Wednesday, May 24, 2017

"No one got hurt, no one got arrested" How early NorCal freestylers changed EVERYTHING


The late Dave Vanderspek  schools the cops and the news media on the difference between a skate contest, a sticker toss, and a riot.  Normal people just didn't get it back then. And we liked it that way.

On Facebook recently there was a promo for an upcoming book about BMX freestyle, and it listed the names of riders that would be featured in the book.  There were a lot of great names on the list.  But I noticed one glaring omission, there was no one from NorCal.  You just can't tell the story of BMX freestyle without the San Francisco Bay Area riders.  They didn't invent freestyle, but they left an lasting imprint on the whole freestyle scene.  I'm not just saying that because I was part of the scene for a while.  I'm saying that because BMX freestyle wouldn't be BMX freestyle without Golden Gate Park, the Curb Dogs, the Skyway team, the Ground Control crew, and the attitude that rose from the crazy streets of San Francisco.  Here's a look at the NorCal influence through the videos of NorCal riders.

Blogger's note:  I just saw the link to Dom Phipps' book, and on the website and it DOES mention the Curb Dogs and Maurice Meyer.  It was the Facebook post that didn't have any NorCal reference that was my spark to create this post, which I've been working on for a few days now.  

Many of you have been reading my blogs for nearly a decade.  For as little as $1 a month, you can help support my work here.

The Pro Riders
Dave Vanderspek was unquestionably the charismatic leader of both the Curb Dogs and the Golden Gate Park Freestyle scene.  He was also a good skater, and was the first person to really bring the skateboard and punk rock influence into freestyle.
Maurice Meyer, aka "Drob" was a solid, always underrated rider BITD, but not the outgoing promoter that Dave was.  I always thought of Drob as the "assistant manager of NorCal freestyle."  He was kind of the second in command guy in the Curb Dogs, the Skyway factory team, and Golden Gate Park scene during my time there.  His brother was freestyle skater Ray Meyer.
Ron Wilkerson was one of the most influential riders of the 80's, and ever since.  He started as part of the Golden Gate Park scene and with his 2-Hip Trick Team, and got the very first cover photo on FREESTYLIN' magazine riding there.  He soon landed on the Haro Bikes team as a pro rider, and moved to Southern California.  He brought lip tricks into the vert world, started the first series of halfpipe and street contests, and went on to own Wilkerson Airlines and now 2-Hip Bikes.
Robert Peterson became known as the Mater of Balance for his array of stationary balance tricks.  He was also team manager of the Skyway Factory team for quite a while and a mad scientist inventing freestyle tech.
Rick Allison added a showman style to early freestyle riding.  The thing that sticks out in my mind about Rick is that he could do the fastest surfers I've ever seen anyone do.
Oleg Konings (1:01 in this clip) was a freak among the freaks.  At a time when nearly every rider had a original tricks, Oleg came up with tricks that were totally unique and weird.  He invented the first scuffing trick, too.  Really.  That's it in the clip.  "Oleg, put your helmet on!"
Hugo Gonzalez is last, but definitely not least.  Hugo was the craziest ramp and skatepark rider in the early days, bar none.  Before anyone even used the term "Huck it," that's what Hugo was doing.  If there was a crazy jump to be attempted, Hugo was the guy to try it.  He constantly was pushing the limits of what was possible with a BMX freestyle bike in the air.  And landing was always optional to Hugo.

NorCal rider contributions to BMX freestyle
-Golden Gate Park Scene was the most cohesive scene I ever saw in freestyle.  There was no other scene like it.  It had a totally different vibe than any other.
-The Curb Dogs bike/skate team was the most popular non-factory trick team of the 80's.  They routinely placed above most factory teams in magazine polls.
-The terrain of San Francisco, combined with punk rock and skateboard influences promoted by Vander and the Curb Dogs was the main, initial thrust of BMX street riding.  The San Diego riders soon followed suit.

