Quiet, humble and determined to destroy: Ben will show up to your local park and be the best skater you’ve ever seen, in just one run. You won’t even know he’s there until you seen him skate. But, once you notice him, it’s hard not to watch. He makes me sick.
Ronny Calow
I never knew there could be such thing as a hesh/posh crossover but Broyd simultaneously makes TNT look like a street skater and the Queen look like a peasant! One of the most naturally gifted skateboarders I’ve ever seen, he is a true bad boi!
Moggins
Broyd is like no other. Very kind hearted, genuine and open-minded.
A musically talented nice young boy that your parents would love to have round for tea: don’t take this nice young mans kindness for granted though for it is tainted with his mischievous personality and pure hunger for skateboarding. He’ll rock your fucking socks off, drink till he spews, mine-sweep your drink and beat the fuck out of you in a mosh pit, all whilst elegantly saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ the whole time.
He’s a posh rat that will be the most grateful person in the world for the scraps of your half-eaten chicken burger.
This guy has an aura that gives off the best vibes and atmosphere no matter where you are. He’s always the last one skating at any session and it’s always all or nothing! I admire his passion and hunger for skateboarding.
Timmy Garbett
Safe Ben, how are you?
Hello Dave, I’m very well thanks, (laughing).
Where you at and what are you up to?
I’m sat in the party car, just about to have an hour’s worth of shred in the House bowl before having to run off, shower and get all dressed up so I can go and play in a concert. I’m playing a piece written by one of the master students for solo clarinet and piano resonance. So I basically just play clarinet into a piano, whilst someone else holds down the pedal: it’s supposed to be all ethereal and it can show off a range of dynamics and all sorts, then I get to go home.
So what instruments do you play?
Well I’m a clarinetist mainly. That’s what I have sort of based my university degree around, playing in various orchestras and ensembles, but I play a bit of piano, guitar, bass and other things too. The skateboard however is an instrument that I focus on for many an hour of the day and it’s probably my favourite.
How did you get into classical music and that stuff then?
From when I was a very young kid, my family always had classical music playing in the house. My dad taught me the piano when I was like 3, then at school I started playing clarinet because I wanted to play the saxophone because I thought that it was the coolest instrument ever, but never got learning it. A-levels came so I started going into a bit more depth and it opened up an entire musical world I wasn’t aware of. It’s interesting because there is so much more than just Mozart and Beethoven that people might think of, there is something for everyone really to explore through the classical realms.
So this skateboarding instrument, where are you favorite places to use it?
Well I’m going to have say, 1. Stockwell skatepark, Brixton Beach, is a favourite of mine. It’s just the best in London for sure, maybe in the UK.
The lines are the best and I always feel at home with BMT.
Kimber skatepark is where I grew up, that mini ramp is where I learnt many a trick. I love Dev Green and The House, even though Dev is a bit crusty these days – it’s still good for session, and The House always kills it! I just like going about finding new transition type things to have a roll around on.
If you could go to dinner with one skater and one composer who would you choose and why?
Ermm…well…I want someone that would talk at me because I’m not the best at talking myself, (laughs). Would TNT be a dick? As far as composers go, I would choose Stravinsky, he was a weirdo and he did his own thing so I’d like to hear what he had to say. And the skater, I’d rather go skating with them, but I would go with Dead Dave.
What is bbc?
Bad boi cru! I’m going to go for the cliché and say it’s a way of life, (laughs). It’s all about getting gnar and creative, mixing those two words together to create a concoction of amazing skateboard possibilities. Whether that’s through music, speaking, art or the idea of actually skateboarding because we do a lot of that, that’s the main element of the bad boi cru.
I was in your house and saw you had a Pot Noodle bike, what the hell’s that all about?
Basically in my second year of Uni I came across a competition on Facebook for Pot Noodle lovers and at the time I was a Pot Noodle lover. You had to send a video to show how much you loved the noodles and I did that and got through to the next round. I made a second video and got myself into the top 10 winners! I won some money and a year’s supply of Pot Noodle. I was crowned ‘the Pot Noodle Ambassador of Sheffield University’ – they sat me down on a Pot Noodle throne and gave me a crown and was paraded about for a bit, (laughs). I got the bike also. I haven’t eaten a pot noodle in well over a year now as having more than one a day can be brutal and the after taste is pretty gnar. Pretty over it to be honest.
Can you explain the seal bail?
It’s an East Asian bail technique that was developed by some monks that lived by the sea. They found whilst they were training their various martial arts that they would often trip over. This put strain on their knees and wrists but if they landed on the soft part of their belly or the chest they could actually slide out and avoid the anguish of painful joints. It’s like a knee slide but you don’t have to wear kneepads, you just gotta ride it out. Beware of a seal on rough terrain though, I’ve chafed a few nipples in the past and that wasn’t much fun, but otherwise it is the best way to bail. Seals are good.
Hesh or posh?
I don’t think it’s something I can choose between really, (laughs). I feel like sometimes I’ve got a bit of a multi-personality think going on, as I have to switch from the two so regularly. I wouldn’t say that I’m posh necessarily; I just suppose the classical music element of my life is a big part. Being hesh is fun you can get rowdy and throw your body around. You have to be all composed when playing a clarinet.
North or South?
Well I’m from the South so obviously I’m always going to have some roots there, but I live in the north now and I plan to stick around. So make of that what you will!
Who are some of your favorite people to watch skate?
Gotta start of with the man TNT. He was one of the first people that really stood out to me as a powerful guy and I’ve always loved his style and one day I’d like to be like him, (laughs). He kills it. Ronnie Sandoval is effortless and can do anything; Ben Raybourn has got loads of tricks and is amazing. A bad boi cru favorite at the moment is Erick Winkowski; another guy that can do anything and has fun with it. I think Blinky is really good too, I like the way he skates. I’ll be thinking of stuff I want to try and then next thing I know, I’ll see Blinky out there doing it! Always killing it!
Ronny wants to know what really happens at band camp?
I haven’t been on band camp but I’ve been on tour with a wind band.
Shit goes down man; you wouldn’t understand the craziness that goes down when a group of wind players go to a different country. They blow their instruments for several hours then get loose. So much air being thrust out of one’s body just allows you to release some sort of energy, that many people wouldn’t get so, for that reason, it’s going to have to stay confidential. You have to join us!
Who are you going to thank?
TNT for always keeping me hyped. All of Sheffield for being amazing! Bad boi cru, Dead Dave, Moggins, Rich West, Rob at The House, Ronny and Legacy, Slugger boys, Zorlac for giving me Death skateboards! Shout out to b.m.t. family and friends. Everyone that has contributed to my life so far – it’s been a good un!