Older Budweiser

What with everyone getting old and having kids, not to mention our spiritual home being demolished, this has been quite the year for reunions. The fleeting return of our intrepid amigo Logan Hill saw many of the Bristo crew getting together for a day of beer, barbecues and surprisingly competent front boards. Film boss Benjie Bateman has created two beautiful edits, one shot at Saughton skatepark and the other at the already legendary Plastic Beach, with musical assistance from yours truly (sadly I was working on the day…). Thanks to LuckyMe, Parc en Ciel and 7VWWVW.

Skating + sandwiches

Recently I met up with Logan Hill, an old friend who moved to the USA when we were still kids. In the twenty years since we last hung out he has lived in NYC, LA, and London, documenting his many adventures on his trusty 35mm camera. Logan was one of the first people to give me the time of day when I arrived in Edinburgh armed with nothing more than a skateboard and a funny accent. Safe travels laddie.

Site specific

The good fellows at Workhorse Press have once again come correct with a print for Herman Brown, just in time for the festival madness. The ‘Let’s do the show’ message was inspired by my enduring love of musical theatre. In a case of life imitating art, Workhorse currently have a show at HB, so be sure to go there to see some sick riso prints and pick up some fancy garms (or whatever it is you kids are calling clothes these days).

Lives and Works

There are a lot of new independent magazines out there, many of which portray an idealised take on reality that seems to involve a whole lot of sitting about with posh coffee and good hair. I am happy to say that LAW magazine isn’t one of them. We have a few copies in Herman Brown available for the princely sum of no pence. Designed by the bods at The Entente/Colophon too so you know it’s a keeper.

There he is

Where’s Wally is kind of a big deal in our house at the moment so this intricate illustration by Harry Bloom is my favourite piece from the latest issue of the Majedie Journal. I wasn’t completely sold on the concept at the initial editorial meeting but as ever my colleague Chris Logan proved me wrong. I owe him yet another drink.

De Stijl

Earlier this year we created a swish new gin brand, One Square, for Starwood Hotels. Masterminded by my colleague Donald, distilled at Summerhall by Pickering’s and produced by screen printer extraordinaire, Lindsay Todd, this is a local drink by local people. I came up with the brand story and tasting notes. It tastes barry. Image by Alistair Ferrier so just don’t, right?

There’s no L

I moved to Edinburgh in the early nineties, ostensibly to study French Literature but mostly to experience life outside a small Scottish village. From the minute I matriculated I knew that I could never really fit in at Edinburgh University, then an Oxbridge also-ran for future captains of industry. Instead I spent most of my days at Bristo Square. Here are just a few of the many character building things I did there:

Kickflips
Made some lifelong friends
Noseslides
Met my future wife
Tailslides
Narrowly avoided a fight with a tramp (on at least one occasion)
Pressure flips (everyone was doing it back then)
Sat on the big block and talked nonsense till it was dark
Had a full head of hair (see above)
Graduated with honours

Grip it/rip it

A few months ago I hinted at a collaboration with the artists from Yokollection – and I’m thrilled to finally reveal my very own deck, based on Yokollection Three. This is as close to a pro model as I’ll ever get, so needless to say I’m rather tickled. The next step is a durational performance/wear test. Follow @yokollection to see this work age gracefully, unlike myself.

Sky high

I have collaborated with LuckyMe a few times over the years and we are working on an upcoming project, Parc en Ciel, more about which will be revealed very soon. Please note I am not the main musician on this one, merely a creative conduit. A taster is available here as part of their perennially radical advent calendar. If you like the music, please follow the link and donate a bit to Marie Curie, it would mean a lot.

Four legs good

It’s always amazing to see one of my stupid ideas come to life. Finnish artist Janne IIvonen created this for the Majedie Journal, inspired by the adventures of economist-turned-teacher Stuart Block who travelled from South Africa to London on a tandem. Not only did he make some interesting friends on the way but he also raised £100k for schools in Zambia.