southsiders

Tribute Run to Father Graham Hullett and the roots of British two-wheel Revivalism

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:28:00 +0000

‘They paved paradise and put up a parking lot’

Words by David Lancaster
Pictures © David Lancaster & others

Saturday, May 4th: Paddington, west London. BSAs, Triumphs, Nortons and Norvins appear. Rain subsides and riders gather.

From the mid-1800s ‘till the Second World War this area around the arm of the Grand Union Canal saw a bustling traffic of narrow barges unload their wares into the metropolis - and then turn to make their journey back to England’s industrial heartlands in the Midlands.
The trade declined after the War. As did Paddington, at least on the surface. But boat dwellers took up residence on the neglected canal, including me in the 1990s. And yards from the canal, in the 1960s, the hall attached to St Mary’s Church was home to the 59 Club .

The 200-odd bikes and riders were gathering on the site of the hall to pay tribute to Father Graham Hullett, who passed away last year; the last man of the cloth to shepherd the young motorcyclists who congregated at the Club first in Paddington, and later in Hackney. A ‘burn up’ run would follow, from the old Club HQ, down to Chelsea Bridge and Battersea pub The Pavilion.

Organiser was Lenny Paterson, the man who kicked off the original Rockers’ Reunion Runs in the early1980s and veteran of the 59 Club in its heyday. ‘It was a magic time,’ he recalls. ‘There were fewer speed cameras, and a real sense of freedom in terms of mobility and sexual freedom.’
Under the guidance of the motorcycling clergy of first Father Bill Shergold, and then Graham Hullett, its members married motorbikes with rock and roll in a very British way: ragged, yet elegant. As many of the pioneers remain. And Hullett in particular was a real motorcyclist as well as a man of faith. He rode his BSA far and wide – to the Elephant rally several times and to the TT every year. His also amassed an impressive photographic archive of the time.
‘Graham was one of the boys, but there was an air of respect about him,’ Paterson recalls. ‘It was a gift. And one he wasn’t aware of. If you were out of order, he’d tell you.’ Paterson has more reasons than most to be thankful for this. With brushes with the Police piling up, his life reached a crossroads with a fight in the Club in the late 60s. Graham Hullett intervened and then talked the victim’s family out of pressing charges. ‘That was a turning point in my life,’ Len says. Payback came years later, when he organized the fund-raising to buy Father Hullett the Enfield 500 he spent his later years happily riding.

The Club under Father Hullett’s leadership kept the flame alive other ways, too. Laszlo Benedek’s groundbreaking film The Wild One had been banned by the British Board of Film Censors since its US release in 1953. The authorities were fearful the film might unleash riots in cinemas. A fanciful notion now, but the 1955 Blackboard Jungle did just that, with south London Teds trading punches and furniture at several screenings, soon copied across the land.
In 1968 the 59 Club’s Paddington HQ, as private members’ club, was able to screen The Wild One for the first time in the UK. And it was the film’s screening, along with home-brewed movies such Psychomania and bike-sploitation pulp fiction books like Stuart Hall’s Wheels of Death, which heralded a further gear-shift in street biking style - from clip-ons, rear-sets and black leathers, to the bobbed/chopped styling cues and cut-offs re-emerging today.

Brando’s stock Triumph, and rocker-style plotted one course – whilst the bobbed Harleys and Indians of Lee Marvin’s crew plotted another. According to George Harrison, it was this gang, ‘The Beetles’, which inspired the name of the Liverpool beat combo. As filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard said: ‘It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to.’
Lenny’s Rockers’ Runs of the 1980s played just as important a role in laying the ground for today’s two-wheel canvass - uniting fans of British and Italian sports bikes, café racers and home-moddied specials, pretty much for the first time.
‘It was the same spirit as at 59 Club at its peak,’ he says. The backdrop of violence of London in the 70s - which crossed race, motorcycling, music and fashion more than many realise - had eased too, by then. ‘The back patch thing had simmered right down. Normal lads were out again.’ These were joined by the embryonic Mean Fuckers MC along with workers, friends and customers from Lloyd Johnson’s store La Rocka! and 1000s of others - old and new from London’s alternative motorcycling scene running down to Brighton from Chelsea Bridge.

This legacy of both the 59 Club and the Runs Len put together is more evident than ever these days – in everything from naked Triumphs and Nortons, to short films, independent builders, web sites and clothing. The road furniture and plodding four-door saloons from the 60s and 80s have dated dramatically, yet the appeal of the bikes and riders’ style is as stark today as ever, maybe even more so.
Surprisingly, much of the British bike mainstream failed, at first, to recognize this niche emerging before its eyes. An exec from the then-fresh Triumph firm told me in 1990 that, no, the Bonneville name would not be any use to them: ‘A few mates dressed in leather jackets do NOT constitute a market,’ he confidently commented on some 7,000 turning out for a Reunion Run. And an editor on Motor Cycle News asked Len just what his Rockers’ Runs ‘really had to do with motorcycling?’ As Len observes: ‘Even in the 80s, we [Rockers] were still being looked down on a bit.’

How times change. Brands, from Triumph to Levi’s, have realised the wealth contained in their own back catalogues, looking back for inspiration in order to move forward.