-Vander showed us that motocross style uniforms were stupid.
-First scuff trick ever was invented by Oleg Konings (see Oleg clip above).
BMX freestyle balance tricks were made popular by Robert Peterson, who invented most of the early balance tricks.
-First wall ride-type trick was Hugo Gonzalez' fence ride at Pipeline Skatepark.
-First BMX halfpipe contest was put on by Dave Vanderspek
-First BMX street contest was put on by Dave Vanderspek
-First BMX halfpipe series, 2-Hip King of Vert, was put on by Ron Wilkerson.
-Second BMX street contest, and first BMX street contest series, 2-Hip Meet the Street, was put on by Ron Wilkerson.
-The first made-for-TV BMX street contest, the Huntington Beach Street Scene, was put on by Scot Breithaupt and myself (Steve Emig) in 1989, and aired on ESPN, six years before the X-Games.

NorCal and Golden Gate Park influence on video:
Hugo Gonzales and the NorCal trick team- 1982
Robert Peterson and his hovercraft on Super Kids- 1982
BMX freestyle in Golden Gate Park- Just Kidding- 1983 (sorry, no audio)- Dave Vanderspek :49, 1:20, 1:44, 2:06, 2:38; Maurice Meyer 1:17, 1:50; Rick Allison 1:27, 4:05, 4:49; Darcy Langlois 2:30
Curb Dogs/Skyway demo with English riders, Brighton, England- 1984
2-Hip Trick Team- Evening Magazine- 1984
Curb Dogs/Skway demo in Brighton, U.K.- 1984
Maurice Meyer flatland- AFA Venice Beach, CA 1985
Skyway Promotional video- Part 1- 1985
Skyway Promotional video- Part 2- 1985
Hugo Gonzalez AFA ramp run- 1985
Skyway Team freestyle demo- Redding, CA, 1985
TG14 segment - 1985-  3:33- Darcy Langlois, 3:45- Marc McKee
Tommy Guerrero- Bones Brigade Future Primitive- 1985- Curb Dogs member
Hugo Gonzalez flatland run in the U.K.- 1986
Hugo Gozalez' endo drop-in bail at Pipeline- 1985
Dave Vanderspek's Curb Dogs- Evening Magazine- 1985
BMX freestyle at Beach Park Bikes- 1986
BMX freestyle in Golden Gate Park- Pacific Currents- 1986- Maurice "Drob" Meyer 1:43, 4:50, 5:09; Karl Rothe 4:04, 4:22, 4:37; Chris Rothe 1:31, 4:33; Marc McKee :58, 1:16, 4:43, 5:05; Darcy Langlois 1:10, 4:06, 4:48; Mike Perkins 4:26; Me (Steve Emig) 5:07.
BMX Freestyle with the Curb Dogs- Part 1- 1986
BMX Freestyle with the Curb Dogs- Part 2- 1986
BMX Freestyle with the Curb Dogs- Part 3- 1986
Ray Meyer freestyle skate run- Oceanside, CA 1986- Curb Dog- Drob's brother
Interbike Trade Show Freestyle Demo- 1986 featuring Robert Peterson, Maurice Meyer, Dave Vanderspek.  (I know the tag says 1987, but I was riding at interbike in '87, this is from '86, the video was released in 1987).
Robert Peterson on Merv Griffin Show promoting the movie RAD- 1986 
Hugo Gonzalez on KNTV news- 1986
Chris Rothe flatland run- AFA Masters in New Jersey- 1987
Karl Rothe flatland run- AFA Masters in New Jersey- 1987 
Tommy Guerrero and the Bones Brigade in San Francisco- The Search for Animal Chin- 1987
Fisher-Price video camera commercial- 1987- featuring Norman Chuck's radio
Vision Street Wear's Freestylin' Fanatics- 1987- at 11:19 Dave "Marius Q." Vanderspek does a bike/skate flatland in an AFA contest.  I apologize for the horrible voice-over, I wrote most of it, but they fucked it up when recording it.  Dave's followed by Ron Wilkerson messing with a Brian Blyther interview.  I worked at Unreel Productions, and hated this video when it came out because it was all old footage and it was pretty goofy.  But they gave me two credits at the end, so I couldn't escape responsibility for helping to make it- Steve Emig.
Karl Rothe flatland run- AFA Masters, Arizona- 1988
Marc McKee flatland run- AFA Masters- 1988 
TV News report on Dave Vanderspek's death- 1988- Dave was a influence on the whole BMX freestyle world, as well as many riders (myself included) individually.  Addiction can kill.  Do your best to avoid it people, and help your friends the best you can if they get caught up in it.  Many times the most amazing and talented spirits that come into this world are the ones who struggle the most.  R.I.P. Vander
Marc McKee flatland at Venice Beach- 88 or 89???
Tommy Guerrero- Ban This- 1989
The Man Who Souled The World- Steve Rocco/World Industries documentary- 2007- Marc McKee- 22:32, 37:23, 37:40- Steve Rocco talking about Marc's art, 53:11, 1:13:53, 1:14:52
Censorship is weak as F##K- Art show- featuring Marc McKee's work- 2009?
Censorship is weak as F##K art show- Marc McKee (and Sean Cliver) mini-interview- 2009?
Tommy Guerrero- Transworld Skateboarding Legends- 2013  
Tribute to Hugo Gonzalez- 2015
Tommy Guerrero at the Golden Gate Park casting ponds- 2015
Robert Peterson- San Diego- 2016 
Vince Torres at Old School BMX Reunion 2016- Woodward West

