It wasn't meant to be the last issue of FAT-'zine but it sure was. Since picking up a job at the European GT marketing offices in Belgium in 1996 I was too busy with work. In fact, it was my first real job and one I liked a lot so screwing around wasn't an option. The Condor made the last cover and I'm glad it's him who got the last FAT-'zine love. Since these 'zines didn't come out every few weeks any longer the content list just got bigger and bigger.
We'll rush through it and leave it up to you to flip through all the pages here online.
Raleigh, the iconic British bicycle brand, ‘creates cool’ by bringing one of their most exhilarating products back to life, the 1980’s inspired limited Tuff Burner edition. The re-make of the MK1 Raleigh Super Tuff Burner screams BMX pop culture and has us wallowing in nostalgia as it goes live today for pre-orders on Raleigh’s website. As ubiquitous as the rubik's cube, the new Tuff Burner features a vibrant colour scheme with bright blue and yellow contrasts. The double hole chromemoly frame with loop tail rear, skyway mag wheels and the three piece BMX padset means pure retro aesthetics.
The 1980’s are known to be close to the heart of many, especially the We Were Rad collective,
We are almost nearing the end here of the FAT-'zines that were made between 1987 and 1996 before we got involved with that WWW. John Parker got the cover of issue number 32. Again GT hooked it up with a free sticker on the inside cover. The computer was doing its job and made it easier to read the text. No more fading typewriter ribbon.
The BON section has always been a big part of the FAT-'zine. Read it, it will make you go: Oh yeah, I forgot about that.
The Beerfelden comp is one to remember. We bring it up every time we run into Alex Reinke and Detlef Richter (RIP). Good times. Read about it on page 12.
A terrible accident on the way to the KOC in Kalle's dad's car did not stop us from getting there as planned. It was a close call but we survived. The car was a write-off though.
We had a Rob "Ninja" Sigaty interview before people started calling him Sarge. BS Comp OKC report by PdJ who also provided a free Paul's Boutique sticker.
Iwan and Choq went on a trip in a 2CV. Read all about it in FAT-32.
Free Vans sticker; check. A4 trails report, Sprocket Jockey tour report, Dutch BMX race championships,
Title of the book: Emulsion, the BMX Photobook
Author: Mark Noble
Date published: Spring 2022
Pages: 296, Hardback, Loose Dust Cover
Copies printed: 250 1st edition, 250 Final Second edition
How long was the thinking process before you decided to get to work on the book?
Mark Noble: I've been thinking about this book for bloody years to be honest. All my old photos are filed away in boxes in my garage space, and each time I went in there for something else random I thought "there's probably a photo book in here, maybe one day..." but I knew it would take a serious amount of time to make it happen, and I just didn't have the time. Then in spring 2021 an abrupt change in employment meant I suddenly had all the time in the world - so I got started. Well, after repainting most of the inside of my house first, I got started.
Did you have things lined up and organized as far as photos were concerned?
Mark Noble: I kept everything in date order anyway, so it was all reasonably well organised - I was pretty good at that sort of thing I guess, you have to be when working on multiple magazines anyway.
Mark Losey has shot many covershots in his life. This time he makes the cover himself, mouthguard and all. Brian Foster had just discovered the freestyle scene and puts his aluminium Schwinn to the test by doing a 300 X-up in Chicago. Third rider on the cover is Trevor Meyer. Has anybody heard of him lately?
The year is 1995 and I just got my first computer and played around with Coreldraw a bunch for this issue. For once FAT had different fonts, different font sizes and more of that stuff that did not work on a typewriter.
The news section was big again. We went straight into the S&M warehouse ramp followed by a Robo interview. Megafestatie report, free Haro sticker, and a report about the Chicago BS comp followed. The Sjappi Jam in Maarssenbroek was always fun. Dirt , Vert and Lake jumping this time.
KHE provided a sticker and then we went on the Jinx-tour. One of the best trips ever.
We had to smuggle Jay Miron across the Spanish border in order to do a show.
Read all about it in issue 31.
We had a session in RL Osborn's backyard. Rode some pools in the USA. Went to the ABA Grands.
