Working with Badgett — Nico B. Young

For a few weeks, I worked with Steve Badgett putting the finishing touches on his skate bowl at the new LA Supreme store. I met Badgett through CLUI, and ran into him at the Museum of Jurassic Technology holiday party while he was in town finishing the bowl. He asked me to come help him and his assistant, Clay, on the bowl.

This is the 4th bowl Badgett made for Supreme. It is the only one that is totally floating.

Sarah Simons and Matt Coolidge of CLUI, Deborah Stratman (Badgett's wife), Clay (Badgett's assistant)

Badgett skating the bowl

Matt and Clay inspecting the seams

Badgett's iPod on shuffle

They also had some work to do on the CLUI's Desert Research Station in Hinkley

I met them out there and stayed for a few days on my way up to Berkeley

Custom center console in Badgett and Deb's van, which they drove from Chicago.

Cover made to protect window switch from cats

Custom cat perch Badgett had just built before the road trip to LA.

Bringing a load from the DRS to the Barstow dump.

The dump load included a bunch of rotten plywood which had originally been in Badgett's installation in the 2004 Whitney Biennial.

Sound sculpture at the DRS by Deborah and Badgett

Aeolian harp sound sculpture by Deborah and Badgett

I repainted this wall, which was most of the work we were out there to do.

Kitchen in the office trailer unit of the DRS

Deborah at the DRS

We went on a hike over the surrounding mountains

behind the mountain is open land which people use for illegal dumping.

We went to Riley's Place one night, the only establishment open in Hinkley. We were the only patrons.

The bartender (right) had gotten a glass eye that day after years with an empty eye socket

I left Hinkley and headed up to Berkeley, but my car only made it two hours before breaking down.

I broke down in the town of Tehachapi, where a local mechanic told me I needed a new transmission. I got a room at the best western for a night.

I explored the local town, I ate dinner at this restaurant called Thai-Hachapi

I got my car towed back to LA, but with my 100-mile free tow limit, the furthest I could make it was a shop in Van Nuys.

The two hour tow ride went by fast with Jose

Back in LA, some last minute work to do on the bowl, Clay went back home, so it was just me and Badgett

Re-doing the center plate the big cove of the bowl. I fucked up and Badgett re-did mine.

The store flooded on our last night there, when LA had its worst rainstorm in years

The old store was too small, his old bowl had been turned into a storage space.

On our last day we stopped by the first LA Supreme store to see his old bowl. *Note all the support posts

We got hooked up at the old store, they let us pick out anything we wanted. I got a pope L deck.