Inky

Long time Sideburn contributor Adi Gilbert still brandishing inky sticks when most illustrators have secomb to digital tablets. All power to his elbow! BP

I did the Return to Del Mar for Brian (IVLFT) and Roland Sands poster last year and Brian kindly asked me to do the season poster for this year too. This new poster above, is for IV League Flat Track’s Season II. As well as the usual Flat Track categories there’s some Hooligan Racing, quads, moto-jousts etc. Hence the drawing features a pro bike, quad and street legal harley hooligan. Obviously a Dirt Quake influence to the shenanigans!

The original artwork drawing was done with indian ink and a fine sable brush for the most part with hatching done in pen.
Cheers Adi

About A Buoy

Mick Phillips is the Sideburn Sub Editor. Check the small print at the front of each issue (except the first ones where we were just making it up as we went along). That's not like being a sub in football where you sit on a wobbly bench rubbing your legs all day waiting for someone to get injured. Mick is our third wheel. Without Mick, Sideburn would run off kilter into the nearest dyke. And we'd keep forgetting what semicolons were for. He does more than dot our 'i's and cross our 't's. Mick has been a motorcycling journalist in his own right for many years.
I once bought a copy of Bike magazine in Luton airport on my way back to Amsterdam after a commercial shoot. I read Mick's report on the dreary annual NEC bike show and spat my in-flight G&T over the back of the seat in front of me. I texted Gary that I wanted this twisted man on our team. Gary responded that he happened to be one of his best friends. Our office at the time was already a long open plan between Holland and England, so triangulating it to Italy was no deal breaker.
Some of my personal favourite Sideburn stories have been tapped out on his Roman keyboard e.g. Iron Maiden from SB#5, and Ann-Margret for SB#17. If you ever get to meet the man, ask him to tell you the story about the safari park monkeys who were nearly blinded by windscreen wash. You are guaranteed to spit you drink over the nearest innocent bystander. It's probably a good thing we don't actually share the same desk. BP
Oh, and Mick is 50 today. Sideburn ♥ Mick Phillips

Nikonnomore [D200 RIP]

"Shot a lot of photos with this thing including two of your covers."
Troy

On board: Tyler Porter

We were delighted to have Tyler Porter (pictured), of Fight For Dirt Track and The Inslide Line write for Sideburn 15. He wrote about the current battle between Kawasaki twin and Harley XR750 riders in the Grand National Championship. He's just delivered another great feature, full of insight, for the next issue. If you like flat track and don't read the Inslide Line, you're missing out. It's the essential weekly update on pro flat track in the US, full of informed rumours and opinion.
We asked Tyler (#28C) to introduce himself...

Tyler Porter, the self-proclaimed People's Champion since 2004. Now at the ripe age of 28 and a half, Tyler's best racing days are behind him, well that is, if they were ever ahead of him. While he rides in the AMA Pro Racing Pro Singles class, unless he has a magical day, he is your typical average, rear of the pack, not making the main event type racer. You know, the one who shows up so that all of the others can look so good. However, he doesn't let this get him down. Instead, he fights on through his website, www.fightfordirttrack.com where you can always find the latest news and stories from the top to the bottom of dirt track. 

His world famous weekly column, "The InSLIDE Line" gets nearly 10,000 unique readers per month and has never missed a week since it started in 2008. The latest happenings in the dirt tracking world as well as some very hilarious predictions during race season can be found in the column. We all suggest you check it out every Friday to get your weekly dose of dirt track. 

When he isn't being an also ran or wanna-be journalist, he does have a real job, as Director of Domestic and International Sales for Memphis Shades motorcycle windshield and fairing company (www.memphisshades.com). Affiliated with Memphis Shades since 2009, Tyler travels the country and all around the world all year long promoting the brand and attending famed events like Daytona Bike Week, the Sturgis Rally and the Laughlin River Run. Though his measily racing efforts shouldn't garner much help, the exposure from the Website has brought on a host of industry supporters. 

Tyler's racing program and website COULD NOT exist if it weren't for the help from Bell Helmets, Silkolene Oils (Bristish), DP Brakes (British), Works Connection, Motion Pro Tools, K&N Filters, Lightshoe (Best Steel Shoes IN THE WORLD!) RK Chains, CP Pistons, Carrillo Rods, Ride Engineering and EVS Protective Gear. Please visit those sponsors and support them because they support us!

Grant Robinson

Sideburn contributor, Dirt Quake I survivor and ace photographer Grant Robinson is having a photo exhibition at a great place in Vancouver, this Friday. Here are the details in his own words...

I was wondering if you would mind to put the poster for my upcoming show on your blog? 

