe, Hold Tight London.
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