Welcome to round 25 of the latest LUXBMX journal segment, 'What's Good?'. To reiterate, we reach out to one of the homies and get a hot tip on the latest (or oldest) biking madness. It's called 'What's Good?' and for this instalment, I've sought out Brisbane based biker, long-time scene contributor and cult figure, Josh Irvine. 

Young Joshua and I have encountered one another in various locations at various times, even under what I would call extenuating circumstances from another life. This is very likely the story that many an Australian biker share in common with one another. You see Josh has been around forever (dude is approaching 40 and has been riding since early teens) and does not tend to miss a BMX event. An opportunistic kinda guy! In addition, with a knack for social media and the gift of the gab, Josh is familiar with more bikers than I've had warm dinners.

The dude is a proper enigma, through maintaining the privacy of his 'outside of BMX' life, raising a burgeoning family, having ridden for a bunch of bike companies, somehow showing up in all manner of random cities around Australia, copping invites to internationally renowned BMX events and leaving a trail of wild and weird stories in his wake. Josh Irvine transcends time and timelines and continues to show up in the pursuit of biking. 

Having a more congenial relationship in 2024 and tapping into his long history with BMX, I thought it would be cool to get his perspective on an influential video, perhaps one that aligned with his era and then perhaps something that most of the Journal readership may not be familiar with. New horizons and all that!

As we find out below, this was precisely the case. I myself hadn't even heard of this video, let alone thought it influential. 

It's all Josh!

"One video that really resonates with me is the one I mentioned earlier, produced by Primo called 'Made in Taiwan' and particularly Brian Castillo's part. His section showcased a diverse array of terrain, blending street, dirt and park riding seamlessly. It was at that moment I realised that you don't have to confine yourself to just one style of riding, you can embrace them all. 

This moment significantly evolved my riding style, transitioning me from being a primarily park rider to someone who enjoys riding anything and everything!

One specific clip from that video which truly excited and inspired me to learn it for myself (and which remains one of my favourite tricks to this day) is the over ice to back over in his friends backyard. After seeing that clip, the following weekend, I was determined and motivated to master the trick. I remember hopping on a train with my buddy Snapper, heading to the old Beeno ramps, eager to practice it on the classic 4-foot mini ramp. Ahh, those were the days for sure."

"I recall making the trip to Crossley Cycles in Manly (east Brisbane) to pick up the video, then promptly returning home as fast as Mumzie could drive. Once there, I settled my ass on the couch and indulged in 34 minutes of thrilling content. Hyped by what I saw, I immediately headed to the local library, AKA our designated street spot and began riding. 

The excitement of hitting the streets after witnessing the all in action was truly exhilarating. While I lacked knowledge about editing and music at the time, the sheer enthusiasm and anticipation was undeniable. The hype surrounding the experience was what made me head to the streets.

Those days were full of excitement and anticipation, rushing to the local bike shop to get your hands on the latest BMX video and devouring every moment of it. Props was the pinnacle of the BMX sagas, then the videos like 'Made in Taiwan' and Etnies 'Forward' came along and were indeed iconic in the BMX scene. The riders featured in these videos such as Brian Castillo, Nate Hanson, Chad DeGroot, Josh Heino and Taj Mihelich have all left a lasting impact on my riding and many other riders of my era. 

It's incredible how these videos can serve as sources of inspiration and motivation for riders around the world, showcasing creativity, skill and passion. Further, there is something special about the tangible experience of owning a hardcopy DVD, something which web edits can't replicate, although the DIG BMX 'Project X' was a breath of fresh air."