This has been a long time coming, and has been more or less completely redone since it was started. It’s probably the best skateboard documentary I’ve ever seen. It’ll be on Apple TV over here soon.
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Have been waiting on this, great to hear it’s out soon
Any word on screenings? I emailed Jeremy a while back but he was sorting distributors etc at the time
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Still working on UK/Europe, but looking like it’ll be via Apple.
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Interview I did with Jeremy Elkin, although much has been changed/upgraded since then…
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Just noticed that Deadline article says it’s got interviews with Justin Pierce and Harold, but obviously it doesn’t. They’re in it, and Harold’s brother is interviewed, but there aren’t interviews with those two. That’s a mistake. Jeremy is only 34, I think.
Because it was originally going to be the Mixtape documentary?Jeremy talks about that in the interview.
It covers Mixtape, but goes way beyond.
Obviously I’ve got no idea which one you’ve seen, but not really - that one was just “the sketch”.
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This went live a couple of minutes ago, finally. Hope it even begins to suggest how good this thing is.
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Sorry for the blunt question, but does it have something interesting or original to say? Because, no offence to anyone, the trailer kind of does the nostalgic ‘we lived it, man’ thing that a lot of music docs and youth culture docs do.
Like the talking heads in these types of doc often big up how game changing, important a specific moment was, but really they’re just talking about the formation of a band or release of an album (skate video in this case) and its impact. And the impact side of it is really hard to convey and provide evidence for. These docs often come off as a bit naval gazey as a result. They’re fun if you’re into the album or whatever, but I often leave them feeling a bit like ‘so what?’
Sorry if I’m not expressing that very clearly. Is it worth my time I guess is what I’m asking?
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I loved it but I’m really into skateboarding, hip-hop and New York stuff.
Nobody cries about how influential they were anyway, if that’s more your thing.
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Looking forward to seeing this!
I get you…it could go either way. Skateboarding was influenced by hip hop and they have history…undeniable. Was hip hop influenced in return? I’m not so sure it was in any meaningful way. Also, as we all know, growing up in the same city doesn’t mean growing up in the same environment. It differs street by street block by block. Will be interesting if the film confronts the legitimacy of skateboarding as part of hip hop culture rather than just bigging it up.
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I will watch this because the mix tape era was a year or 2 before I got into skating and so I would appreciate the education on what I missed out on first hand.
I will also watch this because I love New York and skateboarding culture.
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That is very much a part of this.
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I think there’s also a race and class disparity between who was involved in skateboarding and who was involved in hip-hop. I know there are prominent figures who are big exceptions to this rule, but I find it hard not to see skateboarding as predominantly a white, middle-class activity which latched onto a more genuine working-class musical style. Again that is a big generalisation.
Big generalisation there, and wrong in too many cases to fly I think. Yeah prominent ‘legit’ characters punch above their weight but that goes for both hip-hop and skateboarding it’s not unique to skateboarding.
I do think it’s true that skateboarding latched onto hip-hop, rather than vice-versa, but in the 90s post-grunge era hip-hop was by far the most exciting music scene because it was so creative and innovative. Electronic music was good for getting off your tits to, but for skating and chilling it was hip-hop all day long. I still love hip-hop and Zoo York Mix Tape was so sick when it came out that I’m stoked to see this film coming out.
Maybe the symbiotic relationship between skating and hiphop isn’t even part of this film, so this might not be relevant but there was never a lot of crossover with skaters making it into the hiphop industry as I recall? Could be wrong and maybe the film will cover this, but I hope it is the authentic story and not a romanticised version.
Of course not. I was wondering how the documentary touched upon how white, richer kids used hip-hop culture to their own ends in skateboarding and whether it take a critical view of this. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just an interesting dimension to it. Were rappers down for it? Did Busta Rhymes care he was in a skate video?
Skateboarders were the first people to put on a hip-hop night Downtown, at Mars. I don’t think it’s “latching onto”, I think it’s ‘being into’.
This started out as a documentary on Mixtape, but became this much bigger thing. As is appropriate.
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Totally, but I think it’s this lazy notion of a ‘melting pot’ that needs challenging. Who has the social and economic capital to make a company out of or profit from NY culture? More often, the whiter, richer people.
Fair enough I only said ‘latched onto’ to refer to Dent Face’s words. That’s what I was trying to say too…skateboarders were into it.
