Interview Mark Wilsmore ACE Cafe London

Eingetragen unter 101 Szene 2011, News-Blog

Motorcycles: Triumph Thruxton und Speed Triple

Interview by MissyD, Autom 2006 for the E-Zine MySpeeding.de during the Event ‘Glemseck 101′

Details from a Rocker and (Gentle)man’s Life

When did you ride your first Motorbike?

- The first motorbike I believe I was seventeen. Cause this is the law in England. But I actually rode two wheels before that. When I was maybe fourteen I had the opportunity to ride my best friend in school (he was a Mod and he had scooters) and my friend and me could ride his scooters. So the first thing I rode was scooter not motorbikes.

Can you remember what was your first motorbike?

- It was a Yamaha RD 250. Again, it was the law in England in the seventies when you’re seventeen, you could only have 250 cc and these have been Japanese. So everybody in my age who was seventeen rode a 250cc, Yamaha or Honda.

Have you been visiting the old Ace Cafe before it closed in 1969?

- I’m not old enough, I’m 49 now and I was twelve at that time. But I remember that I was going passed with my father and I went into plenty of other places. You have to remember that it was a transport café. Transport cafes have been anywhere and you could see the bikes and machines parking outside – but I wasn’t old enough to go into this particular one.

When did the reopening idea of the old Ace come first in your mind?

- It’s a little more involved in that I had younger friends which shared the same interest and many of this friends have been really into old British bikes, black leather jackets, Rockers, Ton Up Boys etc. The guys I’m referring to, my younger friends, they all now kissing 40 but they grew up in a punk area which is an area that I missed because I was too old – extraordinary but true – but we come together because of our interesting bikes and we regularly complained to each other when we go to places, why don’t they open something for us? Because we have a lot of a narrow corner opening in the 80s- whether in the hard rock or diner style. But these where reproductions of something – there weren’t real.

There would always be complaining that there is no place for us. And then another friend who is older than me and who used to go to the Ace and who I knew from the Traff owners club (and who knew that I was a bit of a organizer – because I organized motorbike trips to oil of man, to the Bol d’Or, to the Nürburgring), this guy said to me: you know the Ace? I’m not into history, he showed me pictures and this was in 1993 and he showed me photos of September in the year 1969 of the Ace when it was closed and in the moment he said this my mind was quick to realize that 1994 that was fuck me 25 years and it could be a reunion, I can reopen it. With those series of things the reunion to the 25th annual would be the key. From that moment this realization was my mission.

Was it difficult and how did you get the means like money, people and help?

- It was difficult because business is not my background. But it surprises some people that my background for 20 years was the police, I rode a horse at the police, I had my bikes and my Hod Rods and the social life was Rock’n’roll but my day job was police and I didn’t really have to think. So with this mission this had to be opened and then I had to figure out how. And the first thing what was to do, was talking to people who shared the same interest, who ride bikes and everybody was yeah yeah yeah, we’re gonna help! We thought of this, we thought of that, everybody wanted to help to make sure that it happened.

And at that time no Internet existed…

- No, it was telephone at home, everything was done from home. And the whole time I felt that I could still do it to some extend, that I’m learning how to do something. It was like an apprenticeship but you’re the only guy who can repair it. It was learning by doing.

Are you seeing yourself as an old rockabilly guy?

- That’s the music I like, yes. And that’s where the punk thing passed me by – I’m totally on Rock’n'roll…

How did you get in touch with the international scene of old bikes, Rock’n’roll and that entire scene?

- This happend for the same reasons than at home in England. The place has more than bricks and water. It came that I realized that it is a way to life: the most important thing I’ve learned through the years is that we host all sorts of people, there is bike people and there is car people. In the bike world there is modern machines, there is classic machines, the same in car and then there are the guys who like to breeze their hair, there’re guys who are full into rap, disco culture, all different things and all these share this passion for tracks! And my experience and my friends experience was that we can go to all sorts of things, to a bike show, car show, we can go to watch racing, we can watch rallies and track race, tours, but there is nowhere where we can feel: this is home.

