This blog is no longer being updated as i have a new flashy website!!! Please go check it out and say hi!!!

www.MatLloyd.com 

Yes yes the 'Skateboarder And...' podcast is back with a banger!  This episode is a perfect way to start season five, I got to sit down with skateboarder, snowboarder, professional photographer and one half of The Reason Mag...Mr. James North!

We talk about; studying photography,  working at LCB, discovering snowboarding, living in the mountains, skating harrow, first shots, amazing teachers, starting The Reason mag, touring with Kano, losing jobs because you don't have enough instagram followers, social media, artistic influences, advice for budding photographers, and so much more.

To find out more about James you can find him on instagram via

@jamesnorthphoto or visit his official website www.jamesnorthphoto.co.uk

For more info on The Reason Mag check them out on instagram @thereasonmag or via their website www.thereasonmag.com

Stay up to date by following us on instagram @skateboarderand or by joining our Facebook page www.facebook.com/skateboarderandpodcast

The podcast is hosted by Mat Lloyd you can find him on instagram/twitter @matlloydpoet his latest zine 'Short Drafts and Photographs' is out now.  His official website is www.matlloyd.com

All music is provided with permission by Mr. Brown @westaytrue his music is available from all good record stores, iTunes, Amazon and direct via www.westaytrue.com

Stay safe people!

#skateboarderand #skateboarding #skateboarderandpodcast #skatelife #supportyourlocalscene #podcast #ukskateboarding

Super stoked to be back on Comedian and Podcaster Michael Dryburgh: Mix Tapes With Mike! This time talking the top ten greatest hiphop lyricists, trust me it wasn't an easy list to put together!!! 

So if you fancy listening to two blokes talking about hiphop, good tunes, me using the word 'like' way too much, and Mike's amazing production values, this is the episode for you!!!  

Listen here https://link.chtbl.com/VoJA8oUQ

Stoked to have a piece in @saraprinslooart amazing ‘Its Okay Zine’ that’s raising money for suicide prevention charity Papyrus UK , the first print sold out in 48 hours but don’t worry you can pre order the next print HERE!!!  

"PAPYRUS recognises that children and young people are among the higher risk groups in England when it comes to suicide. As many of our members have been touched personally by a young suicide, we do all we can to raise awareness and mitigate risk of suicide among the under 35s.

Super proud to have a piece in ‘The Pioneer Club Creatives 2020’ zine which is both showcasing amazing talent and raising money for Britain’s oldest indoor skate park -  The Pioneer Club!!! 

Visit their website and get yourself a copy £6 all in>>>>click here!!! Big shout out to Kelli Watson of 'We Can Fly' fame for putting it all together and love to EVERYONE involved!!

This spoken word piece was a response to the protests that happened after the police killing of Mark Duggan in 2011, the subsequent shameful media manipulation of his death and coverage of the riots/looting that happened in major cities across the UK. How many more times are we going to need to raise awareness and protest? And don't think here in the UK our history of racism is any less bloody. When it comes to deaths in police custody there's a long list; Rashan Charles, Sean Rigg, Sarah Reed, Anthony Grainger and Faruk Ali to name but a few. This is not a time to be quiet!

George Floyd we stand with you!

Video edited and directed by @marcoutbreak

The latest episode of the 'Skateboarder And...' podcast is with skateboarder, founder of the ‘Family of UK Skateboarders’ and now published poet Mr. Tony wood.

Not only did we chat about his new collection of poetry ‘Procrastiskate’, we also talked Jeff Jones boards, Steve Caballero, cowboy boots, Guns & Roses, paddling pools, skateboard collecting, life before facebook groups, Rom Skate park, Colchester bowl, Mike Vallely, breaking ankles, Nick Zorlac, turning up to the Death Premier a week early, political correctness, writing poetry and so much more. Grab a beer, sit back, relax and enjoy!

To find out more about Tony’s book check out his publisher on instagram @shookbop or order direct via www.shookbop.com and the artists who contributed can be found on instagram via @jason_hillbilly_cheverall @frizzwizard @danbryantauthor

To find out more about Tony Wood…well you’ll have to find him on facebook….

Episode cover photo by @The_slimmingworld_skateboarder

Stay up to date by following us on instagram @skateboarderand or by joining our Facebook page www.facebook.com/skateboarderandpodcast

All music is provided with permission by Mr. Brown @westaytrue his music is available from all good record stores, iTunes, Amazon and direct via www.westaytrue.com

Stay safe people!

