sunday morning coming down

If you don't know the Johnny Cash song "Sunday morning coming down", you should check it out.  It's a powerful, emotionally driven song about the consquences of hard living (and a fun Saturday night).  It almost brings me to tears to hear it.  I've had more than my share of those kind of mornings, but thankfully, not for awhile (and none that resulted in mugshots).  

" Well, I woke up Sunday morning
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt.
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad,
So I had one more for dessert.
Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes
And found my cleanest dirty shirt.
Then I washed my face and combed my hair
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day. " 

 

I'm sure there are some dudes in Binghampton feeling pretty low right now, but I'll bet the Belmar event was off the friggin' charts.   I can't wait to see the coverage.   

    I spoke to Solan Foster yesterday and he was on his way home from the winning the NBL Regional  race in Lansing.  Congrats to Solan for being the bad ass that he is.   He'll also be due for some more congratulations in a few months, when  the stork shows up at his house again....

    

 

 

Turbo Todd Britton had a big birthday a couple weeks back and is celebrating his fourth decade of existence by getting radical on bikes.

The Grand Haven park is so fun.  I wish I were there right now instead of a hotel in Cincinnati.

    Here are some shots that Ernesto sent over from our Evansville, Indianer street session a week and a half ago.

Frank Bertke has been holding shit down at Dan's for years and is a humble, off the radar, rider.  He was going so high off this mellow bank (with an awkward runway).    Frank is the first guy I ever saw ride without brakes (seven years ago, and he'd been running sans-binders for awhile even then) where I understood how it could be better.  He was manualling for miles and doing other stuff that brakes would not allow.  

 

 

 

shortly after this shot of Justin's stylish, high speed wall ride was taken, Ernesto had to be the moderator with a local "Thugster" who wanted to whip all our all asses and shit.  It was ridiculous.  I'm too old for street fights. 

There was a time when doing a no-footed can can was one of the "big tricks" that a rider would do for a contest placing or to get a photo in a magazine.  Nowadays, kids like Steve here,  fling them off flat banks like it was nuthin'.

   I love this one...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

what the hell....

...it beats driving alone

 

tables are the new frontflipwhips

The Xgames are ancient history by now but I'm still getting caught up.  Diogo Canina always does sweet tables whenever I see him on TV.  THis one in "Superpark" was kick ass.  

Here's a shot of some art from Louisville Derek's "Art Jam" that was going on in Louisville on Friday....

more on that night later.

    Here's something cool, if you are a total friggin' dork like I am...

BMX video music link dink
 

 

 

 

9 ball douche bag
Now Playing: No Age

The band No Age is really good.

    I'm still out on the road.  Stupid 8 agin?  yes.  1 am and bummed.  Missing my family.  Hundreds of miles to go.  Ugh.  Uh.

I  rode the Florence, KY park this morning.  I love that place.   Hillbillys on 4WD scooters and anything goes.

     DG makes exhaust pipes for farm implements now but in the 70s they made really sweet bikes....

Maybe I'll get some blue rims.   My wheels are friggin' worked.   Maybe I'll get one of those bikes from Wal-Mart that looks like a motorcycle.  And start smoking.  It's never too late to start.

 

 

highway to hell
Is it hot in here or am I crazy? 

Super 8 again.  Wow.   As promised (to myself), I have definitely been riding my bike on this trip.  I intended to ride Louisville Wednesday night, but it rained.  I rode street on Thursday in Evansville, Indiana with Ernesto, Frank, Mark and Neal from Dans, along with some ripper locals.  It was super fun and we hit a lot of good stuff.  Besides the blood sugar crash I had and a confrontation with a local wankster, who threatened to "go back to the crib and come back with my squad", it was great. 

Here's Frank dialing in my bike at Dans--Frank is insanely good on his bike (and at working on them).  I'll post pics if Ernesto sends some over--wink, wink.  Thanks, Frank.

I rode Louisville last night and filmed some Lo-Fi video with Junkyard Stew.  There was also an "art-jam" going on there, which was cool.  The Louisville skatepark on a summer Friday night...a total free-for-all.  Teen drinkers, teen parents, creepy adults and all kind of action.  Good times.  Today I rode the crazy weird park in Dry Ridge, Kentucky in blazing heat.  The only other time I've ridden there was with Davey Coop in very early '07.  It was about 15 degrees then, and we were swerving around ice patches.  It was very much the polar opposite today.   There are a couple shade trees to offer some relief, but it was a scorcher.  A little boy named Noah made me awfully homesick though.   I would love to have some kind of jam at that park, just because it is so bizarre...

