Morri’s lost VHS tape footage from 1991 filming sessions for the New Deal Video ’1281′. Click the pic to view the video.

I’ve been thrashing the new Mastodon album The Hunter, which is amazing, and it reminded me of how sick this part of Justin Keeley (set to Mastodon’s song Mother Puncher from their 2003 album Remission) is. Taken from Bill Bycroft’s 2007 New Zealand skateboard video Plastic Trophy that was released in conjunction with Manual #28.

A nosemanual a day keeps the doctor away. Bill Bycroft in the Big Apple.

Text and photography by Ollie Logan.

First published in Manual #35, September 2009.

We were on a zebra crossing in New York’s Lower East Side when my girlfriend Kate spotted our good friends Bill and Rachel. They knew that we were overseas, but had no idea where, and vice versa. Chances have to be slim of these things happening.

Bill, having already been there a week or so, had eyed up plenty of spots, and the following day we met up and headed straight to the Brooklyn Banks. I think the girls went shopping. The Bank’s a crazy busy place that’s more rugged than you’d ever think. That day we both found new appreciation for the tricks that had gone down there. After a bit of a roll, we skated round the corner to find more banked walls (that the likes of Dill and Quim have made famous), and some metal ramp set-up that was surrounded in bird shit and piss smell. We made sure that skate was slam-free.

As the day went by Bill gave me a star-studded tour of some of New York’s skate spots. And without sounding like too much of a knob, it was pretty buzzy to skate these spots (or at least try to), where some of your favourites had made their mark.

We met up a couple of times over the next few days, gave the Banks another crack, searched out new spots (which is one of the better ways to see the city), and shot some snaps and video for memento’s sake. There is something about skating those iconic places that is always worth capturing.

Bill Bycroft has just loaded a couple of vintage edits, one of his brother Craig and another of Gareth Stehr. Absolutely killing it BITD.

Official coverage from the first Billabong City Squared in Auckland 16 April, 2011.

Some epic footage of the one and only Matt West. Filmed from 1997–2001 by Dan and Bill Bycroft on glorious Hi8.

Rhys Campbell Hi8 footage from 1998-2001. Filmed by Bill Bycroft and Dan Bycroft, edited by Bill Bycroft.

Irrom skateboard team road trip from June 2005. This footage was meant to go towards a video that never eventuated. Featuring in order of appearance Nick Lister, Andrew Morrison, Justin Keeley, Steven ‘Chopper’ Carter and Lucas Wotawa. Photos from the trip appeared in Manual Magazine #20. Filmed and edited by Bill Bycroft.

Sorry for the absence, busy times. Yes, there’s a new mag in the works (out Sept 6th). This week we throwback a little outside Manual to the world (and videos) of Bill Bycroft. Please take the time to peruse his recently updated video library on YouTube. Bill’s moniker Situations at Hand was responsible for the recent, straight to the internet, flick Gold Watch (with 09 Video Factory), but what we are talking about today is the selected parts from the legendary, and until now only released on VHS, Icons of Elegance. This features Rodrigo Herring’s (pictured above) epic part from Icons. Bill’s brother Craig’s part, Nick Lister’s, and Gareth and Bryce Mills’ shared part. There’s also some sections from Index videos here and here, and finally the S.A.H. section from the 2006 Manual/Red Bull collaboration Layout. Enjoy.

Just a quick one from the road (7.50pm in Tekapo). Bill Bycroft five-0 grinding one of the piss banks wallride/ledges from yesteryear. Photo by C Smith.

A little blast from the recent past. Bill Bycroft wallride nollie thingy in Tokoroa from the Red Bull Layout trip, 2006.

It seemed only right to catch up with the Gold Watch vets after the video release. Yup, it’s Tuesday Talk Turkey.
Rhys Campbell, 50-50.

How old are you?
Bill Bycroft: Approaching 32
Rush Fay: 25 and retired
Justin Keeley: 29 (fuckin’ old)
Dan Kircher: Old enough to know better
Ollie Logan: 31
Matt West: 31
Rhys Campbell: 29. My clock ticks over to 30 in March
Austin Peeler: 24

Justin Keeley, wallride.

Where are you from?
BB: Oratia, West Auckland
RF: Well I was born in North Carolina but New Zealand is my home.
JK: Taupo/Kerikeri
DK: El Savador
OL: Wellington
MW: Auckland
RC: West Auckland
AP: Charleston, SC USA

Where do you live?
BB: Ponsonby, Auckland City
RF: A to the K
JK: Grey mutha fuckin’ Lynn
DK: Guess
OL: Auckland
MW: London
RC: At the moment I’m living with my wife at her sister’s and husband’s house on the North Shore of Auckland.
AP: Kingsland, Auckland all of 2009

Best thing about your hometown?
BB: Friends and family. Good skate spots if you look for them
RF: The traffic
JK: Kerikeri gots’ good beaches, Taupo gots’ good lake and park
DK: Slightly more tolerable than everywhere else in NZ
OL: Kate
MW: High quality of living
RC: Family and friends
AP: Drinking

Ollie Logan, lipslide.