Here is a link to my blog with a small write up: grantrobinson.com

Details are: 7pm - Friday, November 15.2013 @ The Shop Vancouver - 432 Columbia Street, B.C., V6A 2R8 

Norm Motorcycho has the music under control and the beer fridge is Canadian size so it should be a good night!

Yve Assad

Yve has been contributing to Sideburn since issue 9 and has another great set of photos lined up for Sideburn 15. She is one half of The Fast & Dirty and a pro photographer in her own right. The ever informative The Selvedge Yard has a short profile on her. Go check it out. G

Ornamental Conifer

We've had quite a long relationship with Nico aka Ornamental Conifer. We were introduced by mutual friend David Death Spray. Nico painted the Sideburn Royal Enfield, headlines for the magazine, the Sideburn van and also my Ruby Castel. So, if you're a long-term Sideburn follower you will have seen his name and work, but you might have never met him. This video introduces him well (but he sounds a bit quieter and more shy in this than when I've met him).
He's emigrating to Australia this month. Good luck to him and Steph. G

PS Anyone else notice they thanks the Crazy Frog, not The Great Frog?

Launch Frenzy

Oh Englanders, you're being spoilt by a frenzy of independent motorcycle magazine live action. Greasy Kulture Magazine has been redesigned, is looking slick, has a new website and is holding it's first ever launch party (despite being the grand old age of 32) on March 30, at Boneshaker Choppers, Stourbridge, West Midlands.
Sideburn collaborator Sam Christmas is going to be there photographing people with their bikes. GKM promise free beer and music, but demand you turn up on a bike. Sounds fair.

The week before, 23 March (which is three weeks tomorrow) the next issue of Sideburn will be launched at the magnificent Krazy Horse Customs brand new HQ in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
The Stags will be playing, there are trophies for bikes we like (ridden to the event). It'll be a rave-up with good people. G

UPDATE: SB Homeguard

James Chappell sent me this wonderful old magazine clipping
- not adulterated with Photoshop. BP

UPDATE: James is a regular contributor to Sideburn and I love his latest collages. G

United State by Conrad Leach

English artist Conrad Leach is having a major show at Subvecta Motus in LA. You've probably seen his work on the web, but seeing the originals up close is a totally different experience (or at least I found it to be). Recommended if you're in the area. G

It's Christmas (Sam Christmas)

Sam Christmas shot the British Speedway GP for Sideburn 12 (and Maxwell P's BSA for SB9). Here's some more of his work. It's bloody marvellous.
He's planning an exhibition in January. It'll be in London, but worth a day out to see, I reckon.
There's a short interview with him at The Bike Shed.
G
From top to bottom (Kitty for Davida; Kingdom of Kicks; James from Kingdom of Kicks, Rensh the Widder).

Maxwell Paternoster x Dice

Chief Corpse From Hell and regular Sideburn collaborator, Maxwell Paternoster has created the latest killer Dice Magazine cover. Lovely job.

Read about Maxwell's personal, private, pickled BSA in SB9 .

Also, we have heavyweight art prints of the Zombie McQueen Maxwell drew for Sideburn. They're A3 size on recycled brown card. Just £8 plus post. Only available through our webshop. G

DSC pop-up shop has popped up

Two all new tees are available in the Death Spray Custom online shop. But be quick, tees are limited and the store won't be up permanently. White with black skull and black with black DSC logo.

DSC has also teamed up with legendary rock jewellers The Great Frog for a limited edition skull helmet ring. Based on the illustration by Stevie Gee (seen on the tee above in shop DSC). Get in touch with the Great Frog for more info, with stores in London, New York and Los Angeles.

Spaghetti Western

Paint job for an Aermacchi by Chris Watson. BP

UPDATE: There's a nice Dirt Quake ride home report on Chris's blog.

One Creative MoFo

This is Stevie Gee. The last time we saw him, he was bleeding all over Rollerburn. Ignore the fact he's doing some crazy hand sign, it's probably all his paw can do after slicing through his tendon. All you need to know is, he is a creative IED of goodness.

His sunny view on life is summed up beautifully by this tidy online interview at Department of Awesome. I found it via Deus Ex Machina's facebook. Who knew facebook was useful for anything? News to me.

Stevie is threatening to bring three generations of Gee to Dirt Quake.
Visit the Stevie Gee tumblr. G

No Substitute for Cubes

Framing up a nice big art print is like putting clean linen on your bed, you wonder why it took you so long. Sideburn collaborator Chris Watson sketched my Guzzi, fuzzy logic makes me smile. This is the office wall I've got my back to in this shot.