Had a free Webco sticker and visited Hoffman Bikes in Oklahoma. It had been ten months since the last issue had come out so we had loads of content. We went to Kampen for the first round of the Dutch BMX championships. We printed a scene report of an Italian park in Lignano. Of course we had a Mission Trails report, a Mutation sticker, Bartman comic, KOD report from the ABA Grands and a free Vans sticker. Soo wrote about the A4 trails and then it was straight into the Brian Foster interview. TL won the ABA race in Reno, read the report on page 78-79. Evel Knievel made it to the FAT-JAM and I wrote a little report for Gearhaeds 'zine on the GT AirShow. Flip through it and enjoy.
BdJ
Check it out: FAT-'zine issue 31 (1995) Flip through the 'zine page by page if you hit that link.
Teaser du BOMD 2022, le 20 août à Montdoumerc : Une première édition d'un week-end "70's roots BMX" totalement inédit en Europe, et qui a été une incroyable réussite!
Cheesy Hundertmark from Germany gets the cover of FAT-'zine issue 30. Also on the cover in small video grab pics is Ian Morris doing a humonguous rail in our hometown back in 1994. It was a good year. Ice Money popped up in Cologne and later in Munich, Germany and England. Even in the Lageja ad!
The Editorial is still accurate. I do have a car now though. Free stickers this time from KDL, BigBoy, Busy P and GT. Huge new section. I hope to see some of these guys in Vegas next week at the Nora Cup.
At the Trierer Cup we almost got blown away by Hurrican Ike. The tent took off but the Chevy stayed on the floor. Paul Osicka got an interview that starts on page 22. AK Helmond race report. Freestyle World's in Cologne.
The real world's, none of that LG fake World Championships stuff. VANS Cup in Amsterdam. Dam right!
Wateringen trails report by Petrik de Heus. Bartman comic by Deamer. Magazine interviews with Marco Massei, and Freedom BMX.
The 1994 FAT-JAM was one of the best ones. Read the report on pages 49-54.
De Bokkelulle went on tour. We organized a BMX museum in Helmond in 1994. Imagine how old that
Neil Waddington - almost 50. Who Cares?
Matt Pingel was a big contributor of FAT and to show our love to him we gave him the cover of number 27. You must have heard of Jerry Galley too. He's on page 2 shredding the ramp in Dennis' backyard. We got a free STD foundation sticker on page 4. Six pages of BMX news and another freesticker (Big Boy).
Thomas and Moni Stellwag get an interview. Greg Higgins contributed some art. Wow, another sticker: Mutation.
We did a report on some SoCal trails: Honda Hills, Mission Trails, 6th Street, Hoover and Dover. RAD-LAME. Did you make it on the list?
Backyard Jam 1993: Tom Lunch, Keith Treanor, Aju, Steve Geall, Grotbags, Congo, Grace and the Maddog. The mag interviews were with Brad McDonald (sitting in his "office"), a flatlanding Mark Losey, seatless Hal Brindley and going backwards James Hudson.
The Lord (Dave Voelker) gets an interview on page 45. Nico Does gets the Bizznizz interview that starts on page 50.
I went to China for some demos. Crazy but good times. Read the report.
Ronnie Farmer on the cover, yeehaaw. While in San Diego we rode Mission Trails on a daily basis with the Dirt Brothers. Ronnie Farmer was one of them. He was born in East SD and the Dirtbrothers house was on the edge of that shady area. We have not heard from Ronnie in a while an really hope he is doing well. He sure knew how to stretch them no-footed cancans. Internet sites did not bring the news back in the day, FAT-'zine did. The Believe it, or Not!? section is huge, full of news.
We traveled to Phoenix for a Bicycle Stunt contest in our 1970 Buick Estate Wagon which had a 454 engine and was hella fast. We made it over there too.
Ronnie Farmer gets a full on interview in FAT-'zine. Maybe the only interview he has ever had. Read it.
We were doing Magazine reviews in issue 26 with Matt Pingel (BMX Freestyle magazine-Germany), Mark Noble (RIDE BMX magazine) and Vincent "Le Chien" Ranchoux of Tracks BMX Power mag (France).
Todd Lyons scored an interview which starts on page 43. We went to an NBL national in Las Vegas with the S&M crew. Jean Paul Rogers was selling RIDE BMX magazines for some extra income at the race.
Mongoose provided the free sticker and I also went to England and checked in with a contest at the