Harley Flip by Chuck Chuck Corothers

UNCLE SPOOKY FB Contest winner

Recently we set out to work on a new project. We decided that a creative way to get some outside influence would be through an art contest on Facebook. We can't tell you what the project is at this time however we can tell you a bit about a little character by the name of Uncle Spooky. Brad McCartin aka UNCLE SPOOKY is a graphic designer from Australia that has a decorated past in design. The overall response was insane from the contest. However UNLCE SPOOKY took the gold. So without further a due we would like to introduce you to him through a little bio. 

- BRIEF HISTORY -

Uncle Spooky's is a North Queensland based Apparel Company owned and designed by local Designer/Illustrator Brad McCartin. Australian born of Irish/German decent, son to an auctioneer, nephew to a firearms dealer, I gained an interest for guns, horror films and metal at an early age. These interests have continued to grow in my life and have become quite a recognised influence throughout many of my designs.

"I was the type of kid that use to stand in the horror section of the local video shop just frothing over video jackets. The artwork and photo imagery is no doubt what first attracted me to both horror and metal, bands such as 'Iron Maiden' and 'Megadeth' basing their core image around sinister characters like 'Eddie' and 'Vic'. I use to draw that shit in my school books all the time growing up, loved it."

During my highschool years in the mid 90's I spent time living in New York where I ventured more into street fashion and gained a strong interest in the streetwear industry. On my return I attended Design College Australia where I went on to win the TYPOGRAPHY AWARD for my graduating class of 2000. This would see to it that my passion for typography, hand lettering and general design would not only become stronger, but also become my career.

"When I design, I rarely design with the majority of public in mind, I just design what I like. If that means not being as 'popular' as other labels due to my choice not to follow suit, then so be it. There is FAR to many 'Knuckle Dusters' and 'Iron Crosses' floating around on labels that have no real roots to which either of these icons stem from. They are just straight up cashing in, plain and simple."

 

- THE NAME, WHERE DOES IT COME FROM? -

Well, the name goes back as far as 1998 during my high school days. Originally I created Uncle Spooky as a character for a comic book that was never completed, or taken much further than a few random sketch sheets. I seemed to just start drawing him more like 80's skate labels would say 'The Bones Brigade', instead of an overall character. The comic idea was therfore dropped, and the character was used otherwise.

"I wanted it to be almost like Phantasm meets Scarface, a rich blend of both horror and the underworld. Don't ask me why, they were just two interests of mine that when combined formed something unique. Unique has always sat just fine with me, no matter how bizzare it may sometimes seem."

I started using him as an icon for a clothing project I was working on back in 1999, where he would be the mascot for the brand. A cannibalistic mob boss that smoked cigars and indulged in rich trimmings, yet was an utterly repulsive fiend. However, the use and focus on Uncle Spooky as a main icon for the brand was to be short lived. Instead just his name would continue, establishing the label as UNCLE SPOOKY'S APPAREL CO.

If you would like to see more about this super rad designer you can go check out his website at http://unclespookys.com.au. In the very near future we will be stocking his product on the Metzger site so stay tuned.

Metzger back in California

So after a 9 months stint in northern Idaho the Metzger family is living back in Southern California. Mike is preparing for the Jagermiester KTM Supercross freestyle tour and has been spending a great deal of time in the office working on something even bigger. Stay tuned for a press release that will explain the new venture.

Flippin' Gnarly Chuck Carothers

X Games gold medalist Chuck Carothers plans to flip a Harley Davidson this weekend at the Gladiator Games in Prague, Czech Rebublic.

By: Ryan Leyba

Last week I hit up Chuck Carothers on Instant Messenger to see what was poppin'. As usual, he informed me that he was working on something big and proceeded to ask me if I can keep a secret. What am I supposed to say to a question like that? "Of course I can keep a secret Chuck!" He then sent me a photo of a Harley Davidson. I just figured it was his new Sunday cruiser. Then he sent me a photo of him flipping it into a foam pit and to top it off, he then sent me a low-resolution cell phone video of it, which was absolutely mind-boggling.

"I'm going to be flipping a Harley Davidson XR1200 to dirt at the Gladiator Games!"

What would possess Chuck to do such a thing is beyond me, but it's going down this weekend at the Gladiator Games in Czech Republic and I'll be in attendance to witness it with my own eyes. Since Chuck is currently in Prague working out the final bugs, I caught up with him via IM to find out more about the — do I dare say — "insane stunt?"

ESPN/Shazam

Chuck's no stranger when it comes to successfully stomping a far-fetched trick fantasy.

OK, so tell me where the hell the idea of flipping a Harley Davidson came from.

Event promoter Marek Rejman just hit me up on Instant Messenger one day and asked if I wanted to flip a Harley. He then told me if I accepted, I would be jumping the Harley XR1200 for the finale of his 10th anniversary of the Gladiator Games.

Is there any specific reason why he asked you to flip a Harley?

Well, he always tries to have something new at his show, and this is what he thought of.

What was your reaction when you got the offer?

