Jawbone Flats
Having been asked to write an introduction for John, the first thing I thought was ‘where do I start?, where do I stop?’
Ultimately John needs no introduction, his contribution to UK skateboarding and in turn worldwide hardly needs any other voice than it’s own. From the streets of Aberdeen in Scotland to Glasgow, Blueprint, Zero, the USA and life as a legit global pro skateboarder and family man, John’s individuality on and off his board has always been inspiring.
His appeal, for me at least, is that he is always John. He is highly creative with a thought process and reasoning that is always refreshing to be around. What’s left to say? John is a true ATV not only on his board but the ride of life in general. It’s a great honour to count him as a friend. Thank you John. Much love mate- Colin ‘Cubic’ McInnes
Parenthood: Ivor’s First Board
Since Ivor was born he’s been my main subject for photography, mainly because when you have a kid you’re forced to observe them at every waking moment lest they break into the cupboard with the bleach or stick a stolen knife in a plug socket. We may be at the top of the food chain but this is still a very dangerous world we live in. I suppose that’s what this picture is all about.
Skateboarding: Raybourn’s Egg
Ben is really, really talented. We went out and about in Portland one day shooting a little ‘day in the life’ for Nike. When we stopped by Burnside he did this eggplant at least 4 times in a row the same way you or I might do axle stalls or backside disasters. I always liked this angle for handplants.
Animals: Zola and the Squirrel
I called this one ‘Conflicting Agendas’. My cat, Zola, a dude, had seen this squirrel’s route back to the tree and just decided to post up, right there on the fence at the edge of the garage roof, and block the way. Total asshole style. But then again he’s totally compelled by his nature to do this type of shit, so you can’t actually blame him for being a dick since he has no choice in the matter. He’s just wired that way. I like them for it, but the fact is, cats are dicks. Squirrel was raging.
Skateboarding, Parenthood & Life: Ivor’s @nike Post.
Well, it all comes back to the main subject for me. When you’re tired and the little man is being an inadvertent asshole you feel like the nightmare is eternal. When he’s good and you get to shoot photos, he’s awesome. That’s when you wish it could last forever. Not forever but more than the tantrums at least. As you can see from this one, he’s been learning to skate a little. This is one of the good times. This also happened to make its way onto the main @nike Instagram; no big deal.
Anyway, this knee-boarding thing is fleeting. It won’t last long. He’s already all about standing up. He has different techniques that he’s either invented or his DNA has expressed; the sideways double knee, the one-kneed reverse push and the half-lotus hand propeller. If I never get another photo of him knee-boarding as a toddler then at least there’s this. Could always be worse.
Thanks to John for taking time out of his busy schedule to share these pictures with us and to Cubic for the intro.