I always remember Guy Mariano, Rudy Johnson, Paulo Diaz and those guys skating together, and their section looked like it was filmed in a day or two. It always looked like they were just filming them doing what they’d be doing anyway. How they skated in those videos was how you wanted to skate day to day, basically. Public Domain and Ban This too, those get you psyched to go out skating.

I still watch those videos now, to be fair.

Having two skateboarders in the house must have helped you be able to afford more mags and videos between you, so what do you remember watching when you guys were starting out? We grew up so close that we’re not competitive brothers. Yeah, it was a one-foot nosegrab or something! I was super stoked for him. He had a cover before you, for Skate Action. You skated with your brother, Lee, a lot, and he was good. Inset below – Varial heelflip at the broadmarsh banks. His is easily one of the most interesting stories in skateboarding and it’s one that hasn’t been fully told, so I called him up to find out what happened.Ĭarl’s brother Lee’s Sk8 Action Cover Photo: James Hudson.

To turn his back on an industry where it’s generally understood that people will do whatever it takes to get-and to keep-their name on a board or a shoe to devote his time and energy on family life and running his scaffolding business takes a unique kind of single-mindedness, and Carl’s straightforward approach to living and his illuminating, refreshing honesty are rare in this world. The photos Carl got throughout the ‘90s are some of the most instantly recognisable, burned-into-the-brain examples of how good skateboarding can look, and his healthy disregard for playing the industry game a valuable reminder of why we started, of what the fundamental reason for skateboarding is and how much fun it can be.Ĭarl just wanted to ride his skateboard, and ultimately the opportunity to do that in peace with his family around him, in his home town, had far greater appeal than doing it on his own pro board with the biggest names in the world at the most famous spots while constantly having a camera pointed at him and being expected to tour, compete and play the part of a top-level pro. From skating Nottinghamshire curbs with friends to touring the world with skateboarding’s first ‘super team’ and back again, Carl’s approach to skateboarding has always been about friends, fun and stylishness, regardless of what’s going on around him.

It’s no understatement to say that Carl Shipman is one of the greatest skateboarders to ever come out of the UK, and while he himself might not agree with that, I don’t think he’ll care that I’ve said it either. INTERVIEW BY NEIL MACDONALD ( / PHOTO BY KATRINA SHIPMAN

Skateboards by Devon Howard