So the plot of land – now a car park - on which Club members gave three cheers in memory of Father Hullett has a key place in British two-wheeled culture. From ground-breaking film screenings, to the genesis of both the style and personnel of the original Rockers’ Reunion runs 20 years later, Paddington may have changed - but the style, lust for the road and the independent spirit of men such as Graham Hullett lives on.

Quite a legacy for a church hall.

Ends

Http://www.wheels-and-waves.com

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Thu, 23 May 2013 06:51:00 +0000

After long weeks of waiting, our Wheels and Waves 2013 website is finally online.

You'll find all the necessary participant's information for the event which takes place mid June, but also discover this year's section called "registration" allowing you to sign-up for the two rides (Friday 14 and Saturday 15 June), and to pre-register for meals.

The numbers are limited, so your cooperation will allow us to plan & privilege all registered participants.

A big thank you to all of our partners, without whom this event could not exist.

I would also like to thank the W & W team for their considerable efforts:
Thierry de Miras, Jérome et Valérie Allé, Benoit Guerry, Olivier Prat, Kenny Jacob,Vincent Lassere,
Anik Labreigne, Neil Williams, Phil Lalemant.

Special thanks to Steven Burke for his remarkable graphic design work, and to Marc Steinmetz who developed the website.

Come see it at: Wheels-and-waves.com

Après de longues semaines d'attente, nôtre site Wheels and Waves 2013 est enfin en ligne.
Vous y trouverez toutes les informations utiles pour rejoindre l'événement du mois de Juin, mais aussi cette année une rubrique "enregistrement" vous permettant de vous inscrire non seulementpour les deux rides (Vendredi 14 et Samedi 15 juin), mais aussi de vous inscrire pour les repas.
Leur nombre étant limité, cela nous permet d'évaluer à l'avance le nombre de participants.

Un grand merçi à tous nos partenaires sans lesquels cet événement gratuit ne pourrait exister.
Je tiens aussi à remercier toute l'équipe de travail pour leurs efforts considérables
Thierry de Miras, Jérome et Valérie Allé, Benoit Guerry, Kenny, Olivier Prat Jacob,Vincent Lassere, Anik Labreigne, Neil Williams, Phil Lalemant
Merçi à Steven Burke pour son remarquable Design graphique, et à Marc Steinmetz pour le développement du site.

Rendez vous sur Wheels-and-waves.com

El Solitario Ducati Petardo for Wheels & Waves

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:08:00 +0000

Time is running out and our dear Petardo is still a nasciturus. All the team is working hard to have it ready for the Biarritz party but we know this will be hard. All the necessary bits are finally here but we are still facing a couple of unwanted compromises that seek to work around them before… BOOM!@#$ disappearing in a cloud of smoke!

El Solitario Ducati Petardo for Wheels & Waves from El Solitario on Vimeo.

Brough Superior goes back to the Bonneville Salt Flats

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:47:00 +0000

Four Artists at Wheels & Waves

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:04:00 +0000

Galerie 13 Avril - 22 Avenue Montjoly - Biarritz Thursday June 13th 7pm

BILL PHELPS
Le photographe New-Yorkais Bill Phelps s’est forgé une carrière de renommée internationale en apportant sa vision artistique au monde de la publicité, et en collaborant avec des magazines de mode telles que Vogue Italie, The New York Times et Interview. Les portraits et paysages shootés par Phelps font de lui un réel poète de la photographie. Egalement féru de motos et propriétaire du Café Moto à Brooklyn, Phelps présentera une série intitulée “Ocean” ou l’on retrouve les éléments phare du Wheels and Waves; l’eau et la moto.

Brooklyn-based photographer Bill Phelps has built an international career working in advertising, and lending his talents to fashion magazines such as Italian Vogue, The New York Times and Interview. He is considered as one of image-making world’s true visual poets for the portraits and landscapes he has shot. Also captivated by motorbikes and owner of the Café Moto in Brooklyn, Phelps will present a series of photographs called “Ocean” in which two of the main elements of the event Wheels and Waves are highlighted; water and motorbikes.
http://www.billphelps.com/

ALAIN DUPLANTIER
Photographe, réalisateur de long-métrage, de clip et de pub, Alain Duplantier découvre sa passion pour l’image à 13 ans. Il fait ses armes dans des labos et des studios photo, assiste de grands photographes tels que Jean Baptiste Mondino, et enchaine les opportunités de boulot qui se bousculent. Dès 1989, Libération le remarque pour son style très affirmé et lui ouvre ses pages afin d’y réaliser des série de portraits de personnalités de tout bord. Il turbine aux décibels punk rock, il traine dans tous les concerts possibles et inimaginables et photographie des grands noms de la scène rock , parmi lesquelles Lou Reed, Bjork, Brian Jones, Etienne Daho et Bertrand Cantat, qui seront exposées à la Galerie 13 Avril dans le cadre du WHEELS and WAVES.

