Dom Phipps interview on his first edition of the HARO Book. Edition 2 to be released in London on Dec 13th.

Dec 06, 2014

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 4153 times

You've probably noticed a few old school UK rider interviews being put back up on the main page the last couple of days. It's for good reason. On December 13th the second edition of the HARO Book will be released at the House Of Vans in London, England. We want to gear people up for it by looking back a few years. We're ready for a good night out with the likes of Mat Hoffman, James Hudson, Kevin Martin, Simon Tabron, Andy Brown, Dennis McCoy, Craig Campbell, Joe Hawk, John Buultjens, Matthias Dandois, etc. Sign up for it by going to the HARO Book Launch Facebook page. Here's a little interview with author Dom Phipps on his first HARO Book.

The new one just finished and will be available in London on December 13th.

Name: Dom Phipps
Occupation: Free Lance Project Manager

How did you get involved with HARO Bikes to work on some old school projects?
Dom: I was introduced to Joe Hawk (Haro Bikes President) by Bob Haro back in 2010 on a trip to California. Bob and I first met in 2009 at the first Old School Haro reunion show in Cologne, and we talked at length about the history of the company and the sport, and from that point we kept in touch regularly. A few months later, Bob made me aware that Haro Bikes were actively looking for an authentic way to reconnect, and celebrate, their unique history in BMX, and when Bob made the introduction, we quickly began developing ideas. It was good timing really, as I had spent a lot of time researching the story of the company, and the connection to Haro bikes gave me an opportunity to do something meaningful with that knowledge.

The latest project is a series of books. The first one is almost done. Can you explain the plan with the books?
Dom: The first book has been printed and is being delivered to the Haro Bikes warehouse in a week or so. It actually began life as a small brochure style supplement that would be packaged with the Haro Freestyler 30th Anniversary frame and fork sets that were produced in 2012. When I started writing copy, it just kept flowing so it seemed possible that the book could be bigger and more detailed. Joe suggested breaking it down into volumes, so the first book – The Rise of BMX Freestyle – cover the era 1978 – 1986. Basically the moment that Bob made the company legit, through to the pending sale of the company to a large US Based distribution company. I am in the process of writing the second book now, which covers 1987 – 1994 – An interesting time for Haro and lots of new faces getting onto the team including Mat Hoffman, Rick Moliterno, Joe Gruttola. The third volume will be 1995 onwards. That will probably begin in 2014 I suspect.

How difficult is it to gather (photo) material if you weren't there personally 30 years ago?
Dom: Well I thought it would be extremely difficult, but as I travelled and interviewed the riders, the old boxes came out of storage and I actually have thousands of amazing shots to work with. RonW has an amazing archive of Haro and 2Hip pictures, jerseys, even bikes. Brian Blyther had almost a thousand shots that he, Ron and Dave Nourie took on European and domestic tours. Bill Hawkins (Haro Team Manager) had a lot of great shots from the Asian factories and behind the scenes. The only difficult task was scanning them all, and trying to retouch them as best we could. Windy Osborn was a great help too. She produced a number of amazing hi resolution shots from her own archives. It was always my hope that her shot of Wilkerson in Venice in 1985 would be our cover – a genius piece of photography that perfectly sums up the era.

Who have helped you to get the first book together?
Dom: Firstly my graphic designer in the UK- Helen Vincent. She and I sat for hours working out how to make the book look good visually, but without losing the feel of the era. Also, my friend in the UK, Jay Eley who has a great depth of knowledge on the brand, and the era, and he runs the Harobmxcollector.com website with me. All of the riders featured in the book gave me long and insightful interviews, which we videoed and I sat and watched at home with an endless flow of coffee. Jim Ford was a huge help and was able to recall a lot of great facts and figures from the era. Bob Haro was supportive and agreed to write the forward. The guys Haro Bikes were patient and supportive. Joe was a good client. He let me run with it and didn’t interfere or attempt to steer the story. It was a great experience.

Where will the book be available?
Dom: We have a book launch at the Bicycle Source in Anaheim, Orange County on May 31st although it’s possible that we will have it ready to go a little earlier. The event is an open house and all of the riders featured will be there as well as a few other riders and personalities. I keep updating our face book page and Ill put out a press release in the next week with firm details.

How much will it cost?
Dom: The book cost is $39.99. It comes in a neat and nicely designed box and is available worldwide.