1) Can't remember where this came from, but it's like a rice sack and humped on my shoulder, stuffed with dirty smalls on the way to the local launderette, it caused me to get pinned up against a wall in Liverpool by a police meat wagon mounting the kerb.
2) Used to collect Francis Debaisieux postcards while on holiday in France, of 'quaint' peasant life, then came across this life-size poster in a petrol station! Wonder if I would have become that old boy if I'd stuck at the rural dream?
3) Fantastic embroidery of an F-15 fighter by Claire Elizabeth Platt picked up at the old Cafe Kino, Bristol.
4) The idea of gardening is wholesome, but I have black fingers. Everything I touch dies. Kitsch Kitchen plastic flowers are a much safer bet.
5) Ultimately dashing Silvio Grassetti on the Monza(?) banking.
6) 948 cubes in felt-tip by Chris Watson.
7) People still give me cautionary grief about this helmet but it's a NEW repro made by Bandit in Berlin. I wear it for short track without a visor unless it's really muddy as it feels too fishbowl with. I'm a fresh air freak.
8) Lewis Leathers road racing boots.
9) Wore a Davida bowl several years on the trot in London. Nothing more comfortable. (yeah yeah yeah, "nothing more unsafe"). Still wear the Dusted one when snowboarding.
10) My Mum paid a mechanic £5 to drag these Peter Jones mahogany glove-box draws (32 of them) out of a skip and up the stairs of our flat in the early 70s.
11) Is it a global phenomenon that when one moves house, it takes Years to finally unpack the last box?
12) Original title artwork from SB#10 Pikes Peak 'One Hellava Hill'.
13) Mughal period Indian beard styles reference chart.
14) Proper Italian water-slide transfer of tiger temptress, and a shot of my brother on his BSA C-15 back in the day.
15) Before downloading everyandanything that catches my eye into countless computer folders, I used to tear things out of magazines and pin it on the wall for inspiration. Seems like rather an antiquated adiction now.
BPUP DATE:
If you would like your own bike sketched in this style from a photo, contact CW via his website.

Bad Kat

Sideburn collaborator and part of Rollerburn's art show, Nicola Rowlands got in touch to say...

Hi Sideburn!
I have just done a neckerchief that I thought may be of some interest to you guys/your readers.
Hope you’re both well.
X nicola x

Sideburn's own Future Sailor Ben says 'I hate cats but I'd wear one - you can quote me on that.' G

Beat Combo

We've been mentioning Lewis from the band Little Barrie a bit on the blog because he's supplied a brilliant and very personal feature about vintage grasstrack for Sideburn 10. The band has just been touring the US. Flat track racer and SB contributor Greaser Mike went to see Little Barrie in NY.
When Lewis got back off tour he sent us these photos and this message (he said he doesn't look himself in the top photo. He hadn't recovered from the tour yet...). G

The background to the bike is....a good friend of my dad's Kenny White passed away this year, he had keep it in his garage since the 70s (this is an early 70s outfit). His daughter gave it to his old passenger John Smith. All their old grasstrack crowd met at the funeral and it ended up at my dad's garage to be restored. They are all itching to have a go on it. I haven't seen one of these kind of outfits in the flesh since I was 2 yrs old! And very much doubt there are very many around...I know Gerry Wheeler, one of the top riders of his day still does a lap or two on his at big events for show, that's the only other one I know of.
Tour went really well thanks, although I was a broken man by the time I got back. Thanks for hooking us up with Mike Kramer.
Lewis

Lewis Wharton Jnr.

Ford Capris, Bay City Rollers barnets, chunky cork soled sandals, nostalgia is everything. I also love that crystal ball thing, whereby you can look at this old photo and know what that little baby doesn't
- He can't yet wipe his own arse, but he will be come a bassist in a rock'n'roll band, he will (have no choice but to) love motorbikes. And in 37 years time, he will write an article about his Dad's antics as a grass-track side-car monkey for a motorcycle magazine called Sideburn. His band is called Little Barrie. They have a new album out in the here and now, today. It's called King of the Waves. They're playing at Bowery Electric in New York tonight. BP
UPDATE: You can see a special recording of Little Barrie playing live on Breakthru Radio. It's good. G

Kristina Fender Party Madrid

NOCHE DE FIESTA!!. Estais invitados!! Este Jueves 9 de Febrero, Cafe Racer Obsession, me dedica una de sus noches de alcohol, gasolina y Rock&Roll exponiendo la parte de mi obra dedicada al motor. No te lo pierdas, se subastaran dos fotos estupendas!!
Donde?: A partir de las 22:00 h en el Cafe Detroit, C/ Villanueva 43, Madrid.

You are all invited to my Party!! On February the 9th, Cafe Racer Obsession dedicates me one night of alcohol, gas and Rock&Roll, showing my work around motor world.
Kristina Fender
UPDATE NB change of date to the 9th!