RAD1TUK.com #001 – October 2025 First Comm Recap
Why not put my emailed newsletters onto the website as blog post? If you “SUBSCRIBED TO THE R1 NEWSLETTER” there on the front page down towards the bottom, this was the first correspondence sent out (down below). I am currently working on #002 and in true fashion, I am side-tracked on working on this post.
RAD1TUK.com #001 – October 2025 First Comm Recap
Some of you may know me personally as “Rodney Wills” some of you may simply know me as RAD1 because of this website. But some may ask, “why the “GC” in front of your pseudonym “GCRad1” on Instagram and pretty much everywhere on the world wide web!” I will address that further now in this correspondence.
Funny part of all that as some of you who know me personally may not even know this “art side” of my life as it has been the least talked about. You may know me from my various jobs/work or from my hobbies; bicycling, motorcycling and or the ADV80, the 80-Series Toyota Land Cruiser. It has its own instagram @theadv80.
With me, as you will soon find out if this is your first time corresponding with me… I am a wide mixed bag of fruit as I am into so much – TOO MUCH! But this is who I am and what makes me – ME! I know my faults! But here we are…
This year has been a tough one! Money has been tight as I have invested quite a bit into my art and the returns have yet to cover the expenses. This started last year (Nov 2024) when I flew out to Atlanta for the ATL StyleWriters Wall Jam and the following week was our crew’s first ever art show (INDOORS!) This show, called KINGS ARRIVE, was hosted at EyeDrum Gallery and showcased artwork from each of us, but I had to ship my artwork out to the show. I used a large bicycle box to ship all my art for the show. None of the art sold, so that meant an additional expense of sending all the art back.
More expense for more art created for my first solo show that took place in May of this year at Shutter and Strum Gallery here in Colorado Springs. I’m not complaining here! Just contemplating life as one does at this age! Hehehe I also showcased more new art for the Platte Collections Art For All Group exhibit held in July of this year.
Currently I have all this art available on the RAD1TUK website with works ranging from $10 to $538 in hopes that somewhere down the line, things will start to click! I have to believe in myself before anyone else will!
So with all this investment, recently, I was about to cancel attending the fourth annual ATL StyleWriters Wall Jam. I really need to do a retrospect on the 2022, 2023, 2024 editions of the ATL StyleWriters Jams here on the website. (HA! From the initial writing of this newsletter I have started these! 2022, 2023. Still need to work on 2024 and 2025.) I’ve made the trip from Colorado to Atlanta each year for this celebration that has been beyond amazing! So how could I cancel!? Well, complacency? Budgetary constraints. And with all this, wifey will not be going with me as she has with the previous years as she is working now. Plus, budgeting.
This has been an interesting thought as she has known of my painting, graffiti, stylewriting from day one. She has known my crew members of KTD Crew from the California side, but had only heard stories about my time in Atlanta and the members of The United Kings. I do so many things without my wife already, but traveling (not for work) and sharing my passions with her is extra special. I guess these are the sentimentals of getting older. hehehe
But nevertheless, I will be attending the 2025 ATL StyleWriters Wall Jam coming up November 7th thru 9th., 2025. So stay tuned to both my GCRad1-IG and the TUK-IG!
OK, good enough time to talk about that “GC!” Back in my TMRm’zine magazine publishing days (1996 – 2001), I also got very involved with rally, the oldest form of motorsport on planet earth)! You know, like Subaru rally cars going sideways in the dirt… mud flaps and big Hella lights! Anyhow, through all that process I made a new friend, Scott G., and he along with some mates and myself started the GravelCrew! The small crew of likeminded grew into 22+ enthusiasts.
We would also form the GCRallyX rallycross series for Southern California. During these times, the internet was really starting to take shape and subcultures such as our rally exploits were really taking shape in the “www” in the form of forums. Thus, forums require screen names and with that, we wanted everyone to know that all of us posting, belonged to a crew called the Gravel Crew.
I’ve been RAD1 forever, so we all added the GC in front of our names to represent the crew first. While that was a very long time ago, the GravelCrew is still out there and most recently in 2024, Hot Wheels brought our GravelCrew name back to the forefront! Take a look at this Google link and you will see the logo I did a long time ago for our crew on the side of a 2024 released Hot Wheels! Hot Wheels X GravelCrew
On another note, I’ve been pedaling the bicycle – A LOT! If you follow my IG page, you may think that it’s all I do! But I have been commuting to/from work pretty much every day! It’s my mental place and gives me the physical therapy I need. I really got back to pedaling late last year but quickly slowed down in November and December due to the cold weather and not equipped for cold weather pedaling here in Colorado Springs, Colorado. January and February saw ZERO pedaling as that is when it was really cold! Started back up again in March and have been steady at it! My plan is to attempt to pedal as much as I can through the winter! TRY! Yes, I am a bike-nerd, here is my STRAVA page: https://www.strava.com/athletes/199017
Back before COVID, I was putting all my spare time and attention into my little side project, the Yamaha TDUB CLUB! But when COVID came it also gave everyone “TIME!” During this time is when I would be “found” to be a member of The United Kings by KEET_313 and Dr. Dax via a post made about me from the crew at East Bay Archive’s Instagram page. Give this post and comments a read! That is how all.. ALL THIS has unfolded. While I thought that one day I would get back into my art, this is what speed-ramped it forward! The TDUB CLUB was/is my visual outlet, but RAD1 is ALSO BACK!
Not due to any one thing in particular, other than dead presidents, I have not even ridden the Yamaha TW200 once this year! I run in cycles… Ran hard in TDUB Club-mode from July of 2017 to last year. It will come back around… Peep the YouTube channel if you are into mini-daulsport adventure fun! youtube.com/yamahatdubclub
Later this month I will be doing an interview with Gulch Magazine out of Atlanta. They are doing an in-person interview with my crew, The United Kings soon! Who / what is Gulch all about? GULCH Magazine, founded by founding members Steve Kim, Sarah Higgins, and Jessica Helfrecht, the magazine highlights the people, places, ideas, and discussions happening on the ground in Atlanta’s visual arts & culture scene. Gulch Magazine also publishes a curated art calendar weekly to share art events happening in the city.
Follow Gulch Magazine on Instagram @gulchmag, at gulchmagazine.com, and on Atlanta NPR’s WABE City Lights Collective show.
If you have any questions for me to answer in an upcoming correspondence, please email me at gcradone@gmail.com In the subject line please paste RAD1TUK Question + Your Name and blast away your question in the body of the email. If it feels private, I will correspond directly to you via the email.
ABOUT Rodney “RAD1” WIlls
PS: If you have not signed up to receive the R1 NEWSLETTER, please do so on the front page of the website here: https://rad1tuk.com/ I promise you will not get too many emails from me as this one is from 2025 and I am just now working on the second one in 2026. I wish I could do it monthly, but I am way far from that!