NOTE: All timestamps are in the future because WE are in the future. The care takers of Midnight Ridazz.com reserves the right to remove, edit, move or delete anything for any reason. None of the opinions expressed on these boards represent the Midnight Ridazz nor can anyone purport to speak on behalf of Midnight Ridazz.
User1 was imported all the way across the Atlantic from Italy. As an adventurous teenager, he packed his sack on a stick and left his tiny Italian villa to sail the choppy seas in search of 'something new'. And he did this without knowing a word of English, except "beer".
He's a big dude, with a big personality, a big heart, a big mouth (meaning he's opinionated without remorse), a big appetite for beer, and a bigger appetite for cycling! And he's faster than you'd suspect. He'll spin like a mouse in a cage on a wheel and will kill you on hills!
Al is opinionated, and sometimes he and I do not agree. But when push comes to shove, Al is out there on the rides. He is there to help the newbies, he is there to support the bicycle community. Al is a necessary fixture and I raise my bourbon-filled coffee cup to honor the Rider-of-the-Week.
Allan was the first guy I spoke with at a Midnight Ridazz ride in the pioneer chicken start point days. He was always really friendly and offered me beers. After getting to know him, I realized he not only has a similar political outlook as I do, he's a fellow cacophonist, and he's also a burner too. I've been bugging him to help me and the Rev. Dak to get a bunch of Ridazz out on the playa, (Burning Man). This year it looks like it's going to happen!
Despite he lives in Long Beach, he attends more rides and LA critical masses than anyone. He is reliable member of our community, he has an obscene obsession for folding bikes, he farts a lot, and don't ever fall asleep alone with him in the same space.
If anything besides cycling, Al has sure made himself out to be an excellent explorer of abandoned structures.
Whether it's kicking in the blocked door, or scaring the shit out of something that tries to scare us, Al and his ever-present bag of tricks are there to amaze us all.
Oh, and carne-asada burritos from a mom/pop joint kick ass as well.
active is someone always adding commentary on the threads and ever present on the rides. user1 is a fixture here and i see him whenever i come out to a party ride. as for his opinions, i rarely disagree. he's straight up and sensible in my book. rotw was made for riders like al. congrats!
AL you are BIG and GAY <3 Of course by BIG I mean AWESOME and by GAY I mean FUCKING AWESOME!!!! You are seriously @ every ride and full 'o love for ridazz! I wondered how you always had beer to offer.... where does it all come from? Where do you hide it AL!??
QUESTIONS:
1. Why have you not posted any "Old School Photos" of yourself?
2. You have decent musical tastes, except for your disdain for the smiths and morrissey. How did you discover your musical tastes?
3. Why the multi-colored happy face stickers on your bike helmet?
First of all I left my little northern Italian villa to join a gypsy caravan heading west, to the Ligurian Sea. I learned by first trade through this tribe. I got so good at nipple reading that I was ask, rather firmly by the elders, to leave and never to return. So I boarded a ship to America. OK, OK, I illegally boarded a ship to America. I made my way west from NY earning what I could nipple reading and odd jobs. The rest, as they say, is history.
I'll post some old pics of me soon. My brother showed me a pic of me without a beer gut! (I think I was sucking in my tummy if I'm not mistaken) What was the name of the thread again?
Music - I always seem to gravitate to the music that everyone, very few others were listening to. It's sad that there isn't the FM stations for you guys that some of us old geezers were listening to. I was fortune to grow up listening to KZAP
I got to cut this short...... I'm going to fit to get us more days for the light parade.
Thanks again and Annie I guess you didn't get the memo?
al gave me my first (and only) multi-tool. i felt like a real rida after that! he's always been generous with his stuff and his opinions. i can live without the opinions. ;)
Weirdos unite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Practically every time he posts I find something new that I have in common with him. The list is getting huge:
off the beaten path trippy desert locations, beer, Adrian Sherwood, all the old school punk, industrial, goth shit, the Kinetic Sculpture races, bikes, politics, etc etc etc.
