How Much Harder Was It To Ride A Skateboard In A Bowl In The 70’s?

In this episode I’m chancing my arm by riding an original 70’ skateboard in the deep bowl at Duck Lane.
All music by Jon Bishop www.jonbishopguitar.com
Many thanks to @skatetillyoupuke for the loan of the 70s setup used in this video!

[@JonBishopSkate]

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[@soloist777]

As a 58 yr old skater, the Dogtown crew were hardcore and inspired me to search for ramps and drains back in the '70s. Jay Adams RIP. Love your chutzpah!

[@maxbrazil3712]

Back in '77 a buddy and I spent 3 weeks cleaning out a concrete drainage spillway. We skated it for two days and then a week long Oklahoma summer storm filled it with rocks and dirt.

[@SkateCrisis]

Barefoot!!!??? You're crazy man!!! But that is definetely a 70's experience. Great video!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Ha, really enjoy the barefoot, the adrenaline levels go up a notch!!

[@Tortuga6able]

I remember gripping the edge of the board with my toes. I did freestyle all the time barefoot. Concrete being hot in the desert sun. We were tough little kids back then.

[@mike66atx45]

​@@Tortuga6ablewe were gorrilla grippin like Ed Nadalin!

[@authenticandyanderson]

What’s awesome is that you mentioned the wheelbase ! 15” was a pretty standard wheelbase in the 70’s and totally inspired the 15” wheelbase on my shape :) love your videos !

[@JonBishopSkate]

Nice one Andy, that’s amazing to know. For me your deck is the perfect blend of old and new. It felt ace to get back on the AA setup after riding the 70s setup. I’ve been re-watching your NKA vids recently, So ridiculously rad!!

[@3MatthewWright3]

You really know how to take a slam👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾😎😎

[@gkhanjriii91-04]

Not too shabby for someone who wasn't there at the time 🤙🏼

[@JonBishopSkate]

Thanks dude, I wish I was there doing it, but I was only a couple of years old, still that’s the time to start, not at 44 like I ended up doing 😂

[@just1bobm793]

In 77 I had a G&S 36" deck with ACS 651 Trucks! Your board was out of date by then.... cool video bring back those memories Sir.

[@JonBishopSkate]

Yeah, I bet the rate of development was swift. They seemed to go from narrow to wide in quite a small amount of time !!

[@jimmytgoose476]

651s ?!! And they lasted until you got to the end of the road ?!!

[@BussdownOEM]

Banger video bro! Shame it does have more views, this is actually a really cool concept for a video!

[@ryanmackley5141]

I love how he sets you up by telling you how the board is trying to buck him and the front is shaking then as he approaches the lip the board does its own thing and he disappears to the bottom of the bowl. :)

[@JonBishopSkate]

Ha, yeah, it’s a tricky one that board 😂

[@lukpe3693]

Dogtown was the film that got me inspired to learn how to skate! Just started bowl riding and the progress feels awesome, great channel!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Wicked !!

[@patientzerobeat]

I started skating at age 13 in 1976. It was 1977 by the time I got a board as good as the one you're riding here! Precision bearings, polyurethane wheels and grip tape weren't in my arsenal during that first year. And although my first board had an angled kicktail, my 2nd board didn't. Flat all the way! By early 1979 I was riding something much more akin to modern tech than to those old "toys".

[@carlosroubert8646]

Now you know the great feeling of soft wheels. Noiseless!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Ha, the silent assassin!!

[@faithpotato]

started skateboarding when I was 14,that was around 1975,my cousins and I built a kick turn ramp out of an old door and it was on from there. We eventually built an 8 foot high quarter pipe,then my dad said ,"son,how about we build a swimming pool for you guys to skate in,and swim in during the summer",the awesome thing was he kept his word! the pool was built,no vert,soft lip edges,sort of a reservoir style,kidney bean shaped. for 3 years we skated that thing every day,so fun,we never did swim in it. thanks dad,miss you. on the board you were riding the trucks had to be on the loose side for me

[@ianedmonds9191]

That is so awesome. I'm touched. Like really emotional. Luv and Peace.

