Road trips usually look like this: 4 bikes, 4 people, 1 car and a road map. All cramped up but having no problem with it because you're having fun. Believe me, I've been on plenty of trips like these. Once I was on the back of Chris Moeller's pick up truck on the way to a race in Phoenix. Timmy Ball was co-driving and Lawan, myself and one more POW were sitting in the back with the bikes and all the bags. We left from California to Phoenix so we did not expect the strong rain that we encountered. As soon as it started dripping we were okay in the back as long as Chris kept the speed up. We stopped at BK and asked for trash bags. We made rain coats out of them and put our bags in the trash bags that we were given. We made it to Phoenix and had one more story to add to our book.
I've never made it to a
Roadfools or on the
BoomBoom Huck Jam bus. Those trips sound a lot more luxurious than Chris' pick up truck. When I had the chance to jump on the Deconstruction tour a few weeks ago, I finally got to experience life on the road like the rockstars do. Instead of seating 50 people, our Kultour bus had 12 bunk beds and a leather seating area in the front and one in the back which had a TV, DVD and sound system. More importantly, it had a fridge stacked with drinks at all times.
Our bus hosted 4 skateboarders, 4 BMX riders, myself as the MC and at times 2 RedBull employees if they needed a ride or a place to sleep.
We even had our own bus driver by the name of Robert Potgieter, an experienced rockstar driver (17 years strong) who is on the road with EELS right now.
Other buses on the tour were The Production bus with trailer.
This one had all the beers/drinks for all the buses so it was the most important one. You had to stack up before you left every venue. The fridge was full every night. The Mad Caddies had a bus, bus #3 was for Boysetsfire and From Autumn to Ashes, #4 hosted Strike Anywhere/Only Crime and #5 had Smoke or Fire and Capdown on board.
Two more buses completed the Deconstruction Tour, one for Strung Out and one for Banda Bassoti. Over the last few years at least one person had to leave Decon because they had gone mentally nuts.
This was a no bullshit tour with hardcore bands. 
Every stop had a party set up by the Destiny organization. We started there and when it was time to leave we hopped on the bus. The only DVD we watched was The Life of Brian (Monty Python).
The TV was used for Grand Theft Auto after that. I'm not into games at all but found myself addicted to the game from the start. "Yo CJ!, Bitches! Gimme that! Whassup Smoke!" stuff like that, stealing cars like it is nothing and smashing people up. The Game world is sick. Other entertainment in the bus was brought by a battle of the I-pod. With several I-pods to choose from and only one transportable speaker system (Ali Cairns') it was a battle who was allowed to plug in. No shortage of tunes, that's for sure.
The triple A pass got us everywhere we wanted to go. Backstage, on the podium, showers, catering, on the ramp, you name it. The bus didn't have a shower so we had to look for places to wash up when we arrived at the new venue. Most of them were ice hockey rinks so they had showers. Some were too dirty to use so you simply skipped a day or used the Baby Wash method that Ali invented (using Baby wash gloves for your whole body to feel fresh).
With no laundry machine on board it also explains why soundmen, stage builders and the crew wear black clothes. Some of the catering was great and some sucked (France). This explains why some rock stars demand a long list of food/fruit/drinks when they do a concert. Missing out on good food for a day is tolerable but if you're on the road for weeks I can see where that food list comes from.
The best part of the bus was having a driver and a bed. You party and you crawl into your bunk while the driver takes you to the next stop. You wake up and you're there where you need to be. How sweet. No need for taxis or sober friends to take you home, no need to ask for directions, no need to go outside and get rained on from your night out. Super convenient.
I'm afraid this was a once in a lifetime experience and that we'll be back to the old ways of getting places from now on. I'm fine with that because getting there is half the fun.
BdJ 
I've never made it to a Roadfools or on the BoomBoom Huck Jam bus. Those trips sound a lot more luxurious than Chris' pick up truck. When I had the chance to jump on the Deconstruction tour a few weeks ago, I finally got to experience life on the road like the rockstars do. Instead of seating 50 people, our Kultour bus had 12 bunk beds and a leather seating area in the front and one in the back which had a TV, DVD and sound system. More importantly, it had a fridge stacked with drinks at all times. Our bus hosted 4 skateboarders, 4 BMX riders, myself as the MC and at times 2 RedBull employees if they needed a ride or a place to sleep. 
We even had our own bus driver by the name of Robert Potgieter, an experienced rockstar driver (17 years strong) who is on the road with EELS right now. 
Other buses on the tour were The Production bus with trailer. This one had all the beers/drinks for all the buses so it was the most important one. You had to stack up before you left every venue. The fridge was full every night. The Mad Caddies had a bus, bus #3 was for Boysetsfire and From Autumn to Ashes, #4 hosted Strike Anywhere/Only Crime and #5 had Smoke or Fire and Capdown on board. 
Two more buses completed the Deconstruction Tour, one for Strung Out and one for Banda Bassoti. Over the last few years at least one person had to leave Decon because they had gone mentally nuts. This was a no bullshit tour with hardcore bands. 
Every stop had a party set up by the Destiny organization. We started there and when it was time to leave we hopped on the bus. The only DVD we watched was The Life of Brian (Monty Python). The TV was used for Grand Theft Auto after that. I'm not into games at all but found myself addicted to the game from the start. "Yo CJ!, Bitches! Gimme that! Whassup Smoke!" stuff like that, stealing cars like it is nothing and smashing people up. The Game world is sick. Other entertainment in the bus was brought by a battle of the I-pod. With several I-pods to choose from and only one transportable speaker system (Ali Cairns') it was a battle who was allowed to plug in. No shortage of tunes, that's for sure. 
The triple A pass got us everywhere we wanted to go. Backstage, on the podium, showers, catering, on the ramp, you name it. The bus didn't have a shower so we had to look for places to wash up when we arrived at the new venue. Most of them were ice hockey rinks so they had showers. Some were too dirty to use so you simply skipped a day or used the Baby Wash method that Ali invented (using Baby wash gloves for your whole body to feel fresh). 
With no laundry machine on board it also explains why soundmen, stage builders and the crew wear black clothes. Some of the catering was great and some sucked (France). This explains why some rock stars demand a long list of food/fruit/drinks when they do a concert. Missing out on good food for a day is tolerable but if you're on the road for weeks I can see where that food list comes from. 
The best part of the bus was having a driver and a bed. You party and you crawl into your bunk while the driver takes you to the next stop. You wake up and you're there where you need to be. How sweet. No need for taxis or sober friends to take you home, no need to ask for directions, no need to go outside and get rained on from your night out. Super convenient. 
I'm afraid this was a once in a lifetime experience and that we'll be back to the old ways of getting places from now on. I'm fine with that because getting there is half the fun. 
BdJ 
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.