There’s nice places to go and nice places but we had to become a home, also a mind home for people who enjoy tracks and that in my view is gonna be the same here in Germany, in France, wherever, it’s all tracks and stuff, but where can you think this is home.

What’s your favourite Rock’n’roll band?

- I get goose pimples when I listen to Johnny Cash, his last album. I saw Johnny Cash live about 1980 in London, the whole family it’s a magical life, he’s the man in black.

Are you having a bike at the moment and what is it?

- I’m very fortunate to have six bikes at home but with the café and my time, it’s not a hard play but I don’t have time and I don’t have money. I got six bikes, but none of them work. The batteries are gone, I need this or this, they are all … but on fortune Triumph, nice people of Triumph, have given me a Thruxton and a Speed Triple. So I’ve ridden here with the Thruxton, a custom built thing. The Speed Triple is a bike, which I ride everyday round town.

What did it mean to you to be honoured last year with the “Meguria’s Car Award 2005”

- It was astonishing to have received the Meg Years Award and to learn that so many people noticed it, cause the prize is decided by motoring journalists, by car magazine journalists, professionals, and to realize that they had all paid attention to the movement, that the crowds had come to the Café, that I recognized that it is more than simply race track and rally, our passion, people rolling up from everywhere.

Why did you decide in your youth to become a metropolitan police officer in London?

- Cause I wanted to ride horses. That was my motivation; I was too big to become a jockey.

You like horses?

-I rode horses as a kid; I didn’t like school too much, I rather rode horses.

You’re from London or outside?

- I was born in London and when I went to my first school this was the time when we moved to the country, maybe 40 minutes from London and then I could jump on a horse and I just loved it. It is also a kind of riding. I feel there is not a lot different between a horse and a machine, particular an older machine, weather it is a car or a bike, cause you have to pay attention with the signs, you have to listen, you have to pay attention to see how to get the best out from there.

Did you ever get into trouble with your personal Rock’n’roll attitude and your duty as an officer in London?

- At that time I’ve been told things that I don’t wanna know.

It is remarkable, and also now, that people who write to me for all sorts of strange things, almost as I’m a priest. People write from prison, but they have no other avenue to correspond or to speak, there could be people who go to prison for bad justice, it can be people because of alcohol or bad education – and they come and tell me.

And I don’t know why – every two or three weeks I have someone tell me about death, it might be a friend died on a bike, my father died (he used to come to the café) – maybe it is my charisma…

What’s the next event of the Ace we should really know?

- For bikes one big thing we have every year is our annual reunion, is the second weekend in September, and that’s 1000 s of 1000s of bikes, people bring their machines from America, they bring them from Japan.

But they don’t drive from Japan?

- The most remarkable was a guy from Pakistan and he rides his bike from Pakistan to the Café. He came through the whole orient, through Iran and Turkey. He now leaves his bike and it is an old triumph. It is from the World War II, when the English left India – they left bikes and things and he got one of these.

Did you see some of our website, the speeding.de stuff?

- No this is the first time I see it now. I think it’s cool and I love that red devil women (speed angels) and I want to meet her.

How do you like the modern street racing, strong fast bikes, what do you think about this development?

- The thrill for me and for my immediate friends is getting the most out of the machine, this can be an 80 or something fast. If I look at the MV Augusta behind you, beautiful beautiful machine, I could ride it, but I don’t think I can get the most out of that machine. But I would have fun doing it. It’s a temptation to master the wheelie…. Ultimate this is what we see is the thrill of the danger and in one of the things I have written: Speed thrills and tea spills.

We all know the dangers when we take to wheels and that’s the reason we take it.

If you would go on a deserted island and can only take one thing with you, what would you bring along?

- It might sound stupid but I would bring my favourite leather jacket, a special one.

Contact ACE CAFE LONDON

www.ace-cafe-london.com

ACE Café

North Circular Road

Stonebridge, London NW10 7UD


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