[@radamus210]

Pretty much what I started with 76ish but it advanced pretty quickly in a year because of the boom to 9/10" pigs and wide trucks. Kind of overnight things exploded. I had a wood board similar to this, slapped on wider trucks, ACS 650 something? they were gold, looked cool, red Kryptonics and it was a travel board to my friends house with a halfpipe in the backyard. Had a smoke shack built under the top deck on one end. Good times man.

[@More-than-ladyboys]

I got me some of that in the 70’s. 60 at the end of this year. Still gettin’ me some of that. ✌🏼

[@keanermitano477]

Oh man i am lovin the energy and enthusiasm here. Gets me excited to skate in a pump track fastest time race next weekend :)

[@JonBishopSkate]

Ace fun, good luck !

[@2crow4birds]

You're a brave guy! I was a seventies vert skater and I never even tried riding barefoot! A couple ideas to try. Tail tap. Usually backside. Get to the coping. Grab the nose while pushing down on tail. After you're below coping, release the nose to ride away. With those skinny trucks, you may want to try to "one wheel" it. Tail block. Same start. Less carve. Maybe by 1/2. This time all four wheels are going out, without doing an air! Yeah. It feels wild. Makes a blunt seem easy. With the tail block, you feel like you're teetering! Because you are! You are likely to skip a little air on the way down. If you have a llitte more speed, grab the side of the nose, tight enough, you do a backside air. Which is how most of us learned backside airs, once we stopped grabbing too early, and below coping. By the time those Laser trucks were available, we did have wide enough trucks to fully grind, but the flat back wheels were often a hang up till radial backed wheels showed up. Now. The one thing you missed, which I can't emphasize enough. No concave! Not even the slightest. And most boards didn't even have a lifted nose! When friends and I transitioned to concave, we would try riding our old boards and feel like we were riding a "convex" board instread! All crazy stuff! But the learning curve all of us, when most weren't even riding vert, was so exciting, we just went crazy when we got tiny airs! All on our 6-7 inch wide, 27-30 inch, flat, barely a kick tail boards, that had 80 durometer wheels, and if you smart, Tracker Trucks, which were the best till Indies arrived. Thanks for running this old concrete surfer down memory lane! I mean it! And definitely try those tail blocks and try to balance on it while in the tightest knee crouch, you'll love love it! Stay stoked!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Amazing, thanks so much for the input !! I’ll defo give those a whirl !!

[@kai_plays_khomus]

Just equipped an early 70's deck with Indy 109ers - can't wait for the coming season.

[@OEFarredondo]

I skated these in the bowls when I was a kid!

[@alexmc69]

I'm a 43 year old new skater in Plymouth and I'd love to have a bowl like that in my area! Just found your channel, love your presenting style. It's pretty exciting, woo hoo!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Yeah man, We are well lucky, certainly not to be taken for granted!!

[@damiandevine1643]

No coping back then so helped to get those edgers happening👊

[@Juan-yq3fb]

That wipeout was scary

[@middle-agedclimber]

Crazy stuff. Mad respect for the pioneers and to you for trying. I can't complain about having only big obstacles anymore...

[@nikchristides4895]

This made my day bro

[@MrBluesfromDBURGH]

Love it jon that brings back some painful memories kickin the skin off the toes as a youngster great carving man 👨

[@Jackson_Sampare]

Wow my dad was born when skateboards came out that’s pretty cool

[@maxbrazil3712]

My first customer rig.... Dogtown Wes Humpston deck Tracker X-Track Trucks Road Rider 6 wheels ...because I liked to go FAST!

[@EpicEvolutionHD]

you pretty much nailed it on the 70s board:D

[@JonBishopSkate]

Cheers dude, yeah really fun and challenging, even more respect now for OG dog town dudes, if that’s possible!!. Also they didn’t have the good safety gear or perfectly smooth concrete !!

[@danielsenovillahernandez9302]

Amazing Jon!! Just missed a 70's guitar riff. Having a shit time here with a heavy sciatical crisis, off from my boards from more than 2 weeks now. Looking forward to come back to action soon!!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Good luck with it dude !

[@DAVIDE-bk8by]

Was skating in 78 UK when the craze hit. The narrow deck and trucks we didnt know any different so adapted to them. The wide Alva deck and Tracker fultracks were a game changer for a lot a skaters, when they came out . Good video by the way. It was such great time. Barefoot was no for us though, had to be Vans

[@JonBishopSkate]

Great stuff, many thanks for tuning in and sharing your experiences !!

