The truth about m:zone/Mud Machine

[Jesse]

Not that I know for certain... but we seem to have a few heads on the board now who might know the true story about how/why it closed down.
From what I understand (and again apologies to those involved if this is not correct), Charlie Burrows Jr aka 'Dave', the man who was behind the whole 'movement' ended up going a little overboard with the nose candy and basically bankrupted the business.
I spent a lot of time in both stores (Carnaby St and Lower Addiscombe Rd), knew the staff well (Alex, Adam, Critch, Lee, Mark Burrows (psycho) and of course Charlie Burrows Sr). At some point I stopped going there so often... work related I guess. Then I heard that within a matter of weeks both shops had closed. I was gutted. I shopped there both as a BMXer and later as a skater, even remember buying my first Stussy tee there in '87.

The Carnaby st store turned into a video game store, L.A.R. was just closed up on the last visit I made there. Sad.
I know that Charlie Jr/Dave is running a clothing agency in California now called... Agency m:zone.

[SaMAlex]

Sounds like something RampRat might be able to answer.

Hopefully he will see the final Mons Jam tread too. Did you see Charlie Burrows in the back ground of one of the pics?

[Jesse]

Yeah I figured Damon might know something.
Which pic do you mean? I need to take another look... I know that there were pics of Charlie/Dave in the Chingford Jam pics.

[username]

Trying (very badly) to run a high class brothel didn't help much, but I don't think the powder was so much of the problem. The underhand backstabbing & betrayal from the wannabee fashionistas who stole the Stussy distrib was more to blame.

[Jesse]

Koppelman?

[rory]

trill went past the old mud machine shop a couple of weeks ago  and says the bell moto helmet counter is still there, any one else know if this is true

[SaMAlex]

trill went past the old mud machine shop a couple of weeks ago  and says the bell moto helmet counter is still there

That would look great in someones shed ... or even better in their front room

[SaMAlex]

Yeah I figured Damon might know something.
Which pic do you mean? I need to take another look... I know that there were pics of Charlie/Dave in the Chingford Jam pics.

He is in the background of the very last pic from Invert, of Zack doing a lookdown. It even says it in the caption (thats how I knew, ha ha)

[teamsano]

one of our riding buddies up here in scotland has a mud machine monster tattoo.

[SaMAlex]

what, this one?

[Jesse]

If memory serve me correctly (these days... sheesh good luck) Mud Machine was a motocross shop before they moved into BMXs/streetwear, hence the Bell helmet counter. I do remember dropping by the shop about a year after it closed and the helmet was still there which surprised me.

[Ramp Rat]

I was in the US by the time all this went down, I heard similar stories, the lemon barley got him good, also heard some bird he was hanging out with helped him snort the money away as they raveled around the world. I used to work in the Croydon shop, what a great job that was. His Dad was always cool as was Mud. I can't believe the bell 4 is still in the shop, wicked! Check out the haro plate.  London Street Terrorist rule.

[Jesse]

Yes! The infamous giant swatch. How could I forget that...
The girl thing sounds familiar too, wasn't it the chick from Total Recall, the secretary who changes the color of her nails with that gizmo?

I heard lots of stories around that time... including one about Mark beating the shit out of Mud Man in a Soho pub after he heard about the barrow-loads of coke he was doing.

[username]

Drug stories never cease to amaze me, always blown way out of proportion. Mark never beat him up. The bird wasn't the one with the nails.

The bar tab at the pub was HUGE though. The carnage was full on every day, but not the reason for the end of M-Zone.

Backstabbing by people who wanted to be cool but weren't is what happened, their transformation from loafers and slacks to shell toes and beach pants was more outrageous than Mud's  Bolivian Marching Powder usage.

[muttley]

M-zone ruled, every Saturday was spent in there then we would cruise down to Fairfield halls for a session. I go past the premises quite often but have never stopped to look in, i will do in the next couple of days and see if the helmet is still there. 

[MeddlE]

M-zone ruled, every Saturday was spent in there then we would cruise down to Fairfield halls for a session. I go past the premises quite often but have never stopped to look in, i will do in the next couple of days and see if the helmet is still there. 

Hehe, Muttley will be cruising Croydon looking for helmet.

[dordymush]

we want photo's as well of that lol.

[muttley]

Hmmm perhaps i should vet my posts fist........

[MeddlE]

Hmmm perhaps i should vet my posts fist........

If it wasn't so entertaining I'd say you should.

Fisting now eh?

[muttley]

 

[Jamie C]

Backstabbing by people who wanted to be cool but weren't is what happened, their transformation from loafers and slacks to shell toes and beach pants was more outrageous than Mud's  Bolivian Marching Powder usage.

Was that Myles Siggins?  I spoke to him in the early nineties about selling Stussy and he was an idiot.