DIRT QUAKE

Great day out at the DIRT QUAKE event I helped organise for Sideburn Mag last weekend. An unlikely mix of activities and hard to put a finger on why it was so good...Sort of a cross between a motorcycle race and a 70's Saturday morning kids TV show.
I was ultra busy on the day and didn't take a single picture. All these images are taken from various folks on the web, facebook etc.....hope they don't mind.
I'm indebted to the folks behind the scenes that helped to make this happen and to the racers for signing up for something that was an unknown quantity. It was a ton of hard work but I hope we can find a way to do this again, bigger and even better next year.

Round Two of the UK Flat Track championship tomorrow with a heavy threat of rain.

Here are some shots from Stoke speedway in 2006. After the race, we actually got showered with our helmets, boots and leathers on....I thought it was a great idea until we totally blocked the toilet blocks drains...Sorry about that!

Anyways, flat tracking is definitely not a wet weather sport!

DIRT QUAKE: WORK WITH WHAT YA GOT!

The fast approaching DIRT QUAKE race event is Joe Public's one-time opportunity to come racing....no strings attached. It will be a one night stand of exhilaration, fear and a true sense of accomplishment.

Whatever bike you can lay your hands on, we got a suitable class for you to race it in. Novice, street-tracker/street-scrambler, inappropriate road bike and chopper classes.

Here's what was lurking in my shed. Given to me over 15years ago... a crusty, unloved Suzuki GS750 hardtail chopper. I say 'hardtail' but what I really mean is 2 iron bars bolted into where the rear shocks should be.

My mates, PITSTOP PAUL and his lad PITSTOP KEV dropped by today to make initial steps to get her running for the big day. When I aquired the bike in the last century, it was running. However, it seems to be missing a rectifier and the wiring loom looks like it was put together over the phone by Peters and Lee. The overall standard of engineering is so poor and ham-fisted....it's almost perverse.

I'm not gonna race this bike personally. I'm already racing my Rotax in both the club meeting 11am-4pm and then in the GNC at 7pm which is more than enough considering I'm suffering with a hernia. The deal is if they can get it running then Pitstop Paul can race it in the Chopper class.....I'm positive I'll get far more pleasure watching a newbie at the helm representing SKOOTER FARM/SIDEBURN than riding it myself. If Paul decides not to race.....I already got a subsitute. A guy who's last legitimate occupation was being fired out of a cannon in a stunt show!

The Pitstoppers left undaunted with a small shopping list: coils, plugs, plug caps, air filters and a rectifier.
Work continues next week.

I hope this post inspires folks who toy with the romantic notion of being a motorcycle racer to stop fantasizing and make it a reality...even if it's just for one evening.

Remember....Ride it like you borrowed it!

THE STAGS...VALENTINES DRAG NIGHT

Great show at the weekend to celebrate Valentines day....girls dressed as boys and boys dressed as girls. Pulled 'Husky' out of the bag after a 5 year lay off...it felt good!

DIRT QUAKE.....feel the rumble!!

Just announced...this will be a doozie! Lots of stuff planned but top of the heap for me is the UK's first ever dirt track chopper race. If it's heavy, hard to handle and totally unsuitable for track use...then it's in!
Pics are from a similar event that took place in Finland last year

OUTRAGIOUS!!!.....Screaming Lord Sutch

An in-depth documentary  about Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages.
I've seen the "Jack the Ripper" performance before but here is the entire original UK broadcast from 1964...in four bite-sized chunks.
Listening to Sutch sum up the dynamics of putting a great band together is compelling......he talks about  band-mates requiring "no sense of self embarassment" and a the overwhelming desire to perform and not just be interested in the money at the end of the night.....great advice that still holds true today.
The clip of the band rehearsing whilst doing the Hokey Cokey and moving the drums around is inspiring.
I really envy his use of crazy props and "in your face" theatrics....you would get punched in the face if you tried that stuff today!
I can't help but think Vic 'n' Bob could well have been influenced by the WIG ON STICK prop, and the Sid Vicious "My Way" scene in ROCK 'N' ROLL SWINDLE has more than a passing resemblence to Lord Sutch's Schtick with the blank firing revolver.
Ever the trendsetter, just look at the length of his hair....in 1964!!!
He was a truly original, eccentric and pioneering performer who sadly only seems to be remembered for his political career with his MONSTER RAVING LOONY PARTY in his latter years and not the things he was really good at.......

Czech coolness.....part two

Three more random 60's clips from the Czech Republic.

First up is the Eastern Bloc answer to Lulu,  Valerie Cizmarova .....singing "Leta Leti". This is a rendition of the song "Moustache a Papa" that my band THE STAGS recorded a version of on the DO THE TON  album.
I'm now confused because our take on it was based on French YE-Ye girl ANNA-BELL's version (from 1971) I thought it was the original.....however this footage looks older than that I'd guess at '68-'69.
 Another interesting fact (to me, anyway) is it was written by Giorgio Moroder.....PAPA OO MOW MOW!!!!

Next up is handsome singer/daredevil Vaclav Neckar. the song is "Hej pane zajici" ...Very entertaining eye candy.....keep an eye out for the reckless, tormenting lion tamer!

Finally, THE GOLDEN KIDS from 1969 live in concert...check out the lucky guy in black's dance moves and the bass player in the band has got some style too!

MonsterChef 2010...with The Stags

 

 

Great Stags party this Halloween weekend. A cookery-themed spooky show MONSTERCHEF that was half  pantomine and half bordering on performance art!!......oh yeah, with some songs thrown in too!

Some memorable highlights were:

Satans Sausage Machine....and the two contestants Kerry and Chris.

Conways ridiculous head chefs hat.

Mobile Jones grotesque costume.

"The Replacement Hip" dance contest won by Wilky #99.

Sinderella strapped to the operating table and force fed Satans Sausage.

Mike the sax players presentation of a 5 foot tall Stags Carriage clock for services rendered.

Dennis the Barsteward stumbling off the stage and falling flat on his face, blind drunk.

Tons of friends travelled from far and wide to take part and "make the scene". and The Stags SALUTE YOU!!