It sounded exciting! I was excited! After seeing the bike online I told him that I wanted to feel one out before I committed. I went to the local Harley shop and was standing on the same model bike in the middle of the showroom. I was going through all the motions of a what a flip with my body. I'm sure people were looking at me funny, but I got off it and felt I could do it.

fmxgladiatorgames.com

Chuck pulls the Harley Davidson around at Petr Pilat's foam pit in Prague. It's a small photo, but it's the only proof we could find.

So, obviously you think it's possible?

It is possible and I will do it. Getting the rotation is hard on a 580 pound bike, but landing it with the 4-inch suspension will be the hardest part.

I was going to ask you about that. So this is the same bike that someone could go buy at a Harley shop, right? It's not crazy modified?

Yeah, it's the same bike. They made a skid plate for it and stiffened up the suspension, but otherwise it's right off the showroom floor.

How has your preparation has been going in Prague?

I've had four days in the foam pit so far. The first straight jump was the scariest though, because I didn't know what to expect. After three straight jumps I went for the flip, but I pulled too early and my hand came off the handlebars. I just peeled away from the bike and did what you are NOT supposed to do. I landed in the pit without the bike and it seemed like forever before the bike finally hit, and lucky it landed next to me. I then had four more jumps with my hand coming off, but I would get it back on and rotate. The next day I finally got my timing right and started sticking it.

How far are you jumping?

I am going 34 to 35-feet off a super kicker ramp that is jacked up four inches.

And so this will be the final jump of the show right?

Yeah. The hardest part will be my timing since I won't have any warm up jumps before flipping for the show.

Chuck Carothers

This is the exact bike that Chuck will be flipping this weekend at the Gladiator Games in Prague. Sooooooo gnarly!

Holy crap man. So you're going straight from the foam pit to the dirt in front of a sold out arena?

That's where all the fun is!

Are you begining to question your sanity?

No way. I finally get to do something that will give me that adrenaline I'm always looking for.

Well, good luck man, I can't wait to see it. I hope you're getting paid well! That's going to be one hell of an after party after you nail it!

Pastrana gears up for his New Year's Eve jump

Pastrana gears up for his New Year's Eve jump -- onto a floating barge

By: Alyssa Roenigk

Garth Milan/Red Bull

Normally a drive through the desert conjures up images of Hunter S. Thompson. Not anymore. From now on, when we see sand and cars, we'll think Pastrana.

For three days this week, in a secret location in the SoCal desert, a guy is jumping a car farther than anyone else has jumped a car. And that's after three testing sessions. Imagine what he'll do on New Year's Eve.
Even without context, that paragraph is dang intriguing. It becomes must-see TV when you replace "guy" with "motocross/rally car/MTV star Travis Pastrana" and, for context, add that Pastrana's jump is the latest in a line of stunts staged by Red Bull and ESPN to celebrate the New Year and that the current record of 171 feet is held by Pastrana's friend, rally competitor and sponsor Ken Block, the owner of DC Shoes.
The context also explains why I was pretty excited to be on the sideline Wednesday for the first day of ramp-to-dirt testing.
The session got started a little later than scheduled — perhaps Tuesday night's premiere of the new Nitro Circus movie at RB HQ had something to do with that — and began with three dirt-to-dirt jumps in the car, which is essentially the Impreza WRX STI Pastrana races in the Rally America series, with modifications to the transmission ratios to optimize rpms at takeoff. "The car I was jumping today was actually Dave Mirra's car from the X Games," Pastrana says. Ahh, sharing.
It is also the second car he has used for the testing so far. The first car was one broken part shy of being scrapped after TP landed short on an attempt at the second testing session a few weeks ago, bounced and rolled to the bottom of the landing. "I had the speed, but I started slowing down in the air," Pastrana says. "There was a lot of wind resistance, and the car just dropped. But I learned a lot from that attempt. I realized we needed a counterbalance and that you have to accelerate through the takeoff or the front end will drop. I love figuring out something there is no precedent for. I never wanted to be the guy who takes someone else's trick and does it better. I want to figure it out first." So, before you start to think this jump is too easy for Pastrana, erase that thought from your mind.

Garth Milan/Red Bull

So what if things didn't go exactly to plan in this first practice sesh? That's what practice is for ...

After each jump, a team of folks, including TP and a couple dozen engineers, mathematicians, builders, mechanics and safety crew members met to review takeoff speed, the distance jumped, where and how the car performed on the takeoff, in the air and on the landing and then set up for the next attempt. "More preparation and thought has gone into this jump than has gone into anything I've ever done," Pastrana says. "But it's the least amount of thought by me." Which means he's putting a lot of trust into the people around him.
After the first three jumps, the crew spent several hours moving the custom ramp, which is about five times the size of a motocross ramp, into place for the first ramp-to-dirt jump. (In December, Pastrana will spend three days working ramp-to-ramp jumps in preparation for the final jump, which will take place in Long Beach. The takeoff ramp will be placed on the L.B. pier, and the landing ramp will be placed 100-plus feet away on a barge in the ocean.) The first ramp-to-dirt jump happened in the dark, under a few artificial lights, so it looked cool as hell. But it wasn't perfect — the ramp was perhaps a bit too close to the landing, and Pastrana landed the car pretty close to flat — and well over 200 feet from the takeoff. With three slipped disks from his crash at X Games still causing him a ton of pain, those flat landings can't feel good. As the Subaru mechanics propped Impreza Numero Dos up on jacks and went to work on its front suspension, the crew called it a night.