Photographer, cinematographer and director, Alain Duplantier discovered a passion for image-making at the age of 13. Building his career after assisting many professionals within developing photo studios, he was also the assistant of some big photographers such as Jean Baptiste Mondino. Many opportunities raised to him, before French newspaper Libération got him to shoot a series of portraits of some of the biggest personalities of all kind. As he gets to hang out in the indie punk rock scene, he found himself shooting some of the biggest figures like Bjork, Lou Reed, Brian Jones, Etienne Daho, and Bertrand Cantat. Some to can be witnessed at Galerie 13 Avril at the launch of WHEELS and WAVES.
http://www.alainduplantier.com

BRIAN BENT
Influencé par le design, la mode et l’architecture du début du siècle jusqu’aux années 60, l’artiste et surfeur Brian Bent est un homme aux talents multiples. Sa vie et son univers artistique évoluent autour de la sculpture, de la peinture illustrative, du design d’intérieur, de la musique, du surf mais aussi de la contruction automobile et plus particulièrement des vieilles voitures de course. Cette année, Bent nous fait l’honneur de venir exposer des toiles peintes spécialement pour le WHEELS and WAVES, une première exposition en France pour l’artiste Californien.

Self taught and influenced by the mid-century modern period of design, fashion, and architecture, musician, artist and surfer Brian Bent exhibits for the first time in Europe at Wheels & Waves.
It would be so simple to place Brian Bent in a box and say, “Hey look, there’s Brian the painter” or “I just saw Brian Bent the hot rod builder flying down the road in a fresh built jalopy”. It might be easier for the artist to settle on building 1930s style kook-box surfboards or doing his own unique style of screen printing. Focusing on any one might make life a little less complicated for him but that’s not who Brian Bent is. This man does not actually do work with the aim to sell or publish (although he achieves both very well) he just creates as and when the mood and direction takes him. One day a car, the next a collection of prints or some clothes to wear and the next... who knows? Brian Bent’s life is his art and for Wheels and Waves 2013 he brings with him a new set of paintings especially for the show in Biarritz.

http://www.brianbentgallery.com/

ALBERTO GARCIA ALIX
Le photographe Espagnol Alberto Garcia Alix débute son travail artistique à la fin des années 70 après la mort du General Franco. Témoin du quotidien, de ses nuits et de ses contours, il dépeint le mouvement culturel de la Movida dans sa pure vérité. La marginalité, la drogue, et le rock and roll en font partie. Malgré la dureté de certains de ses portraits, il n’en capte pas moins une grande poésie. Publié dans de nombreux magazines de mode et reconnu dans le milieu de l’art contemporain, Garcia-Alix est l’un des photographes les plus représentatifs d’une époque, d’un mouvement, d’un pays.

Spanish photographer Alberto Garcia Alix debuted as an artist at the end of the seventies, after Franco passed away. He was witnessing the everydaylife and the underground nights lived by his friends at the time, and despite the true.. and sad life they had, Garcia-Alix managed to share the emotional dimension of it all. Garcia-Alix stands as a true representative of The Movida; that - word - echoeing with sex, drug and rock n roll.
http://www.albertogarciaalix.com

Vintage Revival Montlhéry 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Wed, 01 May 2013 06:44:00 +0000

In France we have the great good fortune to possess L’Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry not far from Arpajon in the forest. Even better we have permission from the VRM to drive along it every two years The fact that we can only ride along a small part adds to the mythology of this legendary route, where many records have been established and broken, such as that of Bert Le Vack, hurtling along on a Brough-Superior, at over 200km/h back in 1929.

heroic Bert painted by Geo Ham

Sadly the condition of the circuit, compounded by today’s draconian regulations, and the lack of too-costly maintenance, means that you can no longer drive all of the original circuit. The old world charm and rural beauty can be misleading for as well as the feeling of making history driving along this old road, you are accompanied by a bumping, jolting ride from which Evil Knievel would be proud of emerging unscathed.

in red the actual circuit

Last Autumn we decided to join the meet of pre 1940 cars and bikes, organized by Vincent Chamon and his team.
Our friends ”P” and”M” had prepared two Norton Internationals: a 350 and a 500, with their well known Gardengate frames and roadholder forks

These machines, precise as Swiss clocks, have had multiple rides along the Circuit de Montlhèry but are returning to their old stomping ground for the first time for 12 years.

So, compared to our previous visit we had an additional role: I must say that nowadays, I really appreciate doing rather than watching.

This year the turnout was exceptional, there were not only some machines from the Brooklands Museum, but also one from the Hockenheim museum. I was particularly attracted by the two Mc Evoy 1000cc racers, one of which was “Bad” with its 8 valve engine, a reinforced frame, and black finish, while the other was more refined. I shouldn’t forget the presence on the track and in the pits of the most fabulous French motorcycle ever built: The Koehler Escoffier Georges Monneret 1935. There were many other motorcycles and the pits were dominated by the infernal Franck Chatokhine on his Speed Twin passing above our heads whilst Banking, spurred on by Dimitri Coste on the family ES2. As for the cars, despite the countless wonders whirling around my head, I have retained the memory of the fantastic The Graham 8 Lucenti Indy car from 1932, with its 8 inline pots. We also had a real admiration for the Stewart Sandford 3 wheeler car/cycle with its Ruby built compressor motor complete with aluminium casing. One of my favourite French brands, "Avions Voisin", was also well represented. and to top it all off the Hélica powered propeller 1919, an incredible machine straight out of a cartoon.

