Above: Switch mayday at the Uni Banks. Photo by Reece Leung

“I think I preferred it when random members of the public would punch you in the face for skateboarding” – one of the best Sidewalk cover quotes ever, courtesy of Paul Silvester’s ‘Flexible Heads’ interview in Issue 199. Growing up in Huddersfield before moving to Leeds once he had exhausted the smaller town’s stair set potential, Man was part of the OG Unabomber team, recipient of the first ever Sidewalk ‘Haunts’ interview and proponent of switch skateboarding whenever possible.

Above photo: CJ

Later moving to Scotland to work with youth organisations and promote skateboarding amongst the youth, before emigrating to Canada (his last UK interview produced the opening quote to this text) to fly the white rose flag, Paul played an integral part in showing that UK skateboarding stood up to what was happening in the US at the time – and almost all on the crustiest spots Yorkshire could throw at him…