[@pmurphy12]

I do have Vans, but Chaco sandals are a nice compromise to feel the ground more (like barefoot), yet still afford some foot protection. But you can’t beat barefoot for full control because of the feel.

[@carlisummer242]

Middle aged chick learning to skate & loving your channel, wish I could cruise the bowl like you. My two boys love your vids too, practising bert slides at Concrete Waves & Mount Hawke this week. I use a Smoothstar surf skate so wheels bit grippy but getting there. Any more Cornwall trips planned?

[@JonBishopSkate]

Hi Carli Great to hear from you! I love the surf skate, but I also find the soft wheels hard to break out for sliding!! Hope to be down to CW again in a couple of weeks!! Best Jon

[@oldbonz]

You won't get me on a contemporary board barefoot in a pool - you go get em tiger!!!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Ha, it’s pretty fun, only slight snag is you can’t fall off !!

[@bobnery]

Kind of exciting Wooo!!! Love it

[@joellauson8145]

Back then it was all about that surf style 😎

[@thomascardoso-grant6869]

Love your vids man, more inspiring instead of intimidating like most trick tip vids. Just got the first front side carve to the coping yesterday! Keep the uploads coming!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Great stuff, the frontside carve is the bomb !!

[@coreywestcarr8899]

Just stumbled across this video and it brought back so much memories, loved it👌🏾

[@MisterValaravaus]

Can't believe you have this amazing bowl sitting in the middle of nowhere in Bournemouth! I'm glad I found this video, I need to pay this place a visit 😀 It's a long way from Brighton but seems worth it. Well done for riding this bowl on this tiny board, that was impressive!

[@martynrandall7652]

I forgot how narrow they were. The first proper trucks we had were Chicago with Cadillac wheels they were so much better than what we had before. We would make our own decks . Cut out a rad shape out of ply quite flexi, then cover it with fibre glass matting and resin but put lemon juice in flexible without cracking. We could drive twisty turns on the flat, like pumping using the fexi deck and propel our shelves along without pushing, we were stoked! Love it!

[@JohnnygSawyer]

What a Bobby Dazzler! 😂

[@stupedkiteh]

POLARIZERS!

[@stayfithabits]

You're the man Jon! Keep up that passion for life!

[@Philionaire123]

Love this

[@follydub]

dude, that was badass!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Many thanks for tuning in dude !!

[@follydub]

​@@JonBishopSkate Thank you for sharing what you've got! I'm more of a street guy, who's just recently finding the confidence to pick up protective gear and learn to ride transition and bowls. Keep it up!

[@TheMuddyLeymons]

Great video, loved this one

[@hardwarescavenger]

Good video, keep it up!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Many thanks for tuning in!

[@bert_gimspon]

Best content on the internet.

[@JonBishopSkate]

Many thanks for tuning in !!

[@phildapunk70]

Great video Jon. First clip of yours that I’ve seen, and I’m loving the enthusiasm. Greets from New Zealand

[@JonBishopSkate]

Many thanks for tuning in !

[@wgty]

Nice, bro!

[@markpolitowicz5295]

Jon, love how you show the falls. Glad you were't hurt. I gasped when the board flew out from under you the first time. Hope your camera is OK from the board taking it out

[@ElderSkates]

Awesome video and just crazy to see you hit that in one session. That takes some guts!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Many thanks for the kind comments. it’s a crazy little board for sure, but after a few runs it started to feel pretty fun!! It certainly gets the blood pumping lol

[@bobjensen198]

You’re classic. Thank you for the content! 👍💪✌️

[@JonBishopSkate]

Many thanks for tuning in Bob !

[@kevineder590]

I somehow missed this when you put it out. Courage points! I wouldn't even consider doing this man

[@JonBishopSkate]

Nice one Kevin, hats off to those pioneers, proper hardcore!!

[@harrisjosephschouestjr9696]

Super Gnarly video it was definitely a different experience pool Skateboarding in the 70s with the gear they had back then but you were shredding it my friend and that barefoot riding was Radical and Gnarly you definitely had to commit to it or suffer the consequences of a barefoot bail Ouch!!! Shred on my friend...