The atmosphere was wonderful, despite having to leave the circuit at 5:30 p.m, and (Vincent if you're listening ...) some visual pollution due to the modern cars mixed in with the old ones on the stands.

Our experience of the track with the Inters was a beautiful gift from "P" and "M" who at 82 can no longer drive, kindly offered us his place. An elegant pass of the baton. After each session, the smiles of our four pilots spoke volumes about the sensations experienced.
Looking closely reveals the Inter "Cammy" 1938 to be a modern motorcycle for its time, with a perfect frame, an engine phenomenally powerful for a single, no wonder it has been the bike of choice for private pilots, followed closely after by the Manx.

In the diary for 2015 and once again congratulations to the organizers.

vp

Dimitri Coste on Norton ES2 1935

Moto Guzzi Dondolino

OK Supreme 500 1934

Mc Evoy 1000 cc Anzani 1927

Triumph Speed Twin Supercharger Brooklands 1938

"Dr Norton"

Torpedo 1909 replica

French Indian club

Our Setup

A Two Cam

The most fantastic French French Motorcycle ever: Koehler Escoffier 1000ACT Georges Monneret

Georges Monneret " Jojo la Moto" with the same bike in 1935

Rolland Pilain was the first car to beat a record at Montlhéry

Delage

Bentley Tourer

Avions Voisin "Art Déco" interior by Paul Poiret

Hélica (Leyat) Replica 1919, the roadster version

The "Cocotte" famous Avions Voisin Mascott

Ford Woody 40

Neracar

Bedelia BD 2 Tandem 1912

Thomas with The Graham 8 Lucenti Indy car from 1932

Thomas und Ingrid

Always better when people are well dressed

Brasier Hispano V8 engine1908

George Cohen and Paul D'Orleans

Jérome Coste

Jérome Coste wearing his Latest creation "The Castel"

Jérome with the Castel and El solitario's Bonneville Coverall

Would kill for a racer like this one

Koehler Escoffier Mandoline 500cc

Brooklands

Excelsion Manxman 250

My favorite the Mc Evoy 1000 8 valve all black racer 1924

DKW SS 250 1938 Single with 2 pistons 2 strokes compressor 130db

another Mandoline

Stayer with probably a 2liters Anzani engine

Magnat Debon 175 racer

The Best Cyclecar on show the Sandford compressor, Ruby engined

English engineering by JENSEN

OMG let me take one last pic please !

last advices before the run , Many thanks to "M"

Me Just before being blowed by Franck Chatokhine the fastest rider on the track

Julien from our team discovering track's adrenalin ...

Fred our Team mate

Third row

Pierre

The Chase between Pierre and Dimitri

Art & Moto Lisboa Today

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 12:06:00 +0000

Organised by Cafe Racer 351 Art & Moto Is an exhibition of our friends Raulowsky and Antonio Merinero, two of our last year artists at Wheels & Waves.

If you are Lisboa today go for it !
from 27 to 28 April at LxFactory

Good luck Raul & Tonio...

Our Rides: W&W X Loser Machine in Guipuzcoa

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:55:00 +0000

Photography by Benoit Guerry for Guerry & Prat images

Elvio Patuano

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:21:00 +0000

Elvio (photo Laurent Bagnard)

We have lost a friend and an artist. Elvio Patuano left us last week to rejoin the Gods of Speed whom he so admired.
Last year he did us the honour of exhibiting his sculptures(at Wheels and waves in Biarritz).

His fertile imagination and passion for seeing the beauty in mechanics gave us all the fruit of this self taught artist

Rest in peace...

Wheels & Waves x Loser Machine

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:08:00 +0000

Wheels & Waves x Loser Machine from Douglas Guillot on Vimeo.

In Europe, the winter can seem unending, the time of year when we are consigned to dwell interminably in our garages, neon lights may be bright but they can never truly replicate sunlight...
But there is a cure, we have been planning an end of winter trip to the Basque country since last summer with our friend Fede at Loser Machine and Bixente, a ride for a Wheels and Waves 2013 reunion.
A band of brothers, 20 in all. However with the unpredictable seasonal conditions we are taking a gamble, but still we have ploughed through all conditions before and shall do again.
The ride is a total of 240km, and we are planning it for June, so it should be perfect riding : A combination of beautiful nature and a rare countryside found in these traditional lands, far from the polluted towns and cities that so many of us are forced to call home. Mountains are found in abundance as are the twists on the long empty stretches of road, which are themselves much like racing circuits, in short, a dreamlike wonderland. Anybody who loves bikes will get that longed for Endorphin rush and a heavenly bike connection.

L'hiver est long en Europe, la période ou nous restons calfeutrés dans nos garages parait interminable, les néons ne remplaceront jamais le soleil...
Nous avions cependant planifié à la fin de l'été dernier avec nôtre ami Fede de Loser Machine et Bixente, un ride au pays Basque à la fin de l'hiver, ayant pour but de faire un repérage pour Wheels & Waves 2013.
Nous avons réuni un groupe d'amis, une vingtaine au total, les conditions étant difficilement prévisibles en cette saison nous prenions un certain risque, nous avons rencontré à peu près tout ce que l'on peut imaginer en matière de météo.
le ride de 240Km que nous allons vous proposer en Juin est quasiment parfait à mes yeux, beaucoup de nature, peu d'agglomérations,de la montagne, des virages par milliers, des route côtières semblables à un circuit, bref un terrain de jeu sensationnel ou chacun trouvera l'endorphine vitale, la justification même de la moto.
Vivement Juin.

