Black Friday Motocross DVD

Metal Mulisha is proud to announce that Black Friday, one of the industry’s most anticipated films. Starring the full Mulisha team, including founder Brian Deegan, Ronnie Faisst, Todd Potter, Wes Agee, Taka Higashino and Jacko Strong, Black Friday takes viewers behind the scenes with the world’s most famous freestyle motocross team.

From Deegan and Potter’s Temecula compounds to Danimal’s Domain and the outback of Australia, Black Friday pulls out all the stops in an hour-long movie that celebrates riding on the edge and an adrenaline-filled lifestyle that Mulisha has been known for since 1999. Black Friday is the first movie release from Mulisha in more than four years.

Black Friday features amazing jump footage shot by director, Jay Schweitzer, from both aerial and ground viewpoints. Highlights include Wes Agee and Todd Potter’s world record 190-foot backflip, Brian Deegan’s fight against Dave Mirra at EllisMania 7, and Jimmy Fitzpatrick’s helicopter dive.

The film also pays tribute to Mulisha’s fallen teammates, Jeff ‘Ox’ Kargola, who passed away earlier this year; and never-before-seen footage of team rider Jeremy Lusk, who died in 2009.

Black Friday is another example that Mulisha is the greatest freestyle motocross team on the planet, hands down,” said Deegan. “We’re a tight group of guys who love to ride, compete and have fun every step of the way. This movie shows that we’re still willing to push the limits, whether on a dirt bike, rally car or in the ring.”

Skip Snead, one of the creative creators of Ghetto Juice Magazine, gave us a head’s up on the new surf film Rumors, which will be premiering at Lido Theatre in Newport Beach next week. He’s calling it one of the best surf films he’s ever seen, and it’s got some big backing from companies like Vans, Skullcandy, Monster and Von Zipper.

Skip even threw us a little teaser for the much-anticipated Ghetto Juice issue #3 with this Q & A with producer Alistair Calderon that will be featured in the next issue, on stands next Tuesday.

Here’s what Skip wrote:

Rumors producer Alistair Calderon

We love it when independent film makers come up with an idea for a surf film and go above and beyond the borders to make it happen. Just like the good old days. They’d hear about a wave, get a crew and go film it. This is the feeling I got after sampling some segments of the new surf movie Rumors, which will be premiering Nov. 18 at 8:00 p.m. at the Lido Theater in Newport Beach. Tickets are just $5 at the door and we suggest you get there early!

Ghetto Juice caught up with Rumors Producer (and Mazatlan’s top pro surfer) Alistair Calderon, who was in town laying down the final edits and preparing for the World Premier… We had just two questions…

Ghetto Juice: How did you get involved in Rumors?
Alistair Calderon: I got involved through my friend Mark, he’s been a cinematographer for years and I’ve known him for a long time. I knew most of the guys in the cast just from surfing and competitions so when we told them we wanted to do a film and try to find some new breaks in Mexico they were all down. Everyone started making their contributions as to where to film and we just ended up going all over the place. A lot of the spots we just found because one of the boys had “heard about it from a friend of a friend and you know how that goes, so that kind of give us the idea for the title.

Ghetto Juice: What is your favorite part of the movie?
Alistair: It’s kind of hard to say, it might sound lame but I like all of them, but if I have pick just one it’s probably one that we shot at this really good right point in southern Mexico. (Photog) Tom Carey was down there with Zeke Lau and Dusty Payne and we met up, we had David and Oscar the Puerto boys, so it was just them four surfing. No one else around, there was no wind the whole day, the sandbar was amazing, and barreling the whole way. I really like right points so that was a tough one to just film and not surf, but I’m glad I did because the final result was great, the boys ripped.

For future premier dates and to check out the trailer, go to rumorsthemovie.com.  For the latest issue of Ghetto Juice, check your local surf shop ….

