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Some connections run deep. A major inspiration for NEARLY THIS begins in the mid-eighties. Two teenage friends brought together by fate or dumb luck, living on the outskirts of Austin, Texas, formed as strong bond with the emerging recreation of BMX freestyle. Instead of using your 20-inch bike to race around a dirt track or navigate through the suburban streets, you ride around in circles in a cul-de-sac or nice smooth parking lot while learning to balance yourself in various poses usually with one of the bike wheels not contacting the ground. You move your feet off the pedals and onto other places on the bike in order to twist, rotate and contort your body in counterbalancing ways so that as you maneuver the bike below you, in visually intriguing ways, at no point do your feet touch the ground. Touching the ground means you start over. You didn’t land the trick. It’s like “the-floor-is-lava” game.
Flatland riding, as it became known, continues to evolve and fascinate those that answer its siren call. It’s so much more than a performance of moving tricks. For some it is a way of life, a metaphysical journey, and something that you just can’t help but do. It is an activity that takes an extreme amount of focus, commitment, and practice in order to progress to new levels of ability. Much like skateboarding, it is both an expressive art and especially nuanced physical undertaking that maybe has more in common with martial arts than your typical team sports most kids get into. ‘Nuff about that for now.
BMX freestyle was a big part of my life for probably my most impressionable years. But I eventually stopped riding when my focus shifted to other interests. After high school I became obsessed with graphic design, photography, and other less physical pursuits. I moved to the Pacific Northwest and started a new life and career as a designer and Macintosh centric computer nerd. My best friend remained in central Texas. He had lots of his own adventures and did stop riding for a couple years. However, he picked it back up after college. He’s now been riding for over three decades. I’ve seen him move his bike through sequences that are so beautiful and impossible to comprehend. It’s an amazing thing to behold. It makes me quite nostalgic for the time spent on my little bike and quite appreciative that he’s still on his.
In the feature image above my friend, Chadwick, is performing what is known as an Elbow Glide circa 1989 out in front of my old home in the wilds of Pflugerville. Some of the characteristic visual stylings of NEARLY stem from the counterculture worlds of BMX, skateboarding and snowboarding. My time pouring over the magazines of these alternative sports back in the day left a big imprint on my aesthetic proclivities. More about that later.
The other two images are Chadwick riding in 2024. Can't stop, won't stop. Always groovin', improving' and pursuin' BMX glory. He is a true inspiration.