We would like to thank, everyone who participed to this "epic" ride and of course Doug for the cool movie and Fede for his support

Shot & Edited by Douglas Guillot
Produced by Greendog Distribution
Music by Yussuf Jerusalem (bornbadrecords.net/artists/yussuf-jerusalem/)
Photography by Benoit Guerry (guerrypratimages.com/home.html)
additional film shots by Juan Lagarrigue (jromero.fr) & Sarah Arnould(saraharnould.tumblr.com)
Graphic Design by Steven Burke (stevenburke.blogspot.fr)
Support by Loser Machine (losermachine.com)

Chicara Art number five

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 07:10:00 +0000

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It is a rare honour for us to be able to offer you a world exclusive of the 5th piece from Chicara Nagata. Les typical and less recognisable than the preceding editions, it has an outstanding beauty and sheen from years of craftsmanship.

It will be shown and for sale at the MAD Gallery in Geneva.

Photography by Franck Kletschkus, and thanks to Fabrice Roux from Moto Heroes magazine

New magazines

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:36:00 +0000

Winter isn't over yet: I can see the proof as I look out of the window....So, while we wait, here's some suggestions for some new magazines available now on our STORE
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A new discovery, or to add to your collection, here's issue number 4 of Moto Heroes. These 180 pages on modern man cover everything to do with the world of the moto and lifestyle. Good quality paper, good design: they talk about the fundamentals: men and design, that's to say their machines. We're proud to present this edition before it comes out in the shops. Written in French

AVAILABLE HERE

Next issue number 3 of Cast Iron. For a long time Laurent Bagnard has introduced rock and Greasy Culture into the Custom world in all its forms, and he gives us a wonderful personal piece, each time more like a book than a magazine. This immaculately designed work includes a DVD multizone, adding sound to image: don't miss it. In French and English.

AVAILABLE HERE

Finally, a little bit late, but as exciting as always, Dice no48: Matt and Dean, always ready to allow us to live the adventures of an underground world from our armchairs. Written in Texan translated from Cockney.

AVAILABLE HERE

Peanuts Factory - Nicolai Sclater portrait

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:26:00 +0000

For some, the custom bike scene has been stuck in a rut, but times are changing and a new direction is being taken. For several years we have experienced an acceleration of this phenomenom, mainly as a result of the internet and social media. Nicolai Sclater is a strong character on this new scene, he brings his own unique style and is revolutionising custom painting.

Nico lives in Hackney Wick in East London, where he has set up his workshop in an old dark brick warehouse (formally The infamous peanut factory) which he shares with Steph, his partner, and where she has her hairdressing salon « Parlour Macabre ». This workshop is also where they live : as London rents are prohibitively high they have created a suspended mezzanine to serve as their bedroom. Everything is organised and impeccably tidy, despite Steph's clients who come one after the other all through the day. The room is dominated by signs and panels painted by Nico aka "Ornamental Conifer". That's the scene set.

As we should, we drink tea ; Mark asks the questions and I take the photos.

Recently Nico has been very successful, and today he is very sought after and a leader in this field. He explained to us that they both want to leave London next year, after 10 years. Their clients expect a certain sort of work from them and they want to avoid being typecast and to regain their creativity. Despite his youth he has realised the pitfalls of the system and has made the spontaneous decision to stop his commercial work in favour of artistic inspiration. Fuck money !

Furthermore they want to have children in a while, some 'mini-conifers' and they don't want to educate them in England . Sweden seems the ideal place to them because of the quality of their education system. Nico has roots in Scandinavia, more precisely in Norway, where his father comes from, but Norway is too expensive to live there . London is a city which attracts people, but often they don't stay.

So he and Steph, his partner and best friend, are going to travel for a year, leaving motorbikes behind them. Moreover he doesn't want to be associated with motorbike gangs : people will soon get fed up with this revival which is currently so strong.

“ You know”, he tells me, talking about creativity, “ we are all searching for our way, no one knows their way : do you know yours? It's something that my parents taught me when I was very young, especially when I was lost or misunderstood, you have to stay awake and excited by what we see and experience. I don't want a predictable life. Finally, recently I had to go abroad for work and I realised that I usually work in my studio, surrounded by all the influences that seemed to me indispensable for visual stimulus, and then suddenly, in this big empty, white building it is very different, a new page turns, and everything was coming from inside my head : fresh and productive. I realised that I don't need a studio, I can work anywhere, I am free....

We went outside to see the motorbikes and to continue the discussion while Steph had a client. Under a tarpaulin he unveiled a SR500 version Flat tracker, without any trim, just minimal, called 'the curlew' , because it doesn't have any lights. He derides the fact that all his friends thought that he'd have a super-customised bike, and with this one he thumbs his nose at them.