Here’s the trailer on Youtube if you want to take a quick look:

Click HERE to buy RUMORS Surf Video on DVD at BoardSportsVideos.com

Australian apparel brand Globe has never enjoyed top-tier industry status like behemoths Quiksilver, Billabong, Rip Curl, O’Neill, Volcom, et al. But Globe has a visual resume that no other brand can match: a long string of epochal films created by mad genius Joe G. And if you thought Secret Machine and New Emissions Of Light & Sound were conceptual, well, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet, because the 8mm and 16mm-heavy Year 0000 makes those earlier Globe efforts look like quick-hit clips.

Patterned on an apocalyptic vision of 2012 as the proverbial year zero, this film envisions a dusty, desert-caked wasteland onto which CJ and Damien Hobgood, Dion Agius, Taj Burrow, Nate Tyler, and Yadin Nicol stumble after the rest of humanity has perished.

Before we get a look at those surfers, though, Year 0000 forces us to sit through nearly 15 minutes of discombobulated sepia-toned abstractions. Scott Soens’ cinematography is stunning, though, and behind it rests the throbbing strains of the soundtrack, curated exclusively for the film by kick-ass Canadian stoner-rock band Black Mountain. From a musical point of view, this tour de force of both new material and past Black Mountain gems might represent the biggest coup yet for a modern surf movie — I can’t be the only one who’s glad we’re not stuck on an electro repeat of Secret Machine. And oh yeah, the surfing: things start in slo-mo before speeding up to the strains of “Bright Lights,” with our humble cast hucking impossible airs, wafting ridiculous amounts of tail, and flying through barrels of intense consequence.

There’s no use in dissecting the bevy of jaw-dropping sections, although I will admit that Yadin and CJ’s full-rotation frontside alley-oop 360s, a man-eating French sand slab, and the Hobgoods’ mid-film left-point shred sesh are particularly delectable. But let’s be honest: you’re not watching Year 0000 strictly for the clips. You’re watching this statement of artistic intent for the psychedelic spaghetti Western voiceovers. The hallucinatory segues. The stunning female supporting cast. The muscle car and motorcycle chases.

Watching this film feels like what the early ‘70s hippies must have felt upon watching Evolution or Morning Of The Earth for the first time — revolutionary shit indeed. And the fact that an apparel company — not even one of the top five, either — would fork over what must have been the massive budget to pull this blockbuster off… Well, nothing could be better for the surf-film industry. Here’s hoping Year 0000 inspires many imitators.

By Nick McGregor

Click Here to Buy Globe’s New Surf Video on DVD “Year Zero” at BoardSportsVideos.com

Travis in air. (Photo: Scott Serfas)

This interview from March, 2010 appeared on Justin Timberlake’s website.  I stumbled across it and thought it was pretty cool that the world’s best snowboarder is a patron of the arts–and that Justin Timberlake, who proposed to Jessica Biel at Jackson, Wyoming’s Amangani resort this past winter, is hip enough to appreciate him.

Boarder Travis Rice is the type of dude who can make linebacker-sized men pee themselves and/or scream like girls. After all, the US Open/X-Games/Icer Air medal-winning snowboarder is commonly known for doing jaw-dropping stuff like this……..and making it look easy:

Interview: Travis Rice On His New Art Gallery Asymbol

What fans may not (yet) know about the Jackson Hole Wyoming native is that Travis is also an avid artist and patron. For years, he’s supported local artists who hand-paint boards; more recently, he co-produced an epic film about snowboarding, That’s It That’s All.

This year, Travis has decided to take the it to the next level, opening an online and roving art gallery Asymbol. The focus is on high-quality prints and carefully curated art pieces and photography by fellow riders and adventurers. Plus, “since we owe the environment we take from while we reap the rewards of its bounty,” part of the gallery’s profits are donated to environmental non-profits “working to raise environmental and social awareness and accountability in the action-sports world.” A pretty perfect package eh?

We shared words with the legend below:

INTERVIEW WITH TRAVIS RICE: 

JT.COM: You’ve called yourself the “ultimate appreciator’” of snowboard art. What’s the first epic board art you owned?

TR: Nothing empowers the ride like being proud about what you have beneath your feet.

The first epic board I owned was a Lib Tech Jamie Lynn, the 96/97 Corn Husk. I was actually just a part owner; I went in 50-50 with a friend and we changed up every couple days.

JT.com: The rider community (both snowboarders and surfers) seems to a very active creative, artistic community – from the gear, magazines, HD films, painting, documentaries. Why is that?

TR: Everything within the lifestyle stems from free thinking outside of the pre-set mold. It’s still young so there are not a lot of rules, guidelines or prerequisites. It’s fresh, so to speak. so creativity and experimentation are met with open arms.

JT.com: You have personally used art as an outlet to share the joy/passion/fear that you feel for the sport with others- through feature films, graphic designs for jackets, etc… Why go to this next level and open a gallery? 

TR: For as long as I can remember rocking the shoes I wear, I’ve been infatuated with the work of so many talented people who pass through my life.

(Photo: Heather Erson Photography)

In recent years, I began to notice a disconnect between the creators and appreciators in regards to art and photography within the alternative lifestyle of board-sports. I really felt that boards and action magazines were an unworthy end game for that dedicated few’s life work.

The platform that has become Asymbol is the solution to that predicament. I think I just really felt like it was necessary to give credit due to the imagery, and hopefully inspire others to go out and find that bit of wanderlust for themselves… first person..

JT.com: Unfortunately, a recession is a tough time to convince people (especially the younger generation) to invest in art. How does Asymbol combat that?

TR: Ya! Great idea: Hmmm, recession, everyone’s cutting back.. Why not start a Fine art and Photography gallery! Ya! That’s the ongoing joke here…

But the work we represent is timeless. The OCD quality control we run here leaves value of which I am proud. Our goal was to always keep the body of work attainable and use it to help promote and fund some great non-profits at the same time.

(Photo: Scott Serfas)

JT.com: The benefit of an online gallery is that it can be as large as you like. Do you plan to grow or keep it small & hand-picked?

TR: We of course aspire to grow but more like a Yvon Chouinard sort of way: Slowly, keeping it in house and hand picked. Quality is our priority. The quote “If you want it done right than you have to do it yourself” has never felt so true.

(Editor’s Note: Yvon Chouinard is the super smart, environmentally cognizant founder of the clothing company, Patagonia. And if you’re an aspiring or new entreprenuer, you may consider carrying his biography “Let My People Go Surfing” in your glove compartment; it’s just that good…)

TR: We have a tight crew of people working here for the right reasons. I mean, Mike Parillo is our artist liaison and print technician, while the brainiac photographer Tim Zimmerman overseas our photo department. We do all of our Giclee printing in house in Jackson Hole.

JT.com: How can people keep in touch with Asymbol? Can other artists submit their own works for consideration?

JT.com You can track us both on Facebook and Twitter. The best way to keep your finger on the pulse though is to sign up for our E-Alerter to get the first heads up on new works, projects and collections.

As far as submissions… I love looking at new work! I think we all do here. Feel free to send it over. One of our biggest criteria is the story and significance behind each piece.

Bonus Q: Has anyone ever done an art piece for you inspired by your double backside Rodeo 1080? 

Ha, .. I did have a Chilean guy paint some scenes from a film we did called That’s It That’s All.

Photos From Asymbol’s Launch in Aspen in Feb 2010:

The work of Travis Rice’s gallery partner, artist Mike Parillo, Blessing and Confrontations at the Circus Contradiction.

A photo collage of the various artist peices represented….

Travis showing the way…

Red Tetons

Mike Parillo, For Jamil

Front Left: Tim Zimmerman, The Perfect Track

Back right (in blue): Trent Mitchell Kirra

Artist Mike Parillo (in black knit cap) surrounded by friends and fans.

(Photos By Stickeen)

Check out Travis Rice in his two mind-blowing snowboard DVDs, That’s It, That’s All and Art of Flight at BoardSportsVideos.com

Searching For Michael Peterson Movie Poster

The news of Australian surfing legend Michael Peterson’s passing on March 29th didn’t so much rock the surfing world as give it pause to reflect on the sport’s history of fallen heroes and the toll taken by drug use within it’s elite echelon.

While it is well-documented that MP’s underlying demon was undiagnosed schizophrenia, his rapid descent was if not accelerated by a combination of drugs and alcohol, then certainly exacerbated by them.

In the wake of Andy Irons’ recent passing, MP’s life story stirs up those old uncomfortable questions regarding the ways in which we reconcile our inherently counter-cultural and innately bohemian sport/lifestyle with greater aspirations for the sport, the surfing industry and its young heroes.

Can a victim of mental illness truly be fodder for cautionary tales? After all, you certainly can’t scare a kid out of becoming a schizophrenic.  Maybe Michael Peterson’s story is simply the sad retelling of a great talent beset, through no fault of his own, by demons outside of his control.

Following is an open letter from “Searching For Michael Peterson” filmmaker Jolyon Hoff following the news of MP’s passing:

“Yesterday morning I woke up to the news that Michael Peterson had died. I was saddened to hear the news. He was a hero to me and so many others, and he’ll be missed by so many.

A few years ago I was privileged enough to make a film called Searching for Michael Peterson. I’d been fascinated by Michael ever since I picked up my uncle’s old Tracks magazines, sometime in the mid-eighties. They were like a secret world of wild characters and radical behavior, and Michael was the wildest and most radical. Tall and good looking; the long hair, the aviator glasses, the bewildering statements and his odd behavior all just added to his mystique. I was hooked.

In the film, I never really ‘found’ him, and in a way I don’t think I wanted to. To me the film is more about us. Why were we so enamored by this flawed hero? What special magic did he hold?

All that I can say about that is in the film, but for anybody who is still searching for ‘MP’, go and watch the famous clip from Morning of the Earth, there is magic there. The movement, the light, the waves, the music, the filmmaker. It all came together that day to capture something about the man – an intangible energy that drew us all to him. To me, as a surfer, that’s the closest that we can come to finding Michael Peterson, to ever really knowing him.

My deepest condolences go to his family and close friends who helped him through his life and who really did know him. I am sure this is a difficult time for you all.

To Michael. I hope you have found your peace. I’m sure Kirra is always six foot and offshore wherever you are. Thank you for everything.”

Jolyon Hoff

Click HERE to buy Searching For Michael Peterson DVD

Searching For Michael Peterson Surf Video on DVD Available at BoardSportsVideos.com

A lot of hype has gone the way of Julian Wilson’s long-awaited profile flick, Scratching The Surface, and it gets you to wondering how much is too much. Let us make it absolutely clear from the start that the surfing in this movie is superb, but given the build-up the film has received, it would want to be. STS was 18 months in the making and J-Dub turned down competition and involvement with Modern Collective to make it happen, and the results are pretty tasty.

Starting with an awesome montage of a young Joycey rolling around on his skatey at two foot tall, and making his first tentative forays into the water, we hear from Julian’s family and his best mate – an awesome inclusion, by the way – but little from the kid himself, possibly keener to let his surfing do the talking.

Suddenly the chatting stops and Julian is a pro-surfer doing what pro-surfers do best, traveling the globe and surfing crazy waves. He surrounds himself with the elite of the sport, often a perilous move in the interests of being Best In Show, but Julian sits comfortably among Mick Fanning, Dane Reynolds, Taj Burrow and co. If anyone does threaten Julian it is Dusty Payne, who puts in a fine display.

There were clearly thousands of QuikBull dollars spent on this movie, and the big-name soundtrack, helicopters and tricked-out graphics are the result. At the end of the day though, these are mere sideshows to the surfing of one of Australia’s few potential future superstars.

ASL RATING: 4/5
BEST FOR: Verifying the hype
CLICK HERE TO BUY

Scratching The Surface Surf Video on DVD Starring Julian Wilson Available at BoardSportsVideos.com

Being primarily a bodysurfing film, you get a healthy dose of Mark Cunningham. Following a brief narration by Cunningham on the South Shore, you begin to get a good feel for what this film is all about. At Point Panic the locals aren’t competing, they’re simply having fun. Fun becomes the mantra throughout the film. Jokes about Speedos and lighthearted comments like: “It’s never gonna be cool – I never got any chicks bodysurfing, that’s for sure!” pepper the film.

But fear not, there is plenty of serious surfing in the film. There’s a healthy Wedge section smack dab in the middle of the film, with plenty of steep drops and lines gone wrong. Fred Simpson says it best, “The hardest part is making up my mind to take off, actually putting myself in the path of the bull and pass it, so it rips my clothes but doesn’t kill me.”

Locations include California, Hawaii, Tahiti, a brief stop in Montana, and with Cunningham at Teahupoo. The best rides by far are by Mike Stewart at Point Panic, which includes some nice barrels and off-the-lip spins.

Come Hell or High Water has a nice, mellow soundtrack. Some of the film’s musicians include The Cave Singers, Eddie Vedder, Mike Kaawa, Todd Hannigan, and a Dan Malloy/Jon Swift collaboration.

A Woodshed production and (Malloy’s awesome beard) really does an amazing job of shining light on an oftentimes overlooked sport. And the playfulness of the film is a nice change of pace from the many overly aggressive shortboard flicks. It’s a great addition to your DVD library and is well worth the price of admission.

This review originally appeared on the the Stoke Harvester blog. To find out more about Shawn Jennings and his company Stoke Harvester click here. To order the film, click here.

Come Hell or High Water Bodysurf Video on DVD by Keith Malloy Available at BoardSportsVideos.com

Dude Cruise is the first movie from Irons Bros. Productions, the new film company formed by Bruce and Andy Irons, and the first-ever movie featuring the DC surf team and just the DC surf team.

It’s true that there are only three guys on the elite DC surf team. But between Bruce Irons, Dane Reynolds, and Ry Craike, who else do even need in a surf movie these days? Combined, the crew stands at the forefront of modern progressive surfing. The boys have earned a rep as some of the best rippers on the planet, all the while keeping unique styles in and out of the water.

It’s those unique out-of-the-water styles that make Dude Cruise so damn interesting. We all know that sometimes on surf trips (or a Dude Cruise, as we’ve dubbed this one) things can get weird with a strange brew of testosterone, cabin fever, and ale. Dude Cruise offers a look at the type of weirdness that goes down with individuals like Bruce, Dane, and Ry in the mix, plus, of course, plenty of footage of the boys shredding spots worldwide.

Dude Cruise also serves a new take the standard surf video; you know, the atypical two-minute quick-edit parts seen in nearly every surf flick out there. Directed by Matt Beauchesne (previously residing in Taylor Steele’s camp, now heading up Irons Bros. Productions), Dude Cruise shows sessions start to finish–not just the banger clips–to offer a more realistic look at what happens when you’re just out with your friends having a good time.

Sheesh.  Now this is what pisses me off about computers–and technology in general.  I spent an hour (read: thirty minutes) ranting and raving on this blog about the current state of the surf video business, just like I always do.  I actually got a little more specific: the lowly retail buyers are the slipshod gatekeepers who are supposed to be protecting the consumer from crap product, most surf videos today are like bad pornos from the 80’s (hot chick on the boxcover and snaggle-toothed hags in the video), yadda, yadda, yadda.  Of course, I save the damned thing to the Drafts file, went to a friend’s wedding in Florida, come back to finish the post and all that’s sitting there waiting for me is the official press release that I copied and pasted into the beginning of the post.  So, all of my creativity has been swallowed up by the cyber-void once again.  And to tell you the truth, the press release is pretty straight-forward.

Bruce Irons, Dane Reynolds, Ry Craike and some cameo appearances make up the movie.  Although the press release won’t mention it, the video is relatively short by surf industry standards.  At approx. 25 minutes, it falls quite a bit short of the average TRT of 42 minutes.  Since I’m feeling a bit weeded after losing my original rant, I’ll just lay it down:

Yes, Bruce Irons still rips and is one of my favorite surfers to watch.  Unfortunately, I don’t know whether he needs to knock off a little WCT three-to-the-beach formatting in his surfing or if he’s just not as dynamic as he used to be, but his surfing in Dude Cruise didn’t excite me the way he did in Magnaplasm.  Maybe he’s matured, maybe Dude Cruise is “Sonic Temple” to Magnaplasm’s “Electric”, but it just wasn’t the same.  The magic’s still there, though, and I’m hoping that time away from the Tour will bring back the full force of animal aggression that defines his surfing.

Dane Reynolds: I’m not a hater, but I’m probably one of the only people I know that are not completely blown away by this guy’s surfing.  I can’t quite put my finger on it.  Does he rip?  Definitely.  Is his style impeccable?  Surely.  But there’s something missing here.  Could be the same reason that I like Taylor Knox’s style, but can’t seem to appreciate Bobby Martinez.  Too polished?  Possibly.  He definitely doesn’t surf like a robot, but it’s possible that his “Devil-may-care” attitude is projected in his surfing.  I’m absolutely certain that the guy loves what he does, but for some reason, it doesn’t convey the same sense of urgency that I get from Slater, AI or even Fanning.  Regardless, every other person on the planet loves this guy’s style and will therefore love his Dude Cruise Sections.

In my humble opinion, Ry Craike is the sleeper star of the video.  Sure, some of those waves are tow-ats, but they’re still the most ridiculous frontside roundhouses I’ve ever seen in my life.  This guy’s built for surfing.  Just like Occy and Tom Carroll before him, he’s a stocky bastard with a low center of gravity and will bash any lip that comes at him.  In my book, his section alone is worth the price of admission.  Bonus Fact: Ry goes right in this video!

I’m going to keep the accompanying rant relatively short.  This video alone exemplifies the utter bullshit that has become of the once-revered SURFER Poll Video Awards.  Year after year, the graft and corruption has become so bald-faced that a good number of independent producers I know won’t even submit their titles anymore.  Now, I’m sure that the good people at SURFER don’t register the importance of their little awards show to surf film makers–or maybe they do.  In any case, the flagrancy of the paybacks for marketing dollars has reached its peak in the last several years. 

For the layman: SURFER Magazine announces the nomination process for their annual SURFER Poll Video Awards each year and with that announcement comes a list of qualifying rules for consideration in the awards including, among other things, the stipulation that in order for a title to be considered, it must be for sale by a certain date.  Know this: this and any other rules do not apply if your title is a corporate marketing piece bearing the following logos: Quiksilver, Billabong, Volcom, or in this case, DC Shoes (owned by Quiksilver–double whammy!).

In the past three years, we’ve seen the following award-winners: Freebie dvds shrink-wrapped in SURFER Magazine in marketing co-ops with Billabong; titles that are available for sale–in Australia!–but will not release in the States for another eight months; Movie of the Year winners (on more than one occasion) that released a month or more after the awards show. 

Well, in this case, what was originally a likeable and fun short video garnered the prestigious Breakthrough Filmmaker award–and my ire.  No offense to Matt Beauchesne.  I don’t know the guy and he’s done some great work on Taylor Steele’s vids in the past.  Likewise, I’ve already said that Dude Cruise is a fun little video.  But Breakthrough Filmmaker?  C’mon.  At best, it’s a short romp tied together by a sophomoric prank (Bruce Irons rolls their rental car on the beach).  I know I’m not alone in this, either.  Virtually every person I’ve talked to has agreed that the car-rolling incident was funny–the first time they showed it.  But they used this bit as the glue that holds the whole video together and it gets old, fast. 

The only thing that makes any sense here is that Rick Irons and the rest of the boys at SURFER were either on glue when they bestowed this award on Dude Cruise, or more likely, they were looking at the ad revenue that the combined forces of Quik, DC and specifially, all of the double-page Dude Cruise ads represented.  I could go on, but this is so on-its-face ridiculous, that I think you can decipher whatever else I haven’t spelled out for you. (Just in case you can’t:  Art is dead.  Cash is king.)  All hail the Bible of the sport.  All hail Quiksilver (Current stock price at the time of this Blog: $1.18)

MSRP:  $24.95

BUY IT HERE

When Matt Archbold started surfing back in 1979 at age 11 the world had no idea that it was about to witness one of the most explosive surfers to ever set foot on a surfboard. With a career spanning nearly 3 decades now, Archy is considered to be the most successful free-surfer of all time and one of the originators of high-performance surfing.  As Martin Potter was setting the stage globally for high performance surfing in the early 80’s, a young crew out of San Clemente led by Archy was about to blow the roof off of surfing.

From dropping out of high school as a freshman at 15 and turning pro, to becoming the poster child of surf clothing giant MCD, Archy’s young life was no dull moment.  After he struggled with competitive surfing for the next 5 years and had some success winning a handful of Bud Tour events, Archy quickly learned pro surfing’s three turns to the beach format wasn’t for him. He then decided to set out on a fairly new frontier, “free surfing”; getting paid to simply go out and get photos was something that had not been done up until now.  In his early 20’s, his name became synonymous with the legendary surf spot known as “Off The Wall” all the while riding shorter boards in bigger surf–something that most had never done or dreamed of doing. Archy’s aeriel attack in the water and explosive surfing revolutionized what we view as high performance surfing today.

ARCHY is a timeless film that tells the story of 3 very different generations in surfing. Spanning the 80’s, 90’s, 2000 and on, Archy’s amazing story is one of survival thru surf stardom at an early age, fame, drugs, alcohol, sponsorships and the surf rock star lifestyle. Light will finally be shed on the true-life story of one of the most charismatic and legendary surfers in history.

Compelling interviews, explosive surf action, timeless photos matched with Narration by Henry Rollins from the legendary band Black Flag and set to an all time soundtrack including The Clash, Social Distortion, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Devo, and many others, ARCHY is sure to effect audiences of all walks of life worldwide. This is a story that needs to be told.

Well, that’s basically the press release for the movie, and you can find all this info, plus trailers and more at the official website, but here’s my take:

About 40% of this film was edited in my offices, so I was fortunate enough to see the creative process go down.  I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical in the beginning.  How much good Archy footage from back in the day even exists?  How hard would it be to bring it all together for one project?  Is Archy even relevant in 2008?  Did he really surf as good as everyone thinks they remembered?  Will anyone even care?

The bottom line is that Bill Ballard pulled this one off in fine style.  This film is by far Bill’s biggest undertaking in his career to-date.  His previous films, which cemented his reputation in the late 90’s and early in the new millenium as a powerhouse surf video producer and peer to Taylor Steele were well-produced surf porn. (Again, as I’ve stated in previous posts, I don’t use the term “surf porn” disparagingly; it suits a sub-genre of surf film-making and I generally use it in the context of videos or films that simply mirror the current state-of-the-art in high-performance surfing and don’t purport to be anything more than that.) 

In making Archy: Built For Speed, Born To Ride, Bill took on one of surfing’s most controversial characters in his bid to truly represent Archy’s life; he also took on a whole bunch of headaches, not the least of which were Archy’s San Clemente cohorts who managed to morph from armchair critics to exercising some real muscle in the creative direction of the finished project.  Archy’s old-boy network is deep; Bill needed these guys to be on board to get the real story and these are fiercely loyal friends to Archy.  Even though they didn’t pull any punches when interviewed, there were some real tensions that arose during the post-production process in how Archy would be portrayed in the final product.

I went to the Newport Beach premiere of the movie at the Lido Theater and the place was sold out–slammed.  I guess that answers my question about Archy’s relevance–at least in Orange County.  What a cast of characters.  Everyone from San Clemente’s famed artist Roy Gonzales (in a red zoot suit, no less) to new-school hipster Alex Knost were in attendance.  And Good Lord, the San Clemente Mafia in the second floor balcony was going off!  From derisive heckling of PT’s aspirations of turning Archy into a uniformed NSSA clone to raucous hooting at stories of partying madness and footage of Matt boosting, this was their night and they were living it up.

The final product is on the shelves now, and while essentially the same movie that we saw at the premiere, the peanut gallery eventually had their say and the movie now includes actual interview footage with Archy (the version we saw at the premiere was Bill’s original vision, in that Archy’s story was told by his family, friends and rivals–there was no interview footage with Matt in the original version and very little contemporary footage).  Most everyone tends to agree that the re-edit is a stronger final product, and while I tend to side with Bill’s right to his artistic vision, I think the new interview and action footage compliments, rather than dilutes, the story.