It"s really smooth and well-built, but it's on a hill and really tight.  Beyond that, it has a snake-run and pool that is so small and ridiculous (plus, it had a bunch of crap in it) that I didn't even ride it.   I had a blast despite the mars-like conditions.

   Tonight, I was at a demo for the 'eS skate team in Cinci.  Everything was going well (at another weird, tight park) and things were wrapping up when  a dude had a seizure of some sort and fell and hit his head.  He was unconscious and bleeding and it was a very traumatic scene.  An ambulance and the police came and he regained consciousness, but it was something I won't forget anytime soon.  All I could think about afterward (as we're driving away and going to dinner) was that guy going to the hospital and trying to understand what and why that had happened to him (apparently it hadn't happened before).  I wish the best for the guy...

      I've seen bits and pieces of the X games and it just scares me.  I'm really afraid that someone is going to get seriously hurt (again) and even worse.   The Danny Way Mega-Ramp thing was just absurd.  Ernesto and I were watching it after our ride and were just dumbfounded.   It was like a Rocky movie except that it was real life.  On the other hand, the "real street" event was awesome.  Dunno what to think about any of it....

Super 8 art (?)

Monarch at Birdland the other day.  I can't wait to get home and continue the upgrades.  THe Miller High Life Grand Prix is slated for the Saturday of the Labor Day  weekend.  

  I can't wait to see these little feet again, too.  This is the first photo that Dylan Luke Towne ever took!

   PS  I know this Angelfire blog-site sucks.  It is almost impossible to post a comment and I have my issues with it as well.  I have a new blog under construction, so don't worry.  Shout out to Go Go Reiley in Scotland!  Also to Alan from Dans who gave me a copy of Rad (the movie that ruined BMX).  I'll leave you with one last amazing photo, which I stole from the the Church Of Choppers website....

   This photo says a thousand things to me....

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

 

One for the road

Literally, my van is running right now....

Packed to the gills.  It's not fun having to deal with this much crap.  Some of it will dissipate as the days go on, but not much of it. 

My bike is in the back, don't worry.  I plan to ride some parks on this trip for sure.

In more of my boring childhood stories, I will tell you that my first BMX-type bike was a Silver Fox, very much like the one all three Baker children are aboard in this shot....

   Shout out to Smitty, who left a comment about a "Le Mans" start after I posted about the Miller High Life Grand Prix event.  It seems impossible, but I came up with the idea for the "Grand Prix" because I do a lot of "Le Mans starts" out at Birdland.   The lineage of this is so completely obscure, I can't even believe it.  Look it up if you don't know...

   Also, check out my buddy Kim's blog here.  Lots of sweet MC stuff. 

 

 

 

 

I'm not gonna do it
Now Playing: No Age : Ripped Knees

It was about this time of the summer, 1974.  Totally immersed in my obsession with Evel Knievel, my friend Brian and I decided to rig up some jumps and give it a go on our bikes.   Our first set up was a plastic toboggan, flipped upside down on a cardboard box.   I was somehow elected to hit it first.   As I rolled down our gravel, downhill driveway, just before hitting this makeshift launcher, I proclaimed "I'm not gonna do it!".  I did it anyway, and landed front-wheel first to OTB to some gravel-induced contusions.   That was the first time I ever jumped my bike and I remember it very clearly.  The next attempt came a week or so later at Doug Stahl's house.  This time, a more substantial cinder-block and plank set up was in place.  Again, I was the first to hit it.  I was going too fast and again, over the bars.  I remember seeing the ramp and my bike from an upside-down perspective.  The next thing I remember is waking up in Doug's house, laying flat on my back to his horrified family looking down at me.  TKO.  I was a mess, scrapes and cuts all over my face, arms, back, you name it.    My dad grounded me, literally, from ever jumping or even leaving the ground on my bike again. 

      Those were the first of many "first hits" that didn't go so well.  I have a history of them now, as most of us do.   I rebuilt the first set at Birdland last week and finally dialed it in this morning.   I jumped it tonight.  The first run, I cased it.   Sprocket cased it.  Holy shit, it's a lot higher and further than it was before.   Second go, I cleared it but was so squirrely a little troll jumped out from under the spox waiving a flag with a dead sailor emblazoned across it.  Third times a charm and of course, the lip recessed a bit and I got a handle on the speed  needed.  It feels awesome now.  I hit it a few more times and I'm really happy with it.   The set into the first turn is still not done so I was going around it.  Night was creeping in and the grass was getting damp.  My last run I locked into a fully sideways, speedway slide that was almost as much fun as hitting the jumps.  