Hell yeah Allen!! Another Al as ROTW. The Al's are gonna take over!! I don't remember when it was that I first met you but you've been the coolest. Always offering me a beer and it seems like we've always split a 18pk of beer. Always considerate of other ridazz. Is all that stuff about sneaking on a boat true?? I'd like to hear more of your journeys. Very knowledgable guy and we've got to get a list of bands together along with barleye so that I can discover new music.
10000 ++++++ as ROTW. I'll split a case with you any day. Hell... I'll buy you a case MR. ROTW.
that happened to our very own User1 upon escaping from the italian countryside. i don't know why they had chain link fences back in the 19th century, but they did.
Ha ha!
Al and I attended the same Pink Floyd tour in 1975.
He saw 'em at the Cow Palace and I caught the show a few days later at the L.A. Sports Arena.
Me and Al, we go way back. Back to the last century in fact.
Big Al's first order of business as ROTW was to hightail it to Griffith Park where he and Sexy took honors for greatest distance travelled without a car.
The DWP was bemoaning their position that if the Festival were to go car-free, people wouldn't be able to get to Griffith Park from the outer-regions of this place we call LA County.
Big Al explained that he came in from Long Beach, Sexy explained that he came in from Granada Hills, neither of them by car. The DWP rep was shocked. Sacre Bleu! What are you? ROTW?
Big Al was last seen talking to a coyote in Griffith Park. I fear for the coyote!!
Al's first attempt at talking to coyotes in the italian countryside didn't work too well. i'm glad to hear that you've honed your skills. you must have presented the universal peace offering: beer.
This shit is making me all misty-eyed. Let's have an argument for old time's sake. Hell, let's restart an old argument.
Meanwhile:
* When did you move to Southern California for good (assuming you're here for good)?
* Why don't you (or why do you only rarely) go to Long Beach Critical Mass? Do you have an opinion or any experiences of LBCM that you would like to share?
* Will you and former ROTW Sexy ever be true friends?
* If you could change one thing about Midnight Ridazz, what would it be?
* Please explain your colorful MR nickname.
Yes he's there, somewhere, riding along, supporting, sometimes being opinionated, BUT WHO ISN'T!!!
No Annie he's not gai, lol!!!
It's about time Allan was ROTW!!!!
When was your first MR ride Allan?
WHat's your opinion on the future of LA's bike scene?
WIll there ever be an Allan companion?
@slimegreen - The t shirt is gone. I brought it to the Hit + Run event and gave the shirt away to another rida. What's that saying? Snooze you loose?
@barleye - We would have had that chain fixed and rolling if we had another five minutes. We tried.
@AlwaysClever - Hell yeah I'm a hipster! Trenway doods and dooditz know it too!
@meandmybluebike "guys with opinions are cool. women with opinions are bitches."
Me - Yeah it sucks that that is the perseption of peeps, but I think it's slowly changing. In all my travels I still think here in the states the females are considered most equal in regards to the two sexes. We still have a ways to go till the two are considered and treated as equals.
@digablesoul "Is all that stuff about sneaking on a boat true?? I'd like to hear more of your journeys."
Me - yep, I'll tell ya guys more once I get caught up on this thing.
@RBI - I weeded my record collection a bit quite awhile ago. I took out the stuff that was on major labels and big sellers. Almost all my stuff is post punk period and small labels. Over 2000 vinyl records strong. The DNA of industrial, goth, and techno.
@Creative Thing "Al and I attended the same Pink Floyd tour in 1975."
Me - Were you on acid too?!?!?!?!?
@PC questions -
I moved here in '92 from Sacramento. I came down to go to school at CSULB. I came down a day after school started and lived in my Westfalia VW camper van for the first two months here in LB. I moved to go to school, but also cause I out grew Sacramento. Can't see that happening in LA.
LBCM - I actually was doing this ride long before I started riding with LACM. The LBCM always went in spurts. At one time they had two starting points cause some of the riders were complaining that they had to go downtown only to go back on the road they just traveled.
And yeah, I do have a good story to tell about LBCM. One time when we had these two starting points, I went to the start of one of them, which was the bikestation in LB. BTW, the other start was at Bixby Park, 1.4 miles away. I got there a few minutes early. This girl rolls up on her bike and we started talking. Turns out she is from the Press Telegram and was doing a story on CM. We waited there for awhile and no one else shows up. So we went to the Bixby Park to meet up with peeps meeting us there. Turns out there was no one there! So she went off to do some other crap and CM blew a chance to get some PR.
