The Mad Monk of the Cowgate has turned his attentions to a new hobby: skateboarding.
This may seem like an historical anomaly considering the Mad Monk is a hooded ghoul from pastures very old, and you would be right to question his motives. However, there is method in his madness: the Mad Monk is fed up of being typecast as the rambling, slow-moving hooded Edinburgh phantom who moans a lot. Why can't he be involved in the sort of modern activities and hobbies he continually nips my ear about (retaining the moaning tone slightly above the frequency range of a cocker spaniel)?
So how did all this skateboarding malarkey come about, I hear you ask? Well, spin your wheels for a moment, and if you're sitting comfortably, I will explain.
We were contacted recently by the Focus Skateboard Store in Edinburgh's Canongate to ask permission to use the Mad Monk of the Cowgate's image. Of course, our first questions were along the lines of "Who...?", "Why...?" and "Huh?". The answers to our questions came whizzing back faster than a Mad Monk on a skateboard.
Focus Scotland were about to celebrate their 20th year in business (which, let's face it, in this day and age is a fantastic achievement). A friend of theirs, the California-based board-art legend Mark "Fos" Foster, had attended one of our walking tours a few years back, and was inspired to create a Mad Monk of the Cowgate skateboard deck.
The Mad Monk of the Cowgate is of course delighted with his newly found sport, and as you can see in this video, he's a quick learner! You can view his newfound skateboarding skills on YouTube.
Video filmed and edited by Paul McConnach. Mad Monk: Kieran Menzies.
The Skateboard deck will be available to purchase from Focus Skateboard Store and it looks like if the Mad Monk asks nicely, we might have a few decks to sell in our wee shop too.