      If you didn't already think I was a kook, this next bit will confirm it.  I planted flower seeds on the sides and landing faces of the jumps a while ago--I want to say it was in May.   I had just about given up on any flowers popping up, but sure enough, a couple came to life....

   This one is almost dead center in the back side of the over/under take off.  Nice.

     Here's a box of "Devoted" Deliverance tees--available later this week from Dans Comp.

 

 

 

 

small town bulletin
Now Playing: shout out louds
The grocery stores in the small towns around here always have flyers and bulletins posted up.  Some of them are sad, some are whatevers and some are just awesome...

   I may have found out about "Chopper Fest" last year from just such a bulletin board.   Noah and I went last  year on Sunday morning and there wasn't much going on.  We went this year on Saturday morning and there were at least more motorcycles in action, but there still wasn't a whole lot going on.  The admission price was outrageous so I decided to come back again and take some photos.

I took this with my phone on the first trip.  This Triumph was my favorite bike there.

I cruised around on the OM Flyer when I went back.  I got some sideways glances for sure.   As much as I'm into motorcycles, I still felt like an outsider.   I guess I should be happy that I can't relate to anyone?  I know there are a few people that think like me.  I kept thinking of my friends at Biltwell while I was at this lame event.  FBM too....Not trying to be a kiss ass but sometimes I wonder if my social awkwardness is all in my own head.  Dudes like McGoo, Bill Bryant, Crandall, Kelly Baker and the Cobras (old and new recruits) keep me grounded.

I'm already an alien in the motorcycle scene without even stepping foot into it.  I have a Honda and another Yamaha parts project so automatically the Harley dudes aren't down with me.

 I think I'm automatically happier that way.  I do love Harleys though so no hate on my end.

 I love that this Panhead is ready for adventure, ready for the road.  Self-contained.

The sound of a Flathead is like the music of no other machine I've heard.   Someday I will play more than two chords on the guitar and maybe even be able to tune a Flathead.  Not sure dude was stoked that I was creeping in on his bike.

   There were some kick ass Hondas there too.

I love this message even though it doesn't really make sense.

You can't really go wrong with metal flake blue and a PBR tap shifter, but I hate the spike nuts.  I also hate Iron Crosses and shitty flame jobs.  I'm an opinionated bastard, aren't I?  Oh yes, I hate billet mag wheels too.   

    I got this sweet tat from a dude in the back of a van at Chopper Fest...

  Totally kidding, bro.  I did get this at Division last week.  It's still healing up but I'm stoked on it....

I like the shitty lettering with the "follow" all fucked up.  "W.I.T." looks almost like "W.T.F."  I could get it changed someday if I wanted to, I suppose. 

 sTAY TUned for this....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let there be light

I made a tail light bracket for my Honda.  It took me a really long time to get it dialed but I'm happy with it and it's solid.  I  have a tail light that works and a brake light that works, but they don't work at the same time.  Wiring is definitely not one of my strong points in motorcycle mechanics.

      Jeff V. sent me a ton of pics from the Birdland session.  He sent so many, in fact, that I was overwhelmed and didn't know where to start.  I'll give you these, for starters...

Davey Coop with a nice table.

Fro divebombs the first turn.  Lurking hard or hardly lurking?

Solan tucks a high one over the spox.

I like the way the motomag and number plate colors compliment each other in this one.   ha ha.

Hatfield brings it home to momma.

My Jr. college GPA or a Howard Stern reference?

 Everything about this looks amazing!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30 years?

 

With a nod to all the nostagic chopper blogs I've been into lately (here's another one that is awesome, I've decided to blatantly rip off their format and adapt it to my BMX presentation here...

  This was the image I had in mind for this post and as I was editing it, I noticed that it is the August 1978 issue.   Thirty years ago! This magazine changed my life.  It was an escape from my world and an inlet into the new, almost surreal world of BMX.   I remember getting this issue as a kid and just freaking out.  Everything about this photo still rings true for me.   An ultra-enthusiastic crew, making do with less than ideal equipment (the tiny, overloaded Honda reminds me of my Subaru, huh JV?), gearing up for getting down.....