From the second tarpaulin he brings out his famous 'Sushi Eater', this little bike is a Honda Rebel, which has Japanese Bosozoku styling influences. Nico explains that many Japanese customisers build single cylinder bikes from undesirable/ unfashionable bases into unimaginable machines. The exhausts have vertical silencers and the fairing is set high. They are often described as American choppers married to an old style café racer He explains to us that all the parts had been donated to him unasked by friends, and as if by magic the motorbike made itself. Original Honda Rebels are "disgusting" machines.
His other main influence was a picture of a Harley rigid with a full fairing which was in his father's garage . Nico grew up with this picture.

We finished the interview in the local pub, with the Bandidos crew in a post-industrial atmosphere. The beer was brewed on the premises and our tongues were loosened, but that's another story.

You can read more about Nico The Ornamental Conifer on Moto Heroes Magazine issue #04
for sale on our STORE

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Last week-end was epic !

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:21:00 +0000

Coming soon ...

Photo Benoit Guerry

Wheels & Waves 2013 - Update

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:51:00 +0000

Following several long months of suspense, peppered with frustration, we have come to an agreement with the city of Biarritz, here in France. Monsieur Didier Borotra, mayor of the city, has agreed to our request to hold the 2013 Wheels and Waves event at a truly magic, historical, and legendary spot: The Lighthouse of Biarritz.

This city, rich in history, where surfing in Europe was born in 1956, is unique in our eyes.
It brings together our two favorite elements which are the water and the asphalt, so the Wheels and Waves will be able to express themselves in full liberty for the period of a special weekend… a weekend of action, passion, pleasure, friendship and fraternity.

The dates are now set in stone: June 13, 14, 15, and 16th.
The activities and organization can now progressively find their marks, as the program looks to be a memorable one.
The website will be ready in April, where you will find all the necessary information about the event, where to stay, where to reserve, how to access and pre-register for meals, rides, and runs!

We want to thank, in advance, our partners without whom this event could not happen.
We also thank our four special artists for their confidence in us, as we look forward to the honor of hosting them, and officially exposing their work during the event.

Once again, we thank you all for your patience and understanding that “you can get it if you really want it”, and its corollary “good things often take time to obtain.”
We sincerely look forward to seeing you.

So prepare your bikes, your boards, and let’s get together at the Lighthouse in 2013!

Après de longs mois de suspense, nous sommes enfin parvenu à un accord avec la ville de Biarritz. Monsieur Didier Borotra, maire de la ville nous accorde l'implantation du village Wheels & Waves dans un lieu magique Autour du phare de Biarritz.

Cette ville chargée d'histoire ou le surf est né en 1956 en Europe est unique à nos yeux, il rassemble nos deux éléments favoris, l'eau et l'asphalte, les roues et les vagues vont pouvoir s'y exprimer en toute liberté le temps d'un week-end ...

La date est fixée au 13/14/15/16 Juin, les éléments vont maintenant se mettre progressivement en place, le programme s'annonce alléchant, nôtre site sera prêt courant Avril.
Vous y trouverez toutes les informations nécessaires comme l'hébergement, l'accès et le programme sans oublier les formulaires d'inscription repas, rides et runs.

Nous remercions d'ores et déjà tous nos partenaires sans lesquels cet événement ne pourrait avoir lieu aujourd'hui.
Nous remerçions vivement les quatre artistes pour la confiance qu'ils nous accordent et serons très honorés de les accueillir.

Encore une fois merçi pour votre patience, préparez vos motos, vos planches de surf et rejoignez nous .

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Autódromo de Terramar de Sitges

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 11:05:00 +0000

Scott Pommier exhibition in Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:16:00 +0000

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Don't miss Scott's Pommier exhibition in Paris next week.

Ne manquez pas l'exposition de Scott Pommier à Paris

Republic Gallery 3&, rue Nôtre Dame de Nazareth 75003 Paris

Velocette Thruxton: memories of a rider

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:07:00 +0000

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Here is one of our recent shoots from our studio. Amongst the English motorbikes, the Velocettes have a particuliar charm, a certain nobility in the quality of the finish: they were, in their time, motor cycles for gentlemen. Their speed perhaps contributed to their reputation. Today, the Thruxton is a very desirable and coveted model. We asked one of its most fervent advocates, Paul d'Orléans: The Vintagent, to tell us his memories of one of his all time favourites.... The photos are by Benoit Guerry, for Guerry & Prat images

This perfect restoration is a 1969 model , latest year of production

"Only a monumental fool would deny the Velocette Thruxton its rightful place among the pantheon of Olympus, to drip oil beside Zeus and Apollo, glowing modestly while the gods beside it trouble the earth. I know all this because I am a Thruxton's caretaker, so blessed for 25 years now, and the machine told me so.

I retain my marbles, nor is my walnut cracked; the Velocette spoke over tens of thousands of miles in my company, providing an embarrassment of pleasure, enough that should she take on human form, I would feel compelled to give her my wages entirely each week, and happily so, while protecting her from the burden of children and other mundane obligations, retaining her in a gilded, perfumed, and pillow-strewn room for the sole purpose of my selfish excitement.