I started doing the LACM shortly after that and never looked back. If I went to a CM here in LB, I wouldn't know one person. I don't mind traveling to LA. Lot better to roll with them than what seems to be happening at the LBCM now. Lahar went to one recently and said it's a fast ride. Not going to get many ridazz if that's the case.
I'm really not interested in being true friends with Sexy or anyone else that has such an ego as his. I'm about the people around me, not about myself. Completely different egos.
If I was able to change one thing MR it would be about moderating. I would always have an odd number of mods, three minimum that would be voted to become mods by members here. The mods would vote on what gets removed and what doesn't. The mods would always go the direction that they vote upon. RB does a pretty good job on moderating, but I think three ridazz here would be better.
My colorful nickname???? I choose that name basically cause I thought it was ego-less. It was so opposite to so many boisterous and grandiose nics you see on the net these days. I just wanted to plan and anti pompous.
@Harry Yeah I didn't want this nomination, but I guess Annie doesn't ask before she nominates! I don't like the us vs them that this creates. It would great to have this completely random, or again, maybe by committee such as three moderators.
My first MR ride was the Bones Ride. RB remembers it well and probably regrets inviting my friend and I on their ride. (LOL) My friend and I were downtown LA in the art district hanging out at a art opening. We both were on our bikes checking out a couple of shows. There was a art gallery in this alley and some of the ridazz were riding by. They were checking out some graffiti and we asked them what was going on. We chatted back and forth was invited on their ride. We gave it about 10 seconds to mull it over and then said, "SURE!!!" The rest as they say is history.
My opinion on the bike scene in LA is that it's the best place to be right now if you're into riding group rides. It's great being a part of this and watching it grow. The scene is healthy and alot of room to grow. I see it getting bigger as it gets older. Would be nice to get somewhere around a 50/50 males and females on these rides. It seems to be changing a little, but still has a ways to go. I would give it a solid B grade right now.
Will you ever see a User1's companion on the ride? I don't know, we'll see! Dingo was my bitch for awhile, does that count?
For the longest time I thought it was a chick from LV!
Sorry B!!!
@Fluffa - Gays are a part of our society and in alot of examples quite affective in the political arena. I've been around gays ever since I moved downtown in Sacramento in '82. They were a part of the goth scene and the new wave scene. It would have been kind of boring without them. In all the time I partied with them, I only had one awkward experience. One of my drunk gay friends tried to hit on me. Other than that, and even that wasn't that bad of an experience (when you consider what women have endured), was not that traumatic.
I applaud the recent California Supreme Court's decision to allow same sex marriages in California. It's a decision that will go far to making a wrong right. This was one of the main reasons I never married. I don't want to be part of a system that discriminates against others on the bases of their sexual perferences.
One thing I wanted to clear up. I think I grew up at one of the best music times. I was listening to KZAP until it was sold in late '78. Even then there were alot of great DJs but everyone there saw the writing on the wall. Things were changing and for the worst. At this point I was tuning into KDVS a college radio station. Picture all this underground punk and the birth of the new wave scene being broadcasted on a free form college radio station. This station is still a great station to listen to, but it was better back at the beginning of the big bang period.
Also I got my exposure to music when I was the import buyer for Tower Records in Sacramento.
I like to hang with Al. I'm always really happy to see him. I remember the first time I met him on a ride. He was on his folder. I was having a brake issue and he adjusted my brakes for me right there on the spot. He's that kind of guy.
Was Syd with a bearded old rummy, mumbling William Blake poetry to himself?
"we were naked children, nestled in the soft womb of the dawn. Indians dead on dawn's highway bleeding, ghosts crowd the child's fragile eggshell mind"
Sounded like he was mumbling "where's me marmite, where's me marmite" as he tried to spread lime green slush from the evaporating ponds on Bristol Dry Lake onto a piece of weathered black patent leather from a 50 year old pair of shoes hanging from the Shoe Tree.
Dude stayed up longer than the all the babies from the westside and a couple sleepyheads from the eastside for the los angelopes and the la acura bike tour!