Who makes it possible?
BB: Rachel. Morri and Shiree for boards, shoes and a job. Everyone in Gold Watch
RF: Morri, Rhys and Bill
JK: Antihero, Spitfire, Thunder and Vans (Thanks Morri, Rhys, Bill and Hamish)
DK: I’m on Irrom web construction flow.
OL: No sponsors but Irrom and Boarder D have always been nice helping me out
MW: Friends
RC: I work at Irrom so I kinda just grab whatever. I like to skate Zero decks, Thunder Trucks, Spitfire wheels, Fallen shoes. I just like those dudes and what their companies stand for, among others
AP: The Irrom Crew, Dan Kircher and everyone I skate with!

Who are you five favourite upstarts? (badgers)
BB: The youngest person I regularly skate with is 25 (Rush) so I’m kind of out of the loop on that
RF: Yaje Popson
JK: Tom Kelly (he’s still a grommet, right?), Brett Band, that kid from the nationals with the frontside airs, Andrew ‘Morri who?’ Morrison, and Yaje Pop-something
DK: Ollie Logan, Reggie Hunkin and Murray Murrayson
OL: Hampson, Hunkin, Butcher, Crebs and Coleman. Plus the Gold boys of course
MW: Rory Milanes, Nugget, Jin, Lucien Clarke, Steph and Shaun Witherup
RC: Don’t really know too many. Saw some sick young dudes down at the nationals though. Not comp guys but just guys you could see skated for the fun. What is a grommet now days?
AP: Yaje Popson

Dan Kircher, kickflip.

Who are you five favourite legends?
BB: The entire cast of Gold Watch (see opening credits for names). Chey Ataria and Dan Buckley. Brian Smith and Mark McFadden were pretty legendary when I was younger.
RF: Gonz, Cardiel, Reynolds, Ataria and Morri
JK: Andrew Morrison, Dave Crabb, Cam Bartley, Moose man and Mark Neighbours
DK: Stevie Willams and Gonz
OL: Busenitz, Dill, Rattray, Carroll and Howard
MW: Oyola, Strubing, Stranger, Carroll, Plastic Trophy members
RC: Sir David Attenborough, Sir Charles Upham, Jacques Cousteau, Robert Williams, Hayley Campbell
AP: Too many to name but Jerry Fowler and Julien Stranger are pretty good

Austin Peeler, switch ollie.

What are your favourite five video parts?
BB: Any and all parts from the following people – Ethan Fowler (Tincan Folklore), Mark Gonzales (Video Days), Donny Barley (Eastern Exposure 3), Heath Kirchart (Rolling Thunder), Jason Lee (A Visual Sound), John Cardiel (Cash Money Vagrant), Alan Peterson (Number 1)
RF: Nestor Judkins – Tiltmode, Mike Carroll – Modus Operandi, Danny Garcia – Inhabitants, Guy Mariano – Mouse, Danny Renaud – Mosiac
JK: Alan Peterson – Is what it is, AVE – Mindfield, Cardiel – Cash Money Vagrant, Will Ackerman – Skylarking, Peter Hewitt – Cash Money Vagrant
DK: Huf in Non Fiction, Gabriel Rodriguez in Paco, something from AVE, Rick Howard in Virtual Reality and all those new little Bill Strobeck ones
OL: Busenitz – Diagonal, Dill – Mosaic, Carroll/Howard – Penal Code, Gonz – Video Days, Rattray – WFTW
MW: Oyola – Eastern Exposure, Strubing – Art Bars, Busenitz – Diagonal, Natas – Streets Of Fire, Barbee, Sanderson, Saiz and Thomas – Public domain
RC: Jamie Thomas Welcome to Hell, Erik Ellington Misled Youth, AVE Photosynthesis, J Wray Second Hand Smoke, Ed Templeton in whatever, he’s rad.
AP: Brian Anderson (Welcome to hell) Jake Johnson (Mindfield) Jason Dill (Photosynthesis)….too many

Bill Bycroft, frontside boardslide.

Top five YouTube vids?
BB: Old videos of bands that I like, and will never be able to see live for myself
RF: Play him off, keyboard cat, 5 Black Males Repetitively Hump a Chair/Wall/Floor/Mirror/Air, Daigo Full Parry Come Back and Win (SFIIITS), Dave Chappelle – Grape Drink, Screwed in Houston
JK: James Brown Wasted Interview- amazing! Grape drank, sugar water and of course purple , Knees and hands russian skater dude is good for a laugh, Dave Chappelle cribs
OL: I would like to buy a Hamburger, StarWars canteen, Champ and Master
MW: Episodes of Fawlty Towers
RC: I thought David after the dentist was funny when I watched that but I don’t really look on youtube.
AP: Grime and grit (atlantahatesus)

Favourite Quote?
BB: “You can’t bullshit a bullshitter” – Digby Emmett RIP
RF: “Put her in some three quarter pants and she’d be alright.” – Morri
JK: It’s got to be either:  “Every man needs his jewels” or “I’m only getting lobster dinners from now on”
DK: Anything that comes out of Morri’s mouth
OL: “Nobody fucks with the Jesus” – The Big Lebowski
MW: “Lend me ten pounds and I’ll buy you a drink”
RC: “It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you are surrounded by turkeys” – Shayne Storey
AP: Fuck it

Rush Fay, switch ollie.