Very proud to bring you the latest episode of the ‘Skateboarder And...’ podcast! This week we changed things up a little and reached out to BMXer, the man behind Bicycle Union and the owner of Volt BMX… Mr John Dye!

We talk about getting into BMX, the 80’s DIY scene, Motorhead, hanging out with skateboarders, the Chingford half pipe, the history of the Bicycle Union, mag wheels, importance of core shops, Ride Magazine, bullies, angry kids, being open in lockdown and so much more!!! It’s another good one (despite my dodgy internet connection)!!!

Find out more about VOLT BMX via instagram @voltbmxlondon and www.voltbmx.com

Find out more about the Bicycle Union via instagram @bicycleunion and www.bicycleunion.com

Stay up to date by following us on instagram @skateboarderand or by joining our Facebook page www.facebook.com/skateboarderandpodcast

All music is provided with permission via Mr. Brown @westaytrue and is from his latest album ‘Magnetic Storage'.

Mr. Browns music is available from all good record stores, iTunes, Amazon and direct via www.westaytrue.com

Listen here:

https://soundcloud.com/skateboarderandpodcast/johndyevoltbmx

#skateboarderand #skateboarding #skateboarderandpodcast #skatelife #supportyourlocalscene #podcast #ukskateboarding #corona

In these strange times we can all feel a bit isolated and in need of a smile or two! My old partner in crime Matt Frodsham and I have been working on a little project that will be released this Thursday which will hopefully make you smile and hopefully make you laugh too.

Why Thursday the 14th? This marks one year since skateboarder Ben Raemers tragically took his own life. His family and the good people at The Ben Raemers Foundation want this day to be full of positivity and have launched #SMileForRaemers Hopefully we can all do our bit to spread some positivity and keep smiling!

This is from the first time I visited the VANS Europe HQ back in early 2017. I’d been asked to write a spoken word piece on the history of a Tribe Called Quest and I was flown out to the Switzerland headquarter to perform it on stage in-front of the whole VANS HQ team. I couldn’t tell anyone (not even my team at VANS) or share what I was doing as the shoe wouldn’t be released until the following year.

I put a lot of time, research and mental energy into the pice as I really wanted it to be perfect. I had three weeks to create it and I really think I didn’t listen, read or watch anything that wasn’t ‘A Tribe Called Quest’ related for that whole time.

I remember getting super stressed out when creating the piece and after a couple of weeks working on it and a few sleepless nights in a fit of desperation I rang my friend Nick @retailwhore on instagram (who also worked at VANS). I told him what I was doing and that I needed to read him the piece and get his opinion or my head might explode! I knew he’d give me an honest answer whether I liked it or not. When I’d finished he said in typical Nick fashion “It’s fucking amazing!” and I new I was on the right track.

The actual day of course went really well and despite all the sleepless nights, anxiety and nerves I got a standing ovation which i will never forget. The photos are from after the performance when I could finally relax and have a well deserved beer. Sometimes when everything feels too much or your head feels like it might explode, pick up the phone, it really is - good to talk.

PS. Here's a video of a live performance I did in London of the piece when the collection finally launched - Beats Rhymes and Phife Live in London

Great little wrap up video from last Saturdays Pio Jam Jam Live stream!!

"The first online Pioneer Jam Jam (Open Mic) - Featuring Bjorn Felle, Mat Lloyd, Kaspar Berry Rapkin and Alex Laurance. "

I'll be the featured artist tonight on the very awesome Trouble Tongues hosted by Sonny Green from 7pm!  You can watch live via their instagram @TroubleTongues

’regnosis’

In this online-exhibition selected artists were invited from all over the world to envision the post-corona era, taking into consideration the socio-political and individual rearrangement and redeployment which will take place in a pandemic-free world. What is the new knowledge (gnosis - γνῶσις, gnōsis, f. in the Greek language) gained after a possible introspection during this isolation? Reflecting how the new world will be operating and the adaptation that it might entail, regnōsis* should be understood as a process of re-establishing and regaining knowledge in a scenario of a new order.

The exhibition will launch on April, 25th 2020.