NorCal freestylers in FREESTYLIN' magazine in the early days...
The Premiere- Issue # 1 of FREESTYLIN', Cover: Ron Wilkerson at Golden Gate Park (in San Francisco)- Summer 1984
 FREESTYLIN' #2- Hugo Gonzalez pull out poster- fall '84
FREESTYLIN' #3- Robert Peterson interview- winter '84-'85
FREESTYLIN'#5- The Great NorCal ramp series- May '85
FREESTYLIN' #6- Cover: Hugo Gonzalez (and fellow Skyway rider Scott Freeman)- July 1985
BMX Action- Cover: Dave Vanderspek- November 1985
FREESTYLIN' # 12- Cover: Dave Vanderspek, Maurice & Ray Meyer interview- May 1986
FREESTYLIN' #13- Interview with Dave Vanderspek, Robert Peterson's bar extender- June '86
FREESTYLIN' #15- San Jose Stylin' (my zine) named top freestyle zine in the country- August '86
FREESTYLIN' #16- Photos of Maurice Meyer, Dave Vanderspek, & Oleg Konings- September '86
FREESTYLIN' #19- My mini interview with some skater named Rodney Mullen- December '86
FREESTYLIN' #21- Robert Peterson interview (which had a 43 page transcription)- February '87
FREESTYLIN' #24- Golden Gate Park Flatland- May '87
FREESTYLIN' #26- Marc McKee undergrounder, tricks by Robert Peterson and Karl Rothe
FREESTYLIN' #31- Ron Wilkerson interview (lived in SoCal then)
FREESTYLIN' #46- Cover: Ron Wilkerson (SoCal guy then), R.I.P. Vander piece- March 1989
FREESTYLIN' #47- Vander Memorial Jam- April '89
Go: The Rider's Manual- Vol.2 #4- Ron Wilkerson- February 1991

Vander would ride it.  "Slam, bang, crash 'em up, do it again."
43. 

I have four new blogs I'm focusing on now- 

The Big Freakin' Transition- about the future and economics

Crazy California 43 - Weird, cool, and historic locations in California.

Full Circle- about writing and the writer's life

Stench: Homeless Super Hero - I'm writing a fiction blog now about the world's first homeless super hero, Stench.



No comments:

Post a Comment