Not enough time to say much about this. All three shops were important players at the time. I bumped into Rick (as mentioned in the Split advert) a couple of months ago. He’d been working at Slingshot Design (who did the HSC web site) for some time. I think we’d even spoken on the phone, as well as exchanging email, but it was only when I walked into their office that I realised “I know you…”
Read on down the thread and you will find it evolve from ponderings on the nature of Manchester skateboard retail in the eighties all the way through to the world of British Art in 2006…
13 responses to “Offbeat, Split and Quarterback Adverts”
Ok so I’m most probably mistaken, but is that ad really for Split Skates or is it for ‘MB American Sports’, that changed into USA Skates and held down a rivalry with Split for a year or so… I just don’t remember Split changing it’s name. .. My recollections of that period are hazy, and I was 16 at the time so I wasn’t paying attention, I was too busy failing to learn kickflips. Both good stores with friendly people, it’s a shame that Split turned into Mambo hell and the other one fizzled out…
To be honest, I don’t know. I saw ‘Manchester’ and ‘Rick’ and jumped to a conclusion which may have been the wrong one.
Can anybody else clear this up, please?
The ad was for MB not Split.
Cheers Tim and cheers Sam. Less abrupt next time though Sam? (Joke – this is mirza by the way)
Like I said, my memories are hazy… I don’t remember the names of anyone who worked in MB apart from Alex and ‘Crav’… good lads.
Any chance of reprinting that article about bump nollies with Ged Wells then?
If I can keep going with this (not easy at the moment) everything will eventually appear.
Good luck with it dude. I have to say also, it’s great to see pics of Bolton Silverwell St indoor ramps, good times….
Yeah, I remember MB. They used to sell boards at the back of the shop and american football/baseball stuff at the front. It’s where I used to get all my second hand boards from.
Is the Rick that worked there the same Rick who skated and was in the RAD which had the coverage of Manchester?
The Rick I’m thinking of is the one who appeared in the Manchester coverage. It was very strange walking into Slingshot’s office last year and thinking — “Wait a minute: I know you.”
As I’ve mentioned in the other Split comment he was really really good.
I watched the trailer for that ‘Rolling through the decades’ DVD the other day and noticed that Femi’s on it. Just wondering if anyone has seen it and if there’s any coverage of Manchester on it? Would be amazing to see some footage of early 90’s Manchester.
Gez Curran tried to post this and failed, so I’ve rescued it and tacked it on here, since this thread is full of stuff about Manchester and most likely to be found by people interested in Manchester and skateboard connections.
This kind of thing never happened in the days of R.a.D itself, of course. It would have seemed an unlikely dream.
Toby Paterson – The British Art Show ’06
‘What cultural, political and economic situation had made that place exist?’ Toby Paterson
Every five years the British Art Show surfaces to display the very best in contemporary British art and 2006 sees the city of Manchester blessed as the exhibitions gracious host. Not to be sniffed at, the show is the most ambitious attempt to highlight recent British art and can transform virtually unknown artists into household names overnight with David Hockney, Tracey Emin and Damian Hurst being previously celebrated subjects. This time around sees internationally acclaimed Glaswegian artist and skateboarder Toby Paterson in the running, exhibiting his unique sculptural assemblages and paintings at Manchester’s interactive museum of urban culture, Urbis.
“Paterson translates complex architectural motifs from the lost dreams of post-war modernism, and turns them into an aesthetic and social enquiry.”
From years of exploring known – and lesser known – areas of European cities whilst skateboarding, Paterson has developed a thirst to understand how and why the places we inhabit have materialised. He is inquisitive of their history, how their architectural style and features have developed and to whom and what purpose these spaces serve. Skateboarders, generally, have a different perspective of urban areas than most civilians as they are constantly assessing the surface and form of what is all around them – from temporary road blocks to marble plazas. Obstacles and opportunities present themselves in the least expected places and skaters take delight in ‘perverting’ – or making creative use of – mundane objects whose original purpose and function was far removed from creativity or self expression.
Paterson says, ‘All the works are inspired by specific places, but the site is only the beginning. The references are pulled together and blurred, so that nothing is made explicit. My works are landscape painting – of all the things I am interested in.’
One of the main issues raised from the British Art Show 06 is the debate surrounding the uses of public space, its privatisation and what people can do to reclaim these public spaces. This is a subject close to the skateboarding community and one that Paterson, along with other artists in the exhibition, is familiar with and which is augmented in his work.
Skateboarding is a crime in Manchester city centre with very few facilities provided and large amounts of public money being poured into attempting to make places ‘skate-proofed’ and policed. Refreshingly though, a dialogue between Urbis and Manchester City Council has begun regarding the use of public space with a view to the council allowing skateboarders to use certain places at specific times of the week without fear of recrimination. This co-operation and compromise between civic council and skateboarders has been successfully working at MACBA (Barcelona’s museum of modern art) and illustrates that skateboarding can be celebrated rather simply swept under the carpet and will be cited in the coming discussions.
If this is something that affects or interests you, or you wish to get involved, then please make your views known about by posting a response and visiting Urbis.
The British Art Show is on Now and won’t cost you a bean!
For further information on Toby Paterson, Urbis and The British Art Show, simply click on the links below….
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A3800729
http://www.ica.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=5401
http://www.urbis.org.uk
The ‘Rick’ from all the Manchester coverage back then was Rik Cooper – the same Rik who now works for Slingshot. Not sure if he’s the same Rick that worked at MB though.. I only remember Lee and Marv..
Rik was rad..
Just remebered – It was Rick Myers who used to work at MB..