Our weekly cities interviews takes a small town West Yorkshire twist today, as Joe Lynskey gives you the lowdown on his native Morley.
Engage your eyes and brain and read on below, with Lyners “Baghead Flats” section embedded at the bottom of the page for your viewing pleasure…
Morley by Joe Lynskey
Best breakfast spot: There is actually a few good little breakfast cafes around Morley, a place called “Anthony’s” is one of my favourites, but none of them have shit on Disco Liz’s (my mam) bacon and eggs sarnies, as I’m sure anyone who has had the pleasure of tasting them will damn right agree.
Best form of transportation: That’s one of the best things about Morley, there’s nowhere your own two feet can’t take you, everything is within walking distance. And then if you want to head out of Morley Island you can just hop on a 20 minute bus ride into Leeds. If you’re not feeling the walk, skating or biking around is just as good.
Best skate shop: Well it would be “Smokey Joe’s Skate Shack” if I ever get it open, haha. There’s not actually a shop in Morley or Leeds the moment, but the Route One store used to be cool to chill and meet people at when it was open.
Best supermarket: Straight up Morrisons, it’s simple, its cheap, has loads of “3 for 2” offers and whatnot. and Morrisons lemon cheesecake is well dope!
Best local band: 2MD is a big one with the locals I think, but I don’t know too many bands, I’m not up to date with the Morley music scene. “Acid Andy and the Unknowns”, that’s my dads band which he always claims are gunna make a comeback, haha.
Best local video: Could have been “SPLASH!” but that never happened. Probably “Shine On” or the Wisdom video. I know these are not really Morley local videos but I can’t remember the name of the Morley videos my mate Ed used to make. They were sick though, good times.
Best local video section: Would have been a section off of “SPLASH!”
Best local – back in the day: Me, haha, just messing. There used to be a guy called Scargill who people in Leeds will still remember, but we used to skate Morley when I first started and I used to get blown away with his manny skills. Also my mates Ed, Chalmers and Kettlewell, they all used to kill it
Best local – present: Still me, haha, still just messing. Rick Elsey, Adam Broadbent, Joe Benson, Chalmers, Joe House…anyone in Morley who still skates is the best.
Best skate spot – back in the day: Morley High School was sick, and just anywhere around town. There used to be, and still is, a few good spots in Morley.
Best skate spot – present: I’m not too sure which is the best spot at present, they’re all still fun to skate. The leisure center has just been rebuilt and looks all modern, so when it’s all finished hopefully there could be some new good spots there.
Best undercover spot: The undercover plaza which is full of transition and marble blocks, rails stairs…it has everything. It’s not a bust, you can skate there whenever you like. You just have to find it…
Best skatepark – back in the day: Morley Park. It was mint back in the day, loads of people used to skate there. It has metal ramps, the whole park is on a slant which is easily noticeable, and you had to avoid crackheads at all times of the day, what more can you ask for when your young and don’t have a clue?
Best skatepark – present: Will be Morley Park if the council pull their fingers out and present us with a nice concrete park.
Best bar: There’s not really many bars in Morley, it’s more like little seedy pubs. Some are actually alright inside, but some of them I wouldn’t even dare look in the window as I walk past.
Best nightclub: There’s two main night clubs in Morley which I never go to, but they are the life and soul of any true Morleians weekend. They are J.D’s, which hold a Friday “Fight Night”, and then it’s “Saturday Night Stabbings” in Stush. Or so I’m told to believe, anyway.
Best restaurant: Toby Carvery all the way. There’s not too many restaurants in Morley, again it’s full of seedy little takeaway houses that look like they sell food to rats. I wouldn’t really dare eat anything from them anymore, the only two I trust is the Chinese and chippy at the bottom of my road, Sunny House Chinese and Hilly Croft Fisheries (award winning fish and chips apparently) they are dope though, and that’s about it.
Best local slang phrase: It used to be “Boomshank!” for the skaters and “have you got 20p for t’phone, mate?” for the crackheads. But I think to Morley locals its probably “what you staring at, muppet?”, and that’s the nice version.
Best local celebrity: There’s actually a few – Mel B from the Spice Girls, Avid Merrion from “Bo Selecta!”, Brain Turner some celebrity chef, Liz McDonald off of Coronation Street, Danny Glover from the famous Lethal Weapon films, Johnny Howson a Leeds player who will be playing in the championship next season – get in! Beryl Burton some cyclist, Bruce Willis from the Die Hard films, Ernie Wise from Morcambe and Wise, and me. I wouldn’t say I’m at celebrity status just yet, but just in case I ever am I’ll put myself down, haha.
Best thing about living in Morley: I live here, it was voted “The Most Patriotic Town in England” a few weeks back whatever that means. Green flows like water if ya get me, Ed, Buttsy and Tommy live here. It’s close to Leeds but you’re not stuck in the city centre, everything you need is within walking distance, everyone is friendly…well, almost everyone. It’s just generally a cool place to live and hang out. Big up Morley – LS27 fo’ life! Peace.
Lynskey in “Baghead Flats”:
