Flutterby™! : Dogtown and Z Boys

Dogtown and Z Boys

2002-11-16 14:08:57+00 by Dan Lyke 6 comments

Watched Dogtown and Z Boys last night. Not as good as I'd expected, given the rave reviews I'd heard. Part of this was just that the stunts are old, any given walk by Justin Herman Plaza and that stretch of the Embarcadero sees kids doing more spectacular stuff, but it was also clear that this was a film made by the same people it was about. We're all the baddest-ass of the bad ass in hindsight.

Still very watchable, some good historical perspective, frightening surfing shots, and lots of people with '70s hair doing cool stuff on a plank. Recommended with those caveats, except that Meuon must see it.

comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment made: 2002-11-16 23:28:48+00 by: meuon [edit history]

From the stills, it looks to be pictures of my childhood.. I need to see if my Dad still has some. Now, I'm an old fat ex-trasher with bad knees,

and I still can't stay off of a board, or throw them away. In fact, I may have to get an EarthBoard for Burning Man.

#Comment made: 2002-11-16 23:41:48+00 by: Dan Lyke

Think you meant Earthboards (freakin' domain squatters).

#Comment made: 2002-11-16 23:43:09+00 by: meuon

Fixed it.. Sorry about that..

#Comment made: 2002-11-17 03:33:04+00 by: skrubly

As a skater that started in the 80's, Dogtown and Z Boys blew me away. When I started skating, there was barely any consciousness concerning the past year let alone the 1970's. The Bones Brigade Video Show was the 'beginning of time' as far as we were concerned.

Dogtown showed me just how different the style is now. Sure, we dig the kickflips, we like rails, and the Leap of Faith... but to think of people skating at a time when no one had done an air, or an ollie.... They didn't even know what could be done. Nobody knew what would happen.

I used to think that Mark Gonzales doing the first handrail was 'the day skateboarding changed'. I realize now that as soon as Alva left the ground and returned without being dead... that was when it all changed.

All in all, I'd love to see what Stacy Peralta does concerning a biopic of skating in the 80's. Dogtown and Z Boys will be the definitive historical account of the 70's, for sure.

Skrubly

#Comment made: 2002-11-17 16:06:40+00 by: meuon

Scrubly, I was in Tacoma in the 70's.. almost got my family kicked off of base housing because of the half pipe we built. Getting 2 wheels out was radical, 3 out was insane, and I hurt from the times I caught air. I was better at freestyle, and loved downhill and slalom, something Tacoma had a lot of. For a short time I even caught a sponsored ride, which means they paid for a couple of boards, pads and clothes. I still have my favorite: Bennett Ad Tracs with extended axles, spacers and large soft Kryptonics on a red oak plank, and a handstand board with Bahne trucks. Tony 'Mad Dog' Alva, Peralta, Adams.. my childhood heroes. When I moved to rural Godfrey IL in '78, I was the strangest thing they had ever seen when I surfed the parking lot at high school.

I still ride "old school" downtown Chattanooga on occaision, what is weird is the longboard in the picture above was my son's first board. Still, "old school" has the style and grace of surfing and I like it better than the modern style.

In looking for a copy of Dogtown and Z-Boys, I learn that Peralta himself is the director. Tubular. A DVD is on the way.

#Comment made: 2002-11-24 02:32:23+00 by: meuon

the DVD showed.. what a trip down memory lane. Thanks Dan.