I was introduced to Velocetting via Classic Bike magazine, discovering that formerly-essential quarterly Bible of Old Bikeism in its earliest days, the first years of the 1980s. I'd never seen a Velo in the metal, but I studied those magazines until the pages turned to ragged tissue and the staples wore holes in the covers, which I mended with clear library tape. I have them all, from issue #1; they were equally my education and my pornography.

The first Thruxton I encountered was all-black with gold pinstriping, plus a half-fairing and shortened hump seat; it had been ridden 90 miles from Sacramento to San Francisco for an unworthy local swap meet in 1985; day was spent gazing rapt, annoying the owner with questions. Not long after, a friend gained employment at an open-secret motorbike museum deep in Oakland; a visit revealed this cave of moto-gems contained a green Thruxton, in truth the lowliest machine among the 300 ultra-rare Broughs and prewar Vincent twins which crowded those dark halls. Yet it was that green bike which I coveted, longed for, dreamed about.

The 'museum' owner was caught with $3M in cash and 3 tons of amphetamines, necessitating the scurried removal of 300 machines to a new, secret, location, and the rapid sale of same to pay lawyer's fees. As I'd made my desire known (many times), the Thruxton was offered in exchange for an $8900 bank cheque, within 24 hours. At 27 years old I was an under-employed layabout, earning just enough to cover my rent, my fun, and my motorcycle parts, but I borrowed the money, and my sweaty and nervous palms shortly held the title to that green Velocette. It cost 8 times any motorbike I'd ever bought, and I was actually scared to ride it those first few days. Trepidation soon disappeared, and within the month we'd cracked across the Golden Gate Bridge at 4am, at over 115mph.

My Thruxton gained a name ('la Courgette') and a reputation, as I attempted piecemeal to duplicate Velocette's famous 24 hours at 100mph. She let me down once only - my fault - being otherwise flawless and peerless, even enduring a two-year stint as my sole transport and daily commuter. We have been from Los Angeles to the Canadian Rockies and every twisted road between, earnestly scrubbing away sidewall rubber as her gaping carburetor sprayed petrol vapor on my right knee. She fires right up and scampers away, is dead smooth at 80mph, with the confluent sound of intake, exhaust, piston rattle, and valve gear symphonic beneath me.

Together we are invisible to police, having never been stopped, and I am revealed as a half-green Centaur of prodigious speed and agility. She is as important to me as my own liver, and as familiar. My greatest blessing to bestow would be to wish you a long a fruitful marriage to a Velocette Thruxton, such as I have experienced, and its a great pity more riders who imagine they enjoy motorcycles will not have such an opportunity. The beasts are simply too rare, so I am required to tell the truth about this machine, as it has been told to me by the Thruxton herself, all these many years."

See also by The Vintagent :

A Norton Atlas History

Ride With the Devil

Your Favorite five # 011

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Crazy Mushrooms Eaters

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 07:12:00 +0000

Seaweed & Gravel, Leucadia, CA

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:23:00 +0000

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We discovered this independant store, in Leucadia on main street. You know the concept, Surfing and motorcycles, not new, but the kind of store you would like to have in your neighborhood. It's done with taste and worth a visit, Kimi and friends will treat you right.

Further - From London to Biarritz

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:33:00 +0000

FURTHER I from Edwin Europe on Vimeo.

The Laguna Garage

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 07:02:00 +0000

From time to time, whilst driving in the car or on a motorbike, I get a subliminal image in my head and wonder if I actually saw what I thought... I had seen...

This was the case last weekend, as I was driving up the road, in the rain, raindrops running down the windows, We suddenly had the impression, through the door, of seeing a garage with old cars and classic motorcycles...
Immediately into reverse, and we saw the front grill of a DB6 and next to it a grill from a Thunderbird.

We had to see more.

The open doors invited us to enter, and from behind his welding mask, a man gave us permission to look around.The garage has existed since the 20s, and is still in its original state, along with its dusty windows.
Today it's the headquarters of a classic car club where a local architect works on these machines from another age, for nothing more than the pleasure of sharing his experience with the members of the club.

Wonderful ambiance

For Sale in Buenos Aires

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:17:00 +0000

Hi

Our beloved Paco and Lola will be for sale in Buenos Aires by March 15. Paco and Lola are 1972 Yamaha xs650s. We bought them 3 years ago and put in the usual upgrades for these bikes - electronic ignition, saddle bags and top cases, steering bearings, overhauled both motors (both leak a little oil), X-drive chains, sprockets, gaskets and seals. Both run well and start great (although Lola's starter won't engage anymore). They are registered in Alberta, Canada. They have been faithful travel companions, i.e. no breakdowns. We left Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on October 1 and are presently (Jan. 18) in Peru. Each one goes through about a litre of oil in 5000 Kms. They are good on gas, about 4 L/100 Km. We will be sad to leave them but don't want to pay to ship them back to Canada. We want $3,000 (US or Can) for the pair.

My email address is kevin.swallow@hotmail.com.

Could you circulate this to your members? Please get back to me if you have any questions. Thanks a bunch.

