If this podcast has taught us one thing, it's that skateboarders, for the most part, are intrinsically creative people. But where does inspiration come from? In the case of Gary, 'CEO' of Doric Skateboards (he begged me not to call him that) , inspiration comes from absolutely everywhere. And, frankly, you all deserve to be inspired.

Gary walks us through his inspiration; what motivates him to create hand-pulled, pastel-coloured, movie-esque skateboards from his loft in Aberdeen? He makes an excellent case for skateboarding as a creative act, and offers positive motivation to anyone who has ever wanted to embrace the DIY underbelly of skateboarding. You are only as crap as you feel!

Doric Skateboards are producing truly excellent, hand-painted skateboards from the heights of Gary's loft,  and as such ,deserve to be celebrated. Find them online at www.doricskateboards.com, or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/doricskateboards

Follow the Crap Skateboarding Podcast online @ www.instagram.com/thecrapskateboardingpodcast

#ukskateboarding #diyskateboarding #scotland #scottishskateboarding #aberdeen #diy #diyaberdeen #streetskateboarding #bowlskateboarding #bowlskater #skateboardingisfun

#skateanddestroy #skateordie #podcast #thecrapskateboardingpodcast #crapskateboarding #buyourtshirts!

Skateboarding and Satan.

Skateboarding and religion have always, for better or for worse, been cosy bedfellows. The vert legends of the 1980s, such as Christian Hosoi and Steve Cab, proudly flew the flag for Christianity in skating, and modern social-media influencers such as Braille Skateboards proudly wear their scientology faith on their sleeves. All of this is well and good, and it's great to see so many religious groups represented in skateboarding. However, if we want skateboarding to be truly pluralistic...then whose going to fly the flag for Satan? Come on, now. Fair is fair. 

In comes Rob, founder of DIY street skating  'thing' (not a brand, he would like to stress!) , Detested Skateboards. For everyone who ever felt attracted to the macabre, Detested Skateboards are here to prove to you that skateboarding still can be, and still should be, nasty, bloody and greatly polarising (at least, for those who want it to be so). With great knowledge and passion, Rob walks us through his own inspirations as a skateboarder, from Satanism to hardcore-punk, slasher movies to black-metal. 

If you like your skateboarding garb adorned with skulls, occult iconography and screen prints of murderous movie clowns, then this is the skate company for you. It's certainly the company for me. 

Sorry Hosoi. 

Listen in the browser, or on all of your favourite streaming apps:  https://anchor.fm/james-gabb/episodes/Skateboarding-and-Satan---With-Detested-Skateboards-e187ktt

Find Detested Skateboards online at: detestedskateboards.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/detested_skateboards

When any foolhardy person decides to take up skateboarding as a hobby, they must first decide which discipline best suits them. Street? Vert? Pool? I think that's it. No? There's more?

Freestyle? What's that? Never heard of it. Oh, wait...Is that the thing from that Bones Bridage video, with that Johnny Rad guy at that party? 

Okay. So it's clear that I know next to nothing about Freestyle. I'm going to need some help from a professional. 

Enter professional Freestyle skateboarder Tony Gale, to figuritely slap my wrist and correct all of the misconceptions I have about freestyle skateboarding. Tony speaks with great knowledge and passion about the definition of freestlye, its rise to prominance, its subsequent downfall and, through social media, its recent re-emergence. Not only that, but, in doing so, he takes down the all-too-comfortable skateboarding elite, discusses the perceived pros and cons of gatekeeping and recounts many lovely stories of days gone by. 

Oh! And James is still buking off on his honeymoon, so the brilliant Monica (our resident third crap skateboarder and tee-shirt designer) takes on co-hosting duties. The whole thing was a blast!

Check out Tony Gale on Instagram: www.instagram.com/coldkennels 

Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/FreestyleTricktips

Hey! Crap Skateboarders! Have you ever tried skating vert? No? Us neither.

