Bloggables
From the web
As seen on the Axel Rad Site.
Daredevils and Real Backflips
Much like everyone else in the bmx blogosphere I was lurkin’ around on propsbmx.tv this weekend, rediscovering some bmx classics. I saw Road Fools 1 and had to throw it in here for the big kids. I honestly can’t believe that the Road Fools series is still going after 12 years. BMX has come a long way in that time. I was lucky enough to tag along on the first Road Fools back in 1998, and I don’t think anyone on that trip would have believed it would continue for so long. It’s definitely good to see.
I thought I’d tell the tale of my personal 15-minute claim to Road Fool fame, the “real backflip” as my alter-ego “the daredevil” (at 25:45 in part 1). People still randomly call me Daredevil to this day, a nickname that I’ve learned to deal with, but not one I’ve ever loved. I realized that it was never explained in the video, nor was the “real backflip” part. So after 12 years, for anyone who even remotely cares, here’s the story behind that…
When we first arrived at the Props office in snowy Chicago to begin RF1, we were hanging out killing time while waiting for more fools to arrive. This was around the same time Props was experimenting with their new print magazine venture called Tread. Tread only lasted a few issues, but each one looked amazing. It just ended up losing money like most print magazines, so they pulled the plug on it. At the same time there was another new bmx magazine that popped up out of nowhere, and the first issue had just arrived at the Props office. I can’t remember the name now, but nobody had even heard of it and it was really lame. It made BMX Plus look hardcore, if you can believe that. So I was flipping through this magazine and laughing at the lameness when I came across an ad for a company called “Dare Devil Clothing”, another company I’d never heard of. I had been running Little Devil clothing for around 3 years then, so I thought it would be funny to give these guys a call. I dialed the number in the ad and it went to a voicemail recorded in french. I think I left a message and that was about it, I never heard from them again. At some point on the trip, after I pulled the first “real backflip” Marco asked me to yell Daredevil into the camera and the nickname stuck…to me. So I guess I’m the Daredevil, I can live with that. It’s no worse than being a Mad Dog.
That leads me to the “real backflip”. This term evolved from the phrase “real street”, which was a funny way to describe street riding at the time. Until then street riding could include launch ramps, grass flyouts, pallet set ups, and various manmade obstacles. “Real street” meant that all of that stuff was now strictly forbidden, and for the most part still remains forbidden to this day. I forget who coined the phrase, but we all thought it sounded completely ridiculous. Riding natural street obstacles was quickly gaining popularity back then, but to call it “real” seemed kooky to us. It implied that if there was any sort of manmade interference with the natural (manmade) environment, it was fake and it didn’t count. This was a time when the Wildman launching a ramp over a Porta-Potty onto the beach was called street, so I guess there had to be a line drawn somewhere (literally in the sand perhaps), but the phrase “real street” just wasn’t going to be the answer. So after that, everything on the trip became “real” to us as a joke. Real coffee, real bikes, real truckstop, real skatepark, real this, real that, real everything! You get the point. At some point I flipped a box jump without putting on a helmet and Jimmy Levan dubbed it a “real backflip”. It was a total joke and only lasted 3 seconds of the video, but I wonder how many helmetless backflips were done as a result of RF1’s popularity. Hopefully not too many, bad idea.
So there you go, 2 random stories about one B-rate character in one classic bmx video. Long live Road Fools!
-Derek Adams
Here’s part 2. Jimmy’s infamous church gap at 12:55.
Propsbmx.tv
I thought one of our other minions would have posted this by now, but looks like I get the honors. We’re not trying to chase down every video that hits the net, but this one just needs to be posted on every bmx site and seen by every bmxer. I had to watch this 3 times to achieve full comprehension. Props to Garrett and uh, Props.
Check the new site: propsbmx.tv
Body English
Anyone who has pedaled their bike down a dirt road and roosted it sideways into an epic skid can certainly imagine the feeling of taking a corner on a flat track bike.
I stumbled on these photos from streettracker via Andy Jenkins’ site a while back. The style and energy these riders put into tearing ass through a turn is incredible. Not to mention, the unique colors and typography of the Italian bikes and riders appeals to me in the “so wrong it’s right” sort of way.
As suggested in the Least Most Forum a while back, go watch (or re-watch) On Any Sunday for more motorbike inspiration.
Light yourself on fire
Matt Coplon from Profile as seen in the “2010 Ultimate Local Band” guide in Tampa
Here For Kicks
Double Darryl from HFK posted this sweet photo of Mark Mulville in our forum. That also lead me to the Here For Kicks website which I found to be amusing (but I always find boobs amusing).
Unauthorized Biography of Slayer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDySDotSmZs
If I would have heard this song when is was 13 I probably would have gotten into rap music a few years earlier than I actually did. But it is actually from 2008, from Necro’s brother and former Non-Phixion member Ill Bill. It’s a take on Nas’ song the unauthorized biography of Rakim. Always down for the metal, Ill Bill has a unique approach to rap music that encompasses the spirit of both types of music, but in no resemblance of any kind to rock-rap bullshit crossovers like Limp Bizkit. Ill Bill has recorded songs with Max and Igor Cavalera from Sepultura, members of Bad Brains, Killswitch Engage as well as Raekwon, DJ Premier, Immortal Technique and a long list of heavy hitters from both genres. Check out the next joint, and if you know 80s metal it might bring you back.
BMX riders might recognize a few Necro produced Non-Phixion instrumentals that were used in Ralph Sinisi’s Props interview. They are classic hip-hop songs in their own right, so get hyped and go get you hands on some classic Ill Bill and Non-Phixion material.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t48rHPFETTs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LxWyKT6ZBM
One more Reign in Blood reference
Who’s Behind The Least Most?
This is probably the number one question I’ve been asked since this website launched. Who’s doing it? I admit it has been kind of a mystery, especially when some of the crew have been using aliases like D.B. Cooper (and I’m still not convinced that Lee Sizemore is a real person), but things are starting to become more clear now that we have an about us page. Also Scott Towne just made his first post, I’m psyched to see more from him. And we’re definitely open to any contributions from creative people in bmx (we know you’re out there!).
Spot Preservation
The longest running secret spot? Always been a bust. Maybe that’s the secret to preservation. Bob Haro, 1980 Action Now magazine, Alfredo Mancuso, 2010 Demolition ad. Los Angeles, California.
Dyno Dino
I said I’d cool it on the old school pics, but I had to share this never-seen-before photo of Dino Deluca from 1987. And what better day to post it than the launch day of our new retro Freestylin’ logo. Besides the obvious height/style of this, the thing that stood out the most is the width of the ramp…only 6 feet wide!! So crazy. Shot by Bob Myers in Paoli, PA.
Freestylin’
If you haven’t noticed (I’m looking at you RSS readers) we’ve updated the Least Most layout. An ode to Freestylin’ Magazine brought to you by the mad genius of Derek Adams.
Thanks to all of the Least Most visitors for all of the positive feedback. We’ve only been online for two months and the response has been awesome! We have some awesome content in the works, stay tuned.