FREE GREEN MOUSTACHES!
Allan, you big silly, I didn't mean "what would you change about MR the website." I meant "what would you change about MR the ride"! I demand do-overs.
I am not a good mind reader! A good nipple reader? Yes! A good mind reader? No!
You asked, "* If you could change one thing about Midnight Ridazz, what would it be?"
Me -
Guess what? This forum is part of MR! I will consider your question as another question. You asked, "what would you change about MR the ride?"
What I would change about the MR rides is to get more chicks to join us. It's changing, but pretty freakin slow. I suggest that we have an all girls ride. Guys got to dress in drag, or their not invited. We have this policy in place until there's about a 50/50 split.
PS: I'll be adding the idea of an all girls ride to the 100th ride on the thread. Back me up on this!
Allan was cool before cool was cool. He's one of the most reliable friendly personalities you'll ever meet in person, and one of the most cantankerous and abrasive personalities you'll meet online. But usually abrasive in a good way, like sandpaper for the ego.
Q:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
When did you start riding bikes? Did you have a first bike, or have you actually been riding every bike everywhere, with everyone, since everywhen?
What percentage of your waking hours do you spend in LA, versus Long Beach?
Have you read many nipples on these bike rides? What have you learned?
Also, if Italy's Bad Boy and Green Galactic Girl went head to head in a Wolfpack dragrace, who would you put your money on?
When did you start riding bikes? - I started riding bikes when I was something like 4 or 5. I still remember the time my pop took my training wheels off and stopped holding me up. I thought he was behind me, but he wasn't and I was rolling on two wheels! Never looked back since.
Did you have a first bike, or have you actually been riding every bike everywhere, with everyone, since everywhen? - Yes, yes, yes, since '91 for SoCal and since '74 up North.
What percentage of your waking hours do you spend in LA, versus Long Beach? - It works out to about 70% LB to 30% LA.
Have you read many nipples on these bike rides? What have you learned? - Nipple reading was my first profession if I don't count sweeping my uncle's shoe shop when I was a kid. I learned nipple reading while I was traveling and living with a band of gypsies in Italy. I quit doing it after being charged with a conspiracy to kill a member of a royal family. I warned this young girl to not go on her travels to Africa. She insisted on going cause her secret lover was going with her. She ended up drowning when a ferry boat capsized at the mouth of the Amazon River. I was close to being put in jail for NOT telling her parents! Fortunately I had someone that believed that what I did was not wrong and fought for me in court. Our gypsy tribe went from being the dredges of society, to being courted by royalty, to being the dredges of society again. All because I refused to do any more nipple readings. I could write a book on my life with my tribe. I still love them even though I was essentially kicked out after refusing to do any more readings. I just think we should just let nature and karma take it's course.
Also, if Italy's Bad Boy and Green Galactic Girl went head to head in a Wolfpack dragrace, who would you put your money on? - Oh definitely Green Galactic Girl! She's the shit!!! Basically an Annie but a drinky drinky Annie. Italy's Bad Boy is just trouble! Plus he can't ride worth a crap!
Doods and doodites have got to go checkout the artwalk next month. If we go as a big pack, we should bring some vino of our own. Some galleries were not that stocked. Plus we don't look like a ravenous pack of wolves looking to get drunk!
Regardless, the scene was awesome. Many beautiful people wondering the streets in search of a good time.
Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones
Got a Basketball Jones, oh baby, oo-oo-ooo
Yes, I am the victim of a Basketball Jones
Ever since I was a little baby, I always be dribblin'
In fac', I was de baddest dribbler in the whole neighborhood
Then one day, my mama bought me a basketball
And I loved that basketball
I took that basketball with me everywhere I went
That basketball was like a basketball to me
I even put that basketball underneath my pillow
Maybe that's why I can't sleep at night
I need help, ladies and gentlemens
I need someone to stand beside me
I need, I need someone to set a pick for me at the free-throw line of life
Someone I can pass to
Someone to hit the open man on the give-and-go
And not end up in the popcorn machine
So cheerleaders, help me out
{cheerleaders sing repeatedly...}
(Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones)
(I got a Basketball Jones, oh baby, oo-oo-ooo)
{while Tyrone Shoelaces sings/speaks...}
Oh, that sounds so sweet
Sing it out
C'mon Coach Booty, Red Blazer, sing along with me
That be bad, honky
Yeah
I want everybody in the whole stadium to stand up and sing with us
Oh yeah, sing it out like you're proud
All right, everybody watchin' coast-to-coast, sing along with us
Bill Russell, sing along with us
Chick Hearn, sing along with us
Chris Schenkel, don't sing nothin'
Oh, it feels so good
Gimme the ball
I'll go one-on-one against the world, left-handed
I could stuff it from center court with my toes
I could jump on top of the backboard, take off a quarter, leave fifteen cents change I
could, I could dribble behind my back I got more moves than Ex-Lax I'm bad I could
dribble with my tongue Here I go down court, try to stop me You can't stop me 'cause I
got a Basketball Jones Here I come That's my hook shot with my eyebrow Yeah, I could
dunk it with my nose I'm, I'm bad as King Kong, gimme the ball I'm hot, I'm hot as...,
I'm hot as..., I'm hot as... uh Uh, uh, uh, uh
(Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones, Basketball Jones)
(Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones, Basketball Jones)
(Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones, Basketball Jones)
(Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones, Basketball Jones)
I can't remember the first time I saw Alan. Was it when he and I were really slowly climbing Sunset, tired and way in the back of a MR, hell, I was THE back. When I got up to Alan he was working hard on his foldie, and I stuck with hiim to the taco truck. Or was it SMCM. The First ride I did was SMCM, I met and ate dinner next to Big Bike Dan. I don't think there could have been a better friend to meet than Dan. I remember hearing a crash, turning to see a kid in a blue Hawaiian shirt laying on the ground laughing...Just about EVERY other ride I attended I saw this same kid on the ground. Sometimes alone, but mostly wrestling some other guy. Lucky for me so far... Alex Thompson has never attacked me, I shall ever beware and keep his whereabouts known...
Alan was the first rida invited to my home. I'm a slacker, I've never been down to his.
He wrecked our motel room in Oakland. OOOOUUUUUGGGGGGH
They charged me an extra day. was it the (how many) 6 or 8 ridazz climbing out of the room at the crack of noon, or the bomb Al left em?
Only AM EX knows cuz I didn't call Motel 6 I called AM EX.
Bam no bill.
Hey Alan When are you getting a new helmet?
Peace
I just wanted to say thanks to all the friends, all the haters and all the fluffazz that responded. It was fun, but I'm glad to get back to being my old neglected self.
The Q&A portion of this thread is closed. It's been closed as of June 16 of this year at 4:43 pm. Please direct your attention to our current ROTW and part-time gay rida, 420LaHaRR. That is unless you care to still fixate your attention towards a rida that doesn't exist?
I was just curious, since you made such a big deal about the ride not being illegal, and if I recalled correctly you said you would go on the ride. You didn't make the first one, I didn't see you in the video for the second one and didn't see you at the start of the Santa Monica ride on Friday.
I know you announced that you where going to Farm Lab Salon on Friday and wanted to know if you made it to the Eastside Freeway ride, since you where in the area.
My Name is still David, and it has never been, nor do I have plans on changing it to Dave. I think the common courtesy around this board is to refer to each other as their sign in names.
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Ridazz Roulette!
User1 was imported all the way across the Atlantic from Italy. As an adventurous teenager, he packed his sack on a stick and left his tiny Italian villa to sail the choppy seas in search of 'something new'. And he did this without knowing a word of English, except "beer".
If anything besides cycling, Al has sure made himself out to be an excellent explorer of abandoned structures.
Congrats Al. Well deserved. I can't think of a ride that i've been on that he hasn't attended, and i've been on two rides. 
Al's first attempt at talking to coyotes in the italian countryside didn't work too well. i'm glad to hear that you've honed your skills. you must have presented the universal peace offering: beer.
here's how i'm guessing Al will respond to your questions.
big gay al has a crush on the white lady in this vegas ridazz photo. 
HA HA, I got mentioned twice in your ROTW thread
LOL This totally looks like a chick------->
This pic -------------->
rofl
x
Al's junior high school science/biology experiment on the elementary school girls
