February 5, 2007

And Speaking of Misspent Youth...

I spent the whole weekend roped to my computer writing. Sadly, I wasn’t writing anything fun, but a report to submit to an environmental regulatory agency. By the time I put it in the hands of a reviewer, I was whipped down and spent. That meant only one thing… time had come to drink a whole bottle of wine… and straight from the bottle. Don’t need no stinkin’ glasses!

Fuck! What weekend?!

Whilst drinking said bottle of wine, I removed the technical jargon that was floating in my head after two days straight of writing, re-writing and tweaking text by watching the Lords of Dogtown. Which is a movie that is based on the story of Dogtown and Z-Boys, a documentary that Stacy Peralta made a few years ago. Both are fantastic so I recommend putting them on your Netflix queue or go to wherever you get your flicks and check them out.



Now, I grew up in Southern California, mind you, in the northernmost city in Southern California, but Southern California none the less. Santa Barbara is a surf/skate town and my crowd was the skate punk crowd. The aforementioned movies describe a time that was about 10 years before my era, but I looked up to those guys and had s-u-c-h huge crushes on boys of that ilk. They were tough and performed heroic tricks without any consideration of bumps, bruises, road rashes and broken bones. Perhaps stupid, but definitely dreamy. You see, they tended to have these incredible bodies… but I digress.

Anyhow, the point is these movies get the late 70’s in Southern California right, which is a rare bird. Most of what you see is a polished up Hollywood version of what it was like then and I’m sure in some circles it was like the Hollywood version. What is presented in these movies is the gritty underbelly of the disaffected youth that influenced so much of popular culture that spread across the whole country.

And when you are done with all that, rent Thirteen which is a movie that was directed and co-written by the director of the Lords of Dogtown and shudder in your boots if you are a parent to an adolescent girl in Southern California. Thirteen is not an uncommon story.

10 comments:

Steven said...

I thought that Thirteen was a horribile movie.

Overdone. Sloppy. I just didn't like it.

Haven't seen any of the others you listed yet.

Off to Netflix Queue!! ;)

Steve~

Anonymous said...

I saw all of those films, and I thought Thirteen was pretty powerful. So, can you skateboard?

Fresh Hell said...

Steve: The director did a better job with the Lords of Dogtown than Thirteen.

Neil: I used to skate a little, but I'm plagued by an extreme lack of coordination and have the scars to prove it. I try not to tempt the fates when I can avoid it. Hospitals suck.

Old Knudsen said...

I watched Hell comes to frogtown and seven, no point here really, just wanted to belong.

dive said...

God, I feel old …

Fresh Hell said...

Dive: Don't feel old. I'm looking down the barrel of my 38th year next weekend but I refuse to let go of my perpetual immaturity. Big words can't change that.

Old Knudsen: Seven is one of my favorite movies. And not because of that pretty-boy Brad Pitt. I just like blatant blasphemy and a soundtrack that includes Abinoni's Adagio in G minor.

dive said...

And any movie that delivers Gwynneth Paltrow's head in a box has to be doing something right.

Jocelyn said...

Dogtown and wine. I've tried 'em both and found 'em both as gratifying as you did.

Way to push the regulatory jargon out of your head.

Eddie Waring said...

I have never been on a skateboard in my life. I would buy one just to try it but there are too many steep hills round here. Fun going down, shite going back up.

AliBlahBlah said...

'Gritty underbelly' and 'disaffected youth'? I thought you, like, totally grew up in Sanna Barbra. Or is that LK you're describing?!