Participating Artists:
------------------------------------
Andrea Sonnenberg (US) @teenwitchsf
Androula Kafa (CY) @androula__
Baptiste Burlot (FR) @baptiste_burlot
Fumiaki Asai (JP) @23aki
Geralnd Zahn (AT) @geraldzahn
Johanna Walderdorff (DE) @atelier_walderdorff
Lefki Savvidou (CY) @leboob17
Łukasz Wierzbowski (PL) @lukasz_wierzbowski
Mat Lloyd (GB) @matlloydpoet
Moritz Berg (DE) @bergggggggggggggg
Nick Bueltge (DE) @replikant76
Nika Kupyrova (UA/AT) @nikakupyrova
Sergio Pradana (ES) @sergio_pradana

This exhibition is an initiative by Eleni Angastiniotou @angasel and Lefki Savvidou @leboob17 in order to enforce cultural activity during the period of isolation, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. *The title regnōsis was inspired by an article written by German future researcher and visionary Matthias Horx, “Die Welt nach Corona”/ “The Post Corona World”. #onlineexhibition #covid_19 #coronaera #internationalart #internationalartists #postcoronaera

I never knew Jeff Grosso, I never really met him, well not really. He was at a few UK VANS events and I probably nodded or said "Hi", but this was Jeff Grosso, Jeff fucking Grosso!  I was in awe, the little kid in me that used to butt board down hills on my best friend Alex's 'Grosso' setup back in 91 couldn't have dreamed this shit.  Grosso was the man; had it, lost it, and back again. You have to respect that sort of resilience to never give up!

He was the Uncle we all wish we had, the ying to skateboarding's yang, and even though I never really knew him, this one cuts deep.

Skateboarding needs more Jeff Grosso's, but it's going to be a while (if ever) before anyone else comes close.

The latest episode of the 'Skateboarder And...' podcast has dropped and I got to sit down with, well talk on the phone with, skateboarder, owner of Freestyle Skate Store, Rad Dad, Martial Arts face kicker, lead singer of the band Cruel Prank, Yeah Buddy Wax CEO, and stalwart of the welsh skate scene Mr. Darran 'Grim' Ward!!! This ones a good’un!!

We talk about the history of Freestyle Skate Store, getting skate parks built properly, motorbikes, first boards, transition skating, the Welsh scene, dogs, tattoos, Zero trucker hats, depression, Carve Wicked, skaters smelling wax, the coronavirus, business rates and all sorts of other random guff!!!

Worth noting we recorded the episode before the government put outs its latest advice on the coronavirus, stay safe people.

To check out more from Freestyle Skate Sore visit them at

Stay up to date by following us on instagram @skateboarderand or by joining our Facebook page www.facebook.com/skateboarderandpodcast

All music is provided with permission by Mr. Brown @westaytrue and is from his album 'Beats for Days 2', available from all good record stores, iTunes, Amazon and direct via www.westaytrue.com"

In these uncertain times I want to spread a little love and positivity.

I sent this hand typed and signed piece to my friend Scott Partington earlier this week and if you’d like your own one of a kind piece (for free!) simply find a lil poem I’ve posted on my Instagram @matlloydpoet either by trawling my feed, by searching the hashtag #notadaywithoutaline, or by sending me the name of the poem from one of my books via instagram DM and I will send it out over the coming weeks for as long as I have stamps and of course the posties are still working.

All I ask is that you do something similar to keep people smiling in these crazy times!  I've seen so much positivity online I really think this may be a real sea change for not only the UK but the whole world.

Afraid it's UK only at the moment due to postage costs.

Absolutely stoked to be performing at Stretched Lips Fourrrrr in Margate this Sunday!

"Margates most exciting poetry night! The UK's and Thanet's best known and most fantastic poets! All phenomenal talents! At the most rock and roll venue in all of Kent! Punk attitude - Free and easy - always very very well attended!!!! All this and FREE ENTRY!

Mc'd by Dean Stalham and Neanderthal Bard with all the usual trimmings!"

The night is hosted at The Albion Rooms owned by Pete Doherty and the Libertines. Check out the Facebook Page for more info!

The 'Skateboarder And...' podcast returns later this month for series four and I'm blessed to be back as the regular host.  Since 2016 the podcast has featured many creatives from the world of skateboarding including; Josh Kalis, Eloise Dorr, Garry Milne, Ben Gore, Mike Blabac,  Mr. Brown, Hannah Bailey, Nick Zorlac, Daryl Dominguez and Leon Switch to name but a few!

In series four we continue to talk to skateboarders bringing a little something extra to the culture from illustrators & film makers to independent skate shop owners & industry heads.  This is going to be the best series so far.