[@JonBishopSkate]

Many thanks for tuning in dude!!

[@bushby501]

We met you down Corfe Mullen the other day. Top bloke, great videos 🤙🏻

[@JonBishopSkate]

Great to chat dudes!!

[@markgc1316]

The Pro-Am Pure Gold (Skate Park II) was my first ever board. Just recently, I got hold of an original, factory-fresh, undrilled, minty-mint one, partnered with ACS 500s, and Belair Bolts. Never got to ride the original one in a bowl. Bit old for it now!!

[@ianedmonds9191]

I have a 70s FreeFormer Skateboard. I got it from my Grandad. He didn't know where it came from. He also had a wooden board with roller skate wheels on it which I stupidly declined to inherit. The FreeFormer is cool though. Polyurethane wheels. Adjustable trucks though no nose rubber on the trucks that I can see. Looks like a legit California Skateboard. Half of me wants to turn it into a novelty shelf. The other half of me that skated for 20+ years wants to take it to my local skatepark and try it out. It would need new bearings; the unsealed ones it came with are shot but that's a very simple job. I'm 47 now so I'd probably break something but I'm still tempted. Luv and Peace.

[@markgc1316]

@@ianedmonds9191 I'm 56 and would feel a bit silly at my local skate park, but am still tempted sometimes. In Dorchester early on a Sunday morning, the 'Middle-age Shred' sees quite a group of oldies in the bowl at sun-up - some still have some skills. But they ride modern-day boards, which surprised me - I thought some would have resurrected the 70s equipment

[@gunsentry8349]

Very nice Jon great video.

[@JonBishopSkate]

Many thanks for tuning in dude !

[@gunsentry8349]

@@JonBishopSkate No problem enjoying your videos, I am learning again myself. Used to Skateboard in the 1970s :) and enjoying the experience.

[@CHR1SUND4Y]

YEO GEEZER THANKS 4 THIS UPLOAD

[@JonBishopSkate]

Many thanks for tuning in !

[@Bluesea195]

Great video Jon. Brave mosto's on the barefoot!! Will have to get myself a slightly wider version of one of those set ups. My biggest NOT LIKE is front side turns but have been practicing down on the 2.5ft mini at Bourne valley. Once its dry, will take it to the duck and give it a go. Grand.

[@drjarman]

Been diggin your channel lately bro! Just another middle aged guy skating when I can. Keep Shreddin! :D

[@JonBishopSkate]

Many thanks for tuning in dude!!

[@davidleeashkenazi8992]

Killed iT

[@leifbennett1354]

You've got grip tape. 70s grade school; I got the plastic $5 version, no grip tape. 1985ish, 14, a wide board. Wasn't mine, but I rode it, nobody else did.

[@asawolfe_]

you definitely have style yourself my man no doubt! great skating!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Thanks dude

[@jm505]

Hard. Core.

[@Inokea]

Great video btw haha

[@olitonottero7620]

love it

[@regularnimnule9715]

I'm a 61 year old oldfart. Started skating in the first UK wave around '76/'77. The THRILL of getting 3 out on a frontside turn for the first time on vert is a feeling hard to replicate. These days I stick to longboarding mostly but still can enjoy some gentle bowls/ramps.

[@HisBeverness]

You beast 🤘

[@rosstempletonogskater]

Seriously that board is FLYING at a high SPEED thru that Bowl....

[@Mr.Monster1313]

Love it..ive got a 70s board..ive wanted to do this also...but im 50 and fat now lol i gotta get back out there..

[@JonBishopSkate]

Do it !

[@Juan-yq3fb]

Yessss

[@jimmytgoose476]

I don't need a refresher on 70s skate technology - i couldn't wait to see the back of crappy trucks , flat , skinny heavy decks with no kicktail and non functional safety gear . I still have my (modified!) G&S Teamrider with Trackers (the only good truck of the era) and (reissue) kryps and much as it's nice to ride to the pub or cruise through the park i know exactly what it would be like in a bowl - same as it was then ! By the late 80s all the important elements of the modern skateboard had arrived and we were better for it . Barefoot riding ?!! You nutter 😃🤘

[@bnleong2]

Savage!!

