Flip through the old school FAT-'zine issue 02. Page by page. Been here, done that.
Starting from issue two we had a little theme going. We had regular sections such as the Believe it, or not!? page where we could make up news and leave it up to the reader if they believed it, or not. We actually still have that going today just to cover our asses in case someone is coming after us with an axe.
We also had the RAD/LAME list which was liked and feared at the same time. The free sticker of issue two came from Lageja skateshop in Eindhoven. A shop that supported us though thick and thin.
The rap concert report this time was from the Just-Ice & DMX concert in Den Bosch. Good times, good times.
More and more English text so by now you should be able to read most of the FAT-'zines (if you don't know how to read Dutch).
There's a report from the skate contest in Belgium which was also a good time. Scooters were still hot (in our eyes). Remember, we were living in the year 1988.
There's a German scene report by Robert Moeller and a report from the UK by Dave Beveridge.
Paul writes about his last contest in Hampton, Virginia and of course there is some grafitti art by Speed this time.
FAT-'zine issue 01. To know where you're going, you gotta know where you're coming from. Back to 1988.
After the first "Try-mag" the feedback was so good that we decided to continue with the FAT-'zine project. Paul had just got back from the USA where he stayed for a few months and visited the 2-Hip KOV in Washington, Mount Thrashmore skatepark and the Powerhouse Bike Shop in Hampton, VA.
Issue 01 had three stickers, one FF sticker, one Powerhouse Bike Shop sticker and one Skeletor sticker that Paul found on a roll in the $ 1 dollar shop.
Mike Loveridge got interviewed and street riding is starting to take off. Paul and I used to do BMX freestyle demos and placed a full page ad in the FAT-'zine. Or maybe it was just a filler, who knows.
Some things that made it on the RAD list were: Town & Country wear, Club Homeboy, Fingerboards and Centerpull brakes. Yes, these were the eighties (1988). Things that made it on the Lame list were: The Del Mar killers, Grabber seats, Dyno shoes and Lee Chi brakes. Some of this makes me laugh.
Scooters were still hot (in our eyes) and we even had a page on Snowboarding (the next cool thing to do).
Robert Moeller got introduced as the first German FAT-'zine correspondent and we also took a trip to an LL Cool J, Eric B & Rakim and Public Enemy concert in Amsterdam. Memories........
25 years of covering the BMX scene: 1987 - 2012 FAT! ISSUE 00
The official start of FAT was in 1987. It's 2012 now. That makes it 25 years of covering the BMX scene trying to make it bigger and better for everyone to enjoy. Find the info on issue 00 below and then flip through every page by hitting the link at the very bottom.
It just had to happen. The old FAT-'zines online. We're starting off with issue zero here which was fueled by the fact that a Dutch BMX magazine (Trickx) started putting more racing and international freestyle riders in their magazine instead of the Dutch riders.
That's actually where the name comes from: Freestylers Against Trickx (FAT). It wasn't a goal or plan to make a total of 34 issues but after issue 00 came out the Dutch scene wanted more. Anyway, the "Try-MAG!!!" is mostly in Dutch but that will change soon in the issues to come.
It all started in 1987 and we were young and stupid. There were no computers in sight and the internet had to be invented for most of us. Markers, scissors, photocopies, rulers, the typewriter, these were the things you had to slap a 'zine together.
Compared to now the quality was shit but at least you had something in your hands that you could relate to.
It's a done deal, the FAT-'zines will go online starting from this weekend. Every weekend you will get to read a copy of the infamous xeroxed FAT-'zine. Riders from the new school won't understand a damn thing about it but riders who were into it over 20 years ago will get a weekly flashback by reading the 'zines. Some of you have saved a few copies but you can now read them online starting from this Saturday until we run out of issues. That should be until some time in October. Boy were we harsh on TrickX magazine in the 00 issue! Good stuff, crazy stuff, stupid stuff, you will find it in the FAT-'zines. Misspellings too, plus scooters and skateboarding and terrible photocopied pics. We just wanted to warn you. It's coming!
The digital issues will be archived in the FAT-'zines section on this website so you can read them all when you've missed an issue.
Nothing else to do?!
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.