However, not all skateboarders are as old, frail, or cowardly as we are, and one of those on the brave end of our skateboarding spectrum is the wonderful Jasmine Gordon, a sponsored vert skater who rides for Artemis Clothing, Was That Switch Skateboards and Altar Skateshop.

In this week's episode, Jasmine (herself a skateboarder of only two years, despite her clear talent!) makes the case for more newcomers, particularly women, to get involved in vert skateboarding in order to keep it alive. Expertly, she squashes our fears with real, tangible advice for anyone who has ever wanted to give vert a go, but just couldn't quite pluck up the courage. Jasmine also delves into the world of Vert Skating in the UK, singing the praises of the UK competitive circuit which she has recently become involved in. 

Find Jasmine on Instagram at www.instagram.com/jazzzgordon

Follow her board sponsor, previous guests 'Was That Switch', at www.instagram.com/was.thatswitch

Find her clothing sponsor, previous guests 'Artemis Skate Co', at www.instagram.com/artemisskateco

Jasmine is also sponsored by Alter Skate Shop. Find them online at www.instagram.com/altar_skate_shop

Once upon a time in Amsterdam, a large public skatepark was built. Everyone who loved skateboarding was delighted. Upon realising that, like all good sports facilities, the skatepark would do well for having toilets included, the local council set to work building a urinal for the comfort of male skateboarders everywhere. Job done...

...or not. Enter Nanja Van Rijsse of Women Skate the World, who vowed to 'SMASH THE PEE-TRIARCHY' and stand up for female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ skateboarders everywhere, who experience barriers to skateboarding on a daily basis (such as this incredibly blatant one). 

If ever you've experienced barriers to skating as a result of your gender/sexual identity, Women Skate the World have your back. This week, Nanja sits down to explain all of the great work that her non-profit organisation are doing to make skateboarding more inclusive: gaining representation from a range of skaters during council consultations, building actively inclusive skateparks and reaching out to members of the inclusive community which they have been busy fostering. She's even kind enough to offer suggestions for those of us who exist inside the 'old-guard' of skateboarding, providing tangible steps to ensure that you are part of the solution; not part of the problem!

Ultimately, to paraphrase Nanja herself, "We don't simply want women and LGBTQ+ people to accept that we will tolerate them in skateboarding. We want them to know that we will fight for them."

WARNING: There are some sound issues with this episode, as some of Nanja's audio was recorded on the go. Bear with it; it's worth it!

You can't skate Chester. 

This was the challenge offered to the Bonxai Skate Company prior to shooting their new feature edit, 'Old Deva; a challenge they accepted with open arms and an extended middle finger. A challenge that they not only rose to, but one that they completely destroyed. With nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises to show for it. 

Can you skate a canal lock? How about fibreboard construction barriers? Roman architecture? Of course, Skiny Pete of the Bonxai skate company, with the help of cinematographer Ben, show us that if you have the will, the lack of self-preservation and the imagination, you can skate anything. 

Through 'Old Deva', Bonxai aim to inspire others to really make the most of the city's in which they live. Just because a spot is crap, doesn't mean your output needs to be. 'The spot is only as crap as your mindset'. 

Watch Old Deva for free here: Old Deva - YouTube

Listen online, on all of your favourite platforms: https://anchor.fm/james-gabb

Ahead of this season premiere, we feel the need for the following disclaimer; Joe Hinson, team rider for Darkstar Skateboards, is NOT a crap skateboarder.

This makes him perfect for us to live vicariously through him. James and Jack grew up as country bumpkins who miraculously  stumbled upon skateboarding, as did Joe. James and Jack love skateboarding unconditionally, as does Joe. The fork in the road is the part where Joe got good...like, really, really good. Good enough, in fact, to catch the eye of American Industry leaders, Darkstar Skateboards.

In this episode, Joe kindly takes time out of his busy schedule to walk a couple of fanboys through the journey of becoming a sponsored skateboarder, from humble beginnings, to making a name in the UK scene, to attending video premieres in California. 