Best city for skateboarding?
BB: Barcelona with Rachel, Craig, Matt, Luke and Lambchop; London with Craig, Matt and Glenn; New York with Ollie and Glenn; But I’ve had the most fun skating Auckland with my friends trying to find new spots and some we’d forgotten too
RF: Te Aroha
JK: Pretty much everywhere except Auckland, San Francisco was pretty amazing
DK: There’s stuff to skate anywhere
OL: Barcelona
MW: Barca
RC: Sydney, pretty much all my NZ homies over there is what makes it cool
AP: NYC/ATL

Favourite song?
BB: Too hard to choose one song, but my favourite album is Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime
RF: An unanswerable question really but let’s just say Andre Nickatina – Soul Of A Coke Dealer
JK: Good Vibrations by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
DK: “Nobody’s Fault But My Own” by Beck
OL: Miss You
MW: A National Acrobat by Black Sabbath
RC: Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Iron Maiden
AP: Any James Brown will do

Dan Kircher & Austin Peeler, dual ollies.

Favourite Park?
BB: Te Atatu
RF: Waterloo
JK: Owairaka is pretty fun and Washington Park in CHCH is sick
DK: There’s one out near the West Coast that just has a metal manual pad and a metal wedge ramp, it’s epic
OL: Queenstown
MW: Stockwell or any Jason Parkes creation
RC: Owairaka is cool. It’s new and that’s where we all meet up
AP: Panmure

Favourite Magazine cover?
BB: Ethan Fowler Big Brother
RF: Tod Swank Transworld cover
JK: Any of the 20 covers that Rhys has had. They don’t call him RTMC (Rhys ‘The Man’ Campbell) for nothing
DK: One of the three Rhys Campbell ones
OL: Cliffy Reiss, Manual
MW: Cardiel backside air through the rafters, Thrasher (as least I think that was a cover?)
RC: John Cardiel frontside ollie on a bank. Feb 1997 Transworld. I’ve had it on my wall at every place I’ve lived in since then. Now it is next to my desk at work.
AP: Mags are a dime a dozen

Bill Bycroft, boardslide. All Photos: Justin Keeley.

What are your bad habits?
BB: I could definitely be more tolerant
RF: Laziness
JK: Noseslides to fakie and the odd one beer too many
DK: Pretending not to know who the new upstart pros are
OL: Working weekends
MW: Bar, OCDs, coffee, terrible financial planning and working
RC: Beers, potty mouth and I pick my nose in the car when my wife is driving. She gets embarrassed.
AP: Not skating as much as I should

What’s the worst thing about skateboarding in NZ?
BB: Skate parks being considered skate spots
RF: Tom Smithers
JK: The winters, the shit spots and the Tom Smithers skate parks everywhere
DK: The average skateboarder’s ignorance
OL: The run up
MW: Going back for the summer and blowing your ankle
RC: Rain, miles away from any other country to travel to but most of all, the people in the skate industry that don’t give a fuck about it and are slowly killing skateboarding in this country.
AP: RAIN!

What’s the best thing about skateboarding in NZ?
BB: Friends and the freedom to skate where and when you feel like it
RF: The people I skate with
JK: Skating and having a brew with my buddies is pretty much the best
DK: Everyone else in Auckland just skates Vic park, so there’s never anyone at our plush street spots
OL: Sunny days and big botts
MW: Weather
RC: The dudes I skate with and the cool people I’ve meet around NZ through skateboarding.
AP: RAD DUDES!!

Gold Watch from Dan Kircher on Vimeo.

Posted this up last night just as we were running out the door to our good friends Nick and Mille’s Wedding. It was such a special night and I just have to say thanks for letting us be apart of it. After a few million beers, a lot of tears and some well needed sleep I managed to watch the video properly. Now, I don’t know about you but I’m very confident that Gold Watch is the finest NZ video to date. Now, there ain’t any stair counts in GW, and if that’s what you measure a good video on then you might not agree with me (you may also want to check yourself), but that’s your loss. There are many things that make Gold Watch so great, and these are made very clear in video. Spots made from non spots, it got some lazy arse peeps out skating and filming some tricks (yours truly included) and it’s all about friends and fun. The amazing sections from the heads behind this creation Dan Kircher and Bill Bycroft help out a lot too. Anyway, I’ll shut up now. Watch and enjoy.

This is going to be sick, go here to watch.