Random Crap – Page 6 – Bottles And Chains

Get Loose!

BnC HQ had a bit of a shindig last night to celebrate Monday’s launch of the brand new album from Hobart punks Ballpoint. It just so happened that Ben and I had spent the day commuting to Devonport and back to pick up the LCCC’s roller racing set up and arrived back just as the party was kicking off. Naturally we’re in our element when beer is onsumed in close proximity to bikes (ask Ben, Nic and Rozzi about their recent drunken crashes and resulting cuts/grazes/bruises/destroyed helmets). One thing lead to another and before we knew it the rollers were in the lounge room, the clock was set to go, and Nic and Ben had stripped down to their underwear for a true BnC style battle to the finish line.

Unfortunately neither were sober enough to stay upright for very long and the race was soon abandoned so that more beer could be consumed. Regardless, the impromptu event was a sure sign of the chaos and bedlam that will undoubtedly occur at the BnC Roller Derby on April 19, as part of the 08 SS Nationals. In Tasmania we get serious about our racing, and clothing is optional and definitely not encouraged.

On another somewhat related note, if anyone has some good advice on getting vomit smell out of a couch, please let us know as we’d like to be able to hang out in our lounge room again some time soon.

FBC, keepin’ that shit relevant

Aiiight. You know there ain’t nothing that goes together like bikes and beer. That shit’s as basic as the need to reproduce, or nerds playing dungeons and dragons. It makes sense. Which is probably why I keep stumbling across more and more bike gangs and groups of alcoholics dedicated to mixing the two, with fucking brilliant results. The latest find is The Fucking Bike Gang, from some place I’m unsure of. Where ever the hell it is, it looks cold most of the time, so I can relate to that. Regardless of the weather, they look like yet another loose crew. There seems to be plenty of riding, heavy boozing, stupid costumes, random bikes and general fuckaroundery.

Go check it out, ya mangy currs!

Fucking thieves

Some cunt stole my jacket last night from Mobius. Pretty much right in front of my eyes, and I wasn’t even drunk.

It’s a blue/charcoal sorta colour Dickies gas station jacket with an Against Me! patch on the left of the chest and a Bouncing Souls “Drink Coffee And Destroy” patch on the right sleeve. There’s also some badges on it (Hot Water Music, Against Me, Mutiny, The Brews). It’s also got two scuffed holes at the back of the right shoulder from when I crashed my bike.

It’s pretty distinctive and if you see someone wearing it who’s not me, please grab them and get it back. If by some bizarre co-incidence you know who flogged it, just get them to give it the fuck back.

Have a radical day

Not dead!

We’re still alive and kicking, sorry about the lack of updates. I hope everyone had a good Australia day, celebrating a bit of genocide. BnC HQ is locked down pretty tight at the moment, with the SS Nats planning fully underway. That shit is going to be off the hook. If you’re thinking about coming down for it, grab some flights now. They’ll be plenty cheap, and it’s free to take your bike with Virgin. Can’t got wrong!

I ate shit on Monday, riding the ol’ mountain bike. As is usually the way, I spent a good few hours hitting up great trails without a worry, then decided to hop up a driveway (not even a gutter) and ended up sliding a few metres on the footpath, leaving a bloody trail behind me. Bugger. Ah well, skin grows back!

Poster and more details for the SS Nats are coming very soon, so stay tuned to the website. We love you all!

Live fast, die old

Andy linked up to the kids at Cycle Jerks today, and because I’m always impressed by a cheesy punk rock reference I felt the need to spread it further (given how our readership is so massive and all, ha!). They’re a bunch of nuts from Denver, Colorado and their blog has a bunch of videos and other suitably random and good shit on it. “Full of racing, blood and beer. What the fuck else is there?”. Sounds good. They also have a radical logo, suitably ripped off.

So yeah, don’t get off the internet quite yet, go look at their website. If you’re from Hobart, don’t buy a t-shirt or I’ll be forced to wrassle the shit outa ya.

I thought hipsters were a type of jeans?

A wise man once said “Get off the internet and ride your bikes.” Actually, it’s probably been said a bunch of times. Smart words regardless of who uttered them first and how many times they’ve been repeated. That said, the internet can be handy for plenty of things, even if most of them are better and more enjoyable when actually done out in the real world. Looking at beautiful bikes and old-school bike magazines seems to lack a little texture when they’re being blasted at your eyes through a computer screen. Music’s a little richer when it’s coming through an amplifier rather than your tinny PC speakers. That new component looks great in the online store, but the photo’s got nothing on the first test ride. And the best YouTube footage pales in comparison to the feeling you get when you’re out on your bike with your mates.

It’s all too easy to get caught up in the shit-talk and bullshit that mindlessly repeats itself every hour of every day on the internet. Naturally, when it stems from this website I wholeheartedly approve of it and suggest you quit all other activities so that you may dedicate your life to BnC, the refresh button and the ol’ comment posting link. But most of the time you need to step back and ask yourself if this shit really concerns you, or if you might be spending a little too much time worrying about words and websites and fashion trends that can be ignored simply by closing your browser, or visiting another website. The internet is a forum for the world and just like any public space, it’s got its full share of morons and idiots. Do yourself a favour and avoid getting caught up in the shit-creek, ’cause who wants to paddle through that when there’s perfectly good singletrack up the bank and over the hill?

Ignore the trends, forget the hipsters, get off the internet and ride your bikes.

No grave but the sea

The Sea Shepherd crew are at it again, with two of their crew being held on a Japanese whaling ship in Antarctic waters. They’re a great organisation whose direct-action protests actually target the guilty parties, which is all too rare these days (although there’s nothing quite like a bit of black bloc molotov cocktail action). Go read!

In bicycle news, clouds have been gathering and the forecast seems to be for another alleycat some time soon. We’ll let you know when we find out more.

There’s also been some chatter regarding the 2008 Single Speed Nationals in Tasmania, so hopefully we’ll see more info surfacing on that!

The photos from the now-infamous Christmas Alleycat have been provided to us in an unmarked manilla envelope, obviously shot by an unknown contributor with a high powered telephoto lens. We’re all being watched! While the race report has yet to materialise (I take full responsibility, but if you want to know what happens at these things you should just show up! Haha), the photos and results will finally be online…shortly.

We’ve also got some plans for official BnC jerseys (and skin suits?) in the pipeline, so we’re going to be needing your feedback! For starters, if anyone can recommend a jersey manufacturer who make good quality gear with low minimum unit requirements, let us know!

Stay tuned, this party’s only just getting started!

Roll on!

If anyone happens to know the where-abouts of a roller-racing setup in Tasmania, please let us know! Roller-racing used to be huge back in the day and given Tasmanias rich track racing history, there’s got to be something lying around somewhere. Alternatively, if you’ve got a bit of know-how on building a DIY setup get in contact. Running something through a laptop hooked up to a video projector would seem to be the easiest (and most portable) way.

A monthly carnival of roller-racing, beer drinking and live music would be a damn fine way to wile away a Tasmanian winter.

Old school?

What the fuck is up with muppets rocking pre-faded shirts for old school bands? Minding my own business at the pub tonight and I get smacked in the face with some guy wearing a brand new Run DMC shirt, only the logo’s pre-distressed and fucked up. I mean, what’s the bloody point? Either you actually like a band and you wear a new t-shirt with pride, or you’ve genuinely owned the shirt for a long time and now it’s too faded to read. Hell, even a new shirt is going to fade fast as shit if you truly love the band and wear it 5 times a week. How about you just leave it out in the sun for a couple of days?

Idiots.