VIRUS - UNABOMBER - HE/SHE/THEY
“As the cherubs of repose dollop your brow with the puckered promise of the world of dreams, and the lateness of the hour devours your extremities with the needlings of an empire far away from the everyday. Gather up your final ounce of resistance, scrub the slumber from your sockets and elect this company Unabomber to the place of prominence in the sensory landscape of your life. It will help you to grapple with the base instinct which keeps you in sync with the square world, and will be the vanguard of the violence vented when we vanquish ?Wake up to the impossible dream.’ The coma, the death-like state, which people pull over themselves like a blanket, and is to us a reprehensible sic condition which must be obliterated.”
Part II of the Gospel According to Unabomber
The above is The Gospel According to Unabomber written by Johnny Robbo in 1997. It was a lofty and fun start to a company that became a major part of the UK and European skate scene.
Unabomber arrived at a time when the world skate scene was moving towards a more global perspective. Unabomber Skateboards was designed from the outset to cut through all of the homogenised skateboard tat. The original team, Harry, Alan Rushbrooke, Franklin Stephens, Mark Channer, and Vaughan Baker were clear with their intent and wanted to shake things up. From the outset, the ads were raw, the graphics were hand-drawn, and the aesthetic was lo-fi. The early video “Unapromo” came in a no-frills white cover and featured raw lines, sketchy filming, and a unique editing style.
Our first board graphics featured work by Pete Fowler. This triptych depicted kids rebelling and enjoying it. Unscrewing CCTV cameras, making a bomb from a Nintendo, or standing stationary wearing a flack jacket and a gimp mask. The idea from the outset was to create graphics that were the antithesis of our immediate peers. Our style was to be no style. This initial set spawned one of our iconic graphics, “The Gimp.”
Throughout the history of Unabomber Skateboards, the approach was to always collaborate with new and upcoming artists, showcasing the art of our talented UK scene, exploring new ideas and keeping our audience guessing.
Boards like The DIY team board encouraged skaters to “Make it your own.” Each fully painted board contained stickers, stencils, and instructions on making and creating your board graphics. Self-empowerment and a sense of agency are essential, and Unabomber was keen to encourage skaters to embrace the DIY aesthetic.
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