Archy: Built For Speed, Born To Ride is a crazy ride through the life of one our sport’s greatest–and most flawed–heroes.  Did Archy really rip as hard as we remembered?  Definitely.  Was Bill able to pull together virtually every sick clip ever shot of Archy in his youth and heyday?  Sure looks like it.  Is Archy still relevant in 2008?  Hell, yes!  Will anyone even care?  Apparently so, based on the copies flying off of store shelves.

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE DVD

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER

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Drew Brophy

Working independently under the Drew Brophy label, as well as his brand Son of the Sea, Drew has attracted more attention and acclaim than any other surf artist in recent memory.  His handiwork is colorful and approachable, while depicting the totems that most appeal to surfing’s counter-culture mindset, particularly skulls, demonesque fishies, tikis and of course, the female form in proportions that make Jessica Rabbit look like Olive Oil.     A press release issued with the video lays out the basic facts:

There is no question as to why Drew Brophy is the top licensed surf artist today.  Drew’s painting style is very distinct with its bright colors, playful characters and beach scenes.  Drew has created thousands of paintings while traveling and surfing around the world.

 

Drew Brophy’s art has been in publication in various forms for about 20 years.  Drew’s art is firmly established in the surf industry, is well known by surfers and is very popular among artists and youths.  There is a large segment of the youth population that has shown their love for Drew’s art by tattooing it on their bodies.  Drew is respected as an avid surfer of some of the most challenging surf spots in the world.  However, Drew’s paintings include subjects that transcend out of surf and into mainstream rock & roll and youth oriented lifestyles.

 

Drew became known for his beautiful surfboard art and is credited with popularizing the art of surfboard painting.  Drew’s painting techniques have impacted the art world by changing how surfboards are painted.  This legacy has fueled his fan base growth, as well as lent him credibility as a pioneer in his field. Drew has taught his techniques to many artists, and continues to do so with his soon to be released video “Paint your Board – Paint Pen Techniques with Drew Brophy.”

Drew continues to maintain his original art commissions and sales.  His original pieces are sold to galleries and collectors worldwide, and his client base includes musicians and celebrities.

As an ocean conservationist, Drew contributes his time and efforts to charities such as Surfrider Foundation and Ocean Institute to help in their quest to keep our oceans healthy.  Drew was recently awarded the prestigious Surfrider Foundation Board Appreciation Award for his contributions. 

Drew is a Southern California surfer who travels and creates colorful, playful paintings that depict his lifestyle.  Drew’s mission in life is to continue to live this lifestyle to the fullest while inspiring others to enjoy the same.  Drew’s all-time motto is “life is good.”  And it is.

Drew shows, step-by-step, how anyone can paint using his techniques.  In his easy-to-follow style, Drew covers creating unique compositions, preparing the surface, blending colors, finishing details and how to seal your work.  He demonstrates on surfboards, skateboards and a pair of canvas shoes.

Special bonus features include fun clips of Drew painting a guitar and a helmet.

In short, Paint Pen Techniques with Drew Brophy is an exhaustive guide to using paint pens on surfboards–or anything else you can think of.  At first glance, it might be expected that this video will only appeal to the artistic types, but having watched it, I really believe Drew’s ultimate goal has been achieved: making art accessible to the average person and offering advanced techniques to young artists everywhere.

I expect to see an explosion of art on surfboards, skateboards, shoes — anything — following the release of this DVD.  For years these techniques have been closely guarded secrets within a small community of artists.  I hope that this DVD will inspire generations of young artists to customize their lives with their art and imagination!–Drew Brophy

The video retails for $29.95 and can be purchased at any of these online stores (as well as surf shops everywhere and select art supply stores):

BoardSportsVideos.com

ActionTrail.com

Amazon.com

Wholesale Inquiries: Mutiny Media, Inc.

In California: 949.443.9020

Out-of-State: 1.866.342.6334

Email: Sales@Mutiny-Media.com

Ads Currently running in Juxtapoz Magazine, SURFER Magazine and Eastern Surf Magazine:

Sponsors of the DVD include Converse, Sector 9, Surfline and Surfer Magazine.