MINI MOTO Press November 2009 - Metzger

Check out the latest press in Mini Moto Magazine. This is a European magazine that has a large distribution level among the Mini Bike market.

Tattoo Magazine January 2010 - Mike Metzger

We just received our copies of the Tattoo Magazine January 2010 issue with mentions of Mike Metzger and company. Check it out!

Mind of the Demon: Larry Linkogle

FIRST 300 People Only! Limited Tickets available to the public for the Larry Linkogle "in the Mind of the Demon" premiere.

LONE GUT PRODUCTIONS & the BELAIR FILM FESTIVAL present the LA PremiereMind of the Demon: the LarryLinkogle Story.

When - This SUNDAY 11/15, 7pm - Red Carpet, Premiere& Afterparty

Where - UCLA James...... Bridges Theater, 102 East MelnitzHall, LA/CA/90095

To Do - buy your tickets online ...today -www.belairfilmfestival.com Limitedtickets available to the public, ticket price includes complimentarydrinks during Red Carpet & admittance to Afterparty - filmmakers & talent in attendance.

Mike Metzger Signs on to the Jagermeister KTM Tour

Immediate Release: Mike Metzger signs on to ride the freestyle motocross exhibitions for the Jagermeister KTM team, a total of 28 events consisting of all of the pro supercross and motocross racing circuit events. Look for the Godfather of FMX and all of your favorite pro's (James Stewart, Kevin Windham, Trey Canard, Ivan Tedesco, Nick Wey, Chad Reed, Ryan Vilipoto, Andrew Short, Ryan Dungey, and more) at your local pro race.

Here is the full schedule.

2010 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, Schedule

JANUARY 9: Angel Stadium - Anaheim CA

JANUARY 16: Chase Field - Phoenix AZ

JANUARY 23: Angel Stadium - Anaheim CA

JANUARY 30: AT&T Park - San Francisco CA

FEBRUARY 6: Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego CA

FEBRUARY 13: Angel Stadium - Anaheim CA

FEBRUARY 20: Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis IN

FEBRUARY 27: Georgia Dome - Atlanta GA

MARCH 6: Daytona International Speedway - Daytona FL

MARCH 13: Rogers Centre - Toronto, ON, CAN

MARCH 20: Cowboy Stadium - Arlington TX

MARCH 27: Jacksonville Municipal Stadium - Jacksonville FL

APRIL 10: Reliant Stadium - Houston TX

APRIL 17: Edward Jones Dome - St. Louis MO

APRIL24: Quest Field - Seattle WA

MAY 1: Rice-Eccles - Salt Lake City UT

MAY 8 - Sam Boyd Stadium - Las Vegas NV


2009 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Schedule

MAY 23 : Glen Helen Raceway, San Bernardino, CA

MAY 30 : Hangtown Motocross Classic, Sacramento, CA

JUNE 6 : Freestone Raceway, Wortham, TX

JUNE 13 : High Point Raceway, Mt. Morris, PA

JUNE 27 : Thunder Valley Motocross, Lakewood, CO

JULY 4 : RedBud, Buchanan, MI

JULY 18 : Spring Creek Motocross, Millville, MN

JULY 25 : Washougal MX Park, Washougal, WA

AUGUST 15 : Unadilla, New Berlin, NY

AUGUST 22 : Budds Creek Motocross, Mechanicsville, MD

AUGUST 29 : Moto-X 338, Southwick, MA

SEPTEMBER 12: Steel City Raceway, Delmont, PA

Mike Metzger awarded with the Legends award

Ronnie Faist and Nate Adams Rap

So check this rap out from Ronnie Faist and Nate Adams. These guys are good and for the first time live they performed to show that they have skills in music. Straight from Metal Mulisha and The Deft Family these guys know how to throw it down. Stay tuned for more from them right here at Metzger Unlimited.

New Lines @ MetzgerUnlimited.com !!

All new clothing line from DEFT Family is available now at MetzgerUnlimited.com


DEFT Family represents a united family of athletes, artists, and creative individuals inspired by the underground lifestyle to smash boundaries and define our future. Started by a core crew of friends influenced by music, art, culture, sport, faith, and fashion, each member of DEFT Family is gifted in their own way, and driven to push through limits unknown.










Plus don't forget to check out Metal Mulisha's Brian Deegan and Ronnie Faisst appear on Fuel TV’s The Daily Habit today, November 4 at 9:00 pm Eastern Time (6:00 pm Pacific Time).




We have all the latest Mulisha gear to show your support!!





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