The Secret Past of Glory...

Long before my life was consumed with two wheeled British headaches, me and just about everyone I know, spent all of our free time on four wheels. Skateboarding in the early 80's was definitely not like it is today. We didn't have skateparks or sponsors and we skated because we were wanted something different. It was was punk rock and alienation at it's best. We built ramps and traveled. It was a counterculture that was underground and like a giant family. I'm not sure how it happened, but it seems like almost every old skater that I know is involved in motorcycles to some degree. The cool thing about having the Glory shop is that I get to run into old friends and people that I probably wouldn't have ever seen again.

This weekend, two old friends are tearing up the "Masters(OLD GUYS)" division at the Pro-Tec Pool Party . First there's Duane Peters (top photo) if you don't know who Duane is, then the whole idea of punk rock skateboarder is foreign to you. Duane has been destroying it all since the dark ages of skateboarding, and continues to make most skaters 1/4 of his age look like pussies. This isn't your X-Games clean cut TV skate world, this is soul skating, and why I always have and still do love skateboarding. Duane also has been riding bikes all of his life. We built a killer hot rod Commando for him a few years back. After I told him to break the new motor in slowly, he immediately got on the Freeway and rode 80mph from Hollywood to Long Beach. That's Duane. We wish him luck today!

Next up is Paul Wisniewski (2nd photo). I first met Paul in about 1984 or 85. Paul used to kill it at the Fisherman's Inn, and we skated Ocean City and Cedar Crest together more than once... Paul's been in So Cal way longer that me, and never stopped skating. He still rips! He's also been doing a really cool skate company called Green Issue. It's a skate company with a conscious. We've just started carrying Green Issue tees and decks at the Hollywood Blvd. store. Both of these guys live by the same principles as we do at Glory. We live outside of the mainstream and want to buck the system. Skateboard, Punk Rock and Motorcycles have always been about freedom and getting away from the media produced lifestyles that have been jammed down our throats since birth. We all have the ability to live by our own policies and have some fun while doing it. I try and remember that every day.

Fight the Power....

The Mighty Tatra!

Congratulations are in order to our good friends Paul and Dydia. Their killer Tatra is now, according to the NY Times, the coolest car in America. Paul has worked on many movies with me, and is also the owner of some really great Indians. Paul really is in many ways the last of a dying breed. In Los Angeles anyway. See, kids, there used to be people that were referred to as "Bohemians". I know it sounds crazy, but some people were content with leading a fulfilling life that was centered more around art, love and exploring human nature than the all mighty dollar. I believe that there were some books written about such nonsense...

What happened to a place in society that celebrated eccentricities? As age creeps upon me, I realize that most of the people that I encounter are chronically dissatisfied. I think that as a country and even a world, the past few years have taught us that we've all been buying into the game. I think that most of us have abandoned love and art and general happiness. It's all about the chasing of pennies and the chasing of a unrealistic idea of wealth.

My friend Paul works when he's not living life, instead of the other way around. The cars and bikes are labors of love, not investments. To me, that seems like a pretty cool place to be in life.

After that....go buy stuff on the Glory web site.

Ray Ban and Fred Perry!

We just got a shipment from Ray Ban and a batch of Fred Perry shirts. These truly are two great iconic brands. There's a lot to be said about companies that can toe the line between following fashion trends and staying original. Classic Wayfarers will never go out of style. The same goes for the classic Fred Perry polo.

As we get bombarded with ridiculous hipster fashions here in Silverlake, it's nice to find the "comfort" of some classic designs that are what I consider fashion commodities. No matter what kind of space age get up is being worn by the fashionable crowd, there will always be classic designs that never really go out of style. To create a piece of clothing that can hold it's own for decades, now that's successful design. Fred Perry and Ray Ban are two brands that have pulled that off.

Lagerfeld and a Red Rapide!

We just got a great new batch of Fred Perry gear at the shop. It really is great classic stuff. Along with the FP, the summer stock is starting to roll in. Loads of Penguin, Red Wing and some great new tees from a company called "The Last Match". Look for the last match tees hitting the GLORY site soon!

What's really cool, is the limited Edition Karl Lagerfeld helmets from Ruby these are very limited edition, and we only have a few at the shop, so best to move fast. Rumor has it that a certain Sex Pistol snatched up the first one we got... Please call the shop (323) 644-5679 for details!

Over at Glory Motorworks, a spectacular 1952 Vincent Rapide in RED was just acquired. Rescued from a barn in Central California, the bike is two owners from new and has 8500 original miles!

After it's re-commisioned at the shop, it will be on display at Glory on Hollywood Blvd. Sounds like a reason for a party at the store...

Happy New Year!

Thanks for a great 2009 Christmas Season. That's right, Christmas. It was a great month at the shop. Lots of returning faces and new ones as well. We've ordered lots of new gear at the shop and should be getting back to normal inventory amounts soon. We've got a couple of great bikes for sale in the shop at the moment. First, we've got a Killer 1966 BSA Thunderbolt that belongs to Brit Mechanic extraordinaire Andy Holmes. Andy works over at Glory Motor Works and is the best guy in town to keep those miserable old Brits on the road. The BSA is a three time Moto Melee veteran and really is a great runner. We stuck it up on eBay yesterday, so have a look. Next up, we have a killer 1964 Bonneville. This ins a ONE OWNER machine from new, and really is one of the most original bikes I've seen in a long time. We just went through it over at the shop and gave it some new rings, bore as well as a 12V conversion, electronic ignition, two new Amal mono blocks and a general tidy up. It's a great runner and you really will be hard pressed to find a bike that is in more original condition (and runs this good) price wise, it's not for the weak of heart or wallet, but it's fucking great! So lets make sure that 2009 never shows it's face again, and get back to enjoying life in 2010!

New Gloves and new a new Ruby!

Last week, I took the kids to the Long Beach show to look at the new bikes. Besides almost having a nervous breakdown from bad kids, I saw two cool things. That's right, only two. The first was the 896 Ducati Hyper Motard. It's about time they built this bike as a usable city bike. The bigger one is fast and all, but handles like crap at low speeds, and is a bit heavy for the zig zagging of LA traffic negotiations. I had a 750 Monster once. It was perfect. It was way lighter than the 900 and still did 120 on the freeway. I keep wondering if the bike manufacturers are paying attention to the growing number of younger riders and small wallets. It certainly is the reality from where I sit. The other cool thing I saw was a range of California made gloves from Lee Parks Design. These are spectacular! I ordered the "Tour" model which is short, and the "Sport" model which are more like gauntlet style. They arrived at GLORY yesterday and are available in the shop now. We'll hopefully get them up on the website this week. I also spent some time with our good friends from Ruby. They brought me this new Black & White Cheque! I've got only one size MED in the shop right now. There were only two, but one went to Texas on Friday. We're also going to start the Glory/Coop model Ruby! Coop and I will start the design process soon. It will be killer!!

Christmas Season upon us!

It's been a while since the last post, but We're back. With the X-Mas season rapidly approaching, we've been getting the store packed with some pretty good gear. We just got an ass load of Red Wings in as well as a load of Clarks. The Barbour stock is holding strong, and there's tons of good Penguin stuff. This weekend, I met up with our French friends from Ruby. They were in town for the LA Auto show appearance of Confederate Motorcycles. An interesting move by Confederate by showing at the Auto show instead of the MC show, but I think I know their reasons.

Over at the MotorWorks, we've got a very nice '47 Royal Enfield finally up on the lift getting sorted, and a few Triumphs getting back on the road. The progress on the '54 Vincent is back on track, and we just bought a '62 Triumph that's going to get over built for on of us to ride on the Melee!