Kevin

Paco y Lola

My Punk Music Youth #1

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:55:00 +0000

Summer 1977 and the wave of punk spread like a virus into the remotest areas of our country (France). This movement was born a year ealier in England, as a marketing idea of Malcolm McLaren: launching a group of non musicians the Sex Pistols onto the music scene. The songs were short, singing out of tune wasn't just not an obligation, but moreover the whole point was to spit their rejection into the face of a very conservative society.

Many groups followed. During this period in America, this musical style had already existed for several years, without the label "Punk", with groups like the New York Dolls, The Stooges or even Patti Smith.

I was 16, my sister 18, and for a long time she had introduced me to contemporary wild music: as our father only listened to jazz: war was declared.!
Each evening we used to meet in front of the radio in her bedroom and listen to the radio station with the most up to date music. It was there, well before the start of the internet that we discovered our future heros. I remember perfectly the night when we first heard the Clash and the Ramones' first hit 'Sheena is a punk rocker'. At the same time another style of rebellion was starting in Europe: Reggae, often sympathising with the punk movement. I remember the evening when I heard Jamming by Bob Marley for the first time, and the instant infatuation for both of us.

We had to wait several weeks to receive the imported 45s we ordered at the local record shop.

My aim is to rediscover and share with you, several groups and their tracks that struck me then.
Today only a few of these groups are still listenable, and it seems to me that the complexities of the French language mean that only the groups who sang in English have stood the test of time.

This period of 2 years, shining as bright as a lightning bolt, then gave way to New Wave, which we naturally moved onto as well.

I'll start today with Stinky Toys, a French group with an Uraguyan born singer, Eli Medeiros, and Jacno the songwriter, who met studying Applied Arts in Paris. They have had a success career in duo few years later. Personally I think they've aged well:

what do you think?

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Brian Bent : My "Rad" Dad

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent Prat) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:21:00 +0000

While Esther Bent, Brian's daughter, stays at our home in France for a linguistic journey, I asked her to write for us a few lines about her father, "I could write a book" she answered!
vp

Brian Bent is a man of many talents. I should know, I’m his daughter. When I first arrived into the world of Brian Bent, he was a seasoned artist, surfer, musician and skater. As an artist, Brian has been drawing since he could lift a pen. While going through old albums of drawings he drew as a boy it’s easy to see that Brian has always had a gifted hand. His actual career as an artist started when he was in high school. Brian’s high school art teacher saw that Brian had a knack for art. So, he offered him side jobs such as painting the scoreboards for the baseball fields and other signs for ASB around campus. After high school, Brian’s love for surfing all day everyday led him to work for Becker Surfboards. Brian started working at Becker when he was 19 years old. He started working there simply as a retail associate, and throughout the years he became Becker’s interior designer. Brian completely changed the look of Becker Surfboards and the stores soon became known for their rad boards, good clothes, but most of all for the rad art all around the store. Brian worked with Becker for around 20 years creating unique surf shops all over the Southern Califonia Coast. When Brian wasn’t working, he was surfing, skateboarding, rollerskating, playing music and being a husband and father to my brother and I.

Brian has always had a love for hot rods, and throughout the years I’ve seen cars come and go. Some stayed longer than others. At one point he owned a vintage 1960’s motorcycle (I can’t remember the brand name) that we would take around the neighborhood, with him driving and me on back.

What many people don’t know about Brian is that he is a pastor at Hot Rod Church for Sinners. Since Brian met my mom, Rivka, they have grown together as Christians. They started going to church in Mission Viejo called Christian Mission. There, Brian’s musical talents were acknowledged and praised. He led praise and worship and soon became a youth pastor for the Christian Mission youth group. His friend Chris, owner of Santora’s Hot Wings, presented Brian with a crazy idea. Because of his love for hot rods and the Lord, why not mix the two? They decided to call this mix Hot Rod Church for Sinners. From that day on, every Sunday morning at Santora’s you can hear the Pioneers play rockabilly gospel music and a message straight out of the bible. Brian sings and plays guitar then preaches the Gospel every Sunday morning. The model A, one of Brian’s hot rods, is the trademark vehicle for HRCS.

Over the years, Brian is known for his hand made shirts, cuffed jeans, leather jacket, wool sweaters and captain’s hat. Today, Brian works with United 50, a clothing company where 1930’s Americana designs come alive on the hand-screened and hand-crafted t-shirts that come straight out of the United 50 club house in San Clemente, California.
One can find Brian at the United 50 club house painting and sewing and screening and designing, while surrounded in a sea of shirts. One can also look for one of our seven hot rods at Sano surf beach or somewhere around South Orange County. At Sano, just look for the man in a Captain’s hat out in the water. Once you spot him, you receive the pleasure of viewing surfing of the 1940’s. Brian surfs his kookboxes with such grace and elegance it appears almost effortless. But believe me, those boards are heavy! If you still haven’t found him, you will be sure to find him at the Hot Rod Church for Sinners playing rockabilly gospel and sharing the gospel.

As I said before, Brian is a man of many talents. To share with you all that he can do would require me to write a book. I don’t think that there is anything Brian can’t do, and I am so blessed to be able to call him, “my rad dad.”

Esther Bent

Brian and Famous Lifeguard/Surfer/painter Joe Severson brother of John

Photos: Olivier Prat & Vincent Prat

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