Oh, what could (never) have been.

Fantasy Football.

A wise man once said, that Fantasy Football is for people who suck at both fantasy and football. With that in mind, who better to pioneer the idea of a fantasy skateboard league than a couple of crap skateboarders? After all, it's probably not coming home, and skateboarding is just....better?

In our season finale, James and Jack compete to build the ultimate fantasy skateboarding team. They must give their team a killer name, talk about the aesthetic they would go for, choose four team riders and discuss what each would bring to the table, and describe their debut feature length skate movie.

Who wins Fantasy Skateboarding? You decide. Following the episode, we will release a poll, in which you get to vote for your favourite team. You'll even be given the opportunity to explain why it's Jack's team!

So, there you have it. It all boils down to this. James Versus Jack. Truckin' and Grindin' VS Wasteland Dance Party.

Let's do this. 

As children, we all played. We learned through play, we relaxed through play and we widened our social circles through play. Seems simple enough, right? As skateboarders, we continue that willingness and eagerness to play in public spaces through to adult life. As a culture, this makes us unique among adults. As skateboarders, we understand and value the importance of play into adulthood. Your skateboard is a toy. The best toy ever, but a toy nonetheless. For many, there are barriers to play, and therefore barriers to skateboarding, which need to be examined in order to be overcome: class, accessibility of facilities, gender, gatekeeping, the privatisation of public spaces and, in some extreme cases, international conflict. 

Enter British-Palestinian skateboarder Dani Abulhawa, a senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University and self-styled 'Skateboarding Academic'. Dani, along with being possibly the most accomplished person we've ever met (she made our meagre achievements seem...crap?) is also one of the nicest skateboarders we've had the pleasure of chatting to. She's really lived an incredible life in and out of skateboarding; building skateparks in the occupied territories of Palestine, arguing with neckbeards on the sidewalk forums, being hassled by police in the name of academic research, lobbying local councils to improve skateboarding facilities for beginners, authoring academic books about gender and skateboarding...she's done it all! With ferocious, well-read passion, she makes an incredible argument for the democratisation of skateboarding. After all, what is skateboarding if not a pure-form of self expression?

Check out Dani's book here, or listen to the whole pod and find out how to get it for free! : 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Skateboarding-Femininity-Space-making-Expressive-Performance/dp/0367457598/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=skateboarding+and+femininity&qid=1623437399&sr=8-1

Donate to, buy from, or offer your time to Skatepal, the charity that builds skateparks in the occupied Palestinian territories: 

https://www.skatepal.co.uk/

Check out Skate Manchester - the non-profit group fighting to maker Manchester a skate-friendly city:

https://www.skatepal.co.uk/

"Over the shadowy hills and windy peaks she, Artmeis, draws her golden bow . . . The tops of the high mountains tremble and the tangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts."

It's easy to be blind to a possible lack of diversity in skateboarding when all of your clothes fit properly. In fact, it's probably harder to see the barriers that male-dominated spaces can create for female skaters when, like us, you're very typical of the crowd you inhabit. 

If, however, you are a female skateboarder looking for hard-wearing, handmade skateboard clothing to suit the different requirements of the female body, then Artemis skateboard Co has got your back. We were lucky to be joined this week by Artemis' founder, skateboarder and videographer Gabby Darriet-Jones. Gabby was a delight, and patiently walked us through some of the historical issues with skateboarding fashion, and how it's always been designed with the male physique as its target demographic. Her commitment to changing that is both admirable and unique; we hope you are as inspired by her mission statement as we both were.

We also discuss the creation of women's spaces in skateboarding, the knack to building a successful team of skateboarders, the role of the brand in developing communities in skateboarding, and the benefits of skateboarding when it comes to maintaining your mental health. 

You can find Artemis Skate-Co online at: www.instagram.com/artemisskateco   , or at  https://www.artemisskatecompany.co.uk/home  .