[@chrisdeering1120]

You should watch the 70s skate movie “Go for it”. Pretty sure it was a Bruce Brown film.

[@richardramirezns7907]

Brilliant vid mate. I ride an alva 78 reissue. people ask where i got it? I usually reply from a museum. There always keen to try it though. 30.5 x 8.5 so its not all bad. Trackers and green krypton's. Great channel, i have learnt a lot. Though i am struggling with bert slides, but ill get there. Cheers!

[@Inokea]

Waaaay more sketchier before, didn't have those sweet gentle transitions and when you bailed, no transition to slide down, pretty much hit the bottom hehe. BTW those Laser trucks are worth more than a new complete.

[@bustermanuel]

Super Rad!

[@TheWaterboarders]

No kickturns? Back in the day, getting three wheels out was the thing. For some parks you had to get three wheels out in a half pipe with no flat bottom before you were allowed to skate the pool. Also, in the mid-70s a lot of wheels had open race bearings. Try that and see how you on!

[@PNWwaverider]

solid

[@MindBodySoulOk]

Yeah, everything was pure back then. The surf, the skate, the weed.

[@sonnyrico]

Looks sketcky but fun and carvy with the soft wheels

[@frasermitchell2517]

Awesome dude! You have 🍒!!

[@lordspucke8938]

barefootin`respect

[@leggs7994]

This is mad I just came to see the video and saw your at a local skatepark for me 😂

[@MAYERMAKES]

I built myself a mini cruiser from a broken deck, with penny trucks... Turns out it has the exact size of your 70s board.

[@JonBishopSkate]

Yeah!! I was thinking of doing something similar! How are the penny trucks?? I was gonna get a second hand penny and put the deck to one side and use the rolling stock??

[@daelra]

57 years old here. Started skating again after 33 years off a board. Used to skate bowls with a Fibreflex kicktail deck, California slalom trucks, and Poweflex 5 wheels. Like an idiot I gave it away when I upgraded to an 80's deck but now I've seen what they're worth these days, I really wish I kept hold of it.

[@JonBishopSkate]

Yeah, pricey stuff, good to here you are back on it !

[@jimmytgoose476]

I still have my Teamrider/trackers/kryps , despite my teenage efforts to destroy it

[@adrianbenedykt7591]

Wooohhhooohhoooo

[@nicholasg.savino6570]

Rad dude - - love your details... barefoot? You certainly have as set of English G's...

[@libertine5606]

Ya, it was even worse than that! We skated with basketball knee pads. No sliding on the runouts! Check out the old picts when our knees looked like pepperoni pizza. And the skateparks hadn't figured out transitions. So they had way too much vert so if your trucks hung up you were going straight to the bottom. But it was fun and it is great to see where everyone has taken skateboarding. I think that now there is more community and that is cool too.

[@JonBishopSkate]

Yeah, this bowl is mellow in comparison, and I had all my modern protection gear and it was still terrifying, props to the og skaters !!

[@libertine5606]

@@JonBishopSkate Ya, we didn't know any better but loved it when the new board came out. The Alva board and Indies were the best!

[@benthomas1885]

Can’t speak to the 70’s but it was mad hard in the late eighties if you were 12 and had a sims yardstick almost as big as you

[@deraf8086]

Hoooo! 😄😄😄

[@markthirteen3381]

Great video! I ride an Alva 78 lost model. I've tried to get used to a modern board but i like the Alva too much. What kind of wheels were you on there. Sounds very smooth. I use 60mm Green Kryps.

[@JonBishopSkate]

Hey dude, Nice one! Yeah these are 60mm 84a, basically Kryps copies made by Penny

[@oig40203]

I have never ridden a wide board! I still ride my G&S Warptail 2 with Midtracks and Kryptonics 70mm wheels. I go to parks and let other younger guys try it and they can't handle it. I also can't do what they do!

[@jimmytgoose476]

70s were always a bad idea !

[@ganja1018]

Hoo Hoo Hoo

[@jimjam8949]

Wonder how tight he set his trucks? Looks like speed wobbles would be an issue?

[@darthsk8ter480]

bet those wheels are fast as fuc

[@JonBishopSkate]

They are ace wheels 🛞!!

