RIP GIL SCOTT-HERON: April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011

From the first time I heard 'The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron'when I was living in a seedy basement flat in Catford at the age of 18, I loved Gil Scott-Heron's music and his way with words. I saw him play live more times than I can remember and every gig was a party. I don't know what track to pick to post here - there were so many I loved. Go to Youtube or Spotify and make your own mind up.

THANK YOU TO THE STOCKERS

A big thank you to the Stockers for a cracking night at the Tea Party when we ran away from shiny things for the evening. It was good to see some familiar faces, some very good friends, to met new people and to put faces to names - and to see some of the coolest bikes around. Noticeable lack of PG Tips, though...

LONG WEEKEND

327 COMING TO A NEWS STAND NEAR YOU

Handcrafted out of finest badger underfelt and polished with the tears of weeping stoats, BSH 327 is winging its way to a news stand near you, borne aloft on tiny feathery wings. Or in a bloody big truck. Possibly. Taking pride of place on the cover is former NCC President Hank's 'Diamond Backed' rike, a true labour of love. It's backed by an impressive supporting cast, including Spike's tribute to Johnny 'Chop' Vasko, two of the most beautiful Panheads you'll ever see, the magnificent Sbay racer from Spain, Trawler's Lotus Eater and a closer look at the machines that took part in the Motorcycle Cannonball. Add to that, indepth coverage of the Custom Chrome Europe European Championship, Wheels Day, Burapa Bike Week, the second part of the BSH/Hard Up Choppers project build and, of course, Ogri, and it's looking to be a fine issue. Mind you, I haven't actually seen it yet, but you've got to trust me on some things!

SATURDAY CHILLING

Sunshine, cool bikes, good people. Thanks for letting me gatecrash, guys. xx

HEMSBY PART II

Here's more of Hemsby from the Fabulous Jess.

BLACK FALCON

TOM HOLLISTER TRIO

Been meaning to post this for a while. On one of my runs across the border into Arizona, Jack Shit (check his blog out at JACK) raved about this young Welsh band he'd seen jamming at a party. He showed me the film he'd shot, I was blown away by Tom Hollister's voice, and then I stole his video.

You're going to hear a lot more from TH3.

SOUND OF OUR LIVES PT 5

Through a fortunate combo of wifi and finding out how to view Youtube on an iPhone, this is the current soundtrack. The first one's for my 1# support crew and rock.

RANDOM PLAY

Hurrah, my external hard drive arrived yesterday, so I'm reunited with all manner of photos, some of which will be slung at you.

MISSING MY FAVOURITE GINGER...

HIPPIE KILLER HOEDOWN

Thanks to Enrique Salcedo for this!

Hippy Killer Hoedown 2011 from Enrique Salcedo on Vimeo.

POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD

Another cloudy day in California. Going to rain tomorrow, apparently...

WHERE IS IT NOW?

Yesterday I got a Fed-Ex parcel from my Mum, full of the sort of things mums send you when you're far from home and looking at bare walls. Among a pile of photos was a trio of a little Morris Minor truck called 'Maverick' that my Dad and I built when I was 17 or 18. I sold it when I was 21 and saw it parked on a North London street about ten years later, still looking in good condition. Since then, it's disappeared. I'd be real interested to know what became of it. Of course, the only photo I seem to have of the finished pickup has my Mum and Dad standing in front of it - now I know why people moan so much about models draped over and obscuring bikes in the magazine!

HEMSBY PART I

Huzzah to the Fabulous Jess who, while I'm off gadding, is keeping the home fires burning by going to this weekend Hemsby Rock 'n' Roll Weekend in, er, Hemsby. That's in Norfolk. Fine arse on the guy leaning into the GMC truck's engine bay...