[@darrenb7765]

You’re definitely a bowl/pool type skater🤙🤙....you look proper loose and fluid in bowls....do you surf too?....you can see elements of weight displacement and dispersion while you pump a bowl that’s sooooo similar to surfing 🤙🤙🌊🌊

[@JonBishopSkate]

Many thanks for tuning in dude. Yeah, surfed since I was a teen, it was my main focus and was lucky to travel and live in some nice spots. Started the skating a couple of years ago, always thought it was too hard and too dangerous, and to be honest it probably is lol !!

[@darrenb7765]

Jon Bishop Noice👊👊.....yep,surfing is badass🤙🤙....but skating is proper gnar and ALWAYS worth the risk😂😂😂.....

[@JonBishopSkate]

Yeah, I quite enjoy the reduced risk of drowning or getting bitten by a shark for sure, but it’s definitely a harder landing !! I’ve got bad surfers ear in my left ear so if I get any water in there it’s murder for 2 or 3 days till it clears!

[@psandqs8981]

Hi Jon, been watching a lot of your videos lately, impressive stuff! Have you always been pretty fearless? Only asking because it seems like you have progressed really fast... I skated a lot in my 20s, but never really pushed very hard at that fear factor and I think always wanted to try and look cool so never wore pads or anything, now I'm 37 and have picked skating back up in a big way, I have been skating every day but feel like I'm not making progress. Stuck on those axle stalls at the moment- I think it's mostly being scared to commit to them.... Any tips for getting more fearless and learning to send it a bit more? Also, do you edit your videos down a fair bit? I must have logged at least 500 attempts at my axle stall and it looks like you have it sorted in 10 on your vid :) Keep making the videos! They're great!

[@JonBishopSkate]

Many thanks for tuning in dude. Yeah, I have a surfing and wind sports background and have found over the years it’s often a game of opposites and safest in the long run to fully go for it. It’s the hesitation or unconfident attempt that ends in tears. Yes the videos are a true analogue of the progress, but there isn’t time to show every attempt and I often make the same mistake over and over which is pretty boring. A 90 minute practice session usually comes out at around 15mins. It took me months to get the axle stall consistently. I recorded a video on it and by the end of the session I had them ok, next session I couldn’t get one for 30mins lol. 500 attempts sounds pretty normal to me ??!

[@JonBishopSkate]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ6shKOjpb2gnNU

[@JonBishopSkate]

I put together a video of the pads I wear, I have tried my best to minimise the risk, they inspire confidence for me?

[@psandqs8981]

@@JonBishopSkate thanks for the wise words, I reckon another 500 to 1000 goes and it'll be in the bag...

[@counterf8515]

​​​​​@@psandqs8981wouldn't want to come across as if some kinda skating sage, but I find when watching a lot of folks who are learning that they, in attempt to find the security of being stood upright in an axle stall, go to fast, and do end up upright, as in standing straight up on top of the platform/coping. Try to maintain a body angle that is more perpendicular to the transition, it makes re-entry a lot easier. Instead of having to fall back forward to the right angle on the way in. You won't stall for as long/or indefinitely, but, as sketchy as it may feel it is a far safer way to do the trick. Also try as much as possible to place the board is such a way that the backside wheels are hanging with most of the truck hanging over the transition, rather than above the platform, this lessens the chance of hang ups. Finally always try to turn your shoulders with the board, another big mistake I see a lot of people make is turning their board and feet but keeping their shoulders in the direction they were travelling up the transition. This is OK for pivot fakies, but that's a more advance trick for later. Good practice is to kick turn just below the coping and tap the front wheel on the transition half way through the turn then complete the turn, till confident then work up to the coping. Hope this helps 👍

[@ericshimer3342]

We didn't have steal copings in the 70's

[@JonBishopSkate]

Yeah, wish we had pool coping at the bowl for sure !!

[@arlandi]

I've tried to ride a Penny in a bowl. It's scary and hard!! It's impossible for me to drop in...

[@JonBishopSkate]

😂 👍

[@tonyboughman8050]

What wheels are on the Silent Assasin?

[@JonBishopSkate]

Hey dude They are Penny Australia wheels. 59mm with a 78a duro. I have to say they seem to be really good wheels !! Especially for the money !!